Chapter 215 It Was A Crushing, Overwhelming, And Unbearable
Isaac's outrageous blunder.
Eva's furious cry echoed.
At that moment, Aaron Gale had already risen quietly.
And then, he murmured, spitting out small words towards Isaac.
Eva's scream was so loud that it was almost impossible to hear, but everyone in the room heard those words clearly.
"""――――!!?"""
A sharp, gasping sound was heard from all directions.
Everyone's gaze was involuntarily fixed on Aaron, who had stood up. It wasn't because of the sharp meaning behind the words Aaron had spoken.
――Killing intent.
If a fierce beast were to attack right before your eyes, anyone would tremble with fear. But what if that existence could easily kill even a dragon? If someone were to receive a genuine killing intent from such an existence, they wouldn't be able to remain calm, no matter who they were.
Not even the members of the [Four Great Families of the Seals].
For the faint of heart, it was a crushing, overwhelming, and unbearable presence.
Anyone would instinctively think they were going to be killed.
In an instant, those who had lost their composure began to move reflexively.
The ones who had set up barriers in the 4 corners of the room, the heads of the [Four Great Families of the Seals], the members of the other 4 families, and those who served them, all turned pale with fear as they gazed at Aaron, the "enemy" who had appeared before them, and began to take action to eliminate him.
It wasn't something they had thought about.
It was a result of training to protect their own lives or the leader's life, and above all, a reflexive action driven by fear.
But that Selection was a bad move.
The magicians in the 4 corners pointed their staffs at Aaron, and the members of the 4 families, including the leader, drew their staffs from the Storage Ring in an instant.
However, the moment they took action, Aaron had already finished everything.
――――BOOOOMMMM!!!
And then, a black lightning bolt struck.
The black lightning attacked the magicians in the 4 corners, broke through the barrier that had been deployed without a moment's delay, and blew them out of the room through a large hole in the wall.
The massive thunder shook the others, paralyzing them.
And right after the black lightning dissipated, the people present were left speechless in shock.
"""――――!!?"""
――A black Aura Sword.
Innumerable black Aura Swords, at some point, had appeared, pointing their tips at the throats of everyone who had shown hostility, floating silently in the air.
"Uggghh!? Gggh...!!?"
Cries of agony echoed.
Upon looking, they saw that a black Aura Sword had pierced Isaac's right shoulder. His skin was covered with black veins, like plant roots or blood vessels, spreading from his neck to his cheek. It was likely that the "roots" had spread even further under his clothes.
Isaac, who had dropped his staff drawn from the Ring, was holding the area where the Aura Sword had pierced him with his left hand, sweating coldly as he gazed at Aaron.
Was it his pride as the leader, or was it something else, but he didn't even flinch in pain.
And like those who were stabbed with the Aura Sword, they didn't move a muscle.
In the silence that returned, Aaron opened his mouth again.
"――――Hey... are you going to kill her...?"
It wasn't a voice boiling with anger or murderous intent.
It was a flat, emotionless voice.
But precisely because of that, it was impossible not to feel a creepy sense of foreboding. If they made even the slightest mistake in their response, it wouldn't be a reason for Aaron to hold back.
(The reaction, impossible...!!)
Among all this, Lucia, who was sitting next to Aaron, was inwardly shocked.
Lucia Aron was――――strong.
Although she had lost her 2 abilities, "God's Descent" and "Possibility Perception", her combat experience against people was by no means small. And now, with the unlimited magical energy supplied by the "Evil God's Right Arm" and the enhancements to her brain and body abilities through nanomachines, there were hardly any stronger opponents than Lucia. Even with only Space magic, Lucia was incredibly powerful.
Yet, even Lucia couldn't react to Aaron's movements.
Aaron had raised his right arm to shoulder height, standing in a carefree stance, with the heavy attribute weapon――according to Fiona's memories, a sword called "Black-White"――gripped in his hand.
In other words, in the instant when the magicians pointed their staffs and the head of the families took out their staffs, Aaron had also drawn a sword from the Ring, swung it, and probably unleashed 2 sword techniques.
Two techniques: one that releases black lightning, and one that unleashes a black aura sword.
Lucia's dynamic vision caught the exact moment Aaron swung his sword. However, even though she saw the two techniques being released almost simultaneously, she couldn't respond to them. Simply put, Aaron was faster than Lucia's movements or magic activation.
The fact itself made her shiver down her spine.
(Unbelievable... Without the aid of devices, he's surpassing the warriors of Age of Gods!!)
Lucia knew the strength of the numerous heroes of Age of Gods who fought against [Evil God]. Moreover, it was Lucia herself, or her sisters, who stood at the pinnacle of those heroes.
