In reality, the intruders who were trespa.s.sing a moment ago were people who had no relations with Sajators. The small dextrous man who had leaped through the chimney and was now bleeding to death in the kitchen said thusly:

"I came from the Panchurian branch of the Merchant Coalition! Where is the Enemy of the World?! Clarise Asaam!"

Another man who had entered through the back door and was now sprawled out by the front door spoke up as well.

"Clarise Asaam! We've locked up your gramps! Come with us and cooperate with our investigation willingly if you want to see him."

All of this was completely unrelated to Sajators, but to Clarise, it was extremely important.

"G-gramps?"

She began to tremble. She attempted to leave the house immediately, and she might have caused a ruckus if Sajators hadn't pulled her back in by her hair.

"Let go!"

Clarise screamed in a shrill voice. This scream was what Sungchul and Bertelgia had heard.

"Shut it! I'll kill you if you don't!"

Sajators rushed toward her and threatened her while covering her mouth

"Why are you doing this?!"

"It's cause there's a f.u.c.ker out there!"

Sajators peeked through a crack in the door while restraining her.

"Eek!"

His heart sank. Sungchul had driven his boat in this direction and was heading this way. He was bound to be killed at the hands of that man at this rate. There was only one way to overcome this danger, and so Sajators swallowed his pride and lowered his head to plead to the girl.

"I have no right to say this, but just once… just save me this one time."

He would usually never have considered such an action as a prideful man who had been steeped in a lifetime of arrogance, but the man named Sungchul had inflicted such deep trauma upon Sajators that he might as well take his own life than see the man again.

"I vow that I'll save that gramps or whatever old man that was after this ordeal. I swear it on the name Sajators of the Seven Heroes.

Clarise just stared at his pitiful form for a bit before nodding with a sigh. It was a request she couldn't even refuse in reality. There was no knowing what the mad magician might do if she had refused, and as such she resolved the situation with a cool head as someone who had spent most of her life struggling.

"Please keep that promise no matter what."

"I'll stake my name, Sajators, on it."

Sajators then whispered something in her ear, and some time pa.s.sed.

"…"

Sungchul stood in front of Clarise's house. His hand still held the bell, but he didn't ring it. It was because he came here with a different purpose. He knocked on the door, but there was no response. Fortunately, the door began to open as he raised his fist to knock the door down.

"Huh?"

Bertelgia responded first from her pocket. She took the opportunity to slip out of the pocket and flapped her pages.

"Isn't it the older sister who sings well?"

"Huh…? Y-you are?!"

Clarise had an awkward smile as she looked into the face of the black haired man standing tall behind Bertelgia. Her heart seemed to drop. Even though they had worked together, the name that he had still carried the same weight.

'The Enemy of the World…!! Why do I attract such weird people? I'm so unlucky.'

Enemy of the World in front of her and an actual Calamity behind her. She felt like she was going insane, but she desperately maintained a cool head as she greeted Sungchul.

"What are you doing here? Do you have some unfinished business with me?"

She spoke as such, but there were five corpses along with Sajators who was holding his breath just behind her back. Sungchul gazed past Clarice unemotionally to the gap in the doorway as he asked,

"Is there a problem? I just witnessed some intruders heading in this direction."

"Ah… intruders? Those men… are sleeping at the moment."

"Hm?"

"Well. They were unlucky. It's a home of a single woman, but they invaded the home of a woman whose strength broke past 100."

Now that he thought about it, the subtle scent of blood was reeking from the inside.

"What's the exact value of your Strength?"

"It's 132."

"I see. I guess you won't need any help in moving the corpses."

"That's right. I can do it myself. All I need to do is wait until the night falls and then I'll feed them to the fishes."

Sungchul nodded and shook the bell a single time out of habit.

Ring!

It was at that moment when a sound similar to a groan came from inside. Curiosity rose in Sungchul's eyes.

"What's that sound?"

When Sungchul asked, Clarise made a bitter smile and replied with as much nonchalance as she could muster.

