Evil Avalon

Chapter 146 Beyond the exhaust vent

(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)

(Smells like blood are getting stronger again...)

As I proceeded down the dimly lit corridor, the scent of iron, like rust, began to fill the air once more. Watching for any signs of magical movement, I peeked into a nearby room. Two heavily damaged corpses lay sprawled on the floor.

Both bore large, deep wounds, likely inflicted by heavy slashing weapons. Unlike the smaller, numerous cuts on the kunoichi Red’s body we saw earlier, it’s clear this was the work of a different killer. However, despite the blood splattered across the room, there were no signs of a struggle. This suggests they were likely taken by surprise or killed without resistance.

Searching for more clues, Subaru turned one of the bodies face up, revealing a badge on its chest—one I recognized. It belonged to the Kinrankai group.

“These must be some of the younger Kinrankai guards stationed around here. It looks like they’ve all been killed. But their main forces are still back at the venue, so they’ll likely retaliate… wait, look over there. Are those drag marks?”

Subaru pointed toward trails of blood leading away from the scene. Given that two bodies were left behind here, concealment clearly wasn’t the goal. So what could be the purpose of moving them?

Subaru started to follow the blood trail without hesitation, but I quickly stopped him when I sensed multiple sources of magical energy ahead.

“Subaru-san, there’s a staircase up ahead, but it looks like the Holy Empire’s forces are stationed there.”

“But if we can’t use the stairs, how do you plan to get to the rooftop?”

“We’ll use the ducts. Over there.”

This building has several large ventilation systems connecting the floors, with ducts wide enough for a person to fit through. Judging by their size, even someone as large as me should manage. Opening a hatch, I peered inside and was immediately disheartened by the sight of thick dust swirling in the stale air. Still, there was no other option.

The ducts branched off frequently and were a labyrinth to navigate. While it wasn’t clear where we’d emerge on the roof, we could use the exhaust vents along the way to peek outside and decide our next move.

Now, once we climb up, we’ll likely encounter the Holy Empire’s forces on the rooftop. Before we scout ahead, there’s something I need to address.

“Subaru-san, can you understand the Empire’s language?”

“Hmm, just a few basic phrases… What’s that you’re holding? A magic tool?”

“Something like that. It’ll let us understand their language.”

I pulled a green gemstone from my magic bag and showed it to him. Subaru inspected it curiously. This was something I’d prepared in advance, anticipating the need to communicate with members of the Holy Empire. While my wrist device could translate speech on the spot, this magical tool was far more versatile.

The gem emitted a faint hum as the air around it swirled. When I channeled a small amount of magic into it, a green wind sprang forth, enveloping us. A soft, giggling voice echoed briefly before the wind dissipated.

“Now, we should be able to understand anything spoken to us—or so I hope.”

“What a handy little gadget. It’d be a lifesaver during school exams, wouldn’t it?”

This wasn’t your typical magic item etched with a magic circle. It was a rare artifact imbued with a gossip-loving fairy. It could translate any spoken language into our ears, which was incredibly convenient. However, its powers only worked within a magic field, making it useless for overseas travel. At the adventurer’s school, it could be used since the field was active, but since exams focused on written questions, it wouldn’t help much.

Stowing the gem back in my bag, I took a deep breath to center myself, preparing for what lay ahead.

“I’ll go in first. Follow quietly and try not to make any noise.”

“Understood. Lead the way.”

Covering my mouth and nose with a handkerchief, I climbed the ladder inside the dark duct. Progress was slow, requiring frequent position checks and course corrections, but eventually, I spotted faint light ahead. An exhaust vent.

Peering carefully through the vent, I observed the scene outside. Multiple voices reached my ears. Their faces… Western. Their language, translated into my ears, confirmed they weren’t Japanese.

“...How many have gathered?”

“Level 20... for now, that should suffice.”

There were about ten of them. Despite the stifling summer heat, they were dressed in white long coats, each armed with weapons like scythes, greatswords, halberds, and staves. Some weapons glowed ominously—clearly magical artifacts. It looked like they were gearing up for a raid against some floor boss.

Nearby, several monitors and computers were set up, displaying various camera feeds from within the building. Footage of the party venue, the lobby, and what appeared to be people in transit flashed across the screens. Thankfully, our route hadn’t been discovered yet. The problem was—

(There it is! But I can’t see it clearly from here.)

The rooftop was a massive helipad, with multiple magic circles of varying sizes layered over its surface. Some were already active, but from my current position, I could only see the circles from a horizontal angle, making it impossible to discern their function.

I wanted to move closer for a better vantage point—but Subaru kept poking at my back, grumbling, "Let me see too." The cramped air vent wasn’t exactly conducive to sharing the view, but I grudgingly made some room.

Twisting my body in the tight duct, I created enough space for Subaru to edge closer. He licked his lips with curiosity and peered outside intently.

"(Huh? Those white coats with cuneiform-like symbols… that’s the uniform of the Holy Empire’s forces. And over there… that’s Lord Sanada and—)"
"(Cardinal Mikhail Maxim… I knew it.)"

