NOVEL NEXT Chapter 101 Substitute
'But What the hell is going on? This event didn't exist in the game, so what the hell caused it to happen?' Dantalian thought as he leaped across the rooftops with golden energy covering his eyes and ears.
Dantalian stopped on top of a tavern's roof, taking a deep breath and sighing as a powerful wave of golden energy began to sweep through the city of Alastray. 'Whoever you are, I'm going to have a serious talk with you.'
With the golden energy heightening Dantalian's senses, he now remained immobile, emitting a golden glow as he concentrated on searching for Dealer. Within seconds, he detected Dealer's energy, stable and seemingly unaffected, with no signs of restraint; she didn't even appear to be tied up.
This made Dantalian suspicious, 'Wait, what's going on here?' Suddenly, a presence emerged, leaning against the wall beside Dealer, the figure's hand pointing forward in Dantalian's direction, accompanied by a smile.
'Krintoin energy... Fuck, so that was the price for Fiona's capture,' the golden energy ceased.
Now, the golden energy began to cover Dantalian's legs and arms, eventually forming a sort of helmet that enveloped his entire head. "You seem unaware of what happened to your last friend," Dantalian spoke, gazing towards Dealer and the potential servant of the fifteen or even one of the fifteen themselves.
Dantalian crouched down, placing one hand in front of his body to support himself on the roof. He moved his right leg back and took one last look at the spot where Dealer had been. Simultaneously, he covered the ground beneath his feet to absorb the shockwave, preventing the destruction of an establishment in his city, which trembled frantically after Dantalian leaped forward at an incredible speed.
Inside the tavern, a man with a red band across his face, diagonal from his left eye to the left side of his mouth and chin, noticed the liquid in his glass trembling. "Hmm, it seems like something fun is about to begin."
The man turned the glass, downing the rum all at once, and leaned his chair back, yawning, and saying, "Too bad I'm on vacation." With one eye closed, not covered by the band, the man began to doze off within seconds.
Far from the tavern, Dantalian had arrived in front of a theater. The grand facade of the building was tall and imposing, adorned with intricate carvings and elegant columns that reached towards the sky. The entrance was marked by a pair of massive wooden doors, richly decorated with golden ornaments and intricate patterns. Above the entrance, a large marquee displayed the name of the theater in bold, illuminated letters that softly glowed in the twilight.
The only problem with this majestic theater was that its owner had already passed away, and now it lay abandoned due to its closure, leading to a decrease in competition.
Dantalian kicked the door, destroying it, and spoke as he entered, "I hate show-offs. What are you trying to achieve by choosing a place like this?"
Unlike the facade, everything inside the theater was a mess, with posters and signs from other theaters dominating the floor and walls of the place. All the furniture and facilities, including the bathroom, were completely unusable.
The sound of clapping was heard, and from the ceiling, a man's head emerged, followed by the rest of his body, gently landing on the ground. He ran his hand through his hair and looked at Dantalian, saying, "Congratulations, you really found me?"
Dantalian looked incredulously at the man. The anger he had felt disappeared when he realized that this man wasn't even a servant at the level of the previous one. This made him point his finger and say, "Shut up, just release Dealer and disappear before I make you shut up myself."
"You... Are you underestimating me?" A snap could be heard, and the man's neck would tilt to the side. An eye opened in the center of his forehead, revealing complete darkness with a glowing red iris that looked intriguing. He spoke, "Know that I am a substitute, and my duty is to kill you and that ice pest."
Dantalian, who had previously paid no attention to the boy's appearance, smiled and said, "Oh, really? A substitute? You're quite a clever little brat, aren't you?" At that moment, Dantalian used the bonus in front of him. Before him stood the substitute of number fifteen, now a character already introduced. So what he said surprised the young man, "Sir Zaytren Manosverk."
Zaytren's third eye began to tremble even more frenetically, as if screaming with anger. At this moment, the boy's attire underwent a transformation. Previously, it was a simple and ordinary white shirt with black pants, but now it morphed into a maestro's outfit, complete with a black overcoat embellished with intricate designs of various blue eyes. His pale complexion accentuated his striking features, and his black hair and piercing green eyes calmed down in contrast to his enraged third eye.
Dantalian let out a short laugh as four shots of golden energy struck Zaytren, hitting both shoulders and both kneecaps. "You really love putting on a show, kid. Now, tell me where Dealer is."
"You're underestimating me..." Before Zaytren could finish speaking, Dantalian's right foot, covered in golden energy, kicked the boy's face, sending him flying away.
"You can't even dodge that, so the answer is no," Dantalian yawned, his golden energy emanating throughout the theater, allowing him to pinpoint exactly where Dealer was. He was surprised by what he saw. "Well, it seems she's busy at the moment. You're a decent person, huh? What a shame... Well, I'll kill you quickly then."
At that moment, Dantalian felt a strange sensation, as if thousands of people were watching him, even though there were only the three of them in the theater.
At that moment, Dantalian felt a strange sensation, as if thousands of people were watching him, even though there were only the three of them in the theater.
"What's wrong? Do you finally realize your mistake?" Zaytren spoke, appearing as multiple clones with a certain transparency in their bodies. However, Dantalian was only smiling as he watched smoke emanate from all the copies' faces.
"Of course, it was by giving you a too-small dose of poison," Dantalian said, stomping forcefully on the ground, sending a concentrated wave of golden energy throughout the room they were in.
"Ah, this burns... Is this what they told me about?" all the copies spoke in unison, screaming in pain.
"Oh, always the same reaction, are you all fools?" Dantalian yawned, leaping into the air, and as he descended to the ground, he began to create holes, rapidly descending through the floors. He stopped at the basement, the central stage of the theater, finding not only Zaytren with several burns on his body but also Dealer trapped in a magician's box.
"You really underestimated me," Zaytren smiled, giving the box a tap, and the image of a large blue eye appeared in front of him, closing its eyelids and disappearing.
"I'm sorry, you're right... That's why you need to learn a lesson," Dantalian said, vanishing and reappearing next to the boy, delivering a punch below his armpit while simultaneously kicking his left leg and punching his face, causing him to stumble towards the ground. However, Dantalian prevented him from falling by striking the back of his neck with his knee. Finally, he grabbed him by the hair, forming his hand into a sword-like shape and quickly striking his throat. He then turned his hand and pressed it against his neck, digging the tips of his nails into the skin, injecting the golden energy directly into his body.
The boy began to cough when a pair of enormous blue eyes appeared in front of him, closing and making him appear distant from Dantalian. 'Damn... I don't think I can handle him yet,' he thought, considering giving up, but the memory of his conversation with his new master appeared in his mind. 'No... If I give up now, I won't be able to live a good life anyway.'
"Blue Eyes... Teleport," Dantalian took a step forward, and his open hand covered in golden energy manifested as a giant death sign in front of Zaytren's face, making him swallow hard. A huge black eye then appeared between them, and hundreds of black arms attempted to hold Dantalian in place, but knowing it would be impossible to trap him, he launched his body away, crashing against the wall.
"Dantalian, you must die." The boy extended his hand as he watched a small golden light flying towards him. A gigantic red eye appeared in the center of the place, with hundreds, if not thousands, of runic symbols appearing within its iris, resembling the shadow of a dragon. When the eyelids of that eye closed, a strong red glow was emitted, visible throughout the entire city. "And here and now, I attain my paradise," the boy spoke, smiling as he was completely engulfed by the red light.