#229
Cleaning Up (1)
There was no need to waste time trying to grasp the situation.
In reality, only the physical body was asleep; his consciousness had remained wide awake.
Even if it was divided into nine pieces according to various tendencies.
“Ha! This is something.”
The fragmented thoughts, flowing uniquely from various locations, began to form a single system in an instant.
Heinz II was preparing for battle against Obaifo while teaming up with the Vice President of the Republic.
Hubert was cleverly exploiting the chaos to expand his company even more.
Harris was busy photosynthesizing while lounging on the branches of the World Tree like a plant.
Howard had finally succeeded in passing on the dwarf’s secret techniques to Jaonic.
Hesperon was comfortably learning magic under the gaze of Riley, who visited him every day.
Hugo was taking care of the fallen body, continuing his role from Earth.
And lastly, Harley, who had taken a serious beating but still woodenly thrashed the remaining chieftains after defeating all the other demons.
‘…It’s only been two days.’
Heinrich clenched the shimmering Holy Sword, feeling a sense of exaltation for having recently transcended.
And Hans, who was currently expressing rage with the Holy Sword piercing through his chest.
‘How did things get this far in just those two days?’
I rubbed my face with both hands and sighed again.
Looking at that mess, I just couldn’t help but lament.
During the process of gathering my mind, the Abyss that had engulfed Hans momentarily rampaged, but thanks to the power of the Holy Sword embedded in him, that rebellion didn’t last long and was swiftly suppressed.
‘Of course, it wouldn’t have been a huge problem even without the Holy Sword.’
I turned my head slightly and confirmed the phrase I had thought of before losing consciousness.
《Your unique skill has grown and has unlocked potential. You have acquired the special skill “Soul Firewall.”》
This was no longer just filtering out negative influences through the “Mind Hub” as before; it was a direct ability to build an impenetrable firewall around the essence of the main body.
‘…With this, such incidents will never happen again.’
I used the evil to block the influx coming from this side, and it had grown immune to mental corruption.
It was just when I was supposed to discover the vulnerability of this ability and needed a countermeasure, so it saved me some trouble.
‘Now the remaining problem is how to manage the current situation…?’
As that thought crossed my mind, I couldn’t help but frown.
Putting everything else aside, the accident caused by Hans this time had crossed a line that had been precariously maintained.
Countless lives had perished amidst the chaos, and even my companion Geos had been swept away by it.
As Hans was also myself, who could I blame…?
Is this what it feels like when you drink too much and wake up in a police station after causing a major incident?
‘Damn it, if that giant bastard hadn’t started any nonsense then!’
…Yeah, when you think about it, the real culprits were the ones who forcibly got me drunk and caused the big accident.
The executing giant, the revolutionary who summoned him, and the one in the background, referred to as the master.
Strictly speaking, couldn’t this side also be seen as victims?
‘Haah— damn.’
Of course, looking away from reality wouldn’t change anything.
First, I need to handle the situation before blaming others.
*
[Yaaaaahhh——!]
Wooooosh—
With the sharp roar of the Bone Dragon, having sensed its master’s danger, the giant moved, creating a fierce gust of wind.
As the wind passed by the Undead King and the hero, the battlefield naturally began to calm down.
The Undead King Hans, who quickly pulled on Hesperon’s horn and retreated, and the hero Heinrich, who stood firm before his exhausted companions with the Holy Sword in hand.
Amidst the tension, the first one to speak among them was from the Undead King’s side.
Kheuheuheh— “Indeed, quite impressive. Hero Heinrich. I never thought you could push this far. I underestimated you all too much.”
He was smiling arrogantly, as always, but Heinrich’s last strike had inflicted damage he couldn’t ignore.
The sacred flames starting from his chest were continuously burning away his powers, and that shock had also transferred significant strain to the “Heart of the Undying” beyond the Spatial Dimension.
Of course, being the Undead King meant he wouldn’t be incapacitated just for allowing one crucial hit, but the fact that he had taken an unexpected critical wound was true.
Given that, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to withdraw at this point.
“This is just the beginning, Hannibal Strauss! Next time, I’ll definitely shatter that heart.”
[Your bravado won’t work, hero. You and your companions don’t seem to be in good shape either. Who will be the last one standing if we continue fighting like this?]
“…Cough!”
As he said, the fact was that the hero party was in a worse condition.
Thanks to having reached transcendence, Heinrich seemed relatively intact, but his armor and body were just as battered.
The Holy Maiden’s protective barrier, which had been shielding them from the overwhelming energy of the Abyss, was on the verge of breaking.
The party members, who had to give it their all, were panting heavily and sweating cold, clearly unable to continue the fight.
[I have no intention of ending this game here, hero. Is conquering the continent too boring?]
And most importantly… Geos’s condition was extremely critical.
It was so severe that it wouldn’t be odd if he stopped breathing at any moment.
[But it’s also a fact that I’ve directly engaged and then pulled back, so I’ll consider this invasion in this area a victory for you. You can be happy about that.]
The price he offered, as if he was being generous, was that the Undead army wouldn’t invade the southern area near Beorsen.
‘Truthfully, it’s difficult to even do ghost reconnaissance here due to the mages, and finding guys worth terrorizing is tough as well.’
Moreover, the remaining target Balteon and his gang were already getting hit hard by Harley.
“…As long as the Holy God is with us, we will never stop or crumble. I will definitely throw you into the depths of the Abyss, Undead King!”
