What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 454

#454

Wreckage of Despair (3)

—KWA-AAAAANG!

“Crazy!”

Gain screamed, screeching to a halt.

Tete in the sling flapped his fin-feet in surprise.

The three men and women’s gazes turned to a high place all at once.

‘Clang clang, crash!’ At the top of the salt pillar area, twisted like a pretzel, something truly unusual was happening this time.

Blue eyes quickly searched through the darkness. A battleship the size of Juliet’s palace—

—Dududududu!

—Krrrroooong…!

“Oh my god, that’s Ropi! Ropi’s clone!”

Gain exclaimed, pointing a finger.

The messenger of the burning main god was roaring, clinging to the round, pointy snout of the battleship.

A bright red tail left a long burn in the darkness.

From the black magic-ridden rotating blades, a loud noise occasionally burst, ‘Thump! Thump!’

It was a scene that was literally unbelievable no matter how closely you looked, but everything was real.

Demi, with his tail standing straight up, hugged the Crown Prince’s calf.

“Waaaaah…!”

—Thump thump!

“Defend the black market! Absolutely defend it!”

The alleys were now noisy with people trying to catch the unknown ‘thief.’

Faint lights rose from here and there underground, sensing the commotion.

They were the old magic lights and torches of people who had woken up and those who felt fear.

Cedric narrowed his eyes and focused on the subtle movements.

Black hair slowly swayed over the mask.

In the distance, finely broken pieces of glass were floating in the air.

“That’s 100% Heineken’s plan! Run quickly, ugh!”

—Thud!

The man stretched out his arm and blocked Christel’s path.

Her body almost folded in half forward.

Gain frowned at the forearm that barely avoided her side. Ah! I’m dying of urgency!

“Why are you doing this again!”

“You haven’t forgotten what happened in the Salt Marsh, have you?”

“….”

Her eyes widened at the low, heavy voice that flowed out. There was no way she couldn’t know what that meant.

Gain glared at him once, then quickly turned her head back to check the top of the hill.

But the black magician’s mansion was not visible.

The alley was layered with black magic and its direction changed every day, so there must have been distortion in the scenery she was seeing now.

She bit her lip.

“It’s annoying, but it’s true….”

—Creak….

This time, the Crown Prince’s opinion was right.

No matter how anxious and afraid they were, they had to trust their friend and see the big picture.

They had to draw the situation out for a long time. They shouldn’t rush in hastily, just looking at the surface.

So the three people and two divine beasts stopped abruptly, right in the middle of crossing the Grand Plaza.

‘Yiaaaaa!’ The entire black market was slowly being swept up in chaos.

Noe, hanging on the Crown Prince’s shoulder, blinked his swollen eyes.

“What, what’s going on? Why suddenly….”

“We’re not going that way. Otherwise, we’ll end up fighting without a plan again.”

Gain declared solemnly. The voice that came back was faltering.

“What?”

“Maybe that’s a trap, and we don’t know anything about the internal situation. If we jump in recklessly, we’ll only make things worse.”

Then the Crown Prince nodded his chin in agreement.

The informant’s round eyes became even rounder. Demi also stuck out his small tongue.

“You guys can think like that too?”

—Kkiheo?

“Yes. I learned that we can’t protect like that. And Heineken and Teacher Johann are strong, so we’re going to trust them.”

The water droplet that said that clenched both fists tightly and turned her steps dignifiedly.

Even if one corner of her heart was uneasy and anxious, she had to endure it.

A good paladin must be able to completely trust his priest.

Soon, the eyes of the men and women who had hidden in the shadows busily scanned all directions.

The teacher’s gentle voice seemed to flow on the wind.

‘I don’t want to admit it, but the two of you have something in common.’

‘The point of easily revealing your inner thoughts when things are intertwined.’

‘The point of rushing in without looking back when you get excited.’

‘Sometimes it’s not bad to just start a fight. But a knight must be able to make his own plans.’

‘In that sense, your priest has quite a paladin-like aspect.’

—Kwagagagang!

“If there’s anyone suspicious, catch them no matter what!”

—Krrrreureureung…!

—Hwareureureu!

Stay calm. How can we make a new plan?

The battleship fighting a fiery lion and staggering, the black market gradually becoming as bright as day.

