Chapter 488: Curse?

The best way to underestimate someone was to judge them based on common sense and stereotype them. It was a more terrifying method than what others might believe.

There were numerous examples of this phenomenon. For instance, the friendly older brother or sister next door could turn out to be a formidable Sword Master, or the seemingly amiable lady who whispered words of love might reveal herself to be a dragon that only emerged to play, or perhaps they were, in fact, the God of Destruction, weary of the world and simply waiting for an opportunity to lay waste to it.

Such stories were incredibly unbelievable, weren't they? Ordinary people would not readily embrace them. This was especially true for those who believed they were in control of the world according to their whims.

Davey left Reggie, who continued to stare incredulously at him even after being pushed away. He cracked his fingers while gazing at the towering stacks of boxes before him. These high-end cases contained pure plutium, and there were far more of them than he initially assumed.

After getting a tangible sense of the quantity, Davey realized he might need more than the ton he had estimated.

"Davey," Rinne reported, "has calculated the amount stored in the warehouse. There's a total of 1.32 tons of plutium in this storage warehouse."

It was only a ton, but considering the weight of the ore, there were actually quite a lot of them. Well, first things first, Davey began to store everything in his pocket plane.

Crack, crack... crack, crack, crack!!!

Cracks started to appear in the empty space in front of them the moment Davey waved his fingers. Next, he retrieved the card album from his pocket plane and tossed a card into the air.

'Though they may not heed even at the precipice of death, I've at least summoned an effective workforce,' Davey mused.

"Bwahahahahahahaha!"

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap!

The cursed triplets immediately began to run around, flaunting their gray skins. These three rascals had been created with the assistance of the Heavenly Demon, Davey's mentor in card arts, by mirroring his soul. They had once manifested in a parallel world to the Tionis Continent.

The beings generated from the reflection of the Heavenly Demon's soul possessed their own cool and majestic qualities. However, the individuals created from Davey's soul all had gray, emaciated bodies that could send shivers down one's spine. Anyone with discerning eyes would readily label them as 'undead' upon seeing them.

The trio, their eyes gleaming with various intentions, approached Davey right away.

Swoosh, swoosh...

Then, one of the rascals immediately formed a circle with one hand and prodded it with his index finger on the other. Naturally, Davey promptly kicked him the moment he initiated the crude action. Nevertheless, the rascal didn't display a hint of remorse on his face.

"Get to work, you punks."

'Their wages? As usual, they will be in arrears.'

The punks scattered and created a commotion upon hearing Davey's words. Nonetheless, they still commenced their movements. Despite their unruly appearance, they were individuals who carried out their tasks diligently.

They understood that if pure plutium was mishandled before undergoing further refinement, it would be rendered useless. However, one of the punks began to toy with one of the boxes, an action that promptly earned him a slap on the back of his head.

"Don't play around. I'll kill you."

Tch.

The punk clicked his tongue at Davey's words but carefully placed each box into his pocket plane one at a time.

After all, the trio were beings whose physical strength exceeded the ordinary level, and they would only grow stronger as Davey's soul strengthened. So, this kind of task was hardly worth mentioning in front of them.

Once the vast stockpile of plutium was stored in Davey's pocket plane, the warehouse felt noticeably emptier. Davey then returned the trio to their cards and left the warehouse.

"Already done?" Reggie, who had been anxiously looking around, greeted Davey.

"Let's head back. Things are probably chaotic there too."

Davey could sense Perserque's demonic energy from their previous location. There was a high likelihood that Laeuri had already betrayed them, and the Parasol group had likely infiltrated the place. Perserque wouldn't easily give up the only cure. However, there was no reason for Davey to take it easy.

"But... there might be a delay," Reggie said, looking at Davey and speaking cautiously.

"Why?"

"The freight elevator we used to get here is broken. It seems the Parasol group damaged it while they infiltrated the warehouse."

Davey nodded, but there was no reason for them to remain idle. Just because they couldn't return comfortably didn't mean they couldn't return at all.

As Reggie mentioned, the elevator was indeed completely destroyed. Davey couldn't help but gently rub his head and close his eyes for a moment upon seeing it. Then he said, "We can't help it."

The more Davey used his powers, the more intense his headaches became. He could endure the pain, but it was quite uncomfortable. It resembled the symptoms of mana depletion, but given his current mana reserves, he shouldn't be feeling this drained.

"Huh? How...?"

"We're heading there immediately. Hang on tight."

Thud!

"Aaaaaaaack!!!" Reggie's face was filled with shock as a bright light suddenly flashed beneath his feet. "What... What are you doing?!"

Boom!

However, Reggie's cries were drowned out by the deafening sound produced as they traversed through space.

Boom!!!

When they regained their senses, Reggie had already collapsed on the ground, appearing utterly drained. What met their eyes were Laeuri and the men in black uniforms sprawled on one side of the room, while a woman stood at the center.

The woman was an otherworldly beauty, with long silver hair, bright red eyes, and a pair of sleek black horns. Davey regarded her calmly, a slight smile on his face.

