Chapter 284: How to Protect What is Precious (8)

Keter and Cray finally met.

Keter was the first to speak. “Is that Myle, by any chance?”

It wasn’t a greeting but a question. Instead of answering, Cray lifted Myle and showed his face.

Keter answered himself. “So it is Myle. I doubt you tried to kidnap him because you fell for him at first sight... He’s not a hostage, is he?”

“Well, it is said security is the greatest enemy.”

Since a hostage needed to be alive to have value, Cray slapped Myle’s cheek to wake him from unconsciousness.

“

Ugh... Hm?

”

In a daze, Myle opened his eyes. He first felt that someone was gripping his neck, and then he saw Keter. Myle immediately understood his situation.

He didn’t kill me because he wanted to use me as a hostage.

“Keter, don’t mind me, just attack.”

“Hold on a second. Can you not make me look like complete trash?” Cray replied instead.

Then, Cray kicked Myle’s waist. Myle collapsed, gasping in pain.

Cray placed a foot on his back and said to Keter. “Cray, the Ghost Face Slayer. You should at least know who you’re dying to.”

“Cray, I fell for you at first sight.”

“

Huh?

”

The five Grandmasters, now accidental spectators, wondered what Keter was talking about.

“I can tell just by looking at your face. You’re a bad guy. You’ve probably killed thousands for no real reason. You’ve earned countless grudges, haven’t you?”

“You’ve got a sharp eye. Yes, I don’t know exactly how many, but I’ve killed tens of thousands. For no reason at all.”

“I really like guys like you because nobody says anything when I kill you. No one comes seeking revenge either.”

“

Heh

, you’re insane. But I know even a lunatic like you still has some sentiment left. For example, if I threatened to kill this guy...”

Cray pressed harder with his foot. A chilling crack sounded from Myle’s back.

However, Keter’s expression didn’t change. His brow did not even twitch, and Cray’s brows furrowed instead

“Right, well, I expected that much. A bastard like you wouldn’t risk your life just to save your brother. I’m not that greedy, so I’d like to bargain with just a single finger.”

“A finger? Take another one. I’ll give you one extra for free.”

Keter held out both middle fingers toward Cray.

Cray forced a smile. “Try joking around again. I’ll cut this guy’s waist for real.”

Keter picked at his ear, clearly annoyed. “So, when are we fighting?”

At that, Cray stopped dragging things out and got to the point. “Give me your index finger. Then I’ll let this guy live. Just one finger to save your own brother. No tricks. If the deal goes through, I even swear I won’t kill you.”

He was offering to release Myle, the hostage, in exchange for a single finger. It was a cheap, dirty proposal. Even Jordic, who had called them here, felt ashamed.

I can’t believe a Transcendental, who is also a Prime, is resorting to kidnapping and threats.

If Keter didn’t accept the deal, he would become a depraved man who let his own brother die over a single finger. Moreover, Cray’s demand wasn’t even severe. A finger compared to a life, it seemed insignificant.

Of course, the difference of one finger in a fight made an enormous difference. The result in balance and psychological strain couldn’t be ignored. Cray intended to use even that minor advantage against Keter. And being a Transcendental didn’t stop him from resorting to kidnapping and threats without the slightest guilt.

But that was the same for Keter.

“Why should I sacrifice myself to save a weak guy who got caught as a hostage?”

Keter pressed his thumb and index finger together and aimed at Cray. A glowing arrow appeared between them.

Cray lifted Myle and used him as a shield as he replied, “You’d really kill your own brother just because you don’t want to give up one single finger?”

Instead of answering, Keter fired the arrow. Cray’s eyes widened when he saw its trajectory.

He’s shooting straight at his brother’s chest?

Additionally, Cray stood directly behind him. Meaning, Keter intended to pierce through Myle and attack Cray.

Even faced with Keter’s ruthless attack, those watching still didn’t believe it. After all, Keter’s arrows could change direction at any moment. They assumed that he would divert the arrow and spare Myle at the very last second.

Cray didn’t trust Keter either. The moment he realized Myle was worthless as a hostage, he threw Myle toward the incoming arrow. Keter’s arrow easily pierced through Myle’s chest and immediately continued toward Cray behind him.

Unable to simply watch, Jordic shouted in horror, “That lunatic! He did that to his own brother?!”

In return, Keter simply shrugged and said, “Half-brother.”

***

Keter had fired an arrow to kill his own brother without blinking an eye. Cray’s face twisted like a ghost. It was the very expression that had earned him the name Ghost Face Slayer. The face of a murderous fiend, an expression that appeared only when things didn’t go his way, only when he felt true rage.

“You kill your own family? You trash, I'll never forgive you!”

Though he raised his voice as if overcome with emotion, Cray was perfectly rational. Thus, his Authority instantly manifested. Seen and Slain, a power that unleashed endless slashes upon any being that recognized the presence of his sword, appeared itself to the world.

Cray acknowledged that Keter was a strong opponent. People whom Cray defined as strong weren’t merely fast or powerful. They were those who knew how to survive fights of killing and being killed, and Keter was someone like that. A person who would do absolutely anything to survive.

As a result, Cray’s sword strikes were unleashed with full power. The problem was that those slashes also affected the five defeated Grandmasters who were only bystanders.

“

Argh!

”

The five, who had been in plank positions under Keter’s overwhelming aura, quickly got up and retreated. But even when they thought they were finally far enough away, the slashes kept coming.

Distance didn’t matter when it came to Authority, Seen and Slain. Once recognized, slashes came to attack. The five Grandmasters experienced this Authority for the first time, facing the threat of death every passing moment, even though they weren’t the ones fighting.

