Chapter 240 – Nightmare (1)
Mages are beings who play active roles in many fields,
especially the elemental magic they wield boasts destructive power enough to easily kill a single person.
But their weaknesses are just as clear.
The physical and cognitive abilities of a mage are usually not so different from those of an ordinary person. For this reason, those who hate or envy mages derisively call them "glass bodies".
No matter what is said, in the end, a mage could still be killed by nothing more than a shabby dagger.
And in fact, it isn't wrong.
Mages are indeed vulnerable to ambushes and crises.
It isn't uncommon for careless mages to be assassinated, and in desperate moments, many lose their lives by making a mistake in magical calculation.
The latter especially happens often with novice adventurers.
Whether one has graduated from an academy or been born with outstanding talent, those who have not yet experienced the terror of real combat only end up becoming baggage.
Adapting to situations that change in real time, all while performing magical calculations, is by no means an easy thing. Unless, of course, one possesses a mind harder than steel.
Thus, the gaps in a mage's defenses are wide open.
In other words, for assassins, they are easy prey.
In fact, Slay had killed countless mages who opposed or hindered Vintert. He could still clearly recall the final moments of those whose necks were cut away as they slept, or amidst crowds.
At times, the keen ones resisted, but it didn't really matter. Once he evaded the spell and closed in, it was already over.
With the ordinary dynamic vision of a mage, it was impossible to respond to Slay's movements, and their fragile mana barriers could simply be torn apart with a dagger.
Slay, assassin of the underworld.
He had never once allowed any magic to be cast upon himself.
'And yet now, a staff swung by a mere mage?'
No matter how much of a surprise attack, how could that be threatening?
At the sight of a mage stepping of his own will into the jaws of death, Slay could not help but smile.
That was until just a moment ago.
Zzzeooong!
His crossed twin daggers blocked the Orient.
"?!"
Slay was flung back, unable to withstand it.
Even though he stomped on the deck at the last moment to minimize the damage, the impact was still heavy. A faint gasp escaped his lips, and his dagger-gripping hands trembled ever so slightly.
'How could a staff strike have such force....'
It was as if he had collided with a massive bludgeon.
Even if it was the effect of a magic item, the sheer power was unexpected. And in that instant, frost began creeping over the blades that touched the Orient.
Crackle-crackle-crack.
In the blink of an eye, frost spread over his whole body.
"L–Lord Slay?"
There was no answer.
Slay, turned into an ice statue, was silent.
Something was wrong.
The assassins of Vintert instinctively took a step back.
First, an entire airship exploded, and now even Slay... especially the aura emanating from the gray-haired man, the target, was unusual.
An overwhelming presence.
This was beyond the king of the underworld───
Crraash!
Then, shattering the ice, Slay charged at Verden.
Robat took that as the signal.
Protected by the other assassins, he burned through every magic item he had to shorten his casting time.
And yet, Verden remained expressionless.
'So he withstood
Since it was an ally's airship, he had intended to deal with things as cleanly as possible.
It seems the one in charge is different. Whether that was fortunate for the assassin called Slay, who could say.
Quietly, he steadied the Orient.
"Brother, let me hel—"
"No need."
Karans, restrained, froze in place.
Calia, Vespa, Owl, and the others who were about to move also hesitated. There was a strange pressure in Verden's voice.
Meanwhile, Robat completed his spell.
A concentrated 5th-tier spell.
Eight-pronged lightning bolts, leaving no blind spot.
The explosion of lightning engulfed Verden.
Immediately afterward, Slay drew in his qi and unleashed his art. With extreme agility, bending his trajectory at impossible angles, he aimed for his opponent's back.
Slay's goal wasn't assassination but abduction.
If he crippled the lower body, taking him away would be easy.
Crack!
There was a response to his strike.
But there was no scream.
"...A mana barrier?"
A protective shield of magic, manifested through
Though Verden's mastery could not be compared to that of a Demon King, it would never shatter from a blow of that level. Of course, to others, it was unbelievable.
To their eyes, it appeared as though he had endured it with nothing but a 1st-tier basic spell, mana barrier.
Verden turned his head.
His blue eyes, glowing with a magic circle, fixed on Slay.
"...!!"
Chills surged up his spine.
He tried to retreat at once, but chains of gravity bound his legs. Desperately, he swung his daggers and broke the chains.
