Where Is Terra?

Nehet.

Shhk!—

Babababam!—

I swung my arms in a savage flurry, carving through the swarm of shadows and reducing them to shreds.

For a moment they scattered—then pulled themselves back together, knitting into shapes once more.

It felt exactly like fighting zombies conjured by black magic.

Still.

"Even that ability has to have a limit, right?"

There was no such thing as power without a price.

Just like how I had to spend money.

I clenched my right hand tight.

The power sealed inside the processed Red Dragon's claw Terra had made for me.

Energy seething with rage gathered into my palm, and I drove it into the floor with everything I had.

KWAANG!—

Flames erupted outward in a brutal wave.

Fire flooded every corner of the room and swallowed every last shadow in an instant—

Crrrack—

KWOOOOOM!!—

As if answering my will, the spreading flames detonated in a massive blast.

Interesting power.

Exploding fire, of all things.

Thud—

"Whoa."

From inside the blackened, scorched room, the shadows began to re-form.

Finding the main body would be faster, wouldn't it?

But where the hell was the main body even—

Wait. Hold on.

What had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Zehar said earlier?

It might deceive my eyes…

He'd spoken as if something truly remarkable was at work.

Was it using some special ability—or a treasure?

KWAANG!—

I blasted the shadows aside and activated my Dragon Eyes, but nothing else showed itself in this space.

And the more I thought about it… something felt off.

Then why had this place been packed with doctors and nurses earlier?

Bzzzt—

The fragment of Terra's horn in my pocket started to vibrate.

As if it were calling me. I turned my head toward the direction it pointed without thinking—

"What…?"

All I saw was wall. A whole lot of wall.

But if Terra was calling me remotely himself, something had to be there.

I shot over to the wall and pressed my palm flat against it.

Then I pulled up my mana.

KWAANG!—

I slammed force into the wall.

"Oh-ho?"

As if a single layer of barrier had peeled away, the wall itself rippled—and then vanished completely.

An interior space revealed itself.

Shhk!—

The shadows, more frantic than ever, charged me all at once.

So this was the right place after all.

Tak—

I caught the leading one's blade mid-lunge and slammed the creature straight into the wall. I tossed the seized greatsword lightly, got a proper grip, and poured the Ancient Red Dragon's mana into the steel.

This power had one more advantage.

Shhk!—

KWOOOOM!—

Because I was borrowing this power rather than using my own, it didn't cost me any money.

As the ones caught in the blast scattered back into shadow, I drove the stolen greatsword into the floor.

There was still energy left in it.

Krrrk!—

Cracks spiderwebbed out from the greatsword across floor and walls alike. Light erupted from within—

KWAANG!—

—and buried the entire massive room.

Thud!—

I stepped into the space I'd just opened up. Strange machinery was piled everywhere.

CLANG!!—

And the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠harder I pressed, the fiercer the shadows' resistance became.

Tak—

Thud!—

"Is that thing really so important?"

I deliberately grabbed one shadow, pinned it to the wall, and raised my right arm. Then I focused mana into my claw—

Shrrrrk!—

—and tore into the machinery itself.

The shadow thrashed harder, trying to throw itself at me.

Pahk!—

I clenched tighter and crushed it outright.

Thud—

At the presence I felt behind me, I turned.

"Hey."

"Yes~"

"Where's Terra."

Nehet was walking toward me.

In her right hand—

another succubus's horn.

I had a pretty good idea whose.

Queen this, queen that—she'd talked a big game. But internally, even the high-ranking ones still hadn't rallied under her?

This was exactly why you never trusted a race like succubi.

Thud!—

I planted my forelegs on the ground and dropped into a four-legged stance.

"You handed him over, didn't you?"

"Heh heh… Originally, I was planning to hand you over."

"Cute. If you'd tried that, this whole place would've been wiped off the map already."

"Yes. Which is why I came out in person—to propose a deal."

"Bullshit."

A deal?

Now?

Tak—

Shhk!—

"Ghk?!"

Before Nehet could even react, I blurred past her and scraped across the floor to kill my speed. Then I glanced back.

"A-Aaagh!"

Nehet filled my vision—her left arm gone.

"Where's Terra."

"First—"

"One more useless word and I cut off all four limbs and throw you in a fire pit. Where's Terra."

Nehet hesitated. Looks like she was running calculations in her head.

