Big Boss, Part 5

"We should be safe here for now."

Having hastily fled their original room, Falco relocated to a new lodging with Charles in tow. Trying to leave the city rashly would have been a terrible move. They needed more time. Their newly secured safehouse was located on the outskirts of the city, making it ideal for a quick escape if things went south.

Because they had fled in such a rush, Falco hadn't even been able to pack her belongings properly. Granted, most of her luggage was just miscellaneous junk, so it wasn't a huge loss, but the mere fact that she had been forced to run away in a panic left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Of course, this was all on Yohan's orders. Knowing that Big Boss was targeting him, Yohan had instructed her to get Charles out of harm's way to prevent the boy from getting caught in the crossfire. Falco had complied. After all, they had promised to protect the kid for as long as they remained in Balifield. And considering Charles's safety, it only made sense for one of them to accompany him.

"..."

Still, she couldn't shake the nagging anxiety pooling in her gut. Big Boss was after Yohan. Though Yohan hadn't explained the details, it wasn't hard to guess that the statue he had destroyed was connected to all of this.

"W-what should we do now?" Charles asked, his voice trembling slightly as he stared at her deeply irritated face. Falco quickly smoothed out her expression. The kid was incredibly sharp for his age; he probably felt responsible, thinking the group had been forced to split up because of him.

"We do what Yohan said. We lie low and wait for him to get back."

"And what if... what if he doesn't come back?"

At Charles's question, Falco's heart momentarily plummeted. Yohan, never coming back? Him, dying?Then... what am I supposed to do? The moment that thought crossed her mind, her brain went entirely blank, her train of thought grinding to a screeching halt.

"Whew..."

Forcing her racing heart to calm down, Falco took several deep breaths. If she had known it would come to this, she would have just been honest with him. Her life was already borrowed time anyway; if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she had to die, she wanted to die by his side. She had put on a tough act in front of Yohan, claiming she wanted to slit the demon worshipper's throat, but this was her true feelings.

"I-it's fine. There's nothing to worry about." Falco forced a reassuring smile, trying to comfort Charles, who was looking at her pale face with concern. But the sharp-witted boy immediately saw right through her clumsy acting. He simply stared at Falco for a long moment, a look of deep, age-inappropriate contemplation settling over his features. A heavy silence stretched between them.

"The only reason you came with me, Falco, was to fulfill the commission. Right?" Charles broke the silence, his voice calm. Falco nodded silently at his question, then buried her face in her hands.

"And right now, you want to go help Yohan." Charles continued, his eyes fixed on her. "If what Yohan said is true, he's probably met with Big Boss by now. If someone wielding demonic power fights Yohan, who has the revelation of a god, it's bound to cause a massive uproar in the area."

Charles's deduction was logical. When Yohan had used the Goddess's Authority just to destroy the statue, it had triggered an explosion that shook the area with a deafening roar. Yet, the streets of Balifield remained quieter than ever.

"Big Boss definitely isn't the type of person who likes drawing public attention with a massive scene." Big Boss was the ruler of the underworld. But at the same time, his position dictated that he could never step into the light. Therefore, even if he intended to settle things with Yohan, he would want to do it quietly in a place where they wouldn't attract prying eyes.

"Or maybe he might try to negotiate with Yohan." But that was highly unlikely. Even Charles seemed to realize he was grasping at straws, shaking his head as soon as the words left his mouth. "If the two of them really do fight, the only place they could do it is..."

"The Undercity." Falco, who had been silent for so long, finally spoke up. Charles nodded in agreement.

"Generally speaking, underground spaces aren't great places for a fight, but..."

"The Undercity of Balifield is different. It's sturdy enough to withstand cannon fire without collapsing, and it's incredibly vast."

"True. Honestly, I've never seen such a massive underground space before either." At Charles's lighthearted remark, the tension that had gripped Falco's face finally began to thaw.

"Anyway, what I'm trying to say is..."

"I get it. Since we're companions, the right thing to do is trust Yohan and wait." Falco cut him off. Charles offered a silent nod of affirmation.

The Unnamed Goddess Yohan served was, quite literally, a god. Although she had been stripped of her very name and her divine authority was severely weakened, she could still save a dying person as easily as breathing. As the proxy of such a deity, Yohan should be more than capable of handling a mere demon worshipper. Furthermore, purging an evil worshipper was an act of justice, which would surely help restore some of the Goddess's lost divinity.

Right. Let's not worry needlessly and just wait for Yohan to return. Falco felt the chaotic thoughts in her head finally settle. Yet, that didn't change the fact that she was practically itching with restlessness.

"Hey. Like you said, Yohan went down there to punish a bad guy."

"Yes?" Charles tilted his head, confused by her sudden shift in tone.

"Even we aren't completely familiar with the layout of the Undercity. And if Yohan defeats Big Boss, the Undercity Family isn't just going to sit back and watch."

