Chapter 115
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 115
Turan sensed the commotion above through his mana detection and instinctively swallowed hard.
Any lingering hope that it might be something else evaporated as the movements intensified. Hundreds of mages were gathering above, clearly forming a massive perimeter with the prison as their target.
We’ve been made.
He retraced his steps in his mind, but he didn't recall tripping any wards or magic devices on the way in. How on earth had they realized they were being infiltrated?
His first suspicion fell on Solif’s parents, Godis and Romi, who stood right before him. He had just confirmed their genuine love for their son, but that didn't rule out the possibility of a trap. Perhaps they had cooperated to restore Solif as the rightful heir of Baraha. The leadership could have promised them a second chance if they persuaded him to surrender.
“Get ready to move,” Turan commanded.
“What?”
“They’re forming a perimeter above to intercept us.”
Panic flickered across their faces. Seizing the moment, Turan fixed a sharp gaze on Solif’s parents.
“We don’t have much time, so I’ll be quick. Did either of you use a device to signal anyone?”
“What? No! What are you…”
“We didn’t!” the middle-aged couple replied, startled.
Given the urgency, Turan cast aside even basic courtesy. He leaned in close, bringing his nose to the area just below their ears, and inhaled deeply. While he could sense strong emotions from a distance, a detailed analysis required a closer, more concentrated scent.
Panic, fear, a sense of injustice…
The scents were similar and difficult to distinguish, but they felt closer to the desperation of the falsely accused rather than the guilt of someone hiding a secret.
“My apologies.”
Judging the two innocent for now, Turan offered a curt apology and scanned the surroundings. It was more important to figure out how they had been detected than to rush out immediately. If they didn't find the cause, they would be pursued relentlessly even after escaping.
However, he couldn't sense any traces of mana from the two they were rescuing, nor from the furniture or decorations within the cell.
Just then, Meisa, who had been searching alongside Turan, shouted urgently.
“Look over there!”
“Hmm?”
She was pointing at a common ventilation shaft, the kind usually found in basements for air circulation. However, Turan soon realized that two vents were placed unusually close together. He immediately sent a draft of wind inside to investigate and discovered the anomaly.
This is…
One hole led outside, as a normal vent should, but the other led to the first floor, where a knight—presumably a guard—was stationed. The end of that shaft was blocked by a magic device of unknown purpose. Seeing the guard pressed against it with his ear to the shaft, Turan guessed its function.
Clever.
It was a magic device designed to draw in and amplify voices coming up through the vent while blocking any sound from the first floor from traveling down. It was the perfect tool for surveillance without leaving obvious traces in the prison.
The guard on the first floor must have overheard them and reported the intruders. Since he had reported the situation without leaving his post, there was undoubtedly a separate signaling device. Whoever designed this prison was a meticulous individual.
Turan immediately pulled a handful of Soul of Fire from his pouch, sent it into the vent, and detonated it.
Boom!
“Ugh!?”
“What in the—”
Even though Turan used wind magic to block the backlash, a massive roar and a wave of heat still leaked through the vent. The first floor, where the explosion occurred, would be in utter shambles.
Having dealt with the eavesdropper, Turan immediately formulated a plan. Now that he knew Solif’s parents were innocent and how they had been detected, the next step was the escape. Despite the unexpected situation, it took less than three seconds to devise a strategy.
“This way.”
Turan led the group out, mentally reviewing their conversation in the cell to gauge how much information had been leaked. Based on the presence he felt, the magic device was destroyed and the guard was likely dead, but he had to consider the possibility that the conversation had been recorded or transmitted elsewhere.
Solif’s identity is definitely blown. There’s no one else who would infiltrate this place anyway… Other than that, we didn't say anything particularly sensitive.
Ironically, the reason their information security had held up was Turan’s lack of trust in Solif’s parents. Reaching the tunnel, Turan immediately gave Meisa instructions.
“Take the two of them and escape first. Get on Bije and fly to a safe location. We’ll draw their attention, escape separately, and meet up with you later.”
“Wouldn't it be better if we all went together?”
“We can’t move fast enough that way.”
Solif’s parents were mid-ranking nobles and decent mages, but compared to Turan’s group, they were incredibly fragile. A single mistake could cost them their lives. Considering that offense and evasion were easier than defense, it was better for one person to take them far away while the rest acted as a distraction.
“Don’t worry. It’s certain the Baraha Family Head isn't here, so we’re unlikely to die.”
From the circumstances, the enemy hadn't anticipated their infiltration and set a grand trap; they had simply activated an emergency system. With the Family Head and most of the elites absent, there was little chance of them falling into a true crisis. The only variable would be if one of the fallen gods revealed their true power, but they wouldn't dare do so with so many eyes watching.
