Chapter 165 – Struggle for Dominance (4)
The torches that had followed behind the old man’s cart were immediately hurled into the corpse pits as soon as they arrived at the hill.
Some even set fire to the carts they’d brought and shoved them into the pits.
With fury, with tears, each torch carried a story—an earnest wish—that met the oil Karl’s group had scattered, erupting into wild flames that devoured the hill.
"Ah, now that’s a good fire."
No putting it out now, even if we tried.
What began as a small flame now swept across the vast hill, burning everything black and growing rapidly.
It had turned into a mountain of fire, visible from anywhere in Blyer.
To let the entire region witness the destruction of the hill, the very symbol of fear.
That was our first objective, now achieved.
"Everyone, regroup!"
The surroundings glowed blood red.
As we descended the hill to escape the flames, I called the group together.
To confront the Blyer forces that would soon react to the beacon, we had to stay unified.
We called this the ‘Moth-to-the-Flame’ operation.
We had let the beacon light up on purpose, even though we could have prevented it.
The next goal: wipe out every single force coming from the castle, reducing their already small numbers to nothing.
As I walked ahead, I felt a presence missing by my side.
Turning around, I saw Lily standing at one of the many pits, staring intently down into it.
"What’s wrong?"
"Mm..."
She frowned, lips pursed, sucking on the candy I’d given her, lost in thought.
Every second counted, so I tried to persuade her.
"Want to see that precious hair of yours go up in flames? Let’s go."
"I finished the candy."
"And?"
"You said if I finished it, you'd want my help. Here... and there."
She pointed at two different pits.
At first, I wasn’t sure what she meant—
But then I noticed something strange.
Why weren’t the flames reaching these nearby pits?
"Do you know what smell shamans hate most? A witch’s breath."
"..."
"Bad breath?"
"You wanna die?"
She gave me a sharp glare, then cautiously checked her breath and confidently blew it toward me.
A fresh apple scent.
The scent of the candy.
"I’m not a shaman."
"...Just watch."
She puckered her lips and exhaled.
Her robe fluttered, and a wind gathered around her.
Ash from the flames moved with her gestures, being drawn toward the pit she pointed to.
"What did you do?"
"Called out the rats hiding there."
"Rats? Don’t tell me the shamans..."
At that moment—
Bbbbrrrrrmm!
A violent tremor shook the corpse pit, and the bodies began to twitch.
Damn it, what now.
But I’d heard enough to understand without asking.
"Lochter! Karl!"
I called my comrades urgently.
BOOM!!
Shamans had been hiding in the hill.
GRAAAHH!
SCREEEE!
Massive figures burst from the mounds of corpses in an instant.
At a glance, I recognized them as the Van Dyke puppets.
"Ten of them?!"
Way more than expected.
Could these be the ones left behind in the nest?
The Van Dykes crashed down, crushing corpses beneath them, and charged at us like mad.
At the same time, figures presumed to be shamans emerged from the collapsed pits.
Roughly twenty of them, all cloaked in blood-red robes.
This was their nest.
I quickly summoned the Ring of Blood.
"Shit! What the hell are these bastards doing here?!"
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
As the Vandyke puppets leapt toward us, I grabbed Lily at the waist and retreated.
The rest of the group hadn’t arrived yet—it wasn’t time to clash.
Meanwhile, the shamans gathered and began chanting.
A black aura spread from their center—
A trace of dark sorcery.
Something was coming.
"What did you do?!"
"You said you needed help."
"Help, yes! Not summon every enemy in the area!"
"They’re not the enemy."
"...What?"
As I looked toward where she pointed, a surprising scene unfolded.
The Vandyke puppets were indeed charging at us,
But the dark sorcery they’d unleashed wasn’t aimed at us.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
On the other side of the pit, corpses exploded en masse, attacking someone.
Someone skillfully dodged the chain explosions, moving like teleportation—appearing and disappearing in midair.
So there was someone else hiding here besides the shamans?
"Must’ve had nasty breath."
"What?!"
Lily’s single breath had flushed out everyone hidden in Wailing Hill.
When I spotted the escaping figure, my heart sank.
A faint halo visible through my spirit-sight.
Shit—it was the owner of a Divine Name.
"Goddamn it!"
Someone unexpected had been hiding on Wailing Hill.
But we didn’t have time to chase them one by one.
It had to be dealt with all at once.
Thankfully, I had the power to do that.
"What are these things?!"
"Haah!"
Karl and Lochter arrived.
Lochter swung his sword at the charging Vandyke, and Karl threw daggers—
But physical attacks didn’t work on the puppets.
As expected, they retreated after a few clashes and moved toward me.
Elton’s group had joined too.
Thirteen in total—
No, fourteen.
I set Lily down and aimed the Ring of Blood forward.
Then I charged.
"Everyone, follow me!"
"What’s your plan?!"
"No time to explain!"
"Shit! You gotta explain in this kind of mess!"
I understood Karl’s panic—
I was charging straight toward the Vandyke horde.
I chose to break through head-on.
Drawing my bow, I released a fully powered arrow.
An explosive effect.
A blood-red arrow.
BOOOOM!!
A massive explosion blew the Vandyke blocking our way aside.
I dashed through the opening—
And behind me, the puppets turned and began to chase.
"Run!"
I leapt down into the pit, sprinting directly at the shamans.
[......!]
Seeing me approach, the shamans yelled in a panic and redirected their chants.
The explosions on the other side abruptly stopped,
Now the corpses near us exploded in waves.
Explosion wave.
We’d be swept away!
"Lily!"
At my call, Lily pulled a hand mirror from her robes.
Her eyes gleamed—
In the moment her Full Moon talent activated, a purple shimmer burst from the mirror.
