Chapter 325: Role (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 325: Role (5)
The Lord of Chaos was Riakis; the Lord of the Abyss, Berzak. The lords of each floor had both a true name and nickname, and their essences were usually referred to by their second name—essence of Chaos, or essence of Abyss, for example. That was usually how it went.
My assessment of the essence of Tranquility that Lüchenprague had was that looks could be deceiving. As the essence of a Lord of the Floor, it was powerful and oppressive, but the concept behind it was riddled with issues. This was evident just by looking at its active skill, Nullification, a wide-range silencer that nullified all skills within a hundred-foot radius. This included passive skills, and any skills used outside the radius were deactivated the moment you entered it, rendering long-distance intervention impossible.
But that did not mean it was invincible. There was a reason I didn't consume things like that.
It can't dispel magic and divine power.
And the downsides didn't even end there. Nullification did not work on a monster. Put simply, the essence of Tranquility was basically an essence that was only useful in interpersonal combat, and its passives were even more ridiculous. With its passive skill Tranquil Control, the skills of all essences you absorbed aside from this one were disabled, and the stats you gained from the essence were doubled. It was an extremely high-risk skill that forfeited the skills of all other essences you acquired in exchange for doubling your stats.
Thanks to that, I hardly ever took this essence. That was because my goal was always to clear the game. The reason I took it three hundred times in the first place was that I wanted to attempt a different route.
["I have heard of your reputation as an adventurer. Why not turn the world upside down with us?"]
There was a route that occasionally opened up in the game when you gained fame. So, back when I joined forces with the Ormi Revolutionary Corps to clear the Treason route, I always started off by taking the essence of Tranquility. There was definitely no other essence like this one when it came to interpersonal combat. I never succeeded at beating the game that way, though. After running into countless dead ends, I came to the tentative conclusion that there was a problem with the game itself and clearing the Treason route was impossible. After that, I never absorbed the essence again. Just in time, I realized that the essence of Tranquility had a fatal flaw.
Squeeze.
I gripped the item I had prepared for this very scenario, the key to defeating Lüchenprague the Traitor. Actually, I had debated using it earlier, but at the time I decided taking care of Amelia was my top priority so I saved it.
Whew, if I knew she was going to lie about D-Day, I would have given this to her in advance.
The reason I didn't bother sharing this information with her was because I thought we were going to be working together, as planned. Of course I did, because how could I ever have predicted that she would take me out by mixing paralysis medicine into a drink? It never even occurred to me that it would probably look cooler to whip it out in the middle of a crisis, just in time.
...Really, it didn't.
Slide.
The water level was going down every second now.
Now that it's down to the waist, he'll be able to see again.
I stared down the passageway Amelia had disappeared through. I remembered the conversation we had before she left and laughed to myself.
"I'll trust you."
"Yes, trust me. The matter with your sister—"
"I didn't mean with my sister."
"...Huh?"
"Not my sister. That you won't die. That's what I'll trust. So... don't die."
"U-Uh... Okay..."
I avoided her eyes because it was embarrassing to hear something like that said to my face. Amelia seemed to feel similarly because she quickly left me behind.
"Then I'll go first—"
You're here.
I could hear the splash of water in the distance, so I shook off the distracting thoughts and focused on the sound.
Splash, splash.
The distance closed quickly. I tensed and crouched my upper body.
Rip.
Then I tore open the scroll I had in my fist.
Shaaaaaa!
Glowing flecks of mana particles burst out and settled on my skin. The light emitted by the mana particles was weak, but it was enough to draw someone's attention in the darkness of the sewer.
Splash.
The sound that had been getting closer stopped.
Thump.
My heart pounded like I was a child caught in the middle of planning something naughty, growing louder as the silence dragged on. Apart from the running water, there was no other sound for about three seconds.
Splash!
When I heard him start to run, I crouched down and dove into the water. Then, the moment the guy appeared at the crossroads, I stood up abruptly and rushed at him.
Kwaaang!
The aura and hammer came into contact, throwing water in all directions from the impact. Perhaps because my concentration was at its highest, all available visual information was easily cataloged by my mind. The water droplets had broken into thousands of particles, and my opponent's face was visible through them. After meeting my eye, the guy shifted his gaze to the side.
