“…Epio, Clara. The boss of Praszkeak has appeared in front of Young Master and the lady with his executives in tow.”
“Since Aiden drew their attention, the security on this side should be relatively loose, right?”
“We can’t be too optimistic, Epio. There’s a chance they installed a formation on this path as well.”
Epio nodded at Clara’s words. It was clear that the boss of Praszkeak valued the girl named Visanya quite highly.
However…….
[Hey, Aiden’s half-elf lackey. Take care of that purple pillar over there. Looking at the unnatural flow of the waves, it seems to be the central axis of the formation here.]
“L-Lackey…?”
Linia was flustered by the bizarre title Plebelziam used, but she still followed the instruction and sent a wind spirit flying toward it.
And with just that, the formation was neutralized.
Formations were fundamentally 99% yang magic, and yang magic was a type of magic that reenacted legends from the past. Because it placed such importance on form, even a small change like this could often cause the entire spell to collapse.
Plebelziam’s detection ability and insight were incomparably superior to the artificial intelligence that was the Nano Eater, allowing him to completely dismantle all the trap magic Praszkeak had installed in advance.
[Epio, I can feel that little brat’s wave from behind that iron door.]
“………”
Epio’s group hid in the corner and observed the area around the door. In front of the tightly shut door stood as many as nine guards.
Judging by the number of people, it would be difficult to move as stealthily as they had before, and there were likely even stronger opponents waiting inside the door.
Clara made a suggestion.
“If I step forward, I should be able to break through without stalling in front of the door.”
She was currently wearing the Sun Cathedral’s holy relic, the Flame Dragon Scale (S).
If she continuously fired the divine explosion spell embedded in the item, she could instantly deal with any number of guard-level enemies.
The decision was swift.
<Ignition Burst>
BOOM! BOOOOM! RUMBLE!
Clara’s [Divinity] was 7.
She could trigger seven consecutive explosions in total, but only three were enough to eliminate all nine guards and blow the door apart.
Without hesitation, Epio dashed past it.
Inside the room he reached was filled with strange mechanical devices he had never seen before. However, there was no time to ponder such minor details.
“E…pio.”
A voice so thin it sounded like it could break at any moment.
Just as Plebelziam had confirmed, Visanya was inside the room. The girl, whose complexion was so pale it looked almost bloodless, had her limbs tightly bound by bizarre metal restraints.
Terminals connected to huge mechanical devices were plugged into various parts of her restrained body, seemingly extracting her blood and sending it to the tanks behind her.
It was a grotesque sight.
Epio’s expression hardened.
But his shock was only momentary. He immediately moved toward Visanya to rescue her.
[It’s dangerous, you idiot!]
“…!”
A sudden warning! Epio rolled across the ground without hesitation, and crackle! A long lightning spear embedded itself exactly where he had been standing moments ago.
The boy’s gaze followed the trajectory of the lightning spear, where a man wearing plain clothes was walking toward him.
“…To think there was actually a shameless bastard trying to kidnap a little girl like this. Kids like you shouldn’t wander into places like this.”
“………”
Epio silently drew Plebelziam.
Visanya was one of the many illegitimate children sired by the Crown Prince of the Wiblet Empire.
Her mother had been a palace maid in the Crown Prince’s residence and the young lady of the small, minor noble house Cobaruvius from the empire’s frontier.
Although she had conceived a child after receiving the Crown Prince’s favor, it had been nothing more than a single night’s amusement.
Her family lacked the status and prestige to become his concubine, so in the end, after reaching an agreement with the imperial family, she promised to stay silent in exchange for financial support.
It wasn’t an optimistic situation, but the Cobaruvius family still held hope for the future.
Visanya, who had inherited the imperial blood more strongly than anyone else, possessed remarkable talent as a spirit mage. Every teacher they invited unanimously evaluated her as someone who could become the greatest spirit mage on the continent.
She had even received the recognition of the famous Great Spirit of Holy Blood, Obsidirola, before she had even begun proper education.
Naturally, Visanya received an abundance of love and attention from the Cobaruvius family, and even at a young age, she steadily developed her abilities.