[Hoo— That sounds interesting! Then I shall look forward to that day with joy.]
No sooner had he finished speaking than the darkness that filled the space was abruptly sucked into Hans, transforming the endlessly vast surroundings into the central hall of the mansion in the blink of an eye.
Flap— Flap— Kwarrr-ung!
Then the massive body of the Bone Dragon, suspended in the sky, burst through the ceiling of the cramped building, soaring into the sky.
[I hope to see you where I am, in the Undying Castle. My only rival, Heinrich Saint Landgard. Khu-hahaha!]
And the Undead King disappeared, cutting through the night sky, not even casting a glance at the remaining undead or demons.
As if he didn’t care what would happen to those lowly creatures.
‘Alright, that felt natural.’
By the time Hans’s figure was no longer visible, Heinrich, having successfully completed the first task of “the Undead King’s escape,” nodded heavily.
“Geos! Get a grip!”
“Geos!”
“Holy Maiden, quickly this way…!”
…The time that had been scheduled was approaching.
*
Bam—!
A muscular giant, nearly 4 meters tall, smashed his fist down onto a creature barely his chest height.
“Gah! This monster!”
“Bwahaha! Who are you calling a monster, you little beast!”
“Ugh, you bastard—!”
The body covered in grotesque, purplish-black contamination, with muscles grotesquely swollen—clearly a monster in every sense, Balteon charged at him accusingly, but the magnificent warrior Harley (4 meters tall) only chuckled and hit him again.
‘This size is perfect! If I grew any larger, my agility would drop, and I’d just become a punching bag for faster guys like him.’
As the battle began, Balteon swelled his massive frame and charged, but for Harley, who could freely adjust his body as the “Ultimate Evolved Life Form,” it was no contest.
No, they were only similar in stature.
Harley was the superior alternative in every aspect compared to the inadequately uplifted Balteon.
Even the issue of combat sustainability, which had always been a hindrance due to the “Tyrant of Madness,” was resolved since he could convert that madness into biotic energy.
“Bwahaha! You’re sturdy, sturdy! Let’s see how long you last!”
“Grrr! This beastly bastard!”
Using the amplifying effects of the “Kalcoss Type Combat Engraving,” alongside overwhelming stamina and the “Biotic Aura,” as well as the unpredictable ability “Gem Eye: Suppression.”
It was by no coincidence that he had smashed all the demons in a one-versus-many fight.
In such circumstances, there was no way Balteon, now left alone, could defeat Harley, who had previously struggled against multiple opponents.
Eventually, with the mansion’s barrier crumbling and the Undead King leaving, he became visibly more apprehensive.
“…Grrr, he was just bouncing around like a beast not long ago…! Damn it! This crafty bastard, was that a deliberately visible weakness…?”
Shortly after that, he found himself being restrained by Harley, who had locked onto his neck.
Twisted under the continuous pressure of “Gem Eye: Suppression,” his limbs shattered and unable to regenerate.
“Hm, that’s….”
Seeing him gritting his teeth indignantly, Harley, having regained enough sanity to converse normally as his main body awakened, scratched the back of his head.
That had been a mindless rampage after all, so there was nothing to say.
However, as the fighting came to a close, Harley’s sharpened senses, concentrated in that narrow space to detect every muscle movement of his foe, began to loosen up.
In that moment, Harley’s keen perception detected that there were surprisingly many survivors remaining.
He realized that not only the warriors who had come into the city with him but also quite a number of survivors were hiding around.
Most of them appeared to be watching this scene with oddly excited expressions.
‘Oh?’
His gaze shifted to the gruesome monster he had a hold of, Balteon—the very embodiment of the unrest in the south, a symbol of dictatorship and oppression, the villain.
“Hahaha—!”
Quickly grasping the situation, Harley couldn’t help but burst into a satisfied laugh.
Ever since the dawn of time, he had always been brimming with wildness and curiosity.
He answered Balteon’s question loudly and clearly, as if intending everyone around to hear.
“Of course! Balteon, you were already in the palm of my hand! Haha! I am truly the warrior and hunter! Bwahaha!”
This moment would surely become a significant mark in the history of the south.
While pinning him down with one hand, Harley flexed his muscles to showcase his physique to the onlookers.
‘Hmm, thinking about it.’
He noticed the engravings all over his body and a conversation he had with the Great Mage Morgana flickered across his mind.
The promise of receiving the “Engraving of the Dragon King” if he resolved the issue of the south.
Honestly, at this point, how much help would that be?
But the rarity of an engraving that had eluded many for hundreds of years was worth enduring various inconveniences.
‘And since dealing with Balteon basically resolves the southern issue, this should suffice.’
With his head rolling, it wouldn’t be too hard to deal with the remaining remnants.
Seeing the faint aura of that old hag, the Great Mage, within the city meant she had managed to hide safely within the barrier even amid the chaos.
Anyway, this could count as completed work.
But before that.
‘The culprit behind the opening of the Door of the Abyss, the southern director of the Oath of Reversal, Balteon. He should make a decent gift.’
“Grrr! What the… Grrr!”
Crackle! Crackle!
Harley meticulously crunched down further on him, thoroughly eliminating any potential threats.
He still needed to keep him alive for a bit, just to eliminate any factors that might cause any future trouble.
“Phew, that’s done. Now let’s go!”
And he dragged the thoroughly wrapped-up Balteon, secured by “Gem Eye: Suppression,” towards the now quiet central mansion.
