The Guild Breaker (3)

Breaking guilds was Veronika's favorite thing. Destroying a group bound by trust from beginning to end. Yet she never let her personal tastes blind her to the gravity of her mission. It was no coincidence that Veronika had separated Isaac from the Iron Shield. Isaac was the guild's greatest fighting force. Naturally, keeping the two together would make breaking the guild far from easy. They would almost certainly rally behind Isaac in resistance. So she had first pried them apart to prevent any immediate coordinated response. Then she had placed watchers on the guild members.

"Excluding Hans and Sophia, who used to belong to the Holy Knights, they can hardly be called a fighting force."

"......"

"Do you understand what that means, Isaac Silvertehr? The moment you resist, you'll never see your family again."

In simple terms, it was a hostage situation. A threat that the instant he lifted a finger, she would kill every last one of his family. Of course Isaac knew this, which was why he had asked those two for a favor before leaving. But still?

"If you can't even handle something on this level, you have no right to call yourselves the Hydra Guild. Don't you agree?"

"......"

"Why don't you say something?"

Veronika burst into laughter and kicked the kneeling Isaac under the chin with the toe of her shoe. His head barely turned. There was no real impact. Isaac offered no reply.

They won't be able to find us that easily.

As master of the Hydra Guild and a mage herself, she had already erected a barrier around the area. Even if they somehow broke free of the hostage situation, they would never reach this place. By cutting them off completely from one another and exploiting the information imbalance, she would dismantle everything methodically from start to finish. That was how Veronika had destroyed guilds until now.

But there was one thing even she had not anticipated: that a single person within the Iron Shield could pierce her barrier and locate Isaac.

And that person was Zeek.

"It's very faint, but... it's certain. Master is here."

"That's a pretty creepy method."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

The place they reached by following Master's scent was a deserted back-alley plaza in Gideon. The winding paths would have made it far harder to find, but Diego's guidance had brought them here quickly.

"Looks like we hit the mark."

"Yeah. They're absolutely swarming."

"How dare these pieces of trash...!!"

Centered on the plaza, figures appeared atop the rooftops of nearby buildings. Men and women bearing the emblem of three snakes on their right shoulders. Fellow members of the Hydra Guild.

"Roughly twenty of them. Stay sharp. Every single one is a tough opponent."

"They wouldn't be here for no reason. So where's Master?"

"Sophia once said a truly skilled mage can separate space itself. Maybe that's what's happening?"

"In other words, we're dealing with an exceptionally powerful mage."

Diego shook his head in annoyance. Mages were rare talents even in Gideon, a city teeming with legendary heroes. After all, few people could wield magic in the first place. That didn't mean he intended to retreat. The moment he loosened his body to subdue the enemies in one swift motion—

Something slammed into the head of one of the Hydra Guild members on the roof.

"Guh?!"

"These brats trying to get the first strike?"

"Kain? What is that thing?"

"A wrist crossbow. Small, but it packs plenty of killing power."

Kain smiled and proudly displayed the crossbow mounted on his wrist. As a wanderer who had survived countless battles, he had faced situations like this more times than he could count and knew exactly how to handle them.

Normally the smart play would be to land a surprise blow and bolt immediately.

But right now they had to rescue Master. Still, that didn't mean they were out of options.

The Hydra Guild members, caught off guard by the sudden ambush, counterattacked with the speed expected of elites. However—

"Holy light, please become our shield."

A massive wave of light erupted from the ground and literally transformed into a barrier, blocking the assault. People capable of wielding the alien power known as magic were few and far between. One of them was Yuliana Fragah.

Radiant waves of light spread outward from her like roots. The energy of white magic that protected, shielded, and healed.

"A mage?"

"It's fine. White magic has no offensive spells."

"We'll drag this into a battle of attrition. Pour everything into—"

White magic specialized in protection and healing. Mages usually handled only a single attribute. The enemies began adjusting their tactics accordingly, but the barrage of flames that followed completely shattered their expectations.

Heres grinned cheerfully and flicked his fingers. That simple gesture sent pillars of fire surging upward.

"Did you think our guild only had white mages?"

"Impossible! A minor guild with three mages?!"

"Without Master, we're at a disadvantage in raw firepower."

"All units, charge! Shatter the barrier and slaughter the intruders!!"

But they were elites too. In that split second they processed the new information and immediately counterattacked. Aside from the mages, their opponents were nothing but a wanderer and some brats. In that case, it was better to break the barrier quickly and shift to close-quarters combat before their losses mounted.

It wasn't a bad decision. In fact, it was nearly optimal. Anyone would have come to the same conclusion. These were heroes of the Hydra Guild, a subordinate organization under Hades that had executed countless guilds. Who would imagine they might lose to children?

"What the hell are these guys?"

"Guh?!"

"Kuh!!!"

"They're weaker than Dig?"

A flash. No one even saw the swords move. By the time they regained their senses, the three guild members at the front had already lost their lives. The swordsman responsible was Diego.

