Volume 3 Chapter 178: A Hundred Emblems Of Death

The ruined dungeon continued to tremble beneath the lingering force of Ryota's final attack.

Fragments of stone rained from the damaged ceiling, scattering across the shattered floor as thick clouds of dust drifted through the chamber. The once-sturdy walls were now little more than fractured pillars covered in enormous cracks, and several sections had collapsed entirely, exposing the dark earth beneath the dungeon. At the center of the destruction lay a massive crater, its jagged edges cutting through the remains of the floor like the aftermath of a devastating natural disaster.

The battlefield was almost unrecognizable.

Necroshama's soldiers lay scattered throughout the chamber. Some groaned as they struggled to move their battered bodies, while others remained motionless beneath broken pieces of armor and shattered weapons. Those who had been defeated had already begun dissolving into particles of light, their bodies disappearing as the system registered their deaths.

The survivors could only stare at the destruction in disbelief.

They had entered the hidden dungeon convinced that their numerical advantage would be enough to overwhelm two experienced players and a handful of beginners. They had brought rifles, swords, heavy weapons, and enough reinforcements to turn the entire chamber into a killing ground. Their plan had been straightforward: surround their targets, overwhelm them with firepower, and teach anyone who dared humiliate Necroshama a lesson they would never forget.

Yet their formation had collapsed.

Their weapons were broken, their strongest fighters were barely standing, and the two people they had come to punish remained on their feet.

At the center of the crater, Ryota casually released the remains of Erik's hammer. The shattered weapon slipped from his hand and struck the ground with a pathetic metallic clatter, sending a few fragments skidding across the stone.

Erik stared at it.

For several seconds, he seemed incapable of understanding what he was seeing. His new hammer had been expensive, and he had spent a considerable amount of money acquiring it after Rio humiliated him earlier. It was supposed to represent a significant improvement over his previous equipment, a weapon powerful enough to crush opponents who dared challenge Necroshama's authority.

Instead, Ryota had caught it with one hand and destroyed it as though it were nothing more than a cheap piece of scrap metal.

Ryota brushed his palm against his trousers, removing a few specks of dust. He glanced at the broken fragments scattered around his feet before giving a thoughtful nod.

"Hmm. Not bad."

Erik's eye twitched.

"YOU—!"

Ryota tilted his head, seemingly confused by the outburst.

"What? It was a pretty sturdy hammer." He looked down at the remains again, then added with a small, sympathetic smile, "Shame about the quality control, though."

"YOU DESTROYED IT!"

"Yeah, I noticed."

Erik looked as though he might explode on the spot.

Ryota merely smiled, apparently unconcerned by the fury directed at him. The difference between the two men was humiliating. Erik had charged forward with the confidence of someone who believed his rank and equipment made him untouchable. Ryota, meanwhile, had stopped his attack with one hand, manipulated the force behind it, and crushed the weapon without even needing to draw his sword.

The entire exchange had lasted only a few seconds.

For the remaining Necroshama players, it was a devastating demonstration of how little their captain's strength mattered against someone capable of manipulating the very force behind an attack.

Before Erik could attempt another reckless charge, however, a shadow moved behind him.

Rio had already crossed the battlefield.

Her silver hair swayed as she stepped through the drifting dust, Crimson Bloodmoon resting in her right hand. The dark-red blade shimmered beneath the dungeon's damaged lights, while the blue-and-scarlet aura surrounding her body continued to distort the air. She moved with the same calm composure she had displayed throughout the battle, as though the destruction around her were nothing more than an inconvenience.

Erik sensed something behind him.

His shoulders stiffened, and he began to turn.

Too late.

Rio pivoted on one foot and delivered a sharp spinning kick directly into his side.

THUD!

The impact lifted Erik cleanly off the ground. His body flew sideways, his damaged armor scraping against the broken stone as he crashed into Redus, who had only just managed to regain his balance.

"Gah—!"

Redus barely had time to raise his arms before Erik slammed into him. Both men staggered backward, their boots sliding across the debris until they finally managed to stop themselves from falling.

Rio completed her turn and lowered her kicking leg. She did not even look particularly impressed with herself.

