30 – Egon. (2)
Rian didn’t run away. He judged that rather than fleeing, not doing so would increase his chances of survival.
The assassin he faced just before was chewed up by his own shadow. There was no rule that said it wouldn’t happen to Rian.
So, it might be better to stand his ground and respond to the attack.
“You didn’t run away.”
Egon opened his mouth. It was just one word, but the power contained in that ‘word’ was far from ordinary. The ordinary folks might not feel it, but Rian clearly saw it in his eyes.
Thump, thump, thump…!
The magic in the air vibrated like crazy.
Looking up and down Rian’s body, Egon spoke in a regretful tone.
“There will be no pain.”
As Egon’s muttering ceased, the shadow of Ryan writhed.
Screams echoed…!!
Chilling sounds. Alongside it, a cool darkness began to rise through Ryan’s spine. Simultaneously, his body became heavier. It was no illusion. From the moment Egon spread his magic, the air became that much denser.
An attack imperceptible even as a momentary omen.
However, Ryan’s transcendent senses detected him before the shadows could fully materialize.
‘…Behind!’
Expelling a rough breath, he twisted his upper body, avoiding the oppressive pressure as if being crushed. The attack wasn’t just one thing.
Thud!
A shadow shot up from below, aiming for Ryan’s ankle like a blade.
Ryan remained unfazed. Bending his knees deeply, he bounced off the ground like a spring, evading the attack. It wasn’t just one attack.
‘…Is the medium of the attack darkness? Or is it the shadows?’
Before Ryan could finish his thought, crimson daggers emerged from the void, surrounding him from all directions.
Considering those hidden by darkness, their numbers roughly amounted to hundreds.
Swish!
Not blindly shot. They adjusted their paths organically, following Ryan’s movements. The system was so intricate that it seemed impossible that it was created in an instant.
‘Can’t evade.’
There was still a long way to go before his feet touched the ground. Even if he broke through in one direction, attacks would come from the unbroken side.
The only way to survive was to simultaneously neutralize the attacks coming from all directions.
Then…!
Lian gathered mana to the limit in both hands and collided his fists together.
Twa-a-a-ng!
The shockwave amplified through the gauntlet. The amount of mana was so vast that it was difficult to classify it as a fourth-order.
The result of the two conditions combined was enough to neutralize Egon’s attack.
“…Hm.”
Egon’s mouth slowly curled up as he watched the blades bouncing off in all directions. Very unsettling.
“Not bad at all.”
-Tak.
As he said that and took a step forward, he instantly moved several tens of meters.
The speed surpassed the mere level of being “fast” and could be described as suddenly appearing from thin air.
“…!!”
If he allowed the attack, he would die.
Lian hastily retreated. He narrowly avoided Egon’s hand aiming for his neck, but he couldn’t prevent it from grabbing onto his collar.
And then, he was thrown.
Twa-a-a-ng!
With the sound of the air bursting, an overwhelming sense of weightlessness covered his body. It was a speed so distant that it was difficult to even move his body, let alone regain his composure.
“Damn it…!”
Lian gritted his teeth and gathered mana while falling. He couldn’t avoid the collision.
As he enveloped his body with mana as if to protect it, Lian’s body collided with the wall. An overwhelmingly intense impact spread through his back.
◈
Qua-gua-gua-gua!
The wall, unable to withstand the destructive force, crumbled down, and Lian’s new body bounced away just as it was.
It felt like the entire mansion was about to collapse. Lian desperately clung to his fading consciousness. It wasn’t a magical attack, just a force that threw him away. Yet, it held such power.
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Lian swallowed the boiling blood and got up.
A sense of helplessness incomparable to facing a large beast. However, instead of losing himself to panic, Lian chose to regulate his breath and adjust his posture.
“It’s been a long time.”
Egon twisted his lips and approached, facing this way.
“Even knowing who I am, there was a junior who made such an expression.”
Phu-hwaaah!
Terrifying darkness erupted behind Egon just as he finished speaking.
All the surrounding light vanished in an instant, and a profound silence covered the ruined dining area.
Magic so dense that it could choke one’s breath. Soon, a horrible sensation, as if thousands of spiders with legs crawled, overwhelmed Lian.
Hallucination?
He briefly considered that. But there was no reason for it. Lian trusted his own physical senses and innate magical perception. What was happening was undoubtedly real.
Squish!
However, as if nothing was wrong, Lian crushed the spiders crawling up his body with his hands.
“….”
For some reason, Egon, who could kill Lian at any moment, did not do so.
Egon raised an eyebrow while looking at Lian. Even under extreme pressure, instead of being afraid, Lian was igniting determination as he looked at Egon. Such a guy was not common.
“…Interesting.”
The creatures that thrive on fear, the dark insects (暗蟲), hesitating even to insert their fangs. Their indecision held a clear meaning.