Every second mattered and she was stalling. I gathered power in my foreleg—

"Now!"

KUUUNG!—

A massive machine dropped from the ceiling. Teleported by magic, apparently.

On top of that, Nehet's eyes started glowing pink… trying to seduce me, was she.

"Unbelievable."

KRRRRUMBLE!—

The pre-charged machine roared to life, and iron pillars crashed down around me. Then came the electric whips.

Tak!—

Watching the lashes wrap around me, Nehet—face twisted from the pain of her missing arm—opened her mouth.

"Haha… It's a device for capturing ultra-large monsters. Even a monster like you won't be getting out of this one… ugh…."

It did sting a little, sure.

Illegally modified, with the output ceiling jacked all the way up. At this voltage, you could power a city for months.

"Haa… With this, the Demon King will finally—"

"You keep saying Demon King, Demon King… Aren't you embarrassed calling that self-proclaimed bastard that?"

Krrrk!—

"Huh…?"

I flexed a little, and the electric whips snapped like they never had any strength to begin with.

Nehet looked panicked. She hurriedly cranked up the intensity of her charm.

Did she really think a trash skill like that would work on me?

Thud—

"W-Why isn't it working—!"

I walked slowly out of the machine. Shadows bloomed around her.

I dropped back to all fours and charged.

Thud!—

Crack!—

In a single breath I erased every shadow and severed Nehet's ankles.

"AAAAAGH!"

The tendons gave; she crumpled to the floor. I asked one last time.

"Terra. Where is he."

"P-Please spare me! Please—after I handed him over, I didn't do ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠anyth—"

"Now you want mercy?"

I grabbed the fallen Nehet by the ankle and started walking her toward the machine, which was still running.

"N-No… please! I'll tell you everything I know!"

"Too late."

Funny.

She'd been happy enough to use a machine like this on me, but now she didn't want any part of it herself?

Still…

I'd scared her enough.

Crack!—

"Ugh—"

I kicked the thrashing creature unconscious. Then I cauterized the wounds with a shadow greatsword heated white-hot, roughly bound her limbs, and tossed her against the wall.

I might need her later.

Better to keep a bargaining chip ready.

Krrrk—

I also smashed that disgusting machine for good measure.

Tadak—

Shadows gathered around me again.

Don't these things ever get tired?

I clenched my fist.

"I'll just blow them all up."

KWA-KRA-KRA-KRAANG!—

A colossal explosion thundered from outside.

Bound in special chains, Terra heard the noise and let out a dry little snort ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of a laugh.

"Idiots. You're not dying clean… picking a fight with Lady Goldy's temper."

"Damn it… Why is the resistance so strong?!"

"Sector 2A completely destroyed!…"

"They're right outside! Do something!"

The man who seemed to be in charge shouted in a panic—but everyone had known the truth the moment the monster-capture device went down.

That monster could not be stopped.

"…Terra."

"That is the name Lady Goldy herself bestowed upon me. Do not dare put it in that filthy mouth of yours."

Terra snarled the answer at Rachel, who was bound beside him.

They were in the same boat… but he was already thoroughly sick of anything with the word succubus attached.

"I have a question… Is Goldy truly going berserk out there?"

"How would I know. I've never even seen her true feelings myself. However…"

Terra listened to the distant racket and answered.

"Right now… it seems she is holding back a great deal of her power."

"Even like this?"

"There's a human named Park Ha-eun in this place. That would be why. Lady Goldy cares for that human. She wouldn't want anything to happen to her."

Rachel—the healer—eyed Terra as he spoke, then opened her mouth.

"You're the same as that Park Ha-eun to her."

"What is that supposed to mean."

"It means Goldy cherishes you just as much as that human. Otherwise, would she be this furious—coming all the way here for you?"

"…I don't know."

While the two of them talked, one of the men still reeling from Goldy's intrusion stomped over.

"Shut up!"

"…Amusing. Do you still think you're winning in a situation like this?"

Terra tried to move as he spoke, and the chains rattled.

"Tch… If it weren't for these chains…"

Special chains that drained mana.

Terra had already been subdued once; he couldn't simply snap them.

He was still glaring at the man when—

KWAANG!—

The steel door blew inward, and a golden aura flooded the room.

"Found you."

The moment Goldy's voice reached them—

"…! Lady Goldy, don't—!"

Terra shouted in desperate urgency.