Matan’s Shooter

With the Silver Dragon’s breath, the strongest skill of the second job change White Snow was cast.

Witnessing the essence of the Abyssal Ice itself, rather than mere fragments or shards, Pyrot-Cocri finally moved.

The cold breath spread out in a fan shape, but Pyrot-Cocri’s instantaneous speed was much faster.

“You’re not even an Ancient Dragon yet! You! I will claim you!”

The direction she targeted was solely Ram Hwajung.

“Kuh, not yet—”

Feiou was in the process of finishing off the remaining two guild members, having already killed three who had turned undead.

『Ram Hwajung, damn it!』

Kijung struggled just to exchange blows with Lee Jiwon. He wouldn’t lose, but he couldn’t win either, resulting in a stalemate.

Hyein, who had lost her mana, was out of the question, and neither healer Raphaela nor scouting specialist Rubini had any special attack skills to stop Pyrot-Cocri’s assault.

『Ram Hwajung! 〈Ice Blast〉!』

Arzenmacht halted his breath and frantically cast a skill, but Pyrot-Cocri was already just inches away from Ram Hwajung.

“Ah….”

Ram Hwajung moved backward and cast her skill as quickly as she could.

While walking or running and concentrating at the casting moment wasn’t inherently difficult, the force of the onrushing Pyrot-Cocri was enough to break even her steely concentration.

“Kihi! Got you—”

The moment Pyrot-Cocri reached her arm out.

The space above Ram Hwajung’s head cracked open.

“I will avenge 20 years of hatred!”

This happened almost simultaneously as the space beneath Pyrot-Cocri’s feet ruptured.

“SURPRISE!”

From the moment Kijung had scouted earlier, Petyr, who had been chasing Kijung’s every move, appeared along with Quidam.

The sharp claws of the Miyaws, unusually glowing, were all aimed at Pyrot-Cocri.

Finally, the expression of the third Demon King’s Fragment twisted.

* * *

Pyrot-Cocri couldn’t avoid Petyr and Quidam’s attacks entirely.

Their ambush, prepared as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, was realized just before Pyrot-Cocri could escape, making her miss the perfect chance to dodge.

Thus, Pyrot-Cocri had to choose.

Petyr’s claws completely pierced through Pyrot-Cocri’s abdomen and were retrieved.

Quidam’s attack also pierced through her neck. The difference from Petyr was that Quidam couldn’t immediately retreat.

“Kihi… It really hurts. It really hurts. But—”

Even without fully grasping the situation, the most regrettable point for Kijung and the other users was exactly that.

“—you’ll hurt too, right? Kihi, I remember your face, from 20 years ago, oppa.”

Pyrot-Cocri’s hand was also piercing Quidam’s heart.

Deciding that one must die even if she took damage, Pyrot-Cocri had counterattacked Quidam.

“…Cough.”

“Back then, too—it was exactly like this. Although there wasn’t the 〈Holy Water Containing the Blood of Ahlo〉. It’s rare even among you, so how did you get it?”

Pyrot-Cocri’s death couldn’t be achieved by just an ordinary ambush, a fact that was ‘imprinted’ on Quidam as per the ‘setting’.

Thus, they had acquired and used weapons effective against undead.

The different color of the claws was the evidence.

Yet, Pyrot-Cocri did not die.

Moreover, counterattacking Quidam was far more fatal than anything else.

“What the… How—?”

Even the number one psychopath in Middle Earth admitted by all users, Petyr, was bewildered to the point of barely being able to speak clearly.

“Eat shit, Pyrot-Cocri.”

“I don’t want to! Eating crap causes cavities, cavities!”

Though much of the smile had faded from her face, it signified that Quidam and Petyr’s attacks were somewhat effective. However, failure to destroy Pyrot-Cocri with one strike was tantamount to admitting defeat for them.

“… Petyr.”

Quidam turned his head to look at Petyr.

