34 – KWA-AA-ANG!

It was, after all, basic common sense since time immemorial to use fire to erase evidence.

I decided to burn this place down, considering the investigators who would inevitably descend upon it.

‘The more I tamper with the scene, the harder it will be to find anything.’

The whole reason for coming here in the first place was to manipulate evidence, to strike a blow against Alicia.

It was best to incinerate every trace and sow confusion into the investigation.

Therefore, I decided that burning everything to the ground, without measuring or hesitating, was the right course of action, and I called for Daisy.

“Mmm?”

As if she’d heard what I had said earlier, Daisy, upon hearing her name, instantly began drawing a tremendous amount of mana into her body, transforming it into flames.

I confirmed that the heat of the fire was intense, melting even the relentless blizzard, before ordering Daisy to burn the entire village.

Whoosh!

Like a dragon exhaling its breath, a colossal fire engulfed the entire village, melting everything in its path.

I was somewhat impressed by the sheer power, incomparable to that of a lower-grade spirit, when a bizarre shriek echoed from the distance.

“KIEEEEEEK!”

At that moment, countless chimeras began pouring out of the building at the very center.

Judging by the few chimeras that were aflame, it seemed the majority had been hiding underground, I realized, drawing my mace.

As I advanced, I heard the chimeras, their bodies a grotesque fusion of human and monstrous parts, utter cries of pain.

“A… A… It hurts.”

“Save… Save me, please.”

“Mommy, save me. Mommy.”

A horde of what looked like dozens of chimeras.

I frowned, realizing these chimeras were strikingly similar to the ones I had seen when rescuing Siren.

‘Were they conducting a similar experiment?’

The question flooded my mind, but I decided it was best to investigate the details inside, and I spoke to Lorein.

“I’d prefer to handle this myself, if possible.”

“Yes. I’ll only intervene if it seems you’re in danger.”

I nodded, gripping my mace tightly as I faced forward.

Twisted things, grotesquely mixed to the point where calling them living creatures felt wrong, were charging at me, solely to kill me. That sight filled my vision.

I gazed upon these beings and slammed my mace, imbued with Aether, down upon them with brutal force.

*Kwaduk!*

Crushed beyond recognition was the only way to describe it; the instant the mace landed, it transformed into a massive lump of flesh.

Had I been facing ordinary humans, they would have been paralyzed with terror at such a sight.

But the enemies were chimeras, devoid of reason, and charged at me without so much as a flinch.

‘Easier this way, perhaps.’

The thought crossed my mind that chasing them down would have taken forever as I swiftly swung my mace, dispatching them one by one. Just then, a question flickered within my mind.

‘…Why is it that black mages are so fond of chimeras?’

These small-fry chimeras might be somewhat effective against ordinary folk.

But against those with even a modicum of combat experience, they were barely stronger than zombies.

The effort and cost involved far outweighed their effectiveness, making their creation inexplicable.

If I were a black mage, I would never make one, I mused, as I crushed another chimera under my weapon.

Then, what Lianna had said to me earlier surfaced in my thoughts.

– No one raises this scale just to make chimeras; there must be some higher-dimensional experiment going on.

The phrase ‘higher-dimensional experiment’ triggered a hypothesis in my mind.

‘What if it’s not that the black mages are creating chimeras to create chimeras, but rather…’

…that they are attempting to create something else, and the chimeras are the ‘failed’ byproduct of that experiment?

And since chimeras are experiments involving the mixing of humans and monsters… the likelihood of it being a common experiment was extremely low.

‘What could it be?’

As I pondered this, unable to find an answer, Daisy, having gathered her mana once more, signaled me.

I nodded in response, imbued my mace with the power of the spirits, and scattered it outwards.

*Kwaaang!*

A deafening explosion erupted, sending flames erupting in all directions, incinerating everything nearby.

I slowly walked past the chimeras, each screaming in agonizing pain, and proceeded towards the building in the center.

‘Judging by the fact that not a single black mage has appeared, the main force must be underground.’

Luring me into a confined space and engaging me with their full power there…

It was a blatant trap, obvious to anyone, and I chuckled wryly at the thought.

As I descended, harboring these thoughts, I saw countless figures gripping weapons, blocking the passage.

Surely black mages wouldn’t wield iron weapons; more likely these are minions or mercenaries, something other than true black mages.

“Fire! Fire everything! Arrows, anything, just unleash it!”

As a barrage of arrows and thrown weapons hurtled towards me, I moved to deflect them with my mace, but in that instant, Daisy, transformed into her human form, waved her hand, incinerating the projectiles in a curtain of flame.

“I… unbelievable.”

