Bermuda

Nero, gripping a chunk of flesh more than ten times the size of his own body, spun once and threw the mother body’s leg far away. The heavy leg flew with a “bwoong” sound before colliding with a nearby mountainside and plummeting to the ground.

Following this, a savage boom echoed as if a heavy boulder had fallen, and dust instantly rose up to 200m into the air above the impact point. As it settled, a vast sinkhole—formed as the massive flesh sank into the ground—gradually revealed itself.

As the ground cracked around the black hole, the swarming monsters screamed and sank. Seeing this, Nero rose over the mother body writhing in pain and concentrated mana in both hands.

Black smoke, rotating at high speed, billowed from his grip, and within it, red flames flickered threateningly and surged. Nero gradually widened his hands, maximizing the size of the flame.

Soon, Nero raised the fireball—now large enough to engulf his body—high above his head and threw it toward the mother body while chanting a spell.

“Blast Bomb.”

With his low voice, he clenched his fist, and the flying fireball shattered in mid-air as if on cue.

The sparks, scattered like broken glass shards, streaked the sky as they fell toward the ground. They were extremely small, barely visible as thin lines, but a few seconds later, when they hit the ground, a fierce shockwave of tremendous power swept through the mountain range.

Kieeek-

Kyaaak-

Each spark embedded itself in the ground like a meteor, triggering a chain of explosions. More than half the bodies of nearby monsters were blown away, and their sharp, piercing cries filled the area.

As these terrifying sparks touched its hide and seemed about to explode, the queen descended rapidly, roaring fiercely amid the blasts. Then it crawled into the midst of the swarming monsters and covered its entire hide with their bodies. It was using its offspring as shields to protect its body from the falling bombardment and explosions.

Kuung- Kwaaang!

The monsters, controlled by ultrasonic waves, trampled over each other and crawled up to protect the queen even as their flesh burst. The sight of them swarming like a seething mass of bees was not pleasant to look at, so Nero frowned and fired three more fireballs at the center.

This created a deep-looking hole in the large mass of entangled creatures for a very brief moment. But it was truly only a moment, as newly attached monsters filled the area, closing the gap in the blink of an eye.

Hugo, who was watching this scene from not far away, narrowed his eyes. Then, as threatening sparks flew near the ice wall, he furrowed his brow and shifted position.

He immediately deployed a wide magic circle in front of him with the ice wall at his back, then created a strong wind to counter the sparks riding the gust.

Ice needles shot diagonally like rain from the blue, flashing magic circle, intercepting and bursting the sparks flying in all directions in mid-air. However, perhaps because the surface area of the sparks was so small, he couldn’t shoot them all down, and consecutive explosions erupted above the members as they hurriedly raised barriers.

As the blasts knocked down the members and even cracked the surface of the ice wall, Hugo clicked his tongue with a displeased expression and coldly muttered.

“Friend or foe.”

The stronger the mana possessed by natural element mages, including those of the four elements, the higher the degree of assimilation between their attribute and body. Considering this, the aura and extraordinary combat skills of that person were clearly not those of an ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) ordinary member. If there had been someone in the Council who could handle fire to that extent, he, as the Commander, would certainly have known.

That appearance—not just freely using fire-attribute magic, but almost as if fused with fire itself—gave Hugo a sense of déjà vu as he gauged the other’s identity and abilities. This was because the movements, patterns, and attack methods were very similar to those of the “strongest fire” he knew. There were considerable overlaps, as if one side had been observing and learning from the other for a long time.

And at that moment, Hugo’s eyes widened as he instinctively looked around, scanning his surroundings.

‘Where is Leonardo?’

It was clearly that person who had taken the injured Leonardo and flown to a distant place. But now that he had returned, Leonardo was nowhere to be seen. If he were nearby, Hugo would certainly have felt his energy or presence... Among the “fires” currently detected in the vicinity, Leonardo was not present.

As certainty set in, it quickly turned to anxiety. Various unpleasant thoughts flashed through Hugo’s mind.

