Chapter 90
Chapter 90
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Death Struggle
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The hexahedral pseudo-sanctuary of Mojō had vanished, but the exhibition hall, now a jumbled maze, did not return to its original state.
The search, however, proceeded without much trouble.
The Spirit Nourishing Tree had been bisected, and the fiend himself had fled in a state no different from death.
As a result, the vines dissolved, and the dream ended. There was no need for rescue operations; in a little time, they would awaken on their own. But the Alderan city guard, the Maybeld family's private soldiers, and various other personnel were deployed into the maze for hostage recovery.
Naturally, Yuri stayed put. Supported by Estor and Ha-ryeong, he stood in place with the giants.
The head of the Maybeld family, Alnair Maybeld.
The Sword Emperor's apprentice, the ferocious Elia Yudel.
The lord of Haber Tower, the ironclad Guzel Haber.
The lord of Derusia Magic Tower, Heavenly Thunder Orca Derusia.
The acting archbishop of the Earth Church, Ruana Aide.
"Any casualties?"
"A few got caught up due to the fiend rampaging inside the sanctuary."
The massive fiend, wrapped in a storm of blades as it moved, was a weapon in itself. The walls near it were shredded and collapsed by the blade storm, and a few unlucky hostages were caught in it and died.
"In a situation where thousands could have perished, only a dozen deaths is sheer luck."
Alnair muttered, standing with his hands behind his back. With the crisis over, even this stern man had stepped down from his carriage.
"The Maybeld family will take responsibility for compensating the destroyed exhibits."
"We nearly died, and now you're covering compensation too?"
Alnair clicked his tongue and wagged a finger at Guzel's grumbling.
"If we don't add mental anguish compensation on top of the exhibit payouts, who do you think the blame for this terror attack will fall on? And that's not all. Alderan will gain a nasty rumor as an unsafe place where a mass slaughter by heretics nearly happened. I don't want such filth staining my city."
Most worldly problems could be solved with money. If thousands suffered losses, pay them enough to silence their complaints. If a dozen died, pay the families enough to drown their grief. That was Alnair Maybeld's way of thinking, and the Maybeld family under his lead had the wealth to make it so.
"For me, figuring out what to do 'now' with those who slept through it all, unaware as hostages, is far trickier and more daunting."
Alnair's gaze turned to Yuri and Ha-ryeong.
"Cloud Dragon and Dark Flower, whose reputations are soaring right now. What reward should I offer you?"
He had already heard the details. If Cloud Dragon and Dark Flower hadn't risked their lives to pin down the fiend, thousands of hostages would have died, and in the worst case, the rift would have fully formed.
If the rift had completed—Alnair didn't even want to imagine it. Rifts had first appeared in the world fifty years ago, yet humans had never once succeeded in closing one by their own power.
"My city nearly ended up like Ranalsa."
When speaking of regions destroyed by rifts, Ranalsa was always mentioned. Decades ago, the prosperous city of Ranalsa fell to a rift, and its refugees relocated to Panterion, forming the outer districts.
"In other words, you didn't just save thousands of hostages—you saved my city. How on earth should I repay that? Honestly, even I have no idea. It's the first time I've faced such a dilemma."
He believed most things in the world could be settled with money, but this wasn't one of them.
"It was Lady Orca who cornered the fiend."
Yuri responded humbly first. Truth be told, he had no idea what to ask of Alnair Maybeld either. Alderan appeared in the game, but there were no special events with the Maybeld family. In the game, Alderan was just a transit point to board airships to the Eastern Continent.
The Ascard or Orsia families would have clear demands, but...
'Even Elixirs are already taken care of.'
All Yuri knew of the Maybeld family was that they were titans of wealth rivaling the Ascards even in Pride. The alchemy-specialized Ascards might have other requests beyond Elixirs, but... the Maybelds weren't a martial house or a magical lineage.
"No need for that."
Orca, still perched on Raysi's body, replied.
"If not for you and Ha-ryeong, I wouldn't have made it here. In other words, you're Raysi's benefactors too, so I owe you even more."
"There's no need for..."
"No need to refuse."
With talk of rewards, Guzel couldn't stay silent. He cleared his throat lowly and spoke up slyly.
"Ahem... Without you two, my disciple's soul would be in the fiend's gut, so I must pay for her life too. Speak freely if there's anything you desire."
