Chapter 238: The Bust and the Blame (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 238: The Bust and the Blame (3)
“E-emergency! Help—gack!”
A mage standing on the outer wall was sliced in half just as he was casting a shield.
He had been cut down by a blade of spirit energy that had materialized in mid-air.
There wasn't just one, or two, or even ten. Nearly a hundred black blades danced through the air, moving according to Murakan’s will.
With every dance of the blades, screams erupted. Lives were cut short, bodies were torn asunder, and survivors were left maimed. Even the valiant White Wolf warriors were momentarily stunned, unable to tear their eyes away from the massacre.
[I told you. You cannot escape.]
Murakan spoke in a low, heavy voice as he watched a group of mages trying to flee the outer wall.
No sooner had he spoken than the black blades struck them down from behind. Several more mages died without even a chance to let out a final scream.
Surrounded by black blades that tore through a 7-star mage’s shield like paper, Murakan was the very image of the Grim Reaper.
Graaaaaah—!
A roar.
It was a sound so terrifying that it chilled the bones and made one’s flesh feel as if it were melting away.
At Murakan’s roar, the mages collapsed, clutching their ears, while the warriors of the White Wolf and Red Tiger tribes instinctively raised their weapons.
They didn't raise them to fight back.
It was a primal instinct to shield their bodies from the overwhelming pressure. Unlike the Red Tiger Tribe, the White Wolf warriors managed to keep their eyes open and glare at Murakan, but they couldn't stop their legs from trembling like those of frightened dogs.
The King of the Skies.
That was the title other dragons had once bestowed upon Murakan. Indeed, he was displaying a majesty befitting that name.
If his goal had been simple extermination, the battle would have already been over. He was holding back only because he needed to save the citizens of the Holy Kingdom; it wasn't a lack of power that kept him from leveling the entire castle.
‘Crazy…’
Jin looked up at Murakan with a bewildered expression.
Was that really the same foolish Black Dragon who spent his time flipping through erotic picture books and clamoring for strawberry pie?
‘He had a reason for constantly bragging about his prime. If this is what forty percent of his power looks like, then when he recovers all of it… he’ll be a match for my father or the Fighting God brothers.’
Before arriving in Oterium, Jin had actually been a little worried. Even if Murakan had recovered some of his strength, he wasn't sure if the two of them could really handle all of them.
But there was no longer any need for concern. Even if all four of the 9-star mages were at the main base, it didn't seem like he and Murakan would ever be in true danger.
‘The only problem is the condition of the captured citizens.’
—They have been conducting experiments in the Holy Kingdom for about half a year. Every month, over a hundred citizens and soldiers are taken to their base to become experimental subjects.
‘According to Vitura, at least six hundred citizens have been brought here so far. Likely more. And it’s unlikely many of them are unharmed.’
At least a few people had to have their minds intact. If everyone had been turned into bio-golems and could only be recovered as corpses, getting testimony would be impossible.
Jin began to move.
He had activated the Rune of Mul-ta on his black robe, making him look like an intruder at a glance, but the mages running frantically past him didn't try to stop him.
With the castle crumbling under the Black Dragon’s sudden assault, they were simply running for their lives.
Instead, Jin grabbed a mage who was trying to pass him. He threw the man to the ground and pressed a blade to his throat.
“Where are the citizens of the Holy Kingdom being held?”
“I-I don't kno—”
Stab.
Jin thrust his blade without hesitation. He wasn't one to feel a shred of sympathy or pity for the mages of Kinzelo.
He caught three more mages and asked the same question before disposing of them, but none of them knew.
‘They’ve locked them away in a place the low-level mages don't know about.’
Tsk. Gritting his teeth, he stepped down from the crumbled outer wall and saw humans and beastmen emerging from the inner castle entrance.
There were two familiar faces: Chukon Tolderer and Susan Lilista. They were shouting orders, the veins in their necks bulging.
“Mages of the 1st-class and above, prepare chain magic!”
“Anyone who runs will die by my hand! It’s impossible to escape that Black Dragon’s eyes anyway! While I cast the area shield, draw its attention by any means necessary!”
“We must hold out until Sir Jo finishes his preparations!”
Both Susan and Chukon were breaking out in a cold sweat.
More so than the two hundred mages who had died on the outer wall, they were the ones truly feeling the weight of Murakan’s terrifying power.
‘Cold Jo. It seems he was inside the castle as well.’
Whatever Jo was preparing, it didn't seem likely to harm Murakan.
Jin moved close to the shadows, avoiding their gaze. As soon as he entered a corridor, he ran into a group of Red Tiger warriors rushing out.
‘One, two… five.’
Counting their numbers, he fully released the Pluto Tribe energy he usually kept suppressed. The Red Tiger warriors, who were about to thrust their weapons, recoiled. Sigmund was already coated in lightning energy.
Crackle!
The Red Tigers convulsed as the lightning struck. They were already seized by terror from Murakan's assault, and now, faced with the energy of the Pluto Tribe, they were completely helpless.
He burned four of them to death and captured one after severing his arm. Then, he asked the same question he had asked the mages.
“T-the underground prison. But right now, Jo is summoning the test subjects…!”
“What does that mean?”
“The test subjects… who have energy similar to yours…!”
Pluto Tribe energy.
His dark premonition had been correct.
Kinzelo—they were restoring the Pluto Tribe. A surge of revulsion rose within him. Jin glared and grabbed the Red Tiger by the collar.
“Hieek! Spare me! Please spare me! I told you everything!”
“Lead the way. To the prison.”
“Y-yes!”
