Chapter 428
Chapter 428
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 428
Chapter Title: Masquerade (6)
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Suddenly, a rift appeared and spread across the entire space in an instant.
"...Huh, what is this?"
Right after that, Malpi—an executive of the Blazing Torch and the one who had first established this isolated zone—gasped as if sensing something.
"Malpi? What's wrong all of a sudden?"
"The space seal has been released... No, this is more than that...!"
Malpi frantically scanned the surroundings without even glancing back at Anne, who was holding the still-unconscious Supreme Leader and looking puzzled.
But before he could do anything, the anomaly had already begun.
Crack—
The rift slowly widened, gradually revealing the outside scenery.
A dark night sky twinkling with stars and the panoramic view of a slightly underdeveloped small city.
It was the hideout in a region bordering Malaysia in Thailand—the very place where Malpi, at the center of the ritual, had been before joining the meeting.
"Damn it, the space is collapsing!"
The sturdy seal's direction suddenly reversed, and all the chaos they'd stirred up from inside to escape earlier now erupted outward all at once.
Of course, the timing of this reaction wasn't mere coincidence.
'The connections to the magical tools used as mediums are being severed one by one. This has to be...'
It could only be explained as external interference.
Just as they'd installed ornate silk-like devices on each door as a procedure to enter this place, abnormal signals were now coming in succession from the setups placed throughout Southeast Asia to bind the entire region together.
Crack— Crash—!
The spiderweb-like cracks spread uncontrollably, collapsing the surrounding scenery without giving anyone time to react.
In this unexpected crisis, anyone would panic, but not everyone froze.
⚙ TELEPATHIC MESSAGE ⚙ [Now!] As if they'd been waiting for this moment, the telepathic message from Southeast Asia Branch Chief Nagaraja echoed in the minds of the Oath of Reverse Heaven crew.
Having been forewarned just before it happened, their subsequent actions were executed with flawless precision.
And naturally, that included the Executioner, who had been locked in fierce combat with Harris.
"Urgh—no, hey, man! We're in the middle of a fight—where do you think you're going? Let's settle this like men right here!"
⚙ TELEPATHIC MESSAGE ⚙ [Kahat! You're disgustingly tenacious. I've torn and smashed you countless times, yet you show no sign of dying?] The grotesque demon had just slammed the tattered Harris into a pile of collapsing debris amid their prolonged battle. He clicked his tongue at the sight of Harris springing back up like a weasel and regenerating his writhing body.
Of course, the cumulative damage had slowed his regeneration compared to before, but the demon had accumulated fatigue in the process of wearing him down to that point.
He was confident he could finish him off if they kept fighting, but with other opponents present besides this mutant monster, getting bogged down here wasn't ideal.
'That vampire... He's the one who hunted that duke who strutted around Europe, right?'
He knew it instinctively.
In this situation, facing both this barbarian and that vampire—even with full use of his unique skill—survival wasn't guaranteed.
Thus, his retreat from the battlefield showed no hesitation whatsoever.
After all, satisfying his fake bloodlust could wait for another time.
"Where are you off to in such a hurry? We still have plenty of preparations left—how can the party host leave so soon?"
Of course, his opponent wasn't about to let him go easily.
As if he'd been waiting solely for this, the man in the opera mask—who had densely scattered fine blood particles around as a counter to time stop—appeared like a ghost, blocking his escape route.
His intent to execute him was blatant.
⚙ TELEPATHIC MESSAGE ⚙ [...Well, can you really stop me?] But the Executioner, no longer intending to clash head-on, merely twisted his lips.
Heinz's expression soured at the utterly demonic smile that evoked.
"Whatever you do, it's pointless. We've already prepared countermeasures thoroughly."
⚙ TELEPATHIC MESSAGE ⚙ [Who knows? I'm not saying I'm doing anything specific.] And as soon as the Executioner finished speaking...
⚙ TELEPATHIC MESSAGE ⚙ [It's here.] —————!
