Chapter 46: Devil’s Bait Hiding behind a broken pillar within the Serpent’s Labyrinth were two lost souls.
The first was a man, roughly 180 centimeters tall, with a lean physique and eyes glinting with cunning and intelligence. His midnight-blue hair complemented the navy coat draped over a black turtleneck. Watching the empty corridor in tense anticipation, his hand hovered over the pistol holstered at his side, ready for a bloody skirmish at the slightest sign of danger.
Beside him stood his companion, slightly shorter at about 168 centimeters. She had short, pale pink hair and a slender, well-proportioned figure. Her tanned complexion contrasted strikingly with the skin-fitted tattered crimson coat that clung perfectly to her body, worn over a cropped black top that revealed her midriff, along with fitted tights and dark shoes.
Her face was hidden behind a pristine white mask, lending her an air of mystery and unreadability. Even so, beneath that mask, her expression had no doubt tightened in discomfort.
’I don’t like this.’
Namely, what Nightingale had explained to her just a few minutes ago.
In essence, he claimed there was a way to navigate the Labyrinth and locate the exit without relying on the map drawn by the Pathfinders. The catch, however, was that his entire strategy depended on hunting monsters.
How in the world was that supposed to make sense?
She couldn’t make sense of it. No matter how many times she turned the idea over in her head, the plan still sounded utterly absurd.
What made it worse was his response when she finally asked for an explanation. He had simply said with that infuriatingly calm grin of his.
"If we hunt the monsters, there’s a possibility that the Labyrinth will lead us to the exit on its own."
Just how high was that possibility, you idiot?! she thought while simultaneously gritting her teeth as she struggled to hold back her venom.
There were so many nasty words that Rose wanted to throw at him but she swallowed them all. None of it would change their situation anyway.
And to make matters worse, the so-called full-proof map was proving completely useless.
’What kind of situation is this? Are we really going through with this insane plan?’
On one hand, the logical part of her mind, screamed this was pure madness. But on the other hand, she couldn’t think of a single better alternative.
"Ugh."
Rose sighed.
Thinking about it any further wouldn’t accomplish anything.
In the end, all she could do was keep her true thoughts hidden behind the mask, especially since things would only get complicated if this lunatic ever found out about that secret.
Her image as a composed and experienced Squire had to be maintained at all costs.
Maintaining their concealed position, both Espers waited in tense anticipation. A few seconds later, their patience was finally rewarded.
From the depths of the darkened corridor came a deep, guttural sound of something massive forcefully dragging its weight across the floor.
Then it appeared.
A monstrous creature lumbered into view, forcing the air to split apart with its sheer size. Its body resembled that of a rhinoceros, yet far more gruesome and unnatural. Shards of blackened bone jutted from its back like jagged ridges and Its thick, slate-gray hide looked less like flesh and more like armored stone, cracked in places to reveal veins of molten orange light pulsing beneath.
Its horn — if it could even be called that — spiraled into a warped spike of obsidian resembling a spear of certain death. Every step it took caused the ground to quake, leaving behind faint impressions that sizzled with residual heat.
A low hiss escaped from its throat, followed by a deep bellow that reverberated through the tunnels like a living thunderclap. The sound alone was enough to make Rose’s eyes narrow.
Nightingale licked his lips.
"Hm. A Molten Ravager, huh? How scary~♪ Looks like we just hit the jackpot."
Turning his head toward Rose, he spoke in a calm, almost playful tone.
"You remember the plan, right? Once I take care of the big guy, we move on to the next step."
Rose gave a reluctant nod, though doubt lingered in her voice.
"Are you sure you can handle a Great Fiend alone?"
He smiled.
"Of course. I’ve already taken down a Great Fiend before, remember? So there shouldn’t be any problem. Besides, there’s something new I want to try out this time."
Then, as if remembering something, he added with a light tone,
"But just in case anything goes wrong, you’ll cover me from a distance. Okay?"
But before she could voice another word of protest, Nightingale had already stepped out from behind the broken obsidian pillar.
Rather than using the darkness to his advantage like any sensible person would, he simply walked into the open and stopped before the creature with no apparent care in the world, both hands casually tucked in his pockets.
It was as though the towering monstrosity before him posed no threat at all.
Noticing his presence, the Molten Ravager narrowed its blazing eyes and flared its nostrils, releasing a snort of recognition. Meanwhile, the young man smiled faintly as he drew the revolver from its holster.
"Aren’t you a fat bastard? How about a taste of my smoking bullet?!"
With that taunt, he lifted the revolver and pulled the trigger.
Bang! Accompanied by a deafening crack that reverberated endlessly through the corridor, the bullet tore from the barrel and struck the creature’s shoulder.
The impact burst into a shower of molten sparks, only for the projectile to fizzle out uselessly against the Ravager’s thick, stone-like hide. The beast didn’t so much as flinch. Instead, a murderous glint burned within its blazing eyes.
It had been provoked, successfully.
Consumed by malice, the Ravager stomped the ground a few times before charging forward, intent on impaling him upon its mighty horn.
Barreling with frightening momentum, the distance between them closed at an alarming rate.
Unfazed, Nightingale didn’t move.
He waited silently as if daring the monstrous creature to reach him.
The moment the Great Fiend crossed into his effective range, Nightingale unleashed his mythical power without a moment’s hesitation.
"...!"
In the next imperceptible instant, the creature’s massive body shuddered violently before its blazing eyes went dull and unfocused.
A heartbeat later, the Ravager collapsed mid-charge. Its immense momentum sent it skidding across the floor like a runaway boulder and molten sparks scattered in its wake.
Nightingale simply stepped aside, letting the beast’s lifeless bulk thunder past him before it came to a halt.
Flaming Rose stared in disbelief from her hiding spot.
"...Eh? The hell just happened?"
One moment, the Molten Ravager was charging like a living siege engine. The next, it was nothing more than a heap of smoldering flesh and rock. There hadn’t been a sound or even a visible attack. Only a brief flicker of something indescribable before the beast’s life had been snuffed out in an instant.
She rose slowly from behind the pillar, darting her eyes between the fallen creature and the man standing before it.
"What did you do?"
Nightingale didn’t answer right away. He spun the revolver on his finger, the metallic click echoing faintly, and blew away a wisp of invisible smoke from the barrel, though the weapon wasn’t even hot.
"Hmm, you could say its brain stop working."
Rose blinked.
"...What?"
He elaborated further.
"To be more accurate, I used my ability to crush a part of its brain. You know, the brain of a living creature is divided into three major parts; the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain. I figured Chaos Creatures aren’t so different."
He gestured toward the fallen Ravager with a lazy tilt of his chin.
"So, I targeted the forebrain — or more specifically, the cerebrum — which governs thinking, decision-making, perception, and voluntary movement. Once that shuts down, anyone would end up a vegetable."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his gaze never leaving the corpse.
"Interesting though, there was far less resistance compared to the first Great Fiend I killed. Could it be that crushing part of the brain is easier than destroying the Spirit Core? How curious... especially for something that feels like such a simple trick."
Rose looked at him with a blank expression.
’How the hell is something like that a simple trick, you idiot?!’ she thought inwardly, conveniently forgetting she wasn’t exactly normal either.