Chapter 178: Safe? Zone (7)

Chapter 178: Safe? Zone (7)

Balkan
looked at the being staring down at him from beyond the helmet.

[Bio
LV.39]

A
human woman with a level slightly lower than Nate Elin, the Paladin
of the Temple.

Standing
at around mid-180 cm, her well-built muscles and the sword sheath at
her waist revealed her skill as a seasoned swordsman.

Just
as Balkan looked up at her, Bio looked down at him as well.

Bio
gazed at the foolish intruders with a face full of displeasure.

A
centaur, a woman with an eyepatch, and a man lightly holding a
massive axe in one hand.

The
sudden destruction of the wall and the murders that followed
instantly froze the air in the hall, spreading confusion, tension,
and fear among those who witnessed the scene.

All
the attention and wariness of those in the clan building turned
toward him, and no one dared to move hastily.

The
man, who had instantly dominated someone else’s territory with his
presence, spoke to the territory’s owner.

“You
have two choices.”

As
soon as Bio heard his words, she let out a snort.

“First.
You quietly dispel the lethal poison magic cast on my party member.”

It
was a proposal so foolish and arrogant it was almost laughable.

He
spoke as though he held the initiative in this situation.

“You
dumb male. You stupid, pathetic, ignorant bastard. Do you really
think that makes any sense?”

Thus,
Bio sneered at him with a disdainful gaze and spat her words.

“An
eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Killing those who killed my clan
members is nothing more than the natural order of the world.”

“Uoooooooh!”

At
Bio’s words, the members of the “Back Alley Domination”
clan shouted with relieved expressions.

They
began to raise their fists, chanting Bio’s name repeatedly.

Though
the clan was crumbling externally, its inner unity only grew
stronger.

Even
in the face of external attacks and losses, the belief that someone
would avenge their death someday turned those who followed into loyal
dogs willing to lay down their lives.

Bio
had slaughtered the party members of Jubeel to prove that, and the
clan members’ faith in her peaked.

The
man who had just severed another member’s neck would undoubtedly meet
the same end.

Such
excessive trust even led their minds to rely on her entirely.

To
them, anyone who opposed Bio became their enemy.

The
clan members’ gazes at Balkan grew harsher.

“A
nobody comes out of nowhere and demands I dispel my magic? Ha! No
matter how much we’ve fallen, have we become so insignificant?”

Humiliation.

Until
recently, the clan leader of a once-noteworthy group in the back
alleys was now being treated as inferior by a complete nobody.

It
was enough to ignite fury.

Screech–

As
Bio drew her sword from her waist and spoke, the clan members
surrounding Balkan and his party readied their weapons.

Clang.

Standing
tall like a general commanding an army, Bio pointed her blade at
Balkan.

“Engrave
your own slave number on that filthy body of yours. Then, crawl to me
on all fours, bow your head, and swear allegiance at my feet.”

There
is no more enjoyable amusement than watching a fool who dares to
invade, kneel and beg for his life under the overwhelming disparity
of power.

At
least he looks competent. Seeing his face twisted in humiliation
beneath that helmet will be quite satisfying.

“If
you do that, I’ll spare your life.”

Screech!

With
a vile grin, Bio leveled her sword as the clan members prepared their
cold steel.

“Rise,
O wraiths.”

Amel
Drexia, seated behind Balkan, quietly muttered.

Crack!
Creak!

Seven
skeletons crawled out from the ground.

Two
of them clung to the centaur, forming bone armor on its body.

Snort!

The
eerie noise of the armored centaur heightened the tension among those
present.

“Amel
Drexia. Get out of here. If you turn back now, I’ll let you live.”

Sigh–

Amel
Drexia exhaled smoke from her cigarette.

As
the cigarette burned down and dropped to the ground, the undead
ignited flaming swords in their skeletal hands.

“Sorry,
but I’ve made a deal. These small fry… your clan members, are
ours to handle.”

“Tch!
Then so be it. Foolish woman, you’re worth less than that scum over
there, so you can quietly die!!”

“Kill
the women and capture the man!!!”

“Slay
the intruders!!!”

At
Bio’s command, the enraged clan members roared and charged.

“I
see.”

As
countless weapons flew toward him in an instant, Balkan, who had been
focused on Bio, muttered.

“That
must be the second choice.”

Prrrrrr!

With
a snorting sound, the centaur lifted its forelegs and began to soar
through the air.

In
a single stride, it leaped over the heads of numerous clan members.