Too late to dodge them all.
The claws of ice, charged with lightning, pierced Slay's chest.
They tore through his armor made from magical beast hide, and with lightning, froze and destroyed his insides.
Though not widespread or showy, its killing power was among the highest of the 6th-tier spells.
"Ka, khhh...."
The blood that dripped down froze over.
His daggers fell helplessly. Unable to withstand it, Slay sagged, but his eyes still glared at Verden.
Brimming with killing intent and rage.
'To an onlooker, it must look as though I attacked first.'
Well, it's over.
Boooom.
Shattered into fragments, Slay exploded.
***
Slay was dead.
What was moments ago a man, scattered in pieces across the floor.
For any human, death is inevitable.
Yet even so, the end of one of Vintert's top-class combatants was far too simple.
That was just how vast the gap in strength was?
Then what was this mage, really? Among the assassins, fear and dread began to spread like wildfire.
Verden turned his body to the side.
Next was the lightning mage's turn.
He raised his arm, thrusting the Orient forward.
Mana gathered, not enough to overwhelm others, but tightly compressed.
With an explosive burst, a beam of light shot forth, cutting through the crowd, racing straight for Robat.
There was no time to dodge.
He instantly erected a curtain of lightning to shield himself.
"Uhh...!"
The curtain crumbled under the pressure.
For something not even a tiered spell, but a beam of pure mana, to wield such insane power. Once the curtain collapsed, even if he threw up a mana barrier, it would only last seconds.
Sensing death, Robat's past flashed through his mind like a lantern slide.
Suddenly, regret filled him.
Had he known this was a monster... he wouldn't have followed Slay just because he lost three bids at an auction, vowing revenge and to take away what he had.
"...Rocky."
Robat reached his hand out to his younger brother.
And then, the beam that shattered the curtain swept across his vision. Literally obliterated, Robat was hurled out of the airship.
A flamboyant end, for the executive of a criminal syndicate.
"Brooooother!!"
Rocky screamed.
His eyes bloodshot, he charged at Verden. The death of his twin brother robbed him of all reason.
But those around him would not simply stand by any longer.
"You, lower than an ogre, dare to touch my brother."
Smaaash!
Karans flew in, kicking Rocky.
The crunch of a crushed cheekbone. Rocky staggered back, only for a shadow to fall behind him.
A white silhouette.
The afterimage drawn by Calia swung her sword.
Rocky, his unguarded knee sliced from behind, collapsed forward, and before he could react, she moved faster still, cutting his throat.
Dark crimson blood splattered across the deck.
Slay, dead.
The brothers Robat and Rocky, dead.
One of the three airships, destroyed.
The weight shifted.
The assassins, who had been gauging the situation, hurried to escape.
Surrender was never an option for them. If caught, it would be the gallows, or at best, rotting away in prison for life.
Vespa shouted.
"Do not let a single one escape!"
"Yes!"
The knights thoroughly blocked the assassins.
Some tried to use
The counterattack did not stop there.
Karans created a foothold of roots and then launched an assault on a nearby airship. The knights followed him.
"Guaaagh!"
"Aaagh!"
The members of Vintert were swept away helplessly.
Still unable to recover from the shock of losing Slay, they had no way to resist. With this, the momentum fully shifted, and Calia, letting out a breath, approached Verden.
"Phew, thanks to you we overcame the crisis. I give you my gratitude, Asher."
"Good thing I wasn't too late."
"Too late? It was perfect timing. That said, I didn't expect you to appear with light. And you seem to have changed a lot since I last saw you... well, I'll ask about that later. More importantly."
Calia lifted her head.
The airship that had been bombing Velos was retreating.
They realized there was no chance of victory and were withdrawing. No doubt, they also intended to report the situation to the king of the underworld.
"If possible, I'd want to take them down, but they're too far. And since it's a small airship, it won't be easy to track either. We'll have no choice but to let them go."
"Then I'll deal with it."
"First, let's head for Rines and... what?"
Verden fully activated his mana circuits.
At the same time, he suppressed the mana emission with the mana control method of the Demon King. He couldn't risk affecting Calia's airship.
Verden's current mana capacity was comparable to that of a Transcendent.
Bzzzzzz!
A fierce lightning strike shot out from the staff and spread into the clouds. Blue light flashed, followed by thunder.
