Chapter 75
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: 25. Wasteland Rite
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Whirr.
A repulsive sensation of space twisting wrapped around his entire body.
The blinding flash that had swallowed his vision gradually faded, and the ear-shattering explosion and Iris's screams receded like a lie.
Thud.
The hard, cold texture of the ground touched his toes.
And the musty smell of mold and dirt stung his nose.
"Urk... cough!"
Whether from the aftermath of spatial transfer or the release of tension.
Professor Aria staggered and dropped to one knee on the floor.
As he raised his head, gasping roughly for breath, he saw what looked like an abandoned building.
Far from the academy outskirts, it was the abandoned warehouse where he had marked the coordinates.
"No way I could do that twice."
"Quit whining. Were you planning to walk here?"
His companions, who had transferred with him, were staggering around, complaining of dizziness, but fortunately, no one seemed to be missing.
"Aria. The relic?"
"...No problem. It's safely secured."
In response to one of the group's questions, he fumbled in his bosom and confirmed the cold, heavy sensation of the orb.
The relic they had gone through all this trouble to retrieve was safely in his possession.
As he forced a smile and steadied his queasy stomach.
"...Huh?"
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind that he had forgotten something important.
'What is it? What did I miss?'
He had the relic, and all his companions had arrived safely.
No sign of pursuers either.
Then why.
Why did a chill run down his spine like this?
Pondering quizzically and rummaging through his memories, Professor Aria suddenly froze.
'...Wait.'
A chilling aura had been emanating from behind him for a while.
A sharp killing intent pricking his skin.
Cold sweat trickled down his back.
Instinctual fear seemed to paralyze his entire body.
"..."
He slowly turned his creaking head.
Swipe.
Before he could even wipe the sweat from his forehead, his gaze landed on.
A figure glaring at him.
[Aria. You son of a bitch.]
That voice. That rage.
And that killing intent.
"Gasp!"
The memory he had unconsciously erased due to fear surged back like a burst dam.
Aria unwittingly stifled a scream, his body freezing solid.
The man with the hood pulled low.
Evan Dreadnote stood there.
Glare death itself at him.
"..."
One of the group, unable to see Professor Aria's rigid, statue-like expression.
An old man, one of the Mass Teleport casters, leaned on his staff and scanned the surroundings.
"Hm. No ambushes. Coordinates were spot on."
It shouldn't be possible, but.
If enemies had been lying in wait here, it would have been disastrous.
The old man let out a sigh of relief.
A sense of satisfaction welled up that their long-prepared plan had finally borne fruit.
"..."
But the relief was short-lived. Soon, irritation bubbled up.
"You fool. Risking everything just to kill one little girl."
The old man slammed his staff on the ground with a thud! and addressed the one who had been silent since arriving.
No one could predict what might happen in the chaos.
What if he died to a stray sword or spell, or they lost the hard-won relic?
How could he do something so stupid?
"You think we'd trade our great cause for your personal vendetta? What if the relic got damaged in the crossfire!"
Even as the scolding poured out, Aria gave no reply.
No, it wasn't just that.
The others who had transferred with them had also suddenly gone silent, frozen in place as if by agreement.
"Why are you all standing there like idiots? Move already."
As the old man furrowed his brow and approached them.
"...Urk."
A stifled groan leaked from Aria's lips.
Aria couldn't open his mouth.
The reason he didn't respond to the old man's continued rebukes.
Wasn't because he was ignoring him, but because he couldn't reply.
Right in front of him was a monster emanating chillingly cold killing intent.
"I told you clearly."
A low, thick voice boiling with rage echoed through the abandoned warehouse.
Aria shuddered instinctively.
He knew all too well who owned that voice.
"Not to touch her anymore."
Black haze rose from Evan in the hood.
Just one sentence, but the pressure was primal fear, like prey before a top predator.
Everyone except the old man clamped their mouths shut as if sewn.
Just staring at each other.
"Brat?"
Only then did the old man realize something was off, his expression twisting oddly.
But even as the old man called out, Evan's head didn't turn.
His gaze fixed solely on Aria.
The rest were beneath notice.
