〈 Chapter 192: Prison Island (1) 〉
*
Entrance to the Inner Area.
After Allen and Luel entered, the remaining Yusera and Lucy continued their standoff with the heroes.
“It’s endless, isn’t it?”
“Damn right, it is.”
Of course, Yusera had the power to wipe out as many as she wanted with a single strike, as long as they weren’t high-ranking heroes.
The problem was that she didn’t really want to do that.
But her feelings were different from the reality.
“What are you all doing up front?!”
“There are only two of them!”
“How do we know what that guy Allen Pleuk is doing inside?”
Those who arrived late seemed to still have their spirits high, possibly because they hadn’t heard Allen’s provocation directly.
Lucy was handling them, but she also seemed to struggle with controlling her strength.
“Stop charging at me, you idiots!”
Yet, ordinary heroes kept falling to Lucy.
Realizing they couldn’t suppress Lucy with their own strength, they began to doubt the intimidating presence of Yusera behind her.
Most heroes were frozen in place because of Yusera’s terrifying aura contained in her sword.
“Is that guy back there actually weak?”
“Come to think of it, I’ve never seen her use her sword, have I?”
The fortunate thing was that there were others among them to speak the truth.
“What are you talking about? We just saw her parting the sea.”
“Besides, Hugo said he could barely handle her.”
At that moment.
“Did I say that?”
A low voice echoed from somewhere.
Anyone who recognized that voice couldn’t help but freeze.
“Hugh, Hugo?”
A notably large man stood out among the crowd.
He held a massive greatsword that was the size of his own body.
Hugo from the Steel Clan, ranked 86 among the heroes.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to insult you, Hugo!”
“Don’t worry, the rumors are bound to get twisted.”
Hugo replied casually.
It was true that he had given a high evaluation of Yusera during the graduation tournament.
But he never said he couldn’t handle her.
“Of course I can handle her.”
If Yusera’s strength was the same as before, that is.
Cheers erupted around him.
“Ohhh…”
“Just as expected from Hugo.”
“Of course!”
It seemed the atmosphere was finally shifting.
“But I don’t think I can guarantee the surroundings will be safe.”
He recalled the swordsmanship Allen Pleuk had displayed that day.
The swordsmanship that had absorbed and eradicated Yusera’s attacks as if they were nothing.
Without that, it would have been impossible.
Since that day, that swordsmanship had been etched in his mind.
‘What kind of swordsmanship was that?’
No matter how hard he tried to replicate it, he found it impossible.
Even summoning his Steel Magic didn’t help.
So he concluded.
“Even if I manage to defeat that girl here, I won’t be able to beat Allen Pleuk.”
It frustrated him that Allen Pleuk was currently above him.
“So just stop acting so tough.”
Thanks to his words, the boiling atmosphere settled down again.
However, unlike everyone else, he began to step forward against his own words.
‘But Allen Pleuk’s plan seems off.’
The Water Sage and Allen Pleuk had entered the center and had yet to come out.
Even if they took the barrier stone in the center as a hostage, nothing would come from hiding inside.
Meanwhile, the contact to the surrounding islands and Prison Island had already been sent out. He would only find himself in a worse situation.
‘If he has some means to actively change the situation…’
That blue-haired kid.
Lucy Teracian.
She was the only one.
After all, the entrance could be secured with just Yusera.
There was no reason for her to be here otherwise.
She must have some other mission.
Then…
“Lucy Teracian. It’s been a while.”
“Oh, aren’t you that guy with that ridiculously heavy sword?”
“Still as rude as ever, huh? Just stronger than hell, kid.”
Lucy bared her fangs at him.
To her, he proposed.
“How about we face off now? Let’s see which is stronger—my sword’s weight or your strength.”
He intended to keep Lucy in this spot.
That was the best he could do right now.
Of course, there was no reason for Lucy, who didn’t really have a specific mission, to refuse that proposal.
“Fine. I was curious about that too.”
As soon as those words left her mouth, Hugo charged at Lucy.
Even if she rejected, he planned to bind her feet anyway.
Steel Magic.
It was the power to manipulate metal.
Though it required time for his magic to permeate the metal, once it did, that magic became the mightiest in battle.
Whoosh.
The enormous greatsword sliced through the air in a flash.
For an ordinary person, even lifting that greatsword would be a struggle, but it was possible thanks to his Steel Magic.
And that greatsword clashed with Lucy’s slightly smaller greatsword.
Creak.
The sound erupted beneath their feet.
“Impressive.”
It was a showdown of equal destructive power.
However, the strength thereafter leaned slightly in Lucy’s favor.
“Cough..!”
He was pushed back, losing his grip on Lucy’s sword.
But Lucy quickly reinforced her leg muscles and swiftly followed up.
Clang!
Once again, the two swords met with powerful force.
The shockwave swept through the surroundings.
This repeated many times after that.
‘She’s strong, that’s for sure.’
She was just young, stuck at the high-ranking hero level.
If it were just about strength, she surpassed him.
