Chapter 246: You Shall Not Pass (1)

When the army of mercenaries and knights Volus had sent closed in around Sefira’s group, not only Keter but even Halibo, the weakest among them, noticed they were being encircled. The pursuers weren’t subtle; they advanced loudly, closing the distance and leaving clear traces of their approach.

Lenin, the commander of the Blitz family’s knight order, offered his suggestion. “There’s a mine entrance five minutes’ run from here. It’s hidden by magic, so it’s hard to find. If need be, we can take the train and escape. Let’s head there.”

Lenin wanted to hide and run, but the only person who agreed with him was Bruce, the head of the Blitz family.

Hissop was expecting Keter’s plan to be simple: kill them all here and enjoy a comfortable trip afterward. However, that was not Keter’s plan.

“We ate our fill and rested well... shall we run now?” Keter asked.

“What? Rested well? We only had thirty minutes!”

Lenin agreed that they had eaten enough, but he balked at the claim that they had rested properly.

Ignoring him, Keter addressed the group. “Dork, lead on my right; Six, follow on the left. The rest of you keep your eyes on my back and follow. Oh, can someone carry that old man on their back or something? He clearly won’t be able to keep pace.”

“You mean you’ll run all the way to the palace? We’re surrounded, remember?”

Lenin knew Keter’s strength, but this was a completely different situation. Lenin didn’t know how many enemies there were or how powerful they were, but he was sure they wouldn’t have set up a siege half-heartedly. Even if they ran as fast as they could, it would only be a sprint. And with everyone running at different speeds, someone was bound to fall behind. What would they do then?

“I don’t understand how you’ll reach the palace on foot, let alone break the encirclement!”

Lenin’s view reflected the whole Blitz family; Bruce and the Blitz knights also could not comprehend Keter. They assumed Hissop and the others felt the same way, but it was clear they didn’t, as Sefira’s group busied themselves with stretching and getting ready to run.

“Sir Lenin. Don’t try to understand this with your head. It’s not possible,” Katherine advised.

“If you don’t trust Sefira, you can move separately. I promise we won’t object,” Hissop added

Hissop didn’t fully understand Keter either, but he trusted him.

“...!”

Seeing Hissop put total faith in Keter, Lenin had no choice but to look to Bruce. The final decision rested with the head of the family.

Knowing there was no time for deliberation, Bruce sighed.

“Very well. Sir Lenin, carry me on your back.”

“M-my lord?!”

“I’m an old man; I can’t possibly keep up with you all. Even if I look ridiculous, at least I won’t be a burden.”

“...Understood.”

Lenin dared not try to convince Bruce. The command of the patriarch was absolute, and so was his loyalty.

Bruce felt a flood of conflicting emotions as he was hoisted onto Lenin’s back.

Sefira is growing at a terrifying pace. I could cast it off as a coincidence if it were just once or twice, but three times? That’s skill. There must be a reason. We’ll find it here.

It was a gamble with their lives, but he was not afraid. His heir was already decided, and Lenin had trained his successor well. If Blitz formed a firm bond with Sefira—if this gamble succeeded—their family’s fortunes would rise with Sefira’s. Luck had favored Bruce: meeting Sefira along the Path of Glory was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Keter stood at the front, clasped his hands, and spread his arms wide. Magic stretched from his palms like rubber. Katherine’s eyes widened as she realized what that was.

He can make an Acceleration Gate that big?

Acceleration Gate was one of the three fundamentals of magic archery. Katherine could only make a gate about thirty centimeters in diameter, but Keter formed a long Acceleration Gate enough to envelop the entire group.

As the name implied, passing through the Acceleration Gate accelerated things, including people. For example, it could make a foot soldier’s arrow fly as fast as a knight’s.

Before they left, Keter told them, “From now on, we become arrows.”

Sefira’s group tensed, understanding what he meant, while the Blitz group failed to grasp it at all.

“It means we’ll run to Grisa, the capital, without stopping. Be prepared,” Katherine explained to Lenin.

“That’s impossible...”

Kaboom!!!

With a thunderous sound, Keter vanished from view. All he had done was run, but the Acceleration Gate amplified his speed so drastically that a shockwave rippled out. The others hurried after him, fearing they might lose sight of Keter, and Lenin threw himself into the gate as well.