Meisa nodded heavily and took the middle-aged couple by the hands.
“W-wait! My son—”
“Go on ahead and wait, Mom, Dad! I’ll be right behind you!”
A naive smile appeared on Solif’s face as he waved, speaking like a child. Having removed his mask, his face looked like that of a man in his mid-to-late twenties, yet he somehow seemed like a boy, just as he had when disguised.
“You must stay safe…”
After a moment’s hesitation, the two followed Meisa, realizing that cooperating was the best way to increase their only child’s chances of survival. They left behind only a single, desperate plea for him to live.
*
“T-they’re coming!”
Boom!
With a thunderous roar, the passage connecting to the surface exploded. The Baraha mages shouted, their tension peaking. They already suspected who their opponent was.
Solif Baraha.
A man who, despite his relatively common birth, had risen to the position of heir through exceptional talent and character, earning overwhelming support from Baraha nobles of similar backgrounds. But now, he was nothing more than a criminal—one who had cast aside the family’s grace, slaughtered his kin who tried to bring him back, and fled.
Those who had once admired him felt a disappointment equal to their former adoration, which was why they had stood by as Solif’s parents were imprisoned. If a child committed a crime, it was only natural for the parents to bear the responsibility.
However, regardless of their disappointment, everyone acknowledged his skill. The tense faces of those surrounding the area proved it.
As the thick smoke from someone’s wind magic cleared, a figure stepped out from the ruined prison building. It was a young man with short silver hair and a broad build. Solif looked around and whistled casually.
“Well, well. I see a lot of familiar faces.”
“Surrender at once, you disgusting criminal!”
“To think you’d infiltrate while the Family Head is away… you cowardly bastard!”
With those shouts, fire and light—and a golden radiance blending the two—erupted from all directions.
Judgment Light.
A secret technique that could only be used by those possessing both the Sun Bloodline and exceptional magical talent. There were nineteen people present capable of wielding it, and thirty-one others with noble-class mana. Furthermore, there were over five hundred knights.
No matter how strong Solif was, it would be difficult to escape such numbers alive—at least, if he were still the ordinary top-tier mage they remembered.
Facing that massive force, Solif raised both hands like someone intending to surrender and shouted.
“First of all, I’m sorry for running away from the family! But I had my reasons, so if you’ll just listen—”
“He’s stalling for time! He’s clearly trying to smuggle his parents out!”
“Damn, how did you know?”
At someone’s shout, Solif clicked his tongue and immediately manifested a massive Halo behind his back. The Baraha mages’ faces stiffened as they felt its speed, size, and the heat radiating from it. They instinctively realized his mana had increased significantly.
He was still weak compared to the Baraha Family Head, but it seemed even the elders who were once considered his equals would struggle to face him now.
“This is…”
“Give it everything you’ve got! If we don’t kill him, we’re dead!”
With that cry, hundreds of full-powered spells poured into the center of the perimeter. It was a display of sheer violence through numbers that no top-tier mage should have been able to survive. It was an attack clearly intended to kill, not capture.
“Hmm.”
However, Solif succeeded in blocking it all by forming a ring of light around his body. It would have been an overwhelming attack before, but for the current Solif, who had absorbed the power of the Great Sea Serpent and awakened the Guardian Bloodline, it wasn't particularly difficult.
“What…?”
“He’s unharmed?”
Staring at the shocked mages, Solif reached into the pouch at his waist. The moment he scattered the pitch-black powder inside, a massive explosion rocked the front of the prison. Considering the mana used was a mere handful, the destructive power was almost irrational.
The Soul of Fire had displayed its true power from Solif’s hand for the first time.
“Aaaaagh!”
“My arm! My arm…!”
“Injured, fall back and get treated!”
The Baraha nobles, while maintaining cold-headed command, couldn't hide their shock. As the world’s foremost experts in fire magic, they knew the spell that had just transpired was truly bizarre. To trigger an explosion of such destructive power without any warning?
Just then, one of the elders watching from the back shouted loudly.
“If he tries to scatter black powder, set it on fire! It’ll explode then!”
Seeing the elder immediately recognize the nature of the Soul of Fire and counter it, Solif memorized the man’s face. But soon, those relatively unharmed by the explosion fired their magic again, targeting Solif. These were attacks aimed at draining his mana through defense rather than direct killing—the tactics of those skilled at ganging up on a stronger opponent.
Tsk.
No matter how powerful Solif was, it was foolish to pit his mana against hundreds. He immediately broke away and sprinted toward the thinnest part of the perimeter. As a noble of the Guardian Bloodline with near-Family Head level mana exerted his full physical strength, the solid stone floor buckled with a roar, creating massive cracks.
“Uh…”
“Block him!”
