Alise stood to the side, watching Genichi slaughter monsters.
Blade-light flashed. Blood sprayed.
Those Level 4 and even Level 5 monsters were no more than weeds before him, cut down one by one in clean, efficient strikes.
By now, she was used to it.
Used to watching him kill, used to picking up magic stones, used to being treated like a tool.
But there was one thing she had always been curious about.
"Hey..."
She looked up at the figure sheathing his blade.
"Didn't you say before that once you reached Level 5, you'd go get your revenge?"
There was a note of probing curiosity in her voice.
When they had run into Valletta Grede, Genichi really had said that.
Once he reached Level 5, he would take revenge.
But now he already was Level 5.
And he had not brought it up again even once.
That made Alise very curious.
Had he forgotten?
Or did he have some other plan?
At her words, Genichi's movements paused for just a moment.
But he did not stop.
With another swing, he cut an approaching monster clean in half.
"After I max out my Level 5 ability values."
His voice was flat, as if he were simply stating a fact.
Then he ignored Alise and kept moving toward the next pack of monsters.
Alise looked at his back and clicked her tongue.
But she quickly forgot about it.
Because another question had already come to mind.
"But seriously..."
She hurried after him, chattering away while picking up magic stones.
"That space magic of yours is ridiculously useful."
Her voice was full of envy.
"For anyone else to get down here, they'd need at least a large party, plus all kinds of logistics and supplies. Rations, gear, potions, tents - they'd have to bring everything."
She let out a sigh.
"Unlike you, where you just blink and suddenly you're here."
Another sigh escaped her.
"If our Astraea Familia had magic like that back then, we probably would've saved a lot of money."
Hearing her ramble on, Genichi could not help snapping back.
"Too bad you didn't."
Then he added,
"And why aren't you picking up the magic stones on the ground faster? How long are you planning to drag this out?"
Alise's face instantly fell.
"Yeah, yeah, I know..."
she muttered under her breath.
"You awful jerk."
Genichi ignored her grumbling.
He simply kept walking, looking for the next batch of prey.
And then...
The ground suddenly began to shake.
It was not the rumble of a large earthquake, but the vibration of something tunneling up from underground.
Genichi's eyes sharpened.
He stopped and swept his gaze across the area.
The next moment...
Countless man-eating flowers burst up from beneath the ground.
Each one was about half a person's height, their entire bodies a strange purplish-black.
The edges of their petals were lined with sharp teeth, and thick liquid oozed from their centers, giving off a pungent stench.
They surged up from every direction, surrounding Genichi completely.
His pupils narrowed slightly.
Man-eating flowers?
Monsters like these should not have been here at all.
And on top of that, they did not look like any kind he had ever seen before.
Their color was too unnatural.
Their aura was too sinister.
They...
Did not feel like monsters born naturally.
A thought flashed through Genichi's mind at once.
A new kind of monster.
Or rather...
A monster cultivated by Dionysus.
And now they were here...
Genichi's brows knitted tightly.
A coincidence?
There were not that many coincidences in the world.
He had only just arrived, and these man-eating flowers erupted from the ground right after.
And there were so many of them, spread across such a wide area. They were clearly here for him.
Dionysus really had set his sights on him.
And the flowers were only the lesser concern. What really bothered Genichi was whether Filvis was hiding somewhere in the dark as well.
Whether one of those strange figures produced by her clone magic was lurking nearby.
Genichi tightened his grip on his sword and swept his eyes over the flowers.
They did not attack immediately.
They merely stood there in silence, as if waiting for something.
Genichi was quiet for a moment.
Then he spoke slowly.
"Come out."
His voice was calm, but carried a certainty that left no room for doubt.
"I know you're watching."
Silence filled the area.
Only the faint rustling of the man-eating flowers could be heard.
A moment later...
A laugh rang out.
It was a strange, grating laugh, as though it had crawled up from the depths of hell.
"Interesting."
A figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
It was someone in a black robe, their face hidden from view. All that could be seen beneath the hood was a pair of eyes glowing with an eerie light.
"No wonder you caught Enyo's interest."
The voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping together.
"To think you actually guessed I was watching."
Genichi looked at him, and those black eyes of his remained completely still.
"Someone sent you?"
"Smart."
The man nodded.
"My master sent me to deliver a message."
He paused.
"My master admires you very much, and hopes you'll join us."
Genichi was silent for a moment.
Then he smiled.
It was a faint smile, but there was something hard to describe in it.
"Join you?"
He looked at the man.
"The people I hate most are the dark factions. Do you really think I'd sink into the mud with you?"
The man's gaze shifted slightly.
"You will. Enyo said your very existence is chaos, destruction, and darkness. That makes Evilus the place best suited for you."
"You're right. If I hadn't met Demeter, then maybe I would've joined Evilus. But I have no intention of doing that now. And don't even think about touching Demeter. You people don't want the Guild finding out about Knossos either, do you?"
Genichi's voice remained calm.
"I don't know what exactly you're hiding, or what exactly you're trying to do. But go back and tell that Enyo behind you this."
He paused.
"Tell him this..."
"I have no interest in him."
The man's eyes turned colder.
"Do you know the consequences of rejecting Enyo?"
"Consequences? Try it. If you can't kill me, then Knossos is getting exposed."
Genichi's reply was short and certain.
"In that case..."
The man raised a hand.
The man-eating flowers instantly went berserk.
They opened their petaled maws lined with fangs and lunged at Genichi in a frenzy.
His gaze sharpened.
Gripping his sword, he rushed forward in a flash.
Blade-light flickered, and the flowers shattered one after another beneath the edge of his weapon.
But there were too many.
Each time one group was cut down, another surged up to replace it.
As though they would never end.
Genichi's brow creased slightly.
At this rate, they would wear him down to death.
He drew in a deep breath and began to chant.
"Gospel!"
An invisible wave of sound spread outward, blasting dozens of the man-eating flowers around him into pieces.
But in the very next second, even more flowers drilled up from beneath the ground.
The robed man stood in the distance, watching the scene with a cruel smile curling at his lips.
"It's useless."
His voice drifted over.
"These man-eating flowers can never be killed off."
Genichi ignored him.
He simply kept swinging his sword.
Kept killing.
A cold light shone in those black eyes.
Never be killed off?
Then he would kill them until they were.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]