Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Alon subtly averted his eyes, focusing on an object solidified into a crescent moon shape.

He then looked back at Maverick and said.

“I said, get a hold of yourself.”

“I—”

Once Alon saw that Maverick, who had scrambled to his feet, was finally composing himself, he shifted his focus to “It”—or rather, the Exile.

The Exile, dressed in the Eastern Wind’s black robes, had only a moment before been watching Alon with a gaze of pure apathy and pride.

‘Where did the plan fail?’

Alon studied the Exile, his face strained.

The intelligence had indicated the Exile would arrive at the fifth layer in three days, not now.

And that was assuming a swift pace.

The initial estimate was that the descent to this level would require over five days.

That was what was supposed to happen.

But now, the Exile was here on the fifth layer.

Unconsciously, Alon’s hand gave a slight tremble.

The Exile confronting them had taken the shape of a goblin.

The oversized ears, the green skin, the curved nose—it was unmistakably a goblin’s form.

And yet,

No one present, Alon included, mistook this entity for a simple goblin.

Those like Argonia and Himan, who had gained the sight to perceive the world’s truths.

Even the mercenaries without such vision.

Everyone here understood that its appearance was not to be taken at face value.

Its sheer, dominating aura was enough to command the very space around them.

Alon shared this understanding, and then—

“Hoo—”

It spoke.

The pride in its eyes remained.

But the boredom that had been there was now gone, substituted by an interest that prompted a smile.

“You’re engaged in something rather funny, insect.”

Its raised index finger slowly bent, stroking its chin.

Observing this, Alon said quietly.

“…Kailas.”

Being a base creature, it craved knowledge.

Being a base creature, it pursued that knowledge to its limit, awakened to the law, and rose to godhood.

The King of all Gluttons.

When Alon spoke the name Kailas, the interest in its eyes intensified.

“You know my name as well? Remarkable.”

Kailas smoothed back his hair, his smile now genuinely pleased, unlike before.

“Excellent. My mood is favorable at the moment, and the others seem agreeable. I will extend a measure of grace.”

“Go. And I will allow you to keep your lives.”

A proposition.
But Alon—

“Prepare for battle.”

He answered by ordering the extermination squad into action.

“Tsk, I was going to spare you because you were an amusing insect.”

Hearing this, Kailas looked at him as one would a simpleton.

“If you are determined to taste punishment, then so be it, insect.”

He lifted his hand forward once more.

“Prepare for battle!”

Argonia’s voice, casting aside fear, marked the beginning of the conflict.

***

From the instant the Exile set foot on the fifth layer, Alon’s initial strategy was rendered completely obsolete by this unforeseen turn.

His plan demanded a full day of uninterrupted effort to succeed.

That said, he had not abandoned the goal of exterminating the Exile.

No matter how severely the plan had derailed, he still held faith in their ability to defeat their foe.

Two primary reasons supported this.

First, Kailas, unlike Ulthultus, had not yet fully advanced to the stage of a Sage God, just as Alon had forecast.

The second reason was that, in contrast to the fight with Ulthultus, the mercenaries now had some prior experience with an Exile.

Tch-!
A burst of magic erupted instantly from Kailas’s hand, aimed at Alon and the mercenaries.

But—

Crash!
Accompanied by a shattering noise, Kailas’s unseen slash was intercepted by the sword in Argonia’s grip.

“A Dispel Sword…?! How interesting… you’ve brought a curious toy.”

In Argonia’s hand was a blade designed to cut magic, one of only a handful on the continent—the Dispel Sword.

While it couldn’t harm flesh, the sword, crafted exclusively to sever magical energy, was capable of slicing through Kailas’s spells, given he hadn’t yet fully ascended to Sage God status.

Boom!
Empowered by this, Argonia pushed off from the earth and lunged at Kailas, heralding the true start of the fight.

Similarly, Maverick, armed with a Dispel Sword on Alon’s counsel, entered the fray, while Myaon immediately began loosing arrows, using the environment for cover.

3 against 1.

In terms of numbers, they held absolute dominance.

Aided by Alon’s intelligence, the mercenaries were familiar with most of the magic Kailas was likely to employ, making them daunting adversaries who pressed him hard.

Yet, despite the coordinated efforts of the four mercenaries and the neutralization of all his spells,

“Heh…”

Kailas appeared to find the circumstances highly entertaining, a crooked smile forming on his lips.

Then, bringing his index and middle fingers together, he formed a hand seal and gently raised his palm.

And—

As if the prior calm had been a deception, monsters started erupting from the ground.

The fifth layer was swiftly plunged into bedlam.

Naturally, Alon was not standing by idly.

“Hoo—”

Alon released a puff of white air and spoke a word.

