Make Dark Fantasy Great Again

Chapter 105 Gaderok fingered the Eye of Black Fire hanging from his ear. It wasn't his usual gesture meant to send some kind of signal or warning to his opponent. 'What the hell is this! What the hell is going on!!!' He was barely restraining the urge to tear the earring off along with his ear. The golden bracelet that converts the wearer's life force into magical power. The 'Golden Vessels' that Gaderok had obtained by sacrificing a large portion of his life were both his secret trump card and his final resort. Having used the Golden Vessels, he absolutely had to achieve his goal. Expanding and maintaining his power, that is. And that goal had been right within reach. He had felt the assembly becoming subordinated to their fear of him, just as intended. But then- This earring had ruined everything. And it wasn't just this time. Come to think of it, it had been like this from the very beginning. When the fire that burned Brimport suddenly went out. When it suddenly burned Dejong's guards. Whenever things were flowing smoothly, unexpected situations would invariably arise and derail everything. Making the situation flow in 'his' favor. And now. That tendency had reached its peak. "Damn, what should we do...? Should we help Lord Gaderok—" "Lord Gaderok my ass, didn't you just hear that demonic voice!? Gaderok, that bastard's a Dark Mage! Stay under him and you'll end up as a demon's sacrifice!" "M-maybe he's been controlling us with Black Magic all along!" These were the words coming from among Gaderok's subordinates. Their fear toward their leader no longer inspired reverence or loyalty. It was simply pure terror. They could understand criminals who pursued objective goals like wealth and power, but they couldn't comprehend a Dark Mage who served demons. Gaderok could clearly feel it. That everything was over. No matter how this affair concluded, his power would be completely dismantled. The original Gaderok would have lost his reason to rage at this fact. However, the current Gaderok was different. "Listen!!!" Because his reason had already been paralyzed by rage. Now there was only one thought in his head. Killing 'him'—the one who had driven the situation to this point. Therefore, Gaderok had come to actually welcome the current situation where the assembly feared him as a Dark Mage. As long as they believed he was a Dark Mage, they would choose to flee rather than rashly oppose him. "My purpose now is only one!!! To kill that Acting City Councilor bastard! I swear by my magic! I'll gladly stake not only my life but my soul as well, and I will definitely kill him!!! If I fail while alive, I'll accomplish it even as a vengeful spirit!!! Those who aren't involved, disappear right now!!!" Gaderok shouted with bloodshot eyes, consumed by malice. He unleashed his 7th Rank aura with full force. Being the product of temporary and unstable power, that aura was extremely unstable. The entire place shook with rattling sounds. The unrefined aura shook the entire place. Tables trembled and windows rattled. It was a performance more than sufficient to stimulate fear of a Dark Mage. "Hah, haah...!" "It's, it's a demon!!!" Those whose level was too low to withstand a 7th Rank mage's aura—literally just criminals—turned pale and fled without looking back. Thus, out of the dozens of subordinates of Gaderok and Dejong, only five remained. "..." They too openly showed their discomfort and slowly backed away. "A wise choice, you vermin!" Cold air in the shape of flames surged up and froze the round table where the rulers had been sitting. Gaderok burst into maniacal laughter and struck down that round table. The ice table shattered, scattering fragments around. "Step back!" "It's dangerous!" The guards standing behind urgently moved to protect the rulers. "Lord Risir!" Dogal, who had likewise stepped forward, awkwardly stopped. Because the ice fragments hadn't flown toward him alone. The meaning behind Gaderok's action was clear. Everyone except Risir should step back. "Saint, this way...!" "Let's retreat for now!" "Lord Brimport!" The guards hurriedly led the rulers backward. They left the living room and evacuated to the corridor. Thus, only Gaderok and Risir remained in the spacious living room. *** Rok, a warrior of the Great Trading Company 'Golden Barley'. He was currently escorting the Saint who had attended the Back Alley Council at the earnest request of the trading company's Young Lady, 'Caria'. "Let's go." He urgently pressed the Saint. "That bastard is serious. A Dark Mage who doesn't fear death. Get involved and you'll definitely come to no good end. The best course here is to retreat for now." Everyone nearby agreed with Rok's words. The rulers and their guards. Even the subordinates of Gaderok and Dejong. "...No." Nevertheless, the Saint shook their head. From beneath that iron mask flowed a characteristically androgynous and mysterious voice. "I will remain and help him." Soon, she looked at The Owner standing beside her. The Owner also nodded. "I too will remain here and help him." "No—" Rok grabbed his forehead. He was, after all, a warrior of Golden Barley. Even if the Saint, an outsider to the trading company, got needlessly involved with a Dark Mage and died a dog's death, it would be of no concern to him. But what about Young Lady Caria, who was completely infatuated with him? 