Chapter 97: Orc Lord Hargon Part 8

The Predator.

When a newbie first used it in the game, it had only been good for acting as a trash bin.

But later, once a proper method of utilization was discovered, the Predator became a favored piece of gear for tankers.

It was no surprise. After all, its ability to nullify any type of attack was completely overpowered.

However, it was still a piece of gear that was tricky to use.

Leaving aside the penalty of devouring its wearer when it got hungry, its value diminished the further into the late game one went.

That was because there was a limit to how much energy the thing could consume.

At higher levels, it couldn’t even block a single attack from a minor mob, ultimately reducing it to mere junk that took up a gear slot.

Fitting another piece of equipment in that slot would’ve been far more beneficial.

But—

There was a hidden function only Jun knew, one no one else had discovered.

It was that the thing was growth-type equipment.

In other words—

“What the…”

It meant it could withstand even an all-out attack containing the full force of Hargon’s power…at least once.

Shwoooop―!!

The energy contained in Hargon’s full-power glaive strike was completely devoured by the Predator.

This thing didn’t merely chew up physical matter.

It consumed all kinds of energy stored within it. Even the shock of blocking the attack was swallowed by it.

“All that starving it for days finally paid off.”

At the same time, Jun’s hand reached for Hargon’s abdomen.

[Flare]

Without even needing an incantation, the power of the sun burst forth instantly, piercing into Hargon’s midsection.

“Urgh―!”

His muscles, imbued with magical power, resisted the spell.

But they couldn’t stop his body from being knocked backward.

Again, particles gathered in Jun’s hand.

[Flare]

If once wasn’t enough, then twice.

[Flare]

If twice wasn’t enough, then three times.

[Flare]

He drove it in four times.

Again and again, without end—

He unleashed [Flare].

It didn’t stop there. Once again, the summoned [Fireball] roared with dreadful thermal energy and slammed into the enemy’s entire body.

His whole body began to burn.

Even though he had resistance to magic, that meant little in the face of such overwhelming firepower.

It didn’t stop there.

From beneath Hargon, who had been driven all the way to the outer wall, a storm of flames surged upward.

[Volcanic Tornado]

The spell of Adrian, a fifth-circle mage who had once ambushed Jun.

The range was much narrower than it had been back then, but the greedy storm of flames that sought to consume everything tore through Hargon’s flesh and burned fiercely.

***

Craack—!

At the sound, Jun turned his head.

It was the sound of a golem core being destroyed, the one he had connected through [Marionette Line].

“So this is the limit.”

It had lasted longer than he expected.

Among the golem cores he’d received from Chloe, that one had held out the longest.

As he released the spellbinding incantation, the raging storm of magic that had been swirling around Jun died down.

At some point, his hair that was once turned stark white had returned to normal.

Rumble…

With the core’s destruction, the golem naturally collapsed as well.

“You did well.”

Normally, casting this many spells in rapid succession without the incantation was impossible.

It wouldn’t have been surprising if he had entered an overheated state long ago.

Not only would he have entered that overheated state, but the tide-like surge of magical power could have overwhelmed his very consciousness.

Yet Jun remained unscathed.

It was all thanks to the golem core taking the burden in his place.

“Hoo…”

However, this method was difficult to use repeatedly.

For one, it was hard to obtain intact golem cores in the first place.

“Ghh…”

And there was no way to deal with the circles that had been pushed to their limits.

With pain rising from his chest, he pulled a potion from his dimensional bracelet and gulped it down.

“Pwah!”

Then, he turned his gaze.

There, kneeling with smoke rising in wisps from his body, was Hargon.

The body that had once been packed with solid muscle had half melted, and the arm that Aiden had struck was now nothing but bare bone.

“This bastard… causing trouble for so many people.”

Orc Lord Hargon.

To make certain of the creature’s death, Jun raised his arm.

In that state, Hargon’s head would have fallen even to [Wind Cutter], let alone [Flare].

Just as Jun was about to cast his spell—

“Kuhuhuh…”

Hargon who was glaring at Jun with his one remaining eye opened his mouth.

