"Tuan Zuckerman! Apa kau baik-baik saja?"
Para anggota Kavaleri di belakang Nathan Zuckerman, yang berniat membantunya, berteriak kaget.
Pembangkit siluman itu, yang menyadari dirinya terlihat oleh orang lain, juga sama terkejutnya.
Tiba-tiba, kekuatan yang menyelimutinya lenyap. Usahanya untuk menjadi tak terlihat lagi sia-sia, karena ia tak mampu mengerahkan kekuatannya dengan benar.
Pembangkit siluman itu, yang kini terbuka untuk dilihat semua orang, tampak persis seperti yang diduga Nathan Zuckerman. Ia pendek dan ramping, dengan rambut panjang diikat ke atas. Sambil memegangi lengannya yang terluka, ia menggigit bibirnya erat.
Di tengah situasi yang tegang dan membingungkan, sebuah suara penyelamat terdengar oleh para anggota Kavaleri.
"Sepertinya kami tiba tepat waktu."
"Komandan!"
Para anggota berseru serentak, seperti anak-anak yang bertemu kembali dengan orang tua yang lama hilang.
Tak lama kemudian, banyak sosok muncul dari lorong gelap. Awalnya, semua orang mengira mereka adalah anak buah Nukijo, seperti yang dirasakan oleh kemampuan penglihatan Sunz. Tapi mereka salah.
Kishiar, yang memimpin rombongan, menampakkan wajah aslinya sambil tersenyum pada rekan-rekannya. Ketampanannya yang mencolok bersinar bahkan dalam kegelapan, atau mungkin justru karena sosok Pembangkit yang serius dan khusyuk di belakangnya. Kedatangan mereka terasa seperti pemandangan dari lukisan mitologi.
Saat para VIP yang melarikan diri dan anak buah Nukijo sejenak kehilangan kontak dengan kenyataan, para anggota Kavaleri dengan gembira memanggil sosok lain.
"Yuder!"
Barulah orang-orang menyadari pria berjubah panjang dengan rambut hitam yang berdiri di samping Kishiar. Penampilannya yang pucat dan berlumuran darah tampak seperti hantu.
Mereka yang mengenal Yuder tahu betul untuk tidak salah mengira penampilannya sebagai luka parah.
"Berapa banyak yang dia lawan sampai berlumuran darah begitu? Seratus?"
"Aku yakin dia menghabisi satu orang sendirian."
"Ini bukan waktunya untuk bicara begitu."
Mendengar bisikan rekan-rekannya, Yuder berbicara pelan, tatapannya setajam biasanya. Para anggota segera tersenyum canggung dan meminta maaf.
"Oh, maaf, Baron. Bukan kami tidak mau menangani situasi ini, hanya saja..."
"Tapi tidak ada yang terluka parah... mungkin... belum...?"
Wajah mereka, yang kini rileks dan bercanda di hadapan sekutu yang tepercaya, tampak cerah dan ceria. Yuder akhirnya melonggarkan tatapan tajamnya, menghela napas pelan, dan mengalihkan pandangan. Itu adalah sinyal pengampunannya yang tersirat.
Kishiar, tempat pandangan Yuder berhenti, mengambil alih percakapan.
"Untung tidak ada yang terluka parah, tapi kita harus bertindak cepat karena masih ada yang terluka. Untuk memulainya..."
Mata merahnya perlahan menyapu geng Nukijo, Pembangkit siluman yang terbuka, dan para petarung dari arena.
"Menangani orang-orang ini adalah prioritas pertama kita."
Salah satu anak buah Nukijo, dengan suara gemetar, berteriak.
"Apa yang sebenarnya terjadi? Hanya orang kami yang seharusnya punya akses ke lorong ini... Apa... apa semua orang di bawah mati?"
"Tuan tempat ini hanya berusaha menyelamatkan dirinya sendiri dan menemui ajalnya. Tidak semua lainnya mati, tapi mereka akan menghadapi balasan mereka."
"Tidak mungkin..."
Penjelasan singkat Kishiar membuat anak buah Nukijo berteriak tidak percaya, para VIP juga sama terkejutnya.
"Nukijo mati?"
Meskipun mereka ingin melarikan diri, dengan Kavaleri mengepung mereka di depan dan belakang, tidak ada tempat untuk pergi. Mereka mati-matian mengaku tidak bersalah, menyebabkan keributan.
"Aku bahkan tidak tahu siapa Nukijo atau apa! Orang-orang ini, mereka menculikku!"
"Ya, aku hanya diancam. Aku tidak tahu apa-apa tentang tempat ini. Sungguh!"
