274. Mermaid Hunt (1)
274. Mermaid Hunt (1)
- 1 -
The outskirts of Atrium.
A point quite distant from the southern border between Orbis and Aririt.
Wepar climbed a hill and gazed at the distant city.
To ordinary human eyes, Atrium would have been visible from here only as a faint silhouette.
Of course, she was no 'ordinary' human.
Eyes that could clearly discern an enemy's shape dozens of meters away, even underwater, worked not much differently in the air.
Add to that her own capabilities as a mage.
"... This is absurd."
Wepar's voice trembled. What she was looking at was no simple city.
A colossal magic formation, like an ancient fortress, enveloped the entire Orbis Duchy.
Every current of mana flowing through the earth and air was moving in a single direction.
Toward some center deep underground.
But the composition of that magic formation was not human mana.
"... A demon realm."
She shuddered with shock.
A chill of unknown origin crawled up her spine.
An ordinary dungeon existed within its own territory of fate.
But what she saw was completely different.
'To make a human city into a territory...!'
The entire territory of the Orbis Duchy was gradually transforming into a demon realm.
"Libertas..."
Wepar's voice quivered involuntarily from the shock.
High-ranking Dungeon Lords who decorated dungeons or demon realms like cities existed, but until now, no Lord had ever conceived of turning a city itself into a demon realm.
"Is she truly the master of this demon realm? If so..."
Wepar hurriedly brought out her crystal ball. Her fingertips trembled, and strength refused to properly enter them.
She had to inform Dantalion of this fact immediately. That was her mission.
Bringing her lips close to the crystal ball, Wepar whispered.
"Master. An urgent report...! The entire Orbis Duchy...!"
But in that instant.
Seureureuk...!
The water inside the crystal ball swirled violently, then stopped abruptly.
Communication had been cut off.
"This is...?"
Wepar peered into the crystal ball with a puzzled expression.
At that moment, a danger signal blared throughout her entire body.
The acute senses of a Marquis-grade Dungeon Lord had detected danger nearby.
"A trap."
Wepar quickly scanned her surroundings.
On the surface, nothing was visible, but her mana detection ability was already alerting her to the approach of several powerful entities closing in on her.
"One... two... seven."
Even among humans, many powerful beings existed.
But for so many powerful beings to appear suddenly, and inland at that, was nonsensical.
Moreover, the type of that mana was...
"Dungeon Lords."
Wepar's gaze turned to one side.
She made her decision.
'I must escape this place.'
She had to inform Dantalion of this fact.
That was her mission.
Wepar threw off her cloak to reveal her true form.
A lower body shimmering with blue scales reminiscent of the deep sea, and an upper body with skin as pale as moonlight.
That was the true appearance of the mermaid Dungeon Lord.
Shurrrruk...!
Her mana rose steadily higher.
Mermaids were most powerful underwater, and though a barrier was laid here, the strength of a Marquis-grade Dungeon Lord could not be ignored even under such circumstances.
For she was a high-rank Dungeon Lord who had fully assimilated a dungeon core.
Then, a woman appeared before her.
- My master awaits. Guest.
A woman clad in a suit that clung to her body beneath a black kimono.
It was Amatsu Saya, possessed of pink-tinged eyes and elegant features.
- 2 -
Some time before that. Orbis palace.
"That entity has returned. My lord."
Yuran approached me and reported.
Beneath her black hanbok, her five tails swayed slightly with anticipation.
"As expected."
I smiled with satisfaction.
Not long ago, a powerful mana signature passing near Atrium had been caught in the net I had installed across all of Orbis.
A power far beyond any human's—fearsome even for a Dungeon Lord.
It was mana so powerful that even for me now, facing it in a dungeon-versus-dungeon battle would have been difficult.
'At minimum, a matured high-rank human or a summon. If not, a Dungeon Lord of high rank or above.'
I had been on guard—suspecting it might be an assassin from another Demon Realm Archduke—but the being had cautiously scouted this area before departing south.
Observing only natural features, not cities.
What that entity had come there to find was clear.
A Dungeon Lord. Or a powerful monster.
Only then was I certain that the entity was a scout, and that it was me it had come to find.
And that it would return.
"Prepare for the hunt."
The opponent had clearly been dispatched with confidence in their disguise and defensive abilities, but regrettably for them, that being, raised in a demon realm, was skilled at detection but unaccustomed to hiding itself.
Because the power leaking from it in strands was massive enough to be caught even in my coarse net.
I released the hidden presence of my demon realm.
So that when that being returned, its attention would be drawn to that, preventing it from noticing its own mana being blocked.
"I don't know who it is, but it's certain they're an excellent mage."
Everyone nodded.
There was no need to speak at length more than necessary. They were already in a state of combat readiness.
Saya, clad in a black hanbok with a sword at her waist.
