Chapter 33

“It’s gotten pretty quiet, hasn’t it? How does it feel to be the only one left?”

I asked Dalles as I surveyed the area. Corpses were scattered all around—every single one of them the henchmen Dalles had brought along. Alice and I had slaughtered them all. They each possessed only mediocre skills, making it a truly simple task. Apparently, they thought having superior numbers was enough to overwhelm me. How insulting.

“……”

Dalles, crawling at my feet, maintained his silence. He reached out with a trembling hand, trying to grab the Magic Sword lying near his fingertips.

“Oops, can’t have you doing that.”

I gave the Magic Sword a light kick. It skidded across the ground, sliding far out of Dalles’s reach. Dalles let out a low snarl, looking as if he wanted to bite me.

To be fair, the Magic Sword’s blade was cracked and its hilt was broken; it had been trashed during the fight. According to Alice, the teleportation function was also broken. Even if he’d grabbed it, it wouldn’t have mattered. I only stopped him to fan the flames of his despair.

“Gugh…”

Dalles groaned in frustration. Both of his legs were fractured, leaving him unable to move properly. Even a slight twitch sent a jolt of agonizing pain through his body. Giving up on the sword, Dalles looked up and glared at me.

“You madman… Do you even know who I am?”

“No, not at all. That’s exactly what I want to hear.”

I stepped on Dalles’s back, applying just enough pressure to pin him down. I was careful not to kill him by mistake—a slight miscalculation in strength would be fatal.

“Spit out everything you know about your organization. If you’re honest, I’ll let you die without suffering.”

“Wh-Who would ever… talk to someone like—”

I ground my heel into Dalles’s broken leg. I aimed precisely for the fracture and leaned my full body weight into it.

“Guwaaaaah!?”

“Don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be. I’m a busy man.”

While I worked Dalles over, I casually checked our surroundings. Despite all the noise, no one had come to investigate. I’d expected a crowd of onlookers to gather, but perhaps the locals hated getting involved that much. It seemed Dalles and his group were well-known as people you shouldn’t mess with.

Well, that suited us perfectly. The fewer witnesses, the better. I grabbed Dalles by the hair and yanked his head up.

“Let’s talk peacefully. I hate resorting to violence, you know. It’s a lose-lose for both of us, right?”

I spoke to him gently, like I was reasoning with a child. Dalles, gritting his teeth, stubbornly averted his gaze. It seemed he still had no intention of talking. What a loyal man. I almost wanted to give him a round of applause out of sheer admiration.

I exchanged a glance with Alice, who was waiting nearby. She pulled a glass bottle out of the golem car.

“It’s a potion with a truth-serum effect. Want to try it?”

“Nah, I appreciate the thought, but interrogation is my specialty. Leave this to me.”

I placed my foot on Dalles’s right hand, applying just enough pressure to lock it in place.

“Now then, it’s question time. Let’s set some rules. First, I ask a question. Then, you answer. Simple cycle.”

“……”

“If you can’t answer, or if you say something unnecessary, I’ll crush your fingers one by one. After the fingers, I’ll move to the eyeballs. Then we’ll do the teeth. See? It’s a rule so simple even a monkey could understand it.”

“Fool… You think I’d ever succumb to a threat like—”

“Rule violation. Let’s start with the first one to set the mood.”

Laughing brightly, I crushed Dalles’s thumb.

I was driving the golem car through the back alleys, humming a rock song that had been a hit years ago.

“—! —!”

In the back seat, the bound Dalles was shouting. Since his mouth was stuffed with cloth, I couldn’t make out the words. Probably nothing worth hearing anyway, so I didn’t bother listening.

As a result of our little chat, the “kind” Dalles had spilled everything.

Thanks to him, I managed to get a complete grasp of the organization’s structure and the location of their headquarters.

As a side note, Dalles finally spilled his guts around the time I finished breaking the fingers on both his hands and feet. He actually held out longer than I expected. I thought he’d talk much sooner. Perhaps he was trying to protect his organization in his own way; his devotion almost brought a tear to my eye.

