Chapter 3

Escape (2)

"......"

I was momentarily at a loss for words, staring at the fallen old man.

'Really, did it work?'

His eyes, devoid of focus, and his completely still form were unmistakably those of a dead man.

Instant Kill, a 10-star skill that can instantly kill any target it touches.

I had my doubts, but it seemed the skill's effect had indeed activated successfully.

What other reason could there be for this monster to suddenly collapse?

This confirmed it.

I was certain that I had possessed this body with the Instant Kill skill as a result of the fusion.

'Then what about the other skills?'

My thoughts naturally turned in that direction.

I was one of the few high-level users in Lasa.

If the other skills my character had possessed were still intact... I briefly entertained the thought of a happy scenario, but it seemed that wasn't the case.

Among the skills I had, there were plenty of passive skills that boosted my character's base stats.

If those skills were still active, my current physical condition wouldn't be so weak.

It didn't seem like any of the active skills I could recall were usable either.

'Why only Instant Kill and not the others... Ah.'

The reason became clear quickly.

Of course, I had used all my other skills and stats as fusion materials.

If the character's abilities were transferred at the point of fusion completion... everything makes sense.

This extremely weak physical condition, the absence of any other skills besides Instant Kill.

"Huh."

Could it really be true? Really?

For a moment, I felt a sharp pain at the back of my head.

If I hadn't done the fusion, my character's abilities might have been preserved, right?

Or, the entire situation might not have happened at all.

If fusing all my character's stats into the Chaos Box was the reason I was possessed, then it makes sense.

While the exact correlation is unknown, the possession happened right after the fusion, so the latter seems more likely.

'In any case, I shouldn't have done that damn fusion.'

Regret is of no help.

I suppressed the boiling anger and quickly regained my composure.

'...Ah, is that it?'

Then I suddenly realized.

The reason I could maintain such an abnormal level of calm without any动摇.

[Emperor's Soul]

The soul bears the supreme dignity of an emperor, remaining unshaken in any situation. Completely immune to all mental debuffs.

Each word and action exudes the dignity and authority of a ruler, significantly increasing the probability of gaining the upper hand in conversations with NPCs.

One of the 9-star skills I accidentally included in the fusion materials, Emperor's Soul.

It seemed its effect was influencing my mind.

Thanks to it, I could maintain my composure even in the chaotic situation, with the recent near-death experience and the carnage around me.

'Otherwise, I might have lost my mind long ago.'

The intense smell of blood assaulted my nose.

I shifted my gaze back to the cold corpse of the old man.

Was his name Garton, the Fists of Authority?

One of the Five Stars of Sainthea, a figure who could easily rank among the continent's top-tier powerhouses in the Lasa world.

I knew the nickname 'Fists of Authority' well, but the name that followed was unfamiliar.

The Fists of Authority I encountered while playing Lasa was not named Garton but someone else.

'I can't have remembered it wrong... Could it be a different time period?'

I also couldn't understand why such a significant figure was on the Achemon escort ship.

But let's set that aside for now.

What should I do now?

It was good to have saved my life, but the situation was still dire.

My hands and feet were still bound, and while the explosions had stopped, the ship's unstable shaking seemed to be getting worse.

Whatever was happening on this escort ship, if I remained bound, I would likely face another threat to my survival.

"......?"

At that moment, my gaze shifted to one side.

It was more of a reflex than a conscious action.

Something strange caught my eye beyond the bars.

【Lv. 89】

A level indicator floating in the air.

I pondered for a moment how to interpret this, but quickly came to a conclusion.

'Invisibility skill...'

There's no way a level would appear if no one was there.

It meant someone invisible was present.

I didn't know how long they had been hiding, but that wasn't the important part.

A monster of nearly the same level as the Fists of Authority.

I needed to decide how to react to this unknown entity.

But before I could, my mouth opened reflexively, in a tone that was utterly indifferent and arrogant.

"Stop hiding like a rat and come out."

...Am I crazy, wanting to die?

I don't know why those words came out.

Some instinct overrode my rationality for a moment. I soon realized what caused it.

What else could it be but the Emperor's Soul skill, which was currently influencing my personality? Damn...

'Well, that's it.'

Whatever the case, I was completely screwed.

Even with Instant Kill, I couldn't activate it without touching the target.

If the unknown entity attacked in response to my provocation, my life would be over.

...But fortunately, that didn't happen.

Swoosh.

A moment later, darkness swirled in the air, and a man in a robe appeared.

***

Deyphon walked through the ship's corridor, stepping over the bodies of the escort guards and crew.

The situation was going as planned.

The target had been eliminated, and the ship's systems were severely damaged, so the escort ship would soon sink.

Now, all that was left was to kill the Fists of Authority and ensure no survivors before returning.

While he expected the Lognar Kingdom to be prepared, he was surprised they had brought in a Five-Star.

One of the Five Stars of Sainthea. A powerhouse like the Fists of Authority would be a challenge even for Deyphon.

But he wasn't overly concerned. He had a card prepared for such variables.

'That must be it.'

Feeling the powerful aura from the lower deck, Deyphon immediately recognized it as the Fists of Authority and headed there.

