Chapter 87

Naturally, Roan could not ‘answer’ Harden’s call.

Moreover, he had no intention of answering.

‘Actually, this is better.’

In the first place, the ‘Six Punks’ event would proceed with Harden or Kaina driving them away on their own if left alone.

But if the player stepped forward to clear it, they would receive a reward from Professor Kaina, the person in charge.

However, Harden was watching in person, and Kaina had not appeared?

This meant that Harden had not called Kaina yet.

The reason was, naturally, because he had found it interesting to watch Roan and his friends.

‘You better prepare the reward. I will make sure to get it this time.’

……Roan still held a grudge against Harden, who had left only him out and rewarded only Sion and Demona during the sacred tree management volunteer work!

“Roan, Roan?”

Just then, Rafia called Roan.

From her perspective, Roan was about to state the plan but suddenly stopped talking.

“I observed their condition for a moment.”

Roan lied smoothly without even wetting his lips.

“They seem highly exhausted upon closer inspection. Suppressing them should be possible. Can we even call ourselves Akerandir students if we just turn back and leave black mages behind?”

“Yes. You’re right, Roan!”

“We must absolutely not back down.”

Hector and Rafia also nodded firmly at Roan’s resolute demeanor.

“Still, you two shouldn’t get hurt, so let’s play it as safe as possible.”

“Roan, you……”

“You must take care of your own body too……”

The two seemed considerably moved.

‘No, you don’t need to worry about me.’

Naturally, Roan, who knew his own skills, was fully confident.

A talent stat of 100 and Zorv’s Value Eye reading it as unmeasurable were not things the likes of those punks could ever hope to match.

……Unless the opponent was a monster like Harden the Supreme Holy Spirit, Kaina the Demon Inquisitor, or Gulba the Miracle of the Archipelago.

“I will draw the enemies’ attention with a loud holy art. You two go to both sides beforehand, and when I start, charge while shouting loudly. That alone will make them surrender on their own. After that, bind them immediately with Hector’s restraints.”

This was a method mainly used in God & Devil when attacking a large number with a small number.

This tactic was especially effective when the quality of the smaller group was higher.

Depending on how intense the momentum of the surprise attack was, it would completely knock the soul out of the receiving party.

It was a method commonly referred to by gamers as a ‘morale break’.

“Got it.”

“Understood!”

Hearing the plan, Rafia and Hector nodded with reliable expressions.

Though it was a plan whose outcome depended heavily on Roan’s ability, the two had absolutely no intention of doubting him.

Rafia and Hector soon went around to both sides of Roan.

‘I wonder if a few Abyss Blood Spears will do…….’

Roan planned to frighten the punks roughly, just like during the sacred tree management.

Even if the enemies possessed considerable experience, they would find it hard to gather their senses if blood spears the size of their own bodies were driven into the ground around them.

Once they fled, he could just collect the fruit from the Fruit Tree of Eternity.

However, just then, one of the black mages approached the Fruit Tree of Eternity.

— Boss, look over here! There’s something hanging on it?

Roan, who had intended to wait a moment until Rafia and Hector took their positions, clenched his fist.

‘That bastard!’

If they had started a fire, they should have just eaten their rations properly; why were they rummaging around in a place like that?

Although it was a fully anticipated event, seeing it in person made his anger flare.

‘……As long as it isn’t the Lightning Apple.’

However, Roan was not rash enough to ruin the plan over a single uncertain fruit in this situation.

It was also a matter that concerned the safety of his friends.

Roan decided to observe the situation a little longer.

— Oh! Isn’t this a Lightning Apple? I heard the merchant we robbed last time say it was precious.

— Really? Boss?

However, hearing the voice of the black mage who seemed to be the leader of the group, Roan wavered slightly.

‘……There’s no way those punks would actually recognize a Lightning Apple. Yes, it’s so rare.’

Roan decided to endure it a little longer.

Coincidentally, the fruit they were speaking of was not visible from Roan’s position.

Fruits similar to the Lightning Apple could be found…… although not many, it wasn’t certain yet.

Furthermore, those guys might just say ‘Eh, I’m not interested’ and leave.

……Or so Roan struggled to rationalize.

Soon, the black mages began to bicker with one another.

— Is this really that precious? Should I try eating it?

— You bastard! Even cold water has an order, I go first!

— Huh? What are you doing? I found it!

With that, they reached out toward the Fruit Tree of Eternity and plucked the fruit.

Snap─

As the leaves of the fruit tree all fell off, the fruit they held came clearly into Roan’s view.

The Lightning Apple that Roan had targeted!

— Finders keepers!

Just as the Lightning Apple was about to enter the dirty mouth of one of the guys.

Snap─!

Roan’s reason snapped along with it.

‘What? Moderately frighten them to suppress?’

That gentlemanly inner Roan evaporated and vanished in an instant.

At this moment, Roan was merely a furious beast.

‘These black mages who don’t even know basic manners!’

Sparks flew from Roan’s eyes.

The owner who decided to take the fruit was clearly right here, yet they dared to cast greedy eyes on it just because they were punks?

No wonder the Empire was so anxious to capture black mages!

……Roan, blinded by anger due to the Lightning Apple, vented such an absurd rage.

Furthermore, it would be different if they were going to use the Lightning Apple properly, but if a normal human ate it, it was simply a delicious apple!

This point made Roan’s anger soar even further to the top of his head.

“You dirty, damn black mage bastards! How dare you invade a holy land, brace yourselves!”

Roan flared his black mana with all his might.

At the same time, his voice echoed loudly through the basin.