"It looks like someone is still breathing. Oh my, I'm not as thorough as I should be. Ahaha…"

"…"

Sungchul didn't suspect her much further. He knew her personally and had traveled with her as well. Not only that, he had also benefited them greatly.

"As I said before, you have to use the contents of that box carefully. a.s.sa.s.sins from the Merchant's Coalition will come calling the moment you use the coins."

Sungchul took a step back after leaving those words.

"If you happen to see someone that looks like Sajators around here, let me know. I'll be at the Emperor’s Outhouse."

"Yes, I'll keep it in mind."

Sungchul was a hair's breadth away, but he pulled back. Sajators let out a sigh of relief before putting his guard up once again. He felt that Sungchul may ring the bell at least one more time. And as he had expected, Sungchul turned around and rang the bell right in front of Clarice.

Ding!

Sajators felt a terrible pain but he made no noise like before. He grit his teeth hard enough to leak blood from his mouth.

's.h.i.+t this pain…! It looks like I'll be the victor here at this point.'

Daltanius could turn the tables on this situation if he came here. He alone can't change Sajators' circ.u.mstances, but the man was friendly with every member of the Seven Heroes. He would be able to gather all of them whom Sajators himself cannot call upon to this place. No matter how strong Sungchul was, he would not be able to face all Seven Heroes at once and win. Sajators calmed himself with these thoughts as he listened for the footsteps to walk away. Unfortunately, the accursed ringing of the bell began to blast out in rapid succession.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Bertelgia was the culprit. She had grasped onto Sungchul's arm when his guard was down and shook her body with all of her might.

"Alright! Found an opening!"

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Oom Bruuk's Bell of Calamity rang excitedly like one during a Christmas Carol. Sungchul simply made a bitter smile and watched her do it.

"I don't think this kind of action has any meaning."

However, it was different this time as he simply let Bertelgia do as she wished as Bertelgia's feeble stamina would bottom out soon anyways.

"GRAAAGHH!!"

Suddenly, a man's violent screams could be heard from inside the building. It was a familiar scream. Sungchul's eyes flashed, exploding with hostility.

"Who is inside?"

Sungchul interrogated Clarise. Everything had fallen apart. Clarise didn't hesitate a moment before confessing everything.

"I was threatened. That man is inside."

"How could you do this to me?!"

Sajators abruptly shouted, but in reality, he hadn't done much for her at all.

"I tolerated your awful singing and even clapped for you!"

"Shut up! You short ugly revolting b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"

Clarise successfully returned the insult he had made of her appearance earlier and quickly took refuge behind Sungchul. Sajators tried to recite a spell while seething with anger, but it was an exercise in futility.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Oom Bruuk's Bell of Calamity rang senselessly. The ringing of the Bell had the power to cause its victim to be rendered useless when struck nearby. When Sungchul successfully impaled him with Oom Bruuk, Sajators' death became but a matter of time. Sungchul turned to look at Bertelgia who was ceaselessly ringing the weapon of Calamity

"Good work, Bertelgia."

"I thought it was meaningless?"

Beltegia spoke sulkily, but Sajators luck wasn't done with him yet. As Sungchul was about to open the door to enter, a magic formation appeared behind him. It bore the sigil of the School of Dimensional Magic.

'Is it reinforcement?'

Sungchul retreated and watched as a giant of a man covered in lion pelt appear from the magic formation. That giant, Daltanius, let out a snort like an ox and locked onto Sungchul.

"Are you the Demolisher?"

It was a voice loud enough to cause the surface of the water to shake slightly.

Sungchul simply nodded.

I am Daltanius of the Seven Heroes, the Pursuer of Endless Strength. I have come here with the qualifications of a combat G.o.d."

Daltanius flexed his muscles. An ominous aura filled the surrounding and the entire floating house shook as he stepped forward.

"Kya!"

Clarise's tableware that were stacked within her house fell down with a loud crash.

"Come at me."

Daltanius took a stance like a martial artist and gestured with his hand for Sungchul to approach him.

