Chapter 172
Chapter 172
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 172
Chapter Title: Kyushu Crisis (4)
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A wild mountain shrouded in a hemispherical boundary that shimmered like shattered glass.
Rumble—!
A thunderous roar that seemed to shake heaven and earth erupted from its center.
At the same time, a horrific wave of destruction rocked everything around it—but by now, that was hardly anything new.
The ground was riddled with cracks and craters as if it had been bombed, its original shape unrecognizable.
Trees and boulders uprooted and flung everywhere lay scattered in the wreckage, starkly revealing the devastation.
The entire area looked like that, so naturally, the small mountain lodge nearby had already vanished without a trace.
Along with the poor decoys trapped inside.
"Grraaawr!"
Boom—!
At that moment, a metallic-muscled monster over three meters tall crashed through a hill behind them with a fierce whoosh, embedding itself there.
True to its appearance, it was sturdy enough to emerge from the dirt pile soon after, but the cumulative shock must have been significant—it staggered and soon spat out a bowlful of black blood.
[“Damn it! Can't you support properly? I almost died!”]
[“Wh-what are you talking about? You're still alive because of my support!”]
[“Tch, enough chit-chat—get recovered and join up! This isn't the time to whine!”]
[“Whine? What kind of nonsense is that!”]
A brief commotion rippled through the mental network they'd opened for quick communication, but they quickly reformed their ranks and pooled their strength to hunt the demon lord who had descended into the present world.
Most of them had little experience with teamwork, but the vast experience accumulated during their ascent to power was more than enough to overcome such minor issues.
"Hup!"
The metallic mine, 'Tank,' who had recovered in an instant thanks to his tremendous regenerative power and the support of those around him, took a deep breath and launched himself forward like a missile.
At a ridiculous hypersonic speed.
Rumble!
The air along his path exploded in an instant, whipping up a massive shockwave.
A destructive charge that pulverized anything in its path with overwhelming physical force.
Bang!
But that enormous mass weapon, like all before it, failed to reach its target and came to a halt midway.
"Grr! Damn it, this shitty thing!"
The abyss, manifesting as if ignoring the laws of physics, absorbed the impact with a violent ripple, then slithered back into Tank's body in reverse.
Even with his transcendent durability and anti-magic resistance, that strange energy—unlike ordinary mana—began to slowly gnaw away at him.
[“Guh! Support, quick! This creepy stuff keeps piercing my anti-magic!”]
But the Society of Reverse Heaven, having come prepared, wasn't just taking it lying down.
"Almighty Muriel, bestow your divine light upon this place!"
A twilight glow extended from the timid-looking woman supporting from the rear.
The abyss's energy wilted upon contact with the High Priestess's holy power, ultimately failing to breach Tank's anti-magic and bouncing off.
Of course, it had only been somewhat weakened—not fully blocked by her power alone—but those present had the skill to exploit even such a small opening effectively.
Boom boom boom!
Thud—!
Explosions erupted everywhere, disregarding ground and sky alike.
The Reverse Heaven Society's elites unleashed relentless linked attacks based on their numbers, while Hahoe Mask countered by flickering through space in the blink of an eye, projecting overwhelming firepower in all directions.
As if his mana were infinite.
"...To think I'd see a demon lord here too. How can a human body wield such power...?"
The High Priestess, murmuring softly as she gathered holy power for another support spell, suddenly froze at a chill that ran down her spine.
The moment she looked at Hahoe Mask to track his position.
She locked eyes directly with that bottomless gaze—unclear when it had turned her way.
Her body stiffened upon meeting the abyss-infused stare, if only for an instant.
Crack—!
On this battlefield, even a momentary lapse was enough time for a life to vanish.
Crunch!
Sharp teeth erupted around the ground where the High Priestess stood, devouring space itself in an instant before vanishing into the earth.
As if nothing had happened, leaving no trace behind—just an empty spot.
Few could react to such a traceless ambush, and unfortunately, she lacked that ability.
But that also meant...
Not no one could react at all—
"Ugh... Thanks. I really almost died..."
Far back beside the suited man, the unscathed High Priestess wiped cold sweat from her pale face.
[Hmm—.]
This time, Hahoe Mask's displeased gaze turned toward him.
Even as he darted across the battlefield, conjuring dozens of magic circles around him while clashing with nearly thirty powerhouses.
Impressive.
The suited man, head of the Reverse Heaven Society's Tokyo branch, marveled inwardly while meticulously managing his energy without letting his guard down.
His unique skill, "Manager of the Small World," wasn't just about isolating the area.
That was merely basic usage—this interior space was entirely under his control.
Of course, as a mere 'manager' and not a god, he couldn't reshape the world at will, but even partial authority allowed him to accomplish much.
Even partially ignoring the laws imposed on Earth.
And yet, he's this strong despite that.
The suited man—Manager—clicked his tongue as he flicked his fingers to leap through space again.
Whoosh—
The spot he'd just vacated was already engulfed in black flames, melting into magma.
Restraining his power as much as possible, and still this capable. No joke—if not for this space, we might have been wiped out instead.
There was good reason the Ruler had earnestly warned them.
Back then, he'd thought a non-combat human was overreacting after getting beaten...
But this is already my world. You won't escape here, Hahoe Mask.
Restraining the enemy, bolstering allies, relocating those in danger to safety.
He keenly sensed everything happening in his domain, fine-tuning the battlefield bit by bit.
To neutralize the opponent more surely.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A barrage of mysteries poured from the magic circles erected in an instant.
Lightning, flames, hell, demons, shadows, flashes—indiscriminate in type, they razed the surroundings in the blink of an eye, asserting their presence.
But despite the flashy display, the user himself felt far from at ease—
Frustrating.
