Yet Yukime showed no sign of intimidation.
"Go ahead," she said lightly.
The night wind swept the ends of her conical hat's cloth across her face, partially shadowing it.
"Besides…"
A faint smile appeared beneath the shadowed fabric.
"My master has allowed me to take you down tonight."
Her fan lifted slightly.
"And claim full control over Lawless City."
For a moment, the air fell silent.
The atmosphere was thick with murderous intent from both sides.
Without any warning, they moved simultaneously.
Juggernaut's massive body shot forward like a cannonball, his colossal sword swinging with destructive force.
At the same time, Yukime stepped forward with a light, fluid motion, her iron fan ready to meet the strike.
Two weapons.
Two powers.
Two deadly intents about to collide.
Yet just before the sword and fan could clash, a figure in a black cloak appeared between them.
As if emerging from the shadows themselves.
The movement was so sudden that even the air seemed to react too late.
Both attacks came to a halt.
Juggernaut raised an eyebrow, his expression filled with curiosity.
"Heh…"
The wild grin returned to his face.
"A newcomer?"
On the other side, Yukime gave a faint smile beneath the dangling cloth of her hat.
Her eyes glimmered with subtle satisfaction.
The figure she had been waiting for… had finally arrived.
The one Gabriel Michaelis had prepared.
In other words—the invitation Gabriel had set in motion…
Was now one step closer to being realized.
"My name is Shadow: he who lurks in the shadows to hunt the shadows."
***
Thirty minutes passed.
In the distance, amid the chaos between the attacking ghouls and those struggling to defend themselves, something strange began to unfold.
Hundreds of small white dragonflies flitted across the night sky.
The tiny creatures spread throughout Lawless City.
One by one, they landed on the bodies of the remaining ghouls and bit them, triggering a transformation.
The decayed skin slowly healed.
Gaping wounds closed on their own.
The wild red eyes dimmed.
The monsters' roars turned into human gasps.
Bodies that had been twisted and broken regained their normal human form.
One by one—the ghouls returned to what they had once been.
As if the curse that had consumed them all this time was being forced back by something from a higher, stranger dimension.
On the street, a man who had previously swung his spear at a ghoul suddenly froze.
His weapon slowly lowered.
The ghoul he had intended to kill now slumped to the ground—breathing raggedly, like someone waking from a long, terrible nightmare.
"What…?"
Elsewhere, a woman pressed her hand to her trembling mouth as she watched the monster that had just attacked her slowly transform back into a thin man with a pale face.
The man stared at his own hands in confusion.
"I…?"
Some people stepped back in fear.
Others simply stood frozen, unable to comprehend what they were witnessing.
"Ghouls… reverting?"
"This… is healing magic?"
"No… this isn't ordinary magic…"
Voices filled with confusion echoed through various corners of the city.
Some dropped their weapons.
Others stared cautiously at the sky.
Meanwhile, the victims who had just returned to human form lay weakly on the ground, as if they had just been pulled out from a very deep abyss.
And above them all, the white dragonflies continued to flutter slowly… like unseen bearers of a mysterious blessing.
Meanwhile, in a quiet corner of the city, Gabriel walked along the streets with no clear destination.
His steps were slow, as if he were merely following the direction of the night wind.
Finally, he stopped.
His right hand, which had been holding a jug of sake, lifted slowly.
Without hesitation, he took a sip.
The clear liquid flowed down his throat.
A few seconds later, he lowered the jug again.
His body remained upright—even though his steps had wavered slightly for a moment.
His left hand rose.
His fingers ran through the white bangs that had fallen over his eyes, as if trying to brush away something unseen.
The output of Kamigami no Gigan increased.
Geometric magical circles appeared before his eyes, layered like a massive analytical mechanism spinning slowly.
Through that vision, Gabriel could perceive countless things at once—even those occurring far from his location.
"Heh…"
A small chuckle escaped his lips.
"Mortal creatures like you… have received the blessing of Ash, the Pale Mist."
His voice was light, yet carried a strange resonance beneath it.
"Rejoice… quietly."
After that, Gabriel fell silent once more. Intoxicated, his thoughts spun rapidly.
What next…?
What should Ash do now…?