In less than five seconds. One life taken with the left-hand blade, another ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with the right. Then both swords pierced straight through the neck of the sturdy warrior charging in with a shield from behind.

Could this really be a novice who had learned the sword less than two months ago? Something was wrong. The man who realized this tried to rally the surviving members and retreat.

"This monster bastard...!!"

"The monster isn't me. It's that one."

Diego clicked his tongue. In that brief span of time, she had cut down more than twenty Hydra Guild members all by herself. Even with the same talent, the gap in level was overwhelming.

Only then did the man's gaze shift.

"Wh-what...?"

Each member had been worthy of being called a renowned hero. That was the Hydra Guild. Yet nearly twenty of them now lay dead.

At the center stood a single girl. Blood dripped from her black hair, tracing lines down her cheek. The blood-drenched girl looked like a demon straight out of hell.

Her eyes, which had once shone with brilliant gold, now burned with a chilling red as they fixed on him. Instinct screamed at him: if he wanted to live, he had to shout it now.

"We've taken your friends hostage!!!"

The desperate cry for survival unfortunately reached her ears. Realizing the tactic worked, the man continued despite the cold sweat pouring down his face.

"The Children of God! Yes! Those kids who go to school!!"

"This bastard... using such filthy tricks...?!"

"The title of hero is weeping right now."

"Say whatever you want! Those are nothing but the excuses of pathetic losers!!"

"We've already seen through all your tricks. Got it?"

"Th-that's impossible— AAAAAGH?!"

"Hey! Zeek! What are you waiting for?!"

"Leave this bastard to us. We've got a lot to repay him for."

The chilling red eyes returned to their usual golden hue. Zeek nodded and turned away. Before her lay a passage through the barrier that Sasha and Yuliana had opened together.

"The magic is too strong. This is the best we can do, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Zeek. Hurry!"

"...!!!"

"...Thank you, everyone."

If she had been alone, she would never have made it this far. But because she had everyone with her, she had reached this place. Zeek gave a firm nod and threw herself into the passage.

Master, I will definitely save you—

"Is that all you were hoping for?"

"...Huh?"

What greeted Zeek on the other side of the passage was none other than Veronika. The emotion that rose on her face was pure ecstasy.

No matter how they found their way here, there was nothing they could do. They must have seen hope. They must have thought they could save him. But what now? That hope would only poison them.

There was no way the creator of the barrier wouldn't know what was happening outside. So she had deliberately left a weak point—one that these talented but still fledgling children could break through. And her prediction had been correct. They had barely managed to pierce the weakest section, unaware that the passage led directly to Veronika herself.

She moved immediately. She would take this child hostage and, right in front of her, demand absolute obedience from Isaac Silvertehr. The magic required the subject to place the collar on themselves, but its effects were overwhelmingly powerful.

Ah, I can't wait to see it.

The sight of hope twisting into despair. The tragic scene of him beating his own family to death with his own hands. The long-awaited moment of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠submission had finally arrived. It was a flawless plan.

If only the opponent hadn't been Isaac.

"...?"

Veronika tilted her head in confusion. The child who should have been restrained by her snake-like hand was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was only emptiness. Something that should have been there was missing—

"I believe I warned you."

A voice as cold as frozen ice pierced her ears. Only then did she regain her senses and see it: her own cleanly severed arm lying in the distance. When had he cut it?

"Do not touch my family."

No, it wasn't just her arm. In that same instant, every subordinate who had been restraining him had also had their necks severed. In less than a single second—!!

Wh-what...?!

Zeek couldn't process the situation. She remembered the filthy woman leaping out at her, but the next thing she knew she was being held in Master's arms like a child.

"I'm sorry, little one. My inadequacy has forced you to experience something terrifying."

"N-no... I wasn't scared at all..."

"Isn't this self-defense? They attacked first, didn't they?"

"You should have endured it."

As Isaac gently stroked the head of a blushing Zeek whose voice had shrunk to a mosquito-like whisper, Veronika tried to offer some excuse. But Isaac cut her off firmly.

"Even if your subordinates had their limbs torn off or lost their lives, you should have endured it."

"How could I? I am still their master, after all."

"Did you really think there would be no price for binding me?"

A shiver ran down her spine. The gentle, apologetic expression vanished from his face in an instant. What remained was pure killing intent. It stabbed through her entire body. It felt like staring at the incarnation of death itself—!!

"You could have done anything to me. I am the strongest, after all. I could have laughed it all off."

"Then why not just laugh it off now?!"

"But you crossed the line. You touched my family. Now it is time to pay the price."

"What exactly is that price? I'm so, so curious!"

Even with that monster standing before her, Veronika was smiling. She was deliberately provoking Isaac. Yet he did not rise to the bait. He simply answered calmly.

"The snake and the shield. One of the two will disappear from this world."

"......"

"And that one will be you."