Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Fall of the Ebony Shadow Mercenaries (2)
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Activating the Eye that Pierces Truth caused visions of this area's past to unfold before my eyes.
The last time I used it on Fresia Mountain to uncover why the barrier stone had been destroyed, the visions weren't very clear, so I couldn't properly identify the culprits. But after absorbing the goddess once, all my powers had been greatly amplified in every way, making this vision on a completely different level.
The illusions appeared as vivid as if the real things were right in front of me, and I could even hear their words clearly.
The illusion of Darius, the leader of the Ebony Shadow Mercenaries, visible only to my eyes, paced around the grassy field. He stepped on hidden devices buried in the soil in a specific order, and an underground entrance mechanism slid open.
Members of the Ebony Shadow Mercenaries emerged from the underground hideout and greeted their boss in formation.
A man wearing a massive pumpkin head—not even Halloween—stepped forward from the group and asked. He was Jack-o'-Lantern Edmund, an executive of the Ebony Shadow Mercenaries, just like Sophia and O'Brien, whom we'd killed in our previous fight.
Darius handed over several sets of imperial army and kingdom army uniforms, which Edmund received.
The vision ended there, and I relayed everything I'd seen to the group.
Just like Ravi had during the Carrot Duchy border unrest last time, Lenis—from the kingdom—and Elfin, whose kin had settled in large numbers in kingdom cities—went pale.
"W-What do we do?! If the kingdom starts a war with the Empire, there'll be massive casualties... And my father... our family..."
"No... Our kin have suffered so much already! They just settled down not long ago, and now another war?! W-We have to stop it!"
To calm the two pacing anxiously, I grabbed their shoulders.
"Get a grip! If we all head back to the kingdom border now, we might stop that situation, but these Ebony Shadow Mercenaries' schemes will just continue elsewhere. Their leader, Darius, is right here in this underground base. He's the mastermind behind every atrocity we've witnessed, puppeteered by the Underground Vermin. We have to take him out."
"But our country...!"
I patted Lenis's back as she teared up.
"I know. It'll be tough, but hang in there just a bit longer. We'll clean these guys up as fast as possible and head to the kingdom together."
Even though I'd seen the past vision, I still couldn't tell exactly when it was from—not even with my vastly enhanced abilities.
It could have been yesterday or a week ago.
We'd come this far; turning back to the kingdom now only to find it too late would mean letting the rabbit right in front of us slip away. I had no choice but to decide, and I chose to catch the one before me.
With Elfin and Lenis deeply anxious, I had to hurry. Following the exact positions from the vision where Darius had stepped on the devices, I prodded the hidden mechanisms in the soil with my feet.
Activating them in order revealed the camouflaged door covered in dirt and grass, which opened to the underground.
"Let's finish this quick."
We descended the stairs into the depths. At the end of the sinister, pitch-black staircase matching their deeds, we heard the mercenaries and Darius talking.
Lenis's face went deathly pale at the mercenary's report.
It seemed the past vision was from quite a while ago, and we were too late.
Thanks to Vector's ability, Darius still hadn't detected our presence and calmly continued questioning.
Darius slammed the desk at the mercenary's question, furious.
Overwhelmed by disgust, I spat on the floor and stepped forward.
So this Darius guy... all those atrocities I saw in the game... the behind-the-scenes machinations and sabotage that twisted fates, making Brayden and the heroines kill each other... it all stemmed from this scum lusting after the goddess?
Sure, the true culprits were the Underground Vermin, but they couldn't act openly in the surface world. The Ebony Shadow Mercenaries wielded their influence freely in their stead.
And the reason for all that was just this bastard wanting to fuck the goddess once.
I strode forward boldly, drawing my Light Saber. Only then did my concealment drop, and they noticed me.
"W-Who... Gah!? Y-You...!"
"I heard everything, you piece of trash. If it'd been some grand world conquest motive, maybe I'd respect it. But knowing the reason, it's so pathetic I can't even scoff."
"How the hell did you get here...? No—summon everyone! Kill him now!"
Darius, quite confident in his skills, immediately unleashed his power and assumed a battle stance.
The mercenary reporting to him grabbed an axe in each hand and charged me. Ebony Shadow Mercenaries poured out from countless passages in the hideout.
Everyone except Luna instantly readied for battle, backs to me.
"Kill 'em all? Just drown the lot and be done."
Linian summoned a splash of water above her hand, and I frantically stopped her.
"If you do that, we might not survive either. Just watch the situation for now and protect Luna."
"Tch, no fun."
"Ravi, Elfin, Lenis—can you handle that side?"
"Leave it to us!" "Obviously." "You be careful too, Alvis."
Our casual confidence that we'd win clearly irked Darius, twisting his face.
"How dare you talk like victory's already handed to you!"
As Darius fully unleashed his power, black aura billowed from him—even stronger than when I'd seen him in the cathedral.
Last time, his level was 83, right?
That was his normal state, so powering up to this level was somewhat expected.
Darius equipped long, razor-sharp claws on both hands, preparing to fight, then spotted Luna under Linian's protection and his eyes widened.
"No way...? That woman... That's definitely..."
He'd seen Luna before. His mouth stretched into a grin, and he burst into laughter.
Darius lunged at my throat with his blackened claws extended. I blocked with my Light Saber.
Kaang!
Sparks flew with the sharp metallic clang. Darius, expecting an easy win, panicked as I didn't budge, his eyes trembling.
"Looks like you're the one who's confused."
Shwaaak!
Golden wings unfurled from my back, illuminating the dim hideout.
"You didn't think you were the only one who'd gotten stronger, did you?"