Chapter 624: The Sound of the Flute

Shock.

The situation before their eyes could be summed up in that one word.

However, the reason for the shock wasn’t merely that the hotel had collapsed.

While a building crumbling is indeed a catastrophic event with countless casualties, in Randa, where superhumans and unscrupulous construction companies run rampant, it wasn’t that rare.

Yet, despite the countless shocking and unshocking scenes they’d witnessed, the reason hundreds of armed forces and superhumans were stunned was because of Oliver.

It was all about Dave, the fixer from Randa’s T-District on 30th Street.

It was understandable. Dave was a living legend in Randa.

One day, he suddenly appeared in Randa’s underworld and became its top fixer within a few short years.

His actions were nothing short of legendary.

He devoured the Fighter Crew single-handedly,

negotiated a deal with the Crime Firm to establish an alliance,

formed an unofficial alliance with the City,

killed the once-legendary Druid Seamus from Enjoyment,

and even developed the previously untouchable X-District to make it his own territory.

And that’s not all.

There were even rumors that he was trying to establish a Dark Magic faction within the Tower of Magic to secure new influence.

In the irrational city of Randa, even there, he was considered extremely insane.

His moderate nature, not showing off his power and achievements and not using violence first, made him seem less noticeable. But by then, no one in Randa saw Oliver lightly.

That included the ruling class of Randa, the City Councilors, the wealthy elites, and even the magicians.

That’s why the scene before them was so shocking.

Dave, the legendary fixer, was on one knee.

Everyone’s gaze turned to the man pressing Oliver down with sheer force.

A man with snake-like sharp eyes, a man who seemed to be smiling faintly.

But he didn’t seem to care about his surroundings.

The Pied Piper looked down at the kneeling Oliver and spoke.

“You’re holding on… Strong.”

Oliver was in shock.

The strength he gained from eating the Flesh Cook’s flesh, which rivaled that of a dragon, was only being considered ‘strong’.

The problem was that Oliver had even used disease-enhancing dark magic.

‘I didn’t want to use it if I could avoid it.’

Oliver thought to himself. It massively amplified his strength but at the cost of damaging his body.

The reason he made the Black Suit in the first place was because of that.

But this time there was no choice.

Thanks to the boosted strength from the disease-enhancing dark magic, he had survived.

If he hadn’t used it when the hotel collapsed, his body would have been shattered.

Even now, his muscles were snapping, and his bones were creaking.

All because the Pied Piper slightly increased the pressure.

Oliver was reaching his limit. The Pied Piper made a proposal.

“Hand over the prince, and I’ll back off.”

“You want to take the prince… What do you intend to do?”

“I’ll leave him in the deep forest and watch him die from hunger, thirst, and disease.”

The Pied Piper calmly spoke horrifying words.

Oliver reflexively opened his Warlock’s Eye to read the Pied Piper’s emotions, but it wasn’t easy.

There was a deep, unseen anger, so profound it masked his other emotions. It felt like staring into the depths of the ocean.

“Don’t doubt me. I could kill him and take him, so why would I lie?”

He was sincere. Even though he couldn’t read his emotions, Oliver knew the Pied Piper meant what he said.

Currently, the Pied Piper was applying just enough pressure so that Oliver could barely resist.

If he wanted to, he could crush Oliver like a bug right then and there.

“…Then why don’t you?”

“I don’t enjoy killing. So, what’s your answer?”

“My answer is… no.”

Oliver firmly stated his resolve.

At that moment, a heavy blue wave of magic spread from what remained of the hotel’s top floor.

Swoosh!

The wave shook the hotel, and shortly after, a blue light streak shot into the sky, scattering loud noises all around.

A sky-piercing sound.

The surrounding armed forces, paralyzed by the ominous energy, retreated. Just then, a quarterstaff imbued with massive magic fell like a meteor from the cloudy night sky.

[Targeting], [Strengthen], [Heavily], [Acceleration], and more. Oliver had pre-applied these spells.

The front of the quarterstaff glowed red as it fell towards the Pied Piper.

Boom━━━!!!

The deafening blast tore through the air, sending shockwaves that made it hard to even open their eyes.

It was a powerful attack, one capable of creating a gigantic crater in a single strike, so the result was expected.

But the Pied Piper remained standing, still holding Oliver down.

He had caught the falling quarterstaff with his other hand.

Catching an attack that could scar the earth with his bare hands… It was unbelievable.

How much strength would it take to do that? No, it wasn’t just sheer strength.

If it was brute strength, the ground beneath him should have caved in, but the Pied Piper’s footing was unaffected.

It was more feasible to believe he had understood the force of the quarterstaff and redirected it.

It was astonishing. The one strike that always ensured Oliver’s victory was blocked so easily.

He was glad he had some insurance, just in case.

[Thunderstrike]

As the Pied Piper held the quarterstaff, Oliver cast an additional spell.

The night sky where the quarterstaff had flown from began to swirl, and clouds whipped around the Pied Piper, with black lightning slithering like snakes within them.

Rumble… Rumble…

As the sky swirled, an oppressive force pressed down on the ground, and soon, a massive amount of black lightning crashed down on the Pied Piper, who held the quarterstaff.

Dozens—no, hundreds of bolts formed a conical formation and fell upon the Pied Piper in one instant. Oliver shielded the prince during the onslaught.

Flash!

The world was bathed in a black glow, and a scorching heat flared before Oliver.

Hundreds of Thunderstrikes converged at one point, melting even stone.

Luckily, it seemed to have worked, as the Pied Piper released his grip, allowing Oliver to make a dash for the prince—

—but then

Oliver felt a shiver run down his spine.

It wasn’t a rational thought but purely sensory. Oliver followed his instincts, drastically shifting his movement direction even before his mind could catch up.