"Sorry," she said casually. "You were standing in the way."

Erik stared at her in disbelief.

"YOU KICKED ME!"

Rio glanced at him as though he had pointed out something painfully obvious.

"Would you have preferred a sword?"

Erik immediately shut his mouth.

Behind her, Ryota burst out laughing.

"She's got a point!"

"SHUT UP!" Erik roared.

Rio ignored both of them and raised Crimson Bloodmoon.

The scarlet glow surrounding the blade intensified, and blue light gathered along its edge, forming a thin crescent that seemed to bend the air around it. The energy pulsed in time with the faint glow of Rio's eyes, creating a strange harmony between her weapon and the Lost Skill she had recently mastered.

A translucent notification flickered across her vision.

[Lost Skill: Chronos Eye — Active]

[Sword Skill: Chronos Melody]

Rio adjusted her grip, aligning the blade with the two officers struggling to recover in front of her.

"Let's finish this."

She moved her sword in a smooth horizontal arc.

A crescent-shaped wave of blue-and-scarlet energy tore away from Crimson Bloodmoon. Unlike an ordinary projected slash, the attack left a faint distortion in its wake, as though the space through which it traveled had briefly been separated from the normal flow of time. The crescent raced across the ruined chamber, cutting through the swirling dust as it headed directly toward Redus and Erik.

Redus's eyes widened.

"MOVE!"

He shoved Erik aside and attempted to leap out of the attack's path, but his damaged condition and the narrow space around him left him with little room to maneuver.

The slash reached them before either man could escape.

BOOOOOOM!

Chronos Melody struck with a violent burst of blue-scarlet light. The impact sent broken stones flying across the chamber and forced nearby Necroshama soldiers to shield their faces. Redus was thrown backward, while Erik tumbled across the floor and crashed against the base of a shattered pillar.

For a brief moment, the battlefield was illuminated by the fading crescent of temporal energy.

Then the light disappeared, leaving only the dust and the sound of crumbling stone.

Rio was already moving.

She dashed through the opening created by her attack, her boots barely touching the ground as she accelerated toward the fallen officers. Several Necroshama swordsmen rushed forward to intercept her, desperate to prevent their leaders from being attacked again.

One swung a longsword toward her shoulder, while another thrust his blade toward her abdomen. A third attempted to cut off her escape route from the side, hoping to trap her between their weapons before she could reach Redus.

Their coordination was decent. Against an ordinary player, the combination would have forced a difficult defensive exchange, leaving little room to dodge without exposing oneself to another attack.

Against Rio, however, it was barely an inconvenience.

She shifted her weight and allowed the first sword to pass harmlessly beside her. Crimson Bloodmoon rose to deflect the second attack, its crimson edge sliding against the enemy's blade with a sharp metallic ring. Before the swordsman could recover, Rio rotated her wrist and stepped through the narrow gap between the two attackers.

A short, precise cut followed.

The first player collapsed as his health was depleted, his avatar dissolving into particles of light.

Rio pivoted before the second swordsman could recover. Her blade passed through the gap in his guard in a single clean motion, and he vanished moments later.

The third swordsman hesitated.

That hesitation cost him everything.

Rio advanced, Crimson Bloodmoon flashing once beneath the blue aura surrounding her body. The player fell before he could complete his next swing, his weapon clattering against the stone as his avatar disappeared.

Rio continued forward without breaking stride.

To the remaining Necroshama soldiers, it was becoming increasingly difficult to believe that they were fighting the same woman who had stood quietly beside Suo only minutes earlier.

Rio was not simply faster than them. She seemed to understand their attacks before they had fully committed to them, moving through their formation with an unsettling economy of motion. She never wasted a step or swung her blade farther than necessary. Every movement served a purpose, and every opening she created was exploited immediately.

More importantly, she was not relying on speed alone.

She was using the battlefield itself, the enemies' positions, and their own attempts to stop her against them. Whenever someone stepped forward to block her path, she found another way through. Whenever someone tried to coordinate an attack, she disrupted it before the formation could fully develop.

And every time someone tried to stop her, another Necroshama player fell.

"GET HER!" Redus shouted furiously.

"STOP HER BEFORE SHE REACHES US!"

