The Doorkeeper Has Fallen
"......The doorkeeper's been taken down."
A sharp voice echoed from the darkness.
The burly men standing before him cowered unnaturally for their size. Crude iron masks covered their faces as well.
"......We couldn't confirm it."
"What a bold bastard. Even the kings of Ruinxen wouldn't dare touch a doorkeeper if they knew who I was."
A man sat before the group. His skin was ghostly pale, as if it had never seen sunlight, and his frame was slender to the point of fragility. Yet every twitch of his hand made the massive men flinch.
"Breaking through the maze formation is no easy feat, and taking down the doorkeeper on top of that? There aren't many on the continent who could pull it off. Who is it?"
The man licked his lips, as if savoring an anticipated delicacy.
"The central kingdoms are too busy fighting among themselves to glance at Ruinxen...... The duchies are in a similar mess. Find out which arrogant fool's come crawling into the pit and stirring things up."
"Understood."
"Whatever it is, he's clearly itching to die. How dare he make a racket in the pit."
Clank.
That was when it happened.
"Wh-who's there?"
The door swung open as if on cue, and the man's eyes wavered. He tilted his head at the figure standing behind it.
"A desert wolf......?"
The man glanced bewilderedly at the wolf, then at his subordinates. They looked just as baffled, shaking their heads while eyeing each other.
"What the hell's it doing here?"
He stared into the wolf's mesmerizing eyes, then cautiously extended a hand.
"C'mere, c'mere. You didn't take down the doorkeeper, did you? Heh heh."
The man chuckled at his own joke, playfully stroking the black wolf's head.
"......!!!"
The man jerked back in shock, yanking his hand from the wolf's forehead.
"What the—?!"
The voice from the wolf made him scramble backward, but in that instant, something cold pressed against his throat.
"Black Spider."
Instinctively, the man reached for the sword at his waist.
Crunch.
"Gaaahhhh!!"
Kalderet's fangs pierced the back of his hand precisely, twisting until bone snapped with a sickening crack. The man screamed.
"You fucking mad dog!! Where the hell did you—?!"
Black Spider tried to kick the wolf latched onto his arm away with all his might. Or at least, he tried.
But something sharp stabbed into his thigh.
Thud—!Thud-thud—!!Thud-thud-thud—!!
Adel slid into Black Spider's embrace like a shadow, plunging four daggers into his leg in rapid succession.
"Gaaahhh!!!!"
Black Spider's screams left his men frozen, staring at each other in confusion.
"You bastard...... Bursting in here like this—what the fuck do you think you're doing?! Do you even know where you are?!"
Black Spider, sprawled on the floor, glared up at Adel and bellowed.
"What are you idiots doing?! Kill him!!"
Shing—
But as Adel's dagger dug deeper into Black Spider's throat, he flinched in terror.
"Back off!! Don't come any closer! Shit......!!! Move and I'll kill him, you fucks!!"
"Shut your mouth. You're noisy. It's hurting my ears."
"Pl-please spare me...... sir. What is this all about? If you have a commission, just give the order."
Black Spider's voice trembled.
How the hell? The door was sealed. No way he came through the emergency exit—that's a secret only I know......
No matter how he racked his brain, he couldn't fathom how they'd gotten in. It was only natural; he had no idea that Adel knew the pit's secret passages because he himself had leaked them.
"I'm looking for someone."
"Agh, for something like that, you didn't need to draw your blade. Just commission us."
"Shut up. You wouldn't even take the job. Why do you Ruinxen scum send every first-timer here straight to the pit?"
"......Pardon?"
"Human trafficking, slave trading, organ smuggling...... You drag in people flailing in the barriers and that's all you do with them."
"H-ha ha. No way that's......"
Thud—!!
Adel's dagger sank into Black Spider's collarbone.
"Gaaahhh!!!"
Adel gazed calmly at the screaming man and drew a needle dagger from his bosom.
"If you're as informed as they say, you know what this is. And that it's coated in deadly poison. Lie, and next it'll go through your tongue."
"Sp-spare me!!"
"I'll ask again. You denying all that?"
"I-I'm sorry, but yes, all of it. We've done it all!!! And a ton of it!"
Black Spider couldn't believe his own words, but he shouted his crimes with desperate fervor anyway.
"Then guide me."
"......Pardon?"
"The person I'm after is beyond a lowlife like you."
"Th-then......"
"The Queen Spider's lair, obviously. The true master of Ruinxen. Only Black Spiders know where her chamber is. Right?"
His face twisted.
