Chapter 158: Grave Part 7

Behind us were Faust and Tilis.

In front of us was Loki.

A crisis on all sides. This setup might as well have been made just to get us killed.

“That’s strange… For someone who acted like he gained enlightenment after death, you sure have a lot of killing intent.”

“If that’s what you think, then I must’ve acted pretty well, huh?”

“Hmm, I see. That makes sense. A guy like you wouldn’t reflect on anything just because he died. So? You’ve decided to join Under Chain?”

“Of course not. I just made a little deal. I’m still an imperial member, after all.”

Is this because he’s her ex-fiancé?

Watching Loki and Cattleya chatting so casually made me feel like I should give them some space.

“Please, you two keep talking.”

I’m a man who knows how to read the room.

Time to step aside with some tact.

I casually walked past the two as they argued—

“Growl! Growl!”

“Aaagh!”

—and was attacked by Fenrir.

Thankfully, I’d stayed alert, so I just barely managed to respond.

Still, just like before, it was tough.

Just being in contact with it numbed my limbs, and I could easily imagine what would happen if I actually got hit. It was terrifying.

Bang!

Then, a gunshot rang out.

Among everyone here, the only one besides me who’d be carrying a firearm was Cattleya—so it had to be her coming to back me up.

“Die, Loki! Just die already!”

Nope. It wasn’t.

She didn’t care in the slightest whether I was being attacked by Fenrir.

The only thing that seemed to matter to her was that Fenrir had moved away from Loki’s side.

She didn’t even glance in my direction, just kept pulling the trigger toward Loki relentlessly.

“This isn’t going to work.”

Right now, I’m too weak to go toe-to-toe with Fenrir, and the bullets Cattleya was wasting weren’t even scratching Loki’s magic barrier.

This was exactly the situation Loki wanted.

If time drags on, the poison filling the space will eventually suffocate us.

Unlike last time, we don’t have an antidote with us, so we’re on a clear time limit.

“Phew… there’s just no way out of this.”

No plan, no means to counter this one-sided ambush.

My individual skills were far below what’s needed, and I had no variables to turn things around.

I can feel it vividly. Like I’m drying up and dying by the second.

Is there seriously no way?

Is the only outcome here to die from poisoning because we can’t break through Loki’s defenses?

Given the location, it was hard to even hope for outside help.

It’s not like Lobelia, Yuna, or Ariel are around. So what can I possibly do?

I should never have felt relieved when Yuna and Ariel were captured by Olga Hermod.

They were practically my lifelines… I should’ve just endured a little longer…

“Your movements are growing more sluggish, Johan Damus.”

“It’s just… poor stamina.”

No point bluffing now.

Unfortunately, Loki’s poison has already begun to eat away at my body.

The antidote I took last time must still be lingering a little, but judging by the throbbing in my head, I’m nearing my limit.

Seriously, what do I do now…?

– Fzzzt!

But don’t they say, “Even when the sky falls, there’s always a hole to crawl through”?

– Ah, ah. Can you hear me? Johan Damus.

A static-filled voice suddenly began to buzz in my ear.

No way… is this…?!

“…Deus?”

– You’re in an interesting place. If you’ve got a moment, mind dropping a coordinate? I’m curious.

“Do I look like I have time?”

– How would I know? I can’t see you.

Looks like they planted a nanomachine in me at some point. Thanks to that, I was able to connect with the Scriptwriter, Deus.

“Please help me out here. That maniac prince clawed his way up from hell just to kill me.”

– Well, considering the stuff you’ve done, it’s not exactly surprising he holds a grudge.

“Whose side are you on right now?”

– Are we in a situation where I have to take someone’s side?

“I mean, I’m still part of Ex Machina. You should be on my side.”

– Fair enough. But it’s a hassle.

Heartless bastard.

“I thought you were curious about these coordinates.”

– Not that curious.

“Even if this place turns out to be the Great Sage’s domain?”

– Why should I care about the Great Sage? He’s dumber than I am. He’s only called that because of the title.

Flawless logic.

Complete individualism.

You’d be a fool to expect empathy from Deus.

“Let’s make a deal.”

– And what do you have to offer me?

“What do you want?”

– Nothing, really.

“Come on, don’t be like that.”

Someone’s about to die here!

– You’re the one panicking. So why should I be the one to name a price?

A scriptwriter who makes demands with complete confidence.

Yeah, I’m the one at a disadvantage here. But in a situation this urgent, isn’t it too much to think about something like that?

“How about this topic, then?”

– What topic?

“Demons.”

– Not particularly interested.

“Did you know they came from outside?”

– That’s common knowledge.

“Then what if the Emperor seems deeply invested in demons?”

– Hmm…

The image of Abraham rambling on and on about demons in front of me flashed through my mind.

There must be a reason.

Maybe the Emperor’s greatest concern really is the demons.

Although, if he’s leaving Tillis alone despite knowing what she is, maybe not…

Still, it’s not impossible to see it that way, right?

“I happen to have a Book of a Demon.”

– You sure have all sorts of things.

“So? Doesn’t that spark your curiosity about demons?”

– Hmm…

Good, he’s biting.

Deus always preferred knowing something, or anything, over staying in the dark.

As long as I can spark his interest, I can make this work.

– That’s rather intriguing. If you’ve got a Book of a Demon, you could even talk to one, couldn’t you?

“Ha, that bastard’s just a chatterbox. His mouth must be itching right now.”

“Are you crazy, Johan Damus?”

“He’s rambling even now.”

– So where are you, then?

