Chapter 166 : Genesis (3)

Inside the last airship heading to Icata.

“It’s still surprising. To think you were that Skull Mask.”

“……Be quiet. What are you going to do if other people hear you?”

“It’s fine, there’s no one else here.”

He was right.

Just as he said, I looked around and saw no one else but us in the cabin.

The in-flight announcement that we would soon arrive in Icata had just chimed, so it seemed everyone had gone out to the deck to see the city’s night view.

The night view of Icata from above is indeed picturesque.

Still, there was no harm in being careful.

When I frowned to warn him to watch his mouth, he nodded as well.

“Got it. Anyway, you’re pretty famous in Karagas. You’re especially mentioned a lot among the Blood guys.”

“Huh? Why those bastards? Their turf is Karagas and Icata, so we’re completely separate.”

“Your business items overlap. Plus, Blood owes a debt to Shadow for what happened in the past because of that.”

“Ah- right. I think I heard that from Luis.”

Blood, the contract-killing organization of the lawless city of Karagas, was a guild with a considerable reputation in the underworld.

However, while expanding their influence, they recklessly tried to encroach on Icata, leading to a conflict with Shadow, where they were utterly crushed.

But now, Shadow had fallen and Blood, which had been crushed by Shadow, had grown to become one of the top powers in the underworld.

The ways of the world are truly unpredictable.

Anyway, Carl and I flew to Icata, making such idle conversation.

Yes, this guy with the cold impression next to me was Carl.

I don’t know if you remember, but there was that time during the festival when I saved those thugs who were about to be framed for sexual assault and arrested.

Among them, the one who was destined to become one of the future Five Evils, a Madman.

I still remember.

‘You’re the first one to listen to us without any prejudice. Thank you so much.’

‘How many times do I have to say it? I told you I didn’t do it to help you guys.’

‘Anyway. And also, you are our brother now.’

A one-sided induction into brotherhood.

At the time, it wasn’t bad, no.

In fact, I was secretly overjoyed to have a man who would become a Madman as my brother.

Thus, based on my own logic of ‘Isn’t it the duty of a brother to willingly come and help when a brother is in danger?’,

I decided to use the hidden card named Carl in the war against the cult and two days ago, I had hastily departed for Karagas.

Although quite a few things happened after I arrived in Karagas.

To get straight to the point, as you can see now, Carl gladly accepted my offer of help and boarded the airship to Icata.

Carl and his brothers’ skills had changed a lot from back then.

Especially Carl.

He wasn’t yet at the level to be called one of the Five Evils (this seemed to require a trigger of some sort, like Ivan).

Still, I couldn’t close my mouth after seeing him tear apart Grade 2 beasts like trolls with his bare hands and turn them into minced meat.

Originally, I planned to find Carl as soon as I arrived in Karagas and then check how much stronger he had become.

It’s a hidden card I’d put a lot of thought into, so it would be a bit disappointing if he was at a lackluster level.

I had coldly decided that if he wasn’t even at the intermediate Aura Expert level, he would only be a hindrance and I wouldn’t bring him.

So, the whole way there, I was half worried, half expectant.

‘Just how strong has Carl become?’

Finding Carl was easy.

Not long after I arrived in Karagas, the Monster Forest seethed for a moment and spewed out a horde of beasts.

It was a beast invasion.

So I didn’t even need to look for him.

There were guys who rushed out of the city and were pounding the beasts at the forefront, and it was them.

The troubleshooters of Karagas, Carl and his brothers.

Was that all?

Thanks to that, I got to witness their skills with my own eyes, saving time.

Also, I was so surprised and thrilled by their combat prowess, which made me feel foolish for having been so anxious on the way, worrying ‘what if they’re weak’, that I joined them in driving back the beasts without realizing it.

Like that, I managed to find Carl + say hello after a long time + check his skills all in one go.

We were able to leave Karagas a day earlier than planned and head for Icata.

Anyway.

During the three-hour airship ride, I told Carl the necessary information.

And that included the fact that my identity was Skull Mask.

