# Chapter 68
—
The Ring of Frakil.
To be exact, it was Arthur who had invoked the power of the Whitebeard’s Ring, concealing himself in the darkness as he raced down the boulevard.
“Where’s their room!?”
“Not a single trace!”
“Damn it, where did those bastards go!?”
Countless people passed by Arthur, yet not one of them noticed him.
As he dashed, Arthur’s gaze fixed on the Magic Power Plant.
It was a highly specialized power supply facility found only in Arcane, a crucial building that supplied energy to everything—from waterways to every place in need of electricity.
‘If the supply here is cut off, the entire city will plunge into darkness.’
That would make his escape far easier.
With that thought, Arthur’s eyes fell upon the men in clown masks guarding the entrance.
“What’s the ruckus here?”
“I heard some lunatic fired a gun at the auction… kuhk!”
With the sound of the wind splitting, the men in clown masks collapsed.
Arthur had taken their lives with a single slash of his blade, then strode into the Magic Power Plant.
“…Hmm.”
Nearly one ton of magic stones glowed, encased within a special barrier.
Beneath it, several buttons flashed in sequence. Watching them, Arthur tilted his head.
“Well, I got here, but… how am I supposed to shut this down?”
Pondering, Arthur pulled out Beast.
“When in doubt… smashing it is best, right?”
His lips curved upward at the thought as he began to squeeze the trigger.
At that very moment—
A dog’s bark rang out from somewhere, and Arthur’s waist bent sharply at a ninety-degree angle.
Thud!
At the same time, a flying dagger embedded itself at his feet.
Turning his gaze, Arthur let out a small exclamation.
“…Oh. You followed me?”
“You think you can escape a dog’s nose?”
With those words, a man emerged from the other side.
He too wore a clown mask, but what set him apart was the five dogs standing at his side.
“Ahh. So you used dogs to track me down. Seems the scent wasn’t erased after all….”
Rising to his feet with that thought, Arthur turned the muzzle of Beast toward him.
Bang!
With a thunderous blast, the bullet struck the man’s body.
But unlike with Hamburg, the shot failed to compress.
‘He dodged?’
Arthur leapt up at once.
A dagger, wielded by a man whose upper body was covered in grotesque tattoos, buried itself in the spot Arthur had been standing moments before.
“You dodged?”
Murmuring, the man pulled back, tilting his head.
His five dogs encircled Arthur, who, unable to suppress his curiosity, asked:
“You’re a dog trainer?”
“Something like that.”
With that answer, the man hurled another dagger.
Arthur deflected it with the meteor-iron Sword while thrusting Beast’s muzzle forward again.
Bang!
Once more, the clown-masked man dodged effortlessly.
It seemed he was predicting the shot simply by following the direction of the gun.
Theoretically possible, but beyond the reflexes of an ordinary human.
Arthur tilted his head.
‘Only one mana ring… How can that be possible?’
As he pondered, Arthur used Spatial Leap.
“…!”
Startled, the man froze.
At that moment, Arthur appeared behind him, lightning crackling at his fingertips.
Whack!
The man’s right arm was cleanly severed.
Without stopping, Arthur thrust his sword.
The clown-masked man twisted his body unnaturally to avoid the strike.
Arthur’s eyes narrowed—he hadn’t expected him to evade like that.
Meanwhile, the five dogs lunged, sinking their teeth into Arthur’s neck.
Growl… bark!
Not ordinary dogs—their sharp fangs cracked his collarbone.
The sight made the man cackle with madness as he shouted:
“Kekekeke! Once a rabid dog bites you, it’s over! Farewell!”
Arthur blinked calmly.
“Oh… so these are rabid dogs?”
“That’s right. Specially trained by m—huh?”
The dog trainer blinked.
“You… how are you still alive?”
“Ah, you meant to kill me with that strike?”
“N-no, it’s just… those fangs were poisoned, and they pierced your neck…”
Arthur tapped the tiger mask he wore.
“How could a dog kill a tiger? Haven’t you read a bestiary?”
The dog trainer’s eyes widened.
At that instant, the meteor-iron Sword swept clean, severing his neck.
“…!”
The dogs, still biting Arthur, flinched and released him.
Whine, whimper—
Sensing instinctively that their master was dead, they faltered in confusion.
Meanwhile, Arthur healed his wounds with Tacen’s ability and turned toward them.
“There, there. Good boys.”
…
“Down! Roll over!”
The five dogs blinked.
“What are you waiting for? Roll!”
After hesitating, they eventually exposed their bellies.
Arthur let out an admiring chuckle at the intelligent gesture.
“Smart as this, and you call them rabid? Was that guy really a trainer?”
Muttering, Arthur stroked their heads and then commanded:
“There’s a man who reeks of my scent. Go help him, will you?”
The dogs glanced at one another before howling like wolves.
Howooool\~
Forming a line, they charged out of the Power Plant in unison.
Watching with satisfaction, Arthur turned his gaze back.
The dog trainer’s severed body lay nearby.
Dipping his fingers in the blood, Arthur lifted it to his nose, smirking.
“Hm… I thought his reaction speed was strange. Was it because of this drug?”
But how could mere drugs enhance reflexes like that?
Searching the man’s belongings, Arthur pocketed one of the drugs, then looked back at the humming Magic Power Plant.
Bang!
Without warning, Beast roared.
The barrier surrounding the plant sparked with violent electricity.
‘So they reinforced it so it couldn’t be destroyed easily, huh.’
Clicking his tongue, Arthur pondered.
Breaking it was impossible. Perhaps pressing one of the buttons might shut it down?
Just then, Beast vibrated faintly in his hand.
“Hm?”
Arthur glanced at the weapon.