“Have you gone mad from the pain?”

“How… foolish…”

“What?”

“Did you really… think someone like you… could stop me?”

“What … Wait, where’s your weapon?”

At some point, the glaive that had been in Hargon’s hand had disappeared.

Sensing danger in that instant, Jun immediately cast a spell.

[Wind Cutter]

He hurriedly unleashed the spell.

As expected, Hargon’s already melted neck couldn’t withstand the [Wind Cutter].

Thunk, thud…

His head, still emitting wisps of white smoke, tumbled to the ground.

“What the hell… what did he do at the end…”

When Jun turned around—

“Ha.”

What entered his sight was the severed head of Black Whale, skewered through by the glaive.

Whooooosh—!

A wave of surging magical power burst from Black Whale’s lifeless body.

“Eleanor!”

“I got it!”

[Block of Light]

A monstrous surge of magic swept through the entire area.

With Black Whale’s death, the magic it had contained was released and started spreading in all directions.

The problem was that the magic had been compressed to such a high degree that it now exerted powerful physical force on its own.

Soon, the released magic filled the chamber and triggered an explosion.

“Guh…!”

[Iron Rampart]

Feeling the explosive force approaching, Jun clutched his chest and raised a magical wall.

Ruuuuuumble—!!!

The roar went on for a while. It was loud enough to suggest that everything might collapse at any moment.

The magic that had returned to nature once more faded away as if nothing had happened, and a chilling silence descended over the place.

And then—

“So, there really was a limit to what this body could endure.”

“…Hargon.”

Hargon, with his entire body torn apart, was rising to his feet.

“What a grotesque sight.”

His entire body had been set ablaze by Jun’s magic.

Then shredded by the magical storm triggered by the Black Whale’s death, over 60% of his body had been lost.

And yet, he was still alive… and still moving.

No, more accurately—

His soul had taken form, and he was forcibly manipulating a body that should no longer be able to move.

“You’re still alive even after ending up like that?”

“To be honest, it’s hard to say I’m in one piece.”

Hargon didn’t fully understand the human language Jun was speaking, but he roughly inferred the meaning and responded.

“But in the end, I endured it. As for the body…I just need to find a new one. For example… like that guy.”

Hargon’s gaze shifted toward Aiden.

At some point, Aiden had gotten back on his feet with the help of a recovery potion and Eleanor’s healing magic.

“You intend to take over a human body?”

That wasn’t even a pattern found in the game.

Even as Jun muttered to himself, Hargon looked down at his soul-forged body.

“Black Whale… To think even a calf of the beast that would devour the world held such spiritual power. It’s truly difficult to contain.”

Which meant he had to hurry and find a new vessel.

Tap—

It was right then that a faint sound of footsteps was heard.

At some point, Maya had recovered and used [Spirit Dash] to close in behind Hargon.

“Your body won’t do. Too much impurity in it.”

Grab.

“Gah—!”

Hargon’s large hand clutched Maya’s neck.

“Now then… what should I do?”

His cold, mad gaze turned once again toward Aiden. But Aiden’s body had already vanished.

[Charge], [Bash]

With his body cloaked in mana, he rammed into Hargon’s abdomen, then immediately swung a sword infused with aura and slashed the monster’s wrist.

No matter how powerful a spiritual entity he was, he couldn’t ignore a sword imbued with aura.

Aiden caught Maya as she fell from the severed wrist and quickly pulled back to retreat.

“Kuhehehe… Fast. I want it. I want it even more… that body. A physique born to endure countless karmic burdens. That vessel…yes, it’s more than enough to contain my soul…”

And then it happened.

Hargon cut himself off mid-sentence.

Thud—

His melting legs gave out and dropped to their knees.

“What …”

“You really should’ve kept better tabs on your subordinates.”

“What?”

He didn’t understand Jun’s words, but the tone was clearly mocking.

Only then did Hargon lower his gaze to his own chest.

A grotesque spike was driven deep into it.

“This is…!”

“Barbata. That’s your master, right?”

“Barbata…!!”

Barbata. The orc shaman who was the first to be defeated by Jun and his party.