'She'd try to kill me, or if that doesn't work, she'd try to hang herself...!' The guard warrior shuddered in frustration as he recalled the Young Lady's condition. Then The Owner spoke. "If we abandon the Acting City Councilor here and only we survive, that will be problematic in its own way." "But you're not saying we should take on that Dark Mage bastard!?" "That's right. If we all combine our strength, it should be quite possible." "Sure! It might be possible. But—" Rok turned his gaze toward the living room. There, the standoff between Gaderok and the Acting City Councilor was in full swing. Gaderok wasn't making any moves, being wary of the Acting City Councilor's hidden power and those who hadn't completely left the place yet. However, that aura emanating as a threat. That presence. That magical power. Rok could be certain. "Didn't you hear what that bastard just said? That bastard's in a state where he can't see anything else right now!? If that bastard decides to charge in earnest, that Acting City Councilor has no choice but to die! And taking one or two more of us along in the process would be nothing to him!" "..." "..." The Saint and The Owner. No, Rona and Fienne showed troubled expressions behind their masks. The two had already noticed. Gaderok. The fact that he wasn't actually a Dark Mage. If he had truly been a Dark Mage, he would have lost all his power the moment he confronted Risir. The two's anguish stemmed from this. 'A 7th Rank mage...' The two partially understood the nature of the power Risir possessed. That mysterious power worked absolutely against alien and evil forces. But against pure power? Risir, who was confronting Gaderok, was merely one pure mage. The two recalled their last meeting with Risir, his level then. When they last met, he had been a 5th Rank mage. Of course! That ridiculous man might have committed the outrageous feat of reaching 6th Rank in that short period. Even so, it would be insufficient to overcome the current situation. 'Therefore—' The two thought. While Risir was in the Magic Tower, they had accumulated countless experiences outside. Harsh and tremendous experiences incomparable to life in the Magic Tower. Based on those experiences, they had achieved growth that Risir couldn't even imagine. 'I have to protect him.' Both their eyes filled with determination. As much as that, the anguish they felt deepened. Rok's point was valid. Certainly, if everyone combined their strength, they could subdue Gaderok. However, casualties would inevitably occur in the process. Could Risir, whose level would at best correspond to the early stages of 6th Rank, truly protect himself from the attacks of a 7th Rank mage who didn't fear death? 'Please...!' The two raced their thoughts urgently. Now, while Gaderok couldn't act rashly due to his wariness of Risir's unknown power, was the last chance to save Risir. If they missed this opportunity- "...!" At that moment, Rona and Fienne simultaneously held their breath. Rok and the others were the same. Risir. He had launched the first attack against Gaderok in the standoff. He created a bullet of magical power and shot it at Gaderok. Truly precise mana control. However, it scattered and vanished with a single indifferent gesture from Gaderok. Thus, the difference in magical power between the two was stark. At that sight, guard warrior Rok lamented inwardly. 'Oh my. To attack first in this situation— was he just a clueless rookie mage after all.' Rok's two existing thoughts became more firmly established. The thought that they absolutely had to avoid battle with Gaderok. 'That thing is even more of a monster than I thought—' The Mana Barrier that enveloped Gaderok's body as he deflected the attack. Rok could vaguely gauge the solidity of that barrier. 'Is he being wary of the Acting City Councilor's hidden power—' Gaderok was currently as excited as one who didn't fear death, but simultaneously as rational as one willing to accept death. The Great Trading Company's guard warrior couldn't find even the slightest opening in him. Just then. Commotion arose once again from the living room. The Acting City Councilor had launched another attack on Gaderok without even seeming tired. Even in exactly the same manner as before. 'He’s done for—' Rok glanced at the Saint and sighed. No matter how he thought about it, it seemed unlikely that the Acting City Councilor would escape from here alive. He began to look for a way to make a decent escape. *** -What are you doing! Clana, who had been watching the situation from the Inner World, screamed in shock at Risir's actions. -That bastard has crossed the threshold of 7th Rank, even if unstably! He's not an opponent you can handle with straightforward methods as you are now! You have to somehow escape from here first! Risir inwardly nodded at Clana's words. Gaderok's aura and power felt directly on his skin from the front. The person who felt most closely the fact that he couldn't match Gaderok with straightforward methods was himself. But why was it- Despite clearly understanding with his reason, he was acting against that reason. 'It's possible.' It was because of his instinct's cry. 