Just after, a bolt of condensed black lightning grazed past Oliver’s side.

A completely unexpected attack. Oliver reflexively turned to look at the Pied Piper.

Despite being subjected to the concentrated bombardment, he stood there, unharmed.

Not only was his body unscathed, but even the edge of his clothes wasn’t singed.

Not only had he blocked the falling Thunderstrike, but he also seized control of it, throwing it at Oliver.

The disbelief of the scene led Oliver to one conclusion, and he yelled out.

“Joe!”

The usually calm and collected Oliver raised his voice, snapping Joe out of his daze amidst the armed forces.

“…Yes! Dave!”

“Take the prince and run!”

Oliver shouted firmly and resolutely as he threw Prince Albert towards Joe.

He felt sorry for not asking for permission, but there was no time.

Prince Albert flew through the air with a startled expression, but Joe, using his innate agility and the Black Suit he wore, caught the prince and fled far away.

Swoosh!

As Joe moved, the Pied Piper folded space and passed by Oliver.

Had Oliver not previously seen that spell through Merlin, he might have missed it.

Thankfully, Oliver had seen it through Merlin, and he used his magic to create a massive wall, blocking the Pied Piper’s path.

Then, he turned the ground beneath the Pied Piper into a swamp and moved the wall to crush him.

Not only that, but he also added a disrupting spell to the swamp and wall which absorbed the opponent’s life force and magic. Lastly, he added the Parasite dark magic from the disease school.

It would have been a move most spellcasters couldn’t resist.

But suddenly, the sound of a flute echoed, and the ground began to swallow Oliver.

Both of Oliver’s legs began sinking into the ground, and the wall before him began to move.

The Pied Piper had stolen the spell that Oliver had used.

Oliver lost the battle for control.

For the first time in his life, Oliver found himself in a situation like this. Panicking, he tried to resist and regain control, but it was no use.

Just as Oliver was about to disappear beneath the earth…

Boom━!!

From afar, a barrage of artillery struck the Pied Piper.

Looking in the direction of the attack, it seemed that a massive cannon had been installed atop one of the buildings nearby. It wasn’t there until just now.

It was the Security Bureau, using their authority, who summoned the cannon via space magic and fired it after installation.

“It’s the latest technology that the Randa Defense Department developed along with the Tower of Magic.”

As the massive shell struck the Piper, Arthur, a member of the Security Bureau with a stone fist, approached Oliver.

Using his Golem prosthetic arm, he shattered the wall that was swallowing Oliver and froze the swamp, pulling him out.

“It’s been a while!”

“It has indeed.”

Oliver, who had met Arthur during a clean-up mission in the Contaminated Zone and last saw him during an overseas mission, spoke.

He was a retired soldier who had worked as a fixer before being scouted by the City and joining the Security Bureau after the mission outside the city.

They hadn’t met since, so it was really after a long time.

“Who is that man? To push you this far?”

Even though it had been a while since they last met, being part of the Security Bureau, Arthur had heard of Oliver’s exploits and asked.

As the top fixer in Randa, it was hard not to be curious about someone who could push Oliver to this extent.

Oliver replied.

“He’s the Pied Piper.”

The Pied Piper. As soon as Arthur heard that name, he froze.

One of the Fingers of the Black Hand… Except, he was mostly active in the central continent, so in Seland, he was more like a myth.

And now, suddenly, such a being appeared in Randa? It was hard to comprehend logically.

However, given all the absurd events that had recently occurred, Arthur opted to use the communication device attached to his Golem prosthetic arm to request additional firepower rather than show his surprise.

[Chiiik! Roger that!]

As Arthur requested support, intense magic was detected from the World Tree underground, and soon after, magic circles formed atop surrounding skyscrapers, summoning massive cannons.

Spatial magic using the World Tree.

One of the ongoing projects by the Tower of Magic, now being used by Randa City’s Security Bureau.

“It’s the City’s effort to make this crazy city, where superhumans run amok, a safer place.”

As Arthur boldly declared, the cannons surrounding them began to spit fire, striking the Pied Piper from all directions.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Dozens of cannons fired continuously without pause, and with each shot, the ground where the Pied Piper stood was overturned, with massive pillars of fire and earth bursting skyward.

It was a mix of incendiary bombs and iron bullets—the shock and heat from the barrage gradually condensed the targeted area into a living hell.

An irrational scene, all to kill just one person.

But those who had seen the Pied Piper felt a strange sense of relief at this insane spectacle.

“At this rate, no matter how strong a Finger is—”

[—Enough with the hassle. I’ll make a striking proposal.]

In the midst of the extreme environment where they couldn’t even hear each other, a clear voice transmission from the Pied Piper was heard.

It was unsettling, as if he was speaking directly into their brains, yet crystal clear.

[All I want is that boy from before. So, just bring him to me, and I’ll leave.]

Amidst this suffocating barrage of attacks, the Pied Piper casually made a proposition.

It was shocking for various reasons, but the next words were even more so.

[If you refuse, I’ll annihilate this entire city.]

The Pied Piper declared that if Prince Albert was not handed over, he would kill everyone in this unprecedentedly massive city.

It was a threat so unrealistic, so arrogant that calling it a mere threat didn’t do it justice.

His words were so overwhelming that no one could respond—except for Oliver.

As they hesitated, the bombardment intensified, and the Pied Piper, interpreting it as an answer, responded curtly.

[Understood.]

Right after he said that, the sound of a flute rang out again.

With that sound, a mass of rats burst through the ruined floors and walls, gnawing at the gaps to summon even more rats.

The corpses scattered throughout began to rise, gaining new life, and that disaster slowly spread throughout all of Randa.