Chapter 242. Nightmare (3)
"...What?"
The king of the underworld, Grond, twitched his eyebrow.
The desolate air of the audience chamber stabbed sharply at the lungs.
A member of Vintert's royal guard, kneeling beneath the throne, swallowed his saliva, then repeated the same words.
"News has come that Asher and Galliark have entered Aurofl. And judging by the direction they are moving, their destination seems to be here, Roafra."
"What about Slay?"
"No one else was seen besides those two. However, seeing that Asher appears unharmed, I judge that they must have passed each other."
The possibility was sufficient.
No matter how much Slay operated a small airship, he couldn't possibly monitor the entire kingdom, let alone Roafra.
Had they encountered one another, it wouldn't have ended peacefully.
Slay was the head of the assassination branch, and Robat and Rocky, the brothers, were powerful executives in the guard branch.
The assassins who accompanied them were also men seasoned in murder.
"..."
Tok. Tok. Tok.
Fingers wrapped in gauntlets tapped on the armrest.
With the other arm propping his chin, Grond closed his mouth. The gray crown tilted faintly. The muddy golden eyes sank deeply.
'The mage, Asher.'
A man who had eluded even Slay's pursuit, vanishing without a trace, suddenly revealed himself. And not just anywhere, but right in the very territory Grond himself ruled directly.
It was clearly no coincidence.
That man must certainly know he was being hunted. Appearing at this particular moment, on this particular day, proved as much.
And so a question arose.
'Why has he come here?'
It was the time to hide, yet he had walked straight into the lion's den.
Was it that he had finally given up, and come to surrender himself to Vintert? Or, perhaps, was he planning to negotiate again, as he had before?
Whatever the case, it was a foolish decision.
Vintert was never a humanitarian organization. Least of all toward a target that had forced them to waste precious time and manpower.
"Well, amusing, all the same."
Grond smirked.
Since the man had come into the underworld himself, there was no reason a king could not welcome him. It was only fitting to commend him, for saving them the trouble.
With a small banquet, at least.
"Meraden."
"You called, Your Majesty?"
"Announce it throughout Roafra."
Grond declared.
"To whomever brings me Asher, I will grant the right to become a member of Vintert."
***
As befitted a great city, the streets of Aurofl bustled with life.
Galliark, with his muscular, hulking frame and the deadly weapon in his hand, drew every citizen's eyes. Alarmed cries burst out, people screamed and retreated in a rush.
Verden was also an object of commotion.
Though, in a completely different sense than Galliark. His mysterious appearance, his equipment beyond price or measure,
completely unlike the nobles of the kingdom they had met until now.
Murmurs and whispers rose here and there.
But the two men's attention was elsewhere.
"Looks like the little bastards are in a panic, judging from how they're moving."
Detectors were hidden among the crowd.
There was no need to find out who. Naturally, they were Vintert's agents.
That the influence of the organization ruling the vast underground city extended even to Aurofl was only to be expected.
"Seeing the ruckus already, things must be one hell of a mess down below."
"Not confident?"
"Killing a single bug is easy. But if there are dozens, hundreds, when the hell would you finish stomping them all? Honestly, it's too much."
Galliark was confident in his own skill.
But he fully understood he could not handle the underworld alone. Both subjectively and objectively.
If hundreds of half-decent men rushed at him, he might not die, but exhaustion would be inevitable.
"But if you've got an elemental mage, the story changes. Once you complete your spells, the small fry just drop dead. I'll take the vanguard."
It was the standard combat method of an adventurer.
"And if I hadn't come, what would you have done?"
"What else? Smash every mana elevator and entrance leading down to the underworld, then vanish. That's why I shook off pursuit on the way. Probably would've been pretty effective, right? They'd never expect the guy they've chased all day to show up at their home base."
Roafra, built underground, was deeply isolated.
Thus, while its external influence was weak, the passages connecting it to the surface were limited.
Had Galliark carried out his plan, it would've been quite the nuisance for Vintert.
Their manpower to send outside would've become restricted. Repairs would take time, and during that time, the pursuers could have been slaughtered and Asher hidden away, making him difficult to find.
Of course, the risk was extremely high.
But compared to being pursued and ambushed ceaselessly all day, it was a better idea. At least, to Galliark.
'Well, no longer something that will happen.'
