Chapter 488: The One Who Was Always There
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 488: The One Who Was Always There
Facing the cold, pitch-black maw of the cannon, the scout’s face instantly drained of color.
These men were elite thugs personally cultivated by Wood. They were highly disciplined, and Wood had invested a staggering amount of time and money to ensure their professional training could handle any emergency.
They were also the core force of this betrayal.
But... even for a core force, knowing how to deal with a cannon barrel shoved in one's face was clearly not part of their previous training regimen.
The man only had time to look back and scream to the two behind him:
"Run! Go tell—"
The shout cut off abruptly.
In the next heartbeat, his desperate wail was drowned out by the roar of the cannon.
A brilliant pillar of light tore through the building. Countless fragments and debris took flight, looking as if a light of destruction had descended upon the mortal world.
However, this terrifying scene failed to attract any outside attention.
Flickering arcs of electricity spread through the air, and the invisible atmosphere began to warp.
All sound and light were utterly sealed within this deserted alleyway.
*
"What was that?"
At the back door, several of Wood’s men guarding the entrance frowned as they looked toward the front.
"Did something happen at the front gate?"
"There couldn't have been an accident, could there?"
"Unlikely. There are three whole squads stationed there, and even Lord Elder is on-site. With a noble Mage like him there, everything is foolproof."
"Just to be safe, let's check in," the leader said cautiously.
The subordinate nodded and pulled out a Transmission Stone, preparing to connect...
"Have... have a heart, please."
A beggar had appeared out of nowhere, trembling as he shuffled into the secluded alley where the back door was located. He grabbed the leader’s sleeve, pulling back his tattered clothes to reveal a skeletal chest. The beggar’s lips quivered, his cloudy, aged eyes filled with supplication.
"I haven't eaten in days. Please, spare a morsel..."
"Tsk. Where did this beggar come from? Scram—"
The leader reached out, intending to shove the beggar away.
But before his hand could land, he froze mid-motion.
"Boss?"
Behind him, the subordinate who was anxiously waiting for the Transmission Stone to connect was the first to notice the leader’s abnormality. He reached out and gave him a nudge.
Thud.
The tall leader collapsed to the ground. Blood flowed from his chest, staining the pavement crimson.
His eyes were wide as saucers, filled with terror and disbelief.
"What?"
The subordinate was struck with horror. When he whipped his head around, he realized the beggar from a moment ago had vanished.
"Alas, young people these days truly have no kindness in them."
The subordinate looked down blankly.
A sharp sensation of something piercing through his abdomen arrived, the agonizing pain nearly tearing his nerves apart.
Blood had already begun to spread, soaking through his clothes.
*
Wood finally realized something was wrong.
Based on his understanding of the Rat King, Sam’s current composed demeanor was absolutely not a front.
Which meant...
Boom.
Wood felt the ground beneath his feet suddenly shudder.
Though no sound reached his ears, his expression changed violently.
"What happened?" Wood barked at his subordinates. "Go see what happened, now!"
"Yes... yes, sir!"
The waiter from before moved nimbly, rushing downstairs.
But before Wood could receive any response, he heard a scream.
It was the waiter’s scream.
The sound was shrill and urgent, but it had barely begun before it was cut short, turning into a low, wet gurgle.
It was as if he had encountered an enemy and had his throat slit in a single breath.
"Wh-what?"
Wood’s expression shifted again.
Judging by the volume of the sound, he estimated the waiter had met his end about two floors below.
There was still some distance.
But it was already a terrifying realization.
To ensure the Rat King’s death and to prevent him from hiding reinforcements outside, Wood had used his most elite and trusted subordinates to blockade every entrance and exit of the building.
He had even set numerous traps inside. The Mage sent by Old Ghost to assist him was guarding the main gate. Forget a Lower District gang—even the Guard Corps would need a significant amount of time to breach this place.
So why... why...
"No, impossible... it couldn't be this easy..."
Wood’s hands shook as he pulled out a Transmission Stone, but no matter how many times he tried to connect, he only heard the steady beep-beep-beep of a failed call.
A boundless sense of dread suddenly gripped his heart. It seemed that in just these few minutes, he had lost half of his entire force.
"Nothing is impossible, Wood. The fact that I appeared here means I am a hundred percent certain of the outcome."
The Rat King spoke with a mix of pity and mockery.
"After following me for so long, you still don't truly understand me. It’s quite disheartening. I thought you would be smarter than this."
"You... you knew all along?"
Wood snapped his head up, staring at the Rat King with pure hatred.
"Sam, you knew I went over to Old Ghost, so you intentionally showed a weakness? You were just waiting for me to make my move, weren't you?"
"No, I didn't know."
The Rat King lowered his gaze.
"To be honest, trying to distinguish who among you is loyal and who is a traitor is a very difficult task. After all, I can't read minds. Even someone as powerful as Old Ghost has been betrayed before.