Heinz, Harris, Heinrich, and Harley—along with a few other transcendents including those four avatars—hurriedly looked up at the sky.
'That thing?!'
Their thoughts accelerated rapidly.
A detailed grasp of the situation and optimal countermeasures formed in an instant.
And immediately after, they put it into action.
Whoosh—!
Heinrich, who had been charging to finish off the Oath of Reverse Heaven crew, veered off and soared high into the sky.
His three pairs of wings flapped, scattering radiant light that illuminated everything around, while a massive blade of light surged from the holy sword in his hand.
And right then.
Boom——!
A massive explosion rocked the scene, a blinding flash erupting in the pitch-black night sky.
The ensuing shockwave swept outward, whipping up a storm across the area.
"Whoaah! It's a bombing run! A bombing!"
"Kyaa— What's this all of a sudden? Mommy!"
"Close the doors! Hurry and shut the doors!"
Citizens' screams echoed from various parts of the city in the aftermath.
Even though he'd done his utmost to disperse the shockwave away from the ground.
Heinrich grimaced, feeling his arm that had deflected the falling attack from the sky tingling fiercely.
If he hadn't blocked it, the damage hitting the ground directly would have been incomparable to a missile strike.
The Blazing Torch executives—save for a few near-transcendents—probably wouldn't have even kept their bones intact.
'...Who the hell launched something like that...?'
Heinrich recalled the vague shape he'd glimpsed just before deflecting it, estimating the attack.
If he wasn't mistaken, it was definitely...
'An iron stake about as long as an arm.'
Of course, no ordinary stake.
It exuded an ominous aura at a glance—a proper magical tool.
Practically a micro missile.
But he had no time to ponder it deeply.
'It's coming again. And this time, in rapid succession...!'
As if the first was just a test shot, unidentified attacks poured down like carpet bombing.
Screee—
Heinrich's senses expanded.
He'd been too startled earlier to examine it closely, but now details he'd missed came into view.
'Speed conversion, trajectory analysis, ability flow tracking... It didn't come directly through the material plane—it passed through the astral realm.'
The strikes plunging from the sky were devastatingly orbital, fitting the term perfectly.
Even Heinrich, heavily specialized in defense as an angel, felt the strain while blocking them—others would fare far worse.
Boom—! Kuung! Boom—!
Weaving through the sky using his wing mobility, Heinrich swung his sword to intercept the barrage, causing successive explosions and flashes in the dark night sky.
During those exchanges, he synthesized analyses—including trajectories—to roughly pinpoint the attack's origin.
'...Insane. If that's true, the distance is at least 5,000 kilometers?'
5,000 kilometers north from Thailand here.
That was the presumed location of the sniper launching these attacks.
No, sniper wasn't even the right term.
What sniper sniped from 5,000 kilometers away with shots rivaling intercontinental ballistic missiles?
'Hoo, don't think logically. Blocking this bombardment comes first. One slip, and it's not just the Blazing Torch—the city's civilians get massacred.'
Fortunately, the avatars deployed here were strong enough that Heinrich's absence wouldn't cause immediate collapse.
But with unknowns ahead, rejoining quickly before plans derailed was best.
'Might get flashy... but let's end it decisively.'
Heinrich, hovering over the city, spread his three pairs of wings wide and emanated divinity.
Like shielding ground humans from heavenly wrath.
A massive barrier enveloped the entire city, shimmering like the aurora.
"...Ah. That's... what is it?"
"An angel...? It's a real angel!"
"Ooh! An angel has descended from the heavens to save us!"
Whether due to the charm Heinrich possessed exceeding limits upon becoming an angel, some onlookers suddenly began praying at the sight.
As if witnessing their faith's object imprinted it deeply.
Of course, to Heinrich now—with no spare attention for trivialities—it was nothing.
"H-Hey! You filming? Miss this, and you're no journalist! Zoom in more—the angle's not capturing it!"
"It's not the angle, chief! How do you fit something like that fully in frame?"
