Chapter 78
Chapter 78
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Heist and Collapse
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I blinked and reached inside the Black Dragon Divine Armor.
A jet-black orb suddenly popped out and began to spin in place.
As I stared blankly at the orb floating in the air and the gray energy, a thought pierced my mind.
"This is... that orb from before?"
The egg-sized sphere that the Eastern Tyrant King's corpse had been holding.
I'd been carrying it around, thinking it might be something extraordinary.
'But why is it suddenly sucking out the energy of the Grangmagia? What is this thing?'
With a dumbfounded expression, I quietly waited for the strange phenomenon to end.
Finally, after absorbing something like a gray phantom into itself, the orb dropped into my hand.
"Did it get smaller?"
I could see that the orb's size had decreased quite a bit.
Tossing it lightly and catching it, I noticed its weight seemed to have lessened as well.
But I couldn't find anything else special about it.
I tried to infuse it with aura or mana, but it wouldn't take any at all.
'I don't know what to make of this...'
It seemed to require in-depth research, but unfortunately, I wasn't a real mage.
Just a 'magic user' of sorts.
"I guess an opportunity will come eventually. Should I go through the Eastern Tyrant King's burial goods to get more information?"
Marquis Pennant probably had important materials like ancient documents.
He wasn't so short on funds that he'd sell such things, and he adored his only daughter, Sophia.
He would surely hold onto any materials related to magic, just in case.
'The problem is how many chances I'll have to go to the East in the next few years.'
It would be impossible while I'm playing the role of a sponsored student at Venderford.
After pocketing the now-gray orb, I was about to pick up the Grangmagia.
But, at that very moment.
*CRASH—!*
Someone burst through the lab entrance in a clamor.
The figure who rolled across the floor and raised a dagger was none other than Mitra, whom I had parted with at the entrance.
"..."
"..."
We stared at each other for a moment with awkward gazes.
Because she had burst in at the exact moment I was picking up the Grangmagia, we were both caught in awkward positions.
With an embarrassed expression, I shrugged and averted my gaze.
To the mutilated corpse of the Gray Tower's master.
"Is it over?"
"Yes, I was lucky. He was too confident in his illusion magic."
"I see. Anyway, we should probably get out of here quickly."
"Of course. Our work here is done, after all."
"Well... I'm saying the situation is serious enough that we need to move right now."
"If it's so urgent, why are you speaking so calmly?"
"This is just how I talk. Real danger is imminent."
I let out a small, dry laugh at Mitra's machine-like response.
No matter how I thought about it, her tone conveyed no sense of urgency.
But it didn't take long to confirm that her words were true.
*KABOOOM—! CRACK-CRASH!*
With a tremendous explosion, the lab walls began to blow apart.
Peeking through the holes, I saw members of the Gray Tower, filled with rage, indiscriminately firing spells.
They didn't seem to care one bit whether the magic tower collapsed or not.
"Whoa... So the situation really was serious."
"I just told you."
I looked at Mitra, who maintained her blunt tone, with an incredulous gaze.
But that didn't change her attitude.
"You should've said it with more feeling! Run!"
*Th-th-thump! BANG!*
Sensing the danger, I threw myself forward, and a crimson fireball immediately exploded on the lab floor.
'Whoa! Those guys are seriously pissed off.'
Not only had I invaded the Tower Master's lab, but I was also holding the Gray Tower's sacred object.
Their anger was a completely natural reaction.
It was a situation akin to having their family heirloom stolen.
"There are agents on the lower floors who haven't escaped yet. We have to go with them."
Mitra mentioned the assassins deployed for the diversion and ran down the stairs.
"Why didn't they get out? What were they doing?"
"When I was thrown out of the entrance, I checked. The resistance was stronger than expected. The Gray Tower had a lot of forces."
"Ah! Those bastards from the Owl Strike Division! They can't do anything right."
It made me think that if I become the Head, the first thing I'll do is whip the intelligence division, which is always wrong, into shape.
All they do is write long directives.
Leaping down several steps at a time, I quickly changed direction.
And then I rammed the Black Dragon Sword into the back of the neck of the guy in front of me.
*SQUELCH—!*
It was the Dark Chain Kill, honed to its absolute limit.
There wasn't even the sound of air being torn, but the Gray Tower mage's head flew through the air.
A defensive spell must have been active, as a pale blue light flared from his robe and the sphere surrounding him.
But the Rantzverger's supreme assassination art 'assassinated' even that.
"Hm."
Mitra, who was following behind me, let out a soft sound.
It was likely a reaction born from the knowledge that even she couldn't have done it better.
'I wonder how she'll react when she finds out this isn't all I can do.'
I smirked and launched a surprise attack on the rear of the Gray Tower mages' group.
Mitra also circled to the other side, securing an escape route for the diversion team.
"R-Reinforcements!"
"This way! Run!"
It seemed the diversion team had spotted us even amidst the shower of spells.
In fact, it was impossible not to see us.
The Gray Tower mages' formation was crumbling to pieces.
But their escape wasn't as easy as they'd thought.
*FWOOOSH! KABOOOM!*
"Hup!"
"Kugh!"
Just as we were about to join them, a huge energy reaction erupted from the side, followed by a massive explosion.
For a moment, even Mitra and I staggered, unable to keep our balance.
