True Rock!
"So? What're you gonna do about it?"
"I'll take it on a 36-month interest-free installment plan!"
... ...
"I got no money! That's all I scraped together—600 gold, my entire fortune! I'm broke! Cut me some slack!!~~"
"You crazy bastard! You wrecked my mansion and now you're whining about being broke?!"
"That's why I'm asking for installments, you cheap bastard!!--"
We'd split the damages with Gerhart fifty-fifty, which was fine, but in the end, there was no way I could pay Big Daddy's mansion repair bill.
How the hell was I supposed to cough up 1,500 gold in one lump sum?! I'd stripped the Pirate Union bare and that was the max I could muster—600 gold. That was our family's entire yearly budget! How was I supposed to pay the remaining 900 gold right now?!
"Argh, forget it! Even if you seize all my mansions and land, it still wouldn't cover your damages! You know that, right?!"
"You fucking piece of shit! You should've caused a little less trouble for once! You maniac!"
"Who the hell wants to cause trouble?! Huh?! It's because the world keeps screwing me over!"
"If you hadn't stirred up pointless shit all the time, there wouldn't be a problem! You tiny-dicked little fuck!!--"
BOOOOM!!
"Wh-what was that?!"
"What's going on outside?!"
Clatter!
"Boss, report! Mages suddenly appeared outside the walls and started attacking!"
"Mages? What organization? The warlocks wouldn't dare touch us?!"
...
"Big Daddy. You think these mages are from that Magus Civitas group that came up north recently..."
"Tch! Those damn bastards... Did they get tangled up with this lunatic kid again?!"
Thud thud!
Clatter!
"Boss! Emergency report! A white-bannered army is approaching from the west near the Forest of Death! From the shape of the pure white flags and the white priest robes, it looks like the Holy Kingdom has brought their forces!"
...
"Hey, kid."
"...Yeah?"
"Hoo~ You know this is all your fault, right? You take responsibility for this too! Got it?! And if there's any more damage to my city, it's all on you to pay up? You hear me, you fucking asshole?!?!"
...
"This is so unfairrrrr!!~~~"
The world keeps screwing me over. Yeah, it's all the world's fault!
But like Big Daddy said, most of their advance was probably my doing. So dealing with them was on me.
You clean up your own shit—that's just common sense!
**
...
...
"Everyone, battle stations! They're coming soon!"
"""Yes sir!"""
"Kyahahahaha!~♥ So cool! A war this soon! Haa~♥ Humans really are pure embodiments of endless strife and primal evil! Let's all enjoy this war to the fullest!~♥"
"Shut up, you psycho bitch! My head's about to explode here!"
"Kyahahaha!~♥ Then shall I handle one side for you? I can manage that much."
"Please do. It's the war you've been dying for. Go wild—kill, smash, destroy! But! Spare the city!"
"Kyahahahaha!~ Yes sir~♥ I'll gladly obey the boss's command~♥"
No matter how elite the Holy Kingdom was at slaying demons and warlocks, they couldn't beat Halpas, the Rank 38 Demon of War.
Even if she was in her avatar form, having carved out a chunk of flesh for a physical body on the surface, if she went all out, she could wipe out a city—or even a small kingdom.
"Vanessa. Like last time, look after the kids and the family."
"Got it, boss."
"Boss. So we're handling the mages?"
"Yeah. Those trash who turned us and the others into test subjects. Now that we know they're gunning for us, we go greet them."
...
"It's payback time. No mercy. Magus Civitas mages—kill every last one. Got it?!"
"""Yes sir!"""
"Allen, Derek. Time for you two to shine. Make it flashy!"
"You got it! Leave it to us, boss!~"
"*&*%$#※†..."
I didn't think we'd lose.
We'd beaten countless mages across the North Continent already. Even if a Lord from Magus Civitas showed up, I wasn't worried.
We'd grown way stronger than before.
With preparations done, we headed out of the city to face Magus Civitas.
But what we saw there was beyond expectation.
**
...
...
BOOM!
KABOOOM!!
"We shall purge the enemies of God!"
"Take out the Holy Kingdom scum!"
WAAAAAHH!!--
Before heading out, we'd climbed the walls to scout. Magus Civitas mage legions and Holy Kingdom crusaders were already clashing blades—facing each other.
The guards said the Holy Kingdom struck first.
They'd split into two forces to hit the west and south gates, but sensed the shockwave from Big Daddy's mansion earlier. Spotting Magus Civitas attacking the city, they'd hit them from behind.
They must've figured Magus Civitas's main force was the bigger threat than North Continent criminals, so they prioritized the strong enemy first.
Thanks to that, our city only had some wall damage and about ten injuries—no major losses.
BOOM!!
KABRAAAM!!
"They're fighting well~ Nice show."
"Boss. What now?"
"We wait. They're doing our job for us—time to fish in troubled waters~"
"Fish in troubled waters?"
"Eh! Simple terms: we watch, then take 'em both out at once. Allen, tell the kids to hold position for now."
"On it."
