The Creator's Command
Memories of the past surfaced as I watched the monsters swarm in from every direction.
During the last great war, we had faced countless cunning traps, ambushes, and encirclements by massive forces. We had weathered so many crises.
How many times had we prepared for the end, surrounded on all sides by enemies so thick that taking even a single step was impossible, our final barrier already half-shattered?
Now wolves bared their fangs around me, waiting for the first prey to break through their encirclement, while the Puppet Crows continuously spread curses across the area with their mana and spells.
Most of the monsters never even made it past Stis Dazlang's poison stingers amid the curses raining down on them. A few staggered forward, only to become sacrifices for the Ashd Trapper or Crowley.
The growing pile of monster corpses either turned to ash in Erill's flames or formed walls that blocked the enemies depending on where they fell.
Clearly, we were holding them off with ease right now. The majority of the enemies couldn't even breach the first defensive line, and the curses spread by the Puppet Crows were settling smoothly onto the ground.
But there had been many fortresses once called impregnable—the dried-tree fortress, Zeka's secret dueling arena among them. Inside those places, not only I but my companions had sensed death more than once. Yet in the end, those fortresses had fallen.
That was why I could never afford to let my guard down. There was no such thing as a perfect defense. Only constant vigilance and preparation could guarantee safety. That was my way.
The number of enemies was steadily increasing, and their sizes were growing larger than at the start. Roughly an hour had passed since the first scout. Until now, they had been throwing forces at us in their haste the moment they arrived, but once their numbers grew, they would reorganize and attempt a proper breakthrough.
Sooner or later, their numbers would overwhelm our defensive forces. There was no doubt about that.
—……
Even in this rather unfavorable situation, Granbipra had been silent for some time. Normally, conversation during battle was forbidden unless absolutely necessary, but his silence was unsettling.
“Has the hatching period left you with no strength to speak?”
—Not quite. It's just……
“Just what?”
—Something feels off. Even if it's Toquas, Hyrde should have arrived by now.
“Wouldn't their delay work in our favor?”
As the sun set, pitch-black darkness instantly swallowed the already dim surroundings beneath the trees. Instead of orbs of light, I summoned fire spirits and placed them at the locations I had prepared earlier.
This was partly to illuminate the area and let the fire spirits themselves block and attack intruders, but more importantly, their subtle, easily movable light was preferable to the orbs of light.
Firelight in darkness could guide the lost toward safety, but a faint, incomplete flame could, depending on how it was used, lead one into greater danger than having no light at all.
People grew complacent thinking they could “see,” forgot what they couldn't see, and turned their eyes away from what truly needed watching.
It didn't matter whether the enemies came toward the light or deliberately avoided it. Either way, those flames would ultimately guide them in the directions I wanted, and the end would not be kind to them.
“Is there any chance Toquas and Hyrde have other schemes in mind?”
They surely knew time was on our side. If they had made no significant moves until now, perhaps they had other plans.
—Toquas wouldn't resort to such petty tricks. Hyrde might be another matter, but even if he did, they have no other way to stop my hatching.
He was right. There was no method other than attacking as quickly as possible. I had already considered nearly everything when choosing this location.
The terrain wasn't prone to landslides, and Erill could handle aerial assaults. The densely packed trees made tunneling or collapsing the ground from below nearly impossible.
Ground-based attacks were almost the only option, which was exactly why I had chosen this place.
“Could it be they have no intention of interfering with the hatching?”
A massive horned weasel-like creature and enormous bee-like beings resembling humans charged from the left, only to be wiped out by the Puppet Crows' curses and Stis Dazlang's poison stingers. But unlike before, they weren't charging blindly—they were trying to find gaps.
—They know full well that my hatching means their deaths.
“Do you think they might believe they can be forgiven?”
—Impossible.
His firm tone made it clear that wasn't the case. If so, there was only one answer.
“…They must have fled.”
It was the easiest and wisest choice. Perhaps they had already escaped long ago, simply because they didn't know any better.
—They have lived in this forest for a very long time. They wouldn't abandon their territory so easily.
“They wouldn't value it more than their own lives.”
They were the ones who had chosen survival even while knowing their destruction was inevitable. In this situation, fleeing was actually the sensible thing to do.
“They've probably fled to some distant region, hoping you, the guardian of the Ancient Forest, won't bother chasing them.”
That was what I would have done. Fighting an immortal being far stronger than oneself—not once, but eternally—was foolish. And yet—
—Then they are far more foolish than I thought.
A cold, mocking tone I had never heard from him before made me flinch for no reason.
“Why?”