Several swordsmen obeyed immediately, charging from both sides in an attempt to surround Rio before she could reach their captain. Their weapons rose in a coordinated barrage, steel flashing beneath the damaged ceiling as they tried to overwhelm her with simultaneous attacks.

Rio's eyes narrowed.

The air around her became strangely still.

[Lost Skill: Chronos Eye — Temporal Manipulation]

Time warped around Redus.

The officer had just managed to push himself upright when the world suddenly seemed to thicken around him. His arms became sluggish, his legs struggled to respond, and even the dust drifting through the air appeared to move more slowly. He tried to turn toward Rio, but the motion felt strangely disconnected from his intentions, as though his body had fallen behind his own thoughts.

His eyes widened.

"W-What is this—?"

Rio was already in front of him.

Crimson Bloodmoon flashed.

The first strike cut across his armor before he could raise his weapon. A second blow struck his shoulder, followed by a third across his side and a fourth across his chest. Each movement was controlled and deliberate, with Rio shifting her stance between strikes to attack from angles his slowed body could barely follow.

Redus tried to raise his greatsword.

His arms moved as though they were trapped beneath an invisible weight. He could see Rio attacking him, but the connection between thought and movement had become frustratingly sluggish. Every attempt to defend himself came too late.

Rio stepped around his guard and struck again.

The effect of Chronos Eye would last only a short time, but she had no intention of wasting even a fraction of it. She delivered several more precise cuts before the temporal distortion began to fade, exploiting every moment in which Redus remained unable to respond effectively.

Then the world snapped back to its normal rhythm.

Redus stumbled forward.

His greatsword slipped from his hand and crashed against the floor. For a moment, he remained standing through sheer stubbornness, his body refusing to acknowledge the damage he had suffered. Then his knees buckled, and he dropped to one knee, his armor covered in deep cuts and his health bar dangerously low.

He looked up at Rio.

She stood before him with Crimson Bloodmoon held loosely at her side.

There was no triumph in her expression, only a quiet disappointment.

"You really should have surrendered when you had the chance."

Redus clenched his teeth. He tried to answer, but pain and exhaustion made it difficult to form a coherent sentence.

Behind Rio, the remaining Necroshama players were beginning to panic. Their officers had been defeated, their formation had been destroyed, and their weapons were scattered across the chamber. The two enemies they had underestimated were still fighting as though they had barely warmed up.

Ryota noticed their hesitation.

He turned toward the surviving group and slowly drew his sword. His gaze moved across the remaining players, counting their numbers and judging the distance between their positions. Unlike Rio, he did not possess her experience with advanced swordsmanship or her mastery of Chronos Eye.

But he did have Scalular Impact.

And he had recently discovered that the skill could do considerably more than protect him from incoming attacks.

Ryota lifted his sword and gave the remaining Necroshama soldiers an easygoing smile.

"Well, I guess it's my turn."

A pale glow spread along his weapon as a system notification appeared before him.

[Sword Skill: Radiant Cascade]

Light gathered around Ryota's blade.

At first, it resembled a small sphere hovering just above the weapon. A second sphere appeared beside it, followed by a third and a fourth. Within seconds, dozens of luminous projectiles had formed around him, each one pulsing with concentrated energy. Their light illuminated the dust-filled chamber, casting shifting shadows across the ruined walls.

The remaining Necroshama soldiers stared at the display.

One of them swallowed nervously.

"What's that?"

Ryota tilted his head, considering the question.

"Honestly? I'm about to find out."

He swung his sword forward.

FWOOOOOSH!

The spheres launched.

A barrage of radiant projectiles streaked across the dungeon, filling the air with brilliant trails of light. They spread outward as they traveled, covering a wide section of the battlefield and forcing the surviving Necroshama players to scatter. The projectiles moved quickly enough that several players barely had time to react before the first wave reached them.

Some attempted to dodge, throwing themselves behind broken pillars or leaping across the fractured floor. Others raised shields in desperate attempts to protect themselves, while a few fired their rifles in the hope of destroying the incoming projectiles before they could reach the formation.

Ryota had already anticipated that they would try to defend themselves.

He extended his free hand.