Two nobles in his path forged Judgment Light into a sword and a spear, striking at Solif, but he countered by forging a whip of his own. What remained was a pure collision of physical force.
With a thunderous crash, over a dozen bodies were sent flying through the air. Just a brush from his charging body snapped limbs like dry stalks, and those unfortunate enough to collide head-on were literally pulverized. It was a sight akin to an ordinary human being rammed by a giant magical beast.
“W-what is this? How?”
“This isn't even the Ruban Bloodline…”
It was a feral display reminiscent of the nobles of the Ruban family, who were born with the Strength-bearer and Guardian bloodlines. Hearing someone mutter in disbelief, one of the Baraha elders gave a firm command.
“Everyone, pursue him!”
“What about the other criminals?”
“Ignore them! We only need to catch that man!”
Dismissing the question of whether they should pursue Solif’s parents, the Baraha mages hesitated for a moment before immediately giving chase.
The elder, who had stood still to catch his breath instead of following immediately, muttered softly.
“Alma.”
“Yes.”
A woman stood quietly beside the elder. Her voice lacked any hint of respect for him. It was as if she were addressing someone completely inconsequential.
The elder made a polite request.
“I’d like you to go underground and pursue those who fled.”
“Are you sure you don’t need help over there? He seems to have surpassed the level of an ordinary heir, contrary to what I heard. He might just smash everything to pieces.”
Veins popped on the elder’s forehead at her mocking tone, but he quickly regained his composure.
“You people can’t even hide properly within this temple anyway. It’s better for you to help over there.”
“Well, fine. The Family Head’s orders were to cooperate with you as much as possible.”
At Alma’s gesture, four of the people mingled among the knights followed her toward the interior of the prison. Feeling their presence vanish as they entered the building, the elder snorted.
The five Zahar nobles had been brought along by the Family Head before he left on urgent business to prevent a vacuum in their forces. Despite being sinister and untrustworthy bastards, their help would undoubtedly ensure Solif’s capture. Zahar nobles were like nightmares when it came to hunting someone down. Especially when one of them was a successor candidate.
*
“This looks like the place.”
Entering the prison basement, Alma Zahar let out a hollow laugh as she looked at the tunnel dug into one side of the wall. To bypass the surface security by digging a tunnel… Given the scale of the earth manipulation magic used, there was definitely someone of the Earthkeeper Bloodline among the intruders. Nobles without that bloodline wouldn't be skilled enough to use earth manipulation on such a massive scale.
“You track them first, Rad.”
“Yes, Lady Alma.”
Alma, the fifth cousin of the Zahar Family Head, was one of the three successor candidates of Zahar. Though now that Ferga, the weakest, had been eliminated, it was more accurate to say she was one of two. As such, the Zahar nobles following her showed her extreme respect.
After a moment, the man called Rad scanned the area with tracking magic and pointed forward.
“This way.”
“Any traces?”
“I think we’ll find some if we go a bit further.”
“Let’s go.”
Naturally, Alma was the most skilled tracker among them, but one of her subordinates handled the tracking magic to minimize her mana consumption. The five Zahar nobles, each wielding their specialty weapon, immediately entered the tunnel. None of them created light, but their steps were unfaltering as they could all see through the darkness.
“Here, I think we can use this as a medium—”
The lead tracker pointed to a silver hair on the ground and leaned down to pick it up. At that moment, a roar thundered, and a shockwave slammed into the five nobles. Realizing it was the same kind of explosion that had occurred on the surface, Alma shouted urgently.
“Take cover!”
She didn't know when Solif, who had been on the surface, had returned underground, but considering the power he had shown earlier, a direct confrontation was suicide. Securing her safety against a wall with stealth magic, Alma first checked her condition.
Thanks to her defensive magic tools, the actual damage was minimal. Her face stung, suggesting a slight burn. This would heal naturally in time, so she could ignore it. Having secured her safety, the next step was to identify the enemy. Her dark-piercing vision scanned the surroundings.
The tunnel collapsed, and I don’t see anyone… More importantly, how did he attack? I didn't smell anything. A barrier?
Whatever the nature of the explosion magic, it made sense if it had been triggered by a barrier rather than cast directly by a person. Using tracking magic targeted at humans, she confirmed her suspicion. The only scents she could detect were the faint body odors left by people passing through. This meant there was no one nearby, or only the cloaked Zahar nobles.
Since that couple is of the Sun Bloodline, there are at least two accomplices: an Earthkeeper and a Barrier Master.
Realizing she had been spooked for nothing, Alma clicked her tongue and was about to deactivate her stealth and order the collapsed tunnel cleared.
Then—
“Uh—”
A sensation as if something invisible had suddenly snatched her by the throat. Before her brain could even register what that strange feeling was, Alma’s vision turned pitch black.