"Ah..." Charles let out a soft gasp as he finally realized what Falco was getting at.

"Which means we need to scout out an escape route in advance."

This point-eared... no, this elf. Once she makes up her mind, there's no stopping her. Charles stared into Falco's crazed, determined eyes and sighed inwardly.

Despite all the hardships Yohan had endured since dropping into this godforsaken fantasy world, he actually didn't have much experience trying to kill other human beings. The main reason he had chosen to be a grave robber over any other profession was that it rarely involved risking his life in direct combat. Granted, he had recently exacted revenge on those bastard grave robbers who betrayed him. But his opponent this time was no ordinary human. It was a demon worshipper blessed by an evil god—the head of a massive criminal syndicate known as the Undercity Family.

"Oh? You're going to kill me?" At Yohan's declaration, Big Boss let out a soft exclamation, his face twisting into a peculiar expression. "Are you planning to avenge your fallen comrades?"

"Think whatever the hell you want," Yohan retorted dismissively. Comrades. Right, he had considered those bastards his comrades once. Yohan suddenly recalled his days operating as part of that grave-robbing crew.

"..." But looking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠back on it now, he realized there wasn't a single good memory to speak of. Well, whatever. That wasn't what was important right now. He had a demon worshipper standing right in front of him, and he needed to beat the living daylights out of him.

The Goddess's advice echoed in his mind. Her voice actually did its job, helping to soothe Yohan's racing pulse.

"To be frank, from my perspective, it's best to get rid of you as quickly as possible. I'm actually quite grateful that you didn't run away and came all this way instead." Thank you so much for coming. Now, die. Big Boss's eyes crinkled with sheer delight and satisfaction.

"Well, before we begin, I'd like to ask you just one thing." Regardless of the sword Yohan was pointing at him, Big Boss continued to speak with an easy, relaxed demeanor.

"What is it?"

"Why would someone with such extraordinary abilities live as a mere low-ranking member of a grave-robbing crew?" Big Boss asked, his face entirely serious.

"Pfft." Yohan, on the other hand, couldn't help but snort. It was a question only someone completely ignorant of his circumstances could ask.

"With that kind of power, you wouldn't have needed to dig through dusty old ruins. You could have just come to me." He looked genuinely regretful.

"It's a long story, but I ended up serving a god by pure chance."

"A god. I see." Big Boss wore ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an intrigued expression at Yohan's reply. "The entity that grants me revelations and power must also be a type of god, then."

"Revelations?"

"Occasionally, I hear a voice in my head. It tells me to gather power, and to recruit more subordinates." No matter how Yohan looked at it, he highly doubted whatever entity was granting this guy power had any benevolent intentions when telling him to expand his forces and grow stronger.

The Goddess's thoughts aligned perfectly with Yohan's. Thanks to her, he was able to confirm that his judgment was correct. After all, if a divine being that devoured living humans wasn't a demon, what else could it be?

But that was fine. In fact, it was actually better this way. Since the source of Big Boss's power was pure evil, Yohan had no doubt that he held the upper hand. According to the Goddess, the gods of this world were essentially born from the collective unconscious of mortals. Thus, evil-aligned deities could easily exist. And the Unnamed Goddess's Authority was exceptionally potent against wicked beings. In short, he had the elemental advantage. That was the key.

"Well then, shall we begin?" In an instant, the pressure radiating from Big Boss intensified. A dark, crimson aura began to billow from his entire body, creating an incredibly grotesque and ominous spectacle.

"Since this is the deepest part of the Undercity, your screams of agony won't reach the surface at all." It was a declaration of war, promising him a slow, painful death.

"Hmph. All talk and no substance, you dumbass," Yohan sneered, adjusting his grip on his sword. Whoosh—

At that exact moment, Big Boss's fist flew right toward his face. It was a speed that an ordinary human wouldn't have even been able to register, let alone react to. Yohan reflexively raised his sword into a defensive stance. No matter how much his body had been strengthened by the power of a divine being, surely he wouldn't throw a bare-fisted punch straight at a blade. First, I'll parry the punch with my sword, and then—

Crash! The moment that thought crossed Yohan's mind, the sword shattered into a million pieces upon contact with Big Boss's fist.

"Guh!" Knocked back by the sheer shockwave of the punch, Yohan fell backward, landing hard on his rear on the stone floor. "Holy shit...! Are you kidding me?!"

As a panicked Yohan muttered to himself, the Goddess's scolding echoed sharply in his mind.

"Haha. It seems you aren't quite used to your own power yet," Big Boss said in a gentle tone, as if mocking Yohan's bewilderment. "You managed to turn a metal statue into dust, so why would it be impossible for me to shatter a mere sword?" This bastard is definitely playing with me. Yohan glared up at Big Boss's smug, smiling face, utterly convinced of it.