Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 036
Chapter Title: Lightning Stake
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In that instant, [Bolt Pulse] erupted like an explosion, radiating outward from the center of the shattered street.
“Aaaargh!!”
“Uwaaaah!!”
In the blink of an eye, the surrounding mafia were incinerated.
Witnessing this, the other mafia cried out in terror.
“Fire! Fire on him!”
“Attack!!”
Tatata-tatata!!
Guns and implants spewed fire toward him, but it was all for naught.
His figure had already slipped into their midst, leaving them wide-eyed in shock.
“?!”
“Insane, too fas— ...!”
The moment those mafia locked eyes with the chilling gaze peering from his black hair...
“You little sh— ...!”
Once more, a fierce surge of lightning magic detonated.
Kwaaaang—!!
“What the hell's going on over there!!”
Meanwhile, at the Balone Family's safehouse.
One of the executives receiving constant updates from the front lines shouted.
“What the hell happened?! Why did the wind magic suddenly vanish?!”
Static-ridden voices crackled over the radio in response.
“What?!”
“The Mafia Butcher!!”
“!!”
The executive involuntarily jerked his head up.
With a sharp crack!, the transmission cut off. He turned to the side with trembling eyes.
There sat the family's mid-level executives, along with Don Balone, lined up around the long table.
“Boss...!”
“......”
Don Balone, who had his eyes closed, let out a groan.
“Just as the rumors said. The Mafia Butcher.”
“...Boss, what should we do?”
At that moment, another executive receiving reports shouted.
“Boss! The Mazaroni Family guarding Tenero 5th Street is starting to retreat!”
One of the mid-level executives shot to his feet, face flushed with rage.
“What?!”
“N-Not just them. The Edmonds supporting the 4th Street defense...!”
“You bastards!”
He slammed the table with a bang!
“Trying to save their own skins...!”
Don Balone's eyelids twitched in fury.
“No wonder... I smelled rats swarming.”
His bloodshot eyes glared at the absent traitors.
The police knowing this safehouse's location from the start had been suspicious. They'd neglected the 8th Special District for so long; their intel network on crime syndicates shouldn't be that sharp.
In other words, someone among them was likely colluding with the cops.
“I suspected... but hoped not.”
Balone clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white.
“Mazaroni, Edmonds...! You bastards...!”
But that lasted only a moment.
Soon, composing himself, he spoke in a raspy voice.
“...No choice now.”
“Boss, you don't mean.”
“We accept the Al Kimia Alliance's offer.”
Balone's eyes flashed.
“We need to prepare too, don't we?”
“Vanguard unit, all disembarked and securing the area!”
“Alpha Team! Advancing smoothly!”
“Beta, Charlie, Echo! Linking up with vanguard soon!”
“Traffic unit controlling 5th and 7th Streets!”
“Captain!”
The officer raised his head and shouted.
“Enemy defenses on 3rd Street are collapsing fast!”
Cheers and applause erupted throughout the command center.
“Excellent, excellent!”
Congressman Rockton clapped delightedly.
“Recruiting that guy was a stroke of genius. Captain Joseph.”
He was referring to Kyle Clark. Joseph nodded.
“Honestly, I'm relieved he's on our side now.”
“Indeed. If he'd been like the other rogue mages in the 8th District...”
Rockton gave a wry smile.
It wasn't a pleasant thought for them.
“But how did he neutralize that wind magic so easily?”
Not just any spell, either.
A fairly skilled rogue mage had woven a ritual circle across all of 3rd Street and unleashed a wide-area blast.
'And he dispelled it in an instant.'
Without him, they'd have taken heavy losses right from the start. Military-grade choppers might've avoided total wipeout, but the landing zone would've shifted, delaying the op considerably.
Joseph inwardly beamed with pride.
'He's a mage tower wizard, after all...'
Inheritor of Fleetwood's sage talent. Dismantling some rogue's shoddy formula was child's play.
A familiar voice cut into their ears.
“Kyle Clark again, as expected.”
“Inspector Yenitz?”
Joseph looked at her in surprise.
“You're back?”
“Yes. A lot happened while I was out.”
Lyn Yenitz, returning after a long absence, looked a bit gaunt. She'd just regained consciousness and been discharged.
“Feeling okay now?”