* * *

“What a bastard!”

Volus hurled the glass bottle with all his strength toward the spot where Nether had been standing. The bottle struck the wall and shattered.

“Keter has broken through the encirclement. I’ll go handle it myself.”

That was what Nether announced before leaving.

Suddenly left alone, Volus smashed more objects angrily.

“Every single one of you! You all belittle me and look down on me! After all I’ve done for you! I’ve conceded! I’ve forgiven you! What’s wrong with everyone?!” he shouted.

He wasn’t acting this way because he was high—the drugs were simply revealing his true nature.

“What’s wrong with this now?!” Volus screamed, clutching a glass orb.

No matter how close he held it to his eye, all it showed was a foggy blur. The orb normally revealed the location of Keter and his group, but because Decameron was emitting a wave of mana, the orb was useless.

Crack!!

The orb, which was worth more than an entire mansion, smashed to pieces on the floor. Still not satisfied, he did what his father had done when he was furious.

“Jordic! Fetch Jordic right now!”

A butler who had been waiting outside hurried in and cautiously said, “Lord Jordic is currently on assignment, so that will be difficult, my lord.”

“Is that mission more important than my summons? I am the head of this family!”

“Forgive me, but Lord Jordic and his Silver Leopard knights are directly under the high elder’s command. The high elder’s orders take precedence over the patriarch’s, so...”

“Enough with the high elder! I’ve never even seen him before. Does he actually exist? Huh? That mysterious beastfolk who supposedly revived our family—do they even exist? Huh?!”

“Lord Volus, mentioning the beastfolk is dangerous. I beg you to avoid it.”

“Shut your mouth! How dare an old butler lecture me!”

Smack!

Volus slapped the butler.

The butler immediately bent his knee.

“I must speak for the good of you, Deputy Patriarch. You are too angry right now. I beg you to calm yourself.”

Thud!

Instead of an answer, a kick came back. The kick was filled with a genuine intent to beat him to death.

“I told you! Don’t. Call. Me. Deputy. Patriarch! Don’t call me that!!!”

Crack!

The old butler was a loyal servant who had served the Bydent family for decades. For the sake of the family, he never hesitated to speak harsh truths even to Patrah, the previous patriarch. For this, Patrah had recognized and commended his integrity. But now, he was lying on the floor, his neck broken simply because he displeased Volus. Everyone knew this.

The knights guarding the door had seen and heard everything. They stood silent for the moment, but a single thought passed through all their minds.

We can’t leave Volus like this.

The knights instinctively sensed that because of Volus, the Bydent family itself was in danger.

* * *

Nether pressed his temples and fell into thought after receiving reports from his subordinates.

“So, in short, they moved at ultra-high speed?”

“That’s right,” casually said the aide Nether had brought from the Samael Empire.

“Not just one person, but nearly thirty people all at once?”

“That’s what happened. Seriously, it was amazing.”

“Amazing? Are you serious? Our employer is about to go insane.”

“There was nothing to do but admire it.”

“We hired mercenaries from all over. Surely some of them were quick on their feet?”

“There were.”

“They pursued them, right?”

“They did.”

“Why are you speaking in the past tense?”

“Because they’re dead. Probably struck by the arrows Keter fired.”

“...”

Nether massaged his temples with both hands.

“So you’re saying Keter transported his whole group at once at ultra speed while shooting and killing the pursuing squad with arrows?”

“Aren’t you impressed?”

“Yeah, and that’s our target.”

“Hm, I’ve watched Keter for a long time, sir, and I’ve checked his past movements. I’m telling you we should run.”

“Do you have any pride as a Solver?”

“You have to stay alive to keep your pride.”

“You really think Keter is that strong?”

“Sir—no, Big Brother. Honestly, I’m confident that I could kill a seven-star Prime. But Keter... I can’t. That guy’s insane.”

“Is he really that good?”

Nether knew not only how powerful Keter was, but also how competent. Still, no matter how capable, he was still human and therefore had weaknesses. Nether believed that if he found them and exploited them, he would be able to kill anyone, including Keter. He admitted Keter was far more troublesome than expected, but he found it hard to accept that they should simply run away.