Is he looking for Amelia? Jeez, you're making a barbarian feel left out.
Dash.
As soon as my feet touched the ground, I jumped up again and closed the distance between me and the enemy. The guy was already swinging his sword sideways. It seemed he was planning to keep me in check so I couldn't get any closer, but thanks to that, I ended up in the middle of the sword's trajectory. This was a good thing for me.
Dash.
I sprinted forward without stopping. At this rate, it was clear that the sword would reach me before my hammer, which got pushed behind my shoulder in the first exchange, could hit him. But, so what? I hadn't been planning on hitting him with the hammer in the first place.
Slide.
I reached my other hand forward. It was free because I had placed my shield, which was a useless item against an aura user, in sub-space. But I guessed a sword wasn't the only weapon in a swordsman's arsenal. My opponent didn't bother redirecting his blade's trajectory. He just shifted to swat my hand away with his free one.
Tap!
Soon, his hand bumped my wrist. Since this guy was not inferior to me in terms of strength, my arm was pushed back. In the middle of all that, he swung the sword to slice my waist, and because my two feet were in the air, it was impossible for me to step back and avoid it. When you looked at it that way, his assessment of the situation definitely wasn't bad. It was just a little complacent.
"...Huh?"
"Not my sister. That you won't die. That's what I'll trust. So... don't die."
"U-Uh... Okay..."
I avoided her eyes because it was embarrassing to hear something like that said to my face. Amelia seemed to feel similarly because she quickly left me behind.
"Then I'll go first—"
You're here.
I could hear the splash of water in the distance, so I shook off the distracting thoughts and focused on the sound.
Splash, splash.
The distance closed quickly. I tensed and crouched my upper body.
Rip.
Then I tore open the scroll I had in my fist.
Shaaaaaa!
Glowing flecks of mana particles burst out and settled on my skin. The light emitted by the mana particles was weak, but it was enough to draw someone's attention in the darkness of the sewer.
Splash.
The sound that had been getting closer stopped.
Thump.
My heart pounded like I was a child caught in the middle of planning something naughty, growing louder as the silence dragged on. Apart from the running water, there was no other sound for about three seconds.
Splash!
When I heard him start to run, I crouched down and dove into the water. Then, the moment the guy appeared at the crossroads, I stood up abruptly and rushed at him.
Kwaaang!
The aura and hammer came into contact, throwing water in all directions from the impact. Perhaps because my concentration was at its highest, all available visual information was easily cataloged by my mind. The water droplets had broken into thousands of particles, and my opponent's face was visible through them. After meeting my eye, the guy shifted his gaze to the side.
Is he looking for Amelia? Jeez, you're making a barbarian feel left out.
Dash.
As soon as my feet touched the ground, I jumped up again and closed the distance between me and the enemy. The guy was already swinging his sword sideways. It seemed he was planning to keep me in check so I couldn't get any closer, but thanks to that, I ended up in the middle of the sword's trajectory. This was a good thing for me.
Dash.
I sprinted forward without stopping. At this rate, it was clear that the sword would reach me before my hammer, which got pushed behind my shoulder in the first exchange, could hit him. But, so what? I hadn't been planning on hitting him with the hammer in the first place.
Slide.
I reached my other hand forward. It was free because I had placed my shield, which was a useless item against an aura user, in sub-space. But I guessed a sword wasn't the only weapon in a swordsman's arsenal. My opponent didn't bother redirecting his blade's trajectory. He just shifted to swat my hand away with his free one.
Tap!
Soon, his hand bumped my wrist. Since this guy was not inferior to me in terms of strength, my arm was pushed back. In the middle of all that, he swung the sword to slice my waist, and because my two feet were in the air, it was impossible for me to step back and avoid it. When you looked at it that way, his assessment of the situation definitely wasn't bad. It was just a little complacent.
Skin touched skin and the conditions of the pre-torn scroll were met.
Shaaaaaa!
Blue-colored mana particles burst into being. If this were the game, this would have been the message that appeared on the screen:
[You have been Bound to Ricardo Lüchenprague. You are no longer affected by Nullification.]
I immediately ran through the combo I had prepared.
Transcendence. Leap.
Dash.
The moment I stepped into the air, my body darted forward in a straight line, splashing water everywhere.