Maria, wearing white armor accented with orange. Artemis, of the same white armor but accented with blue, her skin pale.
Nirvana, with those captivating eyes veiled, was quietly attuning her mana.
Esther, wearing white armor and a paladin's cloak, made a final check of her weapon spirit.
"Depending on where the opponent arrives, the squad stationed there shall make first contact. It would be best if they stand and fight, but should they flee, let the other squad arriving immediately after cut them off."
Maria and Yuran stood by in the west. Saya and Artemis in the east.
Whichever direction the opponent came from, Yuran and Saya would not let that being slip away.
"Esther, prepare to pressure them with holy power. Nirvana, block their senses."
"Yes."
Everyone answered my orders in one voice.
"The opponent is one who possesses at least mature high-rank abilities. Let only Saya and Yuran, and depending on the situation, Esther and Nirvana, engage them directly."
My voice became slightly sterner than usual.
It was for their safety.
"Only you four who possess high-rank power will be able to face that one. Maria and Artemis, focus on support. Never underestimate them."
I placed a finger on the map spread across the marble table.
Several locations where the unnamed demon was predicted to arrive were marked.
"The objective is capture alive if possible. But fight with intent to kill. This is not an opponent for whom you may hold back."
I looked around at everyone, and at their resolved eyes, I nodded.
"Everyone, to your positions. I shall join you soon."
My subordinates departed, leaving me alone in the conference room.
I walked slowly to the window and gazed outside.
The sky over Orbis was clear. Blue sky, fair clouds... but beneath that peaceful scenery, the prelude to battle was already rising.
- 3 -
- My master has issued orders to welcome the guest. How about coming along?
A voice that echoed in all directions, spreading through mana.
Despite Saya's polite tone, Wepar did not relax her guard.
No, rather, mana was already coalescing at her fingertips.
- Whose subordinate are you? Libertas?
A voice that resounded with a sound like flowing waves.
The mermaid glared at Saya with jet-black eyes.
- As you say.
A voice filled with ready acknowledgment.
Beneath the polite speech and elegant smile, a sharp killing intent lay hidden.
Wepar sensed a presence behind her as well.
A keen gaze shot from within the forest. It was Artemis, arrow nocked on her shortbow.
- How courteous, truly. An invitation delivered with weapons aimed at me.
- A weapon that will not be brandished should you accept the invitation.
But neither Saya, who spoke now, nor Wepar believed that.
The pride of a Dungeon Lord would never meekly heed the words of one weaker than themselves, when they had already drawn out their full power.
- Please do not resent my blade for its sharpness.
- How arrogant. Know that the one you face is a Marquis who has received a noble name.
Seureureureu...!
From each of Wepar's hands, five streams of water shot upwards.
Those streams drew in moisture from the air, growing thicker.
Pachut!
Saya's hair became dyed with golden lightning from the roots.
Electricity and water. A fatal compatibility.
But Wepar smiled. For her power would impose a will that transcended ordinary compatibilities.
In that moment, Wepar's lips parted.
"Aaah♬─"
A voice that flowed out like an aria.
Simply upon hearing, it was a heavenly tone, but its wavelength was far from ordinary.
Mana like silver threads that seemed to split space. And a frequency so high it would burst a human's eardrums.
The sound waves that propagated through the air as a medium were not as destructive as underwater, but the quality of the mana that was their origin was on a different level from human magic.
Thunder rumbled and rainclouds gathered. A downpour poured in an instant.
Kwareureureung─!!
Giving no opening, Saya's red lightning shot forth, splitting the sky and striking down.
The masks hanging from her body, now in the state of Jeokwonsimno, glared at Wepar with crimson faces, their killing-intent-filled eyes flashing in the darkness.
But this battlefield, where a downpour was pouring, was far more advantageous to the water mage Wepar than to Saya, who wielded lightning.
- Not a chance.
With a single gesture from Wepar, scattered masses of seawater induced the lightning's power, dispersing it in all directions.
Electricity spread through the water like ripples, emitting a blue light.
Chwak!
At that moment, Wepar seized the five streams of water like whips and lashed them at Saya.
The high-pressure water streams were like blades in themselves.
Were she struck, it would not end with ordinary injury.
"A word from me."
With a sudden voice, a bright light surged forth, driving away the surrounding downpour.
The power of Saintess Esther. Her hand was stretched out toward Saya and Wepar.
- A cleric...?! How can this!
The voice, akin to the wavelengths of water, lost its haughtiness.
For a cleric working for a monster was an unheard-of fact.
'I must withdraw from this place.'
Wepar reminded herself of her mission.
To prove her loyalty and demonstrate her ability by following the command of the supreme Archduke.
She had to escape this place, return to the Secret Duke's embrace, and whisper all the secrets she had just learned to him.
However.
"Where are you going? Guest."
In the direction she tried to flee, two more women appeared.
