Chapter 233: Buried Alive (13)

At that moment, I could only assume that the key to the Lurium heist was an unknown demolition specialist. The screams, magic, and panicked breaths leaking through their masks were all buried under the enormous landslide. Unless one of them had the power to literally carve out a vacuum within a mountain of dirt, there was no way to stop it.

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

The translucent shield that had held for a few seconds shrank, unable to bear the weight. The mage could barely protect himself, while the still-masked escort soldiers buried under the debris struggled helplessly.

Just as a few began to move again, another explosion erupted, and the floor caved in.

BOOM!

I was glad I hadn't gone out. The secondary collapse had been calculated so precisely that it didn't even reach the vent I was hiding in. I clung tightly to the pulley fixed to the ceiling.

CRASHHHH!

As if they had been holding back the water until just then, a rush of subterranean river water flooded in with the explosion and swept away the entire procession.

About ten minutes later, only the sound of rushing water remained. Only then did I slowly emerge and look at the scene. The entire tunnel ceiling was gone, along with the ground beneath, creating a new riverbed.

I hadn't done a thing. Looking down at the torrent below, it was clear: no one had survived that sudden flood. There was nothing left to do. It was almost embarrassing that things had gone far too smoothly.

Do I really deserve ten percent for this?

The plan had been executed with clockwork precision. If this was what I was getting for just showing up, maybe Rena included me just to give me a piece of the pie.

Rather than just standing around, I decided that I should at least check on the strike team. Maybe I could help. They wouldn't mind. I already knew where they'd be waiting.

I should go check it out.

Whoosh!

I exited through the vent once again. Outside, the collapsed mountainside came into view. The explosion had come from the top.

What kind of monster designed this demolition?

They even had access to real-time updates on the imperial transport changes. Rena's planning was genuinely impressive.

There were no signs of a response yet, maybe because it was on the outskirts. I headed toward the location Rena had mentioned, the place where the flood would wash them out.

When I arrived, the slaughter was nearly over.

BANG!

Naneow fired a round that struck the last mage's shield with brutal force.

"

Grrgh...

"

A man with a cross-shaped scar on his face clenched his fists. It was my second time seeing him. In my past life, when everyone was scrambling to recruit the newly promoted Rena, he was the one who had challenged the other T&T executives to settle it with duels.

He shouted something incomprehensible and threw a punch at the mage. "Silver fist of the dark night!"

The mage fired a fireball over a meter wide. It met the man's blue-glowing fist and exploded. Even from a distance, the heat was intense, but the man crouched low and charged forward through it.

The fire incinerated the surrounding bushes instantly, yet he came out the other side, barely singed. He kicked off a fallen ghost soldier's corpse and smashed his fist through the shield.

The barrier shattered.

CRACK!

As it collapsed, Naneow casually swung her scythe and decapitated the mage. "A pathetic end for such a famous name."

Mage Alohis' blood stained the charred earth.

Rena sat perched on top of the Lurium vault and waved. "

Oh

, what a surprise. You actually came? Thanks to you, everything went perfectly."

I didn't do anything, but she thanked me regardless.

"I came in case you needed help, but... doesn't seem like you did."

"Responsible as ever. But this team's stacked."

The man with the scar looked my way. "That guy one of us?"

Naneow nodded.

"Not human, huh? Interesting. Mind if I fight him?"

Crack.

The man clenched his fists.

"Stop it, Stieglitz. He's not a musclehead like you."

"You're probably stronger than me," I said to him as I waved him off.

Honestly, I was just eager to check out the Lurium. If he could punch through that fireball, I didn't stand a chance anyway.

Stieglitz released the energy from his fists and dropped his arms. "

Hmph...

"

I turned toward the vault. It was large, easily big enough to fit five people inside. The perfectly smooth vault had no openings or seams, yet no one seemed worried. Judging by their expressions, they'd already confirmed the contents and knew how to open it.

Tap.

I approached the vault.

This... is Lurium?

It wasn't fake. I could feel the immense power within, the whole five hundred liters of Lurium. I didn't need to open it, I just knew. Naneow probably felt it too since she had replaced all her blood with Lurium.

If I absorb fifty liters from this...

Just as I was immersed in the thrill, Rena called out, "Let's transport it first. Hey muscle man, give us a hand?"

"On it."

Stieglitz walked toward the vault, pleased to be useful. If I remembered right, we were going to transport it by airship.

As she hopped off the vault, Rena asked casually, "By the way, what's your relationship with Marquess Ivote?"

I froze and looked at her. It was a welcome question. I had planned to ask her about him myself, but she beat me to it.

What does she mean by relationship?

Just as I was about to explain everything that had happened with Rubia, a sound rang out.

Wuuuuuuuung...

"What was that?"

Naneow reacted first, tightening her grip on her scythe. The air twisted violently. A dark glow seeped from the tear in space, a scene I had witnessed before.

An oppressive déjà vu weighed down the air. Darkness twisted and clumped at a single point. It was just like that time. No, it was faster than before.

I shouted before I could even think. "Run!"

Shatter!

The sky split open. And

it,

the thing I'd seen twice before, emerged from the darkness. I glanced at Naneow and felt that something was wrong. She had noticed it first, but now she stood frozen, unable to react.