The vigilantes running around with fire in their eyes. The sound of footsteps pounding on the brick road.

People coming out, unable to overcome their anxiety despite the curfew. The Grand Plaza that is still empty….

And the divine object that is slowly dying, looking down on all of this.

“Ah! Claw!”

“The spirit of Iran.”

The two men and women turned to each other at the same time. Swish! And as if they had planned it, they raised their eyes.

The four jewels scanned the withered old tree, passed through the branches supporting the ceiling like a spider web, and reached the opposite hill.

Gain murmured as if praying, looking at the area submerged in twilight.

“…We have Kina and Willem.”

“We need to use beings that can’t be enchanted. The divine object is not yet powerless.”

The twin siblings who have spent their entire lives with Claw.

Those children will somehow be able to help them.

And if it is a divine object that has become a victim of black magic but can never become a ‘target,’ it will be helpful in a new plan to overcome this situation.

Surely.

Soon, the Crown Prince lifted Demi up with one hand.

—Kkiang!

“Move.”

“Yes, let’s go to the other side!”

“Oh my god!”

So the three people pressed their hoods even deeper and hid in the deep darkness.

They had to move carefully from now on to reach the twins safely.

—Kugugugung!

“The battleship is shaking! Everyone evacuate!”

“To think there’s someone who dares to challenge Madam Moreau, they must be out of their mind!”

“Uaaaaa!”

—Hwareureureuk…!

Eventually, all the noise from the underground faded into the narrow alleys.

*

—Woo-jikkun! Kwaaaang!

“Kyaaaaak!”

How many doors of the mansion had been blown away already? Another new space unfolded before his eyes. Johann walked forward, only looking ahead.

There was no emotion in the mint-colored eyes under the mask, so he looked just like a doll being controlled by God.

The servants inside shouted in high voices with flushed faces.

“Who is it! Who is this guy!”

“What’s the meaning of the Twilight Saint coming all the way here—”

“That’s him! He’s the one who stole our lord’s magic stone!”

“Catch him and kill him!”

‘Uaaaaa!’ People with iron skewers, kitchen knives, scissors, and the like rushed at the paladin.

It was quite a brave attitude.

Johann didn’t even glance at them and advanced at a fast pace.

He refused to waste unnecessary time.

“You bastard, keuheok!”

They couldn’t even dare to follow the next situation with their eyes.

‘Ududeuk!’ At the same time as the neck of the first person who jumped in was broken with bare hands, the dagger he was holding was stabbed into the abdomen of the person aiming from behind.

‘Poo-ook!’ Before the person next to him could even recognize the flow, a gust of wind-like fist flew into his face.

‘Eudeudeuk!’ A terrible sound of bones crushing filled the room.

‘Aaaagh!’ The rest, who had lost their minds due to fear and rage, charged at the Cardinal like moths to a flame, and he lightly rotated his body half a turn and clenched his fist into the air.

“Keuheok! Keok!”

“Heo-eo-eok! Keoheok!”

“Breath, breath! Breath…!”

‘Kudangtangtang!’ As soon as Johann spread his palm wide, the people who had turned red and raised their voices were thrown against the opposite wall.

Most of them would have fainted, but some would have died.

Johann moved his feet again with a face that had no emotion.

Not a single drop of blood splattered on the white hair that moved along with the man all along.

The pale survivors—and criminals—hurriedly turned their backs and crawled into the corner.

This room was cleared very quickly. It was because the insignificant black magicians didn’t appear.

Those guys suddenly chanted unpleasant spells in front of the man.

As a result, death was delayed by several tens of seconds, so in a way, it was a valid magic.

—Kwaaaang!

Like that, the next door was blown away by a kick.

The Cardinal scanned the room with an indifferent gaze.

“….”

And his eyes met.

“….Oh. We meet again, ‘Edelweiss.’”

The Paladin of Air, ‘Ran.’ He folded the corners of his eyes, which were raised like a fox, softly.

On the other hand, the harbinger of a storm flickered in his jade irises.

“What are you doing here?”

A sharp question shot out like an arrow.

If there weren’t two men, this space would have had a rather cozy atmosphere.

Large, fluffy sofas were placed everywhere like a painting, and the neatly decorated mirrors and chandeliers added an elegant feel.

