Chapter 103

Rë​ad ｏn̈& ;ＫαтR​​ｅàd‍ｉngĊαƒｅ

What exactly is that?

Ariene, the vice-captain of the 2nd Division, pondered.

The perpetrator of the researcher massacre incident.

A highly dangerous individual for whom capture was deemed impossible, leading to a kill order.

It has the form of a human and speaks like a human, but can that truly be called human?

It was the first time she had ever felt such a presence.

It felt like seeing flames wrapped in a shell.

It was an odd expression, but no other words came to mind.

Skeleton, muscles, internal organs, skin, and everything else.

All of it is human. The girl with the red fox mask is undoubtedly a ‘human’.

That’s why it’s confusing. Can something like that be definitively called a human?

Throughout her life, she had detected countless presences.

Each individual had a unique presence, and among them, there were often distinctive ones.

Supernaturals had even more pronounced characteristics.

In the case of her husband, it felt like seeing a concentrated mass of thunderclouds.

The higher the level of a supernatural, the more unique their presence becomes.

However, even accounting for that, this was unprecedented.

It’s like… yes, like something wearing the ‘shell’ of a human.

Everything is human, but that’s just a disguise.

What lies inside is unknown.

To investigate that, detecting from a distance has its limits.

She would need to make physical contact and use her ability.

But in a situation where captain-class supernaturals are clashing, Ariene attempting to make contact would be reckless. She is an excellent supernatural as the vice-captain of the 2nd Division, but there is a clear gap between captains and vice-captains.

Ultimately, Ariene decided to put her doubts aside for now and focus on what she could do immediately.

First, she needed to guide the young sprouts to safety so they wouldn’t get caught up in the fight.

Ariene spread her perception widely.

Invisible ripples spread out from her like a net.

Detecting all presences within her range would be inefficient.

She selectively filtered the necessary presences and mapped them in her mind.

“The monsters’ behavior patterns are still abnormal.”

All the monsters detected within her range were rushing toward one place.

The center of the park, where the captains’ battle was unfolding.

Even high rank monsters were recklessly charging into a battlefield where they could be killed.

Some even ignored the Celestial Corps heroes attacking them, blindly rushing forward.

Their mindless movement, even as their bodies were torn apart, raised many questions.

Sometimes, there are monsters that dominate other monsters.

However, Ariene’s presence detection did not pick up any such unique monsters.

So, what exactly is causing this anomaly?

Ariene turned her attention away from the monsters’ mass movement and focused on something else.

She detected a familiar presence just leaving the national park and smiled faintly.

Arin.

Her daughter.

She seemed to have overcome a dangerous situation without serious injury.

Although she wasn’t alone and had the help of her friends and external support.

Ariene suppressed the urge to rush to her daughter as quickly as possible.

She was here not as Arin’s mother but as the vice-captain of the 2nd Division.

Now was not the time to be swayed by personal feelings.

Do not forget your duty.

Public and private matters must be clearly distinguished.

Of course, human emotions don’t always go as planned.

If Arin had been seriously injured, Ariene wouldn’t have been able to maintain her composure.

Ariene sensed the children following her.

They must be exhausted, yet they were diligently keeping up.

Presence detection is exactly what it sounds like—the ability to detect presences.

Ariene’s detection ability, honed to its extreme as an awakened ‘god-like being’, was unparalleled.

She could detect the number and location of individuals within her range, as well as their abilities and emotions.

To a limited extent, she could even predict the future.

The boy holding the flaming sword was filled with intense anger, subtly revealed through his actions and demeanor.

His name was probably Eugene, right? She had heard about him. A classmate of Arin’s.

It was rare for a student to fight a high rank monster.

A calm, burning anger could be felt.

At the center of that emotion was sorrow and guilt.

Despite his injuries, he actively sought to fight.

Was it guilt toward those he couldn’t protect?

The blue-haired girl was similar to Eugene but also different.

She was equally angry, but her emotions were tangled.

It felt like there were two people in one body.

Multiple emotional currents were detected from a single person, as if she had multiple personalities.

Ariene unconsciously tried to read her more closely by making physical contact, but the girl seemed to sense it and rejected her attempt, whether out of instinct or simply because she felt uncomfortable. Since detecting without consent was a considerable breach of etiquette, Ariene gave up cleanly.

Finally, Ariene’s awareness turned to the blonde girl.

