67 — Chapter 67

After leaving the mansion behind, I was roaring down the street on a stolen motorcycle. I aimed straight for Dorgu’s castle.

“This is the best drive ever! The adrenaline’s got my brain boiling!”

“Jack, pursuers from behind,” Alice warned, flying alongside me.

Glancing back, I saw an enemy vehicle closing in. There was one person in the driver’s seat and another in the cargo bed. The man in the back was leveling a rifle, aiming right for me.

“Alice, head on first and clear any obstacles. I’ll handle the pursuers.”

“Got it.”

Nodding at my instructions, Alice accelerated and began her bombardment. The magic she unleashed tore through the parked vehicles and carriages lining the street. I shifted the bike left and right, weaving through the gaps she pried open.

In the meantime, the enemy vehicle caught up, pulling right behind me. The man in the cargo bed screamed with a voice thick with rage.

“Jack Aaron! Stop right there!”

“You really think I’m the type to just listen?”

The moment I quipped back, he fired. I evaded with a zigzag pattern. By decelerating slightly, I let the vehicle pull up alongside me.

I struck up a conversation with the guy in the back.

“Hey, how much are they paying you to kill me?”

“I’m under no obligation to tell you!”

“Don’t be stingy. I just want to know what my own head is worth.”

“Shut up!”

The man’s rifle aimed for my head. Seeing this, I planted my feet on the motorcycle’s seat and leaped. Perceiving the bullet as it grazed my cheek, I clung to the enemy vehicle. My riderless bike lost its balance, crashed into a building, and vanished from sight.

Ignoring it, I reached out and grabbed the neck of the man in the cargo bed.

“Careful now. What if I got hurt?”

“Gya… agah…!?”

The man dropped his rifle. He thrashed about, trying to do something about the grip tightening around his throat. Of course, given the difference in our physical strength, it was a futile effort. I applied pressure and crushed his windpipe.

“—Gobah!”

The man vomited blood, convulsing as he sprayed red foam. I tossed the twitching body aside. Bouncing off the ground, he grew smaller in the distance in an instant. There was no saving him now.

I peered into the driver’s seat. This time, I locked eyes with a man who had gone pale.

“Y-you…!”

“Consider this a forced hitchhike. But you? You’re getting off.”

I punched through the window glass, grabbed the man by his hair, and forcibly dragged him out of the vehicle.

“A-ah… aaaghhhh!”

Covered in glass shards and blood, the man shrieked. He was noisy, so I just threw him away. He slammed headfirst into a street stall, splattering fresh blood and drenching the pavement. That was gruesome. At least it was instant; that’s his only mercy.

I climbed into the empty driver’s seat, grabbed the wheel, and took control of the vehicle. From there, I floored the accelerator. Compared to the Golem Car, the horsepower felt pathetic. Well, it was a bit harsh to use that monster machine as a standard. This vehicle was high-performance enough.

I focused on driving toward the castle. Any obstacles in the street were blown away by Alice’s magical bombardment as she flew ahead. It was easy for me since I just had to drive through the burning wreckage. She really is an incredibly reliable partner.

“Oh, there it is.”

Eventually, I got close enough to see the entirety of the castle. From here, it was almost a straight shot. There was no chance of getting lost.

However, a wall of people had formed, blocking the street. From here, I’d say they were about two hundred yards ahead.

The organization’s forces were congregating.

They stood in formation, rifles in hand. I was genuinely impressed.

“Quite a crowd. I must be popular. I should’ve thought of a cool autograph to give them.”

“How are we going to break through? The bridge is up,” Alice asked, flying right beside me.

Just as she pointed out, the bridge leading to the castle’s main gate had been raised. I could see it clearly even from this distance. A vehicle wouldn’t be able to cross that. We’d just plunge into the moat and get eaten by those shark-looking things. They must have sensed my approach and put the place on lockdown.

‘In that case, there’s only one way in.’

