Ch.305305 – The True Enemy

<305 – The True Enemy>

The Apostle of Anlage.

A sentinel planted by the Chairman to protect the cruise ship and once one of the 20 powerful individuals invited aboard to search for the divine relic.

Jona had been aware that Low, the most dangerous of them—a demon contractor—had awakened even before boarding the ship.

This was because the <Sight Doll> possessed by the dark merchant Giselle had a two-way sight-sharing function that allowed the owner’s vision to be observed through the doll.

Crack!

That’s why he was able to counter Low’s mana barrier attempting to push him off the ship by raising the metal present on the vessel.

“Your welcome is rather rough. How do you plan to take responsibility if the young lady gets hurt?”

“You’re being dramatic. She won’t get hurt with you protecting her, right? Besides… I’m just as interested in that young lady’s body.”

To Leaf and April listening nearby, it sounded like the flirtation of a pervert, but they couldn’t bring themselves to show hostility toward either party.

‘They’re on a different level.’

Leaf realized it.

Even though he was considered quite skilled within the Foundation, he was still lacking compared to these two.

A sidelong glance at April revealed she was barely managing to stand and maintain consciousness.

“Eww~ Is this old man a pervert?”

“Please stay back, young lady. He’s a pervert not worth getting close to.”

“You don’t intend to let me go quietly? Then… I suppose I’ll have to resort to this method.”

When Low snapped his fingers, the magic circle beneath his feet emitted light, causing hundreds of crew members trapped in cages to scream.

The screams of crew members instantly losing their internal mana and life force, becoming <Mana Fuel> and rapidly aging, only brought a broad smile to Low’s face.

“Now, let’s begin. Let’s see who will be the victor to escape this ship.”

Jona Wiheomhae is strong.

Strong enough to defeat Professor Layve of the Academy.

He even has the distinction of being the first to attend the Academy as a proxy for the Foundation.

The face of the Foundation.

He has the skill and qualifications to represent the Wiheomhae Foundation, which is resented and hated by people worldwide.

At least, that’s what the Chairman thought, which is why he had been using Jona for important matters all this time.

Therefore, defeating Jona and taking Oknodie’s body would be the ultimate revenge for Low.

‘The Foundation’s proxy. And the Foundation’s top scholarship student. The demon contractor Low will kill both the present and future of the Foundation and make them his new vessel. If I also seize this prized cruise ship, the Chairman will suffer tremendous losses.’

In an instant, everything the Chairman had invested in would turn to nothing.

This level of revenge would be sufficient payment for being bound to the cruise ship for over a decade.

“Now, my fuel sources, offer your mana to me. And pray that Jona Wiheomhae falls as quickly as possible. Otherwise, you will all be squeezed dry and die as fuel for my battle!”

A cruel battle began with the entire ship held hostage.

* *

Low was indeed powerful, drawing strength by squeezing the life force from two thousand crew members held hostage.

Even Jona’s metal manipulation couldn’t overwhelm an expert who had toyed with the first-year advanced class including the Hero, now equipped with massive mana.

Crash!

With each exertion of power, Jona felt dismayed.

The metal borrowed from the ship’s internal components was being torn apart by Low’s vibration waves in real time.

Each time he used power for repairs, the remaining metal equipment and components on the ship diminished.

‘If I use everything, I’ll have to sacrifice the hull next. If that happens…’

Even winning would mean no victory.

The ship would become immobile.

This meant the young lady couldn’t reach the Chairman’s mansion.

The indulgence that could become the young lady’s spare life.

That precious thing would be wasted due to his inadequacy.

He couldn’t possibly accept such an outcome.

‘I must end this quickly!’

Low saw through Jona’s impatience.

He consistently maintained his composure, directing most of his power toward <defense> while simply tearing apart approaching metal.

He knew that even if he squeezed out all his fuel and exhausted his power, if the cruise ship lost its functionality, Oknodie wouldn’t be able to complete the Chairman’s directive.

Information isn’t something only allies can obtain.

Low, as an enemy, had also acquired all information within the cruise ship through the crew members.

This included the fact that Oknodie had received instructions from Papa to come to the mansion with her friends.

‘No matter how much you want to end this quickly, I won’t allow a short battle.’

Powers collided as <domains> unfolded, mana light rained down, and space cracked with explosive sounds.

The longer the battle continued, the deeper Low’s cruel smile grew.

Time was on his side.

Impatience was Jona’s burden.

The more urgent things became, the greater the burden and risk Jona had to bear.

The advantage was steadily tilting toward Low.

There was only one variable.

“Oknodie.”

“Zhang! Where were you hiding?”

“In the chandelier on the ceiling. We hid together like this at the Academy too, remember?”

“Ah! That was fun~”

“More importantly, what are you going to do? That man is unbelievably strong. Even the Hero was no match for him. At this rate, your butler will be defeated too.”

“I’m not going to do anything!”

“…Are you serious? Your butler will fall and everyone will suffer. Wouldn’t it be better to release the lifeboats and escape now? We could save Titosoga too, if possible.”

