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Chapter 186: Ghosts (9)
Walker's eyes slowly rolled around.
The enemies began to move in perfect synchronization.
All around, various types of magic began to rise.
‘As expected.’
The roles of the enemies were clearly divided for anyone to see.
‘They’ve split into those aiming for me, and those trying to kill Neil Brion.’
They’d used their heads quite well.
After all, trying to break through him in a full-frontal assault was close to impossible.
“Binding Chains!”
“Shackles of Silence!”
Clang! Clang!
Suddenly, magical chains flew in from thin air and coiled tightly around his wrists and ankles.
The mages who had instantly restrained Walker shouted.
“We got him!”
“Now! He can’t use magic at the moment!”
“Finish it quickly!”
Even before those words were finished, monstrous figures had already approached the vehicle, swinging their respective weapons.
But instead of attacking Walker, their choice was to assassinate Neil Brion, seated in the back.
“……”
Walker quietly watched the scene.
Thud!
He lightly stomped his foot.
A tremendous shockwave exploded outward, sweeping over the enemies.
“……!”
“Guh!”
If they tried to endure it, they’d break.
Quite literally — skin and muscles would tear, bones would snap.
Realizing this, the enemies retreated and cautiously kept their eyes on the vehicle.
“What’s going on? Didn’t they say he was restrained?”
“He still is restrained.”
“Then how is he able to use magic?”
“That’s……”
Flustered, the mages hurriedly looked at Walker’s sword sheath.
His sword was still quietly resting in the sheath, not yet drawn.
‘Which means… he hasn’t ‘unleashed the world’ yet. But how?’
As confusion filled their minds, Walker, who had caught their gaze, muttered.
“You know about my ability, huh.”
The fact that they looked directly at his sheath first made it obvious.
They knew in detail about his “World Release” and the abilities it granted.
“……”
But that power was known only to a select few in the Public Security Bureau — and even fewer in the Imperial Household.
Very few enemies had encountered this power and lived to tell the tale.
Which meant, as Oscar had said, there was a high probability of a traitor within the Imperial ranks.
‘Disgusting.’
Political strife within the Imperial family was nothing new, but now even demon puppets were getting involved.
Letting out a faint sigh, Walker moved his lips.
“But there’s one thing you all overlooked.”
Snap. Clink.
The chains binding his arms and legs broke effortlessly.
As if it were a lie, the chains fell away, and the eyes of the four mages wavered in disbelief.
“That’s impossible!”
“Once bound, there’s no way to break free on your own!”
“That’s true—if the binding actually hit after activation.”
The Binding Chains and Shackles of Silence were high-level magic specialized in curses and weakening.
Once caught, escaping on one’s own was nearly impossible—a truly troublesome magic.
But if it had no counter, that magic would’ve dominated the world already.
For masters above level 7, there existed individual countermeasures against such magic.
Walker was no exception.
Shhhk.
Walker slowly drew his sword from the sheath.
The revealed blade was darker than the pitchest black.
“The Black Sword…!”
“Since when…?!”
Realizing that Walker had already released the World — the infamous “Black Sword” — the enemies panicked.
In that state, Chief Walker’s physical abilities would be massively enhanced, and he would gain the overpowered trait of magic nullification.
Walker looked at the enemies indifferently and replied.
“You ask stupid questions.”
The operation he carried out with Oscar had been designed under the assumption that information might leak.
In other words, they had already accounted for a possible ambush.
Which meant the timing of when he unleashed the Black Sword was simple.
“From the very beginning. The moment I got in the car, I’ve been maintaining the Black Sword without a break.”
“……!”
“Un… unbelievable monster.”
Shocked by his massive mana and the ability to maintain it, the enemies clenched their teeth.
Normally, this would be the time to retreat — but instead, they exchanged glances and renewed their resolve.
“For that day!”
“To establish a new order in this land!”
With those cries, they pulled out pills from their clothes and each swallowed one.
As their mana began to go berserk, Walker frowned.
‘If they do that, their magic circuits won’t survive…’
But the reason soon became clear.
Like balloons inflating, their skin began to swell grotesquely as they charged toward the vehicle.
“……!”
He had read about this in reports.
A technique that turns the user into a giant bomb, sacrificing their life.
Sensing the danger instinctively, Walker shouted urgently.
“Doran! Get out of the car!”
“Y-Yes!”
Responding to his command, Doran hurriedly pulled on the driver’s side door handle.
Click, click.
However, due to the overwhelming surge of mana, the control system of the vehicle had completely failed, and the doors wouldn’t open.
“Damn it…”
In that moment, Walker was left with only two choices:
Save his subordinate’s life—or save the life of the hostage.
‘There’s no reason to hesitate.’
Slash!
With a single swing of Walker’s sword, the vehicle was sliced vertically in half.
He immediately reached through the severed gap and yanked Doran out—
KABOOOOOM!
An enormous magical explosion engulfed the two of them.
“Kuh, kuh!”