The spike shaped like a totem was none other than Barbata’s creation.

“Barbata…! Barbata…! Why in the world would he…!”

“Looks like that shaman never truly trusted you.”

Hargon had no idea.

Barbata, having once succumbed to arrogance and lost his legion in defiance of an outer god, could never again trust his disciple and former liege Hargon.

Though he pretended to follow him on the surface, the shaman had always been preparing for the worst behind his back.

That totem spike had been created specifically in case Hargon went on a rampage after absorbing too many souls.

“It’s a simple tool meant to release forcibly bound souls… but for you, I imagine it’s fatal.”

“Grakh…!”

The anomaly had already begun to unfold.

First, two souls scattered.

It had only been a fleeting glimpse, but there was no doubt, they were the first two souls he had ever absorbed.

They belonged to two prisoners named Braight and Moustache.

Their souls were released from his body and faded into nothing in midair.

Soon after, several more souls escaped.

There were nameless humans among them, as well as the souls of monsters.

“Aaaaaaaaargh—!”

What kind of pain would it be, to have a fused soul forcibly torn apart?

No one could say for certain, but it was surely a pain that one could never grow used to. A pain like flesh being ripped from bone.

Even so, Hargon struggled desperately until the end.

He tried with all his might to hold on to the soul of the Black Whale, relying on the strength of his own.

Rustle—

And then, at last, even the soul of the orc, the original owner of the body Hargon had taken, was torn away from him and the remaining body collapsed.

“You… you!!! What grudge, what grudge could you possibly have against me to do this?! What is it all for?!”

“No real reason. If I had to say, it’s because I had to survive.”

Though he still couldn’t understand Jun’s words,

It wasn’t as if he couldn’t feel the indifference behind them. Sensing it, Hargon twisted his soul in a final frenzy.

“I can’t… I can’t end like this! I am the Conqueror King…this cannot be how it ends…!!!”

“Tch. Persistent.”

It was about time to bring this farce to an end.

Jun pulled a case from his dimensional bracelet.

Tear of Soul Annihilation.

Having swallowed the tears of the witch who destroyed eternity, Jun drew upon his magical power once more.

A [Flare] filled with a colorless aura began to shine as it launched toward Hargon.

“This is the end.”

Whoosh—!

“Guhk….”

His abdomen was pierced, and from that wound, cracks began to spread.

The Tear forcibly erased Hargon’s soul which had stubbornly remained in the mortal realm.

“N-No, not like thiiiiiis—!!!

A voice filled with resentment echoed through the place.

The cracked spirit body crumbled into fragments, and at last, even the final piece vanished.

“Hoo.”

It was the end of the loathsome Orc Lord.

“It’s finally over…”

Woooooooom――

The cavern trembled.

Immediately, Aiden, Maya, and Eleanor rushed over to Jun.

“What the…?”

“Leader, look over there!”

The spot where Hargon had vanished.

From that place, a massive black whale-like soul swam and undulated.

But it wasn’t the soul of one freely drifting through the sea.

Woooooooom――!!

It thrashed as if tormented by something.

Then, something burst forth from the black whale’s spirit body.

It was Hargon’s soul.

“I won’t go alone like this…!!”

As his voice rang out, Hargon took control of the black whale’s spirit body and swallowed the party whole.

At the same time, Hargon’s spirit body was dragged into the underworld as a result of his pact with an Outer God.

“Hehehehe… Let’s go together… to the underworld…”

Just as Hargon’s voice that was filled with madness echoed faintly—

[That is not permitted.]

The voice of the Outer God ruling over the underworld responded to Hargon.

***

“Hoo…”

Having just fought a war with paperwork, Chloe rubbed her eyelids in exhaustion.

The expansion of the potion business, which had plagued her for so long, was finally beginning to open up.

Now that the road was being paved, her business would soon surge forward without obstacles.

But there wasn’t a hint of joy in Chloe’s eyes.

“Where in the world did they go…”

The White Whale Mercenary Group.

It had already been a month since they went missing.

And until the season ended――

There was just one month left.