Chapter 413: End game (7)
kwalkwalkwalkwalkwalkwalkwalkwal...
Water was leaking all over Nouvelle Vague.
On the first floor, in front of the Gate of Good and Evil, the guards were putting down a prisoner riot when they realized things were getting out of hand.
"Damn! The hole in the exterior wall is not being repaired!"
"Where's Brigadier General Flubber, why does the water keep coming in?"
"It's a big problem, the collapsed battlements section continues to flood!"
"Half the inner wall is already under water, damn it!"
The more areas Brigadier General Flubber was unable to cover, the more water rushed into the castle.
"We're all going to die at this rate!"
Prisoner and guard were both terrified.
Unlike when BDIOSSEM was gone, if Flubber was gone, the castle itself would be completely submerged under 10,000 meters of water.
There was no doubt that all life would be exterminated.
"Now is not the time to fight among ourselves!"
"Uh, what should we do? Should we stop the water first?"
"Run! We have to run!"
"To where? We're ten thousand meters below the surface anyway, it's the same no matter where we go!"
The prisoners and guards stopped fighting and looked for a way out.
Just then, Lt. Colonel Bastille shouted.
"Major General Orca! MajorGeneral Orca must be here! Where is the warden!"
"I, I don't know! He hasn't been seen since some time...."
Orca, who had just moments before been on the front lines, fighting the prisoners of Level 9, was nowhere to be found.
Lt. Colonel Bastille had no choice but to give the final order.
"I have no choice. Everyone to the 5th floor, to the gulper eel kennel!"
The situation was so desperate that he had no idea what his order would lead to.
"Give up suppression! Everyone retreat!"
Lt. Colonel Bastille's words were the beginning of a remarkable event that would later be written in a small corner of the history books of mankind.
It was the first official declaration of humanity's intention to abandon the Nouvelle Vague.
* * *
Meanwhile, on the 10th floor of the Nouvelle Vague, an entirely new figure has emerged.
Professor Sady. She opened her mouth, looking no different than she did on the surface.
"Hello friends~ long time no see!"
She waved her hand once at D'Ordume and Souare, who had their mouths open in disbelief.
Vikir opened his mouth to express his disbelief.
" ...You managed to come this far."
"Ahhh- Night Hound. It's an honor~ hohoho."
She walked over and shook hands with Aiyen, who was standing next to Vikir.
"It's been a while, Ms. Night Fox~"
"It is good to see you again. Miss Uroboros, you kept your promise."
"Of course~ I told you I'd be right behind you, I have business here."
Aiyen had visited Cindy Wendy as soon as she was free of her past, and it seemed she had introduced her to Professor Sady.
Aiyen, who had been a sniper in the Imperial City and carried on the reputation of Aquila the Night Fox, and Professor Sady, who had been a terrorist under the moniker Miss Uroboros, had joined forces.
Aiyen and Sady were a perfect match for each other, as they were both anti-Empire.
Vikir thought to himself.
'It's a good thing I had given Cindy Wendy orders to find Sady before I was sent to Nouvelle Vague.'
At the time of his previous sentencing to Nouvelle Vague, Vikir had handed Cindy Wendy a note with his instructions.
'... and look for Professor Sady.'
She might be able to help him someday, he thought.
Even if he was psychotic and moody, at least they had similar goals, and it worked.
Aiyen had deliberately chosen the Nouvelle Vague to follow Vikir's trail, and Professor Sady had used her status and connections as a former official of the Imperial Prison Service to disguise herself as a guard and sneak down to join the ranks of the guards who happened to be above ground in the Nouvelle Vague.
"Hohoho – Warden Orca and the rest of you just happened to be on the ground, so it was easy to infiltrate the convoy as it was the largest convoy ever. Fake identities, it's my specialty."
Sady acted as if he knew D'Ordume and Souare well.
The more she did so, the more their faces crumpled like they'd chewed shit.
"You, the one who once served as an Imperial Family advisor to the arresting unit, why did you betray us? It's disgusting that you were once considered a candidate for warden alongside us."
"Hmph! If you'd done anything wrong, you'd have been called 'Sixth Warden' alongside that bitch, though she was eventually rejected for having traitorous blood in her veins."
Despite D'Ordume and Souare's sour accusations, Sady was still smiling broadly.
"Do you think I'm crazy enough to be thrown into this stuffy, damp place with you pigs? no grace."
With that, Sady dismissed the conversation with D'Ordume and Souare.
Then, as if on cue, she looked back at Vikir and asked.
"Oh, by the way, have you seen the man I placed in the Nouvelle Vague? He's from Leviathan, his name is Sakkuth... and he's a pretty good pig."