The teapot and teacup on the table were high-end items that would be traded at a high price even in the Empire.

The carpet, fireplace, and landscape painting frame, as well as the mural on the mantel, were all flawlessly beautiful rooms.

Overall, there was a subtle, pleasant scent.

You could tell at a glance that this was the living room for guests.

“I was spying on the next room.”

“….”

But to the two uninvited guests, it was just classified as things that could be used as weapons and miscellaneous items that couldn’t.

Ran answered softly and gestured over Johann’s shoulder.

It was a gesture pointing to the miserably broken doors and the bodies of the villains.

“It seems like you’ve had a pleasant walk in the meantime. Did you lose your party?”

“Since you know who I am, stop the act.”

“….”

Then a chill flashed across the other person’s smile. Johann stared at him silently.

Soon, Ran tapped his cheek and made a troubled voice.

“I know who I am…. That’s troublesome. I’ve wandered around a lot, so I can’t even guess where or how I leaked the clues. Isn’t this why dealing with the wind is troublesome?”

“The fact that Wilhelmina Schneider’s subordinate came all the way here means.”

“….”

“There’s a ‘VIP’ beyond that door.”

‘Hwiwoo-ooo—!’ An opaque long sword began to gather in Johann’s grasp.

Detailed confirmation was unnecessary.

He had once experienced the opponent’s power, even the power of the stigmata [a mark of divine grace or disgrace].

It happened in the Salt Marsh not long ago.

-Jangling jangling jangling jangling…!

-Hwee-eee♪

The ominous blue bell that was ringing so loudly it was about to explode. And the sound of whistling.

‘It seems to be a type of stigmata that allows you to imbue your power in a specific place.’

‘Yes?’

‘It’s a special case. Most of the Cardinal’s stigmata are attack techniques.’

It was undoubtedly the Cardinal’s ultimate move, and among them, it was a complex technique with amazing applicability and destructive power.

Johann never forgot an aether [a hypothetical medium formerly believed to fill the universe] he had once sensed.

So he recognized the owner of that power at first sight.

He didn’t know what the pseudonym ‘Ran’ meant, but the Cardinal was clearly the one who destroyed the castle and collapsed the Salt Marsh that day.

It must have been possible because Duke Schneider had ordered it.

She would have been ready to eliminate any evidence that was unfavorable to her at any time.

“Get out of the way.”

And if he came all the way here on Schneider’s orders, the author’s purpose was obvious.

“No matter what you do, nothing will change.”

It was a plan to take Werner Fenetian, who had hidden in the mansion, without a sound.

Johann Haynes had no intention of missing that demon right in front of him.

“….I’m sorry to break the atmosphere, but I think there’s a bit of a misunderstanding.”

Then Ran raised both arms as if surrendering and gave a bitter smile.

Johann’s eyes became even more ferocious.

“You know that such tricks don’t work on me.”

“Ah. I can’t answer your previous reasoning, but I can say one thing for sure. Today, I came here on the orders of Princess Elysee Fenetian.”

“….”

What? Johann’s brow furrowed very slightly.

“Do you understand roughly?”

“….”

“If I had truly come on the orders of Duke Schneider, I wouldn’t have let the fake Twilight Saint group pass so easily. I’m talking about you guys.”

Ran laughed lowly and shook his long hair.

He still didn’t feel any fighting spirit or murderous intent.

Johann tried to understand the current situation with a thorough expressionlessness.

Is this a shallow trick? Or a play on words?

But wouldn’t there be no reason or meaning to waste time like this?

“Oh, and. That glasses boy you were serving had the voice of someone I know.”

‘There was a slight difference in intonation, though.’ He added casually. Johann’s eyes widened.

It was then.

—Kwaaaang!

—Jangling jangling! Jjaenggang jjaenggang!

All the windows in the living room were broken, and a tremendous noise covered them.

It was literally an ear-splitting bombardment.

—Dududu, dudududu! Tatatang!

“Heuaaak! Run away! Quickly!”

—Kwakwakwakwa…!

The battleship in question was destroying the entire mansion, resisting the divine beast’s flames and lightning.

Outside the window, terrible screams of demons in human skin poured out.

Johann covered his eyes with his sleeve and hardened his face.