Ch.76Rescue Signals Are Dangerous (5)

When I regained consciousness, the air around me was filled with suffocating heat.

Whoosh.

Crackle.

‘What on earth…’

Bennett, the puppeteer of Hades, painfully raised her body wracked with intense pain and barely managed to take in the scene before her.

Crack! Crackle!

Pop!

The sound of burning trees and grass echoed from all directions, and flames had spread so widely that most of her field of vision was tinted crimson.

‘…My puppets…’

She tried to draw on her magic slightly, but there was no sense of connection anywhere. All her puppets had been destroyed with just that one attack.

‘That’s… impossible.’

Though there were no definitive standards, Bennett herself possessed enough skill to hold her own against top A-rank hunters who had transcended human limitations.

To reduce someone like her to this state with just one attack? That should have been absolutely impossible.

‘…That’s dangerous.’

She hadn’t been informed that the opponent possessed this level of power.

How cunning to reveal her true abilities right when Eric had left to stabilize his consciousness.

Bennett tried to escape first while holding onto her hazy consciousness.

But.

“Still not dead?”

“…Hnngh.”

“Can’t even burn this one properly. How annoying.”

Step.

Step.

The girl who had somehow approached Bennett frowned as if displeased and crouched down beside her.

“So what exactly were you trying to summon with all this commotion?”

“…I can’t tell you that.”

“You’ll end up telling me whether you want to or not.”

Thud.

As the girl reached out her hand, Bennett felt her head go blank in an instant, as if her soul was being sucked out.

Whoosh.

After that, her memories became vague. She couldn’t even tell what had been done to her or what she had revealed.

When Bennett regained consciousness again, she saw the girl with the cute face frowning in deep thought.

“…What? Is that even possible?”

“What did you… do to me…?”

The girl showed no further interest in Bennett.

She called over Trione who had been standing back, quickly said something, and began preparing to move.

“…Stop. The ritual has already passed the critical point. Trying to stop it now would just be a waste of energy.”

However, the girl’s subsequent response was completely different from what Bennett had expected.

“Well, can’t be helped then.”

“……”

“I’ll just have to take that fragment thing instead.”

Seeing that bright smile and those eyes, Bennett felt chills running down her spine.

Only then did Bennett realize that perhaps the girl before her was a being with an ideology more dangerous than their own.

But such thoughts no longer held any meaning for Bennett.

“It should be coming soon.”

Crack!

Crunch!

Creak!

With her index finger suddenly making grotesque cracking sounds as it transformed, the girl spoke with a meaningful expression.

“I’m sorry about this.”

“……”

“This defective product always demands nutrients after being used once.”

CRUNCH—!

That one sentence was, unfortunately, Bennett’s final memory.

#

Joseph, who had been restrained by Eric, regained consciousness when he felt the force binding him suddenly disappear.

‘Where am I…’

He was in a forest, with a large fire burning not far away, and Eric was concentrating on something in front of an altar, drawing up magical power.

His last memory was losing consciousness and being neutralized by Bennett’s ability, so it seemed the ritual had begun in earnest while he was out.

Eric, sensing that Joseph had regained consciousness, turned his gaze with a slightly surprised expression.

“…It seems Bennett has been defeated.”

“Defeated? What do you mean?”

He asked reflexively, but the meaning wasn’t hard to interpret. It clearly meant that someone—whether a government agent or a guild hunter—was taking action to stop the ritual.

‘…The situation isn’t bad.’

Although Joseph had despaired after his previous rescue signal had failed, he hadn’t given up completely.

‘Bennett is at least A-rank level, so whoever defeated her must have comparable skills.’

If forces of that caliber had come here, perhaps even the monster-like man before him might show some vulnerability.

As if Joseph’s wish had been heard, someone’s presence began to be felt from the edge of the forest.

“It seems we have a visitor.”

When Joseph hurriedly turned his gaze, he saw the silhouette of someone approaching without hesitation.

The figure was a silver-haired girl dressed as if she had just rushed out of her living room.

