Chapter 95
Chapter 95
95
EP23 - Hand (5)
Can't back down.
That's what I was going to say before I touched my sword.
They're assassins too.
And mages look down on assassins as 'sewer rats'.
I agree. It would be best to kill them while they're gathered, before they can escape and hide somewhere.
But just as I was about to react, a voice boomed from the direction of the Administration Bureau.
"...Where do you think you're going, you trash."
Balmung, still with its head buried in the ground, spoke without knowing the situation on this side.
As if spitting out dirt.
"...You aren't going anywhere, you bastards. I'm going to kill you all."
Then, all eyes that had been on me turned to Balmung.
"Well, well. The brat's finally opened his mouth."
"...You're the one who opened your mouth, Hitahil, you son of a bitch..."
"What did you say, you bastard?"
"...You can't deny it, can you? The time you begged for your life and buried your head between Edward's legs..."
Balmung, an insider, began to reveal the Nibelung Family's secrets.
At those words, the Nibelung Family's expressions hardened. Killing intent began to surge in the eyes of Hitahil, the Head of Personnel.
"...Balmung! Watch your mouth, you bastard! Do you want to die?!"
A subordinate shouted urgently.
Simultaneously, the Discipline Department also grew serious. Balmung had poured oil on the fire they had painstakingly tried to quell.
But it wasn't just one oil can.
"...Why, you can't deny it, can you? Huh? Khh, I may be young, but I remember everything I need to.... Ah, I should have taken a picture back then..."
At this moment, I changed my mind.
I decided to stand by and watch, not interfere.
As soon as Balmung spoke, the subordinates' [Scripts] increased dramatically.
And all of it was deep inside information about the Nibelung Family.
"Balmung, you bastard!! If you don't shut that mouth, I'll smash your head in right now!"
"Try it... Yeah, try it.... Come on, fuck.... Discipline Department!! Open the door to the detention room here..."
Balmung, shouting, coughed and exhaled with difficulty.
"Student Balmung! Please, just shut your mouth!"
"Why should I..."
"Please! Don't you see we're trying to prevent conflict right now!?"
"It's noisy, so just open the door, fuck.... Those guys looked down on the Academy, and they disrespected me.... Ah, fine, whatever. If the Academy is a mess, then I'm a mess too.... But they should have respected the Professor at least....... At least the Professor......."
It seemed the Nibelung had disrespected some professor. And Balmung had caught them.
Given how he acted tough towards me, it made sense.
"...Hey!! You sons of bitches, get in here...!! I'll kill you all, huh...!?"
Balmung roared like a beast and twisted his body. Clang! The chains rattled.
"......"
In response, Hitahil, a Nibelung Family executive, turned murderous.
"...Hey, let's calm down. We'll handle this side, so Nibelung Family members, please..."
As the Discipline Department urgently tried to escort them away.
As if that wasn't enough, Balmung opened his mouth again.
"...Hitahil, you idiot. Do you know...? Director Gurten slept with your wife...?"
A gasp was heard.
Balmung began to reveal things he had learned when he was an insider among insiders.
"Hey! You bastard, won't you shut up?! What kind of nonsense is that!"
"Balmung, stop it already! You're crossing the line!"
A subordinate shouted in terror.
It was no use.
"...Line? Fuck, haha, did you suspect it...? Fuck, ...Even at my young age, I knew, so there's no way you didn't know.... You asked me why I was so scared at the Dark Palace event before, right? Of course, I was scared, you idiot..."
"Hey! Balmung!!"
"Behind the curtain, your wife was naked with Director Kurten, so of course I was scared, you bastard... Right...? Ah..., come to think of it, she's almost 10 now... But is that really your daughter...?"
"Th-that crazy bastard!!"
Subordinate members rushed forward in shock.
Then the Discipline Department had to physically block them.
"Come out, you bastards! I'm going to cut that guy's tongue off!"
"Oh, oh, please don't! Maintain distance!"
"Come out now! Fuck, or shut that lying mouth of his!"
The subordinates threw themselves forward to express their rage.
Some thought, 'It was bound to happen.'
Then an executive moved.
"Team Leader. You can't...!"
"Let go."
"T-Team Leader...!"
Head of Personnel Hitahil was expressionless.
"You won't let go?"
He merely flicked away his subordinate's hand. Screech- He drew his sword and approached the detention room.
Then, the Director of the Discipline Department drew his sword and blocked him.
"Stop and leave this place."
"...If you don't move, you die first."
"Please, let's not escalate this any further. Please. I apologize for everything. But..."
At that moment, lightning crackled from Hitahil's body.