"…"

Sungchul swaggered forward.

"Summoned! Are you as strong as they claim you are?"

Daltanius was confident. He had heard Sungchul was powerful, but he only understood it as being as powerful or slightly more powerful than he was. He would soon learn how wrong he was.

The moment Sungchul's fist flew by, Daltanius instantly grasped the amount of unfathomable power instilled in the attack when he saw the shock waves the fists aimed at his face was generating. He immediately understood that he must not be hit with it. He braced his arms and prepared to block Sungchul's attack, but Sungchul's fist was too quick and ended up landing on his chin.

Wham!

In just one strike, the large man was flung across the surface of the water like a water strider and crashed into a floating river house in the distance.

"Grr…"

Thankfully, his grit was much more tougher than Sajators and his Soul Contract that bolstered his recovery kept it him from falling by that single hit. However, his chin was still grotesquely twisted on his face.

Daltanius gripped his twisted chin and relocated it on his own before sticking out his tongue and giving it a whirl.

'Thank G.o.d. My tongue is safe.'

Sungchul was watching the entrance to Clarise's floating home from a distance.

''He's a much simpler opponent than Sajators, but I will still have to keep an eye on him.'

Sungchul decided to end Sajators first. Unfortunately, Clarise spoke up with a desperate tone.

"Um, I'm sorry, but my grandfather is in danger!"

"Step aside."

He had no time to help the woman. Sungchul was someone who was always aware of his priorities. He ignored Clarise and stepped forward.

"s.h.i.+t! If I knew it'd turn out this way, I should have taken that b.a.s.t.a.r.d's side!"

Clarise looked on venomously while shouting harshly. When Sungchul did not budge, Clarise stepped onto her own boat and using her characteristic strength, she rowed with all her might and disappeared to the far side of the waterway.

Sungchul entered the house. Inside Clarise’s home was Sajators hunched over as he quivered in both terror and agony. He began to tremble like a puppy once he noticed Sungchul's military boots. Who would recognize this man as the Mage of Multicast, Sajators?

"…"

Sungchul stepped in front of Sajators like fate itself.

"Let me live."

Sajators begged for his life.

"I am blameless. All of it was Desfort's decision. I was simply tricked into joining his plot!"

His will to fight had long since died. He had already become unable to challenge Sungchul ever again when he was defeated the first time. Sungchul stepped toward this pitiful form of Sajators and lifted him by his collar.

"L-let me live! Please!"

A magic formation appeared beside Sajators from which a number of little girls leaped out and dashed towards Sungchul. They were clones of Vestiare that she had created herself.

'Are they a variant of Homunculus? What an interesting taste she has.'

Unfortunately, they turned to meat paste once Demonic Weapon Ca.s.sandra was retrieved from his Soul Storage, bathing Clarise's home in blood in an instant.

"I have come to keep a promise."

Sungchul gripped the hand that held Sajators' throat a bit tighter.

"L-let me l…ive… I… I am…"

Even Sajators' incredible luck could not save him any longer. His luck was spent.

Crunch!

Sajators' neck was broken with his eyes still open. It was a ridiculous end for a genius mage who once had the world around his finger.

Sungchul grabbed every Soul Stone that had been strung along underneath Sajators' cloak before throwing the corpse onto the floor and bludgeoning it with Fal Garaz. The corpse didn't even have a shadow of its former self before disintegrating into the muddy water below the wooden paneling of the floating house. His corpse that fell into the muddy waters spread blood in all directions as it sank to the bottom of Panchuria. But at the bottom of Panchuria’s running river was a gigantic being hidden by Sajators long ago.

"Mm. Sajators had fallen, but there's nothing to do about it."

Daltanius was inside the c.o.c.kpit of the giant's upper half. He pulled out a key in the shape of a book from his Soul Storage and placed it at the strange groove at the center of the c.o.c.kpit as he spoke in a low voice.

"Awaken, Bertelgia Unit number 3."

The surface of the water began to rumble. Sungchul could feel an uneasy tremor beneath his feet.

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