"Scalular Impact."

The air trembled.

Ryota manipulated the force behind the moving spheres, intensifying their impacts as they accelerated toward their targets. Their light grew brighter, and the pressure surrounding each projectile increased until the entire barrage seemed to vibrate with destructive energy.

The first sphere struck the floor.

BOOOOOOM!

Stone erupted upward, scattering fragments across the chamber. A second projectile slammed into a cluster of swordsmen, throwing them backward through the air. Several more struck the surrounding walls, punching enormous holes through the ancient stone and sending chunks of masonry crashing across the battlefield.

Then the rest arrived.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOOOM!

The dungeon shook violently.

Radiant Cascade swept through the remaining Necroshama formation, while Scalular Impact magnified the force behind each collision. The combined attacks tore apart the already damaged floor, collapsing weakened sections of the chamber and shattering the pillars that supported the ceiling.

A giant crater opened beneath the soldiers.

The walls fractured from floor to ceiling, and enormous chunks of stone broke free, crashing down around the survivors. Those caught in the barrage were hurled away by the impacts, while others lost their footing as the ground beneath them split apart.

The final explosion drowned out every remaining shout.

For several seconds, the entire dungeon was engulfed in dust and brilliant light.

Then everything fell quiet.

Ryota lowered his sword and stared at the destruction.

The crater was enormous. Its edges had split the dungeon floor into jagged layers, while the surrounding walls had been reduced to broken stone and exposed support beams. Radiant Cascade had left deep impact marks everywhere, and the force amplified by Scalular Impact had transformed the chamber into a ruin.

Ryota blinked.

"...Oops."

Rio glanced over her shoulder.

"Ryota."

He immediately straightened, looking at her with the expression of someone who had already prepared a defense.

"Before you say anything, I want to point out that the dungeon was already damaged."

Rio looked at the crater, then at the shattered walls, before slowly turning her gaze back toward him.

"By us."

Ryota considered that for a moment.

"Right."

He gave her a sheepish smile.

"Then I suppose I can't use that excuse."

Despite the absurdity of his response, Rio could not help allowing a small smile to form. There were times when she genuinely wondered whether Ryota understood the meaning of restraint. Given the destruction surrounding them, she suspected that he did understand it perfectly well; he simply had an unusual talent for forgetting about it at the most inconvenient moments.

The battle was over.

Most of Necroshama's remaining players lay unconscious across the ruined chamber. Others had been defeated by the attack, their avatars dissolving into particles of light as the system registered their deaths. A few survivors groaned as they tried to crawl away from the crater, but none appeared capable of continuing the fight.

Redus remained on one knee, his body covered in wounds and his armor shattered. Erik had managed to drag himself upright against a broken pillar, one hand clutching his side as he stared at the wreckage of his hammer.

Neither officer looked anything like the arrogant men who had arrived earlier.

Rio and Ryota exchanged a brief glance before beginning to walk toward them.

Their footsteps echoed through the ruined chamber as the dust slowly settled around them. Rio kept Crimson Bloodmoon pointed toward the ground, but the blue-scarlet aura surrounding the blade made it clear that she could attack again at any moment. Ryota followed a few steps behind, his sword resting against his shoulder as though he were returning from an ordinary training session.

Redus looked up as they approached.

Rio stopped several paces away and raised her blade, pointing its tip directly at him.

"Any last words?"

Redus stared at the weapon.

For a moment, his expression remained unreadable. Then, despite his battered condition, he smirked.

"You think you've won?"

Ryota raised an eyebrow and glanced around the chamber.

"Considering the crater, the broken weapons, and the fifty people lying on the floor, I'd say we're doing pretty well."

Erik glared at him.

"Shut up!"

Ryota shrugged.

"Just making an observation."

Redus slowly lifted his head, ignoring the pain visible in every movement.

"You have no idea what you've started. Necroshama doesn't forgive humiliation, and we don't abandon our own."

Rio's expression did not change.

"Then perhaps your guild should teach its members not to threaten people who can defend themselves."

Redus's smirk widened.

"That's the problem with you people. You think strength is enough."

He glanced toward the entrance.

"And you think this is over."

A distant metallic sound echoed through the dungeon.