Coughing from the acrid smoke, Walker barely managed to form a barrier with his sword aura to minimize the damage.
As he slowly lifted his body, which had been shielding Doran, the vehicle had already been reduced to a charred wreck.
‘An attack that completely disregards the attacker’s own life...’
And the destructive power was massive.
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If he hadn’t already drawn his black sword, even he might not have survived without a fatal injury.
“Cough! Cough!”
At that moment, Doran, whom he had been shielding, began to cough in his arms.
With trembling eyes, Doran glanced at the backseat of the vehicle—and spotted Neil Brion, unmoving.
“N-No…”
A heavy sense of guilt spread across his face.
“I-I’m sorry… This is all… because of me…”
He already knew.
The Chief Superintendent had chosen to save him—and failed to rescue the heinous criminal from the explosion.
Neil Brion was a key figure—someone irreplaceable—who could reveal the truth behind the Black Fingers.
But as Doran spoke, Walker simply shook his head.
“It’s fine. And I don’t say that to comfort you.”
As if to prove his point, Walker stood up and approached the wreckage.
He swung his sword once more—slash!
The scorched prison uniform was torn apart, revealing what was inside: a wooden dummy.
Doran’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“...A dummy? C-Chief? I thought we were transporting Neil Brion?”
“Someone else is in charge of Neil Brion’s transport. By now, they should be…”
On their way far past them, heading straight toward the capital.
Just like the name of this mission: “Ghost.”
* * *
Capital of the Calderan Empire: Caldium.
This city was, without a doubt, the heart of the continent and a mirror of the age—where all cultures bloomed and converged.
“Yaaawn… Been a while since I’ve been to the capital.”
Fran murmured as he let out a long yawn.
Ever since Oscar suddenly called on him a few days ago, he had been driving nonstop for a week.
Now, they were waiting at the inspection checkpoint on the bridge leading into Caldeum’s fortress.
“So, you’re still not going to tell me? What exactly are we doing in the capital?”
“You’ll find out once we get there. No point in asking now.”
As Oscar trailed off, two men in the capital’s guard uniforms approached their vehicle.
Knock knock.
As one of the guards tapped on the window, Fran rolled it down.
“Please state your purpose of visit and present your identification.”
If it were any other place, things might be easier—but the capital required this level of security.
After all, it was the city where the Emperor resided.
“I’m a mage from the White Tower. I’m just here for… casual sightseeing.”
“Then please fill out all the fields in this document.”
The guard handed over a stack of papers so thick that Fran grimaced.
“All of this?”
“Yes. Without completing it, you won’t be allowed entry.”
At that moment, the rear window lowered and Oscar handed over his ID.
“No need for that. His identity is guaranteed.”
“...Huh?”
The guard’s eyes widened as he checked the ID.
He kept glancing back and forth between the photo and Oscar’s face.
Understandably so—Oscar was one of the most talked-about mages across the entire continent.
“Apologies for the delay, Professor Oscar. We’ve confirmed your identity and purpose. You’re free to enter.”
The contrast in attitude was stark, and Fran shrugged.
“Man, being a professor really has its perks. Straight access to the capital?”
“Wouldn’t you be able to get in too, if you mentioned your family name?”
“Doubt it. Maybe if it were my older brother, the Vice Leader—but me? Not a chance.”
“Is that so?”
The capital’s security felt even tighter than during the war years.
But then again, while it was peacetime for the common folk,
the Imperial Court was still engaged in a shadow war against the demons.
“Alright, so where to now?”
“Let’s start by getting a hotel.”
Until Walker arrived in the capital, they had to lay low.
If there really was a mole within the royal family, then everyone was a suspect.
* * *
“How’s this place? It’s one of our family’s affiliated hotels.”
“...I figured as much.”
Even the name gave it away: Sirius Hotel.
Any country bumpkin fresh from the sticks could tell it was affiliated with the Sirius Merchant Guild.
Still, as a member of the family, they were given two top-floor suites.
“Let’s rest a bit and then grab lunch.”
“Sounds good.”
After they each went to their rooms, Oscar contacted Walker via communicator.
-Oscar?
“Yes. When do you expect to arrive?”
-Around three days. About 75 hours, give or take.
As expected, Walker had been ambushed.
During the encounter, their vehicle had been damaged, and he had to find a new one—
which delayed his arrival to the capital.
-Be careful until then. With the mole confirmed, you’re not entirely safe either.
“Don’t worry. I’ve taken plenty of precautions.”
-Is Neil Brion unharmed?
“I take him out regularly and force-feed him.”
After realizing he’d been tricked, Neil Brion had gone on a hunger strike.
Attempting to starve himself to death—not something just anyone could endure.
-Hmm. As long as he stays alive, that’s enough.
“Leave that to me.”
Oscar glanced out the window, at the capital streets below, and spoke firmly:
“I will personally deliver that man to His Majesty the Emperor.”
Countdown to Walker’s arrival in the capital: D-3.
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