“Is that even possible?”

“Call…call for backup!”

The black mages themselves seemed to be hidden deeper within, for nothing truly threatening approached.

Seeing this, I narrowed my eyes, realizing the enemy was pushing forward with expendable forces to buy time.

‘Which means it’s best to move faster.’

I don’t know what they’re preparing, but if they’re throwing this much at us, it can’t be anything ordinary; better to pick up the pace.

I was about to quicken my advance when, up ahead, I saw people bound and used as human shields, dragged forward as a barricade.

It seemed they were attempting a sympathy play, using hostages to stall for time.

I ignored it and strode forward, bringing my mace down on the heads of others.

Whether the hostages lived or died, I smashed through them all, moving relentlessly onwards.

Then, the one who seemed to be their leader held his sword to a hostage’s head, threatening me.

“One more step, and I’ll kill them all!”

I answered calmly.

“Do it.”

“Then surrender your weapon peacefully… what?”

“Kill them.”

My words seemed to stun him, freezing him for a moment, a moment I seized, instructing Daisy to unleash fire in every direction.

The all-consuming fire of a solar spirit.

As soon as I saw the enemies around me engulfed in flames, I dashed forward and brought my mace down upon the leader’s head.

*Krak-krak-krak!*

The sound of something crushed echoed with brutal clarity.

I kicked the leader’s body aside as it fell, then looked down at the bound hostages, putting on a show of sympathy.

“Do not worry,” I said. “I will ensure that Archduchess Elysia is held accountable for this.”

Whether they believed me remained to be seen.

But if even one of them did, it would plant a seed of doubt, and that alone would be worth it.

Thinking it best to toss them a morsel, I released them with that pronouncement.

‘Not that I expect much, really.’

Still, better than nothing, I figured, watching the hostages scramble into the shadows to hide.

*

By the time the hallway swam red with blood, I’d reached the massive iron gate.

Even a cursory glance revealed its formidable thickness, suggesting something precious lay secreted within.

Confirmation enough. I tightened my grip on the mace, hefting its weight.

As I raised it, a potent surge of mana pulsed from the iron gate, accompanied by a voice.

[This gate is crafted from the notoriously pure Mar steel, and fortified with three layers of defensive enchantments. Even with your vaunted strength…]

What are they hiding to warrant all this? My curiosity piqued.

Ignoring the pronouncements from beyond, I gripped the mace tighter and stepped forward, bringing it down on the iron gate.

*KWAH-aaaNG!*

Despite channeling my aura into the mace, the impact seemed minimal.

Mocking laughter erupted from the other side in response.

[Fool! Meaningless repetition yields only meaningless results! Begone!]

Their taunts only fueled my resolve.

I resolved to shatter it with every ounce of my being, loosening my shoulders before focusing, gripping the mace with all my strength, and staring down the gate.

‘Just have to hit the same spot over and over.’

No matter how sturdy, everything has its breaking point. Keep hitting it, and eventually, it’ll give.

With that thought, I swung the mace with brutal force.

*KWAH-aaaNG!*

The sound was less an impact and more an explosion, momentarily shaking everything around me.

I felt Daisy’s power slowly seeping into me, steadying my mind before swinging the mace again.

*WADDEUK.*

The impossibly thick iron gate began to crack.

[W-wha…?]

Hearing the panicked voice of the dark mage, I swung the mace once more, thinking.

‘Need a stronger hit.’

What to do?

My aura has its limits; maybe Daisy’s power could offer a solution.

A curious thought suddenly bloomed in my mind.

‘Until now, I’ve channeled Daisy’s power into the mace, wielding it thus.’

But the simple notion occurred: wouldn’t compressing it even further, focusing it into a single point, exponentially increase its potency?

As this thought blossomed, I poured everything – mana, Daisy’s power – into a single point within the mace.

Perhaps I overdid it, for a moment, a backlash erupted, bringing a subtle, creeping pain.

But pain be damned. The desire to obliterate what lay before me eclipsed all else; the thought of stopping never surfaced.

I poured on the strength, until the moment I realized I couldn’t contain anymore. Then, I raised the mace high and brought it crashing down upon the iron gate.

A splintering crack, then KWA-AA-AA-AA-ANG!

The compressed mana and Daisy’s power detonated at a single point, utterly annihilating the incredibly thick iron gate.

A strange feeling of catharsis, of a long-held knot unraveling, brought a fleeting moment of amusement.

Then, a horrified voice echoed from ahead.

“In, insane…”

It seemed to be the one who, just moments before, had been so certain the gate was impenetrable.

At the sound of that voice, I tilted the mace slightly and advanced.