Two men stood at the center of the group in white coats. One was Sanada Yukikage, wearing a blue coat and glasses. His presence was no surprise. The man standing across from him, however, was far more concerning—a white-robed Westerner radiating an ominous aura. It was undeniably Cardinal Mikhail Maxim of the Holy Empire.

If I could eliminate him, it might resolve all of this trouble in one fell swoop… but unfortunately, I lacked the strength to do so. Besides, the surrounding group in white coats would never allow a one-on-one fight.

At Sanada’s feet lay a man facedown, his face grotesquely swollen, one leg bent at an unnatural angle. That white suit… I recognized it. It was Sosuke Kirigaya.

“Guh… d-damn you! Why did you betray Colors, Sanada?!”
“Betrayed? I never pledged my heart to Colors to begin with. And now… enough of your whining.”
“Guaaah—”

Kirigaya, his voice rasping with pain, glared up at Sanada as he spoke, his once-pristine suit now caked in dirt and blood. Sanada, unfazed, delivered a cruel kick to his face, sending him spinning and then collapsing motionless.

From the looks of it, Kirigaya had been manipulated by Sanada into mobilizing Kinrankai. Now, with his usefulness expended, he’d been unceremoniously discarded.

Cross-referencing my knowledge of the game, there was no doubt Sanada was the one who had orchestrated this elaborate scenario, leveraging the Holy Empire to bring events to this point.

But why had his actions deviated so drastically from the original story? That was a question for later. For now, I needed to identify the magic circles and, if possible, find an opportunity to disrupt them. Kirigaya could wait.

Sanada casually adjusted his collar, maintaining his calm smile as he addressed the Cardinal.

“I appreciate your patience. Shall we proceed?”
“...You’re certain? Even without becoming a Cleric?”
“Yes. I’ve grown tired of babysitting the incompetent. I seek deeper mysteries and the mastery of magic.”

The Cardinal asked for confirmation, to which Sanada shook his head, rejecting the path of the Cleric.

A Cleric was an advanced support-class job, known only within the Holy Empire and a few other nations. In Japan, the mid-tier job Priest was considered the pinnacle of support.

In the game, Sanada had sought to overcome the limitations of the Priest class by negotiating with the Holy Empire, offering samurai-related information in exchange for becoming a Cleric. Yet here he was, refusing it outright. Why?

As I racked my brain, trying to piece together any details I might have overlooked, the situation continued to unfold.

“…I see. Then there is no issue. Everyone, prepare immediately,” commanded the Cardinal.
“At once. Lord Sanada, please step over here,” replied one of the white-coated men.
“Understood.”

At the Cardinal’s signal, the group began to move in unison. Subaru and I exchanged glances, pressing closer to observe as the scene unfolded.

“(Isn’t that the magic sphere from the Adventurer’s Guild? Are they planning to perform a job change?)”
“(It seems so.)”

A hand-sized crystal sphere was placed on a pedestal—an exceedingly rare magic item strictly managed by the Adventurer’s Guild, known as the [Magic Sphere of Job Change]. Regular adventurers relied on these crystals at the Guild to change their jobs, though I had always used the one in Obaba’s shop.

Next, three corpses were lined up before Sanada. Some were horrifically mutilated, others relatively intact. Among them were the body of Kunoichi Red and two Kinrankai members. Lastly, a pulsating lump of red-black flesh brimming with dense magical energy was placed at the center.

“(What is that… an organ? A heart, maybe?)”

The object was slightly larger than a fist, with several tubes extending from it, resembling a grotesque heart. High-level job changes required specific rare items, and these were likely necessary components. But wait…

(Three corpses and a heart infused with immense magic… if this is the requirement, then the job he’s aiming for must be—)

"Let us begin," Sanada declared.

Without hesitation, he drew a small dagger and slashed his left arm, allowing blood to drip onto the array of corpses and the heart. With one final motion, he placed his right hand on the crystal orb and began chanting something under his breath. The orb glowed in response, and an ominous black energy surged from the three corpses.

Sanada observed each corpse closely, pausing in front of the woman's body.

"This one seems compatible with the mana... Come now, hollow soul... Descend into my domain and serve me as my servant... Soul Capture."

The black energy swirled chaotically around all three bodies for a moment. But as soon as Sanada made his choice, the energy dispersed from the others and concentrated entirely on the battered corpse of the kunoichi in red.

Then, it happened. The upper half of the corpse abruptly rose, jerking unnaturally as if controlled by invisible strings. Blood dripped from its wounds as it let out a low, tortured moan. It was a scene straight out of a zombie movie.

"Aaaah... Ahhh..."

"I see... The command structure is set up this way... Excellent... Return Dead," Sanada muttered with twisted satisfaction.

Extending his hand, he activated another skill. A glowing magic circle appeared at the corpse's feet, and the body vanished into thin air as if absorbed by the magic.

The first skill, Soul Capture, brought the corpse under his control, while the second, Return Dead, stored it in a separate space. The knowledge of these skills, along with the unique properties of his new job, seemed to flood Sanada's mind as part of the job-change process. He grinned wildly, his glasses slipping off in the process. They turned out to be decorative—a mere prop discarded in his moment of exultation.