"Sialan. Regina! Apa yang kau lakukan? Gunakan kekuatanmu untuk membebaskan kami!"
Salah satu dari mereka berteriak pada Pembangkit siluman yang linglung, Regina, yang telah diam sejak mendengar kehancuran diri Nukijo, bahkan mungkin sebelum itu. Ia hanya menatap kosong ke kejauhan.
"Regina!"
"Mendesak Pembangkit itu tidak akan memberi kita apa-apa. Tempat ini berada di bawah pengaruh penekan kekuatan, yang membuat Pembangkit mana pun tak bisa menggunakan kekuatan mereka," jelas Kishiar sambil tersenyum, mengingatkan semua orang pada suara yang mereka dengar sebelumnya, yang memerintahkan mereka berhenti.
Setelah suara itulah Pembangkit siluman, yang sebelumnya tersembunyi sempurna, tiba-tiba terbuka.
Pembangkit penekan kekuatan, Reneve, muncul di antara mereka, mengikuti gerakan Kishiar. Ia mengenakan pakaian yang serampangan dan tidak serasi, dengan rambut acak-acakan dan tubuh kurus seperti kerangka, mengenakan sepatu bot besar yang berat. Tatapannya telah tertuju pada satu titik bahkan sebelum ia melangkah maju.
Reneve sedang menatap Regina.
Dan Regina, yang berlumuran darah di anggota tubuhnya, menatap balik ke arah Reneve.
Tanpa sepatah kata pun, mereka hanya saling menatap, sampai Kishiar berbicara.
"Reneve. Dan Cyregina. Untung kita bisa mempertemukan kembali kalian yang telah ditahan di sini begitu lama, saling berusaha menyelamatkan. Tanpa asistenku, seluruh kebenaran akan tetap tersembunyi."
Para anggota Kavaleri lainnya dan orang-orang di sekitar memandang penasaran mendengar kata-katanya, tapi Kishiar tidak memberikan penjelasan lebih lanjut, malah dengan tenang memerintahkan pengikatan anak buah Nukijo lainnya dan para VIP.
Bahkan tanpa kekuatan mereka, tugas itu masih dalam kemampuan para anggota Kavaleri yang hadir. Yuder, di tengah kekacauan, memperhatikan kedua wanita itu saling menatap kosong, mengingat kejadian sesaat sebelum kedatangannya ke sini.
"Aaaah!"
"Bos!"
Tepat sebelum Elpkins hendak melewati lubang itu, Yuder berhasil membelokkan panah yang ditujukan padanya, malah menancapkannya ke bahu Nukijo. Saat Nukijo roboh sambil berteriak, anak buahnya dilanda ketakutan.
"Monster..."
Pikiran bahwa serangan lebih lanjut sia-sia menguasai benak mereka. Yuder, menghadapi mereka yang menjatuhkan senjata dan menatapnya dengan ketakutan, berbicara tanpa ekspresi.
"Jatuhkan senjatamu dan berlutut. Jika kau menyerah dengan sukarela, aku tidak akan menyerang lebih lanjut."
Diam.
"Aku dari Kavaleri. Bantuan akan segera tiba dari luar. Para VIP yang kau bantu kabur tidak akan mendapat kesempatan pulang. Menyerahlah selagi aku memintanya dengan baik."
Mungkinkah itu benar? Seseorang, yang bertatapan dengan Yuder, tanpa sadar menjatuhkan senjatanya lalu tiba-tiba berlutut, membungkuk. Itu orang yang paling dekat dengan Yuder. Ia menatap mereka sekilas sebelum melanjutkan langkah. Menyadari dia tidak akan menyerang, yang lain di dekatnya juga mulai menjatuhkan senjata mereka satu per satu.
Tentu saja, ada yang tidak menyerah, tapi Yuder menghadapi mereka tanpa kata-kata permintaan maaf, memukul mereka hingga terpental. Tidak ada yang bisa menghalangi jalannya.
Nukijo, menyadari langkah monster itu mendekatinya, memegangi bahunya yang tertembus panah dan bergumam pada dirinya sendiri.
"Kavaleri...? Pria itu?"
Ia mengira dia hanya orang bodoh, tapi dia salah. Pria itu telah menyusup ke tempat ini sejak awal untuk meruntuhkannya.
Kapan tepatnya Kavaleri, yang dikira sibuk merekrut anggota baru, mengincar tempat ini? Dan mengapa dia baru menyadarinya sekarang? Mengapa tidak ada yang memberi isyarat?
