Chapter 99

Chapter 99: Back to Peaceful Days

Gerald was in a panic.

Paul Derel, the alliance's second-in-command, had lost to Hunter An Seon-u — a man whose stats were supposedly below S-Rank.

Furthermore, Shamid — ranked among the top echelon of S-Rank Hunters — had been defeated by Eriksson, who was generally considered not particularly outstanding among S-Rank Hunters.

He had assumed they would cruise to a comfortable 2-0 victory, but the results were the polar opposite.

'This is impossible......'

The completely unexpected outcome threatened to crumble the reputation he had painstakingly built.

"Gerald......"

When Hyera touched his wrist, he roughly shoved her hand away.

"Do not touch me!"

"......"

"You could not even handle one simple task and let things spiral into this mess!"

Gerald placed all the blame on Hyera.

This was never the plan.

The plan had simply been for Hyera to seduce Chef An Seon-u and sleep with him, then use that as leverage to pull him into the alliance.

Either An Seon-u would fall head over heels for Hyera and join willingly.

Or, if he refused even after sleeping with her, they would threaten to tell Emeria about the affair and force him in.

But An Seon-u had resisted Hyera's seduction.

When Hunters gathered after hearing the commotion, they had no choice but to resort to framing him for sexual assault — the worst-case scenario.

'We absolutely had to win the duel......'

On top of an already disastrous situation, they had lost the duel too.

His head burned.

'If I go back like this, the Master will never forgive me......'

More than the loss of his reputation, that was what Gerald feared most.

Just then, Emeria stepped into the center of the clearing with her sword drawn.

Gerald was puzzled.

'The match is already decided. Why?'

Emeria addressed Gerald loudly.

"I am voiding all previous duel results. The winner of this final duel takes everything."

Gerald's gloomy expression brightened.

His mind raced.

'If I win the duel, I can magnanimously drop the assault charge and use it to bring both of them into the alliance.'

His reputation was already in tatters.

He had rolled through mud head to toe.

So even an ugly victory would serve if it achieved the goal.

Gerald drew a gleaming white sword and shield and stepped forward.

"You will keep the promise you just made."

"I stake my honor on it. And if you lose, you will keep yours."

"Of course."

Sophia raised and lowered her hand to signal the start of the duel.

The instant it began, Emeria shot toward Gerald like a flash of light and thrust her sword.

Gerald, alarmed by a speed beyond his expectations, tried to deflect with his shield.

At that moment —

SWISH!

The Emeria who had been thrusting her sword vanished from his field of vision.

'She disappeared...... an illusion skill?'

He sensed a presence behind him.

He quickly twisted his waist and swung his sword backward.

But the blade met nothing.

'It is like fighting a ghost......'

Then a presence from his flank.

But his sword was committed to an awkward angle — he could not recover it.

Gerald anticipated a thrust to his side and raised the shield in his left hand to protect it.

But —

'What......?'

She did not thrust.

In that instant, Gerald felt excruciating pain between his Achilles tendon and calf and was launched into the air.

Emeria had not attacked with her sword. Instead, she had delivered a devastating calf kick below the shield.

CRASH!

Gerald slammed face-first into the ground in the most undignified manner.

Despite having a clear opportunity to finish him, Emeria did not press the attack. She withdrew.

As if she intended to toy with him before ending it.

Gerald struggled to his feet and snarled at Emeria.

"You dare look down on me...... you will regret letting that chance slip!"

His gentlemanly facade was gone.

Ria replied coldly.

"Regret? The one who should regret is you — for not staying down."

Gerald ground his teeth, then cracked a grin.

"I will have you on your knees, crawling at my feet."

He set down his shield and raised his left hand, activating his Gravitational Field skill.

No Hunter had ever properly withstood this skill.

Even most S-Rank Hunters were brought to their knees.

Even top-ranked Hunters had their movements so severely impaired that they could not fight properly — a truly overpowered Unique Skill.

