Chapter 112
Chapter 112
Variable
"Is this all?"
"...It seems that way for now."
At Alex’s hesitant reply, Elisha clicked her tongue and glanced around at the people strewn across the area.
"Every single one of them is just trash."
"......"
"And these losers thought they could pull off an ambush? They should’ve known their place and stayed put."
...Was this really the same person?
Was this the same person who, not long ago in front of Aiden, could barely stammer out that she helped because she wanted to?
Back then, she acted like a girl hopelessly in love, but now she was acting like a complete tyrant.
At this point, her coy behavior was practically a split personality...
From the very beginning, the way she had suddenly appeared and asked for his cooperation was bizarre in itself.
—You're that guy, Alex, right?
—...What?
—You're already chained up and playing the slave, so what does it matter if I use you instead of him?
...With that twisted logic, just moments ago she had ordered him to dig up a complete list of people near here who were hostile toward Aiden Kellermain.
Alex had never seen this woman before, yet she acted like she knew him intimately. As if he didn’t even have the right to refuse.
And it wasn’t just her attitude when making the request — the very nature of it was absurdly aggressive.
Even if she wasn’t attracting as much attention as the three major figures, that man was still at the point where he was starting to draw people’s eyes in one way or another. Of course there would be those forming alliances to take him down.
It seemed her intent was to eliminate them herself.
‘...This is insane.’
No one chooses to fight a group alone.
Even Aiden, who was now at the center of this mess, hadn’t charged headfirst into the crowd. He had chosen to take out the leader and let the rest fall apart on their own.
So what kind of nerve did this woman have to say something like that without blinking?
Still, refusing her wasn’t an option anymore. He had already taken a massive punch to the gut and vomited everything in his stomach because he dared say no.
‘...She’s not human — she’s a gorilla that can speak.’
Sure, there was the more polite term "superhuman," but Alex didn’t feel the slightest urge to give Elisha that level of respect right now.
The people lying crushed on the floor from her brute strength probably felt the same way.
Those who had tried to resist were likely now reflecting on the lesson that they shouldn’t have, having been sunk by a single punch from Elisha.
‘She actually did it.’
Watching her pull off something that, just moments ago, had seemed utterly impossible made his head spin.
‘...Anyway.’
Alex scowled as he examined the bodies scattered around them one by one.
They had all sustained severe injuries, the kind that could easily be fatal, and yet, not a single one of them was actually dead.
Some had cracked skulls. He was certain some had ruptured organs. Despite injuries that should’ve meant instant death, they were all merely groaning in pain, their consciousness still intact.
It was as if someone had forcibly designated a 'rule' that none of them were allowed to die.
‘Is that even possible?’
Before the Tournament began, the Pontiff had casually declared that no one would die — but Alex hadn’t imagined he actually could make that happen.
There had always been talk that Abigail III was among the most powerful divine ability users in the history of Pontiffs, but still...
"It is strange."
Elisha’s voice came from beside him, her face twisted into a deep scowl, making Alex flinch.
"No matter how powerful the Pontiff is, manifesting divine miracles to this extent is just... off. It makes me think the powers officially reported to the public were downplayed."
With the exact same observation as Alex, Elisha’s frown deepened as she scanned the devastation she had caused.
"...Was that woman really that strong?"
As she mulled over the question, Elisha tilted her head back to look at the sky.
She’d hoped that gazing up at the sun high in the noon sky would help clear her thoughts.
It might’ve been thanks to that instinct that she was the first to notice something was off.
"...What the hell is that?"
Elisha narrowed her eyes, staring at the sky as it began to turn black.
Confusion. Alarm.
But then, what quickly overtook her gaze was a level of fury that bordered on terrifying.
"We agreed not to interfere with each other... you sons of bitches...!"
Maybe.
Maybe that’s why Alex couldn’t understand a single word of what she muttered next.
▣
The sky turned black.
As if it had been torn apart, ominous energy thick with the stench of death began to seep out from the ripped seams.
Something like that happening in broad daylight couldn’t possibly go unnoticed. Not a single one of the people clashing and killing each other in a chaotic frenzy had failed to notice it.
Both Alester, who had been steadily expanding his occupied territory, and Julius, who had dropped out early and was simply observing the situation, as well as Elisha, Noel, and Katya, who were all positioned some distance away—
All of them must have realized that something about this situation was seriously off.
Perhaps the voice that had just echoed in the ears of every participant in the Tournament was proof of just how serious things had become.