‘What…’

Joseph looked at the girl with a bewildered expression, and the girl returned his gaze with a pleased look as she spoke.

“Long time no see?”

“What?”

To the confused Joseph, the girl smiled mockingly and began to say something utterly unbelievable.

“Acting all high and mighty out there, but without me, you would’ve died a miserable death at the hands of that nobody.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“This is so embarrassing. What kind of information broker gets caught while infiltrating and has to request rescue? You’re better suited to just being a supporter in the background.”

Joseph couldn’t understand the situation at all. Though the words were disjointed, they somehow felt very familiar.

But they were not words that should be spoken in a place like this.

“Who are you? Do you know me?”

Denying Joseph’s confusion, the girl made a face as if he were pathetic and revealed her identity.

“What kind of stupid question is that? You called me. In your message the day before yesterday.”

At those words, Joseph’s expression went blank.

#

“You talk too much. What happened to Bennett?”

“She became excellent nutrients. Some of her might have been mixed in.”

I said, pointing to the magical residue being absorbed into the ground due to the ritual’s influence.

Despite my blatant mockery, Eric’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.

“An unexpected event, but it doesn’t matter.”

“…You’re quite confident.”

“The ritual can no longer be stopped, and it’s also impossible for you to defeat me.”

Such arrogant thoughts, but they weren’t entirely wrong. That’s how strong Eric was.

– Master, forgive my presumption, but due to the ongoing ritual, I’m struggling to gather my strength. It might be better to retreat for now…

As I had roughly expected, even Gordon was finding it difficult to exert his abilities in this situation.

I gazed at my throbbing right arm and fell into thought.

‘…I overdid it in my anger. I need to end this quickly.’

Earlier I was too heated to think clearly, but drawing out the dragon’s soul at my current level was honestly crossing a line.

There was no need to deliberate. I quickly made a decision.

‘……’

There was only one method I could think of right now.

“Book of Death.”

Whoosh!

A hideous book containing dense death energy appeared in midair, and I quickly opened one of its pages.

Rustle.

‘Honestly, I’m not confident I can control this, but…’

I draw out Chae Hwa-in who was sleeping in a corner of the Book of Death.

If she could easily push even Gordon into a corner, she should be able to face Eric head-on.

“Undead call.”

Swish.

Rustle.

As I chanted the spell, black mist began to flow out from the Book of Death like a geyser, filling the surroundings.

With it, an eerie death energy circled around, and I called her name while imagining the form I had seen before.

“Death Knight, Chae Hwa-in.”

Whoosh.

Crack.

The mist that filled the surroundings condensed in one spot, then burst outward, signaling the completion of the spell.

However, there was no one standing where the mist had gathered.

Only empty space was revealed.

JP, Trione, and even Eric looked at me with questioning gazes, and I became flustered and began shaking the Book of Death.

Swish!

Swoosh!

“This, this isn’t right…”

It felt like it had definitely succeeded, but this was truly maddening.

Feeling the blood rush to my face, I immediately chanted the spell again.

“Undead call!”

Whoosh.

Crack.

“Un-undead call!”

Whoosh.

When I cast the summoning spell for the third time, it finally began to respond properly.

Whoosh!

Click.

Crunch.

Black thin armor, a mask that slightly covered the face, pale skin, and long hair flowing down past the shoulders.

Finally summoned, Chae Hwa-in made a dissatisfied expression and immediately began approaching me.

Click.

Click.

Thud.

“Why did you come out so late? I’m sure I completed the spell properly earlier too…”

And then, she suddenly raised her fist and lightly hit me on the head.

Thwack!

Reflexively, I clutched my head in response to the sudden pain and turned my head.

“Wh-what the hell…”

Bonk!

Another pain came without giving me time to speak. I hunched over with a dumbfounded expression and looked at Chae Hwa-in.

In response, Chae Hwa-in opened her mouth slowly in a subdued voice, as if displeased by the sudden summon.

“I thought, I might, remember something…”

“……”

Though I felt wronged and indignant, I didn’t want to get hit again, so I had no choice but to swallow my resentment.