“I’d bet everything I own on it. No matter what we do or Bydent does, it won’t work on Keter. We’ll only lose out, and in the end, we’ll all die.”

“Still, to try nothing and flee isn’t an option. I’ll see this through.”

“That’s strange. Usually by now you’d admit it and back down. Today you’re stubborn for some reason.”

The aide frowned and glared at Nether, who denied it vehemently.

“No, I really think it’s doable.”

“Jealousy, perhaps?”

“Get out of here before I gouge your eyes out. And gather all the pursuit units. Whatever trick Keter used to move at that speed, we cannot follow him. Teleport ahead and block him.”

“Teleport is banned during the Path of Glory.” The aide reminded Nether.

“That rule applies to citizens of the Lilian Kingdom, not to us.”

“Who will cast the teleport?”

“We brought teleport scrolls,” Nether answered.

“You want to spend your own money? You’ve really lost it, sir.”

“If we’re going to stop Keter, we can’t hold back. Burn everything.”

“Ugh... fine. I’m your subordinate, so I’ll do as you command, sir.”

“Do you think someone from a master family can live freely like that?” Nether muttered quietly after sending his aide off, as if he was afraid someone was going to overhear.

Nether had been born into a respected family in the Samael Empire and, like Keter, wanted to live freely. But he could not live freely while remaining tied to his family. So he left his family and became a Solver who could live as he pleased.

Talented and capable, Nether prospered. He turned many crises into opportunities and attained the freedom he had longed for. He had money and no one to answer to. He went where he pleased and did what he wanted, but that freedom had been gained by abandoning family and lineage.

But Keter... He enjoyed freedom without losing his family. He wielded violence at will, and his family tolerated and protected him. Nether could not accept that.

I won’t let someone else achieve what I couldn’t.

Nether vowed to make Keter see that truth for himself. Just as his aide said, it was all purely out of jealousy.

* * *

Keter laid down one Acceleration Gate after another and streaked forward at impossible speed, yet nothing stood in his way. First of all, the sound was enormous. Even from beyond the mountains, it roared like thunder; anyone who heard it would instinctively turn their head toward it. And once they turned, they would see the blurred afterimage of Sefira’s group, sprinting as if they were flying. Even an old man with a bent back would throw himself aside to avoid them, just as no one would stand still in front of a charging carriage.

Unlike a carriage, Keter was running at the very front, emitting shockwaves. He was doing this to clear the path like a destructive tank that plowed through trees, rocks, and any obstacle in its way. That meant everyone following behind only had to run well.

Of course, the running itself was brutal. They weren’t just sprinting, but moving far beyond the limits of their own maximum speed. Their senses couldn’t keep up with the pace. One wrong step and it would be instant death; if Keter changed direction even slightly or the terrain shifted, they had to use all their might to cut their speed or change their course.

Sefira’s group was managing to keep up somehow, thanks to their unprecedented training in leaping through the sky, which had sharpened their senses. But the Blitz knights were not so fortunate.

“Arrgggh!”

One Blitz knight who couldn’t cope with the speed veered off course.

“Waaaah!”

Another hit a small curb, vaulting unexpectedly far away.

One by one, the Blitz knights began to fall out of formation, but Keter didn’t care. He didn’t stop—he simply kept running. Whether mountains loomed ahead, plains stretched out, or lakes and rivers blocked the path, he simply charged through them all.

“Huh?”

Then, Keter saw something blocking their path: it was a wall that Nether’s men and Volus’ mercenaries had built to stop him. They had spared no expense, tearing apart teleport scrolls worth thousands of gold each, to place obstacles in places Keter had to go through.

They had hauled and chopped down logs from all over and covered themselves in massive shields. If that weren’t enough, a demonic beast summoner had summoned sandworms that were anchored deep into the ground.

To show that simply blocking their path wasn’t enough, the area was crowded with mages preparing binding and barrier spells, and assassins lying in ambush. It was a scene that made their intent clear: they meant to stop Keter at all costs and force a battle.

But Keter had no intention of stopping. Becoming one with his bow through Body-Bow Unity, Keter became the arrow itself and cast a technique on himself.

Milky Way.

If something stood in his way, it was only right to destroy it.