The voice of the Alraune, who had a black lotus floating behind her, was unbearably sweet.
Black petals fluttered around her, and a unique fragrance spread from them.
'No way.'
Hearing that voice, Wepar momentarily doubted whether she was Libertas. The Alraune's powerful and seductive mana shook her mind so profoundly that, had Libertas's appearance not been well-known, she might have mistaken her.
The strength of a mermaid was as firm as it was capable of beguiling an opponent's mind, yet there was mana potent enough to pierce that mind in an instant.
Wepar immediately stopped breathing.
She knew well enough that an Alraune's floral scent induced hallucinations and confusion.
- The hallucinations of the likes of you...!
Dozens of streams of water poured out from Wepar's sweeping gesture.
"Kkeuk...!"
The solid defense Maria had hardened protected Nirvana, but a groan escaped Maria's lips.
Wepar's mana was powerful, as befitting one who had properly received a demon's name.
Saya and Esther attacked such a Wepar, forcing her back, and in the next moment.
"You're running wild to your heart's content."
The Black Fox appeared.
Hwareureuk─
Yuran's fingers traced complex glyphs in the empty air, and five purple flames raged wildly.
Flames of a yokai, unquenchable by ordinary water, whirled around Yuran, burning ever more fiercely.
"「White Mask Foxfire—Energy Meridian Empty—By Imperial Order Swiftly Enforce.」"
Flames of gold and violet surged up like a net.
Wepar's waves lashed at it, but the net rippled without losing its momentum.
'The sorcery is flexible.'
The mermaid dodged into a space where Yuran's sealing sorcery could not reach.
Her movements were elegant, as if swimming through water, yet an uncanny motion that defied earthly gravity.
"There is no more room to flee."
But there was no direction left for her to advance.
For Saya blocked her front, Artemis and Maria the rear, Esther and Nirvana the left and right.
In the empty air above them, Yuran was once again beginning to draw her sealing sorcery.
- You cannot overcome me with this much...!
Wepar spread both arms wide.
Giant pillars of water surged up around her.
The marine monsters that had served her in her dungeon began to sense their master's will and reveal themselves through otherworldly gates.
Now that flight was no longer an option, she intended to fight with all her might.
It would be fine even if the surface humans noticed her existence.
After all, Libertas too would be unable to properly expand her influence from then on.
But in that instant.
"I have seen enough."
A quiet voice rang out.
A calm, gentle, yet unfathomably deep voice, like the abyss itself.
The empty air distorted, and a woman appeared. The hem of her black dress fluttered in the air.
Wepar realized that the power of the sea which had always heeded her words had now changed without her noticing.
The falling rain had turned murky like shadows, and even the water blooming at her fingertips clung to her as if it had become oil.
Darkness. It was deep darkness.
"How!"
Wepar's pupils dilated as she let out a shocked cry involuntarily.
"Your power is connected to the outside world. As expected of Dantalion's subordinate."
Libertas raised her hand.
Along with the cry of crows, black mana spread in all directions.
The moment Wepar's water pillar touched it, the water instantly dried up.
As if robbed of its very life force.
'This mana...'
On the surface, it was similar to the power of the one who handled the darkest force in the Demon Realm, which she had encountered once before.
The darkness that devoured everything. The power of the Gluttony Duke.
But this darkness now was somehow different.
This darkness devouring her was far more viscous... and deeper.
'It's not necromancy.'
Libertas, known as a necromancer.
But her power was heterogenous.
The composure that had filled her heart until just moments ago vanished. These six were strong, but had she exerted her full power, escaping from this place would have been possible.
However, that path had just disappeared.
"This...!"
It was already too late. Black mana was enveloping her body.
The strength drained from her whole body in an instant. She could not even move, as if crushed by the pressure of the deep sea.
"You fought well."
There was no arrogance of a victor in Libertas's voice.
Rather, genuine commendation was contained within.
"Still, coming such a long distance makes you this weakened."
The last thing the fainting Wepar saw was her smile.
The rain falling from the sky ceased.
Silence returned to the forest. As if the fierce battle just moments ago had been a fleeting dream.
Sunlight poured down through the clouds.
Libertas opened her parasol.
The light did not trespass even slightly beneath that parasol.
"If only I could send word that Dantalion's gift was well received."
And upon her lips, an amused smile was spreading.
At the same time, those violet eyes were sinking, dark and chilly.
The Demon Realm Archduke.
Powerful enemies had begun to move against her.
- 4 -
At the same time. Seyur Fortress, the border line crossing from Hysen to the Kingdom of Hillsa.
"..."
Shue, who had led Orbis's forces and arrived there, blocked the blazing sunlight with a hand and gazed at the opposite side.
"The smell of blood..."
'Is coming.'
A bloodthirsty smile rose to her lips.
It was as if the sound of the Norn Empire's forces advancing north could already be heard.
Their screams as well.