Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: A Rat Driven into a Corner
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The information on the detected figures was utterly bleak.
More red figures kept emerging one after another. Among them, the only one I recognized was Darius, the Ebony Shadow Mercenaries leader; the rest were entities I'd never even seen in the game.
Excluding Darius, every single one was level 90 or higher—opponents I couldn't possibly beat one-on-one—and here they were, swarming in a pack.
The one that stood out was the guy named Dantalion.
From the goblin cave I'd visited shortly after arriving in this world, there had been a dark spirit who was a subordinate of Dantalion. The black dogs burning Arborness had also rambled about offering blood to Lord Dantalion.
The Aldebaran catastrophe I'd witnessed as a past illusion had been caused by a massive curse magic circle strikingly similar to his handiwork.
'So he's the mastermind behind all those disasters.'
I swallowed hard as I eyed the hulking brute whose height and build looked nearly twice that of a normal man—more beast than human in silhouette.
The Underground Vermin spoke as they drew closer, glancing at the portal we'd unwittingly used to get here.
"You did well, Robert. It was a dire situation, but entrusting it to you was the right call."
Turning around, I saw Robert emerge from the portal we'd come through.
As soon as Robert appeared, the portal snapped shut. He dusted off his hands and let out a deep sigh.
"Phew... Using power outside when I'm not fully recovered is still a real strain. I get why Vector went down now."
Back in their home turf—plunged in pure darkness rather than light—Robert's level had skyrocketed.
Taking in the scene with the Underground Vermin and even the Ebony Shadow Mercenaries leader present, I could piece together the gist of it.
"So all the chaos the Ebony Shadow Mercenaries have been causing was on your orders?"
"That's right. You catch on quick. Then you must know what fate awaits you here."
"I've known since that Robert bastard barged in that you have no intention of letting us live."
"No need for long talks, then."
Whish—!
Bastol's magic and Robert's sword aura hurtled toward us simultaneously.
We scattered from the spot to dodge, but unlike outside, the suffocatingly thick darkness weighing down on us made our bodies sluggish and unresponsive.
"Ugh... My... body feels... so heavy."
"Damn it, no plants to summon here. Dodging by ear has its limits..."
"The ring's magic is too weak like this..."
I hurriedly shared a portion of Light Saber's power with the three of them, sending orbs of light to their limbs that glowed softly.
With movement suddenly much easier, all three quickly regained their footing and prepared to fight...
'We can't win this.'
It wasn't just the words floating before my eyes declaring defeat; even by my own senses, this fight was impossible from the start.
The level gap was massive, they outnumbered us even at higher levels, and this was their home turf to boot.
Simply being here boosted Robert's level by 10 compared to outside. At that tier, a 10-level difference was worlds apart from the gap between level 1 and 11.
It meant the Underground Vermin were pathetically weak outside but insanely strong in their lair.
'We have to run.'
But how?
The Underground Vermin had opened some kind of portal to send us here before crossing over themselves.
If these goddess-power-parasite scum had used that power in some form to open the portal... then since I held the original source of that power, maybe I could find a way too?
I didn't get long to think.
The moment I dodged Bastol and Robert's attacks, Dantalion leaped right in front of me, his landing sending a massive quake through the ground.
"I've been dying to see the face of the holy warrior who's caused me so much trouble."
"Urk...!"
"Thanks to you, my goblin camp experiment was a total bust. I barely harvested half the elf souls from Arborness. And at the Carrot Duchy border, I got next to nothing! I swore I'd chew out your guts if I found you—and now you're in my hands! I'll make you die the most agonizing death in the world!"
Boom!
Several heads burst from Dantalion's body, roaring ferociously.
With his grotesque faces—humanlike yet bearing canine traits multiplying— he resembled a Cerberus grafted onto a human frame.
At Dantalion's words, Ravi and Elfin whipped their heads toward him.
"The border riots... that was you!"
"You... You're the one who... torched our nation with millennia of history... the sacred tree...!"
The two charged, but Dantalion clasped his fists and slammed them into the floor. Stone tiles erupted like spears, assaulting them.
"Ugh... Aaaah!"
"Kaaaaah!"
"Ravi, Elfin! Calm down and assess the situation! These guys are way too dangerous!"
I immediately restored them with Light Saber's healing power and pulled them behind me.
But before I could catch my breath, Lenis's magic came flying my way this time... Wait, what?
Swoosh—!
Lenis's fireball grazed right past my nose. I yelled in shock.
"Lenis, what the hell!?"
"Urk... You think I'll fall for it just because you're using Alvis's voice!?"
"What are you talking about! It's me!"
"Shut your lies!"
As Lenis's magic flew again, I sensed something off and glanced at the enemies.
I spotted the Underground Vermin named Bastol grinning as he deployed a spell.
"A slight distortion of perception is all it takes to make you kill each other. Holy warrior, whose hand would make your death the most pathetic?"
"You filthy bastard...!"
I swung Light Saber infused with healing power at Lenis. Freed from Bastol's subtle distortion, her eyes went wide.
"Ah, Alvis?! Just now, that Underground Vermin was..."
"No! He warped your perception to see me as an enemy! Damn it... We'll end up fighting each other at this rate. We need to escape..."
"Hoh, admitting defeat and planning to flee? Excellent judgment—but do you think we'll just let you?"
As Bastol tried to manipulate Elfin next, I swung my sword, granting a share of my power to all three.
Stronger light orbs enveloped their limbs than before, freeing them from Bastol's mind distortion. Bastol tsked in annoyance.
"A nuisance. I wanted to watch you slaughter one another and savor the losers' wails, but this ruins it."
"Bastol, cut the games. This chance came at great cost—finish it properly, no fooling around. I need to head back and kill those witnesses pronto."
"Fine. Less fun, but the plan comes first. Well then, farewell."
Bastol, Dantalion, Robert, and the other Underground Vermin pooled their power, forming a massive dark spear.
"Everyone, dodge!!!"
Whish—!
Before the attack could engulf the three, I shoved them aside with all my strength. The incoming dark spear shredded my side.
Boom!
"Guhk..."
The dark spear that tore into my flank detonated. An unimaginable agony—beyond anything I'd ever endured—hit me as I spewed blood and flew back dozens of meters.
"Alvis!!!"
The three screamed my name, shrieking at the sight of my side half-gone.
"Aaaah! Wh-what do we do! A-Alvis! Your side..."
"J-just wait! Herbs... I-I'll summon herbs... Please come out... Come out! Come!!! COME OUT!!!!!"
"Y-you're alive?! I'll heal you right now... Aak!"
Crackle!
Lenis tried to heal me in haste, but just like with Benjamin, black smoke erupted from my wound in violent rejection.
"Cough... Haa... Get... back."
"Alvis! Don't talk! You'll die!"
"B-blood won't stop! The wound... it's not something you can staunch..."
"Healing... Ahh! Ugh, damn it... What is this black smoke! We're in a crisis here! Vanish! Vanish right now!! Begone!!!"
As Ravi, Elfin, and Lenis wailed and screamed, the Underground Vermin advanced with heavy steps.
"To think such a trifle has delayed us this much. Outrageous."
"The little rat's frailty only makes it more infuriating."
"No time. We must advance our work before the Great One finishes recovering. Hurry."
The three positioned themselves tearfully between me and the Vermin... but it was futile.
This way, we'd all die. I couldn't let that happen...
My vision blurred from blood loss and pain as I stared up at the black cathedral ceiling shrouded in endless darkness. Then, suddenly, I spotted something else amid the shadows.
In my fading sight, it was...
'...A woman?'