Chapter 84

The Laws of Betrayal (2)

Iratum’s lower body lay on the ground. Even those remains were burning fiercely in the lingering flames of Dragon Rage Explosion[E].

'There goes his heart.'

It was a shame... but that was fine. It was far better than wasting my chance to finish Iratum off by trying to use Predation[S+].

Iratum was immensely powerful. The way he had overwhelmed Isolde was proof enough. Of course, she hadn’t been in good shape after using Divine Ascension. But considering the Iratum I’d seen in my previous life...

'Even at her best, it wouldn’t have made much difference.'

Even though I had returned to the past, Iratum was still Iratum. In a proper fight, Isolde and I couldn’t have beaten him even if we gave it everything we had. I couldn’t let greed over Predation[S+] ruin this.

More importantly, there was little to gain from using Predation[S+] on Iratum’s ability, Pact of the Abyss[?].

◆Pact of the Abyss[?]

: The bound individual’s soul is connected to the Negative Dimension. By freely wielding the energy of the Negative Dimension, the bound individual can use ᚛⦸ϻäⓑℰ౦ҭΐ₵, as well as ԋȉ๓, ɏųҝⱪԫἓⅉҝ, Ꮹἁᶇցℌ₳, and ⅾƌҝάԝໍռⱬҝ ίռѕἰḵ.

For starters, I had no idea what that garbled text meant. What if I used Predation[S+] and ended up connected to the Sovereign of the Abyss? I might have to keep listening to its whispers.

Of course, Player’s Will[EX] would keep my mind from collapsing, but it didn’t grant complete immunity. In many ways, blowing Iratum away had been the best choice.

Just as I finished sorting through those thoughts, I sensed a strange gaze from one side. I turned to find Isolde staring at me.

"..."

Her ogre mask hid her face and expression, but it was obvious she would be wearing an impassive look. Isolde’s displays of emotion weren’t merely rare; they were practically nonexistent.

Yet Find Weakness[U] told me she was surprised. And worried...?

'Oh.'

Come to think of it, both my arms had been blown off. Fortunately(?), Isolde knew about my Regeneration[B+], so she didn’t seem too concerned. She merely seemed worried something had gone wrong, since I wasn’t using it.

'So she does know how to worry about someone.'

Since Isolde never showed her emotions, this was news to me. Without Find Weakness[U], I would never have known.

Anyway, nothing was actually wrong, but Dragon Rage Explosion[E] was a skill that consumed all my calories. In other words, I couldn’t use Regeneration[B+] until I replenished them.

So I took some oil out of my Inventory.

"Could you pick up that oil can on the ground for me?"

"..."

"As you can see, my hands aren’t exactly available right now."

I flailed both arms, which were completely gone below the elbows.

'Still, my increased Stamina helped me withstand it somewhat.'

My explosive growth in the Infinite Labyrinth had made my body tougher. What would once have blown my arms off all the way to my shoulders had now stopped at my elbows.

Of course...

"I’m sorry, but could you feed it to me as well?"

That didn’t change the fact that I couldn’t do anything on my own.

* * *

Red light bathed the alleys of a pleasure quarter where raucous laughter and suggestive cries never ceased.

The red-light district.

"Godmother, word is the Black Grasp has finally broken through the black market’s defenses."

Lyla, Godmother of the Crimson Soiree, listened to the stream of reports from her subordinates.

"The Vister alliance’s forces are advancing on the black market as well."

"The attacker rampaging through the black market is preventing the Ashen Mask from mounting a proper response."

"Godmother, things aren’t looking good."

"Shouldn’t we join in, even now?"

"If the black market falls, whether to the attacker or to the Black Grasp..."

The Crimson Soiree’s Visters voiced their concerns, but Lyla was firm.

"No. The Crimson Soiree will not make a move."

Of course, as her subordinates said, it wouldn’t be good for someone else to take the black market, whether it was the unidentified attacker or the Black Grasp. But...

"What gambler goes all in with a hand that clearly can’t win?"

"... Pardon?"

"It means the Black Grasp is finished too."

With a meaningful look in her eyes, Lyla continued.

"Which of you has been with the Crimson Soiree the longest?"

"I’ve been here about four years."

"Hmm... That’s quite a while."

Four years was indeed quite a while. Surviving four years in Violess, where murder and violence occurred practically every day, was no easy feat.

By that measure...

"For me, it’s been thirty-two years."

Lyla had lasted thirty-two.

"From my days as a courtesan in the red-light district to becoming the Godmother of the Crimson Soiree, that is."

"..."

"When I was a courtesan, there was no Crimson Soiree in the red-light district. Back then, it was called the Scarlet Mask Gang."

Lyla briefly lowered her gaze as though reminiscing.

"Eleonora. She was the madam of the Scarlet Mask Gang. She was truly beautiful. A noblewoman from a count’s house, you see. A fallen house, admittedly."

"..."

"Dazzling beauty. A sharp intellect. I suppose you could say there was elegance in her every movement."

"..."

"Ah, so that’s what a noble is. That was when I learned some people were different from us from birth."

"..."

"Her heart was as beautiful as her face. So she pitied us. Us, who spread our legs for men whose names and faces we didn’t even know."

"..."

"She did so much to help us find other work. That’s when I learned to weave. Madam taught me herself, so I could leave Violess and make a life elsewhere."

"..."