They soon arrived at the underground passage.
Recalling the time when Samwell had guided him before, Asher descended the stairs. A wide corridor appeared, leading to the entrance hall of the elevator.
Unlike before, there was not a single crowd. Only Aurofl's guards remained.
Among them, a man twirled his mustache as he approached.
"Well, well. To think I'd see the customer Samwell once escorted again like this. It feels like meeting a friend already condemned to death."
Commander Dalisian.
The manager of the passage, whom they had met with Samwell.
"Are you here to guide us?"
"Vintert instructed me, yes. To send you both safely down to Roafra. Without inspection, of course. So as commander, I am fulfilling my duty. But…"
The commander clicked his tongue, staring at Verden's face.
"Tsk tsk, what a waste, such a waste. What on earth did you do, to become Vintert's target? Hm? If I were you───"
Slaaap!
Out of nowhere, a massive hand smashed across the commander's cheek.
His body flew sideways. His jaw snapped aside, and with eyes wide open, the commander lost consciousness.
"What kind of guide yaps this much, you son of a bitch."
Ptui. Galliark spat.
The guards hastily raised their spears, but it meant nothing.
"Eyes down. Before I kill every last one of you."
"Ugh…!"
The butcher rolled his eyes, gleaming.
By instinct, the soldiers stepped back. Some even stumbled to the ground. Between them, Verden and Galliark walked through.
There was no killing intent.
And yet, with nothing more than a slight twist of his expression, he terrified them so badly.
"You really do have a knack for intimidation."
"Are you mocking my face right now?"
The atmosphere was utterly devoid of tension.
The two of them boarded the high-speed mana elevator at the bottom of the central staircase. As the door shut, a faint hum filled the air.
Through the reinforced glass, Roafra drew closer.
"So, do you even have a plan? Like, cut down every obstacle in our way, or ignore the small fry and go straight for Vintert's leaders. You know, something like that."
"If I had to choose, the former."
"The former, huh…"
Only then did Galliark become certain.
The man at his side was no longer the 5th-tier elemental mage he had once seen.
'Did he open the way of magic?'
That was the most likely.
Each person reached the way of magic at different times. Some became magi the moment they reached the 5th tier.
But the 6th tier was another matter.
It was a lofty height requiring not only talent and effort, but also time. No matter how gifted, it could not be achieved so quickly. And it hadn't been so long since they had last met.
'The problem is, this bastard is beyond reason.'
Truthfully, aside from his appearance and personality, everything else about him had changed. It was hard to believe that just last year he had been only 3rd-tier.
What kind of life had he lived, in the meantime?
Anyway.
'This is going to be very interesting.'
It was his first time seeing a mage who had reached such a realm.
Here, he would take in, fully, what that power truly was. With that resolve, Galliark revealed his yearning for the strong.
...Thud.
At last, they arrived at the underground city.
As they stepped off the elevator, those waiting for them surrounded the area. Needless to say, there was not a single ordinary resident of Roafra among them.
"Little bugs. Crawling all over."
Galliark twisted his lips.
***
Dozens had gathered to welcome them in Roafra.
Some, gripping the hilts of their weapons over and over as if tense, others, drawing up their magic power while licking their lips.
Eyes brimming with killing intent and greed spread everywhere.
'Irritating.'
Verden twitched his eye.
Then, a man with a longsword slung over his shoulder swaggered forward.
"Wow, look at that face. Just one glance and I can tell, you're Asher, aren't you?"
"..."
"What, too scared to even answer? Hey, no need to get frightened already. I'm not planning on doing anything just yet. The truth is, we've got a little bet going among ourselves."
Galliark cocked his head.
"A bet? What kind of bet?"
"The great king of the underworld announced, anyone who brings him Asher will be granted a place in Vintert. Up to five people, depending on their contribution. In other words, it's first-come, first-served."
"Aha, so you're saying you'll play a game, with him as the prize?"
"Something like that. Of course, it's bound to turn into a mess… but at least at the start, we want to keep it as fair as possible. The rules are simple. Once Asher reaches the plaza, the competition begins. And we don't attack each other."
Easy to remember, right?
The man shrugged his shoulders.
"And you're Galliark, right? For the record, there's a bounty on your head, too. A whole 1.0 billion Elk. That's first-come, first-served as well."
"Me too? Hah, whatever. So what are you people, then?"