Gerald was certain that not even Emeria could move properly.

But —

HUMM!

Emeria wrapped her entire body in dense Mana, then casually tested her movements.

She looked at Gerald and said coldly.

"Was this all you had to bring me to my knees?"

"......Impossible."

"I am actually affected enough that my movements are noticeably sluggish. The fact that you are alarmed by this level of movement tells me you are also physically restricted while maintaining the skill."

"......"

"If you do not want to answer, I will just confirm for myself."

Emeria charged at Gerald with sword raised.

She swung head-on, and Gerald barely managed to raise his sword to block.

"A powerful skill — but it means you cannot use your shield while maintaining it with your left hand, and your movement is restricted too."

"......Do not make me laugh!"

Gerald swung horizontally, but Ria subtly shifted her body to evade.

Gerald thrust and slashed in rapid succession.

Ria dodged every strike with ease.

"You seem to have never truly fought someone stronger than yourself. The way you flail your sword in a panic is pitiful."

"Shut up!"

"Your true colors are starting to show."

Ria, who had only been evading, began landing strikes of her own.

With each one, Gerald's wounds multiplied.

Like a cat toying with a mouse before the kill, she refrained from delivering a fatal blow.

Like drizzle soaking through clothes, Gerald crumbled gradually.

Mana depletion forced him to drop the Gravitational Field.

"Haah! Haah!"

His entire body was drenched in blood.

He looked ready to collapse at any moment, yet somehow remained standing.

"You have no chance of winning. Will you not surrender? You could die."

"Haah, haah! Just kill me......!"

"I cannot do that. Not until you kneel before my husband and beg forgiveness. But missing one arm should not prevent you from kneeling."

Emeria infused her sword with powerful Aura and raised it high.

Battered beyond recognition, Gerald had no means to block the incoming strike.

At that moment —

"Gerald!"

"Protect the Guild Master!"

"You demonic wretch!"

Four S-Rank WPA alliance members rushed at Ria.

"Interfering in a duel — have you no honor?!"

Emeria Released an Aura blast toward them.

A massive Russian Hunter named Volg blocked it with his shield but coughed blood and collapsed.

The other three Hunters charged at Emeria through the opening.

CLANG!

But they never reached her.

"Truly despicable people."

"How dare you interfere in an honor duel? These scum have completely lost it. This means war, does it not?"

"......Unbelievable."

The Sword Saint, Eriksson, and Santos had intercepted the three charging toward Ria.

The three knights then took up positions behind Ria as well.

Above, a Silver Dragon circled.

On the ground, Fenrir growled menacingly.

***

So it had come to this after all.

I had expected they would not withdraw gracefully even after losing the honor duel.

That prediction proved correct.

'They have too much to lose from defeat.'

The organization was that massive.

Having such a colossal alliance kneel before us was one problem.

But being permanently banned from the Fourth Floor was an even bigger one.

Other guilds would continue visiting the Fourth Floor and beyond, earning more and growing stronger.

The WPA would be left behind.

With both sides on the verge of collision, I stepped forward and spoke.

"Hunter Gerald did not declare defeat in the honor duel, yet WPA alliance officers rushed in the moment defeat seemed certain. This is effectively a declaration of defeat. Do you acknowledge this?"

Gerald, barely standing, bit his lip at my question.

When he did not answer, I continued.

"If you do not acknowledge it, the only thing left is war. And I guarantee — not a single one of you will make it back alive."

I opened multiple small Acresia portals in the air.

I primed the stored high-tier spells from Ashley so they could be Released at any moment, making them shimmer visibly at the Acresia openings.

Five Hell Fire spheres. Two Lightning Storms.

Seven high-circle spells shimmered in the air, looking ready to devastate the WPA formation at any second.

"What on earth......"

"Is that man really human......?"

"Maybe we should just surrender......"

Beyond the spells, there was Ashley the dragon and Fenrir.