The Red Tiger crawled along the floor, foaming at the mouth. Jin followed him, keeping a close watch on his surroundings.
One might have expected someone to block their path at least once, but no one stopped Jin. Most of the forces inside the castle had rushed out as soon as Murakan’s attack began.
“H-here! I… I was one of their handlers. There… there probably aren't many left.”
The corridor leading to the underground prison was covered in footprints. Human footprints—and from the looks of it, hundreds of people had moved at once.
It was the trail of Cold Jo moving them out.
The entrance to the prison was open. Squelch! Jin slit the Red Tiger’s throat and decided to jump down and check the interior. He planned to follow the footprints afterward.
Contrary to its name, the interior looked more like a mage's laboratory. Glass bottles filled with various solutions and ledgers were scattered across the floor, and open iron cages lined the walls.
It was larger than the central hall. Just as Jin was about to conclude that Jo had taken every single person, he heard a woman’s voice.
“Are you… the one sent by the Holy King? And the Black Dragon outside?”
The woman’s eyes were trembling with fear, but they held the unique resolve of someone prepared for death.
“I’m the one asking questions. Tell me what happened to the citizens. Did Cold Jo take all of them?”
Judging by her snow-white lab coat, it seemed she had been conducting experiments on the citizens here until just moments ago.
As Jin raised his sword to threaten her, she held up both hands.
“I am a Saint of the Dawn Carriage Society. My name is Mutual Silla, a 1st-class priestess directly under the Holy King. Following His Majesty’s orders, I infiltrated the Dark Magic Association three years ago and have been acting as a researcher here. Since becoming a researcher, security has been too tight for me to send word back to the kingdom.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
The woman opened her pendant and showed him an emblem.
A dormant volcano—the symbol of the Holy Kingdom. Jin looked back and forth between the emblem and the woman for a moment.
“I have many questions for you as well, but there is no time for long explanations. Explosion magic has been activated in the experimental ward. Look at the floor.”
A pure white magic circle was forming on the ground. It was a type of boundary magic that the mages of the Dark Magic Association had set up for just such an occasion.
“In five minutes, this experimental ward will vanish without a trace. We must save the remaining citizens.”
“Where are they?”
“There is an underground passage known only to the researchers. Of the 823 citizens brought here as test subjects, 813 have been turned into combat-type bio-golems and followed Jo.”
“What?”
“Once the ward closure begins, the mana injection devices will also disappear. If that happens, we won't be able to save the remaining ten either.”
Creeeeeak.
Mutual opened a section of the floor like a door, revealing a secret space.
Inside that space, which led to the underground passage known only to the researchers, were ten humans drooling and staring blankly.
They were the citizens of the Holy Kingdom.
“We must save them. We can’t return to the Holy Kingdom empty-handed, can we? This is likely our last chance. If we can't bring these survivors back…”
According to Mutual, those ten were the only citizens capable of giving testimony.
‘Should I trust this woman?’
She might be using a trick to survive.
As he deliberated for about three seconds, a familiar noise suddenly echoed from outside.
Rumble, r-r-rumble!
It sounded very distant because of the depth, but Jin could recognize it instantly.
It was unmistakably the sound of lightning energy, clearly distinct from natural thunder or lightning.
Jo’s bio-golems, the ones restored from the Pluto Tribe.
They were the source of the noise.
“Jo has begun moving the bio-golems. No matter how incredible that Black Dragon outside is, he won't be able to hold out for long. You might not know, but Jo has the citizens…”
“Turned into bio-golems modeled after the Pluto Tribe?”
“How do you… Did the homeland manage to uncover that information?”
“Phew, damn it. Fine. Mutual Silla, I’ll trust you. Those ten witnesses must be saved no matter what. Is there a way?”
“We just need to move the mana injection device to the secret passage.”
“Is it this?”
Jin pointed to a steel tank connected by transparent tubes.
Mutual nodded.
She was indeed the Holy King’s spy. She had been at her wit's end, watching the experimental ward be destroyed by the sudden attack and the only witnesses facing death.
She didn't have the strength to move the heavy equipment into the passage. It was a weight that even the physical strength of an average 5-star warrior couldn't budge.
Heave!
Jin lifted the device and moved it into the passage in one go.
“You should come inside and wait for a moment as well. Now, we can only pray to Ayula that the Black Dragon isn't defeated. I will inject all my mana into the citizens from now on, so as soon as I’m finished, you must take them and escape.”
“No. I have to go back outside for a bit. You take responsibility for keeping the citizens alive.”
“Wouldn't it be better to escape quietly while Jo is unaware of your presence? The Black Dragon can fly, so he should be able to escape later.”
“How am I supposed to escape with ten people without a dragon?”
“I can give you the beasts that the Dark Magic Association has tamed.”
Mutual knew how shameless it was to ask Jin to run while using Murakan’s safety as collateral. However, she felt she had no choice, as this was the last chance to send witnesses to the Holy Kingdom.
“The Holy Kingdom is important, but he is my priority. I cannot help the Holy Kingdom at the cost of ignoring the possibility of something happening to Murakan.”
“…I understand. I was disrespectful.”
“I understand your position. I’ll return as quickly as possible.”
“May Ayula’s gaze reach you and the Black Dragon.”
Clang!
Jin turned away as the entrance to the secret passage closed.
He knew the power of the Pluto Tribe better than anyone. If those 813 bio-golems truly were 'similar' restorations of the Pluto Tribe, then even Murakan would be in danger.
As soon as he stepped back outside, the sight that met his eyes…
Was thousands of bolts of lightning blanketing the sky.