Petyr, filled with confusion, held out his hand, questioning.

“Leader! Even your secret weapon won’t—”

“My vision isn’t just about killing Pyrot-Cocri.”

“Then why risk such an assassination? You know that an unsuccessful assassination only kills the assassin—”

“A cat has nine lives because it hasn’t gathered all nine yet. My vision is just beginning. Break the curse on the Midnight Circus Director. While the former Director and I have walked the same path, you must not inherit this fate—”

Black blood trickled from Quidam’s lips.

Pyrot-Cocri watched the scene with a laugh.

“Of course! Of course! There’s no way you wouldn’t know! The one who came with you 20 years ago also met ‘this’ fate! I knew you couldn’t be unaware, oppa!”

Pyrot-Cocri slowly stepped back.

What would happen when the two who had been fighting fell apart?

In Pyrot-Cocri’s hand, withdrawn from Quidam’s chest, was the most crucial element for him.

“Deputy Director. This is my final command as Director. Kill me and obtain the ‘Ninth Life’—”

It wasn’t Quidam’s heart that was still pulsing.

It was the very essence of the Midnight Circus Director.

“—Inherit the position of Midnight Circus Director. This is my last surprise order to the Deputy Director.”

Shhaaah…!

Light emanated from Petyr’s body.

He stared blankly into the void for a moment.

Then, at that moment, Pyrot-Cocri spoke.

“I am Pyrot-Cocri, the Warden of Graves. I will crush your soul and take your body.”

A faint sound echoed as Quidam’s heart shattered.

* * *

『Kugh— Hyein hyung! What’s going on!?』

“I-I’m not sure either—but the crucial thing is that the one who came with Petyr has now become an enemy!”

While struggling to clash swords with Lee Jiwon, Kijung shouted, but Hyein couldn’t give a clear answer.

Judging from the snippets of their conversation, Hyein could deduce that Miyaw, who came with Petyr, was an NPC and even the Headmaster of the Midnight Circus.

But what were they discussing afterward?

If given enough time and space, it wasn’t too difficult for Hyein to figure out.

The problem was that time and space were precisely what they lacked.

“Buhehehe! Damn it, damn it, the Diiiireeeector!”

The black blood that had been pouring from the chest where his heart was torn out had already stopped.

The only visible difference between the Quidam who had just been speaking to Petyr and the one now was that he had begun attacking Petyr.

─, ─, ─, ─, ─, ─, ─…!

The two Miyaw assassins started attacking each other with a ferocity determined to claim their adversary’s life.

Pyrot-Cocri smiled through a weary expression.

“Heheh, cats are always at their best when they dance with each other.”

『Pyrot-Cocri! Yet another victim! ‘Ice Wall!’』

Thud!

A massive ice wall appeared between Pyrot-Cocri and Ram Hwajung.

“I told you, those who haven’t ascended to Ancient shouldn’t interfere!”

Pyrot-Cocri bounded off the ice wall and leapt into the air.

He was moving in the direction of the dragon-formed Arzenmacht.

On the other side of the ice wall, Ram Hwajung, Hyein, Raphaela, and Rubini couldn’t see what was happening.

Only Ram Hwajung clenched her teeth as she heard the dragon’s roaring and the sound effects of various spells being cast from beyond the ice wall.

“Grrr, Arzenmacht…”

Mana particles continued to gather into her body.

While Pyrot-Cocri’s sudden assault had significantly slowed her casting speed, she hadn’t completely lost focus.

She moved slowly, circling around the massive ice wall. Every second and minute counted in this critical situation.

Fortunately, the healer in Pyrot-Cocri’s raid party was still alive.

“’Quick’, ‘Haste’! Ram Hwajung, hurry!”

“Kay has Lee Jiwon pinned down, Petyr is dealing with another undead, and Fayou is taking care of the other guild members! If we can snare them just once, we’ll definitely have the advantage!”

Raphaela and Hyein shouted simultaneously.

