Chapter 140: Rikrakakmur (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 140: Rikrakakmur (3)
As the ground gave way, Rikrakakmur plummeted along with it.
The creature thrashed wildly, desperate to avoid falling into the abyss. However, with no swampland left to provide leverage, it couldn't move effectively. Its frantic struggles only backfired, worsening its predicament.
—■■■■■!!
Finally, letting out a horrific shriek, Rikrakakmur fell into the depths of the abyss.
Alon immediately dove after it, his mind racing as he descended.
‘With this, all the necessary conditions have been met.’
In truth, accomplishing all of this at once shouldn't have been possible. Normally, this encounter was supposed to play out across three distinct phases.
In the original Psychedelia, the battle against Rikrakakmur unfolded like this:
First, Elivan would fight alone in the swamp.
Then, the companions who followed Elivan would turn four pulleys located in the cardinal directions—north, south, east, and west—to drain the swamp water. Once they returned, the second phase would begin.
When that stage was cleared, the floor would collapse, leading to the third and final battle in the abyss-like subterranean depths.
In short, it was meant to be an incredibly long and grueling fight. However, Alon had effectively skipped two of those three phases.
He had intentionally brought the Allied Forces to handle the pulleys, taking care of Phase 1 and the intermittent monster waves. Then, by dealing significant damage to Rikrakakmur and forcing it to spray its black fluid, he had neutralized the magic protecting the swamp floor from collapsing.
By destroying the floor himself, he had bypassed Phase 2 entirely.
Now, all that remained for Alon was Phase 3.
As he fell through the darkness, he downed a mana potion and began weaving signs for his final plan.
‘I might have to push myself a bit, but there’s no other way to kill this thing.’
His decision was instantaneous.
K-Boom—!!!
A massive explosion echoed from below—the sound of Rikrakakmur slamming into the bottom of the abyss.
“Link—”
Alon finished his hand seals and recited the Phrase.
Finally, as he descended into the subterranean cavern where the faint blue moonlight barely reached, Alon froze in confusion.
Rikrakakmur, which should have been thrashing in a fit of rage and trying to destroy everything in sight the moment it hit the ground, was perfectly still.
“...?”
Just as a question mark formed in his mind—
“...!”
He belatedly realized the truth.
‘...A hole?’
In the center of the Abomination, which lay dead on its back, was a hole even larger than the one Alon had carved.
* * *
In fact, Alon had sensed something was off from the moment he first encountered Rikrakakmur.
It was because of the creature's eyes.
Normally, this Abomination had to be dealt with through three phases. When its health dropped below 30% in Phase 3, its eyes would turn red, and it would enter a berserk state for its final stand.
But from the very first moment Alon attacked, its eyes were already red.
This meant Rikrakakmur had gone berserk before he even arrived.
No matter how effective Alon’s opening attack had been, it shouldn't have been enough to be life-threatening. Rikrakakmur was an Abomination, after all.
Even Elivan, who possessed several broken abilities thanks to protagonist corrections and rapid growth, would have found it difficult to deal a lethal blow to Rikrakakmur in a single strike—unless he was following the Mage route.
“....”
Alon stared intently at the fallen Abomination.
A hole of incomparable size, one he hadn't made, was gouged right through the center of the creature's belly.
‘...What is this?’
His head tilted instinctively to the side.
Of course, this situation was ideal for Alon. He was able to easily finish off Rikrakakmur, a foe he would have had to risk everything to defeat.
Still, he couldn't just ignore the anomaly.
‘Why did Rikrakakmur have a wound like this? Or was there a setting where it was already wounded from a prior fight around this time?’
He shook his head slightly as he pondered. No matter how much he thought about it, that seemed unlikely.
For a creature like Rikrakakmur, which didn't have a particularly high regeneration rate, a hole that massive would take decades to heal. Even if it did heal, it would leave a massive scar.
That left only one possible scenario.
Someone else had fought the Abomination before Alon arrived to deal with it.
But who could have dueled Rikrakakmur?
Narrowing down the candidates wasn't difficult. There were very few beings Alon knew of who were capable of not only fighting the Abominations guarding the Artifacts of the Five Great Sins but also inflicting such a grievous wound.
‘...At most, it would be a few hidden powerhouses or the Four Major Factions.’
Of course, this world held secrets far more vast than the settings Alon originally knew, so jumping to conclusions might be premature.
However, as far as Alon was aware, those were the only ones capable of wounding an Abomination like this.
‘Is this the work of Hesitation?’
He considered the possibility with a strange feeling but soon shook his head. Hesitation wouldn't act so openly until their 'purpose' was clear.
After mulling it over, he decided to move for now. His reason for hunting the Abomination was, above all else, to obtain the Artifact of the Five Great Sins.