Right now, we were heading toward the headquarters he’d pointed out. Apparently, that’s where the top brass resided. As for why we were going there—we were going to eliminate the leader and let the organization crumble.

Even if I killed Dalles, the organization would eventually come for revenge. That sounded like a chore, so I decided to tear them out by the roots. It was a simple, clear, and effective strategy. Killing the top man would cause no small amount of chaos. According to Dalles, the organization wasn’t exactly a monolith. My goal was to trigger their self-destruction via internal power struggles. If they still aimed for retaliation after that, I’d just have to crush them completely. I had the gear to pull it off.

Either way, there were no downsides to tonight’s raid. For now, I planned to kill the leader and see how things played out. Hopefully, this would sever the connection between us. If I could make them believe that they should never, ever cross us, then I’d win. A half-hearted attack would only fan the flames of their hostility, but if I went this far, fear would override everything else.

Overwhelming violence is the best hand to play in any negotiation. It also counts as a contribution to the city’s public safety, and I could borrow some of their supplies while I was at it. It was truly a win-win scenario.

While enjoying our little drive, we arrived at the headquarters. It was in the northern part of the city, in an area tucked away from the main thoroughfare. I brought the golem car to a stop and observed from a distance.

“It’s quite impressive.”

The headquarters was surrounded by stone walls. At first glance, it looked like a fortress. I could see several people patrolling the vicinity. The security was tight and the defenses robust. Its appearance spoke volumes about the organization’s influence.

“Don’t get too close. There are detection-type magic circles laid out,” Alice warned from the passenger seat.

I took my foot off the accelerator I’d been about to press.

“You don’t have any mana, Jack, so you can infiltrate, but I and this vehicle can’t. How do you plan to sneak in?”

“Hmm…”

After thinking for about ten seconds, I hit upon a revolutionary idea. I stared at Dalles in the back seat and grinned.

“It doesn’t matter if our intrusion is discovered. It’s a party, after all. Let’s make it flashy.”

I grabbed Dalles and yanked him forward. He resisted violently, but I punched him in the face to shut him up.

“Be happy. It’s your turn to shine.”

I tied several bombs I’d kept in the car to Dalles’s torso. I wrapped them around him multiple times to ensure they wouldn’t slip off by accident. With that, the preparations were complete. I dragged the bomb-laden Dalles out of the car and checked the sky above. There weren’t any obstacles in the way. No need to change locations.

“Jack, what are you planning to do?”

“Just watch. Think of it as a starting pistol.”

Answering her, I gripped Dalles and leapt straight up. After a momentary sensation of weightlessness, I reached a height where I could look down upon the surrounding buildings. It was all thanks to the physical abilities I’d gained in this world.

Looking down, I could see the headquarters inside the estate. Beyond the stone walls stood a building about six stories high. It featured a parking lot filled with numerous vehicles and several box-shaped warehouses. The scale matched Dalles’s information perfectly.

As I began to fall, I hoisted Dalles up. Pulling my arm back, I focused my nerves and poured strength into my muscles.

“Here’s a gift: a Human Bomb. I’m going to kick this off with a bang!”

“—! —!!”

I threw the screaming Dalles with all my might. Spinning at high speeds as he tore through the air, Dalles was sucked toward the headquarters before colliding head-on.

Immediately after, a deafening explosion erupted. A pillar of flame rose from a corner of the building, and the walls began to collapse with a thunderous roar. Crimson flames sliced brilliantly through the darkness of the night.

“Ha-ha-ha! That’s what I call a perfect three-pointer!”

Having landed an ideal opening move, I touched down on the roof of the golem car. I slid inside and spoke to the waiting Alice.

“We’re storming the grounds. Are you ready?”

“Of course. I’m always ready.”

“Good answer.”

I nodded and slammed the accelerator, launching the golem car forward at full throttle.