Chapter 63

The end of the alley erupted in flames.

Accompanied by high-pitched whistles, countless fireballs danced across the night sky.

With a series of sharp pops, colorful fireworks bloomed in the air.

As I stood there clapping at the magnificent sight, something fell from above.

With a dull thud, someone’s right arm rolled across the ground.

It was torn off and charred.

The hand still gripped a fragment of a broken bottle and a piece of scorched parchment.

Judging by the sleeve stuck to the skin and the items held in the hand, it was likely Michael’s arm.

“Hahaha, that was a rather quick reunion. Though, it seems you aren’t in a state to show me your face.”

I chuckled and picked up the arm.

The limp limb dangled, dropping what it had been holding.

It was the scorched parchment.

A portion remained legible.

It happened to be the section where we had both signed.

One side was signed Minoru Yamahashi, and the other Jack Marlon.

“Oops, it seems I made a typo. How unlike me,” I muttered, my voice dripping with feigned innocence.

As I spoke, Minoru’s name on the contract began to discolor.

The black ink shifted into a shade like rusted iron.

This was the reaction that occurred when a contract partner died.

It was a modification Alice had applied beforehand to confirm his life or death.

“His mana signature has vanished. It seems he’s dead,” Alice reported.

“Yeah, I finally killed him. That took far more effort than it should have.”

I tossed Minoru’s arm aside and laughed.

To put it simply, I never had any intention of reconciling with Minoru.

From beginning to end, I planned to kill him.

I had made meticulous preparations for that sole purpose and cornered him thoroughly.

From the moment I brought him to the negotiating table, I had several traps in place.

First was the bomb planted on the red-haired girl.

I had made her swallow a bomb in advance.

It was small, but its power was outstanding.

It was meant to deliver a fatal blow at the exact moment Minoru let his guard down.

A massive explosion at point-blank range—there was no way to evade it.

Even if he used his time-stop, removing the bomb was impossible.

If he had cut open the girl’s stomach, it might have been a different story, but that was irrelevant to Minoru.

He couldn’t bring himself to harm his companions.

I simply used that against him.

Using the contract was also a trap to put Minoru at ease.

I figured if he believed we could no longer attack each other, the final explosion would catch him head-on.

I had technically violated the contract, but of course, my heart hadn’t been crushed.

Ultimately, I had only detonated the red-haired girl.

It wasn’t that I wanted to attack Michael.

He just happened to suffer collateral damage on his own.

That was the “official” excuse, even if it differed from my true intent.

Besides, the name on the signature was wrong.

I am Jack Aaron.

On the contract, I wrote Jack Marlon.

Since the signature was different, the punishment for breaking the contract never triggered.

Through these two deceits, I escaped the penalty for breaking my word.

According to Alice, the contract we used this time was a cheap one, and the terms could only be set vaguely.

She explained that the punishment for a breach doesn’t function in gray zones; originally, these types of scrolls weren’t suited for non-aggression pacts.

Apparently, with higher-grade magic grimoires, the contract terms become much more rigorous.

You can set the details minutely—for instance, if the content is “do not attack each other,” you can define exactly what constitutes an attack.

The judgment for punishment becomes severe, and it isn’t uncommon to use the contractors’ blood to bind their very souls.

If it had been that type, my heart probably would have been crushed.

The fact remained that I, as an individual, had entered into the agreement; even using a pseudonym wouldn’t normally matter.

Detonating the red-haired girl was also a complete violation.

However, even if my heart were to be crushed, I likely wouldn’t die.

Thanks to the skill I obtained during the dragon hunt, Blue Dragon’s Bloodline A, I possessed regenerative abilities. According to Alice, as long as I didn’t die instantly, most wounds would heal. Even the penalty for breaking a contract would amount to nothing more than a bit of passing pain.

Even if I had to shoulder the risk of my heart bursting, I would have carried out the explosion without a second thought.

I had gone back and forth on how to finish Minoru. After all, he was an opponent who could stop time. Any half-baked attack ran the risk of being evaded. He had even survived that explosion at the Imperial Capital. He likely fled the moment he realized I’d messed with the City Core. With time-stop, it didn’t matter how close the call was; he just had to escape before the blast triggered.

Therefore, I had to kill him certainly, without letting him sense it. I designed this current plan to ensure there was no repeat of the Imperial Capital incident.

First, I secured a hostage via sniping. Next, I exhausted him to his limit with the traps in the Great Labyrinth, ensuring he couldn’t use his time-stop freely. Then, I forced a contract by revealing the existence of the poison. Finally, I blew him to bits the moment he let his guard down during our superficial reconciliation.

Looking back, it went reasonably well.

From the moment Minoru faced me inside the shelter, he was in checkmate. His only choice for an antidote was to agree to the reconciliation, and the red-haired girl remained my hostage. Even if he had noticed the trick with the contract, there was nothing he could have done. In the end, he was destined to die in an explosion.

I suppose it’s pitiable, but there’s no room for sympathy. I’m the one who orchestrated it to end this way, after all.

“Four more to go.”

I had killed the second summoned Hero. I intended to dispose of the rest, too.

I didn’t know their whereabouts, but they were likely alive. All of them surely possessed unfairly powerful abilities. With those, one could live safely even in another world. Minoru was a perfect example of that. If I searched in earnest, I’m sure I could track them down.

Or perhaps they would contact me first. I had been repeatedly engaging in some very high-profile behavior. Regardless, I’ll look forward to our reunion.

Ten minutes later, Alice and I left the Fortress City in the Golem Car. I left the remaining traps within the area as they were. Cleaning them up had become a hassle. Since that place was my private property, it shouldn’t be a problem. If any trespassers got caught in them, it was their own responsibility. I’ll clean up when I return.

Since I had also blown up our base with the Spirit Stone bomb, a comfortable life there was out of the question anyway. If I asked the handyman, Letona, she could probably settle various matters for me.

While thinking about the aftermath, I sped down the night road. Inside the car, loud hard rock music was blaring.

My destination was the Black Wall City. I was going to report the various developments to my boss, Dorgu. Originally, I had been dispatched to scout Minoru. I had to relay how things had concluded.

‘Well, I wonder how this will turn out…’

Within the organization, I was well-known as a troublemaker. Dorgu shared that same impression of me. I had received a stern warning when I took this job. On top of that, I had failed spectacularly.

Simply being kicked out of the organization would be a stroke of luck. In the worst-case scenario, we would become enemies. No, that’s likely what will happen. Knowing Dorgu, he’ll almost certainly come to crush me. A powerful independent force that doesn’t belong to the organization would be an eyesore.

In fact, I had even been tasked with purging traitors before. Now, it was my turn.

I considered this unavoidable. It was a fact that I was acting against the organization’s interests. I couldn’t argue if they called me a person who only brought disadvantage. Knowing full well the consequences, I had moved forward with killing Minoru. I had prioritized my own revenge over any calculation of profit or loss.

Right now, I felt very satisfied.

That said, if asked whether I would quietly accept a purge, the answer was obviously no. If they want to get rid of me, I’ll fight back with everything I’ve got. And then, I’ll blow every last bit of it away.

As I pondered while gripping the steering wheel, I felt a gaze from beside me. It was Alice in the passenger seat. She was staring intently at me with her characteristically expressionless face.

“Jack.”

“What is it?”

“Why are you smiling?”

Prompted by Alice, I touched the corner of my mouth. A smile distorted with joy was plastered there. My expression was honest to a fault.

“I get to wipe out a bunch of people I hate. Of course I’m going to laugh,” I answered cheerfully, keeping my eyes on the road ahead.