But when she turned six years old, everything went wrong.
The entire Cobaruvius family was wiped out in a suspicious accident.
In truth, the mastermind behind it had been her father, Yustasio, but… the young Visanya knew neither the reason for the incident nor the truth behind it.
What mattered was that afterward, she was dragged to the Praszkeak Guild and received completely different treatment from what she had known in her original family.
Unlike the past, where she had been taught the basics of spirit arts by renowned teachers and given precious elixirs, she was now locked deep inside the guild house, spending her days having her blood extracted to create serum pills.
At one point, she grew sick of it and deliberately stopped operating Obsidirola.
But the price was brutal.
The boss of Praszkeak, who had forcibly brought her to the guild house, was not lenient enough to tolerate tantrums.
Every time she failed to obey quietly, merciless violence followed. Later, even the slightest backtalk resulted in slaps or having her nails pulled out.
After about half a year, Visanya’s spirit was completely broken.
Her resentment and dissatisfaction toward Yustasio turned into fear and obedience, and she quietly became nothing more than a tool that produced blood and medicine for the Praszkeak Guild.
Yet hope had not completely vanished.
Spirit mages were not rare in the Wiblet Empire. Public interest in them was high, and related books were naturally scattered around the guild house. Thanks to this, Visanya was able to self-study spirit arts.
Using the skills she learned, she had successfully escaped the guild house about a year ago. However, the result only made her painfully realize that she was still firmly within the palm of the boss’s hand.
In the major cities of the Wiblet Empire, residents’ movements in and out of cities were strictly recorded and controlled. As someone officially listed as dead, Visanya had no means to prove her identity.
There was no way an unregistered person like her could pass through the city’s rigorous checkpoint procedures. She was soon discovered by Praszkeak’s underlings and dragged back to the guild house.
Visanya trembled, expecting horrific punishment, but the boss showed an unexpected reaction.
‘Give the brat whatever she wants.’
With that single casual remark, the variety of toys and snacks provided to her increased. The number of monitors attached to her remained the same.
The young and naïve Visanya did not realize that this was a calculated strategy of using both the whip and the carrot to make her feel the situation was improving.
As time passed, she gradually settled into the current situation as Yustasio had intended.
However, a certain event caused ripples in her heart once again.
The cause was an encounter during her fourth escape attempt.
During another meaningless escape attempt born of defiance, she met a boy with hair like blazing flames.
The boy, upon learning of her situation, genuinely sympathized and grew furious on her behalf.
It was the first time.
The first time she had received such pure goodwill.
<Prometheus>
WHOOSH!
The flames originating from Plebelziam’s blade completely engulfed the magician whose face Visanya recognized.
Prometheus was a spell that burned away everything the user considered an obstacle.
As if to prove it, the flames did not stop and spread rapidly. From the magician executive to the other guild grunts, and from the grunts to the structures filling the room.
Suddenly, the metal restraints binding Visanya’s limbs melted away without a trace. A battered and exhausted boy stepped through the haze and approached her.
“Visanya! Let’s get out of here right now!”
“Of….”
“You don’t want to stay in a weird place like this forever, right?! Our clan will protect you for the rest of your life, so come on out!”
Epio extended his hand toward her.
“………”
Visanya stared blankly at it for a moment, then struggled to move her body. Her small white hand grasped the boy’s hand.
There was no hesitation or reluctance.
Yustasio’s gaze pierced Estriel through the visor mask. He had clearly recognized the opponent as no pushover.
“Monster and kid, one woman each… Quite the strange combination. Who sent you? What business do you have in the guild house?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. We just came out for a little stroll because we found it odd that a gloomy underground shopping district had a place like this.”
Estriel’s answering voice sounded as relaxed and light as ever. Yet his expression was unusually stiff.
“Hmph… Fine. We’ll just restrain you and take our time making you talk.”
Yustasio clicked his tongue and signaled his subordinates. Dozens of guild members immediately drew weapons with dark purple blades, grinning wickedly.
“…This looks dangerous.”
Estriel showed a troubled smile. In the meantime, I quickly scanned Yustasio’s character sheet and calculated the odds.