The reason she had prioritized the children over her own daughter.

From the moment she detected her presence from afar, she felt an unusual energy.

The source was her heart.

An unpleasant smell wafted through the air.

Something like mold that had sprouted from a rotting corpse clung to the inside of the girl’s body.

The heart is an extremely vital organ. Although no organ is unimportant, the heart, along with the brain, is a source of life that can lead to instant death if something goes wrong. 

The fact that something dangerous had taken root in such an important organ made it impossible not to be concerned. After all, it was a situation where one could truly die if things went wrong.

“I’m fine. You don’t need to worry. My supernatural ability is super regeneration.”

In response to her concern, the girl answered in that manner.

Indeed, despite being covered in blood and wearing tattered clothes, there were no visible wounds on the girl.

At least on the outside.

‘Walking must hurt…’

Unlike the other children, it was particularly difficult to read the girl’s emotions. A certain power that contaminated her chest was interfering with her perception. The only emotion faintly discernible was joy.

‘How terrifying it must have been. How much effort must she have put in…’

The faint but definite emotion of joy. The girl was happy. It was a sense of relief that help had arrived. It was natural for an immature child to feel joy when an adult came to help in the midst of horrific pain and a hopeless situation. Ariene couldn’t even begin to guess what kind of emotions she had endured until now.

“Haah…”

Ariene let out a small sigh, trying not to let the children hear it.

This girl was also in Class A, just like Arin.

She had read all the data on the children in Class A, so there was no doubt.

Her name was… Ah, it came to mind.

“Lucia.”

“Yes?”

Ariene momentarily stopped running and turned around.

Approaching the bewildered Lucia, she picked her up.

Startled by the sudden action, Lucia blinked her eyes in confusion, and Ariene spoke to her with a compassionate expression.

“Don’t push yourself. If you’re struggling, you can ask for help.”

“Ah, I, I’m fine! I can move on my own!”

“There’s no need to be modest.”

“I, I really am fine! Please, put me down!”

“No. Your wounds haven’t healed yet. Even if you look fine on the outside, inside it’s a mess. Walking must have been painful, so why didn’t you say anything until now?”

“Th-that…”

Lucia let out a groan.

It seemed like she was releasing the pained moans she had been holding back until now.

Eugene and the cute girl with blue hair looked at Lucia with startled expressions.

Judging from the emotions felt, it seemed that Lucia had truly not told anyone about her condition.

“Really?”

“Ah, th-that, th-that’s true… B-but, it’s fine. There’s no need to worry. It’ll heal soon anyway…”

In response to Eugene’s question, Lucia stammered, bowing her head.

Having made physical contact, Ariene could read Lucia’s emotions more clearly.

Confusion and regret surged like a wave.

Was she reluctant to reveal her condition?

What a kind child. Her desire not to worry her friends was truly admirable.

However, she couldn’t let her endure the pain.

Ariene carefully held Lucia in her arms, being mindful not to cause her any discomfort as she swayed. Since there was no need to worry about combat due to the abnormal behavior of the monsters, Ariene fully utilized her ability to sense presence, monitoring Lucia’s condition in real-time. If she seemed to feel any pain, she would immediately adjust her posture. As a result, despite the fast pace, Lucia felt almost no pain.

For some reason, feelings of disappointment and regret were strongly felt, but Ariene could only read emotions, not thoughts. Therefore, she could only speculate based on the emotions she sensed.

Perhaps she felt like she had caused trouble.

The disappointment of worrying her friends after all.

Ariene guided the children out of the national park and to the medical team.

Although Arin’s presence was detected nearby, Ariene turned away.

She wanted to meet her, but nothing had been resolved yet.

“This…”

However, as she spread her senses again, Ariene unintentionally let out a groan.

The fierce battle that had unfolded at the center of the park had already reached its conclusion.

◈

A fight could be swayed by the smallest variables.

Just as the black knight, who was clearly stronger than Eugene and Frey, had ultimately been defeated by them.

The strong could lose to the weak, and numerical superiority could become meaningless.

Everything happened in an instant.

The Sun Sword meteor shower pierced through the sky and soared upward.

In an instant, it split into hundreds of arrows, ready to rain down across the park and the city.

Thunder God Transformation (雷神化)

Opening of Heaven and Earth (天地開闢)

Kallad’s lightning chased after the meteors.