Of course, the lifeboats couldn’t accommodate that many people. Most would have to be abandoned to fend for themselves.

Zhang hesitated to voice such a harsh reality.

Yet Oknodie just kept smiling.

“It’s okay. Everything will work out somehow!”

Victory.

While Zhang’s expression twisted at the carefree attitude of the only variable, Low’s expression lightened.

Was it blind faith in her butler?

Or overconfidence in herself?

Faith always makes those unworthy of it pay a tremendous price.

Just as they, once believers of Anlage who boarded this ship, had done.

Only one thing had changed from before.

The powerful one was now himself, not the Foundation.

This time, he would make everyone in the Foundation pay the price of faith.

And he would take that delicate yet spirited child’s body as his own.

Then escape to Gift Academy, the safest place in the world from the Foundation’s pursuit and threats.

The Hero candidate and others would surely join him if he inhabited the bodies of Academy students.

Together they would become upperclassmen, build sufficient skills and connections, and after graduating from the Academy, the Foundation would have to flee from them.

‘It’s not far off. I can begin to see that future. Jona Wiheomhae, once I overcome this single barrier, our faith will finally triumph!’

Anlage is the god of corruption.

The one who reveals what innate qualities people possess.

The aptitude he revealed to Low granted him immense power.

The god Anlage had told him.

To retrieve his relic.

Then that aptitude would grow even greater.

He had obtained the relic but was confined with other selves in one body. Now, freely exercising his power without anyone’s interference, Jona was clearly on the defensive.

The massive cabins rising from the center of the ship were gradually decreasing in height, layer by layer.

The same went for the ammunition in the armory and cargo in the storage.

Just 10% left.

That was the total amount of resources Jona Wiheomhae could utilize without damaging the ship.

In contrast, he still had three clusters of fuel left.

[Absorption Magic Circle]

The second group of 500 crew members trapped in cages collapsed, vomiting blood.

Even after this, 1000 people remained.

Plus, there were special students left as sacrificial offerings.

He had won.

Victory was already certain.

Even if Jona squeezed out his power with the resolve to sacrifice the ship’s functionality with the remaining 10%, he couldn’t possibly handle the mana from the next 500 people, and the 500 after that.

For Jona to win, he should have honestly aimed for a quick battle targeting only himself rather than killing all the crew members.

If there was no mana to steal, no matter how much mana Low tried to extract in a short period, the power that evaporated would be beyond what Low himself could handle, and any mana exceeding his limit would simply evaporate into the air.

“Butler of the Foundation. The Iron-Blooded Metal Manipulator. Your soft combat style has brought about your own defeat.”

“Do you really think so? Did you believe that I, Jona Wiheomhae, would fight you without any thought while responsible for the young lady’s safety?”

In response to the taunt thrown to see his humiliated face, Jona unexpectedly replied with confidence.

That confidence was irritating.

It wasn’t arrogance or bravado, but a genuine belief in his victory that could be felt emotionally.

There was something.

Something he hadn’t grasped.

“Our young lady has exceptional future potential.”

“…?”

“That’s why everyone who sees her thinks this way: She’ll be great in the future, but she’s still far from it. That it will take time for that potential to reach the level of a Gold-tier or higher powerhouse.”

That wasn’t the case.

Jona declared with a murderous smile that had once been confiscated by the young lady.

“This was the delaying tactic the young lady wanted.”

“A delaying tactic? Against me, in the middle of the ocean, even prepared to lose the ship? What for?”

“The young lady is also versed in blood magic. Mosquitoes have been circulating throughout the ship, sucking the blood of many people. And they’ve also injected a special secretion.”

The quick battle was a deception.

The more he hurried, the more Low tried to avoid a prolonged battle, sensing Jona’s true intentions.

The strategy had already worked perfectly.

Thump.

The moment he made eye contact with Oknodie, Low felt something had gone terribly wrong.

The mana he had just extracted from the crew members’ lives wasn’t responding to his commands.

It was because the ‘impurities’ in the blood collectively raised their heads and refused his orders.

“Surprise!”

“You…! What did you do to the crew members’ blood?!”

“Nothing much. Just played a little prank!”

Oknodie, who had been smiling throughout while staying in place, kindly answered Low’s roar.

“Did you know that when mosquitoes suck blood, they inject a numbing poison so their prey doesn’t notice? I just enhanced that function a bit.”

Beyond paralyzing the body, she added one more special function.

“I simply infiltrated a dormant mana-paralyzing poison that forcibly paralyzes all mana in the body the moment it receives a signal from my dark mana!”

Why do such a thing? What for?

He couldn’t understand.

What benefit could there be in doing that!

The shock was momentary.

A terrifying truth struck Low’s mind.

The benefit was already there.

Right at this moment.

“You… designed this moment from before you even boarded the ship?!”

Low finally realized.

The opponent he was fighting wasn’t Jona Wiheomhae.

The true opponent who had put him forward as a front while meticulously playing a numbers game.

The Foundation’s top scholarship student, someone special enough to receive special treatment from the Chairman himself.

Dark Princess Oknodie was the true enemy he should have defeated.