Rio's eyes narrowed, and Ryota immediately turned his head toward the entrance. The sound had been faint, almost indistinguishable from the occasional collapse of loose stone, but it was followed by something far more recognizable.

Footsteps.

Many footsteps.

They were approaching quickly from beyond the damaged entrance, accompanied by the clatter of equipment and the unmistakable sound of weapons being raised.

The chamber's remaining light caught the barrels of dozens of rifles as another group of Necroshama players rushed into the dungeon. They wore the same guild emblems as the defeated soldiers, and several carried swords, spears, and heavy weapons. Their numbers quickly filled the entrance, with additional players gathering behind them in the passageway.

Their arrival was so sudden that even Suo, who had been helping Rabbit remain behind Rio's protective position, stiffened in alarm.

"Oh, come on," Ryota muttered. "There are more of them?"

The new arrivals immediately spread out across the entrance and surrounding passages. Their rifles rose in unison, forming a firing line aimed directly at Rio and Ryota.

Redus laughed.

It was a strained sound, but the satisfaction in it was unmistakable.

"There you are."

He looked toward Rio, his earlier humiliation seemingly forgotten beneath the renewed confidence brought by his reinforcements.

"You may have beaten the first group, but that doesn't matter. Necroshama has people stationed throughout this area. Every time you defeat one group, another will arrive."

His smile became more vicious.

"We'll keep calling reinforcements until you collapse. You can keep fighting if you want, but eventually you'll run out of mana, stamina, and strength. Then we'll finish what we started."

Rio studied the new formation without answering.

The number of incoming players was concerning, but not for the reason Redus expected. The entrance was narrow, the dungeon was already unstable, and the reinforcement group had crowded into the same area without properly assessing the damage to the surrounding walls. Their weapons and numbers might have been formidable in an open battlefield, but the confined passage made it difficult for them to maneuver without interfering with one another.

They had numbers.

But they had no formation suited to the terrain.

And they had made one crucial mistake.

They assumed Rio and Ryota had no one else watching their backs.

The riflemen opened fire.

"SHOOT!"

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The first volley thundered through the dungeon.

Rio shifted her stance, preparing to respond, but before she could raise Crimson Bloodmoon, Ryota stepped forward and punched the ground.

"Scalular Impact!"

The force surged through the stone beneath his fist.

With a deafening rumble, the earth rose in front of them. A thick wall of broken rock thrust upward from the dungeon floor, forming a barrier between the incoming bullets and everyone behind it. The sudden movement sent dust and loose fragments scattering through the air, but the barrier rose quickly enough to intercept the entire volley.

TAK-TAK-TAK-TAK!

Bullets struck the stone and sparked against its surface. Fragments chipped away from the barrier under the repeated impacts, yet the wall held long enough to protect the group.

Suo pulled Rabbit farther down behind the raised stone while Rio remained near the front, watching the barrier and listening to the gunfire. The sound of bullets striking rock continued for several seconds, punctuated by the occasional crack as another piece of stone broke away.

Redus's expression brightened.

"That's right! Keep hiding behind your little wall!"

He forced himself to stand, although his legs trembled beneath him and his battered armor made every movement painful.

"You can't stay behind it forever. We have more people outside, and more are on their way. We'll keep sending them in until you can't lift your weapons anymore!"

Ryota glanced at Rio.

"Well, that sounds annoying."

"Very," Rio replied.

Redus laughed again, his voice echoing through the ruined chamber.

"There's nowhere to run. You're trapped in this dungeon, surrounded by Necroshama. You can defeat ten groups, twenty groups, a hundred groups—it won't matter. Eventually, you'll collapse from exhaustion."

The rifle fire briefly stopped as the attackers prepared their next volley. Beyond the barrier, the newcomers shifted their positions, waiting for an order to continue shooting.

Redus spread his arms, savoring what he believed was the inevitable conclusion.

"You should have thought about that before humiliating us."

For several seconds, nobody answered.

Then a voice drifted through the smoke behind Redus.

Calm.

Amused.

Almost lazy.

"Is that so?"

Redus froze.

The voice had not come from the entrance.

It had come from behind him.