Penyesalan memenuhinya karena tidak menjaga senjata rahasianya tetap dekat, malah mengirimnya pergi untuk para VIP. Tapi sudah terlambat untuk pikiran seperti itu.
Seseorang yang terpojok sering merasa semua kemalangan mereka adalah bagian dari rencana yang disengaja terhadap mereka. Nukijo merasakan hal yang sama. Diliputi rasa ketidakadilan, ia berspekulasi bahwa mungkin seseorang di antara musuh-musuhnya diam-diam telah memberikan informasi tentang tempat ini kepada Kavaleri.
'Kalau begitu...!'
"Aku akan memberimu uang...!" tawarnya dengan putus asa.
Chapter 678
"Sir Zuckerman! Are you alright?"
The Cavalry members behind Nathan Zuckerman, intending to assist him, cried out in surprise.
The stealth Awakener, realizing she was visible to others, was just as shocked.
Suddenly, the power that had cloaked her vanished. Her attempts to become invisible again were futile, as she couldn't muster her strength properly.
The stealth Awakener, now exposed for all to see, looked much as Nathan Zuckerman had anticipated. She was short and slender, with long hair tied up. Clutching her injured arm, she bit her lip hard.
Amid the tense and bewildered situation, a voice of salvation reached the Cavalry members.
"It seems we've arrived just in time."
"Commander!"
The members shouted in unison, like children reunited with long-lost parents.
Shortly after, many figures emerged from the dark passage. Initially, everyone assumed they were Nukijo's men, as sensed by Sunz's vision ability. But they were wrong.
Kishiar, leading the group, revealed his true face, smiling at his comrades. His striking beauty shone even in the darkness, or perhaps it was the solemn and serious Awakener behind him. Their arrival felt like a scene from a mythological painting.
As the escaping VIPs and Nukijo's underlings momentarily lost touch with reality, the Cavalry members joyously called out to another figure.
"Yuder!"
Only then did people notice the man in a long cloak with black hair standing beside Kishiar. His pale, blood-smeared appearance was eerily ghostlike.
Those familiar with Yuder knew better than to mistake his appearance for serious injury.
"How many did he fight to be so bloodied? A hundred?"
"I bet he beat one by himself to death."
"This isn't the time for such talk."
Hearing his comrades' whispers, Yuder spoke quietly, his gaze as sharp as ever. The members quickly offered awkward smiles and apologies.
"Oh, sorry, Baron. It's not that we didn't want to handle the situation, it's just..."
"But no one's seriously hurt... probably... not yet...?"
Their faces, now relaxed and joking in the presence of trusted allies, were bright and cheerful. Yuder eventually softened his piercing gaze, sighed quietly, and looked away. It was a signal of his tacit forgiveness.
Kishiar, where Yuder's gaze rested, took over the conversation.
"It's fortunate that no one's gravely injured, but we must act swiftly as there are still wounded. To begin with..."
His red eyes slowly scanned the Nukijo gang, the exposed stealth Awakener, and the combatants from the arena.
"Dealing with these individuals is our first priority."
One of Nukijo's men, his voice trembling, cried out.
"What in the world happened? Only our people should have access to this passage... Are... are all those below dead?"
"The master of this place sought only to save himself and met his demise. Not all others are dead, but they will face their retribution."
"It can't be..."
Kishiar's succinct explanation left Nukijo's underlings shouting in disbelief, the VIPs equally shocked.
"Nukijo is dead?"
Despite their desire to flee, with the Cavalry surrounding them both front and back, there was nowhere to go. They desperately claimed their innocence, causing an uproar.
"I don't even know who this Nukijo or whatever is! These people here, they kidnapped me!"
"Yes, I was only threatened. I don't know anything about this place. Truly!"
"Damn it. Regina! What are you doing? Use your power to break us out!"
One of them shouted at the dazed stealth Awakener, Regina, who had been motionless since hearing of Nukijo's self-destruction, perhaps even before that. She simply stared blankly into the distance.
"Regina!"
"Urging that Awakener will gain us nothing. This place is under a power-suppressing influence, disabling any Awakener from using their powers," Kishiar explained with a smile, reminding everyone of the voice they had heard earlier, commanding them to stop.
It was after that voice that the stealth Awakener, previously perfectly hidden, was suddenly revealed.
The power-suppressing Awakener, Reneve, appeared among them, following Kishiar's gesture. She was dressed in flamboyantly mismatched clothes, with disheveled hair and a gaunt, skeletal figure, wearing clunky, oversized boots. Her gaze had been fixed on one spot even before she stepped forward.
