Chapter 247: Abyssal Depths

Everyone’s eyes turned toward the unfamiliar silhouette.

It was not part of the expedition, nor was it Kreutzvalt. It could not be the Allied Forces, and it was certainly not an illusion.

That left only one possibility.

“The Suicide Squad!”

It could only be the Suicide Squad.

However, as soon as that shout rang out, the stranger’s form blurred and vanished.

It was something they had felt before, but their presence was so faint it was hard to tell if they were human or a ghost.

But there was no one in this expedition so careless as to lose a trace once they had caught it.

“Follow them.”

They began to quickly pursue the disappearing member of the Suicide Squad.

At the same time, a question began to rise.

‘Why?’

‘Why on earth were they running away?’

There was no doubt they were from the Suicide Squad.

Even Liphyue had mentioned them directly.

If they had been fighting against Kreutzvalt all this time.

If they knew Hio was here, they should have appeared long ago to join forces.

Why did they hide their presence, leave only small traces, and now even resort to fleeing?

He couldn’t understand it, so he had to catch them.

He had to catch them and have a conversation.

“Over there!”

“Why are they running?”

“The presence is too faint.”

The feelings of the other expedition members chasing the squad member were not much different from Hio’s. Because of that agonizingly faint presence, they pushed their concentration to the limit as they gave chase.

Meanwhile, traces presumed to be left by the Suicide Squad appeared steadily along the path.

-Find Kreutzvalt.

-He is nearby.

-We are with you.

Such letters were written in the ash and then quickly scattered.

‘If they were with them, why couldn’t they just meet and talk instead of running?’

“Is there some reason they can’t meet us?”

Hio and the expedition moved quickly despite their doubts.

“I’ll take the left.”

“Then I’ll take the opposite side…!”

No matter how ghost-like the Suicide Squad’s movements were, it would be difficult to remain free from eight members of the expedition once their trail was caught.

Eventually, the distance narrowed, and a perimeter was naturally formed.

“Wait for my signal to press in.”

Though the figure was still invisible, the faint presence felt close enough to touch.

“Now!”

They lunged toward it simultaneously.

Melissa’s ice sealed the sky, Freya’s magic dominated the area, and Claire’s flames blocked the retreat.

“Finally…!”

They had rushed in so urgently that they ended up tumbling together on the ash-covered floor with a series of loud thuds.

Of course, that didn’t matter at all.

All their attention was focused on the person standing up a short distance away.

The moment Hio confirmed who it was, his eyes flashed.

It was because it was a very familiar face.

“Abelar.”

The great Lord of the Magic Tower, Abelar Pavlenko.

He slowly stood up.

He locked eyes with Hio.

***

A few people, their legs giving out from exhaustion, sat down on the spot.

They had already spent several nights in the Abyssal Depths, but today was easily the most terrifying.

Even though nothing particularly special had happened.

“I really thought things were going to end there…”

Even Sirbert said so as he wiped away the cold sweat.

“Is that what they call a Colossal Abnormality?”

There was no need for words.

An abnormality that had surged out from the ash zone.

Even at a glance, it had a presence that seemed impossible to oppose.

If it hadn’t been the end of the night—if it hadn’t been right before dawn—they would have been forced into a confrontation, and it was impossible to predict what the outcome would have been.

So, one thing became certain.

“We’ve just been lucky until now.”

If things like that kept popping up one after another, even the Allied Forces would be in danger.

Even with the Holy Maiden holding out and tens of thousands of knights, the speed of collapse would be fast once damage began to accumulate.

This was because there was no hero here who could stop a monster like that Colossal Abnormality with a single blow.

“I wonder how much longer they can hold out.”

Anxiety began to creep up.

Perhaps that anxiety wasn’t entirely misplaced.

Starting the next night, a full-scale catastrophe struck.

“Abelar.”

There were many things Hio wanted to ask when he met Abelar Pavlenko.

Moreover, since the man had shown himself fleeing, the list of questions was bound to be mountain-high.

‘Why was he hiding and running?’

‘Where were the other members of the Suicide Squad, and what had they been doing for 1,000 years?’

‘How did he know the true names of the God of Patience and the God of Magic?’

There was so much to say that he hesitated on what to ask first.

Vitalianus spoke first on Hio’s behalf.

“Are you the former Lord of the Magic Tower, Abelar Pavlenko?”

Abelar gave a slight nod as if to confirm.

The rest of the expedition members surrounded Abelar, maintaining a certain distance.

It might have felt a bit overbearing, but it couldn’t be helped.

Who knew if he would suddenly try to run away again?

“Abelar, why did you hide yourself?”

Ultimately, this was the first question to escape Hio’s lips.

It was what he understood the least.

If they were truly opposing Kreutzvalt, why hide?

Why did they send messages while hiding, yet refuse to reveal themselves?

And Abelar’s response to that was…

Nothing.

He kept his mouth shut and did not answer at all.

Hio tried to understand during the silence that followed, but it made no sense.

A presence that felt like he was right there, yet also not there at all.

For an Archmage, his magic power was barely felt.

It was a bit different from Kreutzvalt’s case.

With Kreutzvalt, he couldn’t feel the magic power because the difference in their levels was too great, but this didn’t feel like that.

It felt like there was almost no magic power to begin with.

