Manuke FPS Chapter 247

Published at 8th of May 2023 04:19:14 PM

In the innermost room of the underground temple, in a space that can only be seen as the throne room of the labyrinth, I clashed with Felix Mendoza, the Vice Master of the Rafflesia.

Both of us fired a blow intended to defeat the opponent, and I was swallowed by a mass of lightning that covered my field of view――the chin of the Thunder Dragon. Even with the light shielding function activated, my field of vision was covered in dazzling light, and the sound-collecting sensor malfunctioned due to the thunder like a dragon’s roar.

How long did it take for my vision to start recovering? It could have been five, ten minutes, or perhaps just a few seconds.

Looks like……I’m still alive…

Losing my sense of balance and feeling disgusted by the still ringing in my ears, I bent my knees――I put my forehead on the floor, and checked my entire body as if kneeling on the ground. The CBS protected my head and legs, mainly the torso. But the shield durability value was zero now, and it was in the cooldown period before it could be used again.　　

However, it’s also thanks to CBS that I was able to survive… my overcoat and the black German SS uniform were torn apart. The skin exposed was badly burned. 

There’s also something wrong with my head――I wonder if most of my hair was burnt, since I can feel the heat of the burn, but not my hair.

But, it was my arms that took the worst.

My arms that were supposedly holding the GE M134 Miniguns were nowhere to be seen. Felix’s blow had carbonized the GE M134 Minigun, causing it to crumble and scatter into bits.

As I pondered over my condition emotionlessly, I realized that I’ve been leaving myself defenseless. I immediately looked into the radar and tried to focus on any other sound that the sensor picked up other than the ringing on my ears.

Where did Felix go? Did I manage to kill him?!

There was not a single moving dot on the map. I also couldn’t hear anyone else other than me in this throne room.

I whipped my whole body, which was still weak, and managed to turn my gaze to the front and search for the place where Felix should have been―― What remained――was a pool of blood, as well as traces of copious amounts of blood leading to the depth of the throne. 

He also survived….

That’s what it means that there is no corpse. Considering the amount of bleeding, there is no doubt that I had inflicted considerable damage. But, I have to confirm the reason why he went to the back of the throne in that state.

I slowly got up as I felt that it was getting easier to move my body.

As time passes in a non-combat state, my body heals all wounds and activates a natural healing power to regenerate. Particles of light drifted around both shoulders, each cell rapidly regenerated, muscle fibers undulated like tentacles to form internal tissues, the particles of light combined into bones, and the lost arms are back to normal.

Particles of light enveloped my whole body, healing the burns, and the itchy feeling on my head must be proof that my hair is regenerating.

I looked over the entire throne room again while feeling my body slowly regenerate over time. Despite all the attacks, there wasn’t a single scratch in the throne room――no, I saw the floor and walls gouged out several times during the battle with Felix. All of them have been repaired just like my body.

This is definitely a labyrinth――then the small room behind the throne is the pedestal room.

After regenerating both hands and touching the entire body to check for any abnormalities, I fished out the Five-seveN and a magazine from the inventory, reloading the ammunition. There was no dot in the small room, and not a single sound could be heard, but it is just a precaution.

The door that led to the small room was a simple wooden door, and the door handle didn’t even look like it’s locked.

I turned the door handle quietly and slowly, inserting the Five-seveN’s muzzle into the slightly opened gap, and peeked inside――

“――so that’s why.”

In the small room surrounded by stone walls, there was only one teleportation magic circle.

Is this why Felix sent Kilik here? I don’t know where the transfer magic circle connects, but considering that there is no copying magic circle that will be the exit and that this is an underground temple where only men of the Royal family or Chancellor Zephanel can enter, this place must have also served as an escape route for the King or the heir to the throne to escape from the castle in case of emergency.

The destination of the teleportation magic circle should be far away from the Royal castle, otherwise, there would be no point in escaping. Looking at how the magic circle’s magic crest was no longer illuminated, it seems that it was made unusable on the exit side. It’s impossible to pursue them now…

However, I was able to repel the head of Rafflesia and its strongest enforcer away from the Royal Capital. The rebellion that the “Rafflesia” should’ve won, now should turn around in our favor now its two leaders had been driven away. 

When I returned to the throne room from the small room, I remembered that my clothes were in tatters. Activating the TSS with my thoughts, I opened the avatar customization and selected the costume again. Purchasing the missing items at the SHOP and replenishing the equipment. Since the current King had evacuated above ground first, I left the throne room and started walking.

“I’m running low on CP….”

I’ve been playing VMB for three years, and I’ve gotten CP by converting magic stones after falling into this world, but I’ve progressed from the labyrinth subjugation in the tunnel to this point with almost no resupply, and on top of that, I have continued to use it like cheap candies, such as extra purchases of firearms and support weapons, and splurging in the BOX. I have no regrets about that… but if I don’t quickly collect non-attribute magic stones and convert them to CP, my future activities and battles will be greatly restricted.

Yamigasa Company, an underling to the Rafflesia, had its affiliated merchants buy up non-attribute magic stones around the Royal Capital. But, it may calm down with the capture of Daikan, the chairman of the firm.

However, since it turns out that there are Pedigree Skills that require non-attribute magic stones as fuel, there is a possibility that they will continue to be in short supply.