"But sex slaves kept coming in through the black market. To break that vicious cycle, Madam rallied all the Visters of Violess and declared war on the black market."

And then...

"She was gone. In an instant."

For some reason, Lyla’s voice was trembling.

"Are you saying the Ashen Mask has that much hidden strength?"

"No."

Lyla shook her head slightly.

"Do you think I’d be afraid of the likes of the Ashen Mask?"

"That wasn’t what I meant, but..."

"The Ashen Mask is nothing. And it isn’t the Ashen Mask that rules the black market."

"What do you mean...?"

"Violess used to be a land of mercenaries that even the kingdom couldn’t touch. Then, at some point, it became a city of criminals. Why do you think that happened?"

"Well..."

"There’s someone hiding behind the Ashen Mask."

Lyla’s red hair slipped softly past her shoulders.

"An absurd monster that wiped out those mercenaries in an instant, when even the kingdom’s army couldn’t deal with them."

* * *

I gulped down the oil Isolde fed me like a baby bird.

She said little. With her expression hidden behind the ogre mask, I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. Even Find Weakness[U] couldn’t reveal her intentions.

'Does it only work when there’s a strong emotional reaction?'

Apparently, it wasn’t all-powerful. Or perhaps that was just because this was Isolde.

In any case, the replenished calories allowed me to restore both my missing arms with Regeneration[B+].

But I still needed more calories. Just as I was about to take another can of oil out of my Inventory...

ROOOOOOOAR!!

An immense roar suddenly erupted.

* * *

A dragon of flame had briefly lit up the night sky over Violess. All the Visters were stunned by the overwhelming sight, but only for a moment.

ROOOOOOOOOAR!!

A roar suddenly swept outward with enough force to seemingly shake the earth itself. The Visters staggered and fell like branches caught in a storm. The ear-shattering shock wave tore through the air and spread across all of Violess, hurling them to the ground.

"Aaaaaaargh!!"

One Vister clutched his ears and screamed in agony.

Blood streamed from his ears, as though his eardrums had ruptured, and he lost his balance and toppled backward.

The other Visters fared no better. Some were sent flying, unable to withstand the shock wave. Others passed out as though struck hard on the head. Still others crashed into walls and the ground, collapsing in heaps.

"Aaaaaaagh!!"

"H-help me!!"

In an instant, everything had descended into pandemonium. The surroundings were a wreck, as though an explosion had torn through them. All the buildings had been reduced to rubble, leaving an unobstructed view. And so they could see something truly overwhelming in the Ruins District, a fair distance from the black market.

The dark-red mist slowly cleared, revealing a gigantic figure over forty meters tall. Its skin had a hard, rocky texture. The muscles of its arms and legs were rough, as though boulders had fused together.

Strange dark-red patterns intertwined across its skin, and several enormous hump-like protrusions rose from its back. They resembled tangled roots of an ancient tree, shifting rhythmically with the immense monster’s movements.

Then its eyes opened halfway, blazing red.

"Wh-what... is that thing...?"

Terror and confusion filled the face of Sarpedon, leader of the Black Grasp. A persistent ringing filled his ears. His vision blurred, and his legs trembled from the impact, refusing to support him.

Looking around, he saw that every last Vister was suffering. The Black Grasp, the Vister alliance, even the Ashen Mask. There were no exceptions. Some were bleeding. Others lay sprawled on the ground.

All this had happened from just a single roar.

Just then, the fallen Visters began getting up one by one. Gradually, the look in their eyes began to change.

"Die!!!"

With a shrill cry, one Vister swung his weapon at the comrade beside him.

"I’ll turn you into a bloody mess!!"

Others followed, shouting and taking up their weapons. Mercilessly, they turned those weapons on the fellow Visters they had been fighting alongside only moments before.

"Kill them! Kill them all!!"

"Gahahaha! Ahahahahaha!!"

They stabbed and bludgeoned each other, venting their rage instinctively and blindly. The dull thuds of blunt weapons striking skulls echoed throughout Violess, and piercing screams erupted as flesh was sliced open.

Sarpedon’s thoughts froze solid. His mind went blank.

The lingering echo of the roar still hung in the air. A destructive force that swept everything away. Sarpedon’s sanity snapped.

"Fight if you want to fight, and kill if you want to kill! That is the law of Violess!!"

In an instant, the streets of Violess were awash with blood and chaos.

* * *

A thunderous sound struck with enough force to seemingly crush our bones. Isolde and I staggered. I hurriedly collected myself and steadied my vision.

WHOOOOOOSH!!

Dark-red mist was pouring like a waterfall from Iratum’s lower body where it lay on the ground. It fused with his remains, making his body grow.

It grew seemingly without end, only stopping once it had reached a full forty meters in height.

"What in the..."

Isolde was beyond surprised. She was aghast. So was I, but for a rather different reason.

'He came back to life?'

... That made no sense. After all, a translucent message had appeared confirming Iratum’s death.

The messages might be a little insane at times, but they never lied. In other words, Iratum had most definitely died.

'Then how in the world...?'

Swallowing my questions, I activated Predatory Instincts[S].

==<Entity Information>==

Entity: Kraulgar

Classification: Kingdom Chaos, Class Abyss, Order Ancient Divine Tree, Species Monstrous Beast

Sex: Androgyne

Age: ????? years

Traits: One Conceived from Anger[?]

"Damn it!"

I gritted my teeth without realizing it.