A faint sound followed, echoing through the chamber with deliberate rhythm.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Someone was applauding.

Slowly, Redus turned his head.

The first thing he saw was a crimson-haired woman standing among the shadows near the back of the chamber. She wore a relaxed smile, as though she had arrived in the middle of an entertaining performance. A familiar dagger rested in her hand, its blade gleaming darkly beneath the scattered light.

Sayanaki.

She tilted her head, her crimson eyes sweeping across the ruined battlefield before settling on Redus.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said pleasantly. "You were making such a convincing speech."

Redus's eyes widened.

"How did you—?"

Sayanaki ignored the question.

Instead, she opened her inventory.

A moment later, dozens of small objects appeared in her hand. They caught the light as she lifted them, their metallic surfaces reflecting the glow of the damaged dungeon. Without offering an explanation, she casually released them.

Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink.

Guild emblems scattered across the broken stone.

One after another, they bounced across the floor before settling into a growing pile near Redus's feet. The metallic clattering continued for several seconds, each emblem adding to the increasingly disturbing display.

Ten.

Twenty.

Fifty.

More.

By the time Sayanaki closed her inventory, the pile had grown to nearly a hundred emblems.

Every single one bore the insignia of Necroshama.

Silence swallowed the chamber.

Suo stared at the pile, unable to comprehend what she was seeing. Rabbit's mouth fell open, while Erik, still leaning against the broken pillar, looked as though he had forgotten how to breathe.

Even Redus's smirk disappeared.

He stared at the emblems, then slowly raised his gaze toward Sayanaki.

"No…"

Sayanaki smiled more broadly.

She casually wiped a streak of blood from Fenrir's Fang with a cloth, taking her time as though the conversation were nothing more than an ordinary exchange between acquaintances.

"They were on their way here, armed and ready to join your little party. I thought I'd say hello."

She flicked the cloth aside and inspected the blade, checking its surface before returning her attention to Redus.

"Unfortunately, none of them made it."

Her crimson eyes settled on him, and her smile acquired a hint of mischief.

"Such a shame. I was looking forward to meeting the rest of your guild."

For the first time since the battle began, Redus had absolutely nothing to say.

The reinforcements behind him lowered their rifles slightly. Several glanced at the emblems scattered across the floor, while others stared at Sayanaki as though they were looking at a monster who had somehow slipped past every guard and scout Necroshama possessed.

They had arrived expecting to overwhelm two exhausted opponents. Their confidence had rested on the assumption that more reinforcements would eventually guarantee victory, regardless of how many enemies they encountered along the way.

Instead, they had discovered that someone had already eliminated the force meant to reinforce them.

And judging by the nearly hundred guild emblems at Sayanaki's feet, she had not needed help doing it.

Sayanaki rested Fenrir's Fang against her shoulder and gave Redus one final, cheerful smile.

"So, Redus…"

Her voice was light, almost friendly, which somehow made the situation more unsettling.

"Do you still have more people coming?"

Redus stared at her.

Behind him, the newly arrived Necroshama players stood frozen, no longer certain whether they should continue aiming their weapons at Rio and Ryota or turn around and retreat from the woman who had appeared behind their formation.

The dungeon remained filled with dust, broken stone, and the faint blue-scarlet glow surrounding Rio's sword. Ryota stood beside the barrier he had raised, looking from Sayanaki to the mountain of guild emblems with undisguised curiosity.

Then he glanced toward Rio.

"She is definetely pretty scary."

Rio gave him a sidelong look.

"You say that as though you aren't one of the people responsible for turning this dungeon into a crater."

Ryota considered the ruined chamber.

"Fair point."

Sayanaki heard them and laughed softly, seemingly pleased that she had arrived at a moment when the situation was becoming interesting.

Redus, however, could no longer bring himself to laugh.

His reinforcements had arrived expecting a victory. Instead, they had walked into a battlefield where their strongest members were defeated, their weapons were shattered, and an unknown number of their guildmates had apparently been eliminated before they could even reach the dungeon.

The numbers that had once made him feel invincible now offered little comfort.

For the first time that night, Necroshama's overwhelming numbers no longer felt like an advantage.

They felt like a countdown.