"Th-that place...... is Ruinxen's forbidden zone......"
"I won't say it twice. I'll commission her directly."
Thud—!!
Adel grabbed Black Spider's face and slammed it into the floor.
What the—?!
An inexplicable pressure made his whole body go numb.
"Answer."
Black Spider's features crumpled. No one who'd entered the Queen Spider's domain had ever walked out on two legs—not even her own men.
"Pl-please...... have mercy."
"Don't worry. Just guide us. It won't be what you think."
"......Pardon?"
"She might even reward you for bringing me to her."
When Adel had taken the Ruinxen mission, everyone fretted over the lawless zone. But he was more confident than anyone.
Ruinxen's master, Queen Spider Ralka. In his previous life, she'd been one of three who served him—and a fanatic follower of Kalderet.
"......I absolutely can't!! Going to the Queen Spider over finding one person? That's insane!"
Black Spider yelled.
"Insane? Watch your tone."
"It is in—......"
"It is? Knew you'd see it my way. Lead on."
"Ughhh......"
Despite Adel's threats, Black Spider grimaced like he'd rather die.
That was when it happened.
Kalderet lunged behind Black Spider in a flash and sank his teeth into the man's thigh with full force. A twist of the head tore free a chunk of red flesh, blood spurting from the bone-deep gash.
"Grrraaaahhh—!!"
"M-my leg......! My leg!!!"
Kalderet swatted Black Spider's head with a front paw like it was a nuisance.
"This......!!"
Black Spider glared at Kalderet with bloodshot eyes from his torn thigh.
"You goddamn son of a bitch!!!!"
Having fallen and lost Adel's blade at his throat, he seized the chance. He yanked the whip from his thigh holster.
Shhhrrrk......!!
As the whip uncoiled, barbs sprouted along its length with a razor hiss.
"You're dead, you shits!!! Shred 'em to pieces and toss 'em to the pit beasts!!"
Thud—!!
Kalderet leaped forward, burrowing into Black Spider's guard.
"......!!!"
Black Spider couldn't hide his shock as Kalderet slipped inside in the blink of an eye. Years of training, and his whip sheared off uselessly before him.
Thud—!!
Kalderet's paw smashed into Black Spider's ribs. A crack echoed as his spine bent.
"Guh......!!"
He swallowed involuntarily. The beating didn't stop. Kalderet vaulted onto his shoulders and crunched down on his nape.
"Ugh, gaaahhh!!!"
The immense pressure atop his head left Black Spider trembling face-down. His crotch felt damp, but that was the least of his concerns now.
Squeeze.
Kalderet slowly pressed down on the nape.
I-I'm done for...... This time for real.
Unlike Adel's blade, this death offered no sliver of hope—it crushed him utterly.
"Enough, Kalderet. Fists over gods? That's rich coming from you."
Kalderet?
Black Spider's eyes bulged at Adel's words.
Naming an ancient god after a mere wolf...... How blasphemous!! Is this guy fearless even of divine wrath?
Ridiculous as it was, hearing Kalderet's name made Black Spider's eyes gleam for a different reason. Ignorant that the wolf before him was the real deal, he was awed by Adel's audacity.
"Im-impressive, truly...... I must've lost my mind for a moment. Even the wolf you command is beyond me......"
Black Spider slammed his forehead to the floor, voice quaking.
"Good, you get it. Why rebel and make this messy? Do as told, and you'd have walked out fine."
"F-forgive me."
"Like I said, no need to worry. We've brought something the Queen Spider will love. No bad blood with her. She'll commend you for delivering me."
Adel picked up the whip severed by Kalderet's claws and showed it to him.
"Maybe she'll grant you a better one. Or a whole sector instead of guarding the pit."
"Really?"
"Trust me. I like you. Ditch the betrayal thoughts, and you'll be a valuable asset to me."
Black Spider gulped and nodded.
But Kalderet, still displeased, planted a paw on his skull and bared teeth again.
"Then let's go."
Black Spider's head sank into his shoulders under the paw's impossible weight, like a thousand pounds. He nodded at Adel's command.
"B-but...... my leg's like this."
His voice shook. The pain from the mangled thigh was hitting now.
"Hmm. Needs staunching at least, but no treating here...... What to do?"
Garon, who'd watched silently, ignited flames before Adel and materialized.
"......Pardon?"
Black Spider stared at the brilliant fire, praying desperately it wasn't what he feared.
Sizzle—
"Gr...... grraaaahhh—!!!"
Moments later, as expected, the searing flesh filled the pit with his agonized screams.