Seeing him keep mentioning Skull Mask without a clue, it seemed Carl was quite surprised too.

Yeah.

I understand being surprised.

I get it, but,Couldn’t you please just be surprised inwardly and shut your mouth already?

At this point, I was beginning to suspect his intention was to screw me over.

Just as my own temper was starting to rise and I was contemplating whether I should rearrange this bastard’s jaw.

[Ah. Good day, passengers. This is your captain speaking.]

The in-flight announcement rang out once more.

Have we arrived already?

I thought, but the content was not the arrival announcement I had expected.

[We have currently arrived over Icata, but due to an accident at our destination, Icata, we are currently unable to land under the instruction of the control tower, so we will unavoidably──.]

As soon as those words ended, the outside became noisy and chaotic.

I looked at Carl.

Carl was looking at me at the same time.

“Let’s go see.”

“Alright.”

We went out to the deck.

It was already chaotic there.

The passengers were all looking down, covering their mouths, unable to hide their shock.

They were stomping their feet and shouting, reacting as if they had witnessed something tremendous.

Without a second thought, we also leaned against the railing and looked down.

Beneath the hazy clouds, a vast city spread out.

Among it all, the scene that undeniably caught the eye was.

Kwang! Kwang!

A skeleton of enormous size, smashing the city.

“What is that monster?”

To Carl’s mumble, I used [Focused Gaze] instead of an answer.

My head had already cooled down.

If I wasn’t mistaken, the location where that thing was rampaging was where the Ladrier Hotel was.

In other words, it meant that thing was currently causing a ruckus right above the cult’s secret base.

Unless Bishop Laitna had suddenly gone insane, why would she commit the crazy act of summoning a Lord over her own base?

It meant something had happened.

And my prediction was spot on.

‘They’re in the middle of a battle.’

The first thing I saw was the Academy investigation team, fighting to stop the Skeleton Lord.

And behind them, I saw Bishop Laitna and a man conversing with her.

I magnified my vision again.

Pale skin and a resemblance to Bishop Laitna.

That bastard must be High Cleric Vallary.

And when I shifted my gaze again.

“……”

I gritted my teeth.

I saw a glass sphere floating behind the High Cleric Vallary.

And trapped inside it, sealed with only its upper body remaining, was Clatter.

I don’t know why Clatter was there, captured in that state.

But right now, such reasons didn’t matter.

“Carl.”

“Speak.”

“Sorry, but I need your help. Right now.”

Seeing me take out a skull mask and put it on my face, Carl nodded without any particular question.

“Got it.”

After putting on the mask and changing my clothes, I immediately ran across the deck.

I stood firmly on top of the engine attached to the side of the airship, which was vibrating and making a loud noise, and looked down.

Hwiiiing-

An open view.

In my vision magnified by [Focused Gaze], I saw High Cleric Vallary, and at the same time, a dagger in my hand swiftly cut through the sky.

Shwaaak!

Perhaps he didn’t expect an attack to come from the sky.

Or maybe he was afraid that if he dodged, Bishop Laitna, who was behind him, would get hurt.

I couldn’t know the reason, but it was a clear fact that High Cleric Vallary’s chest had been pierced.

I had been thinking about whether I needed to prepare another shot, but I put away the next dagger I had taken out.

It was because I saw the sealing sphere break and the clatter trapped inside collapse onto the ground.

Proof that the bastard Vallary was dead.

The problem was what came next.

A single scream, filled with a mixture of hatred and sorrow.

After that, the Skeleton Lord’s black eye sockets turned precisely toward us and it swung the spine it held in its hand.

Kwaaaaaa!

The deathblow that stretched out surged toward our airship.

But.

“Haaaaap!”

Carl, who had appeared next to me, powerfully thrust out his knuckle-clad fist.

The fierce aura that shot out from his fist collided directly with the deathblow.

Kwarrrrreung!

A deafening roar like a thunderclap, and the violent shockwave that erupted immediately struck the airship.

The airship shook back and forth with a blaring red emergency alarm.

