Chapter 98: Carnage

We moved through the dungeon at what could be called a steady pace, Tsubaki and Shibaru at my side as we aimed for the upper floors. As expected of a dungeon in Japan, many of the monsters were straight out of old folklore—we’d already crossed paths with things resembling Tsuchigumo and Omukade.

"There certainly are a lot of rare enemies today, aren't there?" Tsubaki remarked.

"Do they not usually spawn this often?" I asked.

"Indeed..."

Was that a yes or a no?

Judging by the flow of the conversation, I assumed it was the former. I kept moving, wondering if Tsubaki had something else on her mind. From what she’d told me, this dungeon was supposed to end at the seventh floor, but...

"What is this mana?"

The sensation hit me instantly—an overwhelming aura of violence and pure, unadulterated killing intent. It carried a weight of divine authority I’d felt many times back in Mythologia, a chilling sense of déjà vu. I heard a sharp, electric crackle and realized the mana was surging right toward us.

"—Shibaru, defend!"

Shibaru must have sensed it too; he was already in a defensive stance. He managed to cleanly cleave through the magic projectile screaming down from the upper floors, but the assault didn't stop there.

"Not bad, blocking a strike of [Vajra]. Fine—die with the next one."

A rapid-fire barrage of lightning followed, several bolts shrieking through the air. They were aimed solely at Shibaru. The projectiles were shaped like lightning spears, their edges honed to a lethal point. It wasn't that Shibaru couldn't block them, but the opponent’s output was insane—it was enough to actually force a god like Shibaru onto the defensive.

"[Lightning Resistance Enhancement], [Sharp Strike Enhancement], [Speed & Defense Enhancement]!"

Smoke billowed from the impact craters, obscuring the enemy’s identity. I’d heard a voice for a split second—a man’s voice. Given what had happened with Perseus in the past, there was a chance this was a similar threat. I didn't hold back. My priority was strengthening Shibaru and surviving the opening move.

"Huh? Was that magic just now... a Summoner?"

I was already preparing my next move, reaching for Dainsleif to use as a catalyst for ice magic, but the opponent seemed to notice my intervention and lowered his guard.

A man stepped out of the thinning smoke. He was fierce-looking, with blond hair and blue eyes, and he appraised me with a cold, calculating gaze.

"...Why is Ouma here?" Tsubaki asked, her voice tight.

"Burning Blade? Oh, right. This is your jurisdiction, isn't it? So, who's the guy?"

"Reima Kariya. I'm a Summoner," I replied, staring him down. "Mind telling me why you just tried to blast us into oblivion?"

Shibaru had intercepted it, but those shots were clearly meant to kill. Between the raw killing intent and that aura of violence, it was a sensation I’d grown far too used to in another world. That wasn't the kind of magic you just threw around for fun.

To make matters worse, one of the Summoned Beasts within me was radiating an absolute, bottomless hatred for this man. The "summon me" calls were ringing in my head with deafening intensity.

"Tch. Look, I felt a monster's presence coming from the floor below. Call it self-defense. You're still breathing, aren't you? What's the problem?"

The man didn't look even remotely sorry. He seemed to lose interest in us the moment he realized we weren't monsters and turned to head back toward the upper floors.

"By the way, I already bagged the boss here. You guys should just go home."

"Ouma," Tsubaki said, refusing to let him leave. "Answer my question. Your jurisdiction is elsewhere, isn't it? Furthermore, I believe you owe us an apology."

"I said I'm sorry for trying to kill you. Happy? I'm a busy man."

"So you admit there was clear intent to kill?"

"Ugh, what a pain. Fine, what do you want? The boss materials? Here, take 'em."

His attitude was overtly listless. There wasn't a spark of interest in his eyes. Tsubaki didn't budge an inch, glaring at him with a look so sharp it was actually murderous. It was a side of her I’d never seen, a far cry from her usual gentle demeanor.

"First, apologize to Reima and Shibaru. I wasn't the one you targeted."

"...Yeah, yeah. Sorry for the magic."

"I'm fine," I said, looking over at my summon. "Shibaru, you—"

"This man is repulsive... I am returning," Shibaru spat.

Shibaru, who usually kept his cool, was visibly disgusted. To my surprise, he vanished, retreating back into my soul world of his own accord. Within the soul world, the "summon me" calls were overlapping until my head throbbed. The fact that the person calling was usually one of my quietest summons made the whole situation feel incredibly wrong.

"—So you really are a Summoner. My bad then."

"Doesn't matter. More importantly... are you an Awakened One?"

I could feel it coming off him—the familiar, heavy scent of a Scripture. I’d spent a lifetime in Mythologia surrounded by souls who had become my Summoned Beasts. I knew what a thick aura of Scripture felt like, and this man was reeking of it. He fit the description of the "First Awakened" I’d heard about from Yamato.

"So you're one too, huh? I heard a Summoner finally hit S-Rank... I guess that's you."

For the first time, his gaze changed. The void was gone, replaced by a clear, piercing appraisal—a look that felt like it was trying to peer into the depths of my soul. On my end, I saw something impossible in the lightning-charged aura of his Scripture.

That specific lightning... it was supposed to belong to my benefactor.

"Whatever. I left the materials back there. Sell 'em, carve 'em, do whatever you want."

"And what will you do, Ouma?" Tsubaki asked.

"Told you, I'm busy. I'm going home. Later, Burning Blade. Later, newbie."

With that, he walked past us and disappeared into the dungeon's depths.

Left behind, we headed up to the next floor to see if he was telling the truth. We found a single chamber that had been utterly devastated.

"...He really is exactly like the rumors say," Tsubaki muttered.

In the center of the room lay the corpse of a massive Tengu. It hadn't even begun to dissipate into a magic stone yet, suggesting it had been killed only minutes ago. Its body was mangled, but the most striking feature was a massive hole bored through its center, as if something had been forced through it by sheer power. Residual lightning mana crackled around the wound. I didn't need to ask who had done it.

"Who was that guy, exactly?"

"He is an S-Rank Adventurer known as [Carnage]," Tsubaki explained. "He never streams, and he's shrouded in mystery. More than that, the guild he leads is a collection of problem children. I've never heard a single good rumor about him."

That was all the information she had.

Eventually, the Tengu dissolved, leaving behind a magic stone and a standard Teleportation Stone. There was nothing left for us to do here. We picked up the stone and used it to exit the dungeon, our raid cut short by a man who felt like a walking thunderstorm.