" ...Haven't seen him."
"Really? Well, he's always been a little unstable mentally, but he said he could do a good job, so I didn't expect much from him, but I guess it didn't work out~"
Sady chuckled and stepped in front of D'Ordume, Souare, and Flubber.
"I'm going to stop them, so just do what you can."
At the same time, Sady's entire body began to glow with dark mana.
Vikir realized immediately what Sady was trying to do.
...Gurgling!
A demonic, ferocious energy exploded from Sady's left eye.
Demonization.
Vikir could sense the familiar aura of Sady's transformation into a demon.
'Belial, the artifact from when I killed the Sixth Corpse.'
He had been wondering why no artifact had dropped when he killed Belial, who was infiltrating Bourgeois.
Sady removed the blindfold covering her left eye.
A golden-colored artifact glimmered inside.
Tsutsutsutsutsutsutsutsuts...
A black and golden aura blazed, making Sady's whip even longer and thicker.
jja-ag!
The black and golden snake slithered across the ground.
It was a fierce attack that sent D'Ordume, Souare, and even Flubber flying.
Vikir swallowed hard as he watched the immense combat power of the demonized Sady.
The student Underdogma, who had an average level of combat power when he was in the Hell Tree, had gained strength comparable to a Danger Class A+ monster after becoming a demon(majin).
It was hard to even estimate how powerful Sady, who was originally strong enough to surpass the realm of the Master, would have now that she became a Majin.
[Hohohoho- technique that requires you to lie down for at least half a year after you use it!]
Unlike Underdogma, Sady had not become a full demon, but was walking a tightrope with half of her body remaining human.
This was possible thanks to her sense of balance, which had long since surpassed the level of humans, and her innate sense of combat.
"...!"
D'Ordume and Souare flinched back from Sady's assault.
Flubber, too, was powerless against the AoE whip, which burnt everything it touched.
And Sady's chaotic aura stretched out and swirled wildly in all directions.
It was an ineffective attack, but it worked in Vikir's favor.
This is because Poseidon was absorbing an increasing amount of force due to the impact being transmitted towards the surface.
'That's it. Almost... just a little more!'
The blue light emitted by Poseidon grew stronger and stronger.
jjeojeog- jjeog- jjeojeojeog!
The blue color of the surface began to crack with violent vibrations.
Vikir and Aiyen were drawing up mana with all their might and pouring it into Poseidon.
...kung!
There was a being that cut off all these flows at once.
ujijijijig!
A shockwave crashes down on the ground.
Crumbling earth, D'Ordume and Souare falling backwards, and Flubber fidgeting.
"What?"
Sady closed her left eye, blocking out the magic.
The instincts of a genius, the dangers that screamed at her.
Having ignored that warning once before and lost her left eyeball, Sady wasn't about to make the same mistake twice.
...Boom!
For the third time, Sady flipped and fell backwards.
Still alert, she lowered her stance and kept her body close to the ground.
And then.
A figure that made even the demonized Sady take a step back stepped out into the middle of the battlefield.
A trench coat with black fur strewn about. Gray hair and beard that rose stiffly.
Warden Orca.
He had personally walked down to Level 10.
"...Sady?"
Orca's brow furrowed as soon as he saw Sady's face, as if he'd seen something he shouldn't have.
Sady broke out in a cold sweat just hearing his thick, hoarse voice.
"...Don't say my name, old man."
Her whip flew out like a writhing viper, aiming for Orca's face.
pakang-
Orca raised his gaiter leg to block the whip.
Kiririririk-
The whip was unable to overcome the force of the swing and was caught in Orca's gaiters and military boots.
Orca stamped his foot as the whip was wrapped around his foot.
...kung!
With a single roll of his foot, Sady almost missed the whip.
"...!"
Barely holding on to the body she was being dragged, she tightened her arms and yanked the whip back.
kkudeudeudeudeug- kkwagigig!
But the whip crunched beneath Orca's military boots and didn't budge.
"...."
Orca. This seasoned veteran raised his hollow eyes and looked around.
Slowly, as if he didn't care about Sady in front of him.
And then.
"...!"
Orca's eyes narrowed.
His gaze was fixed on the side of the blue orb that emitted a brilliant light, on a boy who stood awkwardly and peered down at them.
Vikir Van Baskerville, young on the outside, but a seasoned warrior who had seen many lives.
And Orca Montreuil-sur-Mer Javert. A veteran of several generations already.
"...."
"...."
The two veterans who met in one place, transcending time and space, began to sharply confront each other.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