It was a high-stakes gamble, and Lynch had won, but it was a razor-thin victory.
During those lightning-fast few seconds, every single moment had been fraught with uncertainty. That uncertainty peaked at the final instant, when Lynch summoned the Hounds of Tindalos.
Pure physical attacks were ineffective against the Hounds. Had the attacker used an ordinary dagger, the Hounds wouldn't have registered it as an attack at all. In that case, Lynch would have had to rely on Death Veto to weather the lethal blow, then find a way to escape and save himself, while the summoned Hounds would have pursued both him and Ms. Skye, creating endless trouble. Fortunately, the eerie blue glow on the dagger indicated poison. With the added toxic element, the dagger was able to harm the Hound, marking the attacker and turning him into an unrelenting target for the beasts to hunt to the death.
Yet applying the mark was merely the beginning. Lynch hadn't been sure who the Hound he summoned would target first. Ms. Skye, who bore the most marks, or Lynch himself, who had summoned it, were both prime candidates. By contrast, the newly marked attacker had technically been the least likely to be targeted first.
Luckily, the attacker was strong enough that his strike instantly obliterated the Hound, which was only at a rank two or rank three level. The Hounds that arrived afterward were seeking vengeance, having nothing to do with Lynch or Skye, and would naturally prioritize the attacker who dealt the blow.
Beyond that lay the greatest uncertainty: the attacker's reaction. Had the man been ignorant of the Hounds' terror, or simply resolved to take Lynch down with him, Lynch would still have had his chest pierced by the blade, effectively outsmarting himself into a grave.
Yet Lynch had been willing to gamble. I bet your gun has... No, he was gambling that the attacker knew what the Hounds were, that he wouldn't choose mutual destruction before being backed into a true dead end, and that he lacked experience being hunted by Hounds, making him unlikely to calmly deliver a follow-up blow.
Through meticulous preparation—and with luck on their side—the trio won this round in spectacular fashion. Three low-tier attackers were killed on the spot, the mid-tier assassin pursued by the Hounds was as good as dead, and the fleeing attacker was reduced to ashes thanks to unexpected backup.
A complete victory.
More crucial, however, was that unexpected backup.
With a casual flick of a finger, a powerful mid-tier combatant had been effortlessly crushed, turned silently into ashes. Such terrifyingly formidable strength left Lynch in no doubt: this was an absolute high-tier expert, and a friendly one at that.
With a high-tier on their side, Lynch's taut nerves finally eased slightly, allowing him to catch his breath at last.
“That was my brother, Speth Milt,” Ms. Skye explained as she led the three back through the door into the living room. “He is an apostle of the Ancient One, holding a rank seven authority. Due to the special circumstances you are aware of, he must remain hidden inside a safe house long-term. Just now, in the heat of the moment, he didn't have time to put on clothes and had to present himself in such a disheveled state. It was truly impolite.”
The Yithian was still sitting on the sofa in his original posture, calmly keeping company with several corpses. A Yithian's current body was merely that of an ordinary human with zero combat capability, so he certainly couldn't participate in the fight. As for the Milt siblings...
“Someone breached our home's defenses from afar just now, allowing several attackers to teleport directly inside using a spatial ability,” Ms. Skye said. “It seems they wanted to seize the Torch of Light. We sincerely apologize. Neither my brother nor I have much actual combat experience, and our reactions were far too slow—we almost let them succeed. Fortunately, your strength and quick wits far exceeded our expectations. Not only did you emerge unscathed, but you also landed a successful counterattack. Otherwise, we would have failed our master's entrustment and let down you three friends.”
So that really was Ms. Skye's brother. The revelation left Lynch and Officer Natalie feeling a sudden wave of lingering dread, relief, and a tinge of self-deprecating irony.
To think a powerhouse was quietly hiding inside this estate. Had Lynch and Natalie arrived with malicious intent during their first visit, they likely wouldn't have left behind so much as a speck of dust. Moreover, if their conduct back then hadn't won the favor of the Milt siblings, today's events certainly wouldn't have gone so smoothly. Considering their low-tier strength, their original thought of rescuing the siblings had truly been overestimating their own abilities.