And Ria, the S-Rank trio, and the knight trio, all battle-ready.

If it came to war, they had zero chance.

Even those who had been blinded by rage began regaining their senses and recognizing reality.

Gerald included.

He stared up at the sky with a hollow expression.

Then —

THUD!

He dropped to his knees and bowed his head.

"We...... lost."

The world's strongest, largest Hunter alliance — its guild master had knelt.

Then —

"YEAAAHH—!!"

The vast majority of Hunters gathered at the outpost erupted in cheers.

In their eyes too, we were in the right and the WPA was in the wrong.

Hyera and Benson also knelt before me.

Their faces were ashen.

Ria walked forward and addressed them.

"Do you admit that you set a trap for my husband and tried to frame him?"

"......"

They could not bring themselves to answer easily.

Then Benson, reading the unfavorable situation, confessed quickly.

"I only did it because this witch ordered me to...... I simply could not resist this witch's strange seduction skill and cooperated!"

"What......? Witch? Are you insane?!"

Regardless of Hyera's glare, Benson pressed on with his self-defense.

"This witch insisted she absolutely had to make Chef An hers...... And I thought it would not really be a bad thing for Chef An, so I cooperated. I never intended to frame him. Things just went south......"

Ria's killing intent deepened upon hearing that.

The notion that it "would not be a bad thing" for me had clearly struck a nerve.

"My husband is absolutely not the kind of person who would be pleased by something like that."

Exactly right.

Ria continued to Benson.

"And the fact that you gave Gerald false testimony remains unchanged."

"I am truly sorry......!"

Ria then directed a sharp question at Hyera.

"You did not plan this alone. Who put you up to it?"

Several people flinched at that question.

Gerald among them.

"......I did it all on my own."

"You acted alone?"

"Yes. On the first day we came to the Fourth Floor, I saw that Gerald wanted to recruit Hunter An Seon-u into the guild. I planned and carried it out on my own, wanting to make Gerald happy."

Ria narrowed her eyes at Hyera.

"You are going to take all the blame yourself?"

"......Because I truly did it on my own."

Circumstantially, Gerald was almost certainly involved.

From the restaurant onward, the two had cooperated — Gerald trying to seduce Ria while Hyera used her skills to seduce me. A coordinated pincer operation.

Yet she was taking all the blame.

Why would she go this far?

Ria seemed to have realized something and asked Hyera.

"Do you...... have feelings for Gerald?"

"......"

Hyera could not answer and lowered her head.

It seemed so.

Ria clicked her tongue at the sight.

"What a pitiful life."

Indeed — sacrificing herself for the person she loved.

She had probably seduced many men before, just as she had tried to seduce me.

All for Gerald.

Gerald had exploited those feelings to use her.

What garbage.

"......I do not know what you mean. In any case, I did everything."

Hyera was determined to shoulder it all.

She then pressed her forehead hard against the ground.

"I have committed a grave sin against Chef An and his wife. I am truly sorry."

When she raised her head, blood was dripping from her forehead.

Gerald looked away from her.

Then he addressed me.

"I had no idea Hyera had schemed like this on my behalf. I deeply apologize for framing you and damaging your honor, Chef."

I waved my hand dismissively, as if I did not want his apology.

"I do not need an insincere apology. Just keep the promise from the honor duel. No WPA member may ever set foot on the Fourth Floor of the Rift again."

"......Understood."

"And leave today."

"......We will."

We turned and walked back to the restaurant.

That night, the WPA struck camp and retreated like a defeated army.

Watching them recede into the distance, I said to Ria beside me,

"Ria, you must have been under a lot of stress."

"Saying otherwise would be a lie. But I trusted you, so it was bearable."

"You can trust me. I will never cheat on you. I have said it before — if I ever do, just cut me down."

"How could I ever cut you down? I will just trust you."

And so, we returned to our peaceful daily life.

Not long after, something happened that would turn the Rift house upside down.