—Because they believed that would be enough.
The sincerity in his voice was so cold and sharp that it was chilling this time.
Indeed, one could never feel at ease simply because he was courteous and rational. This was the first time he had shown hostility, and even then only briefly, but the intensity of what I had witnessed overturned every impression I had held of him until now.
“…I hope you won't forget the promise you made.”
—Don't worry. They will all serve you as their master. Of course, once your contract with me ends, they will have to pay the remaining price as well.
What I had actually meant was his promise not to harm me even after the hatching, but fortunately, he seemed to have no intention of breaking it.
—More importantly, shouldn't you be bringing out more of them soon?
The presences I sensed from all directions had grown stronger. Moreover, small, agile monsters were attempting to infiltrate from different directions using different methods. It seemed they were finally preparing to attack in earnest.
“Not yet. If too few gather, it will actually be troublesome.”
* * *
Bagloros's black mist melted into the shadows that softly crossed the wall. As expected, neither the soldiers patrolling hourly nor the alarm spells placed throughout the area detected his presence, let alone stopped him.
Upon arriving in Peltecheru, Bagloros immediately went into action. Without needing to contact other assassins or informants, he headed straight for the opposing faction's leadership base—the very group he was now in conflict with.
Within minutes, he had secured their complete cooperation.
Though they belonged to the same High Assassin Guild, they had known nothing about the plot to assassinate Anak. Even with multiple factions that didn't interfere much with one another, the fact that one of the guild's leaders had targeted the hero's companion—and Bagloros's companion—left them horrified.
They immediately sent messages in all directions. Not only they, but every branch of the High Assassin Guild that received the message was thrown into chaos as they scrambled to assess the situation. But that was another story.
In the end, Bagloros obtained the locations of the temporary bases used by the opposing faction and information that Raze, who had received orders from their leadership tonight, would visit one of them. He came here.
Of course, Bagloros didn't entirely believe the information was true, but whether it was false or true didn't matter much to him. Even if it was false, he would simply continue searching for the next breadcrumb. Nothing more, nothing less.
Any ordinary person might call this absolute confidence, but Bagloros held no such perception. He simply knew exactly what he could do, and he did it because it needed to be done.
Confidence, pride, superiority, or a sense of accomplishment—none of these mixed in at all.
Though the mansion outwardly appeared to be one of a noble family's villas, still occupied by many private soldiers and servants, the noble family had actually fallen long ago during the last great war. The High Assassin Guild faction that had purchased the mansion was merely continuing to use the noble family's name to keep its use secret.
He thoroughly searched every corner of the mansion through shadows and darkness. Many people were inside, but none noticed his presence. However, he also failed to find Raze.
After searching the entire mansion, Bagloros finally headed to the servants' storage shed. The relatively shabby, small shed contained only cleaning tools and miscellaneous items, but Bagloros walked inside without hesitation.
His hand swiftly sliced through the air, and following his fingertips, the wooden planks on the shed floor shattered, revealing a staircase hidden in one corner.
Hearing the sound of the planks breaking, someone outside stirred, but Bagloros leaped straight down the stairs. At the bottom of the staircase leading to the basement was a thick iron door, but with a wave of Bagloros's hand, it crumpled like a sheet of paper.
“Bravo!”
As he entered the room, Raze, who had been sitting on a single chair placed unnecessarily in the center of the wide room, spread both arms in an exaggerated gesture and greeted him.
“Well, that door wasn't even locked to begin with, but you truly live up to the title of the world's strongest assassin.”
Bagloros paid no attention to Raze's actions or words. He charged toward Raze to complete his task, and Raze could only follow the movement with his eyes—he had no chance of dodging or blocking the attack.
But the moment Bagloros's hand was about to strike, the black crystal in Raze's hand emitted light, and a strange wave swept through the room.
“……!”
Along with that wave, Bagloros, who had been lunging at Raze, stopped in place. He froze in the exact posture of attacking Raze, staring silently at the black crystal in Raze's hand.
“As expected, no matter how much you call yourself the strongest assassin, you're still just a chimera in the end. No matter how much time has passed or what great feats you've accomplished, you're powerless before the creator's command.”
Raze sneered at Bagloros's hand, which had been about to grab his throat at any moment, and slowly rose to his feet. He brought his face right in front of Bagloros's eyes.
“In the end, the strongest assassin is that old man, and you're nothing more than a tool named Bagloros.”
A genuine smile—not the superficial one Raze had worn until now—appeared on his face. It was a chilling smile that perfectly matched the directionless, destructive madness filling his eyes.
“And from now on, you're my tool.”