While the passengers on the deck, who thought they were done for, about to be cut down by the sword qi, screamed ‘kyaak’ and the crew in the bridge struggled to balance the airship.

I asked.

“Carl. Can you fly by any chance?”

“Make sense. That’s impossible.”

I see.

But it doesn’t matter.

I had already summoned a Sylph, just in case.

I threw him a cloth to cover his face and opened my mouth.

“For now, cover your face with that.”

Then, in a light tone as if suggesting a walk.

“Let’s go down.”

And so, before the countless watching stars, we threw ourselves toward the ground.

Shwaaaak!

Our bodies plummeted mercilessly toward Icata.

I glanced back and saw Carl flying with the help of the Sylph, and as soon as I confirmed that, I used [Dagger Shift].

My destination was in front of the dagger that had pierced Vallary’s chest and was now stuck in the ground.

Sreung-

Remembering that Bishop Laitna was near the dagger, I immediately drew Raven and slashed at the spot where she had been.

Kuuung!

A giant bone finger appeared and enveloped her.

“Tsk.”

I quickly moved away.

“……You. You. You Skull Mask bastard. How dare you.”

Bishop Laitna, glaring at me from within the Lord’s hand with eyes that could kill.

She was so furious she couldn’t even speak properly.

Does she know I killed High Cleric Vallary?

Well, who else uses daggers besides me.

Ignoring her, I looked around.

‘There they are.’

There were the heads of the Academy investigation team members, staring at me with wide eyes like meerkats, having suddenly fallen from the sky.

Among them, her eyes were particularly wide open. Spotting Rachel, I sent a [Whisper].

[Report.]

[W-wait. You. What? You said you were coming tomorrow?]

[Is that important? Report, quickly.]

Her skill in reporting to Bishop Lutus was still there; in less than five seconds, she summarized and explained everything that had happened so far.

‘So that’s what happened.’

In the meantime, Carl, with the help of the Sylph, landed safely behind me.

I opened my mouth to him.

“Find my subordinates.”

“And you?”

“I.”

I turned my head and looked at the Skeleton Lord standing tall in front of me.

“Will you be okay?”

To Carl’s worried question, I answered with a grin.

Carl didn’t ask any more.

He patted my shoulder and launched himself toward the collapsed hotel.

Just then, a deep shadow was cast.

I glanced up and saw the giant spine that had tried to split the airship in half, this time plummeting toward me.

Kwang!

I escaped the spot with [Phase Shift].

“Hmm.”

I understand a hundred times over your desire to kill me quickly, but the same goes for me.

“It would be troublesome if the higher-ups arrived.”

Feeling the countless gazes from afar, from the direction of the royal palace.

I raised Raven toward Bishop Laitna.

“Seize and swallow, Raven.”

Kaaaaah──

A black beam of light shot from the crow’s wide-open mouth and surged toward Bishop Laitna’s head.

This time too, the Skeleton Lord protected her with its hand, but [Power Seizure] mockingly pierced through the bones and impaled Bishop Laitna.

Numerous visions entered my mind.

From among them, I picked out the one I had already calculated in my head.

“……Ugh?”

“Don’t overreact. You know there’s no pain.”

“What, what was that just now!”

“Should I tell you?”

Asking that, I turned Raven’s head and pointed it elsewhere.

And then, I activated it.

[Throne of the Skeleton God]

A black hexagram spread on the ground, centered on my body.

Drip, drip. Bishop Laitna, who was the first to notice the seeping death energy and its sticky concentration, let out a cry of horror.

“H-how can you use that?”

But she immediately put on a smirk again.

“Ha. Haha. Impressive, aren’t you? The King of Thieves, indeed. But you fool. That’s a sacrificial ritual that’s useless without a high-level undead to sit on the throne!”

Why would there be no high-level undead?

I gestured with my eyes, silently.

Telling her to look closely.

Only then did the bishop realize something was strange and followed my gaze, her expression quickly hardening.

Padeuk! Padeudeuk!

Clatter, engulfed in the energy of death, was rising with a grotesque sound.

Gradually.

Bigger.

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