Alon stepped into the gaping hole in the dead Rikrakakmur.
According to the original plan, he would have had to enter through the mouth and endure the ordeal of clearing out the thorny tentacles inside its body. But with the belly torn open, that was no longer necessary.
Before long, Alon discovered a massive cavity that looked nothing like the inside of a living creature.
In the center of this enormous space, one thing immediately caught his eye. He found it instantly: the Red Spear, one of the Artifacts of the Sin of Wrath.
Without hesitation, he approached and pulled the weapon from the ground.
The Red Spear came out effortlessly, requiring no strength at all. Its appearance was remarkably plain for something called an Artifact of the Five Great Sins.
Aside from a circular groove at the end of the shaft, it had no patterns or decorations. It didn't even emit a particularly wicked or sinful aura, yet Alon was certain this was the Artifact.
He had already seen this item in the game.
After stowing the spear without a second thought—
Thump! Rumble—!!!
“?”
He realized the entire cavity was beginning to collapse.
The very reason Rikrakakmur had been able to become an Abomination was the Artifact of the Five Great Sins. Now that the Artifact had been taken from its body, the creature was starting to disintegrate.
The only thing that puzzled Alon was the speed.
‘It wasn't supposed to be this fast.’
He questioned it for a moment before moving to escape. Then—
“Ah.”
Letting out a small exclamation, he looked around the area where the spear had been planted.
The moment his eyes caught sight of a red pearl, he snatched it up and dashed out of the cavity.
Upon his successful escape, Alon was greeted by a strange sight.
“???”
It was Blackie, busy absorbing the crumbling remains of Rikrakakmur’s body.
* * *
The following day.
Having dealt with Rikrakakmur, the expedition resumed its march toward the border.
It was a bit regrettable that they hadn't found any clues as to why Rikrakakmur had been sending monster waves toward the wall. However, since the source of the problem had been eliminated, the expedition didn't linger in the swamp—or rather, what was now just a forest—and returned to the border.
The return journey was much like the departure, with one minor difference.
“....”
The knights and soldiers who had accompanied the expedition were staring at Alon as if they were trying to burn holes in his face.
And every single one of them had eyes filled with deep respect.
Alon glanced sideways at those watching him.
‘Their gazes are a bit too intense.’
He knew their looks stemmed from admiration and awe, so he didn't intend to complain, but the pressure was undeniable.
Especially since Alon hadn't exactly handled Rikrakakmur alone.
...Well, he did deal the finishing blow, but strictly speaking, it felt a bit awkward, as if he had just slit the throat of something someone else had already beaten to death.
Regardless of that, he was currently preoccupied with something else.
“....”
Blackie was clinging to his chest. Sensing Alon’s gaze as it looked around, the creature turned its head and let out a soft “Kyu?”
‘...Is it really okay?’
Yesterday, Alon had witnessed Blackie absorbing the collapsing body of Rikrakakmur with its entire being.
While about half of that massive corpse had crumbled into dust and vanished, Blackie, who had suddenly emerged from his chest, had absorbed the rest.
“...Hmm.”
Alon turned Blackie’s body this way and that.
‘There doesn't seem to be any change at all.’
Its appearance was exactly the same. It hadn't grown larger, nor did it seem particularly stronger. He had tried using magic earlier just in case, but the magic itself remained unchanged.
It was quite bizarre that there was no visible change after absorbing such a formidable Abomination.
He hadn't even known a Shadow Spirit Dragon could absorb things, but for nothing to change afterward...
‘...Rainisius said he knew about the Union of Shadow and Light but knew nothing about Shadow Spirit Dragons. Should I go ask Line more about this?’
In response to Alon’s scrutiny, Blackie simply tilted its head in silence.
It was a bright afternoon, the spring sun shining with surprising intensity.
* * *
Exactly three days after the expedition returned to the border.
“You’ve returned, Marquis.”
“Yes.”
“It seems you’ve written another chapter of history.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I haven't heard the details yet, but judging by the reactions of the soldiers and knights, you must have done something again, haven't you?”
As Evan pointed toward the soldiers, whose sense of awe showed no signs of fading, another voice spoke.
“You’ve arrived, Brother.”
“Yes, Saint. We just got back.”
“That is a relief.”
Yuman approached with his usual smile. But soon, with a face more serious than ever before, he asked:
“...Did Cardinal Yutia do anything?”
“...Cardinal Yutia?”
“Yes.”
“...No, she didn't do anything.”
Yuman leaned in and whispered to Alon once more.
“...Brother, I tell you this again: do not get close to Cardinal Yutia.”
“Pardon?”
“She is... dangerous.”
‘...Wait, why so suddenly?’
Once again, Alon felt a wave of confusion.
It was a safe return.