"What else? Guards, to make sure no one cheats along the way. Think of us as guides, so to speak."
"Oh, guides."
Galliark laughed.
And at the same moment, he kicked off the ground and charged.
Smaaash!
His front kick, loaded with weight and speed, slammed into the man. Blown back, he collided with the crowd behind, then crumpled on the ground.
His waist bent nearly in half. Instant death.
"This bastard not only talks too much, but acts all arrogant? Begging to die."
He was already dead.
A few swallowed their words.
Galliark turned to Verden.
"Hey, so what now? Do we start smashing them up?"
"Wait."
Verden activated his mana circuits.
In an instant, mana spread outward, filling Roafra. The underworld fighters who sensed it stirred.
"What the hell, all of a sudden?"
"Looks like, mana detection?"
Mana detection consumed extreme amounts of mana depending on its range.
But why would he cast such a basic spell here? Had he given up? Ignoring their doubts, Verden focused his magic.
'No civilians nearby.'
Most buildings were empty.
Especially near the plaza, every human detected carried weapons and was gathered in groups. It seemed the residents, having heard the news, had fled to the outskirts.
'Good.'
The purpose of coming to Roafra was the annihilation of Vintert.
He had no intention of harming civilians in the process. Verden had enough composure to consider such things.
Verden spoke.
"Let's head to the plaza."
"An open, frontal war, huh. Well, I don't mind."
"But before that."
Verden pointed his index finger at the crowd before him.
The sticky gazes fixed on him had been extremely unpleasant. He had no intention whatsoever of walking alongside such men.
"...Huh?"
The mana surged sharply.
Some of the mages sensed the abnormality, but had no way to react.
The nature of the magic changed.
An inexplicable weight began to press down on their shoulders. Then Verden lowered his finger.
Kwoong───Crackkk!
Dozens of men were crushed to the ground at once.
The earth split under the impact.
Those dragged helplessly by gravity merely smashed their heads on the floor, while those who tried to resist had their joints and bones shattered.
At the same time, that bothersome, disgusting feeling vanished in an instant.
'Much better.'
Verden took a step forward.
Across the ruined bodies strewn about, toward the plaza.
"Ghh… urgh…"
"Ah… ahhh…"
Groans of agony filled the horrific scene.
Left within it, Galliark blinked.
"Holy shit, what kind of magic is that?"
***
Verden strode toward the plaza without pause.
Galliark, belatedly catching up, stood at his side.
The closer they came to their destination, the thicker the killing intent that hung in the air.
At least hundreds were fixated on the two of them. Among the crowd, mercenaries whispered.
"Huh? Why are only those two coming? What about the ones who went to greet them?"
"Does that matter right now? Just shut it and think about how we're gonna catch those bastards."
The group that had gone toward the elevator was quickly forgotten.
Everyone's focus turned to the two targets, each plotting their own way.
Meanwhile, Verden reached the empty plaza of Roafra.
Looking around, Galliark scowled.
"Damn, look at them crawling all over the place, hiding like cockroaches. Hey, Asher. Which side should we start killing? East? Or west?"
Galliark drew Hwihwol.
As expected of a battle maniac, his killing intent flashed even before the fighting began. Who could look at that and think him a Platinum-rank adventurer?
"..."
Verden stood at the center of the plaza.
The ultimate purpose of coming to Roafra was the king of the underworld, the ruler of Vintert. All others were merely obstacles in his way.
Of course, he had no intention of killing beyond that.
Not civilians, nor even those who surrendered during the battle. Verden was not a slaughterer, but a magus.
Thus, he intended to give them a chance.
'Though distinguishing people in the chaos will not be easy.'
Still, it wasn't much of a problem.
He had already prepared a suitable measure.
As his mana stirred, his blue eyes glimmered.
Verden's presence swelled, and in an instant, all eyes turned to him. Even Galliark beside him suppressed his excitement and focused on him.
Verden opened his mouth.
"I will say this once."
His voice, carried by magic, rang across all of Roafra.
To Vintert, to the other criminal gangs, mercenaries, and even the citizens. Everyone living in the underworld, naturally, listened to the sound.
A chilling silence descended.
Never before had the underworld been so quiet. Behind that silence, Verden spoke in a low, resonant tone.
"Kneel. If you don't want to die."
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