The interior of the prisoner's cell, which seemed to be one of the holding areas, was already a gruesome scene filled with dead prisoners.

Controlling the prisoners in the midst of the attack must have been difficult, so they were all eliminated.

Moving stealthily to the back of the cell, he found the Fists of Authority as expected.

"I am Garton, the Fists of Authority. If you have any last words, I will hear them."

The Fists of Authority had his hand on the head of the only surviving prisoner.

Deyphon watched from a distance.

He couldn't understand the situation, but it seemed the Fists of Authority was listening to the prisoner's last words before finishing him off.

'I need to attack the moment he kills him.'

It would be best to ambush and start the battle at the most opportune moment.

Deyphon waited for the Fists of Authority to crush the prisoner's head.

Then the prisoner's mouth opened.

"Die."

Deyphon's eyes widened in shock.

'...?'

The Fists of Authority's body slumped to the floor.

For a moment, he couldn't grasp what had happened.

'He's... dead?'

No breathing, no heartbeat.

The Fists of Authority, a renowned martial artist across the continent, one of the Five Stars of Sainthea, was dead.

Deyphon instinctively held his breath and suppressed his presence to the maximum.

The prisoner, still bound, was staring down at the lifeless Fists of Authority.

Unbelievable, but the prisoner must have killed Garton.

But how?

He didn't even move a finger. The only action was the prisoner saying, "Die."

'...Word of Command? Some form of Word of Command?'

But how could a Word of Command exist that could instantly kill a powerhouse like the Fists of Authority? What is this person's true identity?

Deyphon watched the man with a mix of confusion and shock.

The appearance of this unforeseen variable. He couldn't decide how to act in this absurd situation.

Ambush? Engaging in battle with this unknown monster who killed the Fists of Authority in one go would be insane.

Even with the power provided by the Four Archdukes' Lich King, originally intended to kill the Fists of Authority, the outcome was uncertain.

Should he retreat? But leaving without identifying this unknown figure...

'...!'

Suddenly, Deyphon felt a chill run down his spine.

The prisoner had turned his gaze and was staring directly at him.

"Stop hiding like a rat and come out."

...Caught. When?

Being so easily detected while hidden was a huge shock to Deyphon.

He was one of the best at stealth in the entire continent.

He briefly considered fleeing but quickly dismissed the idea.

He might be killed instantly like the Fists of Authority. The risk was too high.

Swoosh.

Deyphon revealed himself and met the prisoner's eyes.

The man's hollow gaze exuded an indescribable aura of authority.

Deyphon had a vague intuition.

This man might be on par with the Archdukes in strength.

"...Who are you?"

After a moment of silence, Deyphon asked.

The man remained silent, still staring at him without a word.

The silent pressure. Deyphon tried to gauge the meaning of that gaze and formulated his response.

Though he couldn't identify the man, he was being transported as a prisoner to Achemon and had killed the Fists of Authority without hesitation.

There was no reason to think he was friendly, so revealing his identity wouldn't be a problem. In fact, it might be better to clarify.

"I am Deyphon, an independent agent of the Caldric Archdukes' Council, unaffiliated with the Lognar Kingdom or the Sainthea Empire."

The man's expression, which had been inscrutable, showed a slight change.

"...Caldric Archdukes' Council?"

He muttered, then paused before asking.

"What did you do to the ship?"

"...If you want to know the ship's condition, the escort ship will not reach Achemon and will soon sink."

The man's expression briefly furrowed, then smoothed out.

The conversation paused again.

It seemed the man was only curious about that.

He didn't ask about the purpose of attacking the escort ship or any other details.

'At least that's fortunate.'

Deyphon felt a bit relieved by the lack of hostility.

Or rather, it seemed the man was simply uninterested now that his curiosity was satisfied.

As long as he didn't attack, the man wouldn't care what Deyphon did.

But Deyphon hesitated to leave.

He was still curious about this peculiar man.

"Why are you a prisoner on an escort ship?"

A monster who could kill the Fists of Authority in an instant and detect his stealth, whose abilities and power were beyond measure.

To Deyphon, the situation felt like discovering a dragon, bound by weak shackles, sleeping quietly in a cage of goblins.

Boom!

The ship lurched and began to tilt.

The man remained motionless, and there was no response to the question.

Staring at him, Deyphon suddenly realized something.

'...I see.'

The cold, hollow eyes. Complete disinterest in the surroundings. A unique aura of apathy.

He had encountered a similar person before.

This was clearly the attitude of someone who no longer found any meaning in life.

To this man, everything was probably irrelevant.

Even with the ship about to sink, he showed no intention of escaping. His life seemed unimportant to him.

Killing the Fists of Authority and speaking to Deyphon were likely just momentary whims and interests.

Boom!

The ship shook again.

Deyphon felt a great sense of loss.

To see such a giant, devoid of any interest or attachment, willingly sink into the cold depths of the sea.

This sense of loss led him to make a rather impulsive and out-of-place suggestion.

"Would you like to come with me?"

Hoping to spark even a small spark of interest in this man.

"To the Grand Archduke's Castle of Caldric."