"It's not even the least bit interesting, is it? Because everything is as we expected."

"What... What the hell is this? Private First Class Leon!" Reggie sprang up and rushed toward Leon, who sat slumped in a corner of the room. "What's going on? Are you injured?"

"We encountered numerous traps on our way to retrieve the cure," Perserque explained as she handed the silver bottle to Davey. The metallic flask exuded a sense of profound importance with just one look.

"Is this the one?"

"You... What in the world are you..."

Davey turned to look at Laeuri, who couldn't rise from the ground. Her body bore numerous wounds, evidence of her strong resistance. She was fortunate that Perserque, who had a gentle nature, had dealt with her. If Davey and Perserque had switched roles, Laeuri might have been in a much worse state.

"A foreigner," Davey dismissed her briefly as he extended his hand toward Leon. "Was it worth it?"

Even after hearing Davey's completely casual tone, Leon still wore a smile.

"Am I in a dream...? I feel like a ghost has taken over my body."

"Being possessed is being possessed. It's a good thing if you can survive it."

"Did you accomplish what you set out to do?"

"It's all thanks to you."

Leon grinned cheerfully, but his cheerful expression quickly turned to a frown. "Ah. I'm dying."

Seeing his frown, Davey immediately cast a simple healing spell. White light extended from Davey's hands and seeped into Leon's wounds, gradually healing them.

"My god... My wounds..." Leon murmured in shock, looking up at Davey. "Ha... Wounds like that can be healed? It feels like a magical fairy tale."

"Well, it is real magic. You can't achieve this with mere genetic manipulation, can you?"

"Magic... Please tell me you're joking."

"I'm joking."

Even if Davey claimed it was real magic and not some form of genetic manipulation, he knew Leonhardt wouldn't believe it immediately. In the end, all Leonhardt could do was watch helplessly as his wounds healed and the pain in his body dissipated.

"That... Can I learn that?"

"No."

Leon sulked at Davey's straightforward and blunt response. "What a pity."

With Perserque watching over them, there were no casualties in their group. While she might be weaker compared to Davey, nobody present could handle her if she decided to give it her all.

"How's your body?" Davey inquired.

"It's fine," Perserque replied, waving her hands. Just like that, the black fog flowed from her feet and pressed down even harder on Laeuri.

"Kghhk..."

From Davey's perspective, Laeuri still seemed to be in disbelief, despite witnessing everything with her own eyes.

"It appears you pretended to know nothing and only betrayed them after they obtained the cure, right?" Davey remarked.

Laeuri remained silent.

"You should have considered why the plutium rods that blocked the entrance to this facility disappeared," Davey continued.

"Wait! Davey, what do you mean by that?" Leon interjected with surprise.

However, Davey paid him no mind.

"Thanks to that, it was easy to enter this place, wasn't it? Well, it's the same over there."

Reggie nodded. "She's a spy from Parasol..."

The people present found it hard to believe that Laeuri had betrayed them. Despite their hostile relationship, it was still challenging to accept that someone who had lived among them was an enemy.

"I shouldn't have allowed you into the survival base."

"What a shame," Laeuri said, her voice trailing off as if she had nothing more to say.

"What are you going to do with her, Davey?" Leon inquired.

"Why are you asking me that?"

Leon whistled when he looked up and noticed Perserque. "Hey, miss. This is the first time we've met. Where did you come from?"

"I've been with you from the very beginning," Perserque replied.

Davey chuckled upon hearing her words.

"Is that so? Miss, how about getting some coffee with me after this..."

"No."

"Wow. That's a straightforward way to decline someone," Leon remarked, retreating when Perserque firmly refused his offer.

Indeed, he had no reason to expect Perserque to entertain such an idea.

"Regarding this woman... I will let you deal with her," Perserque said, the black fog that pressed on Laeuri turning into chains that bound her tightly.

"This... this won't get undone, right?"

"If you're curious, we can try it on you."

"No, thank you. Corporal Laeuri, you're a traitor to mankind. I'd like to snap your neck in half right away, but I don't think you deserve such a lenient punishment. There might still be some Parasol individuals like you in the base."

Laeuri, crouching on the ground, looked up upon hearing Leon's words. Then, she asked, "Do you think you can get out of this place?"

"What?"

"If the cure gets out, it will be very difficult for us. We've been neglecting it because it wasn't worth risking our lives to retrieve it. However, if we allow you to take back that cure without even harming you, it will cause problems on our side as well, won't it?"

"What the hell are you trying to say?" Leon growled as he grabbed Laeuri by the collar.

'The organization's independent unit has likely already taken action. Their goal...'

—Exterminate all living beings in this place.

The voice that continued Laeuri's words came from a different source, emanating from the facility's voice transmission equipment. Everyone turned to locate the origin of the sound.

"That's quite surprising."

"Was it that old geezer Fraun or something?"

"I can't hear you. This is just a one-way communication transmission. Unfortunately, we can't allow an uncontrollable beast to remain alive."

