“I can’t believe this!”
Basel, now completely covered by a black curtain.
In an instant, the bright sun turned into a black sun.
The oppressive darkness descended all around, creating an illusion of being in the Demon World.
Since I was close to the edge of the curtain, I knocked on it with thump thump, but…
Of course, it didn’t budge.
As soon as I touched it, I got a feeling.
This is a wall that can’t even be scratched by my power or telekinesis.
Just in case, I tried to place Kali’s dead soul against the barrier wall, but it was useless.
The demonic energy was completely blocked, and I couldn’t absorb it with the dead soul.
This solid wall is definitely…
“A perfect barrier.”
A barrier.
There are many types, including barriers that block sound, light, mana, and so on.
But what’s called a perfect barrier is the ultimate form of a barrier.
It makes it impossible for the inside and outside to influence each other, no matter what.
In other words, we are trapped in a reality completely disconnected from the outside.
So how do we get out of here?
There are two methods.
Wait until the spellcaster can no longer maintain the barrier, or…
Eliminate the spellcaster.
So it means that just because we’re trapped in a perfect barrier, there’s no need to panic.
The urgent one isn’t me, but the counterpart who has to kill me before the barrier disappears.
“What the hell did you do!!! Because of you! Thanks to you stealing the Great Druid’s item and walking around so boldly, we’re being tracked!”
“What’s all this fuss about? Calm down.”
“Calm down? I’ll die! I’ll die! Everyone…!”
But Trancilvia’s state is strange.
Not only is she much stronger than the Four Heavenly Kings, but she’s also at a higher realm than me.
To put it bluntly, her fighting power wouldn’t be outmatched even if fighting both of the Four Heavenly Kings at once.
And yet, this Trancilvia is this flustered?
What’s up with her? Wasn’t she a monster?
“Return that mana stone to the Great Druid immediately! If you do, there might not be a bloodbath!”
“No. How can I return this to someone who’s already dead?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“This. It’s a mana stone created by killing Kali and gathering her demonic energy.”
“What the…?”
Trancilvia’s expression twisted, and she turned pale.
No, she was already pale to begin with, so it’s not like she got paler.
Anyway, she registered shock and then subtly took a step back.
Seeing her so surprised, it seems she knows nothing about Kali’s dead soul.
I shouldn’t have mentioned it.
Now I’ve exposed my side.
“I can’t believe this! So you’re even suffering from delusions now! You’re seriously insane!”
“If you don’t want to believe it, then don’t.”
“I warned you! Return the stolen item! That’s the most peaceful way!”
“The other side didn’t come to get items. There’s no way to avoid a fight. Let’s face it!”
“You’ve lost your mind! Face off? Don’t say something ridiculous! I won’t side with anyone! I’ve always kept neutrality between monsters and humans! That’s my creed!”
I know well that Trancilvia maintains neutrality, not supporting either monsters or humans.
Yet she’s backing out in a situation where she’s being attacked unilaterally?
This is different from the Trancilvia I know.
The Trancilvia I know is aggressive and doesn’t shy away from a fight when approached.
“Maintaining neutrality? Is that right? If you’re a monster, shouldn’t you know this world is doomed in 1000 years? With a body that can theoretically live eternally, are you just going to die quietly when the world ends in 1000 years? Isn’t that contradictory?”
“Shut up! You shortsighted fool! Maybe because you’re a human, you can’t see the bigger picture!”
“You’re not scared, are you?”
“What? Hah! Seriously! Scared? Me? Trancilvia, who can destroy an army single-handedly, scared? It seems your mouth is spewing nonsense. Fine, I’ll let it slide for today! I have somewhere to be! I’m definitely not running in fear!”
After venting all her frustration,
Trancilvia quickly got on her horse and disappeared into the mountains.
“She ran scared.”
“······Scared, I guess.”
It’s painfully obvious she was scared.
Did she have trauma from being badly beaten by the Four Heavenly Kings in the past?
Seems there’s no way to catch her again as she bolts in terror like that.
It looks like getting Trancilvia’s help is impossible now.
So now, it’s just Mi Jeong and me, confronting whoever cast this barrier…
“Feel anything?”
“······It’s quiet.”
Even after calming my breath and activating mana control to focus my senses, everything remains silent.
Even employing extrasensory perception, I don’t feel any mana or demonic energy moving.
“Are they planning to attack with a time lag? Let’s head to the village first. I need to check if Tay is safe.”
“······Okay.”
It seems there’s still time until the attack.
I need to meet Tay as soon as possible.
She’s the artisan who will handle my mana stone processing for life.
If something happened to her, it would be a problem.
“Uaaaah! What the hell is going on?!”
“This is the end! The end is here!”
“Everyone run away! We must evacuate!”
“The road is blocked?! They say a wall has been erected?!”
The streets of Basel are a complete mess.
It’s total chaos.
Some are out with crosses, crying out to the sky,
while others pack and set off to flee,
and some simply give up and pray silently.
There are all sorts of types, but one commonality remains.
They all totally failed to predict this situation.
They had no idea that a being could spread a barrier this enormous.
“Is it Belphegor’s doing?”
This thick, suffocating demonic energy.