Rockton asked, and she smiled, caressing the bandage on her wrist.
“Of course, Congressman.”
She turned to the screen.
'Anti-magic physique, as I thought...'
Wide-area spells meant nothing to him.
'They wouldn't work anyway.'
Now convinced of his constitution, Yenitz watched Kyle's feed, spearheading the breakthrough.
'Kyle Clark.'
Memories from the chopper flashed in her mind. She'd blacked out midway, so they were hazy.
But one image burned clear: him taking a sword meant for her.
'......'
She didn't know how he was unscathed now. Magic? Or truly born with 'super regeneration' as Joseph claimed?
Either way, it was bizarre.
Luther men didn't care about one inspector's life. Working surveillance, you inevitably learned about their ilk.
Cold. Born only to rule.
Their commands and gazes treated lives as numbers.
That was Luther to her.
Yet one bled to save a mere inspector.
'Even now.'
Diving from high altitude to save the vanguard was one thing, but now he charged alone.
'No real reason to go that far.'
Even at Al Kimia, he'd led the charge to end it fast.
'As if...'
Desperate to save even the convicts.
'Who the hell are you...?'
Yenitz's eyes trembled as she watched Kyle.
'100 million!'
'100 million!'
“Aaaargh!”
“The Butcher...!!”
“S-Stop him!!”
“Damn it! Second line breached...!”
With over 100 million on the line, half-assing it wasn't an option.
'Same performance as Al Kimia.'
Meaning wrap this up quick and nab Don Balone, right?
He looked up. The mansion atop the hill came into view.
Break the uphill defenses, and it'd be the safehouse.
“Th-The Butcher!”
“Already here?!”
“G-Get support...!”
“Block him! Block him now!”
As he prepared another [Wereking Step]...
“......!”
The ground shuddered violently, silencing the gunfire for a moment.
“Wh-What?”
“...Earthquake?”
But only briefly.
An ominous wind stirred, and the wind spirit warned me.
“?!”
Startled, I hurled myself backward—just as a pure white beam surged up from below like dragon's breath.
Whiiiing, kwaaaaaang—!!
The Delta Team pilot, rushing to support Kyle in a vertical takeoff airship, let out a yelp of alarm.
“What is that?!”
He yanked the nose aside, the beam grazing the hull by a hair.
The shockwave filled the cabin with curses and screams.
Grabbing a handle, Alex narrowed his eyes.
“That's...”
Through the dust cloud, something emerged.
Serpentine in form, he muttered unconsciously.
“A monster?”
“■■■■■■■...!!”
The roar made the entire street tingle.
Bursting from the rubble, I furrowed my brow at the unfamiliar beast.
“...What the hell is that?”
“A basilisk.”
“?!”
Startled by the sudden voice, I backed away.
And there she was, as expected—the new dark elf transfer.
“When did you... Never mind. A basilisk? You mean that thing from beyond the eastern mountains, only in the demon realm?”
She corrected herself.
“More precisely, a chimera made from one. I've seen alchemists tinkering with them before.”
“■■■■■■■...!!”
As it spewed another white beam skyward, I asked.
“A chimera? That?”
“Yes. They use an immature basilisk corpse, modify it into a chimera. Once activated, it doesn't last long, and its power's nowhere near a real one—an unfinished product. But... enough to buy time.”
“Alchemists make all sorts of crap. Know any weaknesses?”
“...You're not thinking of taking it down?”
“Well. If I can.”
She looked shocked.
“It'll die on its own once its lifespan runs out. No need to risk it...!”
“But Balone could escape meanwhile.”
“I-Is that really so important?”
“Of course.”
Over 100 million on the line.
Better cash in while I can. Besides, Don Balone ordered my hit even if the big boss greenlit it. No mercy.
“...! B-But right now, there's no...!”
“No weakness, you mean?”
“N-No, it's not that...!”
The dark elf continued.
“Even as a chimera, its base is basilisk. Innate resistances aside, that hide has insane defense. Piercing it quickly is...!”
'Defense, huh.'
One idea sparked. I smirked.
“Guess we'll see if it works.”
“...!!”
Kwaaaaaang—!!
“■■■■■■■...!!”
The indiscriminate beam shredded everything approaching the safehouse. Joseph slammed the table.