"Our Earth Church also extends profound gratitude to the heroic souls who bravely faced the evil god."
Ruana bowed her head deeply as well. Suddenly, Yuri felt even more awkward.
Giants he couldn't easily meet with just the Cloud Dragon title were offering rewards...
He hadn't thrown himself at the fiend expecting payment, but surviving intact and standing here brought unique emotions.
'Ah...'
Was it pride making his mind hazy? No, his mind was just foggy. He'd done emergency treatment with potions, but he'd lost too much blood, and his fractures and internal injuries left his body wrecked. Especially after pouring all his qi into the final Holy Flame Force Emission, his dantian was drained.
"For now..."
Yuri forced his heavy eyelids open and continued.
"That... can I have it?"
At some point, his hands had stopped moving well. Rewards came after the end. Hearing such talk made the 'end' feel real, and his tension snapped loose.
"That...?"
What Yuri pointed to was the fiend's lower body and lost items that Ruana's priests were closely examining. The torn-mouth mask, large robe, gold necklace and bracelets, undergarments...
"You want those...?"
Orca asked with a deeply complicated expression.
"I don't need the undergarments."
"Neither do I."
"We do."
Ruana forced a smile as she replied.
"Since they were worn directly by the saint, all of them are high-level items. We might track the heretics and the escaped fiend through them."
"After your work is done, give them to me if there's no issue."
He wasn't certain, but he had a guess about that bracelet. It was an accessory you absolutely secured when raising a Blade Storm Druid.
In builds that sealed equipment slots with bare hands, which slots to seal varied by taste, but accessories were never sealed. Because of that bracelet.
'Wearing only robe, undergarments, and accessories means he went for the most stable build.'
Meaning he could replace the penalty skill Bare Hands with Gears.
'I'd gold-seal the undergarments too since he had the robe anyway.'
In any case, if his guess was right, that bracelet was a versatile item even outside Blade Storm Druids—perhaps endgame-tier for most builds.
"Is there a reason you want it?"
"An item used by the evil god's saint must be a good one."
"Well, yes, but..."
Seeing Ruana's distress, Alnair spoke up.
"Hand it over if there's no issue."
"Pardon?"
"If it's verified unnecessary for tracking the fiend and evil god cult, what's wrong with giving it to Cloud Dragon?"
Alnair glanced indifferently at the fiend's lost items.
"There's plenty of blood and flesh left, so tracking via blood magic or sorcery should be possible. And by law, the hunter owns the prey. The fiend escaped thanks to Cloud Dragon and Dark Flower's efforts, so they're the hunters. But Cloud Dragon, forgive us—we can't hand it over immediately."
Did having money make one generous? The Sword Emperor was the same; none of the Pride family heads he'd met were stingy.
"That's rightfully yours to claim, so the Earth Church owes separate repayment too, no?"
"Er... yes, you're right, family head."
Ruana hesitated before nodding. Purely by 'strength,' she might be the weakest here, but Alnair Maybeld held the greatest authority. Pride family heads weren't condescended to even by church high priests.
"This discussion is dragging on."
Estor, supporting Yuri, spoke up.
"I understand there are matters to discuss, but Yuri and Lady Ha-ryeong's injuries aren't light."
"The Sword Emperor's grandson is right."
Elia, who had been listening silently, agreed.
"Look. Cloud Dragon's eyelids are already half-closed. Keep chattering, and he'll pass out standing."
"I can't let my city's benefactor sleep on his feet."
Alnair nodded.
"Care to visit the Maybeld family?"
"Yes... that's fine."
Yuri nodded drowsily in response.
*
"Kuuaaaah..."
The fiend let out a raspy scream, scraping the floor with his left hand. He couldn't scrape with both—such was his plight.
His body, buried in the foundation, was severed at the solar plexus. He'd lost his right eye. His right arm too. All that remained were his head, upper body, and left arm.
Wounds that should have killed him, yet the fiend lived. He'd lost much, but through the Spirit Nourishing Tree, he held vast soulforce among mid-tier beings. That soulforce resisted death.
'I, I don't want to die...'
The fiend himself rejected death. He'd prayed to survive even in this wretched state. Horrific wounds, but fortunately, the bleeding had stopped. His will and power had stemmed the flow.
But the wounds didn't heal. He desperately summoned divine power, but it ignored his will.
Unable to heal, the pain drove him mad. Teeth clattering, he scraped the floor. His transformation had ended; now he was human.