While the battle’s tide was chaotic, each knew clearly who their enemy was.

More importantly, their party currently had the upper hand in power balance, so all they needed was to bind Pyrot-Cocri and land an unavoidable blow.

『Hyein hyungniiiim!』

“Kay!?”

『Run! They’re suddenly heading your way!』

What was happening beyond the ice wall?

Pyrot-Cocri’s true prowess lay in her ability to control others as she wished.

It was a top-grade monster that could instantly calculate that the scattered battles had become unfavorable for it.

Turning the undead Lee Jiwon towards Ram Hwajung and then deciding to face Kijung directly was an easy calculation for it to finish.

Flash—!

Lee Jiwon appeared above Ram Hwajung and Hyein.

For a magic swordsman who used Blink to freely move short distances, even a fully transformed Holy Knight could not match his speed.

Flash!

Another flash of light erupted simultaneously.

『Ram Hwajung!』

“Arzenmacht—”

『Use it!』

Although Arzenmacht did not specifically target anyone, Ram Hwajung already understood his words.

Moreover, because of the ice wall, targeting Pyrot-Cocri was a long and steep road.

In other words, it meant to prioritize saving her life instead of using a skill against Pyrot-Cocri!

Arzenmacht and Ram Hwajung simultaneously cast their magic towards Lee Jiwon.

『〈Area Freezing〉!』

“〈Ice of the Abyss〉.”

Along with the slowing of movement speed range magic, one of the strongest spells of the White Snow profession group, Ice of the Abyss, was fired at Lee Jiwon.

“Tsk, a toy too precious to lose—but there’s no choice.”

Pyrot-Cocri, climbing the ice wall belatedly, frowned in disappointment.

“Kehihi! But it’s a splendid demise! 〈Corpse Explosion: Death Throes〉!”

She quickly chanted while pointing at Lee Jiwon and then jumped to the other side of the ice wall.

The ice wall created by Arzenmacht served as Pyrot-Cocri’s shield at that moment.

Ice of the Abyss accurately hit the undead Lee Jiwon.

However, his body had already started to swell. Arzenmacht shouted with wide-open eyes.

『Ram Hwajung!』

Everyone already knew something had gone wrong.

Although Ram Hwajung understood Arzenmacht’s calling out her name, she shook her head.

“No, together! I can’t do this alone—”

“Hurry up!”

“No—”

“Casting! 〈Holy Barrier〉!”

As Hyein pulled Ram Hwajung behind Raphaela, a burst of explosive light erupted with the barrier.

Boom—!

All the mana in the undead Lee Jiwon’s body exploded and dispersed into the air.

The dragon’s death throes were swallowed by the explosion.

* * *

“What is this….”

『Hyein hyung! Ram Hwajung! Raphaela!』

Paeu and Kijung ran towards the wreckage of the explosion.

What lay on the ground was the body of a silver dragon.

『Informing the Lord… Hang in there… A bit more…』

Hold on.

Arzenmacht barely opened his mouth as if he was running out of breath.

“Don’t speak while I’m treating you! 〈Great Heal〉, 〈All Recovery〉!”

Raphaela focused all her power on the dragon that had yet to die, while Hyein urgently assessed the situation.

“Ram Hwajung, what about mana? Can you use a skill?”

“… No mana.”

“Damn it… That so-called Lord is probably the Platinum Dragon Bahamut—but until he arrives—”

“Kehehe, do you think you can survive until that old geezer Bahamut arrives… That is the real question. I haven’t completely sealed off the space, but disrupting you will be more than enough!”

With Arzenmacht’s mana connection severed, the ice wall melted away.

From there, Pyrot-Cocri approached Kijung and his party.

Hyein could not use a skill due to mana blending.

Ram Hwajung had depleted her mana.

The silver dragon was incapable of combat, and Petyr had left the battlefield while chasing Quidam.

TL’s Corner:

It’s a disaster!!!