Parallel (A Virtual Gamer's Story) [Vol.1 - Vol.4 Complete]

Chapter 96: Gentleman's Revenge!

Froy was having a terrible week. A genuinely awful week. First, the losses incurred in kidnapping the damned daeben, Kashi, had been far beyond estimations. Sure, thanks to numerous wars, the Chaos Order had accumulated many corpses over the centuries, but the success rate of turning a corpse to a ghoul was one in ten.

And even then, the processes and materials required were neither easily accessible nor small. Losing over three hundred in one go was something he never anticipated. Since the ghouls' creation, no one had taken advantage of their self-destruct function. To have done that so adeptly; what the hell was that daeben!? Was he even a hume?

The loss of so many ghouls severely weakened Froy's army. Unlike most of the other bases, Second Under's primary force was comprised of ghouls. There were a few dozen humes, but their main job was to supervise the ghouls.

That was bad enough, but then the very person Froy incurred all those losses to capture eventually escaped. Even worse, that annoying bastard Ruse had chosen now of all times to show up unannounced. Froy knew very well he could not stall for much longer. Sooner or later, he would have to break the news of Kashi's escape. When that happened, Ruse would not waste the opportunity to strip him of his rank, or worse yet, have Froy executed like he did Froy's brother.

Froy's creased brows softened somewhat as he gazed, almost lustfully, at the power crystal in front of him. Despite the bleakness of the last two weeks, this crystal was more than enough to cover his losses. Froy extended his arm and placed it on the crystal. He'd had Ruse escorted to the amphitheater to watch the captive, Lunette's performance. He would soon join them, but first, he must complete this particular piece of business, as an insurance against the future.

Froy glanced at two mages at the entrance and nodded.

The mages politely bowed their heads then exited the chamber, jamming the door shut behind them. A concealment barrier activated, blocking all sounds and magical undulations from getting exposed to the outside.

Froy closed his eyes and began a low chant. Powerful ripples cascaded off the crystal accompanied by an otherworldly pressure that would have crushed Froy had he not been 'connected' to the crystal. Froy's chants rose ferociously as the crystal released wild undulations, each fighting back against Froy's desire.

If one looked very closely, they would have been shocked to find the crystal decrease by a small percentage with each ripple it sent out.

An Hour Later

Froy, accompanied by a few soldiers and mages, stopped at a magnificent door that looked oddly out of place in this underground world of stone and lava. It was constructed entirely of metal, with extravagantly bright colors, and a man-sized engraving of 'The Destroyer' that split down the middle.

Froy walked through as a pair of ghouls opened the doors. The doors opened to a large hall with a magnificent stage at the opposite end. Rows of luxurious benches marked the scene, but most were empty on account of the lack of guests available.