'The mask...'
Crunch. The fiend trembled and ground his teeth. He'd lost more than the mask. Everything he carried left behind. All epic items beyond valuation...! Losing the bracelet and necklace was especially despairing.
'Where is this...?'
As is, he'd go mad from pain or lose consciousness. He doubted he'd wake again. So he forcibly clung to his fading mind.
Snatched by fingers, flown somewhere. But he didn't know where. Not outdoors. Not a room...
'A cave...?'
The fiend looked up. Jagged rock ceiling... But no cave smell, no beast fur; the floor was pristine. A cave, yet meticulously maintained.
"Kuuh..."
'Grant me escape and survival.' That's what he'd wished, but... he knew the God of Chaos he served wasn't so kind. Gods were ultimately beyond human comprehension. One shouldn't expect human empathy from them.
Especially the God of Chaos, whose divinity and deeds proved him no benevolent force... He'd escaped, but his body was shattered. Still, he'd survived for now...
'That...'
With his trembling single eye, the fiend peered into the cave's depths. Vision blurry from unhealed wounds, but he saw a massive door far inside. Someone else was here.
Enemy? Please no. He had some divine power and soulforce left, but he couldn't fight. An enemy would likely kill him... So he scraped the floor with one arm, dragging himself. Better to flee here. He couldn't go far, but this unknown place felt too dangerous...
"Hm?"
The moment he thought to flee toward the cave entrance.
He didn't know how, but despite the maddening pain and mangled body, his senses weren't totally crushed. Yet he hadn't detected the presence approaching right behind him until the voice.
"Well, well, who might this be. I wonder if my suspicions are correct."
A pleasant, soft voice, but it sent chills down the fiend's spine. The voice unfamiliar, but the speech pattern was not.
'No way...'
The fiend reflexively tried to turn, but at that instant, the man's foot behind him gently pressed his neck.
"Kuuh...!"
The strong pressure from his neck drew a pained groan. Just stepped on, yet strength drained from his whole body, refusing to obey. He couldn't turn, face buried in the rough stone floor.
"Don't turn. Regrettably, I'm not wearing a mask right now."
The soft voice continued.
"Hm, and don't take it too unkindly that I'm stepping on you. I just didn't want to stoop down for someone who can't stand."
"Sa... Sau?"
The fiend stammered. Sau let out a low chuckle.
"Oh, how did you know? It should sound nothing like the Round Table's altered voice."
"Sau...! What are you doing...?!"
"That's my question. Why is the one who planned terror at the Alderan exhibition in my workshop?"
Sau asked, but the fiend couldn't answer. Crunch... The pressure on his neck intensified, silencing him.
"A needless question, really. I can guess. You failed? Barely escaped, but not unscathed. Looks like you prayed to our god and offered tribute."
Sau chuckled, stroking his goatee.
"You know overusing Gears is unwise. Must've been dire if you had to Gear-escape. Quite intriguing."
"Kuh..."
"So, what did you offer? As I recall, your gold seals were on clothes and weapons. Oh... divine power greatly diminished. You sacrificed most of what you'd accumulated?"
Sau chuckled again.
"Fiend, old chap. So confident, yet this state? Even sacrificing divine power with Gears. Who'd see you as a saint now?"
"Sa..."
The fiend exhaled raggedly, barely squeezing out voice. Sau's eyes gleamed as he eased the foot's pressure.
"Sa, save me."
Freed, the fiend begged instantly.
"Save me, repay any debt if you do. Though I sacrificed divine power, soulforce remains, and divine authority intact. Given time, I can recover...!"
"Hm, that may be."
"Please, Sau...! I've never once defied you!"
"True. You always respected me. I quite respected you too."
Sau slowly lifted his foot from the fiend's neck.
"But I don't quite grasp your plea. Why would I try to kill you? If you prayed to our god and came to my workshop, it's the god guiding our meeting."
Sau smiled happily, gesturing. The fiend's immovable body floated lightly. Anxious to madness, he wanted to look back but couldn't. An invisible force gripped his head firm.
"Come inside first. Ah, no need to fret. Your wounds are too severe... We should treat them first, no?"
Rumble...
The inner cave door began opening. The rift's stench paled the fiend's face. Rotting corpses, long dead.
"Not a place for guests, so mind the mess."
Sau said in a cheerful voice.