Two water snakes sprang from beneath Toki's feet. Ahead of them stood a group cloaked in robes dyed to blend with the shadows of the dungeon.
The water snakes surged past the group, blocking their path. The shadowy figures halted, showing no sign of panic.
"Did you think you could escape?"
"No, I knew it was impossible. But since Svartá was abandoned, I couldn't just give up struggling."
Despite Riveria's threatening tone, Svartá showed no sign of fear. Was he resigned… or did he still have a plan?
"Well then, what shall we do…?"
Svartá's mocking words were met by the surrounding figures stepping forward, shielding him. Seeing their number, Toki felt a strange unease.
"…Hey, where are Regos and the others?"
About two-thirds of Svartá's group were elves like Regos. But neither here nor at the previous location could Toki spot any of them.
"Heh heh heh… Who knows? I don't have the slightest idea where they might be."
That smile sealed it for Toki. Svartá had no intention of fleeing. He planned to get caught, then be rescued later by Regos and the others who had already escaped.
But that's naive.
Svartá severely underestimated Orario and its adventurers. It might be true that the city's underbelly is thin, but this is Orario, the world's center. Such naïveté wouldn't work here.
Honestly, I pity Regos and the others.
Because outside the dungeon lurk the world's strongest adventurers. If they were hiding in the city, maybe things would be different, but since they weren't… well, surviving might be all they could hope for.
Refocusing, Toki glared at the man before him. Svartá's face remained calm. Just looking at him stirred murderous intent within Toki.
As Toki summoned a dagger and gathered strength to strike, Riveria spoke beside him.
"What's your goal?"
"My goal? It's obvious. To bring Toki back."
"That's your current goal. But what I'm asking is this, what is it you truly seek? After leaving your village and staining your hands, what is it you want to gain?"
This question came from Riveria's own experience, she was once almost killed herself. The deep-seated pain she had carried as she rose to become a first-class adventurer, unable to overcome that event. She longed for an answer.
Svartá chuckled softly, then spoke as if addressing a child.
"Humans have fallen. Don't you think so?"
The question caught both of them off guard.
"It's been 1,000 years since the gods descended to this world. The so-called 'Blessings' are like a drug that have diminished humanity's true worth."
What was this man talking about? Both felt very different emotions but thought the same words.
"In the 'Ancient' times, before 'Blessings,' humans forged many legends. But ever since the gods descended, humanity's value has plummeted."
Svartá spoke as if intoxicated by his own words.
"That's why I will restore the world to its rightful state! I will free humanity from being the gods' cattle! That is my purpose!"
Hearing this, Toki's voice trembled as he asked the man,
"So then… what you want me to do is, "
"To exterminate the gods. To kill every god on this earth and return humans to their rightful form. For that reason, I raised you."
Toki's breath hitched. He hadn't even moved, yet dizziness swept over him.
Exterminating the gods, not banishing, but killing. Was it possible? His power was literally"god-slaying." He'd never tested it, but instinctively, Toki knew he could do it.
So this man was,
"Pathetic."
Just as fear threatened to paralyze him, Riveria spat the word.
"…What do you mean, Rivi?"
"Don't call me that. I still can't believe I was nearly killed by such a man. It really showed how immature I was back then."
Her eyes were filled with disappointment, not only for the man in front of her but also for her former self.
"What you call a cause is just childish self-importance. All those grand words are just you wanting someone to acknowledge you as special, as chosen."
If a god were here, they'd probably call Svartá"edgy" or"cringe." Svartá's expression stiffened.
"Being smart and having a god-slayer like you kept your ideology alive, I suppose. Ah, as elves live long, we grow mentally slower. That might explain some of it. But it's not the mindset of a mature adult."
"But it's likely impossible to actually do what you say. Your interpersonal skills are outstanding. Your Hide skill is high, too. But gods are no joke."
"…Impossible…"
"They may act carefree most of the time, but these gods are transcendent beings, Deus Dea. Some may seem like nothing but lecherous bullies, but when the time comes, they can be terrifying."
"Silence!"
"Do you seriously think one person, Toki alone, can kill all the gods? There are over a hundred gods in Orario alone, and many are missing outside the city."
"Silence!!"
Riveria's example was oddly specific, but Svartá couldn't help but shout.
"Did I hit a nerve?"
"Shut up!? Don't talk back to me, you little brat!?"
Svartá snapped his fingers, and the robed group lunged at Toki and Riveria.
"Toki, buy us thirty seconds!"
"With that much time, I could just kill him."
"The guild's orders said, if possible, take him alive."
"…Understood."
Toki dashed forward as Riveria began her incantation.
["Harbinger of the end, the white snow. Blow with the wind before the twilight!"]
She spun a 'fast cast' spell, something no one could match, given she was Lefiya's mentor.
Passing the foremost robed figure, Toki swung his dagger, killing a clone who bore his own face. Fear no longer lived in his heart, only cold, ruthless intent.
["Closing light, the freezing land.…"]
Ignoring shadows' interference and countering dagger attacks, Toki took each life with deadly precision. The eight clones fell in moments. He then reached Svartá.
["Blizzard, the three severe winters - my name is Alf]
Riveria finished her chant. At that moment, Toki whispered a voice only Svartá could hear.
"You used to terrify me so much… but now you look so small."
Then he swung his dagger again. Svartá's face twisted in shock.
["Wynn Fimbulvetr!!"]
As Toki withdrew, Riveria unleashed her spell, three swirling blizzards instantly dominated the space, creating a world at absolute zero.
"I told you to capture him alive."
Amidst the chaos, Riveria questioned Toki in a low voice. He had struck with his dagger, and from her viewpoint, it had grazed Svartá's neck.
"Look carefully."
Toki pointed toward Svartá, now encased in ice. Riveria peered closely and saw no blood around his neck.
"It's an illusion to make the target and those around him believe he was killed. Not a very practical trick, though."
Riveria was dumbfounded. Calling it a mere trick was an understatement, almost no first-class adventurer could pull that off. Her unease grew over his talent.
"So, what now? The way back is blocked, right?"
Toki's gaze shifted past the frozen Svartá, toward a corridor iced over by the blizzard, completely sealed off.
"No worries. After retrieving Svartá, I'll melt the ice with [Rea Lavatein]."
"…And who will retrieve Svartá from the ice?"
"Gareth and Finn will handle that. We did this often when we were rookies."
They really did this often… These people are seriously something else.
They turned back to regroup.
𓂀═════════════𓂀
In a deserted back alley, the quiet cityscape swallowed an elf as he dashed, no, fled, in the shadows.
Damn it! What was that monster!?
Looking back, Regos saw no pursuers, but felt no relief. He pushed his legs harder.
Minutes earlier, Regos and his elven comrades had tried to escape the dungeon ahead of Svartá but found a group of adventurers blocking the 'Path of Beginnings.'
Trying to break through using a few decoys, their group quickly fell apart.
The decoys were neutralized instantly, and by the time they escaped Babel, only five remained capable of moving.
The desperate flight continued. Regos' Hide skill, once enough to shake off the four fiery warriors of Bringal, failed against the boar-men chasing him. Eventually, he was alone.
What Regos didn't know was that his pursuer was the world's strongest adventurer, a warrior who, six years ago, was struck by a surprise attack from a certain boy, learned his own shortcomings, and trained relentlessly. His tracking ability was far beyond what it had been six years ago.
A giant shadow fell over fleeing Regos,
𓂀═════════════𓂀
Next Chapter: The showdown between Finn and Svarta. We're also near the end of the story
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