"What malevolent mana... Is that even a job class?" murmured Makimiya, eyes gleaming with curiosity.

I nodded grimly. That job was none other than the one I had resolved never to touch in this world—the Necromancer. To achieve this job, the prerequisites were the Heart of a Lich, multiple fresh corpses of at least level 20, and the recital of an incantation from the Book of the Underworld.

Back in the Dungeon Explorers days, gathering corpses was as easy as casual PKing, and the incantation was widely shared online, eliminating the need to acquire the actual book. Among advanced jobs, Necromancer was one of the easier ones to obtain.

But in this world, gathering fresh corpses meant committing murder. Moreover, the Book of the Underworld was a forbidden item known to erode sanity merely by reading or speaking its contents. For Sanada to embrace such a job with enthusiasm... the man had clearly lost his mind.

I had expected him to follow the game’s script and become a Cleric, yet he had chosen a polar opposite path as a death mage. And as for the Holy Empire, which shared this forbidden knowledge... What part of their so-called holiness was left?

As the job-change ritual concluded, the Cardinal of the Holy Empire clapped dryly, addressing Sanada.

"Congratulations. You are now officially an enemy of humanity."

"It’s an honor," Sanada replied with a wicked grin. "I feel truly invigorated. I can't wait to gather more... servants."

With his new job’s influence manifesting, Sanada radiated a sinister aura, his eyes gleaming with dangerous intensity. Worse, he openly expressed his eagerness to acquire more servants.

(Servants... so that’s his goal?)

I see. So that's why he went through the trouble of the "escape game."

The job that Sanada took, [Necromancer], is one that manipulates and battles using the bodies of dead servants.

Since the dead retain some of their combat experience and abilities from their previous life, the higher the level of the dead body being controlled, the greater its combat power. Of course, there is a restriction where you can’t control bodies of a level higher than your own, but there are other crucial factors that influence the strength of the body.

The amount of fear, despair, and pain inflicted on the corpse before its death is a key factor.

Fear and despair increase the servant's magical power and strength, while pain increases defense and HP. In the days of DunEx, there was a method of trapping monsters in a closed space and inflicting fear on them, applying as many bad status effects as possible before defeating them to turn them into servant corpses. However, Sanada is attempting to do this to actual human beings in the real world.

In other words, the escape game wasn't intended to help anyone escape; it was a means to inflict fear and despair to obtain better dead servants. The unnecessary damage inflicted on the Kunoichi Red member who had been killed on the way here likely served this purpose of strengthening the body.

"Now, I will proceed according to plan... Sanada, what will you do?"

"I'll join as well. If I find a good specimen, I want to claim it. Oh, and... please allow me to deliver the finishing blow to Kuki. I have a debt to settle with him."

"Understood... Let's go."

With Cardinal's command, the combatants quickly begin casting buffs, and those in other levels begin signaling the start of the operation. Sanada, watching Kuki on the monitor, begins requesting his body for necromancy. Really... is he going to start a war in the middle of Tokyo?

However, there are numerous members of the Kanrankai, including Rokurogi, Mikami, and Kuki, stationed at the venue. It doesn't seem like it will be easy to push through, but... I’m worried about Hana.

I’ve made sure to equip her with escape items just in case, but if it turns into a large-scale battle, the damage could be unpredictable, and she could get caught up in it. I want to hurry back and deal with the magic circle as soon as possible...

"(Everyone has left, but maybe this is an opportunity. We're going to destroy that magic circle, right?)"

Cardinal and his followers leave, and only a few remain on the rooftop. They seem to be turning their backs on us while working on something. As Shinji said, this is an opportunity to destroy the magic circle.

The magic circles visible from here are three in total. Even if we don’t completely destroy them, we just need to alter the flow of magical energy or erase part of it to render the magic circle ineffective.

At the very least, I want to destroy the two magic circles: one that could destroy the building and the one for communication disruption. That way, the time limit of 8 PM will be lifted, and we can call for help from the outside. Even if the Holy Empire is involved, with the Japanese military and thousands of adventurers rushing to our aid, they’ll be in a difficult situation.

...Before that, though, I can’t help but wonder how I ended up in such a situation, but I shake the thought off and focus on clearing my mind.

(If I'm found now, it'll be an immediate fight... Focus, me!)

I carefully remove the vent cover with trembling hands, making sure not to make any noise. Slowly, slowly, I crawl out. My heartbeat is loud, but I land safely without being noticed and breathe a sigh of relief. As I think of the path ahead and prepare to take a step forward...

Crash!

"Ow! My hem got caught! I knew hakama weren't suitable for stealth missions... What a hassle."

Subaru falls dramatically after his clothes get caught on the sharp part of the vent, landing with the metal cover. When he gets up, he rubs his behind and sticks out his tongue, looking at me with a cheeky grin. Could he possibly think that by acting cute, he can cover up this situation?

After making such a loud noise, the Holy Empire soldiers must have been startled. I cautiously look back... and see that they’ve already drawn their weapons, licking their lips, and their faces are twisted in sadistic glee.

Damn it... I guess... there's no choice but to fight.

TL Note- Sorry for the delay as the site was down yesterday due to some issues.....

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