"But don't they have brains? They aren't even considering we'll attack?"
"Kyahahahaha!~♥ Boss, no need to overthink. In this rundown bandit city in exile lands, of course they'd prioritize their main rival right in front of them over some thieves! When enemy main forces clash, you hit theirs first—obvious!"
"Damn! They see us as total trash not worth fighting. Well, to them, we're just criminals scraping by in forsaken dirt."
But thanks to that, we could snag the benefits without lifting a finger.
The pinnacle forces of two powers clashing after a decade of central continent skirmishes: Holy Kingdom and Magus Civitas.
Setting aside justifications, they were rivals for central hegemony. Meeting on third-party turf? No way they'd let that slide.
Since they had to be eliminated anyway, taking out the stronger one first made sense.
"Jean. Pablo. You two step up and end it with maximum output."
"For real?"
"Boss. What about the others?"
"Use the power you've been holding back. Go all out—the kids will stay back. No need to restrain. Burn 'em, freeze 'em—run wild."
...
"Hell yeah!~ I'm fired up!~"
"Sweet! No holding back? Perfect for freezing 'em all!"
The kids are hyped.
In pure annihilation power, those two were our org's strongest.
Against Pirate King Samuel, the sea fortress gave him home advantage, so they got pushed back. Normally, as field leaders with our kids, they dialed down firepower to avoid friendly fire.
But this time, just them. The enemies were busy with each other—no attention for us.
No way they'd expect high-archmage level—or beyond—firepower incoming.
"Hey! Kid. What's your plan?"
"Big Daddy, why're you here?"
"To see who attacked my city. Didn't expect them to fight each other."
"What can ya do? Central continent vets who've brawled for ten years—they'd see regular army from their arch-rival as worse than some criminal-run dump, right?"
"Hmph! Now that you say it, it pisses me off big time. But something's off?"
"What?"
"Even if they're central hegemony rivals... with us possibly ambushing from behind, doesn't it seem weird they're fully turning to face each other?"
"Uh... yeah?"
Like Big Daddy said, a little thought showed it was fishy.
Rivals or not, ignoring us to fully engage? When we could fisherman's profit and strike?
If they had any brains, they'd pull back, assess, or even try diplomacy with us.
Thud! Thud! Clap!-
Thud! Thud! Clap!-
Thud! Thud! Clap!-
Thud! Thud! Clap!-
Hm? That rhythm...
Thud! Thud! Clap!-
Thud! Thud! Clap!-
Thud! Thud! Clap!-
Thud! Thud! Clap!-
[We will, we will rock you!~~~♪]
(We're gonna rock you!~~~♪)
Thud! Thud! Clap!-
Thud! Thud! Clap!-
Thud! Thud! Clap!-
Thud! Thud! Clap!-
[We will, we will rock you!~~~♪]
(We're gonna rock you!~~~♪)
...
The all-out clash between Magus Civitas and the Holy Kingdom.
And amid it, a familiar tune echoed across the battlefield, shaking everything.
Everyone heard it and focused on the center—where...
Thud! Thud! Clap!-
Thud! Thud! Clap!-
Thud! Thud! Clap!-
Thud! Thud! Clap!-
[We will, we will rock you!~~~♪]
(We're gonna rock you!~~~♪)
"Why the hell is that masterpiece playing here?! And why's Amdusias suddenly a rock star?!"
"Kid... What the hell did you do to that Demon of Art?"
"Kyahahahahaha!~♥ Puhuhu! Puha-kyahahaha!~♥ Amazing! So amazing! That pathetic bitch finally lost it! I'm starting to truly admire our boss!~ Kyahahahahaha!~♥"
Blasting across the battlefield: a riotous tune!
The legendary hit, still alive on Earth—the rock gods!
The band I'd adored since childhood, hoarding tapes like treasure with every allowance!
There was Amdusias, not in her ethereal white dress like a goddess, but rocking a rugged leather jacket, miniskirt like a heavy metal diva, shredding an electric guitar from who-knows-where!
Ziiing!~♪Ching!!~~♪
Juiiiiing!!!~~~♪
[ROCKENROOOOLL!!!~~~♪ True music is HEEEAVY METAAAAL!!!~~~♪ Everyone scream!!~~~ Whiiiii!!!~~~♪]
...
"Boss. What drugs did that demon take?"
"Boss... Why does everyone go nuts after getting involved with you?"
...
"Boss?"
"Leader?"
...
"How dare you ape their song so pathetically?! Amdusias!!! That's not true music!!!~~~"
"""Huh?"""
"Everyone out of the way! I'm going now! Who gave you permission for that amateur bullshit?! Amdusias, you idiot! I'll show you true rock 'n' roll!!!~~~"
...
"""Boss (Leader, kid) lost it again?!"""
My 45 years in my past life. I'd heard countless songs and pop hits, but I couldn't tolerate Amdusias mangling their legend.
Time to teach her true Rock!
As her master! No—as an Earthling with a sacred duty to protect the great rock stars' masterpieces!