“You're overthinking it. You truly helped us immensely that time, and both my brother and I are deeply grateful to you.”
The life of the wealthy was ever mundane and dull; the estate possessed several living rooms alone. Ms. Skye guided the three and the Yithian to a fresh living room, setting out fresh tea and refreshments before continuing her explanation:
“We could never harm ordinary people, so we were truly in a bind that day. You've seen my brother's situation. Without the concealment of the safe house, he would instantly be targeted by an endless tide of Hounds and couldn't last more than a few days. That is why my brother and I are so thankful to you.”
???
Lynch recalled the sky-blotting expanse of blue mist he had witnessed earlier, which had completely stripped him of any desire to count their numbers. A threat of that scale could be endured for a few days? He realized he had still drastically underestimated just how terrifying high-tier experts were.
“We are glad to see that you successfully obtained the Torch of Light. From now on, it belongs to you.” Ms. Skye smiled, gently stroking the small medicine box Lynch handed back to her. “I hope you make good use of it. Remember, never allow it to lose control. Otherwise, the cost of suppressing a manifestation grade mystery relic is far too immense.”
“What would happen if it loses control?”
Ms. Skye replied calmly, “Nothing too intense. It would simply release the plague from that memory. If you want to suppress it, you would either have to go inside and survive for thirty-four years, or go inside and resolve the plague.”
Holy crap.
As an eyewitness who had seen those memories, cold sweat broke out on Lynch's brow. The way he looked at the Torch of Light shifted slightly. This thing wasn't safe at all—it was every bit as dangerous as that broken mirror!
“Don't be nervous. Normally, it isn't easy for it to lose control, and containment is quite simple.”
“Right, just as simple as handing it over to a Great Old One for safekeeping, huh?”
“Heh, we were merely worried it might be exploited by those with ill intent, so we had to be cautious. You see, what happened today proves our concerns were justified.” Ms. Skye's expression suddenly turned grave and solemn. “The person who breached our home's defenses and sent the assassins inside just now was a high-ranking Soul Severer possessing spatial teleportation authority. My brother suspects it is...”
“An apostle of the Ancient Flicker?”
“Correct. A follower of Tsathoggua, the toad god. It seems you know of this person?”
“It should be the person we know—Kelvin, a rank seven Soul Severer,” Lynch said. “His public identity is an official in a government-affiliated department of the Friedman Kingdom. He's caused us no end of trouble, and we fought him remotely at a ball just a few days ago.”
“He won't anymore.”
“Huh?”
“I mean he likely won't have the time to trouble you in the future.” Ms. Skye's gaze turned chilling. “He not only acted with hostility, but also sought to harm our friends. If my brother and I didn't express our gratitude, it would be far too impolite. My brother will go have a nice chat with him. Although high-tier experts are difficult to kill, being targeted by my brother means I am certain he won't have the energy to bother you for a very long time.”
A sense of deep satisfaction washed over Lynch, though he still asked, “Won't Mr. Milt be in danger then?”
“This isn't just about my brother,” she explained. “You must understand, the transaction he attempted to disrupt was essentially executed jointly by Aforgomon the Raging One, Tawil at'Umr the Ancient One, and Yog-Sothoth the All-in-One. We have no place to further target the mastermind behind him, but as for him, the executor, we will certainly do our best to repay him.”
Tsk. He's basically formed a deadly feud with the followers of Yog-Sothoth. Serves him right—that's what he gets for ambushing me.
Lynch felt even better.
“Still, you must remain careful,” Ms. Skye added. “The enemy's backing is larger than you imagine. Even without Kelvin, they will likely find other ways to target the Torch of Light.”
“I know,” Lynch replied. “That's why I plan to hire a high-tier bodyguard to escort us back to Rhine.”
Ms. Skye's expression turned slightly subtle. “Are high-ranking Soul Severers so easy to hire nowadays?”
“It's fine, I'll just trick one into coming,” Lynch said, picking up a memo pad from the coffee table and rapidly writing on it. “For example, I'll tell him I've gained deep insights into many details of the plague from the end of the Third Age, and if anyone wants to leech forbidden knowledge, they'd better hurry over—offer expires soon.”
Rate on N.U.