Fzzzzzz-
It was clear killing intent, so intense it made the skin tingle.
Immediately after, the tip of his sword pierced the Discipline Department Director's abdomen.
Thwack!!
Then, as the sword sprouted quills like a hedgehog, it extended out of the Director's body.
A gurgling sound, and blood spurted out.
But at the same time, throwing stars flew from all directions and embedded themselves in Hitahil.
Kwahkwahkwahkwang!!
Each one exploded with a powerful impact like a cannonball. Hitahil dodged most of them, but one lodged in his forehead, drawing blood.
That became the signal.
"Hey! Get 'em all!!"
"Ah, fuck!!"
"Block! Block!"
The area descended into chaos. Subordinates and members clashed, firing guns and drawing swords.
Some Discipline Department members shielded the onlookers with their bodies, while others squeezed through the gaps and smashed the lock on the detention room.
Then they stomped on Balmung, thump, thump, but as his head was driven into the ground several times, Balmung bit the man's ankle. 'Aaaargh!!' He bit so hard that blood spurted out, splashing the man's face.
But that blood was purple, containing poison, and it entered his eyes. Balmung cried out in pain.
This all happened in just a few seconds, but the ignited situation died down instantly. Amidst the immense noise and shouting, and the bloodshed. A very small voice clearly pierced everyone's ears.
"Who started it?"
Those who had lunged flinched, and the strength left the bodies of those pinning down the fallen.
Immediately after, an astonishing sight unfolded. The building's floor, walls, and ceiling warped and twisted as if on their own, turning into blades. Then they aimed at everyone present.
As he performed this impossible feat, a man entered the building through a wall that had twisted open grotesquely.
The Branch Manager of Hiaka Academy Black Branch.
Ranked 214th, a [Grandmaster] who had nearly reached [Challenger].
A middle-aged man with a large build and a decadent appearance.
And the one who had offered me 200 million Hica for 7 years.
"Hm?"
It was Head Professor Betelgeuse.
"Why is everyone silent? Who started it."
He settled the situation as if breaking up a children's fight. The Nibelung Family and the entire Discipline Department separated.
"Was it you?"
"Ah, no..."
"Then was it you?"
"No. Head Professor..."
"No one started it. Then why did the fight break out?"
Snap!
As Betelgeuse snapped his fingers, all the protruding elements from the entire building rotated and returned to their places.
'Is that a [Restoration] formula...'
At this moment, I, the observer, marveled inwardly. The [Alchemy] in this world system is a superpower that transmutes the state, composition, and form of matter. In that sense, Betelgeuse's [Alchemy] was at the level of a god.
"Why are you fighting in the Administration Bureau when you're not children."
Betelgeuse then separated the two groups and took a seat.
At this point, most on both sides felt relieved. The situation was finally over, and indeed, he was a great Head Professor.
"Hitahil."
"...Yes. Branch Manager."
"Go back for now. Let's resolve today's incident amicably."
"...Understood."
Even Hitahil of the Nibelung, who had caused the incident, bowed his head.
The anger of the weak is so powerless before overwhelming strength.
Or so I thought... it wasn't over yet.
"...Where do you think you're going, you fuck!!"
It was Balmung.
With poison mixed with blood filling his eyes, Balmung, bleeding from his eyes, shouted.
He had just managed to free his arms and neck after being attacked by a subordinate earlier.
"Balmung! Please, just stop!"
"...Shut up!! Where are you going, Hitahil, you bastard! Going to see someone else's kid at your house?!"
"B-Balmung! Hey, hey, lower the latch!"
"Don't lower it!!"
As a member urgently lowered the latch to lock the door, Balmung grabbed the bars and slammed his head against them.
"Open!!!"
Bang! Bangbangbangbang!!
The skin on his head tore, bleeding.
"Open! Open, you bastards!!"
Everyone was shocked, thinking Balmung was acting this way because he didn't know who had arrived, blinded by the poison in his eyes.
Sensing their gaze, Betelgeuse sighed and shook his head.
"Balmung. Stop."
Once again, the voice hammered into their ears.
At this moment, everyone present believed without a doubt that Balmung would calm down.
"Fuck off!"
So when Balmung's words came out, everyone was shocked once more.
"Balmung. If you act out any further, it won't be good for you. You know that, your—"
"Shut up, Head Professor Betelgeuse!! Who the fuck are you to try and control me?!"
Not only the Discipline Department.
Now, even the Nibelung Family began to turn pale.
At the same time, I realized.
Even that Betelgeuse had failed to win the Doberman's heart, and had not been recognized by the descendant of the beast-person.
"Why are you acting like a child."
"—Don't bullshit me!!"
He roared.