He furrowed his brows slightly.
Ugh… my head is spinning…
The magical circles before his eyes gradually faded as he lowered the output of Gigan.
But before that vision completely vanished, Gabriel's gaze inadvertently fixed on a point in the city.
Crimson Tower.
He could sense the existence auras of several people he knew: Cid Kagenou, Yukime, Beta, the members of Shadow Garden, Mary, Claire Kagenou, and Aurora.
Gabriel's eyes lingered on the tower for several seconds.
As if his thoughts, swirling in a drunken haze, had finally found a direction.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Ash had made his decision.
Gabriel Michaelis slowly raised his left hand, pointing toward Crimson Tower.
His middle, ring, and pinky fingers bent inward.
Leaving only his index finger and thumb forming a straight line.
A finger gun.
"The curtain has been lifted," he said calmly. "Of course, Ash would not miss a single detail."
He swung his hand slightly backward, as if absorbing the recoil of an invisible shot.
In the next instant, the pale white mana enveloping his body thickened.
The surrounding pale mist grew denser, swirling slowly like a living vortex.
The air around him suddenly vibrated.
A low rumble emanated from the ground beneath his feet.
Cracks spread from where he stood, branching like veins across the pavement.
The fractures continued to extend, reaching the surrounding buildings and destabilizing their walls.
At the same time, the laws of the world in that area seemed to falter.
Small pebbles lifted from the ground.
Then chunks of stone.
Then fragments of walls.
Everything hovered slowly in the air, as if the local gravity around Ash had lost its authority.
The pale mist twisted ever thicker.
And in the midst of this strange phenomenon, Gabriel simply stood still.
Calm.
As if all the chaos unfolding were nothing more than a minor side effect of the stage he had just opened.
***
A few moments before Gabriel released his mana.
A considerable amount of time had passed since Cid began moving inside the Crimson Tower.
During that time, he had taken care of various "small matters."
Several vampires wandering the tower had been dispatched without much difficulty—including a long-haired red vampire whose name he didn't even know.
To Cid, that figure was no more than a mere mob character who happened to cross his path.
In truth, Cid had two main objectives.
First, of course… to plunder the treasures stored within the Crimson Tower!
Second, he wanted to stage the grandest possible opening—a dramatic stage for the resurrection of the Vampire Queen.
However, since the Vampire Queen he awaited had yet to appear, Cid, with his usual nonchalant attitude, shifted his priorities.
If the main character hadn't yet taken the stage… then there was no harm in passing the time by raiding the tower's treasure vault first.
The vast room was filled with countless valuable items. From glittering gold and gems to ancient artifacts that seemed exceedingly precious.
Golden statues were lined up in the corners of the room.
Expensive paintings with jewel-encrusted frames hung on the walls.
Royal crowns, gem-adorned scepters, and treasure chests coated in gold were neatly arranged along various sides.
Elsewhere, massive pearls, swords with golden hilts, and piles of coins glimmered faintly under the torchlight.
A sight that would feel like a dream to most people.
Yet Cid's expression betrayed unmistakable disappointment.
He closed his eyes for a moment.
His fist rose halfway, his body trembling slightly—as if he were restraining something incredibly heavy.
"…Damn it."
So much treasure lay before him.
Yet all he could take… were the gold coins.
With the slime suit he was wearing, large items like crowns, statues, or golden swords were clearly impossible to conceal. Too conspicuous. Too cumbersome.
Reluctantly, Cid finally crouched down and began gathering the gold coins from the floor.
One by one, as each coin fell into the storage space within his slime suit, it made a tiny sound that felt like it pierced his heart.
If only I could take that chest too…
Its value must be enormous!
Or at least the crown… but there was no other choice.
While Cid was still busy storing the gold coins, something suddenly made him stop.
Three streams of magical energy, each far surpassing normal human levels, pressed clearly upon his senses.
___
Author's Note:
Hehehe~ 😅
Sorry everyone. I've been busy for the past few days and haven't had time to write, translate, or revise. 🙏
There will be more additions tomorrow. Don't forget to give me your Power Stone, add it to your favorites, leave a comment, and rate it 😏
By the way, I have plans to make an 18+ fancic, so please check it out later~