The wave of corpse explosions vanished like a mirage.
The shamans reeled in shock.
‘Full Moon Talent really is broken...’
The power of [Nullification]—reading and dismantling enemy energy instantly.
It was why mages feared Witch Lily.
Maybe because she nullified a large-scale spell, Lily grimaced and staggered.
Meanwhile, I gauged the distance between us, the shamans, and the Vandyke.
This was enough.
Charging toward the shamans, I asked Reto quickly—
"Reto, how many Burst Strikes do I have?"
[Five.]
"...What? I’m not even awakened yet as a Divine Hunter, and it’s five?"
[Your vessel has expanded. The reason likely lies in the updated Divine Name list.]
When did that list change?
I’d need to check with Lily later.
"Five shots."
Recalling that number, I clenched my fist toward the shamans.
As I neared, a red barrier formed in front of them.
A shield against golden light.
They’d studied my powers well.
I stopped in front of the barrier, grinning.
Vrrr—
The Siren's glyph on the back of my hand pulsed wildly, flickering.
This technique exploded my dormant potential, temporarily surpassing my limits.
"Graaaah!!"
Gritting my teeth, I activated Burst Strike.
The Siren's Hymn roared as a dazzling wave of golden light burst forth.
[Ahhh— Aah—]
Was it an illusion?
A faint song echoed as the red barrier cracked and shattered,
Sweeping through the shamans.
GRAAAHHH!
With horrific screams, the shamans collapsed, vomiting blood.
The Van Dykes behind them froze as if time had stopped.
Wobbling, I shouted,
"Everyone, finish them!"
My team spread out on both flanks.
A one-sided battle.
A massacre.
"Spare a few!"
Seeing Lochter slicing heads mercilessly, I quickly stopped him.
Behind us, Elton’s group was cutting down the Vandyke’s legs.
They were gradually being neutralized.
Once the fight seemed done, I quickly leapt over corpses and exited the pit.
BOOM!
Second Burst Strike!
My form blurred, then launched forward. In the distance, I spotted a rapidly retreating figure.
The glowing halo stood out.
I aimed the Ring of Blood at it—The arrow extended rapidly.
Piercing effect.
Flashfire!
A blue arrow imbued with Burst Strike tore into the target’s back.
But just as it pierced through, the figure vanished into the ground.
"Tch!"
The unknown owner of a Divine Name.
If left alone, they’d become a major threat.
I’d used Burst Strike for a surprise attack—but they noticed.
A wave of post-Burst fatigue surged up.
Clutching my aching body, I arrived at the spot—
A torn robe lay there.
Bloodstains confirmed I’d wounded them—but it wasn’t serious.
Following the trail of blood, I raised the Ring of Blood again.
A faint halo shimmered between corpses.
As I focused my gaze, the bodies stirred—
And the hidden owner of the Divine Name slowly rose.
"Ack, getting caught in this form is embarrassing."
A middle-aged man in a gentleman’s black hat.
Dusting off blood from a noble suit reminiscent of an English aristocrat.
He held a black umbrella—he looked just like the Kingsman who once said, ‘Manners make the man.’
His mustache was his most striking feature.
"Aren’t you Samuel Barber, the courier?"
I instantly recognized him.
Samuel looked at me curiously and let out a cheerful laugh.
It was the smile of someone with a friendly nature.
"This job’s a bust. Young man, let’s pretend none of this happened, alright? I’d rather not be a laughingstock."
"And you are?"
"Hmm, I’m a deliveryman. I came here to pick up a package."
He wasn’t lying.
Hearing the word “package,” I realized why Samuel was here.
He was sent by the Black Market.
"Is the package... slaves?"
"Eh? You’re the contact? You should’ve come earlier. I almost died poking near the shamans."
He was a courier here to transport slaves the hunters would bring to the Black Market.
Well, to transport thousands of people at once—there was no better courier than Samuel.
He was a spatial manipulator.
Then, from behind me, I heard Lily’s voice—
"Huh? Mustache?!"
"Huh? … What’s a little troublemaker like you doing here?"
"When did you get old again?"
"Hmph!"
Seeing Lily, Samuel awkwardly touched his mustache and began to back away.
He was also infamous as the errand boy who delivered for the witches.
"If you tell that Ancestor about me, she’ll pluck this again."
"I’ve got nothing to do with them. I’m just doing my job. Guess this mission’s bust, though."
In a blink, Samuel vanished into the distance.
Running away—probably because of Lily.
I didn’t chase him.
Confirming that Samuel was the Divine Name holder eased my tension.
‘He’s not an enemy.’
Samuel was a neutral party—sometimes enemy, sometimes ally depending on the situation.
No, I had to make him an ally.
His abilities were essential in this world.
"What are you doing here?"
"Got told to follow you."
"And the others?"
"They said to tell you everything’s done."
"Let’s go."
I returned to the pit with Lily.
Our team was finishing up cleanup.
Everything was over.
First, I called Karl.
"Check Blyer’s direction for me."
"You mean reinforcements? I’ll let you know if anything moves."
Karl vanished over the pit.
I approached the shamans Lochter had spared.
[There are more effective torture methods—]
"No need. This is enough."
Using the holy power method Reto had taught me, the shamans quickly confessed.
And then—
I asked again, incredulous,
"...A secret base? This place is a secret base?"
"Y-Yes! Our Master said we might be attacked and ordered us to relocate here..."
So this just fell into our laps?
Our next target had already been the shaman’s nest inside the lord’s castle,
But now the job had gotten much easier.
No—this was an opportunity.
"Spill everything you know about the outside."
My biggest reason for targeting the nest—Was to uncover what Kamel was scheming.