Laeuri smiled helplessly at these words. "We'll all die together here. Aha... hahahahahaha! Ahahahahahahahahaha!!!"

It appeared that she had no fear of death, given her maniacal outburst.

"The entire city will be destroyed! The most powerful weapon our organization has created, a thermonuclear bomb, will obliterate this place!!!"

"A thermonuclear bomb?"

Everyone's eyes widened in shock upon hearing those words.

"What the hell are you talking about?! Explain!!!" Leon tightened his grip on Laeuri's collar and shook her.

Laeuri simply glared at him and said, "Are your ears just for show? With one detonation, this entire city will disintegrate into nothingness."

Their science and technology unit couldn't possibly have created something like that. It must have been a hidden contingency she had left behind.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!!!

Leon's face paled as the facility began to crumble and collapse. The revelation that a city-destroying weapon was approaching was a dire situation.

"Damn it! Run! Get out of this city immediately...!"

Davey grabbed Leon's shoulder before he could rush out. He then handed over the flask containing the cure as he raised his mana.

"Davey?"

"There. It's time to go back."

Leon looked at Davey in confusion. Then, a bright light enveloped everyone. When the light faded, only Laeuri, Rinne, Perserque, Davey, and... Leon remained.

"Huh?"

"What the hell? Why are you here?"

Perserque and Rinne were with Davey. As for Laeuri, since she was going to die anyway, there was no need to send her away. The others? Davey had sent them back, so why was Leon left here? Davey couldn't help but feel a bit flustered.

"Davey, did the spell fail?"

"That's impossible..." Davey muttered, but he couldn't hide his concern when his head suddenly throbbed with pain.

Altering the divine gifts was not a small price to pay. All he could do was sigh deeply as the sharp pain lingered in his head.

"Rinne. Fire a shot."

At his command, Rinne immediately manifested a massive weapon in one of her hands, pointing it toward the sky, adopting the posture as if she were about to fire a bazooka.

"Rinne has chosen the ultra-high heat piercing ray. Rinne estimates it will consume 40% of Rinne's power. Rinne requests control after firing."

"Shoot as much as you need."

Rinne's summoned weapon began to gather light upon Davey's command. Then, a brilliant flash of light shot out like a spear, drilling through the vast underground facility and cutting through the layers beneath the ground.

Leon gazed up at the suddenly revealed sky above the collapsing facility in shock. "What in the world was that...?"

"What do you mean, 'what'? It's a hole," Davey responded calmly as he left Laeuri to Perserque's care. He then grabbed Leon by the back of his neck and shot upward.

Being underground, Davey couldn't determine where the bomb would emerge. However, if the Princess of the Abyss truly existed, she would be observing the situation and would likely appear here if Davey waited.

As for Leon, it would be better for Davey to send him away, but Davey lacked both the time and the mana to do so.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaack!"

Davey ignored Leon's screams and continued ascending. Once they reached the surface, Davey spotted a green bomb hurtling toward them from the horizon. The green light moved at an incredible speed, drawing closer to the city.

"Now, let's all die together!!!" Laeuri's mad cry caused Leon to pale in terror.

Perserque attempted to create a protective barrier in Davey's place, but Davey was one step ahead. He had retrieved the Heavenly Demon's Card Album from his pocket plane.

In addition to the wild trio, Davey had also registered a majestic and powerful entity in his album. Although this creature resided in the Forest of Trials after forming a contract with Davey, its origin didn't matter. For mythical beasts, the barriers separating dimensions, except those separating parallel worlds, weren't particularly challenging to traverse.

"Megalodria, come forth," Davey commanded, and blinding light radiated from the card in his hand. A colossal black dragon appeared and unleashed a thunderous roar.

"Kghhk..."

Both Leon and Laeuri stared with wide eyes at the scene unfolding before them. The power exuded by the being in front of them sent shivers down their spines, and the overwhelming pressure weighed heavily on their bodies. This was a natural consequence since Megalodria's roar contained the aura and presence of a grand master-class entity.

Leon managed to remain conscious because Davey had anticipated this and had wrapped his body in a thin layer of mana. However, Laeuri, left unprotected, succumbed to the pressure and shock, bleeding from her eyes, nose, ears, and mouth before fainting.

"Keheok!" Leon groaned in pain, but he made sure to keep his eyes wide open, as if he didn't want to miss a moment of the immense black dragon before him.

[Contractor.]

The black dragon, Megalodria, spoke with a heavy and solemn voice.

"Go ahead, feast." Davey simply nodded and observed the storm dragon king, who appeared to have undergone a transformation, as if he had evolved once more.

Vwoooooooong!!!

Megalodria unfurled his four pairs of wings and ascended into the sky. Then, he opened his mouth, pointing it at the rapidly approaching bomb.

Shiiiiing... Vwooooooooong!!!

Simultaneously, a pitch-black Breath emanated from his jaws. Before long, a blinding light enveloped the entire world.