“Uh, here’s the thing…”

How am I supposed to pin down coordinates? It’s not like I’ve got the tools for it. Even if I look up, the sky’s covered in storm clouds. No sun, no stars….nothing to calculate with.

And besides, I’m still being chased by Fenrir. I don’t exactly have time to do calculations.

“It’s really hard for me to figure it out right now! Can’t you just make it work somehow?”

– What a nuisance you are. Fine, I understand. You’ll handle the aftermath.

“Wait, what aftermath?!”

Fzzzt! Zzzzzzt!

Once again, the noise rang in my ears. The Scriptwriter was doing something.

But what did he mean by I’d have to deal with the aftermath?

Click.

At that moment, a spider-shaped mechanical device poked its head out from within my coat.

It was Emily’s surveillance device.

Wait…was the “aftermath” he mentioned about hacking Emily’s machine?

It seemed like he wanted me to smooth things over with her, but that much was fine.

It might be a hassle for Deus, but it was no big deal for me.

– Hmm, I’ve calculated the coordinates… but it’s farther than I thought.

“Come to think of it, we were teleported.”

– There’s no lab of mine nearby.

“Oh really?”

– That means I can’t provide support. I’ve got no devices to send; how else would I help?

“You’re completely useless, then! What’s the point of wasting time like this?!”

– Instead, I’ll send a person.

“I knew I could count on you, Scriptwriter!”

That’s the Scriptwriter for you.

A different breed from the other terrorists! If not for the twisted laws of the Empire, he wouldn’t even be labeled one.

– Hold out for about five minutes.

“I don’t think I can!”

My vision was already starting to blur!

– Then that’s unfortunate.

“Isn’t there anything you can do?”

“Want me to take the exam for you too?”

“Tch…”

Either way, this couldn’t go on.

Not just me. Cattleya who was shooting from a distance was also starting to lose her aim.

Unless Loki pushed himself too far trying to finish us off, there wasn’t even room to create a new variable.

He was a cautious bastard… Even while overwhelming us like this, he wasn’t letting his guard down.

“Cattleya!”

“Can’t you block properly?! Johan Damus, what happens if the vanguard wavers?!”

“No, it’s your legs that are shaking, Cattleya!”

“Shut up!”

Cattleya always lost her composure whenever it came to Loki. With the poison already clouding my mind, having her who was supposed to stay calm acting like that made things even harder.

Alright, five minutes.

How on earth do we survive five minutes?

Even if I forced myself right now, I’d barely last another two.

“I have a plan. Follow me!”

“What?”

“Now!”

“What…?”

Abandoning the vanguard, I immediately spun around and started running. Leaving behind Cattleya’s dumbfounded expression, I headed back toward the battlefield where Tillis and Faust were still fighting.

There was only one path from the beginning.

It wasn’t like we had the strength to smash through the gravestones lined up on either side and escape that way. The only open road was here.

“Uooooohhh!!”

Where demonic power and necromantic power clashed and exploded—

I charged forward with my eyes fixed ahead, like a soldier sprinting bare-bodied across a battlefield under bombardment.

Breaking through Loki’s side was impossible.

The air there was saturated with poison; stepping into it meant certain death.

But this way…? Sure, the bombardments raining down could kill us instantly, but survival wasn’t a complete zero percent.

This was the moment to gamble.

Of course, it wasn’t a baseless gamble.

Tillis wanted me to form a contract with the demon, and Faust wanted me to decipher Alice’s magic.

Since both of them had their own stakes in me, I believed they’d be cautious about killing me—

…if they had the leeway, that is.

“Are you sure about this?!”

“I’m sure!”

Cattleya who had belatedly followed me turned pale as a bombardment landed right in front of us, then shouted at me.

Come to think of it, Tillis and Faust would probably only care about me.

With their individualistic nature, they wouldn’t give a damn about what happened to my companion.

“Uh…”

But before I could even worry about that, my feet had no choice but to stop.

I was certain of it.

One more step, and we’d be caught in it and die.

The space ahead was packed tight with energy, leaving no way out.

There was no stepping into that.

The heart of the battle was far more dangerous than what spilled outward.

“Have you given up on running?”

While we stood frozen, Loki walked toward us at an unhurried pace. There was a chilling smile on his face.

A real dead end.

But then…

“Five minutes are up.”

“Hmm?”

I saw a red meteor falling.

Boooooooom!!

It crashed down squarely between Loki and me, blocking the path.

At that dazzling radiance, I immediately realized who the reinforcements sent by Deus were.

“Deus, you crazy bastard! I knew I could count on you!”

The reinforcements he sent weren’t just anyone. They were a far more reliable hero than even Lobelia.

“…So you’ve finally crossed the line you never should have, Loki.”

Theseus Vicious von Miltonia.

The Empire’s First Prince, once the closest to the imperial throne.

And someone with the undeniable strength to crush Loki outright.

“….…”

Hope stirred within me.

But at the same time, questions rose.

How the hell did that bastard Deus send Theseus?

Don’t tell me the two of them knew each other?

Then what about the time I had to endure all that hell after taking the Scriptwriter’s deal?

If they were acquainted, couldn’t they have just talked things out and settled the lab issue?

Did I just get played?

No, wait a second…

“Now that I think about it, isn’t all of this Deus’s fault in the first place?”

If it weren’t for that bastard, I never would have stood before Loki. And I would never have made the antidote.

Then I wouldn’t have been targeted, wouldn’t have had to kill Loki, and I sure as hell wouldn’t be suffering like this right now.

That one incident snowballed until it buried me completely.

“Wow, I…”

My head was burning up.

I don’t think I’ve ever been this furious in my entire life.