Chapter 135
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 136
Chapter Title: Underground Furnace
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The main building of the Pharmacy Department, located on the outskirts of Borsippa.
Suddenly, a red pillar erupted from the center of the building, and thanks to the effects of Crimson Flame Soul Chaos, the cadets, assistants, and professors who had been out for the weekend sprang into action.
"Toss any hazardous materials into subspace pockets—even if they break, it's fine! That's safer!"
"If fire-attribute mana starts pooling in your body, shake it off immediately! Otherwise, you'll burn to death!"
Other areas only needed to displace the mana in the air, but near the Pharmacy Department where the red pillar stood, the effects of Crimson Flame Soul Chaos were even stronger.
Whoosh!
The moment fire-attribute mana gathered beyond a certain point, flames bloomed, devouring the ambient mana and rapidly growing.
Sprouting suddenly in midair like will-o'-the-wisps. The firefighting systems prevented it from turning into a massive blaze, but completely suppressing it was impossible.
"Ngh... that's enough. Everyone, pull back!"
"Evacuate!"
After hastily dealing with the most dangerous items that could cause a massive explosion, the cadets and staff hurriedly evacuated under the guidance of the professors and assistants.
And at the center of it all, Victor—who had been invited from Aqar Quf—was helping with the evacuation as well.
"This way, please!"
Victor had come to Borsippa for the weekend, only to get caught up in the incident, and he immediately threw himself into rescuing civilians and cadets.
His actions were the picture of a model hero, earning approval from the surrounding professors and assistants. But his true thoughts were entirely different.
'Damn it... what the hell is going on?'
When he'd crossed over after receiving Babel's invitation, the orders Victor got from Gongyang were simple.
Once a special barrier activated in Borsippa, stick the device disguised as sparring gear into the spot where the red pillar erupted.
Aside from the location being Babel, it wasn't particularly difficult. That's why Victor saw it as an opportunity.
'Babel's just riding on the Ascendant Emperor's fame, after all.'
Even that Ascendant Emperor, along with all the other famous S-rank heroes, were supposedly out of the academy on the day of the plan.
There was some risk, but compared to an assassination mission, it was cleaner with no loose ends. And the reward was massive, so there was no reason to hesitate.
But the actual scene unfolding as the plan executed was completely different from his expectations.
'They said everyone would flee in panic once the barrier activated... what the hell do they mean 'flee'?!'
Crimson Flame Soul Chaos had unfolded far more unstably than planned, and as a result, the faculty who should've evacuated right away stayed behind to respond, causing him to miss his window to sneak in.
In this botched situation from the start, Victor kept helping with the evacuation while lost in thought.
'Should I just give up?'
The others hadn't entirely overlooked a scenario like this—they'd said it was fine to just hang around nearby if things went south.
The reward would be less, but it was better than losing his life.
'Still, the payout's twenty times less...'
As Victor agonized over which was wiser,
Tap, tap!
A sound of footsteps from behind. Startled by the noise that seemed to be pursuing him, Victor whipped his head around.
There stood a young man with a stern expression, gripping two short spears as he charged forward.
'Yeom Seong-ha?'
A cadet famous not just in Aqar Quf but across the outside world as the next head of the Flame Blade Sect.
Victor had first seen him when he'd faced Lee Se-hun's dojo challenge. Puzzled by his appearance here, Victor frowned.
'Why's that guy here?'
Maybe some professor had asked him to provide support. Victor couldn't guess, but he decided not to worry about it.
It had nothing to do with him anyway—and more importantly, his arrival had solidified Victor's resolve.
'Yeah. No point forcing it.'
Staying put like this meant no one would uncover his identity, and he could still claim a small reward. As Victor reaffirmed his decision and kept up the act, Yeom Seong-ha drew alongside him.
Whoosh!
A red spear tip plunged toward his heart.
"?!"
An unexpected ambush from his blind spot. Victor surged his mana almost to the bursting point, drawing the shortsword at his waist to block the thrust.
Clang!
"Guhk!"
A heavy shock rippled up the blade.
He'd blocked the heart strike, but unable to withstand the force, his body lifted off the ground and flew backward.
The recoil from overexerting to block, followed by a strike exploiting the gap it created. The overlapping pain made his vision swim for a moment, but there was no time to lose focus with more attacks incoming.
Kakakang!
Victor's sword and Yeom Seong-ha's twin short spears clashed rapidly, sparking flames, and soon the results showed on their bodies.
Splat!
Slashes carved into Victor's forearm and thigh. Meanwhile, Yeom Seong-ha pressed closer without a single wound.