A full-power ultimate technique.

Not missing a single meteor.

Kalad dominated the shattered sky with thunder.

“Isabella!”

“I know!”

Ice pillars rose around them like a barrier.

Freezing the ground and rapidly multiplying, they formed a prison with no escape route.

The thickness and height of a single pillar exceeded ten meters.

Countless pillars rose, intertwining to create a massive flower-like prison.

Ice Binding (氷結)

Bay Ice Snowflower (灣氷雪花)

If viewed from above, it would have looked like a pitiful flower.

The countless pillars entangled, forming a giant flower-shaped prison.

This was to prevent Astaroth’s attack from pouring into the city.

If she used a similar technique again.

And on the slim chance that Kallad’s technique misses a single meteor.

Then, an uncontrollable disaster could occur.

It was a good judgment, but the result was not favorable.

While shooting down the meteors and creating the barrier.

The two leaders were momentarily left defenseless.

Astaroth once again pulled back the bowstring. On a bowstring that didn’t exist, an arrow was placed, and the flaming meteor was ready to pierce the sky once more.

“It won’t work twice!”

Kaen slammed into the ground like a cannonball.

Dirt and water exploded, splashing onto her face, but Kaen didn’t even blink.

She wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

If she struck from above, the shockwave would penetrate deep into the ground.

That could cause unknown damage to the city.

So this time, she would do the opposite.

From below to above.

Firmly planting her feet and adding the rotation of her waist.

The power flowing through her shoulders reached the tip of her fist.

She detonated the loaded core in an instant. An attack at point blank distance.

If it hit properly, even Astaroth would be in danger.

“Ahahaha.”

If there was something the captains hadn’t anticipated.

It was that Astaroth had no intention of winning from the start.

Returning before her remaining active time ran out.

That was Astaroth’s goal.

“Didn’t I tell you? This is my ‘escape route’!”

Astaroth blocked Kaen’s attack with the bow.

Although the impact wasn’t completely nullified, Astaroth was flung out of the crater like a broken string.

“I’ll let you off this time. See you next time? I won’t hold back then.”

Using Kaen’s own strength to her advantage, Astaroth shot into the sky, melting the ice barrier that obstructed her path in an instant. 

No, “melting” wasn’t the right word—she shattered it. She redirected the force that had been used to fling her away, channeling it into a powerful strike against the ice wall. Despite being hastily constructed and lacking durability, the ice barrier should have been able to withstand the meteor shower. Yet, it couldn’t even hold for a few seconds.

“Ah, damn it!”

Kaen clutched her head as she watched Astaroth’s retreating figure.

Could it be that she had turned the tables on her own strength?!

Was all that talk about an “escape route” earlier not just a bluff?!

Kaen had assumed Astaroth was just pretending to cry after being hit!

“We’ll pursue her immediately. Kaen, your ultimate attack hit her directly. She won’t be unscathed.”

“Yes, sir!”

Kaen, who boasts the highest destructive power among the captains, had unleashed an attack containing all the energy of her third core. It was evident that this blow would have dealt significant damage to Astaroth. 

Moreover, this was the third time she had been struck with it. Even the indomitable leader of the 6th Division, known for her resilience, would have been forced to vomit blood.

“Wait, the heat from the ground is…!”

Isabella hastily looked down at the crater.

The arrow that Astaroth had placed on her bowstring.

The arrow that Kaen’s attack had knocked loose was now emitting an ominous heat.

Sun Sword.

Eugene’s ultimate technique, where he wraps the blade of his sword with intensely compressed flames, repeatedly compresses them further through rotation, and then releases them in a massive explosion.

Normally, this technique involves first slicing through the target with the sword and then releasing the compressed energy for a large-scale explosion.

However, this time, the first step was skipped and directly triggered a massive explosion.

“This brat…!”

No one present would be vulnerable to an attack of this magnitude.

That said, the power of the explosion wasn’t negligible, and it was enough to momentarily bind their movements.

Isabella ground her teeth, neutralizing the harsh heat with her ice, which felt like hellfire.

Did she orchestrate this on purpose?

This is unbelievable.

Was all that talk about weaknesses just to set up this situation?

She’s truly a cunning serpent.

Ahaha… Astaroth is going to freeze to death!

 

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Escape route (real).

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Astaroth escaped correction, for now.