Chapter 345 Reaper
"Charge in!"
General Lucy and her forces rushed inside the room at her command, their loud roars a clear testament to the resolve burning within their hearts.
However, only a few seconds after entering the room, all of their resolve melted into something else.
"A-ahh…?!"
"M-my goodness…"
"T-this is…!"
All their eyes could see it… the scene of carnage that lay before their very eyes.
The mangled and butchered corpses of a thousand people decorated their sight and overwhelmed their senses.
Even Lucy, with all of her experience on the battlefield, found herself widening her single eye.
'T-this is horrible!'
She had never seen or heard of a single human cause such extensive bloodshed on fellow people.
This felt awful beyond comparison.
It felt wrong.
'That man… Sir Ralyks… he did this…?'
Lucy had always gotten bad vibes in his presence—as if he was a dangerous one that she couldn't afford to mess with.
However, she never expected him to be so ruthless.
'The Royal Council trusts him as an ally, and since he executed the members of the Criminal Underworld, none of his actions here are illegal.'
However, Lucy couldn't help but feel anxious.
'What if he stops becoming an ally?' Lucy didn't want to imagine such a possibility.
After all, the moment Ralyks ceased being on their side would be the day she would have to raise her blade against him.
Lucy found herself gulping at the thought.
'Should that day ever arrive… I'll become nothing more than these lumps of flesh and stains of blood.'
It caused her to shiver.
"D-don't just stand there! Examine the corpses and identify the ones who belong to the respective Houses." Lucy declared.
"I'll lead a separate unit on an investigative tour of the entire building. We will be stripping this entire place of all its secrets, from top to bottom!"
Lucy turned behind her and looked at Kara Verte—their ally and informant.
The girl also looked as disturbed as everyone else present.
The General could see why.
'If she hadn't taken our side… she would have ended up the same.'
Lucy took steps forward, feeling her metallic boots kicking away fleshy parts and going through the currents of thick blood. Once she took in the entire sight, Lucy reached a conclusion.
"That man… Ralyks; he's neither a Hero nor is he an Adventurer."
Heroes committed valiant deeds without the stigma of horrors attached, while Adventurers caused carnage only to beasts such as Monsters
None of those applied here.
Instead of Monsters, humans had been cut up. He had committed a valiant deed indeed, but the horror was too glaring to be ignored.
'In the end, Sir Ralyks was different.' Lucy closed her eyes and gazed at the bloody chandelier.
"… He's a Reaper."
**********
~VWUUSH!~
Rey appeared before the Blanc Mansion, and it was in perfect condition—just as he expected.
As he took a step forward, the blue distortions behind him flickered and vanished, leaving him standing all by himself.
The ambiance of fresh air took over his nose as he inhaled deeply. He missed the lovely taste of fresh air, a sharp contrast to the bloody musk he had inadvertently gotten used to.
Everywhere felt still; so peaceful and quiet that it was difficult to tell if anything had even transpired here this evening.
'I'll find out from Ater later…' Rey's thoughts trailed as he looked at the massive mansion before him.
'First things first.'
He could already sense where Rebal and Asher were, so he teleported there in a flash.
The moment he did so, he found himself in a lounge, with the father and son staring at each other in utter silence.
They both looked scarred by something.
'Maybe I'll ask them later.' Rey sighed internally.
He only wanted to do what he came here for.
"I'm back." His voice startled the two, who instantly jumped to their feet and bowed before him.
"S-Sir Ralyks… welcome back!"
"Welcome back, Sir Ralyks!"
Their greetings seemed to contain an additional layer of respect, though Rey wondered if it was simply the product of his imagination.
'Well, whatever…'
He didn't really care for any of that at the moment.
"Here." In a sleight of his hand, Esme appeared on one of the sofas, her unconscious form gracefully laying on it.
Rebal and Asher looked at her in shock—specifically because of her white hair and pointy ears.
Their faces exuded confusion, and it seemed like they had several questions on the issue.
Rey, however, didn't want to have any of it.
"Don't ask me any questions. It's a long story."
"O-of course!" Rebal promptly answered and lowered his head.
It felt a bit too much, but Rey allowed it.
"Take care of her and nurse her to full health. Pay close attention to her and ensure all her needs are met." Rey instructed.
The two men nodded instantly, responding affirmatively to everything he said.
Rey had a sad smile on his face as he glanced at Esme for the last time that night.
'This wasn't how I expected things to go. But I guess the both of us ended up getting the worst surprise of our lives.'
He didn't know what kind of person Esme would be when he next saw her.
Rey only had one wish.
'I hope you allow this to make you grow…'
Not everyone grows when pressure and tragedy is applied to their lives.
Some crumble under the pressure.
Some never let go of what was to embrace what is.
However, for the ones who learn to embrace the change and evolve past their circumstances… to them is given more power to rise.
Power not to experience the same again.
'I hope that's the case for you, Esme…'
With that faint smile still playing on his face, Rey took a few steps away and attempted to teleport back to his residence.
He stopped short of a step and decided to give in to a bit of his curiosity.
"Was my subordinate able to handle all the problems?"
"Y-yes! Yes, he was!" Asher blurted out.
"And… how was it?"
For a moment after Rey asked this question, no one said anything.
Asher's gulp was audible to Rey, but he said nothing of it. He simply waited for the answer.
"It… it was a bloodbath."
Upon hearing this, Rey found his smile growing wider. No one could see it since he wore a mask, but it was a twisted grin.
"Good."
And with that, he vanished from the Blanc Mansion.
********
Rebal and Asher still felt their bodies trembling even after Ralyks departed from them.
This was no mere man, and if they didn't already know that before, this night had reinforced the truth and burned it into their very minds.
One could even go as far as saying he wasn't human.
"I-I'll sort through her well-being and handle everything, Father. You should go and rest in your room."
Upon hearing the words of his son, Rebal smiled and nodded gently.
Right before Ralyks appeared, the two of them had quite a bit about the horrors they experienced.
It was more than enough to deserve a break.
"Thank you. I think I will."
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[A/N]
Thanks for reading!
Seems like depression is everywhere in this aftermath.
As it should be…
But it seems we're finally going to get some of that Ater's POV!