His breath completely stolen in the first exchange, Victor blocked in astonishment as the late-to-react professors and assistants from the Pharmacy Department stared in shock.
"Wh-what the hell?! What do you think you're doing?!"
"Stop him right now!"
A cadet who appeared out of nowhere was attacking a model hero who had been aiding the evacuation.
Anyone could see Yeom Seong-ha was the suspicious one. Sensing the mood, Victor shouted desperately.
"H-help me! This cadet just—!"
No need for talk of Myriad Demons' Mire spies or anything useless. Amid the frantic cries of injustice, the professors and assistants hesitated before unleashing their skills and spells.
Kiiing!
Techniques poured in from all sides to subdue Yeom Seong-ha.
Even if they couldn't fully suppress him, the moment he slowed to explain himself would be the opening. Victor aimed to turn the tables in that gap.
'Yes. If I can get just one chance...!'
A situation anyone would react to instinctively. Victor pinned his hopes on it.
And
Whoosh!
Yeom Seong-ha's spear swung unerringly toward his throat.
Kwaaaang!!!
Residual flames erupted from behind, nullifying the incoming techniques entirely. In that interval, Yeom Seong-ha pressed Victor even harder.
'When something happens, kill any of these guys lurking suspiciously nearby. I'll pay extra for each one.'
The list he'd received from Lee Se-hun included Victor, and the guy was indeed acting shady right in front of the building where the red pillar had erupted.
'That's enough.'
It could be coincidence, his own misjudgment, or Lee Se-hun's bad intel.
Nothing was certain about Victor truly being a Myriad Demons' Mire informant. But Yeom Seong-ha summed it up simply.
'I'll know after I kill him.'
Any further thought would only hinder the fight and get in the way.
An inflexible, rigid mindset devoid of mercy. But the focus it birthed let Yeom Seong-ha pour everything into the battle.
Kaang!
It utterly shattered Victor's defense, riddled with openings from his scheming.
Pukwak!
As his side and shoulder were sliced by the red blade, the searing pain made his body stiffen.
And exploiting that gap, a black short spear thrust toward his throat. Victor's mind raced.
'If I block just once...'
As long as he avoided instant death and took the wound, the professors and assistants behind would subdue the guy in front of him.
Bracing for mana backlash, Victor artfully swung his shortsword to deflect the attack.
Latent Shadow
Squelch
The spear transformed into shadow, ignoring his technique and piercing straight through the blade.
Puk!
The shadow spear's tip impaled his throat.
His eyes bulged at the realization of the fatal strike, and time around him seemed to slow like a life-flashing montage.
What surfaced was the rapid-mana awakening ampule hidden in his left molar, received that morning from Gongyang's contact.
'Chew this ampule, and it'll heal lethal wounds in an instant while strengthening your body. But you'll lose your current life. Choose wisely.'
He could no longer live as a human. Countless thoughts flashed through Victor's mind.
His throat was pierced, but luckily the spine was missed. With help from those around and emergency treatment, recovery was possible.
'Yeah. There's still a chance...'
In his final attachment, as he clenched to bite down—Yeom Seong-ha seized him.
"Too many stray thoughts."
Yeom Seong-ha's blade severed them.
Slice!
The shadow spear cleanly decapitated Victor, and the professors and assistants gaped at the murder unfolding before them.
"Wh-what..."
"Right now...!"
They'd thought something was off from the initial clash, but to actually kill him...
As everyone recoiled in shock, yelling for him to drop the spear,
Yeom Seong-ha ignored their warnings entirely and kicked upward at the shortsword Victor had held.
Slice!
The flame-infused spear snapped the shortsword in two. Simultaneously, an immediate reaction came from the Pharmacy Department's main building.
Pakang!
The red pillar shattered into pieces and vanished like a power cut. Those who had moved to subdue Yeom Seong-ha stared in astonishment.
"Th-that..."
"No way..."
The sudden turn left their minds in chaos, but one thing was clear.
Victor was connected to the disturbance—a Myriad Demons' Mire informant.
As everyone froze, unsure what to do,
"Out of the way."
Yeom Seong-ha pushed past the assistants and professors, heading toward another pillar.
"W-wait! If you know something, tell us too...!"
To the professor's urgent plea, Yeom Seong-ha gave a curt reply.
"No need."
Dragging others along would just heighten their caution. Slipping through gaps and handling them was easier alone.
'And the payout shrinks accordingly.'
Kill as many as possible to clear his debt. With that resolve burning in his eyes, Yeom Seong-ha dashed off.