Dart!
I wasn't running to get out of the sword's orbit, but further inward.
While I'm at it... Giantization.
Now that I had the weight of an eight-ton truck that had someone's foot on the gas, the rest was history.
Kwaaaaaang! Choke...!
The resulting body slam was incredible.
***
Amelia was sprinting through the half-submerged sewer when she felt herself unwittingly freeze as a vibration ran through the water.
Kwaaaaaang!
She could faintly hear the loud bang even from afar. It seemed a battle had started back there too.
Splash, splash.
Amelia quickly refocused herself and started moving her feet again. The boom was loud enough to make her wonder if a section of the sewer had collapsed. What could have caused a sound like that? Could something have gone wrong? Several questions came to mind simultaneously, but she shook her head. She said she would trust him. In a way, that was a promise in itself.
But if Yandel won against Lüchenprague, how was Lüchenprague able to appear before the sisters at the end? Amelia shook off that thought, too.
Splash.
She continued to jog. Although the sewer was as complicated as a maze, it wasn't very difficult to reach her desired destination. As someone whose achievements had been recognized several times and who had risen to a significant position within Noark, she had taken this path many times. Naturally, she had memorized it all for this day.
Left here. And until the next three-way fork in the road, straight ahead.
Amelia continued to run, pushing her body to limits that far exceeded those of an ordinary person. And after a while...
Tap.
Amelia stopped. She had arrived at her destination, a crossroad with five passages. She could see waterlogged bodies floating everywhere. They were all faces she remembered.
"Laura! Amelia! What are you doing?! If you're awake, hurry up and fight!"
When she regained consciousness after being swept away by the water, the battle had still been raging. At the time, Amelia had taken out her weapon and tried to fight as ordered, but her sister stopped her, pointing to the side. The adventurer who once worked for the Melta Merchant Company, the only one who knew the way, was taking the equipment off the corpses and getting away. And so the two hadn't participated in the battle and just followed the disappearing guide.
Here.
Recalling the right passage in her memory, Amelia hurried inside and was soon able to find the person she was looking for.
"I-I'm just hiding here for a moment..." the guide stuttered out an excuse, looking terrified.
"Whatever, I don't care about you." Durbon glared at the man, then whipped his head around. "How dare you two betray me and run!"
The man then slapped her sister's cheek. Laura took the hit, not even thinking of stopping him. She had come to the conclusion that making him angrier was not a good idea because Durbon was not alone. Ironically, he had drawn his weapon and sided with the people he was just fighting.
Since the numbers have decreased just like he wanted, he probably figured there was no point in fighting anymore. The guide disappearing would have been a factor too.
He was truly an animal. Even after all of this, he and his temporary allies would probably betray each other at the last minute and try to steal each other's equipment. There was no way to know that for sure, though.
Squeeze.
Amelia gripped her dagger with her remaining hand.
"I-It's all my fault."
"So you know what you did wrong."
"M-My sister just followed me... ugh!"
"Yes, don't worry. I'll make sure to send her the same place I'm sending you!"
The moment the man choking Laura was about to bring down the axe, his arm fell into the water, still clutching his weapon.
Slice!
While the man screamed, his body twisting from the pain of the amputation, the others in the vicinity were shocked to see Amelia.
"Emily...?!"
"H-How are you here...?"
They were not worth speaking to. Amelia plunged her dagger into each of their necks, utterly emotionless.
"Uh, w-wait! I-I know the way...!"
That included the guide, who tried to argue that he was essential. Since she knew the road that led to the city anyway, there was no reason to save him.
Slice!
With that, she cleaned up the area. The Rainwales sisters trembled, wary of her, but it seemed one of them had a curiosity she couldn't ignore.
"U-Um..."
"Amelia—!"
Her younger self ignored her older sister's urgings to stay quiet and finished her question. "W-What happened to Felic Barker?"
"He is dead."
"I-Is that true? B-But how..."
"No more questions." Amelia ended the conversation there. "There is no time for this. Follow me, quickly." This long tale was nearing its end.
Skin touched skin and the conditions of the pre-torn scroll were met.
Shaaaaaa!
Blue-colored mana particles burst into being. If this were the game, this would have been the message that appeared on the screen:
[You have been Bound to Ricardo Lüchenprague. You are no longer affected by Nullification.]