"—Everyone, get to high ground."
A voice suddenly resounded directly in everyone’s ears, prompting someone to shout in panic.
"H-His Holiness?!"
It almost sounded like the death throes of a chicken being strangled, but this was clearly not the time to be nitpicking over tone.
"That thing—it's not part of the prearranged setup."
At the Pontiff’s irritated words, pale faces began to emerge among the crowd.
When something clearly abnormal was spreading through the sky, and the very person overseeing the event admitted it wasn’t part of the plan—
It meant everyone here now understood this was no ordinary situation.
Indeed, once the participants gathered on the high ground, they were met by the sight of the Pontiff gazing up at the sky with an openly displeased expression.
Given the bluish glow surrounding his body, it was probably not his actual form, but rather a projection or something similar.
"...What is that, Your Holiness?"
And as expected, it was Alester who asked the question first.
He likely felt a sense of duty to speak on behalf of all the royals gathered here.
"I don’t know."
"......"
"But you must’ve felt it yourselves — there’s no way anything good will come from touching that thing."
At those words, Alester furrowed his brow in silence.
If the Pontiff had responded in his usual gruff tone, Alester might have assumed he had some kind of countermeasure ready.
But the Pontiff’s voice was flat, tense from beginning to end. He sounded like even he hadn’t foreseen this turn of events.
"I’ll provide as much support as I can from this distance. But I can’t block that thing myself."
Then came the words that nailed the coffin shut on any hopes they had.
"I’m on my way there now, but that thing is spreading faster than I can move. Even if I handle the cleanup, your survival — that’s on you."
"......"
More and more faces were turning pale.
Clearly, there wasn’t a single person on this island who could look at that sky and not feel a sense of crisis.
The black, sticky energy that flowed across the heavens now formed a massive shroud, so thick it made midday feel like midnight.
"Well, fortunately, there is someone there who can help you out."
"...Excuse me?"
"That girl — One."
At the Pontiff’s remark, everyone’s heads snapped in the same direction.
"...You fought so well, and yet your stamina’s that poor? Not enough exercise?"
"I-I’ve never been, uhh, that great with endurance, heegh...!"
...Still, upon seeing who was climbing up alongside Milene, everyone was left speechless.
He was panting so hard his lips were turning blue—no act, just sheer exhaustion from depleted stamina.
‘...It’s because I don’t have much supernatural ability stock...!’
He had burned through everything he had in a string of battles. For Aiden, climbing such a steep mountain with only his raw physical abilities—this was already his best effort...
"Aiden! You made it!"
And right on cue, two figures landed with a thud from the sky.
Lionhearted. Deathwish.
At the sudden appearance of these major players, most of the crowd was stunned speechless—but Julius’s expression twisted into something hideous the moment he saw Katya.
It was a reaction that burst out the instant he laid eyes on her.
"—Why is she here?"
And just as those words came out, another reaction came crashing in.
Gone was the gasping, panting figure—Aiden had moved in an instant, slamming a hook into Julius’s jaw like he meant to shatter it.
"Watch your mouth when you talk to my friend. You trying to die?"
"..."
The threat carried more menace than when they were actually fighting earlier, rendering Julius completely mute.
Compared to earlier, when he had said he didn’t want to kill anyone and told people to surrender peacefully, now he looked ready to break jaws first and talk never...
And after doing that, Aiden simply turned his head as if he’d decided Julius wasn’t worth another second of attention.
"Your Holiness. This isn’t your doing, is it?"
"Would it be? Even in the Capital, that thing caused a huge mess once."
Aiden nodded in agreement.
Sure, even if the Pontiff’s mental realm was beyond normal, letting something like that loose would be like declaring war on the entire continent. There was no way he’d do that.
"So, as someone who’s blocked it before—what’s your assessment?"
At those words, everyone turned to Aiden, jaws hanging open.
...He blocked something like that?
This guy, who was about to keel over from exhaustion?
But since it was true, Aiden didn’t bother denying it.
"I know you all like to play nice with each other and all..."
As Aiden spoke, the black, deathly aura falling from the sky continued to expand.
It was exactly like what the Fragment of the Demon God had caused back in the Capital. The only difference now was that the Remnant of the Warden of the Realm wasn’t here to help.
‘...Still.’
That thing likely wasn’t a true Fragment of the Demon God either, so it balanced out more or less.
"Just this once—let’s do things my way."
Because it could be stopped.
Definitely.