Chapter 58
Chapter 58
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Aggro Puller
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Crackle! Zap!
Sparks erupted from the spots where Ravi and Lenis's attacks landed, and cracks began spiderwebbing across Sophia and O'Brien's chests.
It shouldn't have been enough damage to cause this under normal circumstances, but the fragments of the Light Saber's power that I'd imbued were mixed into their strikes. That made both attacks far more effective and potent than anyone had anticipated.
"Guhk... W-what... is this... My body..."
"This can't be... It's impossible... The power from our clients..."
The cracks in their bodies grew wider by the second until their blackened forms began crumbling uncontrollably.
"No... No...! This can't happen! Me, of all people, taken down by some filthy half-human bitch...!"
"Damn it all... Mission... failed..."
Their blackened flesh shattered into pieces, and even their untainted bodies dissolved away as Sophia and O'Brien met their ends.
All that remained in their place was a pile of pitch-black, glittering dust.
I swung my Light Saber at the black dust, washing away the lingering foul energy. What was left now floated in the air as sparkling white powder.
That's when I saw a vision within the light emanating from the dust.
"Well, what'll it be, half-assed holy warrior? You won't have the luxury of attacking me without cutting down your comrade right in front of you. Will you kill your ally just to get to me? Or will you run around dodging until you die, too scared to strike her?"
"Alvis...! Cut me down! I can't... shake this off! If this keeps up, I'll end up killing you, Elfin, and even Lenis! If taking me out lets you deal with that bastard, then do it!"
Ravi, her body seized and controlled by the monstrously mutated Vector and his power.
That's when I heard a voice I'd never heard before. It came with a garbled distortion, like static on a faulty TV screen.
If you leave things like this, you'll be swept up in the fated path of destruction... You have no choice but to cut her down. To escape the fated destruction.
That's an illusion! Don't take the easy way out—there's another path!
For some reason, I heard two voices.
One urged me to strike Ravi down, the other tried to stop me.
The voice telling me to cut Ravi was louder.
As I dodged her attacks or took hits and tumbled away without ever swinging at her, that louder voice grew even more insistent.
Cut her down now! It's the only way to resist the fated destruction!
At the same time, a recoil hit me, and I dropped to one knee.
Don't fall for it! Resisting fate isn't like that!
"I told you I don't have that option!!!"
The me in the vision shouted back. The louder voice kept insisting that striking Ravi was the path to resisting fate, but it couldn't break my resolve and gradually faded away.
Then the fainter voice spoke, as if overjoyed.
Aah... Finally, someone who truly understands my will... I'm sorry I couldn't help in time, but I'll lend you my strength now, even if it's late.
As the output of my Light Saber surged in the vision, the voice that had been so weak from the start fell silent.
The scene shifted abruptly, replaying the battle from moments before.
Ravi and Lenis were starting to get pushed back by Sophia and O'Brien's attacks, right when I was about to intervene.
No, you can't. Watch their fight... Trust your comrades, wait for them, and witness their growth...
Even so, I moved to join the fray, and that's when the voice constricted around me.
You must not interfere in your comrades' battle! That's the path to changing the fated destiny!
I writhed in agony and collapsed to my knees.
Trust your comrades and wait! If they can't overcome this trial, they never deserved your faith from the start—they're not worthy of standing by your side!
And a much smaller, fainter voice wailed pitifully.
No! Trusting and waiting for your comrades isn't like that! Don't give up!
As I kept trying to join the fight, the recoil intensified, and I vomited blood.
Yet I didn't give in, and the fainter voice grew louder and clearer. Conversely, the initially dominant one weakened. It was just like when I'd fought Vector.
As I continued showing my intent to participate, the fainter voice spoke to me calmly.
You didn't give up until the end. If you'd kept pushing to intervene, some unknown force might have killed you... And yet you were still determined to try?
'Fuck... You call that a choice?! If I just stand by, they'll die! You think I haven't seen this shit before?! Keep screwing around if you want! I'm never giving up on saving them!'
In that moment, I got the sense that the formless faint voice was smiling.
The loud voice had vanished before I knew it, leaving only the faint one.
Praise to your unyielding will. And curses to my own powerless self for failing to aid you properly from the start... Please, never give up. You are the one I've finally found—the true understander of my will...
The faint voice faded soon after, and the vision ended.
Though the vision hadn't felt short, no time had passed when I opened my eyes.
The purified white dust slowly absorbed into Ravi and Lenis, who both widened their eyes in astonishment.
A quick scan with my eye ability showed their levels had skyrocketed—they'd clearly grown tremendously stronger.
I approached the spot where Sophia and O'Brien had died and picked up the Ebony Shadow Mercenaries insignia they'd been carrying.
"Alvis, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine now."
I smiled at Ravi's worried expression, reassuring her.
