Chapter 409: End game (3)  

Rumbling...

A heavy aftermath shook the entire cavity.

The giant crocodile's body sank to the ground.

...And all in one blow!

Colonel D'Ordume. A candidate to become the next head of the prison.

One of Nouvelle Vague's top five wardens, and the one who was in charge of the actual force, had been knocked out so quickly.

Everyone froze, mouths agape, in shock at what had happened.

....

Prisoners and guards alike fell silent, a brief pause in the chaos of the battlefield.

Especially Lt. Colonel Bastille, D'Ordume's direct line, who was so stunned that he thought his heart might leap out of his throat.

"Co, Co, Colonel D'Ordume?"

But D'Ordume, head down on the ground, was speechless.

Judging by the long tongue hanging out of his ear over the corner of the pit, he was either stunned or dead.

...The watching guards could only hope it was not the latter.

Meanwhile.

Vikir removed his hat, revealing his face to Nouvelle Vague once more.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of the Nouvelle Vague."

It was the reappearance of Night Hound, who was officially supposed to have escaped and met a miserable end in the middle of the sea.

In the hands of this brilliant escapee was the key to the "Gate of Good and Evil" the symbol of Nouvelle Vague, the Sword of Winter, Orwell.

It was now clear who had been responsible for the chaos at the entrance earlier.

Upon seeing it, Lt. Colonel Bastille's face was once again colored with astonishment.

"What the hell is that thing doing there, surely it belongs to Sir Winston, the principal of Colosseo Academy?"

It was even more shocking that Orwell, the Sword of Winter, was here than that Night Hound, who had escaped and was thought to be dead, was alive.

But no matter how many questions he asked, Vikir didn't answer them.

Then.

Swoosh.

Beyond the flames and vapor, huge shadows loomed.

Prisoners from Level 9 and Level 8 had somehow found their way to Vikir's side.

"Too bad. D'Ordume was my prey."

"Kid, you're a bit of a fighter. What's with the guard uniform?"

"Do you know anything about Orca, and when the old man is coming?"

"I can knock D'Ordume down with one blow, if I eat well enough...."

Prisoners of all shapes and sizes surrounded Vikir.

Their eyes were all fixed on the key in Vikir's hand.

Vikir spoke briefly.

"My friends. I have no intention of monopolizing this key."

If he did, he wouldn't have thrown it in the middle of this mess earlier.

Once more, Vikir tossed the key into the distance.

It flew off in a parabolic arc and landed right in the center of where the prisoners and guards were standing.

Vikir had no intention of picking it up again.

It had served its purpose by drawing attention to itself twice in this desperate situation.

"Oooh! It's a real key!"

"Open the Gate of Good and Evil!" "Let's go out of this nostalgic land!"

"Wait, aren't we supposed to steal the gulper eel first?"

The prisoners scrambled to pick up the key.

Vikir watched and knew it was time to slip away.

As they all looked up, Night Hound was staring down into the depths.

'...Now is the time to go to Level Ten.'

There, surrounded by blue lava, laid the sphere that would become humanity's final weapon, Poseidon.

While everyone's eyes were on the Gate of Good and Evil on the first floor, those with brains are eyeing the Gulper Eel Kennel on the 5th floor, and the all-seeing Regressor has his sights set on Poseidon on the 10th floor.

Vikir threw the key away, turned and ran away.

The eyes of prisoners as well as the guards' were turned to the Gate of Good and Evil and its key.

It was clear that there would be a shower of blood where the key fell.

'... I am glad I brought the key. Nothing's better than a distraction.'

For guards, as well as prisoners, there was nothing more intriguing than the key of a prison lock.

Vikir remembered the face of Professor Sady, who had briefly held his hand when he had confronted Winston at the Academy.

After all, it was her taking away Winston's sword, Orwell, that had made this operation possible, so it would be nice to say hello if they ever met.

'...If she's alive.'

The woman who used to go by the name Miss Uroboros had completely disappeared after the events of Winston and the Fallen, and her whereabouts were unknown.

But the words Sady had spoken to him as she handed him the Sword of Winter Orwell were still fresh in his mind.

'Hand it over.'

'Yes, I'll give it to you – I'm sure I'll need the key to the front gate, but... there's another way.'

'....'

'Can you promise me one more thing in return, though?...If there's ever a chance, please take it out with you.'

'... Okay. If you get a chance.'

'That would be great.'