A broadcast crew filming a documentary in the area captured the angel in white armor, wings of light and halo aglow, gracefully defending the city from disaster mid-air.
That, too, wasn't a major issue.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Near Russia's Lake Baikal.
"Hoo~ What a racket in the middle of the night."
Steam thick with sweat's scent gradually settled.
At its center, a blonde woman emerged, cracking her neck and swinging her arms around.
Checking for strains from the sudden exertion.
"I'll definitely collect on this debt. If not for the Oracle's request, I wouldn't have cared if that annoying Executioner dropped dead."
Dressed casually in a tank top and shorts—like roused from sleep—she scratched her messy ponytail of blonde hair.
Rushing without proper warm-up, the heat from her scalp made her head itch unbearably.
Sweat beaded across her body, trickling down sleek muscle lines to drip off.
"Haa, shall we get back to it?"
Unfortunately, the job wasn't done.
Even specialized in ultra-long-range sniping, this distance was burdensome enough for a breather.
She picked up one of the iron stakes lined up nearby.
Her custom 'bullets'—infused with rare metals and Oath of Reverse Heaven composite rituals.
"Hoo~ Hoo."
Deep breaths, and steam erupted again from her flushed body.
Her eyes already gazed far beyond here.
A specific point thousands of kilometers away—impossible to even directionally gauge normally.
Thud!
One foot stomped forward powerfully.
Energy amplified from legs rotated through waist, shoulders, to wrist.
And when fully loaded at her fingertips.
A mighty kiai swung her arm, vanishing the stake in hand.
Screee— Boom!
Leaving only rocket-launch-like, space-rending shockwaves behind.
Whipping foliage nearly uprooted in the aftermath.
It didn't end there.
Finishing the throw, she stepped again.
Another identical stake now in her opposite hand.
Rumble! Boom— Kwang—!
Despite barriers mitigating shock, successive blasts ravaged the surroundings.
If not in this deserted spot, the fallout alone would have caused mass casualties.
The barrage exceeded a dozen shots before stopping.
"Hoo, feels good to sweat it out after so long."
Her blue-glowing eyes turned south.
From launch to impact: merely ten-odd seconds.
Her sniping—blending Pinpoint and various long-range skills—had mostly hit targets.
Over 5,000 kilometers defied physics, even ability science, but she transcended such laws.
She'd reached a realm beyond worldly principles, imposing her own rules upon it.
"...Oho, impressive? Hmm, but I've done my part. If he dies despite this, it's his incompetence."
This was just for the Oracle; she didn't like the thuggish Executioner.
Truthfully, she despised him.
If the Leader hadn't banned fights, she'd have skewered his skull with her finisher multiple times.
'No convictions, just brawling on whims—a classic bully picking on the weak. Hope this teaches him a lesson.'
Glancing south, she yawned widely and walked off.
Having sweated from the workout, time for a shower and sleep back at lodging.
Aftermaths weren't on her mind.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Tracking the attack's exact origin failed.
Despite immense power and speed, the projectiles' small size and special abilities evaded Hesperon's satellites and all other means.
'Still, got a rough direction and distance.'
Russia.
Practically confirmed.
Its vastness limited usefulness, though.
'Probably their top executive, just below the Executioner. Specialized in long-range attacks.'
Anything less wouldn't explain this power.
Firing tactical nuke-equivalent shots unilaterally from thousands of kilometers.
Considering focused, non-dissipating energy, narrow-area destruction might exceed that.
'Not that I've tanked a tactical nuke myself.'
Thanks to the enemy's extreme offense, Heinrich—guardian-specialized angel—better gauged his abilities.
The result: the city's skyline, disheveled by winds but largely unscathed—
"Cough!"
"Da...mn."
And six captured Oath of Reverse Heaven remnants sprawled before him, near death.
Why six, not seven? Simple.
'Tch. Didn't expect him to sacrifice all minions as decoys and flee.'
The key target, the Executioner, remained at large.