Kugugung—
The red pillars crumbled one by one, and naturally, Crimson Flame Soul Chaos's influence began to wane.
As events unfolded exactly as Lee Se-hun had described, Louise asked in disbelief.
"What the hell is he doing to kill them that fast?"
The suspicious heroes Lee Se-hun had mentioned were mostly A-ranks or skilled B-ranks of comparable strength.
Yet dispatching them so easily was abnormal. Puzzled, Louise tilted her head, and Lee Se-hun explained calmly.
"Gear difference for one, and they don't even realize they've been exposed. Use the element of surprise, and it's easy to take them down."
"Even so..."
"Plus, there's no hesitation."
"...Hesitation?"
To Louise's question, as if wondering why it mattered, Lee Se-hun elaborated plainly.
"Mindset's key when fighting traitors like that."
If evidence was ironclad and their betrayal proven, active heroes could execute them without issue. But with only vague 'suspicion,' it changed.
Worries about backlash or problems from misjudging led them to subdue first and investigate later, rather than kill outright.
'But that guy's different.'
If Yeom Seong-ha deemed it justified, he'd ignore everyone and push through.
If wrong, it was a disaster—but when right like now, he'd sever their heads before they could scheme, making for flawless cleanup.
"Personality's iffy, but his skills are solid. He'll hit A-rank soon enough."
From the special class spar, he'd adapted to the new short spears, and his Flame Ring Residual Flame Spear stance looked stable.
Barring Aria, he was likely the strongest cadet Lee Se-hun knew.
"...I see."
Louise's expression soured slightly at Lee Se-hun praising Yeom Seong-ha, but she quickly smoothed it over.
'Not a kid anymore.'
Getting sulky over praise for someone else was childish, even by her standards. Acting as if nothing happened, she asked,
"So, what's next?"
"Figure out what these bastards are scheming with the Vermilion Bird."
"What do you mean? Isn't it this barrier?"
Lee Se-hun shook his head at Louise's question.
"This is just prep. The real deal comes after."
Considering Gongyang's tendencies from his past life, this Crimson Flame Soul Chaos was merely setting the stage for the ritual.
The true ritual would use the terminals handed to the heroes.
'Yeom Seong-ha's handling it well, but they'll probably push through imperfectly now that things have gone south.'
Not knowing the enemy's full plan meant he hadn't aimed for a perfect block from the start.
Key was creating openings and exploiting them. Confirming all materials ready, Lee Se-hun asked Louise,
"Automata?"
"Sent them all to the spots you said."
"Good. Time to start."
At Lee Se-hun's words, Louise nodded and activated her prepared incantation magic.
"【Assimilation】"
Tooung!
The moment the incantation's waves spread, the automata scattered throughout the exhibition hall resonated and assimilated the mana.
Previously, they'd forcibly assimilated the Vermilion Bird's mana. This time, they mimicked it by blending into the enemy's mana.
Wuuung—
The ritual suppressing the Vermilion Bird. Confirming the connection, Lee Se-hun addressed the pattern engraved on the back of his left hand.
'Hey. Fire chicken.'
No reply.
It still looked suppressed outwardly, but having already sensed the loosening control, Lee Se-hun kept talking.
'Don't play dumb. Help each other out again this time.'
[...Not using me for your gain?]
A prickly voice echoed in his mind. To the question, Lee Se-hun replied calmly.
'When did I ever use you?'
[Didn't you twist my vision to kill your enemies?]
'Those guys forcing orders on you—killing a few's no big deal.'
[...True?]
Thinking it over, it actually seemed beneficial. To the slightly dazed Vermilion Bird, Lee Se-hun whispered on.
'Not asking you to trust me. Help me, and I'll release all the bindings on your body.'
At the bold offer, the Vermilion Bird fell silent before asking,
[And after you free me?]
'Kill you, obviously. Same as you'd do to me once other eyes turn away.'
[...]
'What friendship's there between human and mana beast? Let's just beat these guys together first.'
The Vermilion Bird pondered deeply at the proposal.
Revived at last, only to be leashed, pierced through, and have its power exploited wildly.
This human who'd stolen its sight irked it, but if anything, the others were more hateful.
Judging nothing to lose either way, the Vermilion Bird asked,
[...What do I do? Can't give more body control.]
To its firm tone, Lee Se-hun shot back,
'Where's your power most concentrated?'
That spot had to be Gongyang's core. After a pause, the Vermilion Bird answered.
[Underground.]
'Underground?'
As Lee Se-hun echoed, an image surfaced in his mind. Seeing the Forging Department's main building, his eyes widened.
[My power gathers in the hidden furnace underground here.]