Thousand Pivots (S+) was a title trait that could only be obtained after rigorously training multiple A-grade traits centered on spirit arts. The acquisition conditions were so demanding that it had only existed in theory before. This was the first time I was seeing an actual owner.
“It looks like spirit arts are his main focus, with magic supporting them. No obvious weaknesses, a well-balanced type.”
“…I see. I get the general idea.”
The problem was that this was not a one-on-one situation. Behind Yustasio stood four executives who were all over Level 30.
“No need to drag this out. Everyone, take the serum pills.”
“Understood, Boss!”
The executives each pulled out an Obsidirola Serum Pill (A).
It was a terrifying consumable that temporarily granted the user demonic power.
Crunch! Crack!
Right after ingestion, massive changes appeared in the executives’ bodies. The transformations varied wildly—veins bulging across their skin, bodies swelling, skin turning pitch black.
The one common point was the sinister aura radiating from each of them.
We simply watched their series of actions in silence. One of the Praszkeak executives sneered.
“You idiots! Just standing there watching us take the pills has sealed your fate!”
“Yep~ Nope.”
I gave a small chuckle and activated the first function of the Balance of Good and Evil (S+).
—Adjustment: Holy Aura
Fwoosh!
The sacred energy that had been swirling around the balance suddenly expanded with terrifying force, instantly filling the entire room.
The effect was immediate.
“F-Fuck! What is this?!”
“Argh! My body’s burning!”
Hsssss! Smoke began rising from the bodies of the executives who had manifested demonic power through the serum pills.
Holy aura—the perfect counter to evil or demonic energy.
The power of this authority scaled with the owner’s [Divinity] stat. At my current level, demon worshippers around Level 30 were no match.
“Chesa! Cover me!”
I shouted loudly and charged forward alongside Estriel. I swung the Balance of Good and Evil at the demonized executive in front of me.
THUD!
The amplified impact from the balance’s “punish evil” effect shattered the executive’s skull to pieces. The bone-crushing sensation traveled straight through my hand.
A large spray of blood hit my face. At the same time, a streak of light shot toward my forehead from the corner of my vision—a sharp, blade-like wind advanced spirit. It had to be Yustasio’s doing.
BOOM!
A throwing dagger infused with vibrating qi altered its trajectory. Through the blur, I caught a glimpse of Estriel closing in on Yustasio.
I mentally thanked Estriel and calmly scanned the surroundings.
“You damn brat!”
“Die!”
I had avoided the immediate lethal threat, but the blades held by the non-demonized guild members surged toward me like a wave.
<Pure Freeze>
The freezing spell from the Ring of Glacier (A) spread across a radius of dozens of meters. Crack! The Praszkeak grunts froze solid all at once. Chesa’s elemental spells rained down on the immobilized enemies.
BOOOOM!
In the middle of the chaos I attempted a spatial leap and swung the balance once more.
Splat!
The ribs and vital organs of one executive who had been screaming in agony from his melting flesh were crushed to a pulp.
<Prism Pressure>
Immediately afterward, Chesa’s elemental bombardment poured down on the enemies from the rear. Praszkeak guild members collapsed with dying screams.
The numerical balance was rapidly being evened out.
The battlefield was utter mayhem.
A true melee.
Yet the two powerhouses who had surpassed Level 60 paid attention only to each other, as if walking in a completely different world from everyone else.
‘Vileshaker.’
CLANG!
Yustasio barely parried Estriel’s scimitar with his curved blade and forcibly steadied his churning stomach.
In raw strength, he held an overwhelming advantage.
But the opponent’s speed was even more overwhelming.
In fact, the advantage from the strength difference was negligible. The strange techniques the opponent occasionally displayed were completely collapsing his sturdy “energy armor” and “energy strike.”
Yes. As a warrior, the blond kid in front of him was clearly superior.
But that did not mean Yustasio’s defeat.
“Perkag…! Come out right now!”
Yustasio roared in fury. A massive, monstrous shadow loomed behind him. Aiden’s eyes widened greatly at the sight of the “Great Shadow Spirit,” Perkag.