The black mages were startled by the massive energy that covered one side of the basin in an instant.

— W-We’re spotted!

— Everyone, stand up!

However, by that time, Roan’s black mana had already completely turned a corner of the basin into his own domain.

Rumble-umble-umble─────────!!!!!

‘Abyss Blood Spear! Abyss Blood Spear! Abyss Blood Spear! Abyss Blood Spear! Abyss Blood Spear! Abyss Blood Spear! Abyss Blood Spear! Abyss Blood Spear! Abyss Blood Spear! ……!’

Huge blood spears generated immediately, practically covering the cliff where Roan stood!

The black mages, who had gone through all sorts of hardships in the back alleys, widened their eyes since they had never seen anything like this in their entire lives.

— B-Boss, what is that?

— How the hell should I know!

But was that all?

Roan’s energy transformed even more ferociously from there.

‘Blood Shards! Blood Shards! Blood Shards! Blood Shards! Blood Shards! Blood Shards! …….’

While the Abyss Blood Spears completely drained the black mages’ souls with their overwhelming presence.

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat──────!!!!!

The sight of over hundreds of Blood Shards fiercely orbiting around Roan, reducing the surroundings to a wasteland, was enough to make them lose their will to live.

— Uh, uh……

— Is…… is this a dream?

For a moment, the black mages wondered if this place was the threshold of Hell rather than Akerandir.

Because otherwise, there was no way such a great demon king would suddenly appear!

Naturally, the punks were not the only ones shocked by Roan’s appearance.

First, Rafia and Hector, who were moving to both sides according to Roan’s plan.

‘‘What on earth is that!!!’’

They were moving stealthily to avoid catching the black mages’ eyes, so who could have known such a thing would occur behind them?

‘‘Did…… did one of the professors arrive?’’

That was enough to show how they mistook it for a professor’s power.

And Harden was just as dumbfounded.

‘Who is that crazy bastard trying to make clean up corpses!’

Harden had intended to only scold the punks moderately.

Unlike Pierbo, those punks were barely worth calling black mages; they were just petty criminals.

……And he had been bored.

Anyway, looking at what Roan was doing, he seemed ready to erase the Ephyrim Basin from the map entirely!

He absolutely could not watch six lives fly away in his holy land, let alone see the terrain destroyed completely.

At that moment, completely unaware of Harden’s burning anxiety, Roan shouted.

“Do not think even a single one of you will leave this basin alive! I will tear you all to pieces slowly in the worst pain possible!”

With that, Roan finally charged down the cliff!

Naturally, since the ominous magic spells he unleashed and the mana occupying the entire area followed in a line, the pressure was immense.

By this point, the black mages had completely lost their will to fight, as well as the thought of fleeing.

Deadlock shrieked.

“Please…… please spare us, no, spare us, Lord! Merciful Holy Spirit, no, Your Majesty! I don’t want to die here!”

“Ugh, boss!”

Gelback called Deadlock in frustration, but he was in no position to take even a single step either.

“You…… you ignorant black mage bastards! Do not look for forgiveness!”

However, Roan was even more enraged instead.

As if daring to steal and eat his Lightning Apple wasn’t enough.

‘They mistook me for Harden?’

This was an utterly unforgivable capital crime.

Rumble-umble──!

Finally, just as Roan’s magic was about to blast the punks like a pouring meteor shower!

Fwaaaaaah────

As if putting a lid on the hollow Ephyrim Basin, a sacred, white defensive holy art filled the space.

The defensive holy art collided with Roan’s magic instead of the punks.

Kra-ra-rak── Crack-crack-crack──!

Though it seemed to make a terrifying sound, the result was clear.

‘……As expected, I’m no match for him yet.’

Roan’s magic was decomposed into mana as if vanishing the moment it hit the shield.

Although what was visible was flashy, the gap in skill was vast.

Actually, as soon as the white light flared, Roan also intuited Harden’s intervention.

But he had just clashed with it to see what would happen.

And he also had the excuse that the window to cancel the magic was too small.

On the other hand, the black mages, who had nearly stepped onto the threshold of the afterlife and returned, muttered in a daze.

— We’re alive……?

— What on earth is this……

Harden’s roar erupted from above them.

“You worthless trash who deserve to be beaten to death! Filth that should not exist in the world!”

Although it was a somewhat extreme statement for a Holy Spirit to utter, the words were not what was important.

The punks, seeing Harden slowly descend from the air, could tell even without anyone telling them.

— Th-The Holy Spirit!

— My god, there are two Holy Spirits!

Twitch─

Roan felt his anger mount, but because he was in front of Harden, he struggled to hold it back.

“Why did you block it?”

Instead, he did ask somewhat arrogantly.

Since Roan looked ready to unleash magic again at any moment, Harden flared up in anger.

Harden also found it quite displeasing to be compared to a kid like Roan.

They were truly a beautiful master and disciple pair.

“You stop too! That’s enough! Do you really intend to kill them all!”

As Harden shouted while waving both hands, Roan looked at him filled with suspicion instead.

“Did you not instruct me, Headmaster?”

Who was the one that told him to teach them a lesson via divine message?

A divine message sent by a being of Harden’s level carried a weight similar to a sort of Oath holy art in itself.

To put it simply, it meant it was not a private statement but possessed official status.

And the vague instruction to teach them a lesson could be interpreted anywhere from driving them away moderately to burying them completely, depending on how one chose to interpret it.

‘How on earth did this kid know that too?’

Harden, who understood Roan’s implication, was at a point of breaking into a sweat from sweat glands he didn’t even have.