The slashes flew silently and without warning, imbued with the power of augmented aura, and only just before being cut did their intended direction become clear. They had to use their full strength to defend, and even then, it felt impossible for any human to block something like this.

“Th-this is a Transcendental’s Authority...!”

Cray wasn’t even swinging his sword. If he actually swung it... Jordic instinctively grabbed his neck. Just imagining it made him feel as if his throat were being sliced.

Two seconds. Even if I resisted with everything I have... I’d last two seconds.

A man who killed Grandmasters in just two seconds, that was a Prime.

Even from hundreds of meters away, the ground split and the forest collapsed with a deafening noise.

Once the slashes stopped flying toward him, Rajis finally calmed down enough to mutter, “Where in the world did that Transcendental come from?”

At that question, Jordic instinctively swallowed hard.

There was no way Rajis would miss that reaction.

“Jordic, don’t tell me...”

In return, Jordic grew angry. “Why are you looking at me like that? If I hadn’t called Cray, we would’ve been tortured by Keter for three days and nights. You should be grateful instead, shouldn’t you?”

“Are you seriously saying that? The Ghost Face Slayer is a slaughterer who killed thousands. Even I, who am neither a mage nor an incantor, could feel the grief of the dead lingering around. What did you pay him to get him to come? Jordic!”

“...Know your place, Rajis. Neither you nor I can even reach Keter’s feet. As I expected, no one can face Keter unless they are a Prime. And right now is an opportunity.”

“An opportunity?”

Gripping his spear tightly, Jordic glanced at the remaining Grandmasters, explaining, “No matter how strong Cray is as a Prime, there’s no way he can kill Keter without taking any damage. He will eventually be significantly injured or at least exhausted. When that time comes, we kill the Ghost Face Slayer. Then everything should be solved, wouldn’t it? We catch the tiger and the lion at the same time.”

Victory in the war, and honor for killing a slaughterer.

Excluding Rajis, the other three Grandmasters showed expressions that said they thought it was a good idea.

The commander of the Grand Corps expressed his agreement. “Truly a case of using one enemy to eliminate another. I’m impressed by the insight of the head of the Bydent family.”

Then, the commander of the Order of the Storm added, “Enduring the humiliation under Keter... it was all for this moment, wasn’t it? I am impressed.”

Of course, Jordic had absolutely no idea what Cray would actually do. He was merely trying to justify his cowardness and pretend it had all been a part of his plan. The other Grandmasters were aware of it and still allowed it because none of them would take any harm from it. All of them but one, Rajis.

Rajis glared at Jordic with a displeased expression. However, he didn’t openly refuse either. After all, the Ghost Face Slayer was someone who needed to die, that much was certain. He was a top-level criminal marked for execution by the kingdom.

But Keter? While Rajis did think Keter needed to be stopped before more casualties occurred, he never intended to kill him.

“Killing Cray is the right move, but Keter must not die.”

“Rajis, judging from the blood running down your forehead, you must’ve hurt your head. How about taking some rest?”

“As Lord Jordic said, we should conserve our strength. If the Ghost Face Slayer ends up killing Keter too easily, we might find ourselves in danger as well.”

Tesla naturally bet on Keter’s defeat. Even experiencing a Prime’s force for a brief moment had been overwhelmingly terrifying, after all. Keter was certainly strong as well, but a Transcendental’s Authority broke the laws of the world. It was the difference between doing the impossible and making the impossible possible.

Just then, a massive explosion erupted, right where Keter and Cray were fighting.

Boom!

A shockwave swept over the group even though they were hundreds of meters away. It was so powerful that trees were ripped from the ground and sent flying through the air. When all sounds of battle vanished shortly afterward, the five swallowed hard.

A victor has been decided!

Barely three minutes had passed. In that short span, the fight had concluded.

Keter is a monster after all. He lasted three whole minutes against a Prime.

Jordic naturally assumed Keter had died. Even Rajis, the only one who had taken Keter’s side, was certain of his death.

Damn it, I hesitated again. I should’ve acted, not talked.

He should have helped Keter and killed the Ghost Face Slayer, but that brief moment of hesitation had decided the outcome.

As Rajis was blaming himself, Jordic shouted, “We don’t have time to stand around here. Before the Ghost Face Slayer recovers, we need to go and—”

At that moment, Tesla cut him off and pointed with his sword. “Wait, someone is approaching.”

At his words, the others tightened their grip on their weapons and scanned their surroundings.

Something flew from the sky and landed at their feet. They didn’t attack immediately since it wasn’t alive. It was something covered in hair. Jordic, who was the first to recognize it, was horrified.

“Shit!”

It was a human head. Jordic wasn’t so faint-hearted that he would panic just from seeing a severed head. The problem was whose head it was.

“Th-the Ghost Face Slayer?”

Rajis stared at the severed head in disbelief. He had only seen the face briefly today, but how could anyone forget it? That grotesquely twisted, ghost-like face was one someone could never forget once they saw it. And now, that same face was lying on the ground, pale and lifeless, with its tongue lolling out. A chill ran down their spines.

“K-K-Keter won...?”

“N-no way.

Oh!

Keter must have self-destructed. He surely realized he couldn’t win and blew himself up! Didn’t it sound like the world was collapsing? There’s no way he survived an explosion like that!”

“Indeed. That makes sense!”

“Do you wish I had died?”

“What an obvious statement!”

“

Hmm?

”

“

Huh?

”

A voice that shouldn’t have been heard during that conversation was heard. It was Keter’s voice. The Grandmasters looked at one another. There were supposed to be five of them, yet they counted six people. Jordic, Rajis, Zion, Gargan, Keter, Tesla.

Keter, drenched in blood from head to toe, stood between Gargan and Tesla with his arms slung casually over their shoulders.

“It seems I should rather be sorry for surviving.”