Vikir needed to go to Level 10 once more, if only to fulfill his promise to Sady.

Her request was one that could be granted while Poseidon was up and active.

Vikir sprinted down the slope, feeling all eyes on him.

And then.

...Pow!

A sharp rock protruded from the wall and grazed Vikir's cheek.

"...!"

Vikir threw his head back to dodge.

If he hadn't, the momentum of his run could have exploded his head with that one hit.

As Vikir turned his head, he saw the creature that had moved the boulder standing in front of him.

... There was just one person. One who hadn't been distracted by the keys.

Colonel Souare. One of the two colonels who represent the twin walls of the Nouvelle Vague

She stood blocking the entrance to the stairs leading downstairs, shooting Vikir a cold stare.

Souare glanced back and forth between Vikir and D'Ordume lying behind him.

"You're the one I put in solitary confinement, If you think about it that way, don't you owe me something?"

"Ah, I see. Would you like me to repay you?"

"When you are capable."

Souare tilted her head, and Vikir nodded approvingly.

"Of course."

At the same time, Souare's sledgehammer and Vikir's sword clashed.

...Boom!

A heavy shockwave stretched out like countless snakes spreading out.

Flames, oil slicks, gas, and dirt swirled around, creating a terrifying sight.

kwakwang! kkaang- ttang! ujijig! kkang- kwakwakwang! kkadeudeudeug!

The magic sword Beelzebub and the heavy sledgehammer were exchanging blows at an alarming rate.

Souare was pushing hard enough to make the hammer glow red, but she couldn't avoid being pushed backwards. 'What kind of strength...!'

She could see why D'Ordume had been destroyed by the blow.

Her opponent was a seasoned warrior who had strength for strength, speed for speed, and nothing was missing.

Souare realized that she wasn't going to win in a head-to-head fight, so she drew back.

peopeopeopeopeong!

A wave of lava rose up from where she'd stomped and slammed into Vikir.

Vikir slashed at the lava, but it quickly hardened and turned to dust.

It was followed by a second and third wave of rocks.

"...That's a troublesome pattern."

This wasn't an attack designed to hurt Vikir, but to waste time.

Souare sensed that Vikir was trying to make his way downstairs after wreaking havoc with some sort of purpose.

"I don't know what you're after, but give it up, I'm good at defense."

Souare smirked and blew out a puff of cigarette smoke.

Each of Nouvelle Vague's twin walls had its own specialty.

D'Odume for offense, Souare for defense.

D'Ordume specialized in frenzied, sweeping attacks, while Souare drew in the surrounding rocks and minerals to create a shield that stacked infinitely.

The personalities of these two were very clear and distinct.

Vikir furrowed his brow as he watched Souare's shield of layered rocks and alloys.

'The compatibility isn't very good?'

After all, Souare was one of the formidable foes he needed to defeat here.

It seemed that the time he'd gained by using all his strength to neutralize D'Ordume would be wasted.

'It can't be helped. I'll lose a lot of time, but I have to be sure to step on it....' was thinking Vikir to himself.

kwa-kwang!

A loud explosion erupted from the front.

It was a shockwave so powerful that the lowly guards standing around burst their eardrums and spurted blood.

"Huh!"

Souare's head whipped around as if it was being ripped from between her shoulders.

She was thrown out into a trajectory that flattened her to the ground and slammed her into the wall, where she promptly blacked out.

She had the same ending as D'Ordume.

"...?"

Vikir looked up from the dense dust.

A slender shadow stood over Souare's face.

There was a murmur of voices around him.

"Hic! Hey, it's the newest prisoner!"

"Is it that bitch? the one who was supposed to be admitted to Level 10?"

"She came straight in without a trial, and I can't believe she sent Souare away in one fell swoop."

"Another monster, I see."

Vikir's mind raced with information that he had previously passed over without much thought.

'Oh, and did you hear, there's a new one coming in, sentenced to Level 9 without a trial, and she's a girl. They even said she was pretty.'

'Are you out of your mind? She would be a monster of monsters if she were to be thrown straight into Level 9 without a trial and that's if she's a woman.'

The newest prisoner to arrive was the one who made the most noise.

Black hair mixed with silver, triangular pointed ears, and an ashen face.

Big, clear eyes like a lake in bitter eyes.

She looked up at Vikir and smiled.

"Long time no see, Husby."

A new Night Fox had taken over from Aquila, the Night Fox.

It was Aiyen.