Neuro turned off the augmented reality display on his gas mask.
“Did Demedes’ trail disappear?”
“No.”
“It’s exactly the opposite.”
The bizarre rocks scattered across the plain were mostly red, sometimes coated with green, yellow, or black liquid.
From a distance, it might resemble an avant-garde painting. The wildly erratic strokes brought to mind abstract art.
Neuro’s magic detected traces of Demedes and his summoned beasts everywhere.
All who had been here – mostly human members of the Bacchus Cult and other criminals – had become pigments in this macabre painting.
Neuro furrowed his brow behind the gas mask, but not out of horror at the gruesome scene.
He’d witnessed similar killing fields countless times before, though usually on a smaller scale. Such was the nature of being a beast hunter.
What unsettled Neuro wasn’t just the “scale.”
“There must have been enough bl**d and bodily fluids here to suggest every resident was killed.” Normally, the beasts commanded by Demedes didn’t commit such indiscriminate slaughter – at least not openly.
They fed quietly under Demedes’ orders, leaving no evidence.
This was why Neuro had been unable to provoke an all-out confrontation with Demedes in Etna City despite looking for opportunities.
“Feeding…”
This was another crucial clue. Typically, beasts would devour their prey unless restrained by their master. Yet there were no signs of feeding at this bl**d-soaked site.
“Missing corpses but preserved bodily fluids?”
It was strange. There were no remains like bones or marrow that beasts normally left after eating everything including bl**d. Someone controlling the beasts must have staged this scene intentionally.
“But why go through all this trouble?”
“Hmm, Director Neuro.”
Ortes approached after surveying the area. Though he often seemed half-asleep, his single visible eye occasionally revealed keen perception.
“By any chance, do you have a flying drone?”
Neuro nodded. His usual cyborg-hound hunting assistant drone was in maintenance, but he had four regular mechanical drones equipped with automatic turrets.
However, given this was a high-crime area, he hadn’t considered deploying them to avoid drawing unwanted attention. Activating a drone could reveal their position to whoever created this scene.
Realizing Ortes’ intent now, Neuro understood the colorful bodily fluids coating the rocks formed a metaphysical diagram across the wide area – likely a magical circle.
To fully understand its structure required aerial observation; piecing together parts wouldn’t suffice.
A chill ran down Neuro’s spine as realization dawned. Ortes offering this hint was an act of mercy.
“If I couldn’t grasp this, I don’t deserve my seat on the board.”
His diligent pursuit of Demedes must have made a good impression. Neuro quickly launched a drone.
“What about potential attackers?”
Glancing at Ortes, Neuro noticed a long black high-frequency blade now gripped in his hand.
“So, you’re saying we should prioritize identifying the cause even if it means taking risks. That’s the difference between me, who values safety, and you, who follow the CEO’s priorities.”
But Neuro himself wasn’t here as a hunter but as a director of Hydra Corp with hunting skills.
Then he should fulfill his duties according to the on-site commander’s intentions.
“I have four drones. It’ll take around ten minutes to observe the entire plain even using all of them. Please cover me if attackers appear.”
What is this guy talking about?
There’s nowhere clean to sit in this filthy ground, so I was just asking him to find a cleaner spot with the drone.
My whole body aches after opening my eyes and too many business trips recently.
Honestly, most of it is due to the Eye Opening technique. The accumulated strain on the brain during the period my eyes are open manifests as physical pain throughout my body.
After opening my eyes, I don’t just get a headache – my whole body feels battered.
Standing still makes my legs cramp, so I’ve been leaning on my newly acquired sword. Neuro kept giving me strange looks while gripping his sword meaningfully.
Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not what you imagine.
“Excuse me—”
Whirrrr—
Before I could say anything, four drones assembled from Neuro’s heavy metal case flew into the sky.
“Beasts are sensitive to… ah, hunter’s term. Individual magic wavelength patterns.”
I already knew that. Each person’s magic wavelength is like a fingerprint – similar ones exist but never identical.
Though, I’m an exception since I have no magic power at all. Haven’t met anyone else without magic yet, so can’t compare.
“The beasts will come once they smell the magic scent from the drone batteries matching mine.”
Not sure about that.
“I’ll try combining visual data from the entire plain as fast as possible to figure out what kind of magic circle it is. Once done, I’ll take up my bow, so please cover me until then.”
No idea what this guy’s thinking. Says beasts will come and asks me to hold a sword to protect him.
Sigh.
“Fine, let’s give it a shot.”
How many beasts did Demedes bring again?
“Just give it a try.”
That was Ortes’ description of Demedes’ beasts.
Demesdes brought 120 beasts. While significant, it wasn’t an overwhelming number if enough manpower was mobilized.
Conversely, it wasn’t a force that could be completely annihilated by a single person either.
Neuro recalled the dark underbelly of Etna City before Ortes and Carisia arrived.
Demedes repeatedly targeted the Magic Core of the Lernian School but was always defeated, eventually avoiding direct conflict.
The Lernian School didn’t bother pursuing Demedes into the back alleys either, but their superiority was clear.
And Ortes, along with Carisia, had wiped out the entire school themselves.
“Indeed…”
From Ortes’ perspective, mere 120 beasts truly were “just give it a try.”
Just then, a wolf leaped at Neuro. Its abnormally developed right foreleg possessed enough strength to pulverize a human.
Rip.
The wolf’s extended right foreleg was severed first, followed by its head, which drew a parabolic arc through the air.
“Please hurry?”
With a smug expression, Ortes pointed his blade at the approaching horde.
It was a one-sided massacre. Every swing of his sword cleanly decapitated a beast.
Rather, this was more akin to butchering livestock. The high-frequency blade moved with machine-like precision and coldness.
Some of Demedes’ beasts could fly, but the monstrous birds circling above didn’t blindly pursue the drones emitting magic signals.
Their vision and will were subjugated to another presence.
An old man watching the slaughter through the eyes of one bird lost his words.
Stronger than expected…
Too strong.
“Did your organization send you?”
Behind the man stood Demedes.
In the form of a chimera Demedes had tried so hard to conceal.
More distorted than his usual lion-maned upper body covered in scorpion or crab-like carapace. His arms were unnaturally elongated.
Even his fingers were extended, each tip bearing a snake fang-filled mouth.
His face was grotesquely filled with numerous eye sockets, resembling the legendary giant with a hundred eyes. The irises weren’t human but goat-like rectangular pupils.
Behind Demedes lined up monsters resembling his form.
“So, you really are a member of ‘that’ organization? How? Your skills remind me of those hateful Ten Towers assassins…”
The old man closed his mouth. Even uttering that name felt like blasphemy.
Instead of dwelling on unpleasant memories, he thought of ways to improve the ritual’s completion.
“With such a powerful victim’s bl**d.”
“How sweet a sacrifice, how intoxicating a libation it would make.”
“I shall make this one the final drop of my ritual. Go! You wretched remnants of life! Bring me that bl**d bag!”
Upon receiving the order, the chimeras slowly began moving their twisted bodies forward.