This was followed by self-reproach for his complacency in allowing the abduction by an unknown person right before his eyes. But Hugo, with no time for deep thought, instantly teleported to Nero’s side as he was pouring attacks on the monsters. Then, taking advantage of the other’s moment of distraction, he reached out and grabbed Nero’s collar in one swift motion.

“Hey, you-”

A chill, savage voice dug into the base of Nero’s neck. As powerful arm strength pulled him close, Nero, startled, instinctively stretched his arm toward Hugo, still gripping a fireball. Hugo also flinched for a moment at the fierce energy emanating from its tip.

‘Killing intent?’

As the boiling fireball in his hand was thrust before his eyes, Hugo reflexively tilted his head to avoid it while pushing the other’s arm outward. In the blink of an eye, the ultra-high-temperature magic fired past the side of his head, and dense steam rose into the air as the energies emitted by the two clashed.

Nero, his eyes turning cold with bewilderment at the unexpected situation, glanced at his arm where the Commander’s hand had touched. White steam was violently billowing from the point of contact, and though it was hidden by clothing and hard to tell, this sensation as if his flesh were being torn was clearly the pain of frostbite.

Nero stared at the ice crystals stuck to his clothing, then looked at Hugo with incredulous eyes.

‘This bastard, did he just freeze my arm? He froze my fire right before it attacked?’

“Where is Leonardo?”

As if Nero’s confusion didn’t matter at all, Hugo asked coldly while pressing him with fierce momentum.

As force was applied to his frozen arm and those chilling eyes drew even closer, Nero, judging that his arm might break at this rate, immediately grasped the other’s wrist. Then, instantly removing the Commander’s hand, he caused a small explosion between them.

Kwaaang-!

Hugo, sensing the sign, shook off Nero and likewise widened the distance. Nero, barely escaping from Hugo, grasped his frozen arm and melted it while trying to suppress his agitation as he responded coldly.

“I’ve placed him somewhere safe, so don’t worry. But isn’t freezing my arm going too far?”

Hugo’s eyebrows rose at the response. The attack that had just flown past the side of his head would have at least blinded him, left him in critical condition, or worse if he hadn’t dodged. Yet here he was saying freezing one arm was too much. It was absurd.

Moreover, the person he had seen inside Peak 118 and the one he was looking at now were so different in tone and demeanor that he wondered if they were really the same person. Even if it could be taken as reporting to a superior, he had only maintained the bare minimum of formal courtesy, and what was revealed in his eyes was clear hostility.

Hugo, who had been glaring intently at the man who now seemed to have no intention of being careful, coldly asked back.

“A safe place? Where exactly are you talking about?”

“Anywhere would be safer than here.”

Nero lightly retorted to the one who had half-ignored his words, giving an eye-smile. Yet the mouth hidden behind the gas mask poured out curses he couldn’t quite utter.

‘A Commander freezing his subordinate’s arm? Isn’t he crazy? If he had applied a little more force, it might have broken. Did he really intend to break it? Is this guy even human?’

Perhaps due to the insincere answer, or maybe he had read the unspoken lip movements, the Commander’s already stiff face gradually hardened into an icy expression. But just then, a woman’s particularly high-pitched voice echoed from below, piercing Nero’s ears.

“Commander─!”

Looking down at Delua’s call, Hugo’s view caught sight of a swarm of monsters clumped together, crawling over the top of the ice wall. Delua’s golems, buried in their midst, were struggling to prevent them from crossing over.

Hugo, assessing the situation with sharp eyes, soon formed a long ice spear in his hand. Then, pointing its tip toward Nero, he warned in a low voice.

“I hope you really have placed him somewhere safe. If anything happens to him, I won’t let you off easily.”

As the cold energy, as frigid as his voice, spread widely around and an unpleasant chill touched his skin, Nero shuddered silently and stepped back. Seeing this reaction, Hugo turned away as if he had no more business and headed toward where Delua was.

At the Commander’s behavior—suddenly approaching to freeze his arm and then leaving as if he had said all he needed to say—Nero glared at his retreating figure with eyes full of bewilderment and anger.

‘Isn’t that what I should be saying? Why is that bastard saying it?’