I immediately ran through the combo I had prepared.
Transcendence. Leap.
Dash.
The moment I stepped into the air, my body darted forward in a straight line, splashing water everywhere.
Dart!
I wasn't running to get out of the sword's orbit, but further inward.
While I'm at it... Giantization.
Now that I had the weight of an eight-ton truck that had someone's foot on the gas, the rest was history.
Kwaaaaaang! Choke...!
The resulting body slam was incredible.
***
Amelia was sprinting through the half-submerged sewer when she felt herself unwittingly freeze as a vibration ran through the water.
Kwaaaaaang!
She could faintly hear the loud bang even from afar. It seemed a battle had started back there too.
Splash, splash.
Amelia quickly refocused herself and started moving her feet again. The boom was loud enough to make her wonder if a section of the sewer had collapsed. What could have caused a sound like that? Could something have gone wrong? Several questions came to mind simultaneously, but she shook her head. She said she would trust him. In a way, that was a promise in itself.
But if Yandel won against Lüchenprague, how was Lüchenprague able to appear before the sisters at the end? Amelia shook off that thought, too.
Splash.
She continued to jog. Although the sewer was as complicated as a maze, it wasn't very difficult to reach her desired destination. As someone whose achievements had been recognized several times and who had risen to a significant position within Noark, she had taken this path many times. Naturally, she had memorized it all for this day.
Left here. And until the next three-way fork in the road, straight ahead.
Amelia continued to run, pushing her body to limits that far exceeded those of an ordinary person. And after a while...
Tap.
Amelia stopped. She had arrived at her destination, a crossroad with five passages. She could see waterlogged bodies floating everywhere. They were all faces she remembered.
"Laura! Amelia! What are you doing?! If you're awake, hurry up and fight!"
When she regained consciousness after being swept away by the water, the battle had still been raging. At the time, Amelia had taken out her weapon and tried to fight as ordered, but her sister stopped her, pointing to the side. The adventurer who once worked for the Melta Merchant Company, the only one who knew the way, was taking the equipment off the corpses and getting away. And so the two hadn't participated in the battle and just followed the disappearing guide.
Here.
Recalling the right passage in her memory, Amelia hurried inside and was soon able to find the person she was looking for.
"I-I'm just hiding here for a moment..." the guide stuttered out an excuse, looking terrified.
"Whatever, I don't care about you." Durbon glared at the man, then whipped his head around. "How dare you two betray me and run!"
The man then slapped her sister's cheek. Laura took the hit, not even thinking of stopping him. She had come to the conclusion that making him angrier was not a good idea because Durbon was not alone. Ironically, he had drawn his weapon and sided with the people he was just fighting.
Since the numbers have decreased just like he wanted, he probably figured there was no point in fighting anymore. The guide disappearing would have been a factor too.
He was truly an animal. Even after all of this, he and his temporary allies would probably betray each other at the last minute and try to steal each other's equipment. There was no way to know that for sure, though.
Squeeze.
Amelia gripped her dagger with her remaining hand.
"I-It's all my fault."
"So you know what you did wrong."
"M-My sister just followed me... ugh!"
"Yes, don't worry. I'll make sure to send her the same place I'm sending you!"
The moment the man choking Laura was about to bring down the axe, his arm fell into the water, still clutching his weapon.
Slice!
While the man screamed, his body twisting from the pain of the amputation, the others in the vicinity were shocked to see Amelia.
"Emily...?!"
"H-How are you here...?"
They were not worth speaking to. Amelia plunged her dagger into each of their necks, utterly emotionless.
"Uh, w-wait! I-I know the way...!"
That included the guide, who tried to argue that he was essential. Since she knew the road that led to the city anyway, there was no reason to save him.
Slice!
With that, she cleaned up the area. The Rainwales sisters trembled, wary of her, but it seemed one of them had a curiosity she couldn't ignore.
"U-Um..."
"Amelia—!"
Her younger self ignored her older sister's urgings to stay quiet and finished her question. "W-What happened to Felic Barker?"
"He is dead."
"I-Is that true? B-But how..."
"No more questions." Amelia ended the conversation there. "There is no time for this. Follow me, quickly." This long tale was nearing its end.