For that young one, facing imminent death was not the least bit frightening.
‘… He’s contemplating whether to kill me or not.’
Lian thought so.
As darkness deepened and the number of venomous insects increased, there was no cause for concern. Even in this situation, Lian’s mind remained sharp.
Egon’s affiliation with the Black Society made him one of the targets for the ‘Project’ conducted by the government.
And Egon is unaware of the existence of that project.
It’s not just a passing remark.
The fact that a formidable figure like Egon revealed himself in this area was evidence that he couldn’t have remained ignorant.
‘If he knew about the project, he would have attacked immediately, starting with the scrap market.’
That’s why Lian could dare to guarantee.
In the current state where subordinate organizations of the Black Society are being hunted, they will never collide with the ‘Laplace Mercenary Corps.’
To directly state affiliation with the mercenary corps would be foolish. The most crucial thing now is not to disturb Egon’s state of mind.
So.
‘I have to make him deduce it himself.’
Tchtchtchtch…!
As Lian made his decision, magic flowed through the gem embedded in the center of the gauntlet. Piercing through the pitch-black darkness, a faint blue light spread around.
“…”
Egon’s eyes narrowed. His gaze shifted from Lian’s face to the gauntlet.
“That gauntlet.”
“……”
“I’m curious where you got it from. I’d appreciate it if you explained.”
Lian stared at Egon without immediately responding. In the next moment, the venomous insects crawling around them turned into a black mist.
But instead of feeling relieved, Lian focused all his attention on organizing his thoughts.
If he made even a single mistake, his life would be immediately forfeit.
He couldn’t lie.
But it would be acceptable to lead the other person into a misconception.
“…I received it from my master.”
His heart started pounding.
After what felt like an eternity, Egon slowly opened his mouth.
“Of course. There’s no way that woman would spare a thief who stole my belongings.”
Egon’s pupils were filled with an unprecedented interest. As a high-ranking warrior with a reputation both inside and outside the barriers, it would be impossible to kill Hwang, who was just a fledgling, if they truly had a master-disciple relationship.
Thunk!
As Egon flicked his finger, the darkness that had been engulfing the surroundings disappeared as if it were a lie.
“You’re lucky. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have paid any attention to that woman… but now is not the time to make unnecessary enemies.”
“……”
“But there’s one thing I need to make clear.”
Egon, who had suddenly approached Lian, looked down at him with calm eyes. At some point, his right hand held the severed upper body of an assassin, which had turned into a lump of clay.
Plop.
The skin was withered and horribly cracked. It was so damaged that it was hard to believe the person had died just a few minutes ago.
Blatant intimidation. It meant attaching today’s incident to the underworld.
Instead of responding, Lian slowly nodded.
Matching words wasn’t that difficult.
As Egon turned away, his footsteps concealed the traces as if they were lies.
“…”
Whether it was Aliana, the paladin of Axtus, or Egon himself.
Once they reached a certain level, did the mighty not face constraints in space?
Lian wiped his forehead.
“I almost died.”
It was fortunate he played the role of a knight; had he drawn a dagger, he would have been killed without mercy.
How many times had he faced the brink of death in just a week?
Lian lowered his gaze and looked at the gauntlet on his hand.
Three days until the project is completed.
Surviving today was uncertain luck, and there was no guarantee this luck would continue.
This couldn’t go on.
He needed to become stronger.
With a determined expression, Lian moved towards the direction of the war room.
*****
Inside the situation room, where thousands of screens were displayed.
Even with dozens of people coming and going, the only audible sounds were the rustling of papers and mechanical noises.
Cold to the point of feeling mechanical, an alien scene unfolded.
Yet, in the Information Bureau of the government, such a sight was nothing out of the ordinary.
Beep! Beep beep!
With the sound of a secured entrance marked with reinforced incantations opening, a man revealed himself in the control room.
Director of the Information Bureau.
Seated as if it were routine, he gazed at the screens transitioning every second. The displays from state-of-the-art surveillance cameras depicted none other than the outskirts of the sector.
“Proceed with the briefing.”
The cold voice of the Information Bureau Director resonated, and a middle-aged man standing by as if waiting activated the hologram screen.
One of the three giants ruling over Tulas’ underworld.
The headquarters of the Partisan Gang appeared on the screen.
“While the Partisan Gang seems to show no significant movement on the surface, since more than half of this photo was taken at the time of the murders, they have been secretly hiring freelancers and mercenaries-.”
“Get to the point quickly.”
“Regardless of whether the information related to the project is perfectly controlled, it will soon explode.”
“The direction of the explosion?”
“Most likely towards the Red Gate.”
“The operation was successful.”
The Information Bureau Director smirked and activated one of the circuits.
“Did you hear?”
The next moment, a deep voice echoed in the room.
– We need to accelerate the deadline.
It was Jason.
*****