Reneve was looking at Regina.
And Regina, bleeding from her limbs, was looking back at Reneve.
Without a word, they just stared at each other, until Kishiar spoke.
"Reneve. And Cyregina. Fortunate that we could reunite those who were held here for so long, trying to save each other. Without my assistant, the whole truth would have remained hidden."
The other Cavalry members and bystanders looked curious at his words, but Kishiar offered no further explanation, instead calmly ordering the binding of Nukijo's other subordinates and the VIPs.
Even without their powers, the task was well within the capabilities of the Cavalry members present. Yuder, amidst the chaotic scene, watched the two women staring blankly at each other, recalling the events just before his arrival here.
"Aaaah!"
"Boss!"
Right before Elpkins was about to pass through the hole, Yuder had successfully diverted an arrow aimed at him, embedding it into Nukijo's shoulder instead. As Nukijo crumbled with a scream, his men were struck with terror.
"A monster..."
The thought that further attack was futile dominated their minds. Yuder, facing those dropping their weapons and looking at him in fear, spoke expressionlessly.
"Drop your weapons and kneel. If you surrender willingly, I won't attack further."
Silence.
"I am with the Cavalry. Reinforcements will soon arrive from outside. The VIPs you helped escape won't get a chance to return home. Surrender while I'm asking nicely."
Could it be true? Someone, upon making eye contact with Yuder, involuntarily dropped their weapon and then abruptly kneeled, hunching over. It was the one closest to Yuder. He glanced at them briefly before moving on. Realizing he wouldn't attack, others nearby also began to drop their weapons one by one.
Of course, there were those who did not surrender, but Yuder dealt with them without a word of excuse, striking them down and sending them flying. Nothing could block his path.
Nukijo, realizing the monster’s footsteps were approaching him, clutched his arrow-pierced shoulder and muttered to himself.
"The Cavalry...? That man?"
He had thought him a mere fool, but he was mistaken. That man had infiltrated this place from the beginning to bring it down.
When exactly had the Cavalry, thought to be busy recruiting new members, set their sights on this place? And why had he only realized it now? Why had no one hinted at it?
Regret filled him for not keeping his secret weapon close, instead of sending it away for the VIPs. But it was too late for such thoughts.
A person cornered often feels as if all their misfortunes were part of a deliberate plan against them. Nukijo felt the same. Overwhelmed with a sense of injustice, he speculated that perhaps someone among his enemies had secretly passed information about this place to the Cavalry.
'Then...!'
"I'll give you money...!" he offered desperately.
[BL] Bermuda
Leonardo Blaine, the true war hero of the Raina Logia Empire and the commander of the Armsilver 11th Squad, is dishonorably discharged for disobeying orders during the final battle that could have led the Empire to victory in the territorial war. People criticize and point fingers at him, and after being released on parole from prison, he disappears without a trace.
Three years later, his name has been forgotten by the world. The Council has been persistently pursuing him, but he has proven difficult to capture. Frustrated by this, Hugo Agrizendro, the commander of the Council's army, decides to personally apprehend him.
"Since when have you been watching me?"
Leonardo was calculative and astute, so it wouldn't be surprising if he had been observing Hugo for some time now. However, Leonardo's answer was something that even Hugo had not anticipated.
"From the very beginning."
[BL] Cloudless Sky
Jin Soram, the top-ranked hunter representing South Korea's Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters, is stronger than anyone else and lazier than anyone else. As soon as he arrives at the office, he buries himself under a blanket and falls asleep. When he goes out on a mission, he causes accidents and returns to the office, often shirking his duties.
"Do you know how it feels to play a game that's already messed up? ...Anyway, the next round will come, so this time, I'm just going to play it recklessly."
In fact, his true identity is someone who has regressed through three lives, trying to save the world from the Great Rift but failing each time. After repeating a life where he couldn't sleep peacefully even for a day, he became completely exhausted before this life even began.
"I know. You worked hard, Jin Soram."
And then there's Han Tae-un, the man who saved Soram and died in all three previous lives. As he did in every life, he comes to Soram's side once again. The Great Rift is approaching soon. It's impossible to resolve it in this life without any preparation. Soram vows to save Tae-un in this life and die himself. At least, he won't let Tae-un save a failure like himself again.
"For now, until then, let's sleep..."
As Soram sluggishly lives his life waiting for that moment, a gradual change occurs in his heart.
'I thought this was a messed-up round... but I want to live a little longer here.'
Komentar Chapter (0)
Login buat ikut berkomentar.
Belum ada komentar di chapter ini. Jadi yang pertama!