With
the second step, it soared into the air.

By
the third step, it had reached Bio’s toes.

That
was the limit of the centaur. But then—

Thud!

Balkan,
who had been standing on the centaur’s back, stepped off the
horse’s back and leapt even higher.

As
the centaur descended, Balkan, towering in the air, brought the blade
of his axe to Bio’s face.

“Fight
and die, then undo the magic you cast!”

Clang!

The
metallic sound signaling the start of the battle reverberated.

Crackling!

When
the sharp axe was blocked by the back of Bio’s sword, sparks flew.

Before
the yellow and crimson sparks even touched the ground, Bio, who had
deflected Balkan’s downward strike, swiftly turned her body.

She
intended to create distance with a core-powered back kick.

Thud!

Her
kick landed squarely on his abdomen.

Although
her attack succeeded, Bio’s expression hardened instead.

A
wall?

It
felt as though she had kicked a massive fortress wall dividing the
ground.

The
solid wall didn’t budge against the mere kick of a woman. Instead,
she was pushed back by the recoil of her own strike.

What
kind of body is this…? He’s not just someone who skipped basic
magic training to build physical strength!

It
was an overwhelmingly simple yet astonishing difference in physical
capability.

Before
she could even think something like, What
kind of man has a body like this…Bio
quickly made her judgment.

I
can’t beat him with strength.

Her
intuition told her that a straightforward power struggle would only
lead to her defeat. She would need to rely on skill.

Thud!

Using
his abdomen as a springboard, Bio pushed off and widened the
distance.

But
Balkan wasn’t the type to simply stand and watch.

Grab!

“Ugh…!”

He
immediately extended his thick arm and grabbed Bio’s slender ankle
with one hand.

Despite
the excruciating pain in her ankle, as though it were about to break,
Bio drew a faint curve at the corner of her lips.

This
is my chance!

Woom!

Her
sword began to emit a green magical aura.

It
was a lethal poison magic—a form of black magic that could slowly
kill its victim once inflicted, one of the worst types of spells.

The
deadly poison, powerful enough to weaken even a desert worm of the
13th floor or a wyvern of the 16th, coated her blade.

With
the green aura of the lethal poison enveloping her sword, Bio swung
her weapon, a deadly tool that must not land even a single strike.

Slash!

The
moment she swung the sword, Bio experienced several sensations at
once.

First,
the feeling of slicing through flesh.

Her
poison-clad sword cut cleanly through skin and muscle, exposing the
white bone beneath.

Although
it wasn’t a fatal wound, the poison had already invaded his body
through the cut. Victory seemed assured.

Yes.

That
was supposed to be the foregone conclusion.

But
a different sensation kept clouding her perception.

Crunch!

“Argh!!!”

Even
though the muscles in his forearm were split in two, Balkan gripped
her ankle with even greater force, utterly crushing it.

The
immense power smashing her ankle sent Bio’s mind into disarray from
the sheer pain.

It
was absurd.

Her
poison was lethal, designed to invade the body and inflict
unimaginable agony in an instant!

The
cow beastman she had struck the night before would have rolled her
eyes back and collapsed on the spot if not for the priest’s countless
miracles.

How…?

How
was this man still standing tall, crushing her ankle?

Crunch.

Grinding
his teeth, Balkan, frothing green venom at the mouth, sneered
viciously as he glared at her.

“Pain
can be endured, you stupid wench.”

Even
if poisoned, one need only fight with the determination to kill the
caster.

“And
if I kill the caster, the poison is undone. That means I was never
poisoned to begin with.”

“What…nonsense…”

Bio,
unable to finish her sentence, stared blankly at Balkan.

He
raised his mangled arm, the bone protruding visibly, and lifted Bio’s
limp body along with it.

Then—

Crash!

Bio’s
body smashed into the floor, shattering it.

Boom!
Crash!

The
sound was so alarming that the clan members fighting below turned
their gazes to the upper floor.

Those
who had watched Bio’s overwhelming presence from the sidelines had
no doubt she would win.

To
them, it was only a matter of time before their clan leader
triumphed.

But—

The
scene before them was far from what they had imagined.

Crash!
Boom!

After
five fierce impacts, all sound in the hall ceased.

No
one dared to speak.

Thirty
seconds and not even five exchanges of blows had passed before the
battle concluded.

And
the one left standing was only one person.

In
the suffocating silence, Balkan, drenched in blood, threw Bio’s
shattered ankle to the ground and muttered:

“Your
clan leader is weak.”