I’m not the best at distinguishing demonic energy scents, but I can’t shake the feeling of familiarity.
It’s almost certain that Belphegor was involved in the creation of this barrier.
But does Belphegor have the power to cover the whole of Basel with a perfect barrier?
That seems a bit ambiguous.
So far, Belphegor has been sucking power from contract holders, and she’s still in the pre-awakening phase.
Is she already this strong?
Something feels off.
“Please evacuate! This building will now be closed!”
“Hey! Hurry up and get out!”
Finally, I’ve arrived at Tay’s workshop.
It’s just as chaotic as everywhere else.
Many well-trained employees must be helping to keep it somewhat in order, but it’s still a mess.
“······Hey, the ground, kid.”
“Ah! Tay!”
Just then, Mi Jeong tugged at my sleeve, helping me spot her.
After getting off the elevator, I see Tay surrounded by bodyguards, heading somewhere.
As I weave through the crowd and wave my hand, Tay finally sees me and stops.
“Tay! You can’t stop! Quickly to the shelter…!”
“Let go! Being near that person is the safest!”
Despite the bodyguards’ objections, Tay dashes towards me.
And then she bumps her forehead right into my stomach.
Wrapping her arms around my waist, she looks up at me with worried eyes.
“I’m so glad! Ahh! I was so scared! I feel better now that the investor is here!”
“Are you safe? Not hurt? What about the workshop?”
“Everyone is safe. When the sky turned black suddenly, everyone panicked, but… we haven’t taken any direct damage yet.”
“Is there a place to evacuate?”
“Yes. When the building was constructed, a shelter was built underground. It’s ample enough to accommodate all employees.”
“Then hide there. Oh, and burn all the letters that came to me.”
“Why?”
“Because I need to eliminate all evidence linking you and me. If things go wrong, you could face retaliation.”
“······!”
Tay’s eyes widen.
Perhaps she hadn’t anticipated such extreme outcomes.
“I-I don’t want to! That can’t happen! Please promise me you’ll return without dying!”
“I will. But just in case—”
“There’s no ‘just in case’!”
“There is. We always have to prepare for the worst. If those letters get found, it’ll be trouble for both of us. So they need to be burned. Do you understand?”
“Yes······.”
Despite trembling like she’s having a seizure as she protests,
once I grip her shoulder and explain calmly, Tay quickly calms down and agrees.
“After that, you’ll hide immediately in the shelter. By the time you come outside, the sky will be clear again.”
“Is there nothing I can do to help you?”
“No. You being safe is the biggest help. That way, I can fight without worry.”
“That’s true… I’ll trust you and wait!”
Then she clenches her fist tightly and looks at me with determination.
Smart girl.
She won’t do anything reckless.
I ruffle her hair roughly before pushing her away.
“Go quickly! Don’t look back!”
“Yes······!”
Tay races off.
We step out of the workshop, back into the city filled with chaos.
Now I see the workshop employees guiding citizens to the shelter.
They said there was enough room, but are they letting in complete strangers too?
That’s definitely a typical Tay approach.
“······What’s the plan?”
Among all the chaos, Mi Jeong cautiously asks.
It seems she’s afraid of fighting in such a crowded place.
“First, we need to lead the enemy away. To a place with fewer people.”
“······How?”
The worst-case scenario is getting attacked in the densely populated downtown area.
If Belphegor appears, exuding that thick demonic energy, every one of the thousands here will be dead or severely injured.
We have to avoid that at all costs.
So, we have one countermeasure set up.
“They’ve been chasing Kali’s dead soul, right? I hid it in a place with fewer people.”
“······Where?”
As soon as Mi Jeong asked,
Kablam!
“Ahhhh?!”
“An explosion?”
“A calamity! The calamity has finally begun!”
In the distance, a great roar and black smoke rise from the mountains.
That’s it.
“I secretly put it in the bag hanging from Trancilvia’s saddle.”
“······Wow.”
Mi Jeong gapes in awe.
They must have picked up the scent of Kali’s dead soul and come all the way here.
It seems that with camouflage, they can’t smell it, so I hid it while cloaked and attached it to the saddle.
What if we remove the camouflage here?
Trancilvia will attract the attack from those pursuing Kali’s dead soul.
We just identified the enemy’s location with that recent explosion.
Now, while Trancilvia fights, we can join in and intercept together.
“······Seriously. That’s mean.”
“What did I do?”
It’s a common tactic.
Leading NPCs with bait items and tracking them back.
True, evil types usually give such items to weak NPCs that can’t resist.
Since I gave it to one of the strongest in this world, I’m somewhat on the benign side.
Besides, I couldn’t bring that dangerous thing into the city.
There was no other way to avoid putting innocent citizens at risk.
After all, the blood ghouls aren’t exactly human.
Don’t really care if they get hit in the back of the head or not.
“······I will, for life. Yoo Jin, always.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
“······Absolutely. Will never betray.”
“Uh-huh.”
“······No matter what happens, absolutely, absolutely.”
“Thanks, I get it. Why do you keep repeating yourself?”
As I rush towards the site of the explosion, Mi Jeong’s grip on my hand tightens as she keeps repeating the same phrase.
Why is she suddenly acting like this?