'Look at that bastard's current state.' Gaderok was being wary of Risir's hidden power. He was being wary of the figures in the corridor who hadn't completely retreated yet. That state of being wary of all risk factors seemed thorough, as if there wasn't the slightest opening. 'No.' However. Gaderok's state as reflected in Risir's eyes now was quite different. 'That's not solid. It's sloppy. He's missed what he should really be wary of and gotten distracted.' Risir felt the weight of Blue Lotus hanging at his waist. 'That bastard firmly believes I'm a mage. Just once. He's completely defenseless against my attack as a swordsman.' Risir's gaze swept over the Mana Barrier enveloping Gaderok's body. 'With my current magic, I absolutely cannot pierce that.' Risir had accumulated countless real combat experiences between mages through sparring with Meltas. He knew how difficult it was to pierce a mage's Mana Barrier. Even at equal levels, destroying a Mana Barrier in one blow was an extremely tricky task. Yet, having just entered the late stage of 6th Rank- Could he destroy the Mana Barrier of Gaderok, who had crossed the threshold of 7th Rank? In one blow, at that? Impossible. His reason strongly argued. 'It's entirely possible.' And, as always, his instinct made the opposite argument. Instinct and intuition joined hands to guide Risir and direct his next action. In that process, everything Risir possessed was drawn out. Those were experiences completely unrelated to magic. The experience of swinging a sword until his entire body's strength was exhausted at the Bendel family's Training Ground. The experience of making a Bendel family apprentice knight let his guard down in sparring and then striking his opening. The experience of receiving the killer's teachings and trying to follow the path she had walked. It was a strange sensation. Risir felt as if that sensation was like 'command keys floating up.' Though it was clearly a movement and action he was performing for the first time, how to do it was vividly drawn in his mind. Risir crouched his body slightly. Like before, when he had shot out bullets of mana. "That again!!! Fine, you'll hide your power to the very end!? Fine, then let's see! What kind of amazing power is it that you hide it so thoroughly! Whether that Black Fire can save you this time too!!!" Risir didn't interrupt Gaderok's words. He drew out his wariness and fighting spirit to the maximum. His wariness and fighting spirit toward a mage, that is. *** [Trait has been activated] [Trait: Dancing Iron (S)] *** It was clearly visible to Risir's eyes. The opening showing in Gaderok. That gap had opened to its maximum. The depth of breathing. The blinking of eyes. It was a momentary state that would easily change even with those small differences. Risir's senses didn't miss that instant moment. His crouched body made a small leap. Just like before, when he had swung his arm to shoot out bullets of mana. "Ha!" That was what appeared in the eyes of Gaderok, who burst into laughter. The Acting City Councilor shooting out bullets of mana. Thus, that cunning movement thoroughly deceived and toyed with the opponent. Risir's body reproduced the killer's movement. Where Gaderok's gaze was directed, he was already gone. His body gliding forward, led by his extended front foot. In his hand was already held the blade that had emerged from its sheath—Blue Lotus. The sword had already been swung. The time he could deceive his opponent's consciousness wasn't long, and the distance he could move during that short time also wasn't long. It was entirely reasonable that a strike delivered during that brief time of deception wouldn't reach the enemy. However, the killer had found a way to overcome that reasonableness and perform the absurd. The gap thoroughly adjusted by deceptive movement. What filled that slightly insufficient distance was none other than energy that had taken form. The blade of the sword Risir held had subtly extended. That sharply refined energy was Sword Aura. A technique permitted only to swordsmen who had reached the realm of Superhumans. "Hueok...!" Gaderok clutched his throat. If he had perceived the strike and concentrated his Mana Barrier on the attacked area, that first and final blow might have been thwarted. However, the mage's consciousness couldn't keep up with that movement that had fooled even Sword Masters. Gaderok's throat was split. Blood and breath began to leak through that gap. The killer's strike that reduced the target to a mere helpless prey. Clana Style, Breath Stealing was unleashed. Risir. The strike he delivered had momentarily touched the realm of Sword Masters. "Now!!! I'm about to collapse, so please take care of the rest!!!" Having poured everything into that one strike, Risir collapsed on the spot, coughing up blood. "..." Despite Risir's earnest request, those in the corridor couldn't readily spring into action. They were just staring blankly at the scene unfolding before their eyes. Fortunately, that brief delay didn't lead to disaster. "Keuk—...!" Risir's strike had been deeper than he thought. Gaderok, who had been clutching his throat. He couldn't maintain his balance and collapsed on the spot. Soon after. The Saint and The Owner looked at Risir and muttered as if remembering something. "Ah, that's right..." *** The Back Alleys had collapsed. In that process, the exploits of one man began to spread throughout all of Bondaless through word of mouth.