The Administration Bureau echoed thunderously.
"What right do you have to lecture me?! You who remained silent when my father died! You who tried to use the Hidden Dragon Society! What do you know to try and teach me!"
"I told you, didn't I? About your father's matter..."
"Shut up—!!! Open the door!! Just open the damn door!! Fuck!!"
After that, Balmung had another fit and slammed his head against the bars.
At the same time, everyone in the Administration Bureau was stunned.
"Nibelung Family, please leave."
"Ah, yes..."
At that time, following Betelgeuse's instructions, the Nibelung Family went outside.
From my perspective as an observer, this was fine up to this point.
Balmung was gradually tiring, and the conflict between the Nibelung and the Discipline Department had subsided.
However, what followed was not fine.
"Cough...!!"
Suddenly, a strange phenomenon occurred.
Balmung clutched his chest.
His body bent over, his head hitting the floor.
Immediately after,
──── .
A pitch-black aura began to erupt from Balmung's body.
Like light.
What a contradiction, black light. But it was undeniably a 'light' of a pitch-black hue.
"Huh!?"
"Wh-what is that!"
"Why is that guy like that!?"
The members shouted.
As everyone panicked in this sudden situation.
Only I and Betelgeuse accurately recognized what this was.
'That is...'
The Stigmata of [Black Darkness Fortress].
The Stigmata hidden within his body, its dark and destructive aura, began to erupt.
At the same time, my mind raced. [Black Darkness Fortress] symbolizes darkness, oblivion, fear, and curse... It's an easy setting to attach, and in reality, it has the most debuffs of all stars, 30 of them.
A curse that loses composure, worsens the situation, secretes more adrenaline, and ultimately destroys an individual and a group.
My guess is, it's the 81st, [Curse of Self-Destruction].
● Student Balmung, 1st Year, Hidden Dragon Society [Curse of Self-Destruction]
As if to confirm my prediction, the nameplate changed.
Now I understood. Why Balmung was acting so abnormally. He had been being eroded by the curse's energy all along.
Someone had cast a curse on Balmung. And judging by the [Stigmata] of [Black Darkness Fortress], the culprit is...
"Uh, the energy is getting stronger and stronger..."
"What is this ominous thing? Could it be a [Curse]...?"
As it intensified, people began to grow tense.
Those who felt its inherent killing intent recoiled in fear.
"Head Professor...! Th-that...!!"
Even Betelgeuse's usually relaxed expression had hardened slightly.
"It's a curse."
"Yes...!?"
"The Stigmata of [Black Darkness Fortress] has been transmuted into a [Curse]. If this continues, his wild nature will emerge."
Betelgeuse's decadent eyes drooped slightly.
"...This is troublesome."
His words were true. Curses in the 80s are extremely dangerous.
The reason I had been observing until now was that I saw no possibility of fatalities occurring in this situation. In the meantime, I had to gather information, and I was indeed getting it.
But that is different. There is no way a Student can handle such a high-level curse.
"Khh...!!"
Balmung writhed in agony, his head buried.
Balmung in more pain, and the panicked members.
"Balmung! What's wrong, you guy!"
"I'm Vulcan! Vulcan! You remember, right?!"
"First, calm down..."
It was then.
"Get lost!!"
Balmung attacked those who approached to calm him down.
Kwahng!!
He lunged and swung his hand, bending the iron bars, and the member grazed on the arm rolled on the floor.
"Aaaargh!!"
A sharp scream.
"Vulcan!"
"Hey!"
"Kugh! I-I'm fine...!"
"Fine my ass! Call the medical team!"
I narrowed my eyes. Is he attacking even those who approach with goodwill now? This means the curse's symptoms are gradually worsening.
"Balmung, that bastard really...!"
At this, the Discipline Department members became enraged.
Even knowing it was a curse, they were angry. Balmung was crossing the line.
And he was becoming more dangerous. The iron bars he couldn't break were now almost shattered by that single blow.
It's a difficult situation. What should I do... [Stigmata] cannot be controlled by holy magic. Simply suppressing it with force will only cause the heart rate to triple or quadruple, leading to death.
Fssst
It was then. Something flew into my mind. Like a momentary noise. After that,
<Professor Dante.>
A gentle voice echoed through my mind.
When I turned my head, Betelgeuse was looking at me.
He had spoken to me using "Telepathic Whisper," a technique only wielded by high-level martial artists.
<Can you help?>
It was a bewildering request.
Help? How could I?
<It's troublesome. He doesn't listen to me anymore.>
Betelgeuse glanced at Balmung briefly. Then he slowly turned his head back to me.
<He listens to the Professor well, I hear.>