After tens of seconds of calculation, the spell was complete.
Verden swung the Orient downward.
A falling serpent.
Electric currents spread, thunderclouds pulsed.
And then, with a burst of blue light, a colossal serpent of lightning descended. The gaping maw of the beast closed in on Vintert's airship.
Small airships are structurally fragile.
Their protective magic circles are also weak. Still, sinking one with magic alone is no easy feat.
Unless dozens of skilled mages launched a simultaneous bombardment.
Yet this was the result.
Kwaaahhhh!
Tremendous heat and pressure.
The magic circle shattered at once, the airship split in two. Exposed to magic, its power source exploded, magnifying the impact. Charred wreckage rained down.
The raging storm even reached as far as Velos.
Dark crimson hair fluttered in the wind.
Calia, staring blankly at the sky, muttered faintly.
"...Holy."
Vintert's assassins, annihilated.
***
The immediate threat was gone.
But inside Velos's cabin, it was as quiet as if someone had died. Everyone moved only their eyes to glance at Verden, even the spirits.
Unable to bear the silence, Owl was the first to speak.
"Ahem, it hasn't been that long since you took down the Black Wolf Toreld, yet... it seems you've ascended much higher."
"There's been some progress."
Just what kind of "progress" would allow one to destroy an airship with lightning? And in just a matter of months.
Owl didn't bother asking further.
Silence descended again.
Beside him, glancing over, Calia asked.
"Asher, that outfit you're wearing, what is it? It looks amazing on you, but it seems... no, it looks utterly extraordinary. Honestly, it appears more noble than anything I've ever seen."
"It is splendid, brother."
"Thank you. I was lucky to acquire it recently."
...Recently?
Perne, who had been sitting, blinked.
She was someone who knew Verden's movements. Recently, it had surely been the Demon King's tomb.
'Then of course, that outfit must be the Demon King's....'
"Gasp!"
Perne covered her mouth with both hands.
Thud! She struck her forehead against the table, bowing deeply. For a moment, eyes turned toward her, but she had no choice.
It was her desperate effort to stop herself from screaming.
This time, Verden spoke.
"Come to think of it, I heard a civil war has broken out in the kingdom."
This was information he had obtained from Gedson, his informant.
"Then let me explain."
Knight Commander Vespa described the kingdom's situation.
The civil war sparked by the disappearance of Duke Dosramd's eldest son, Nigel. According to the newspapers, after fierce battles, the war had tilted toward the 1st Prince.
Moreover, opinion was dominant that the civil war would soon end, since it had reached the doorsteps of the 2nd and 3rd Princes.
'Much has happened while I was away.'
To think a civil war would break out.
Yet he felt little emotion. Whoever became king, it would hardly affect Verden. Calia nodded.
"That's my father's problem to deal with. For us, the kingdom's future is less important than the present. Vintert is rampaging to capture you, Asher, even breaking the non-aggression treaty. Why exactly are they after you?"
"Who knows."
"...You're hiding something. Is it connected to my father? And that elf as well?"
Calia's perception was sharp.
Of course, Verden didn't answer.
Explaining Leonil's experiment would take far too long. And since it involved the Marquis of Esperanza, he couldn't reveal it freely.
"Still, the solution is simple."
"Solution?"
Verden rose from his seat.
As he walked toward the door, his eyes met the elf's.
"Karans, I'm sorry, but I'll have to ask you to handle security a bit longer."
"Leave it to me, brother. But, are you fine with these humans learning my true identity?"
"Yes, while aboard the airship, you may move in your true form."
Karans released the Face of Deception.
A relieved smile spread across his face. There may not have been any physical discomfort, but clearly, he hadn't liked moving around in a human appearance.
"Calia, head straight for Rines. Perne, you'll work with Karans once you're there. I'll come find you once my task is done."
"Ah, yes! Understood, Asher!"
"Wait, Asher. A task? Where are you going... no, what are you planning to do?"
What else.
"To erase Vintert."
Tap. Verden stepped out of the cabin.
The door slowly swung closed behind him as he walked away. Soon, even the sound of his footsteps in the corridor disappeared. Through the window, they could see his figure swiftly vanishing into the distance.
Karans and Blue cheerfully waved their hands.
But the others could not.
At Verden's words, all their faces stiffened.
"...Did he just say, he's going to do what?"