That was what filled Hans's mind while battling the Reverse Heaven Society.
I figured they'd come prepared to some extent, but this level of coercion...
And suppressing his power wasn't just spatial constraints.
Who knew how many had layered their skills atop him like shackles.
His once-smooth black magic control stuttered, and his highly efficient mana circuits began leaking unnecessarily.
As if the world itself were saying, this is as far as you go—limiting him.
And the priests are a problem too. Holy power, already antithetical to the abyss, is amplified by the spatial constraints.
High-level opponents alone would have been easier.
But these ability users wielded bizarre powers, defying simple combat power judgments.
As he exchanged chaotic blows while pondering solutions, Hans caught it.
"#$%@#."
In a momentary opening, incomprehensible words came from behind.
Oh no!
Thud! Rumble rumble—!
A single hit chaining into dozens of overlapping shocks.
Before Hans, who spun around reacting swiftly, could act—while defending against enemy attacks—his already weakened barrier finally shattered.
As near-infinite black magic surged to repair it,
A fist wrapped in brilliant holy power had already buried deep into his solar plexus.
Crunch!
Bang!
Hans's body flew back with a powerful shockwave.
But the middle-aged man in training robes who landed the blow didn't look pleased either.
"#*%^&..."
Whoosh—
His holy power-wrapped fist was instead tainted by the abyss, stalking him hungrily, and a curse triggered on impact enveloped his body—naturally.
"Hah!"
He shook off the abyss remnants with a burst of inner energy, but he couldn't hide his disheveled appearance.
[Phew, troublesome bunch as expected.]
Meanwhile, Hans—who had taken the hit—had not only repaired his barrier but looked pristine, as if unscathed.
But that didn't mean zero damage...
Thanks to the "Immortal" effect of his Immortal Heart, he recovered quickly, but in this irritating space, attacks laced with antithetical holy power steadily eroded his strength.
Surely, he needed countermeasures before it was too late.
If damage accumulated like this, escape would be the only ending left.
Absurd. I'd accept letting those fleeing rats go, but me fleeing? Hans?
It wasn't just about Hahoe Mask.
It implicated the terror of Auterica... the pride of the Immortal King—an utterly unacceptable act.
The spatial constraints irk me most. Without limits on my level, I could shake off the other debuffs somehow.
And that suited man orchestrating it prevented clean finishes.
So far, he'd only taken out two careless priests early on and three lacking skill.
Afterward, the man focused on protecting allies, blocking further kills.
Best to collapse this place. But they won't let me.
Destroying this space required dimensional-interfering power, and he couldn't cast such magic unprepared.
Not feasible amid nonstop combat.
Pouring higher-energy abyss onto the boundary might work... but he's suppressing that especially hard.
The longer he stayed, the more the opponent grasped and refined the constraints.
No longer just curbing Hans's power—it now restricted the "mysterious energy used by Hahoe Mask."
Had he countered early before analysis, it might have worked.
Already inefficient on Earth, the abyss now so constrained it couldn't shatter the boundary in one go.
However.
Nothing in the world is perfect; every situation has flaws.
He's suppressing the abyss through me. So, if the abyss handler isn't me...
An entity linked to him yet independent.
Sturdy enough to withstand concentrated abyss.
While continuing the fight as before, Hans poured black magic and abyss into his Immortal Heart.
Ceaselessly, densely compressing it.
He took more hits in the process, but as long as his heart endured, his immortal body wouldn't die.
And to shatter his heart, they'd need dimensional attacks too...
In a way, a fight he couldn't lose.
But.
Merely not losing wasn't enough.
For Hans, only victory suited—and overwhelming victory at that!
[Kuhuhu—indeed, not bad. But I can't just sit still.]
"What trick are you up to?!"
"Don't engage! Maintain formation!"
The Immortal Heart writhed and pulsed violently.
And finally, upon crossing a certain threshold.
Hans summoned one closely linked undead.
[Come forth, Herathos.]
Squelch—
Herathos, his personal dragon made from the "madness"-infused Dragon's flesh.
Unlike Entrachio, Hans himself acted as the dragon heart, limiting independence.
But conversely.
Its subservience exceeded any undead—
Flap—flap—
[Kiyaaaa—!]
Herathos appeared beneath Hans, letting him mount its head before taking flight—its entire body brimming with ultra-compressed abyss power.
Sizzle—crunch!
Its flesh slowly crumbled from the strain, but as dragon flesh, it held long enough.
"Wha?!"
"What the hell is that monster?! How's that on Earth?!"
"Wait! On its mouth...!"
What one Reverse Heaven member pointed at was Herathos's maw.
From pre-summoning gorging via the heart.
Even freshly summoned, immense power gathered there, on the verge of bursting.
"Manager! That thing, quick...!"
"Guh, too late...!"
And at last, that power.
Before other Awakeners could act.
[Kyaaaaak—!]
Compressed to extreme density, it poured onto the world's boundary.
In the straightforward form of a dragon's breath.
Rumble—!
Boom—!
"Gah! Fall back! Don't fight—evacuate!"
"Mu... Muriel! Protect your servant!"
"Abort mission! The space is collapsing! Now...!"
So urgent, clamor burst not just through the mental network but aloud.
[Kuhahaha—ah, finally feels good! Yes, this is it! Kuhahat!]
At last, the "Small World" shrouding the wild mountain collapsed.
Hans and Herathos, along with the Reverse Heaven Society group, emerged in Kyushu's southern wilds.
In the back mountain, not far from the city—where their targeted underground organization's lodge lay.
"Wh-what? What... is that? A monster?!"
"M-Mommy! Mommy!"
"Kyaa—! What are the Guardians doing?!"
Amid panicked civilians' screams, the otherworldly personal dragon manifested in Earth's skies—unforeseen by all.