Just moments ago, I'd been in so much pain I was coughing up blood, but now it was completely gone, as if it had never happened. Ravi and Lenis, whose abdomens had been pierced by black tentacles during the fight, had most of their wounds healed by the Light Saber's power, leaving them mobile without issue.
But there was no time to savor the victory.
Physical clashes between the Empire and Carrot Duchy had already broken out, and we were right in the middle of the chaos.
On top of that, killing Sophia and O'Brien—who'd been disguised as imperial soldiers—had drawn the full aggro of the Empire straight to us.
They saw us as Carrot Duchy forces, so if we left things like this, the conflict would only escalate further.
To keep Carrot Duchy from getting dragged in deeper...
I came up with an idea and quietly called Ravi and Lenis over.
"Ravi, Lenis. Cover your faces—mouths are enough. And from now on, no matter what I say, don't respond. Just play along. We need to pull the Empire's rage onto me."
They immediately pulled up their clothes to cover their mouths. I attached the mercenaries' insignia to my weapon and hung the spare around my neck like a necklace, then boldly stepped out in front of the imperial troops.
"There they are!"
"Those bastards killed our soldiers!"
The imperial soldiers who'd witnessed us taking out Sophia and O'Brien pointed and shouted.
One key detail: their bodies had vanished, so the imperials only knew that "mysterious intruders from the Carrot Duchy side killed imperial soldiers." They had no idea they were Ebony Shadow Mercenaries executives.
With the corpses gone, there was no way to identify them—perfect evidence disposal. Which meant, if I played my cards right with my words, I could twist the situation exactly how I wanted.
I let out an exaggerated laugh in front of the imperials, flaunting the insignia.
"Hahaha! You idiots! Good job tangling with those bunny folk all this time! Our preparations are nearing completion, so you're out of usefulness now! Waste your days here slaughtering each other with the bunnies! Your Empire will soon fall into the hands of us Ebony Shadow Mercenaries anyway!"
The imperial troops froze in unison at my words.
They were stunned to hear they'd been played by the "Ebony Shadow Mercenaries."
I'd just spouted whatever came to mind, but to the imperials, it sounded like we'd been using them, and our schemes were about to bear fruit.
It was baseless nonsense, but in the heat of battle, they didn't have time to parse context.
"Ebony... Shadow Mercenaries...? Why the hell would those psycho freaks be here...?"
"Look! That's their real insignia!"
I smirked inwardly at the shocked imperials' reactions.
As long as the aggro shifted away from Carrot Duchy to us, it was a resounding success.
The imperial unit commander raged at me.
"You scum... You hid in Carrot Duchy and deliberately provoked this clash?!"
"Of course. Didn't expect you'd flip out over just five soldiers, though."
"W-what did you say?! You're the ones who killed our soldiers here—not Carrot Duchy?!"
"Hahaha! You thought those rabbits had the guts? You idiots were way dumber and quicker to bite than we expected, so everything went smoothly. Good work, Commander. Time for us to pull out—we've got a lot ahead. Hey, bring that guy over."
I glanced back at Ravi with a wink and a nod. Understanding, she said nothing and leaped up to the Carrot Duchy walls, hoisting the fallen Elfin onto her back.
She quietly tipped off the Carrot Duchy soldiers.
"Everyone, from now on, don't call me princess. Just play along with whatever Alvis says. He's pulling the Empire's fury onto himself to save us all."
"B-but..."
"No time to talk. Thanks."
Ravi slammed her fist into the wall for show, mimicking an attack on the bunnies, then carried Elfin back to us. The imperial commander drew his weapon, seething with rage.
"You damn murderers...! Think I'll let you escape?!"
"Gonna chase us? Be my guest. This fight might be wrapping up, but at the other border outposts, your imperial dogs and the Carrot Duchy fools are still spilling blood to do our work for us. Vector Baron already died by our hands in the kingdom, and Arborness burned too!
Once we topple your Empire, Carrot Duchy falls right under our feet. Then the Ebony Shadow Mercenaries will rule the world!"
"Like hell we'll let you! Not a chance!"
"Squirm all you want, you worms. Let's go, everyone!"
With the act complete, I led the group in a reverse charge toward the imperial side.
Once this commander reports back, the Empire will realize they've been grinding air against Carrot Duchy and pull troops to hunt us down.
With Sophia and O'Brien—the masterminds behind the border sabotage—dead, the scattered mercenaries would be headless and lost. An imperial withdrawal would force them to retreat too.
As we fled toward the Empire, Ravi gave me a slight bow.
"...Thank you, Alvis."
"No big deal. You played along perfectly in a pinch."
"But where do we go now?"
I thought for a moment before deciding.
"To a Lunia Order church. I need to have a word with the goddess. There's something I absolutely have to know."