"Founder?"

CRACK!

The Ashen Knight walked up behind her and tore her throat out without resistance. He lifted her up and poured her silver blood straight into his mouth.

Shhhhhhhh...

Silver blood gushed into the Ashen Knight's open jaws. Even with her throat severed, Naneow didn't die right away, perhaps due to the Lurium or the postmortem spasms.

Naneow Tropin sprayed silver blood like a fountain. Her form danced somewhere beyond the boundary of reality.

Crunch!

The Ashen Knight tore her leg and devoured it, chewing, gnawing, devouring every last drop of Lurium. The sounds of chewing and tearing filled the air, and his helmet morphed into a long, wolf-like snout, ready to prey.

"Rena!"

I shook her by the shoulders. She was frozen in shock.

"I... I had no intel on that... nothing..."

The Ashen Knight had finished his meal. Like they'd been under hypnosis, the strike team finally began to snap out of it.

"Everyone, run," Rena said in a low voice.

No one needed to be told twice, but the three remaining men shook their heads. The two near the vault gripped their swords.

"That monster... just killed the founder..."

"We can't just run."

Stieglitz inhaled deeply. "

Hup

."

Air rushed toward him like a whirlpool.

"Don't get in my way."

Without a word or a battle cry, he charged the Ashen Knight with a punch. For a brief second, his sheer confidence made me believe he might win.

BOOM!

A burst of wind strong enough to make me stagger swept over my body as the still air exploded outward. He didn't even call out a skill name, yet the power gathered in his fist was incomparable to before. Had he used that kind of force underground, the secret passage would've completely collapsed.

The Ashen Knight casually sidestepped the attack and swung his greatsword with one hand.

SHRRAAK!

The blade cleaved straight through Stieglitz's arm. His arm, unburned even by that compressed fireball, was severed, and crimson blood sprayed into the air. Blood spurted from both the stump and the severed limb at once, creating the illusion that his arm had stretched before vanishing. The deep blue aura gathered in the lost limb flickered twice, then disappeared.

Stieglitz didn't cower. He laughed like a madman and swung his remaining fist.

"

Hahahahaha!

"

CRACK!

The Ashen Knight caught the incoming punch with his gauntlet.

CLANG!

Stieglitz slammed his forehead into the Ashen Knight's helmet. His brow split open, blood dripping down. It had no effect.

The knight looked down coldly and drove his sword straight into Stieglitz's abdomen. Then he flicked Stieglitz off his blade and sliced off his head.

The man who had challenged me to a duel earlier now lay motionless.

"Run!"

Rena tried to scream to the remaining team members, but there was no time to waste.

Sprint.

I covered her mouth and took off, holding her in my arms. Saving her came first. The last thing I saw as we escaped was the two remaining men charging the Ashen Knight with swords. Judging by the scattered corpses, they had taken down plenty of ghosts, but now they were being carved apart without even landing a hit.

[μποαίρ να κώάνω τηση.......]

The Ashen Knight was too close and too fast to shake off.

I hurriedly said, "Run. I'll buy you time."

"That's nonsense, you

mmph

!"

I covered Rena's mouth.

"His attacks don't work on me."

However, I couldn't be sure it'd be the same this time. I didn't need her answer. I tossed her far away, and the moment I felt the enemy within range, I swung my greatsword behind me.

SHWIP!

However, I sliced only empty air. The enchanted sword that had cut Stieglitz's arm and my Grassmere greatsword passed through each other at the same moment.

[Acquired skill: Slash Lv. 2.]

[Acquired skill: Slash Lv. 3.]

It happened again. The Ashen Knight looked at me. His circuits flickered. I wasn't even close in speed or strength, but his attacks didn't work on me. When I hit him, even though the blows passed through, I could tell it bothered him. There was some kind of effect.

[Sword Energy Lv. 3: Maximum Output.]

[Skill: Suction Lv. 5 activated.]

[Acid Lv. 5...]

[Skill: Frost Storm Lv. 1 activated.]

[Flare of Detonation...]

His attacks did nothing to me. While my attacks passed through, they clearly dealt damage. With that, I unleashed everything I had. I poured all my strength into a reckless, full-force swing.

FWOOSH!

The knight stepped lightly and soared into the air. As he hovered, wings of countless blades unfurled from his back. He shot through the sky straight for Rena.

SHLICK!

A black flash tore through her, splitting her in two. The left side, where her heart was, hit the ground first with a splat. The right side landed ten meters away, guts spilling out. Her lips moved faintly, as if trying to say something.

The world trembled like an earthquake. All the words Rena had ever spoken to me rushed through my head. As if in a trance, I instinctively opened her status window. Nothing came up—no name, no Affection, no mention that she was a scenario-completed character. It was instant death.

[αίμπορ ην κσώάτη!]

SWISHHHHH!

The Ashen Knight, still airborne, drew something from his chest and hurled it at me. The space around me twisted dark and damp, an amorphous void. Up, down, future, past—everything blurred.

Within that distortion, I slowly lost consciousness. I had no thoughts of my identity or what to do.

Sprint.

All I could do was raise my sword and strike back.

SCREECH!

The Ashen Knight threw something at me, and the world twisted into chaos once again.