'With this kind of power, the tower building itself won't be able to withstand it.'
Since I had some knowledge of magic, my prediction was spot on.
Sure enough, unable to withstand the intense impact, the ceiling and walls began to collapse.
*RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE!*
"How dare you try to escape with the Gray Tower's sacred object!"
The one who appeared, yelling at us, was an old man holding a large staff.
Judging by his aura and palpable killing intent, a powerful figure from the Gray Tower had appeared.
"It's Vice Tower Master Halken. This situation has just gotten very tricky."
Mitra frowned and muttered softly.
It seemed he was someone who shouldn't have been here.
"You even know his name?"
"Isn't that obvious? It was all listed in the directive's appendix."
"I don't read that stuff. Anyway, does this mean we have to fight to escape?"
"There's also the option of abandoning them."
"Oh! Good idea, but you're not going to do that, are you?"
"..."
The first quality required to become the Acting Head was transcendent martial prowess.
Of course, personal achievements were important, but that was a secondary factor.
If I ignored them in this situation, I could still secure the achievement, one way or another.
But the stigma of abandoning my comrades due to my own weakness would follow me for the rest of my life.
Mitra stared at me silently with her dry, emotionless eyes.
It was as if she were saying, "You're the leader, so you decide."
'Obviously...'
Since my goal is to become the Acting Head, I had no choice from the start.
Besides, am I supposed to accept disgrace in front of a mere punk like him?
"Are you crazy? As if I'd do that."
Gripping the Black Dragon Sword, I strode forward.
'Ah! Has the time finally come to reveal my true power?'
There weren't many assassins who could fight and win against a mage in such an open space.
In the end, the stronger one wins, but it was true that the matchup was unfavorable.
Because magic could see through stealth techniques.
But I was a being on a different level from ordinary assassins.
'Besides, ever since awakening the Demonic Soul, I no longer have to worry about Riverune's secret techniques being exposed.'
*Woooong!*
The Gray Tower mages frowned at the hum emanating from the Black Dragon Sword.
They felt a considerable sense of dissonance, as a deep resonance came from an assassin's weapon.
"What are you all doing! Don't be intimidated by his presence, crush him!"
"Yes, sir!"
*Tssssss!*
At Vice Tower Master Halken's shout, the Gray Tower's specialized magic was unleashed.
Illusions accompanied by all sorts of auditory hallucinations—a demon's face, a crying girl's pleas—constantly tormented me.
But I was someone who had conquered not only the Gray Tower's master but also Esmeranta's Tower.
There was no way I'd fall for such tricks.
"I've already figured out your patterns."
The mages of the Gray Tower had a habit.
They would first cast an illusion to disrupt the target's vision, and only then would they attempt an attack spell.
This would increase their accuracy to over ninety percent.
But, to put it another way, it meant they were wasting their efforts on the disruption.
"Which means if I strike now, they're guaranteed to get hit!"
I had a useful attack method for when multiple opponents were clustered together.
The second form of the Heaven-Severing Demonic Chain Sword: Heaven-Severing Explosive Wheel.
The silently fired gray sphere erupted right in the midst of the enemies.
*Thwoom—!*
Only a faint sound of tearing air filled the hall, but the result was utterly devastating.
Shards of aura, scattered in all directions, were tearing apart everything they touched.
*Ta-da-da-dang!*
"Kuaaagh!"
"Aargh!"
Perhaps because of the densely layered defensive spells, there weren't many actual fatalities.
However, the powerful energy wave sent the Gray Tower mages flying out of the building.
In other words, with a single secret technique, I had cleared an entire floor of enemies.
"Huh?"
But despite the pleasing result, I faltered.
Because I had sensed something ominous.
Just then, the diversion team, which had been isolated in a corner, came rushing to the stairs.
"Ooh! You came to save us!"
"Th-thank you, Commander!"
"If we make it back safely, we will serve you with all our loyalty. *Sob*!"
The assassins from the central branch expressed their gratitude to me with moved faces.
Such an act was rare in the ruthless world of assassins.
It was safe to say it was something no one would even attempt unless it was for their direct lineage.
However, I had no capacity to accept their teary-eyed emotions.
"Run!"
"Huh?"
"If you stay here, there'll be nothing left of you!"
*Th-th-thump!*
As I sprinted madly toward the stairs, Mitra and the diversion team tilted their heads in confusion.
Hadn't I just displayed incredible prowess and swept away all the Gray Tower mages?
There seemed to be no need to rush and make such a fuss.
But they soon had no choice but to run down the stairs with me.
*Drrrrrr!*
"It's, it's collapsing!"
Because the magic tower had begun to collapse with tremendous vibrations.
"You should have told us sooner!"
"I told you! There'll be nothing left! I won't be responsible if you die, so just run!"
"But, you said earlier that you'd take care of our families?"
To the shout of a first-class assassin, I replied with a dumbfounded expression.
"I never said anything about families."
"Huh? You said if we died in battle, you'd take good care of... huh?"
"See? I never said that. Still, the family will hold a memorial service for you."
"..."
I shrugged at the speechless guy.
At that, Mitra shut her eyes tightly and shook her head.
It seemed she found my teasing of the juniors pathetic.
'Can't a guy make a joke? She's so serious.'
It was a little nerve-wracking, but in any case, the great Gray Tower heist ended in success.