I kicked the vehicle’s door open. Feeling the wind rush in, I made a proposal to Alice.

“I’m under no obligation to play along with them. Let’s take a shortcut. Look, that area over there is wide open.”

“I see. Understood.”

When I pointed toward a specific spot, Alice nodded immediately. As usual, she was quick on the uptake. This was why I trusted her.

I placed several of my bombs on the passenger seat. Leaving them there, I leaned my body out of the vehicle. At that exact moment, the crowd blocking the street opened fire all at once. Bullets rained down on the hull. Some pierced through, whistling into the cabin.

“Let’s go!”

“Come!”

I kicked off the seat and jumped. I grabbed the extended arm of the Powered Suit and was pulled up with immense strength. Dangling from Alice, we began to ascend. In an instant, we soared over the heads of the mob blocking the street.

“Damn it! Aim at them! Aim at them, I said!”

The men on the street frantically tried to redirect their aim toward us. Immediately, the Powered Suit’s defensive magic deployed, shielding us from the shower of lead. Her gear was as versatile as ever.

I looked down at the crowd below and laughed.

“Haha! Do you really have time to be looking away?”

A few seconds later, the vehicle I’d abandoned plowed into them. It mowed them down, crushing them under its momentum. It had been accelerating hard; it wasn’t about to stop on its own.

As a finishing touch, I pressed the switch in my hand. The bombs I’d left behind detonated, and the vehicle went up in a massive pillar of fire. The men who had been so desperate to shoot us down were neutralized, sent flying by the shockwave. The vehicle that had breached the human barricade plummeted into the castle moat.

Having cleared the interference, Alice and I approached the castle at our leisure. I timed it right and let go of the arm. I rolled across the roof to cushion the impact. Alice landed with a heavy thud, dropping onto one knee. Without a hint of the finesse I’d used, the impact caused the roof to cave in, sending deep cracks spiderwebbing outward. The landing zone was on the verge of collapsing.

I offered a round of applause for her gallant entrance.

“Just like a superhero.”

“…Is that a compliment?”

“Of course. You’re the symbol of everyone’s dreams.”

“If you say so…”

Leaving a somewhat bewildered Alice behind, I constructed a blueprint of the castle in my mind. It was easy since I’d visited enough times to memorize the layout. Visualizing the location of Dorgu’s private chambers, I planted a bomb on a section of the roof. I backed off and blew it, creating a gaping hole.

We dropped inside.

“Alright, perfect. Just as calculated.”

We landed right at the entrance to Dorgu’s room. Now that we were here, there was no reason to hesitate. I’d get the job done before the castle guards could swarm us. I shoved the double doors open with both hands.

At the far end of the vast room stood Dorgu, having risen from his throne. That was actually rare; he was usually glued to that seat. I addressed him with my usual casual tone.

“This is sudden, but I’d like to quit the organization. Is there any paperwork I need to fill out?”

“…The only thing I want you to prepare are two headstones,” Dorgu stated quietly.

He was strangely calm. His voice even carried a hint of familiarity. However, his reptilian eyes harbored an ultimate bloodlust. It felt like his gaze alone could set a man on fire. Dorgu was absolutely livid—he was just barely holding it back with his willpower.

I continued the conversation, feigning ignorance.

“What a coincidence. I wanted to give you the same gift. How about making this castle your tomb? It’s a perfect fit for that massive body of yours.”

“Still as glib as ever… I’ll shut that mouth of yours soon enough.”

Dorgu grabbed a nearby pillar. No—it only looked like a pillar; in reality, it was a gigantic axe. Dorgu shouldered it effortlessly and began to approach, step by step.

His presence was overwhelming. He possessed the kind of power that triggered an instinctive terror in every living creature. I felt an uncontrollable trembling in my limbs, yet I slowly looked up at Dorgu.

Then, with a hot breath, I muttered.

“—This is the best. You’re going to be so worth blowing up.”

Making no effort to hide the grin spreading across my face, I lunged at Dorgu.