"Answer me. Why did you disobey?"
Aria's pupils shook like an earthquake.
His mind was a jumbled mess.
This was weird. This situation where he was terrified.
And that guy's glare, like he wanted to kill him.
'Something's wrong.'
It was confusing.
The guy had agreed to join the plan, and to prevent betrayal, they had even fitted him with a collar engraved with lethal magic.
So why was he glaring like he wanted to kill him?
"I said answer, Aria."
"I... I..."
Under the pressure of his eyes demanding a response.
He forced his mouth open, but coherent words wouldn't come.
His fear-stricken voice trembled pitifully.
"I said I wouldn't inflict fatal wounds."
When he had manipulated the guy's brain and altered his memories.
Just in case, he had prepared minimal safeguards.
In case of a fight, no fatal injuries.
The protagonist and heroines' survival wasn't confirmed, but he wasn't too worried.
The problem was the others. Their lives weren't guaranteed.
'I was too complacent.'
Evan took another step forward.
"What was that bullshit at the end?"
"I... I..."
"Enough!"
Then, the old man who had been watching shouted.
"You insolent whelp! Even as master of the Dark Grimoire, do you not know your place!"
The old man slammed his staff down hard enough to echo, but Evan didn't even glance.
"Shut up."
Boom!
Without even looking, he swung his hand lightly, and an invisible force struck the old man.
"Gah!"
A shock like being hit by a massive hammer overwhelmed him.
He reflexively raised his staff for a defensive spell, but as the transparent barrier formed.
It shattered like glass, the staff snapped in two under the pressure.
The old man vomited blood and tumbled back.
"...Cough!"
Rolling on the floor, he looked up at Evan in disbelief.
A single gesture.
No mana fluctuation, just a simple motion, yet its power was unimaginable.
"I said be quiet."
Evan didn't spare the fallen old man a glance, stepping toward Aria again.
'Impossible. A mere brat dares to...!'
"...You bastard! How dare you...!"
Snap.
The old man tried to stagger up, but Evan flicked his finger.
Crunch!
"Argh...!"
Invisible crushing pressure bore down vertically on the old man.
Crack, crunch!
With the gruesome sound of bones pulverizing.
No scream escaped his mouth.
Flattened on the floor, he soon became a horrific lump of flesh.
A tragedy in an instant.
Aria and the others' faces turned ashen.
A single gesture had squashed a high mage like a bug.
Evan swept them with a piercing glare.
"Hii, hiik...!"
Meeting his eyes, their frozen bodies finally thawed, screams of terror bursting out.
They were all top-tier experts.
Flight wasn't in their dictionary, except in unavoidable cases.
Unavoidable meant facing overwhelming power.
Or insurmountable numbers.
The one before them now was the former.
That thing. Yes, that monster was unbeatable.
The moment they looked into his eyes, peering into the endless abyss within, they knew.
That wasn't human. A monster.
Unwinnable.
Humans can't beat monsters, right?
"R-Run!"
"Scatter now!"
Instinct screamed.
No thought of fighting.
Only one drive: survive.
They even discarded weapons, fleeing in all directions.
Call them cowards. Fine.
Pride, honor, duty.
Meaningless before life.
But Evan didn't glance at the fleeing ones.
He simply opened his mouth quietly.
"Tundra."
"Yessir! Been waiting!"
Evan's shadow writhed, a figure emerging.
A massive, lightly grinning barbarian warrior.
Axe over his shoulder, flashing a bright smile.
"Kill them all. Don't let one escape."
A mechanical, emotionless command, like a foregone conclusion.
"Kahahaha! Hunt time!"
As if awaiting those words.
Tundra's eyes reddened gradually.
He raised his axe with mad laughter.
"Be right back, my lord!"
"Go."
Like a cannon fired.
Kicking off the ground, Tundra vanished instantly.
Evan ignored him completely, taking another step toward Aria, who was backing away.
Step.
Overwhelming powerlessness.
The bottomless abyss in those eyes.
Aria, retreating step by step, lost balance and fell.
"Hii, hiik..."
His face, unacquainted with fear, twisted hideously.