"But so what? There’s actually no need for me to distinguish between you, is there?
"Rather than wasting energy on a task that is essentially impossible, I might as well..."
The Rat King slowly raised the repeating crossbow in his hand, aiming it at Wood. His eyes held not a shred of mercy.
"...take this opportunity to thoroughly purge all of you foul tumors who threaten me!"
"No... no..."
Wood suddenly dropped to his knees.
His large frame hunched over, finally allowing the Rat King to truly look down upon him.
The ferocity and greed from moments ago seemed to be a mere hallucination. Wood looked submissive, pleading humbly:
"I was wrong. I was wrong, Lord Rat King. I was deceived by Old Ghost’s words; I lost my head for a moment."
"Forgive me, please forgive me! I'll do anything if you just forgive me. I'll even lick your shoes! Yes, I'll lick your shoes!"
Wood crawled forward on his knees, looking as if he truly intended to grovel at the Rat King’s feet and lick his filth-stained leather shoes to prove his resolve to turn over a new leaf.
But...
The Rat King continued to stare coldly at Wood. The crossbow in his hand remained steady, aimed directly at the center of Wood’s forehead.
"Wood, why bother? You don't understand me, but I... I understand you very well!"
Without hesitation, the Rat King pulled the trigger.
Almost simultaneously, Wood’s submissive face twisted into a mask of rage and malice.
A blinding blade-light flashed from the hand he had hidden behind his back, lunging toward the Rat King’s vitals without a moment's pause.
It was a sneak attack with zero warning.
Unfortunately, his opponent had long anticipated it.
Ding!
The personal Magic Armor hidden beneath the Rat King's clothes flared with a ghostly blue light once more, barely managing to deflect the strike. At the same time, Wood jerked his head to the side at the critical moment, avoiding the bolt. The sharp tip of the arrow grazed his cheek.
Wood glared at the Rat King, ignoring the blood streaming down his face. He panted heavily, looking like a beast driven into a dead end.
Yet, he remained rational.
Wood knew he already had one foot in the grave. Soon, the Rat King’s people would storm in and grind him to dust.
His only chance of survival now was...
"Sam, I admit you were one step ahead."
"But... appearing before me all by yourself... aren't you looking down on me a bit too much!"
Wood swung his blade again!
He knew the Rat King’s current weakness, and that weakness was the man himself!
To draw the snake out of its hole and force Wood to show his hand, Sam hadn't hesitated to enter Wood's territory alone, using himself as bait.
He had succeeded. Wood had taken the bait and staked everything on this rebellion.
But!
As bait, Sam was ultimately weaker than him.
Even if he had that Magic Armor from who-knows-where as a trump card, how many attacks could a purely defensive set of armor withstand?
How many people’s attacks could it block?
That’s right—as long as he killed the Rat King, every problem would be solved.
Once the Rat King was dead, his subordinates would have no reason to throw their lives away for him. The leader of the Rat Society would still be Wood!
Wood’s expression turned ecstatic, a raging fire igniting once more in his bloodshot eyes.
"Die!"
Clang—
The sharp longsword erupted with several meters of blade energy. Wood poured nearly half of his Fighting Spirit into the strike, swinging with everything he had.
The power was undeniable. The Rat King, who was never one for direct combat, was sent flying by the force of the blow.
A clear crack appeared on the armor covering his chest.
Wood was overjoyed. Ignoring the Rat King’s men who were closing in, he turned and roared at his remaining subordinates:
"Quick! Help me kill the Rat King first! As long as he dies, the victor is still—huh?"
Wood turned his head in confusion.
He suddenly realized that his "loyal" subordinates hadn't made a sound for a while.
He had assumed the Rat King’s men had already engaged them, but when he looked over, the scene he expected wasn't there.
Normally, this would be a good thing, but...
"You... what are you doing?"
In his line of sight, those brave and loyal subordinates who were willing to betray the Rat King with him were now, for some reason, kneeling on the ground and trembling. They were even kowtowing repeatedly toward a certain direction, begging for mercy.
But there was clearly nothing there.
It was as if they were seeing something so terrifying that it crushed all their courage and will to resist—yet he saw nothing at all.
Only he saw nothing.
"Ha..."
At that moment, the Rat King, lying on the ground, couldn't help but let out a mocking laugh.
"Wood, when did you get the delusion that I was alone?"
"Wh-what?"
Sensing something, Wood suddenly swung his blade toward a spot not far to his side.
The blade tore through the air with a piercing whistle. It was another full-power strike, delivered without mercy.
But it was effortlessly caught by a slender hand that had appeared out of thin air.
"Third-Tier, huh?"
A rich, deep voice murmured with a hint of nostalgia.
"To think that, without me noticing, this level of power has already ceased to be a threat to me."