Suddenly, the magazine popped out and clattered to the ground.
Eyes widening, Arthur picked it up.
“…Huh? This slot….”
He traced the empty space inside the magazine.
‘Too small for bullets…?’
Shivering, Arthur dug into his pocket and pulled out Hamburg, now reduced to a black orb.
“…Don’t tell me, it goes in here?”
Grinning at the thought, Arthur tested it, sliding the orb into the slot.
Clack!
With a satisfying sound, the black orb was absorbed into the magazine.
Letting out a light chuckle, Arthur reloaded Beast and aimed at the Power Plant.
“…You’re up for this, right, Beast?”
Beast gave no reply.
Not expecting one, Arthur silently pulled the trigger.
That instant—
Bang!
With an unprecedented tremor, a scream burst from Beast’s muzzle.
It was Hamburg’s scream, now a black orb.
“KYAAAAAHHH!”
Arthur blinked at the bizarre sight.
“Oh, so that’s how it works?”
But the real surprise was yet to come.
Beast’s destructive power with the orb loaded was only just beginning.
KWAOOOOOOM!!!
With a tremendous roar, everything around was sucked into the darkness spewing from Beast’s muzzle.
Even the barrier surrounding the Power Plant was no exception.
Crack!
With a strange noise, the barrier shattered.
At once, the ton of magic stones began to shine brilliantly.
Arthur gaped at the dazzling spectacle, until sparks erupted one by one.
“…Huh?”
Blinking, Arthur hurled himself toward a nearby window.
Crash!
Glass shattered as the Power Plant was engulfed in blinding light.
Smoke roared from the chimney into the sky.
And then—
Something shot into the night heavens.
PAPAPAPANG!
The magic stones had become light.
A ton of condensed mana had turned into falling stars.
—
—
Explosions of light embroidered the night sky.
Bang! Papapang!
In District D-52, drug addicts croaked hoarse voices:
“A festival!”
“Lord Hamburg is the best!”
“Drink, indulge, revel! Live and die only today!”
Drugged, they mistook the spectacle for the prelude to a festival.
But when the blazing lights began to fall like meteors, their thoughts shifted.
“…Huh?”
A meteor struck a gray building.
…BOOOOM!!!
With a deafening crash, a three-story building crumbled.
The addicts screamed in horror.
“What the hell!!”
“What is that!?”
But that was only the beginning.
Meteors rained across D-52.
Buildings collapsed, streets were torn apart.
Hamburg’s lifelong underworld empire, <Lalalala>, was shattered by stars falling from the sky.
From a hole Marshal had scouted, Leon gaped at the sight.
“W-what the hell did that bastard do!?”
Beside him, Jeannie muttered in a low voice:
“Perhaps… something beyond imagination?”
“…?”
Leon turned toward her.
“Beyond imagination…?”
“Yes. That mad… no, Lord Donn always breaks expectations.”
Leon cautiously asked:
“You’ve suffered much from him, I gather?”
“I’ve endured plenty…. Thanks to him, I’ve had holes pierced in my stomach, full-body burns… and more….”
Leon shuddered.
‘A hole in her stomach? Full-body burns? Just what the hell has that bastard done?’
While Leon grimaced, Marshal suddenly whispered:
‘Your Highness, if we’re to escape, now is the time. The district is in chaos, no control in place.’
Leon, catching the words from lip movement alone, shook his head.
“Let’s wait a little longer. Our friend hasn’t arrived yet.”
Marshal frowned but said no more.
As the three hid in the shadows awaiting Arthur—
Woof! Woof!
Five hunting dogs, large as wolves, approached Leon and Jeannie.
“…?”
They blinked in surprise as the dogs flopped onto their backs, exposing their bellies.
“…Do you… keep dogs?”
“N-no?”
As they stared, bewildered—
KWAANG!!
Another blast engulfed the city in light.
Leon and Jeannie instinctively shut their eyes as smoke blanketed the streets.
“Ugh…”
Leon rose with a groan, glancing around.
Jeannie was forcing herself up, biting her lip.
“You all right?”
“Yes. More importantly…”
She trailed off, gazing into the smoky streets.
“Lord Donn… is he safe? What in the world is this…”
Leon had no answer.
The district looked as if bombed into rubble.
He had only expected a distraction—not the annihilation of the city.
Swallowing dryly, he muttered:
‘He couldn’t really have died, could he?’
As he tried to calm his unease—
A bell tolled through the mist.
“…?”
Leon and Jeannie widened their eyes.
Meanwhile, the five dogs began to howl in terror.
WOOF! WOOF!
Fear laced their cries. Leon muttered without thinking:
“What is that? A bell…?”
From beyond the fog, an old, sickly pony emerged.
Leon’s jaw dropped as a skeleton, clutching its reins, rattled out words:
\[Ham. burg. dead?]
The voice, like scraping iron, made Jeannie flinch.
“No… it can’t be…”
Supporting Marshal, Leon shouted:
“Do you know what that skeleton is!?”
“T-there’s a rumor…”
“A rumor?”
“Yes. When an old pony and a bell appear together—flee.”
Jeannie swallowed hard.
“For it’s the sign of the Messenger from Hell. The Gatekeeper of the Great Sky Island… the Death Knight has come.”
Leon frowned.
“Sky Island…?”
“Yes…”
“But wasn’t that a legend!?”
Jeannie’s trembling voice betrayed her fear as she pointed.
“…But that skeleton—doesn’t it look exactly like the Death Knight from the books?”
Leon turned his gaze back.
“….”
He scowled, lips pressed tight.
He didn’t want to admit it.
But it looked exactly so.
That skeleton before them—
Unbelievable as it was—
Was a Death Knight.
A knight resurrected from death.
—