"Seems you have no intention of answering."
Professor Aria's lips trembled, but no words came.
No, couldn't come was more accurate.
Fear choked his throat, not even letting screams escape easily.
Yes.
"I didn't expect an answer anyway."
'Kaien...'
Closing his eyes would bring vivid the image of the guy's abdomen pierced.
That faint smile as he shoved Aria away at the last moment was seared into his chest.
'I was the fool.'
His clenched teeth ground with a grind.
If he'd been more careful.
Or completely shattered the guy's brain for total control.
Kaien might not have been hurt.
Regret too late, rage cooled to murderous intent.
His head burned.
Think rationally, he told himself.
Stay calm.
But his hand had already drawn the sword from his waist.
Nightfrost gleamed blue under the moonlight.
"W-Wait...!"
Aria flailed his hands desperately, shouting.
"This is for Kaien."
Slash!
The chilling sound of the sword cutting air.
"Gaaaaah!"
Aria's arm flew through the air, hitting the ground.
Red blood fountained from the stump.
"Guh... gasp... my arm, my arm!"
Clutching the severed end, he screamed at the top of his lungs.
His pain-twisted face barely human.
"Next."
Slash!
This time, his left leg.
A long gash from thigh to calf, flesh dangling.
"Keurgh! Uwaa...!"
Professor Aria writhed on the floor in agony.
Merciless butchery turned his body blood-soaked in seconds.
"This is for Iris."
He looked down impassively.
"Evan Dreadnote! You think you'll get away with this!"
Professor Aria spat blood, raging.
Even on death's door, his final struggle seemed pathetic.
"Kill me... yes! Kill me!"
"That collar on your wrist! The engraved magic will kill you! It'll burst your heart!"
"Oh?"
"It's a restraint controlled by my mana! The moment my heart stops, yours ends too!"
Professor Aria laughed like a madman.
Spewing blood-flecked spittle, his face full of triumphant certainty.
"The collar, huh."
I raised my hand to look at it.
Heavy metal feel. That was it.
"This one?"
Snap.
I tensed my wrist and snapped it easily.
As if tearing paper.
Clang.
As the broken collar fell and rolled away.
All color drained from Aria's face.
"Huh?"
Professor Aria's laughter cut off.
His eyes shook in disbelief.
"H-How... that's supposed to be unbreakable..."
"Everything in your memories is fake."
I kicked the shattered collar.
"Your magic never worked on me from the start."
"No... impossible..."
On the verge of mental collapse, Aria muttered blankly.
"Now, last question."
I crouched before him, meeting his eyes as he mumbled to himself.
"Why did you do it?"
"Th-That... if we left Iris Riel alone, she'd interfere with the plan...!"
"Interfere?"
Just for that, Kaien had to get hurt.
I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Then I guess you're an interference too."
"W-Wait! I'll do anything you order! I can't die yet!"
[Absorbing negative emotion 'Fear'.]
[Absorbing negative emotion 'Despair'.]
Professor Aria slammed his head on the floor, begging.
To the point I wondered if this was really the Aria I knew.
His form reached the pinnacle of groveling.
"Don't worry. I won't kill you right away."
Yeah, can't let you die easy.
You deserve eternal torment.
Stab!
"...Urk!"
The death rattle was short.
The blade pierced his heart precisely; his body convulsed, then went limp.
"No need for the body. Just the soul."
"My lord! Cleanup done!"
Right on cue, Tundra returned briskly.
Blood dripped from his axe as he swaggered in.
"Disposed of?"
"Not a single one left!"
"Good job."
I gave brief praise and looked around.
Professor Aria and his gang. All handled.
'Didn't plan to kill them all.'
But what happened happened. The plan's derailed.
No use cooling my head now; nothing changes.
"..."
I searched the cold corpse of Professor Aria and pulled out the black orb.
A chilling energy tingled my fingertips.
'Hold onto it for now.'
I pocketed the orb and stepped out of the warehouse.
Everything done, but my heart was colder than ever.
'Kaien...'
Evan hurried his steps.
Cold night air settled over his retreating figure.