Those heroes of Age of Gods were stronger than modern warriors when compared. Although some, like Aaron and Logan, had surpassed the realm of heroes, the strength of the heroes of Age of Gods was extremely high.
That was also because they possessed Brain Support Devices, which assisted in controlling their aura and magical energy.
But Aaron, who didn't have such devices, had surpassed the realm of heroes on his own.
Lucia felt a glimmer of hope at his irrational strength. Maybe now, they could finally defeat [Evil God].
(But this isn't the time to be rejoicing. I have to stop Aaron...!!)
Although the importance of the 4 houses had diminished, their social and international standing was extremely high. At a time when they were about to defeat [Evil God], they couldn't afford to kill them and make Aaron a global criminal.
Right now, if Aaron kills Isaac, the cooperative system with the 4 houses and the Guild, ≪Wooden Sword Way≫, would become hopeless, and the 4 houses and the Council would have no choice but to capture Aaron.
Aaron could either counterattack or escape, but either way, it would compromise their countermeasures against the [Evil God].
(The only one who can stop Aaron right now is Fiona...)
She averted her gaze from Aaron and turned it to Fiona, who was sitting on the opposite side. Although she must have been shocked by Isaac's words, she thought that relying on Fiona was the most promising option to calm Aaron down.
"Fiona――."
"...Huh?!!"
However, the moment she turned to her, Lucia realized.
(Ah, no...!! She's completely making a maiden's face...!!)
Fiona was gazing up at Aaron, who had stood up, with a maidenly expression.
If she thought about who Aaron was doing this for, it wasn't unreasonable, but as Lucia, she had lost her greatest hope. Her voice wasn't even being heard.
So, she clung to a faint possibility and turned her gaze to Io.
As a friend, Io might be able to calm Aaron down a bit, even if he couldn't stop him.
"Io, please stop Aaron...!!"
In response to those words, Io murmured "Hmm..." and then answered, seemingly without much thought.
"...The way the [Four Great Families of the Seals] is acting, I'm also starting to feel suspicious. And the comment made to our clan member just now is simply unacceptable. She's the hero who's been achieving overly great results as an explorer, taking down the 'core' in this Stampede. To say such a thing to her... Honestly, I don't see any reason to side with the Four Families."
"......!!"
That's true. Even Lucia thinks Io's comment was perfectly natural.
Besides, Io's friends have been in a socially hopeless situation due to the Four Families' circumstances. He must have thought so from the start.
Lucia, who had lost her words to counter, turned her gaze to Garon, who was standing next to Io.
"Garon, please stop Aaron...!!"
"Lady Lucia... yes."
Garon, who serves Kirke, nodded with a bitter expression, as if he had bitten into something bitter. His master, Isaac, was in a critical situation, after all.
He quickly turned to face Aaron and opened his mouth.
"Aaron, if we oppose the Four Families here, it'll only lead to trouble later. Do you plan on running away from the world? Can't we just sheathe our swords and resolve this through discussion?"
"――――Ha?"
Aaron glared at Garon with a fierce, murderous gaze.
However, Garon didn't change his expression at all, nodded, and said, "I see, got it," before turning to face Lucia.
"――――It didn't work out."
(Giving up so easily...!!)
She thought Garon should have persisted a bit more, considering his master was in a pinch, but maybe he had his own reasons too.
But, not yet――Lucia shifted her gaze to the last one remaining.
Even though it was a stretch, Aaron had heard Garon's words. If she thought about it optimistically, as long as it was a friend's words, at the very least, there was still an ear to listen――or so.
"Glen, take care of Aaron――."
"Zzz..."
"......"
Glen was lying on the sofa, sleeping with a carefree face. Who knew how long she'd been sleeping? Despite all the commotion, she didn't even flinch, which was somehow impressive.
Lucia gave up on relying on Glen.
(After all, the only one I can rely on is myself...)
Moreover, Aaron hadn't completely lost himself. That was evident from the fact that Isaac was still alive.
If Aaron truly thought he didn't need the cooperation of the Four Houses, he would've cut off Isaac's head the moment he misspoke.
On the contrary, the fact that he didn't do so was proof that he still retained a shred of rationality.
(It's okay... Aaron probably understands.)
Aaron's instincts regarding battles were sharp. Therefore, if he were to turn the Four Houses into enemies, he understood――or rather, sensed that Fiona would be pushed into an even more dangerous situation for various reasons. That's why he was holding back by a hair's breadth.
――All of it, including his anger and self-control, was for Fiona's sake.
Lucia got down from the sofa and grasped the hem of Aaron's jacket as if to grab it.
Then, without looking at Aaron's face, she spoke words of persuasion.
"Aaron, don't let Fiona get involved. And if Fiona dies, there's a bad reason too."
That was a message not only for Aaron but also for the members of the Four Houses, warning them not to think of anything strange.
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