If it’s difficult to collect all of them――then I have no choice but to earn it on my own.

“Once this is over, I’ll have to shut myself up in a labyrinth somewhere…”

I sighed and accelerated my pace following the dot that appeared on my radar. There is no doubt that it is the dot that indicates the current King, but it is not moving. It’s a little bit more to the ground, but did his legs stop due to injury or fatigue?　

Lowering my gun while maintaining a ready-to-shoot posture, I moved forward while keeping vigilance――

“Your Majesty, are you okay?!”

The current King sat down on a pitch-black road, leaning his back against the wall.

“Black Mask――no, the trespasser Schwartz――?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“What happened to my idiot son and Felix?”

“Both of them were heavily injured, but they managed to escape through the teleportation magic circle behind the throne room. Where does the circle connect to?”

Lending my shoulder to help support the current King, I lifted him up and slowly started walking towards the above ground. The current King’s breath was weakened, and a large amount of blood seeped out of the tattered clothes. Perhaps the results of a fierce battle.

I wonder if he had not received any healing magic in the interim, but I noticed that he had a magic disturbance ring around his neck just like Chancellor Bergman and the others.

“It connects to a forest around two miles southeast of the Royal Capital. There are only two guards, and from there it’s possible to go out to sea or cross to another country while traveling north.”

“Is it an escape route after all? But――”

“Yes, that’s right. That idiot son and Felix have left the Royal Capital. What’s going on outside, Roberto, Millenia, and Claire helped, right? Yuki, Khan, and Ark, are they safe?”

“Yes, they are all safe. After escaping Flyhigh with Duke Barga, they’re going to retake the transfer management building as a counteroffensive against the Rafflesia.”

“I see, then it would be a good idea for us to head there as well.”

“Yes, I will escape the royal castle and aim for the transfer control building. However, I would like His Majesty to evacuate to a safer place.”

“A safe place? Where is a safer place than a place near you, who could even repel Felix? In addition, if Yuki and Karn aren’t here, how did you come down to the underground temple?”

“I had Ashley Zephanel break the seal on the shrine. I’ll explain the safe place after we arrive outside.”

“Ashley … I see, so the next Head of Zephanel family helped?”

After we cleared each other’s doubts, we returned to the shrine from the underground temple. Having confirmed that there were no suspicious dots on the map floating in my field of vision, I went outside and summoned LVTP-5.

“So, this is the power of a Trespasser…”

The current King muttered that much, but he didn’t look that surprised. It seemed that the current King, who knows the truth about Magicless and Trespasser, was only interested in the summoning process, which was neither nor .

“Your Majesty, please evacuate to a safe place using the transfer magic circle first. Chancellor Bergman and the Queen are also waiting there. Ashley and members of “Lily of the Valley” are also in the area, and some maids have also been evacuated.”

“A transfer magic circle…. If I remember correctly, you were given special permission to use the magic circle because it was obtained outside of our territory. However, the rebellion of the Rafflesia must be suppressed as soon as possible. Assuming that you evacuated temporarily, how long will it take you to pick me up?”

The current King looked curiously at the inside of LVTP-5, where only the transfer magic circle was spread and went up the ramp.

“It depends on the situation in the transfer management building… After transferring to the fortified city of Barga, we will set up our headquarters there and lay out a copy magic circle.”

“If that’s the case, it won’t take long. Yuki has joined the fray, right? I’m more worried about whether or not the Transfer Management Building will remain functional――”

With a wry smile, the current king turned around, looked around LVTP-5 again, and added the words in a soft whisper.

“――Thank you for your help.”

The current King just said that, and without waiting for my reply, he poured blood on the transfer magic circle and transferred to the shooting range.

The King of the country had spoken――not as a member of a Royal family, but as a man who speaks words of gratitude. Even I, who lived in the previous world, can understand the significance.

The current King may have known me as a Trespasser and viewed me as an equal. If he had taken that attitude in front of Kilik and Felix, he would have given them crucial information about the Black Mask Shaft――me.

The Viceburn Empire treated Pedigree Skill holders as one of its pawns. If you turn it over, it shows that there are plenty of pieces with Pedigree Skill.

Returning LVTP-5 to the garage, escaping from the Royal Castle and heading to the transfer management building, I thought back. The Fourth Princess Cyril was nowhere near the Royal castle or Felix. I’m sure she was taken somewhere else…for example, by the Viceburn Empire?

After the King’s festival involving the phantom thief Nekoyanagi, which was also my first clash with Felix, the existence of the 17th Princess Cortine of the Drak Kingdom was revealed, and she was requested to marry into the Viceburn Empire. 

At first, I thought it was one of the conditions for making the Kingdom of Drak a vassal state, but there is no doubt that behind it was the intention to obtain the Pedigree Skill of the Kingdom of Drak.

In the past, the Kingdom of Drak also hunted the magicless in its own country, and wanted the blood and wisdom of the Trespassers.

However, the Viceburn Empire wasn’t satisfied within its own country, and while conquering other countries, they started collecting Pedigree Skills and gathered daughters of that lineage――no, did they conquer other countries in order to gather them?

I don’t know which one came first and what the real purpose is, but I can see the purpose of the Viceburn Empire.

But, what about the Rafflesia…. Come to think of it, the current King seems to have some idea about it…… Shall I ask him about it when I pick him up?

Chapter end