“Ice and Snow.”

As his hands formed a seal, a cold mist began coalescing before him.

Watching this, Alon reflected.
‘I must finish this quickly.’
Although the skirmish between Kailas and the mercenaries was currently balanced, Alon knew this equilibrium was fragile.

He could perceive it.
The Dispel Swords wielded by Argonia and Maverick, though they had parried several spells, were gradually developing fractures.

Himan’s face was becoming more grim with each passing moment.

“Shape.”

Speaking another word of power, the frost swirling around Alon intensified.

Then,

“Glory of the Snowy Mountains.”

A spherical orb took shape before Alon’s middle and ring fingers, freezing solid and starting to generate snow crystals.

“The Inevitable Fate of the Blind.”

In moments, the ice flower blossomed.

The hexagonal crystal grew rapidly, consuming the nearby atmosphere to assume a colossal form,

Crack, crack, crack—!
At the heart of the crystal, an exquisite spear manifested before Alon’s gaze.

And then, in perfect sync.

“Hoo—”

Rine, who had been positioned behind Alon, produced a book from within her robes and—

“Essetra-ia Amatia—”

—whispered.

Swish~!!!
Instantly, the magic tome flew open with a resonant drone.

Clang~!!!!!
Abruptly, dozens of layers of black chains materialized from the air and sped toward Kailas.

“P—”

Startled by this sudden development, the Exile’s eyes widened as he saw the chains.

But—

Snap!
Before he could respond, the voracious chains had already ensnared his form.

With this unforeseen aid providing a sooner-than-expected opening, Alon did not delay.

“Ice Spear Halberd.”

He cast his spell without a second thought.

And then—

Crack-crack-crack-!!!!
The spear, born from the blooming ice flower, hurtled toward the Exile, swallowing him in an instant.

Sizzle~!
It flash-froze everything in its vicinity, imposing a deep silence upon the fifth layer.

***

The monsters ceased their movement.

Following this, the mercenaries who had been desperately emerging from the ground also froze.

Soon, all their eyes were drawn to a single location.

The ancient ruins.

At the center of those ruins stood a massive ice flower.

The mercenaries stared in reverence at Count Palatio, the creator of the ice flower.

Likewise, the guild leaders, who had been combatting the Exile moments earlier, stood with stunned expressions.

Even Alon allowed himself a faint sigh of relief.

But—

Crack—!
An odd, incongruous sound of fracturing echoed, pulling all attention back to the giant ice flower.

Sizzle!
A sharp, crystalline noise followed.

Rumble-rumble!!!
The ice flower, which had inspired such awe, started to break apart.

And then—

“!”
From within the disintegrating ice, the Exile stepped out, unhurried.

Despair flooded the mercenaries’ eyes.

The guild leaders who had faced him felt a wave of overpowering defeat.

Yet the Exile, who had delivered this despair and defeat, merely offered a light smile and spoke.

“You caught me off guard, insect.”

Kailas, smiling lightly as if the prior assault had been a diversion, left Alon stunned.

By his calculations, Kailas, not yet a full Sage God, should have been obliterated by that direct strike.

“But it appears your understanding remains lacking.”

Alon, gazing at him in bewilderment, noticed that the Exile’s body showed no signs of frost, only the wreckage of ice around him.

…Did he manage to cleave through the Ice Spear Halberd with a mere slash…?

As Alon concealed his shock behind a blank expression, amazed by the Exile’s impossible feat of negating his attack,

Kailas, still smiling, spoke once more.

“Still, you’ve lifted my mood, insect.”

“Therefore, I shall indulge you for a while. While this is not yet a complete manifestation in my present condition, it should provide a satisfying game.”

He then clasped his right hand around the index finger of his raised left hand, forming the Fist of Wisdom seal.

“Release.”

At that moment, a wave of magical power emanated outwards.

Sensing the threat by instinct, Argonia and Maverick immediately launched themselves at the Exile, springing from the ground.

“Vibration—”

Myaon, who had been pausing moments before, swiftly notched and released an arrow, while Himan lifted his staff and chanted a spell to counter the Exile’s magic.

But—

Just as Argonia and Maverick’s swords were about to connect with the Exile’s neck, Myaon’s arrow targeted his heart, and Himan’s magic neared his throat,

The magic already radiating from the Exile started to make the air tremble with his chant.

“Expansion.”

With that single, softly uttered word from the Exile—

Crack!
Alon witnessed it.

The bodies of Maverick and Argonia contorted and crumpled in mid-air, as if squeezed by an unseen pressure.

Along with a spray of blood.

“The Nameless Law.”

The Exile’s distorted smile accompanied his low murmur.

And then—

Flash—!!!
A brilliant white light flooded everyone’s sight.