If that feeling wasn’t wrong, then how had he been using magic?

“How did you know the true names of the God of Magic and the God of Patience?”

Abelar did not answer Hio’s second question either.

‘Did he not want to answer?’

‘Or was he unable to answer?’

Whatever it was, it didn’t make sense.

“Where are the other members of the Suicide Squad?”

He didn’t shake or nod his head.

He just stood there without any expression of intent.

His focus was squarely on Hio, but somehow, it felt off.

“What on earth happened here?”

An incongruity… as if he was missing something important.

If he was in a situation where he couldn’t or wouldn’t answer, couldn’t he just use magic like before?

If he used his unique magic, the traces would remain faint and he could communicate using the ash.

‘Why wasn’t he doing even that?’

Only one thing had changed.

The fact that he had revealed himself.

By doing only that, he stood still as if he were frozen, not even using magic.

Thinking about why he would do that… only one thing came to mind.

‘Is he not using magic because he’s afraid of being found out?’

Lest whatever he was hiding be discovered.

Was the target Kreutzvalt?

Or.

‘Me?’

When there was still no response, Regarda, who had been quiet, stepped forward.

“Answer us.”

It wasn’t that Hio couldn’t understand Regarda’s frustration.

In such a critical situation, the man was taking no action and saying nothing.

He had left messages as if he would help, then ran away.

And when caught, he wouldn’t budge.

As if he were broken.

“If you are truly Abelar Pavlenko, then lower your guard.”

Regarda seemed to think Abelar was wary of them.

Given the situation and conditions, it was a reasonable thought.

“We are people who share your purpose.”

He slowly approached Abelar directly.

It was a decision made because he could react quickly to most situations and they desperately needed the Suicide Squad’s help.

But.

‘Broken… broken, you say…’

A completely different, unexpected thought was taking root in Hio’s mind.

-It is truly the most perfect golem in theory!

That was a memory of Furnel back at the Wizard’s Tower.

Furnel’s voice had been full of joy.

Back when he was purely happy as a magician.

-This man is even more amazing than the legends say.

He had said he found the most perfect golem in the golem researcher’s room.

-But it’s strange. The theory is complete, but there are no traces of experiments or test subjects. It would have been a jackpot if even a few practice models remained.

A golem that was theoretically complete, but none had actually been finished.

A golem that was so incredible that its flexibility, strength, and agility were nearly superhuman, and its appearance was indistinguishable from a human… No, it was more accurate to call it a doll.

And…

-A way to tell them apart?

-Hmm… they probably can’t speak. And while they can use magic, they don’t use it directly; they’re connected to the caster.

They can’t speak and are connected to the caster to use magic.

That was why he couldn’t use magic openly in front of Hio.

Because Hio’s eyes would track the traces of the magic power.

Because he would catch the location of the connected caster.

“Abelar Pavlenko.”

At Hio’s slightly agitated voice, Regarda’s footsteps toward the man stopped abruptly.

Even though Regarda had nearly reached him, Abelar’s eyes remained fixed on Hio, unmoving.

“Are you, by any chance…”

The incongruity he felt from that gaze finally made sense.

It was a strangely familiar gaze.

Not that of a person, but an empty, hollow look.

“Are you already dead?”

Just as Furnel said, it was impossible to distinguish him from a human.

The appearance was exactly like the face of Abelar in his memories, and he could even feel the complexion and the beating of a heart.

Despite that, Hio’s question was mixed with a sigh based on certainty.

Only then did Abelar begin to react.

A thick smile formed instantly on his once expressionless face.

That was more than enough of an answer.

That was not Abelar Pavlenko.

It was a doll wearing that skin, a golem.

“Who is the caster…”

He asked, but there was no strength in his words.

Perhaps one of the other surviving members of the Suicide Squad was the caster.

But what were the chances of that?

“Asking is probably pointless.”

They had been played.

The expedition, and the previous Suicide Squad too.

They had all been toyed with by one person: Kreutzvalt.

Thoroughly.

To a horrific degree.

“…Disgusting Kreutzvalt.”

He was definitely watching.

Through the eyes of that doll made using Abelar, he was surely watching.

So, Hio looked directly into the eyes of the grinning Abelar and gripped his staff tightly.

He couldn’t help the fact that he was squeezing his hands with all his might.

And in that moment.

-Kukukuku.

A familiar laughter was heard.

-My stupid disciple. It was quite fun thanks to you.

The voice of the Abyss was delivered through Abelar’s mouth.

Hio’s eyes widened as he concentrated.

The bastard made a mistake.

Since he was letting his voice be heard through a golem that shouldn’t be able to speak.

‘What would that mean?’

If it was a form of magic, it couldn’t escape his eyes.

He had to find the starting point of the magic power.

While dragging out the time through conversation…

-I can hear your brain working from all the way here, my foolish disciple.

But before he could even find a gap, Abelar’s mouth hung wide open.

At the same time, a massive amount of magic power swelled as if it had been waiting.

He didn’t know when or where this had been prepared, but one thing was certain: there was no time to do anything about it.

“It’s dangerous…!”

Almost the exact moment Hio realized it.

KABOOOOM—!

An explosion that shook the earth erupted from Abelar.

Regarda was the one closest to him.