“That bastard Don Balone...!!”
Summoning an eastern great monster right in the city streets.
“Is he insane?!”
Not knowing it was a chimera yet, chaos reigned.
“A basilisk out of nowhere—what the...!”
“Captain! Monster resistance too fierce—can't advance!”
“Flash from Delta! Engine failure on Unit 1, emergency landing...! Requesting support!”
“Broadcast to all units! Stay away from the basilisk at all costs!”
“...! Yes sir!”
“Damn it...!”
'We had them...!'
The mafia would take a devastating hit, sure.
But capturing Balone was priority one.
With a great monster summoned, arrest was impossible. Hell, resolving this mess was the issue. Joseph was stumped.
Rockton stood.
“Balone's not the problem now.”
“Congressman...!”
“Pull all forces back to 400m. Hotlines to Investigation, Inspectorate, Intel—whatever it takes. If that thing goes berserk...”
His face hardened.
“It'll get very messy.”
He sighed inwardly.
'Even Kyle Clark can't handle this.'
Great monsters earned the name. Expecting Clark to solo it was absurd.
That's when...
“...! Congressman!”
Yenitz's voice startled Joseph and Rockton.
“W-Wait. No way?”
On the ops map, amid retreating forces, one signal charged the basilisk.
Eyes widened.
“43471...!”
Leaping across rooftops at high speed, Kyle shouted.
“Launch me for a sec!”
“[...!]"
Hurling himself forward, a powerful gust buoyed him like an updraft.
Propelled like a bullet, his form closed in. The basilisk raised its head.
“!!”
“Hup...!”
A white destructive beam lanced toward him on cue.
Kwaaaang—!
Direct hit. The command center erupted in screams.
“Crazy!”
“H-He took a full hit!”
“43471 signal lost...!”
“No!!”
Joseph yelled.
“Switch to Delta Team feed!!”
The chopper view switched. The sight left everyone gasping.
“He survived...?”
“From that breath?”
Smoke trailing like flames, Kyle emerged and shouted.
“Now!!”
“[...!]"
“■■■■■■■...!!”
He barely dodged the whipping tail using wind power.
Landing on its scales, Kyle triggered [Wereking Step] again.
“!?”
Instantly traversing the serpent's body, he soared up again.
“Defense, right?”
Kyle dumped his hoarded enhancement points into [Lightning Stake].
Lightning Stake [Enhanced]
Charge for a set time, then slam down a mighty lightning stake. Longer mana charge boosts armor penetration and power. 'Can cast 3 times in succession.'
'Oh, three times.'
Saves charge time too. Jackpot.
Grabbing its nape as it thrashed, he cast [Belial's Withering Minor Curse].
Its stats dipped slightly, movements slowing a tad.
'A real one probably wouldn't care.'
Chimera made it stick.
Kyle invoked [Lightning Stake] toward the roaring beast.
A brilliant yellow glow crackled in his hand with a krzzt!
He poured mana into the stake relentlessly.
“Hup...!”
The glow swelled violently at its limit.
“■■■■■■■...!!”
He slammed the lightning down on its head with all his might.
Thud.
A shockwave rippled like an earthquake.
Then the delayed thunderclap boomed.
Kwaaaang—!!
“Wha...!”
The sheer power left everyone stunned.
Without pause, he drove in the second strike.
Lightning pierced the tough hide amid the roar, sparks flying.
Kwaaaang—!
Electricity ravaged its innards, the basilisk shrieking in agony.
“■■■■■■■■■■■!!!”
Yet it survived, rearing for another breath. Kyle said.
“Not yet.”
“...!!”
“One left, you bastard.”
Its pupils dilated as the third bolt surged.
Flash!
With that final strike, silence blanketed the area.
“......”
“......”
A frozen moment, as if time stopped. Mafia, police—all eyes on the monster and Kyle.
“■■■...”
The massive serpent, once roaring, collapsed in black smoke.
Kuuuung...!
Landing amid the wreckage atop the fallen beast was none other than Kyle Clark.
“...!”
“Crazy...”
Charred black, he raised his head. The overwhelmed crowd gulped.
Monitoring Joseph spoke.
“Congressman.”
“...What?”
“Think we need to up his payout.”
“......”