‘But her skills still lack.’
She seemed to lean too heavily on brute strength to solve everything.
Thus…
‘Steel Magic.’
At that moment, his greatsword abruptly stopped, as if it couldn’t handle its weight.
And then, it swiftly bent backward.
Snap.
“It was a good fight after a long time.”
It was rare to clash with someone stronger than himself.
His sword hovered near Lucy’s neck.
“If you get stronger, I’d like to fight again.”
He hadn’t fought her intending to kill.
He didn’t particularly want to kill the same hero anyway.
But he had bought enough time.
‘By now, the reinforcements from the other islands should be on their way.’
Currently, the heroes were forming a front at other islands near the Central Island to face the Demon Lords.
Some of them were even high-ranking heroes, and their arrival might help deal with Allen Pleuk.
‘On the other hand, Allen Pleuk’s strategy…’
He had tied up Lucy’s feet.
Whatever role she had, there had been losses during that time…
‘Huh?’
For some reason, Lucy was smiling.
“I also had a great experience, Mister.”
She didn’t seem in a hurry at all.
Which meant…
‘Does this mean she actually had no role?’
It was in that instant.
Suddenly, a voice was heard from somewhere.
—Ah, ah.
It was a voice he didn’t recognize, but it was definitely familiar.
“Allen Pleuk?”
Where on earth was that voice coming from?
At that moment, someone pulled out an arrow that had been stuck in a corner.
“This voice is coming from this arrow?”
No, it wasn’t just that arrow.
His voice echoed from arrows stuck all around the island.
—The island is about to shake. Please be cautious.
Just then, people were left dumbfounded.
Thud!
Suddenly, their bodies swayed to one side.
The island had begun to move.
‘What the hell…!’
The island was shifting at incredible speed.
If this continued, reinforcements from the other islands would surely be delayed.
Moreover…
‘Is this heading toward Prison Island?’
The goal Allen had revealed was to free his comrade Gwen from Prison Island.
At this speed, by the time the Central Island reached Prison Island, the prison’s defenses wouldn’t be up to par.
Prison Island undoubtedly thought Allen Pleuk would attempt to lay siege from the inner area.
‘What on earth is he planning…’
He looked past Lucy at Yusera.
And recalled the image of Allen he had seen during the graduation tournament.
He had established a completely new identity upon rejoining the Hero Academy.
Without flinching, he challenged Yusera, and gifted himself several Sacred Replicants as his own allies.
Somehow, he had managed to keep Sung Yoo-rang and Allen in the same space, deceiving everyone in the process.
‘He’s always one step ahead.’
A shiver ran down his spine.
‘This time is no different.’
It was clear that the current situation was unfolding according to his plan.
However…
‘Why?’
What could he possibly gain from going this far?
One thing was certain, it wasn’t for the honor of being ranked among heroes.
If he truly aimed to take down the Demon Kings here…
‘Could it be?’
In that moment, a seed was planted in the minds of the heroes, including his.
It was the seed that would overturn the public opinion Allen had been aiming for.
*
Top Floor of Prison Island.
The Warden’s Office was located there.
“Allen Pleuk has occupied the inner area of the Central Island. Is he threatening to lay siege?”
“Yes.”
“And the condition is the release of his comrade Gwen Reedval from Prison Island?”
“Correct.”
The Warden of Prison Island, Karkel, rested his hand on his chin, contemplating the current situation.
After a moment’s thought, he spoke.
“It’s on hold.”
He gazed out the window at the distant Central Island.
“Tell him we cannot make a decision until the High Priest’s judgment is delivered.”
That was the directive.
If he defied it, he would become a criminal like Allen and find himself imprisoned in this very Prison Island.
‘It’s not something I like.’
He sensed something was off about this entire situation related to Allen Pleuk.
‘Even if he managed to deceive the High Priest, it’s not ordinary to treat that comrade as an S-class prisoner.’
Especially if the reason for the deception was simply to monopolize credit.
‘The High Priest is overreacting right now.’
He had never quite trusted her, but the recent prolonged conflict with the Demon Lords had gradually built that distrust.
And then, the incident of Allen Pleuk’s Central Island terror occurred.
‘And apparently, he hasn’t harmed a single hero.’
Even if he took the Barrier Stone from the Central Sea System as a hostage, the thought that he would destroy it seemed unlikely.
At the same time, he also had a rough prediction of the High Priest’s judgment.
‘He’d likely abandon the Central Sea System.’
She had always done just that.
Her sole objective was the survival of the world.
She paid no heed to the other humans.
‘The perfect example of that was Ice Valley.’
If Allen Pleuk indeed intended to bring ruin to the Central Sea System, it could become the second Ice Valley.
And that was not something he welcomed.
‘Since I’ve seen the monster it created.’
Schurz.
Every time he saw that guy’s eyes, he shivered.
Those eyes were pure, unadulterated rage.
Pssh…
Steam wafted out from the gas mask’s exhaust.
At the same time, he clenched his steel hand.
‘That shouldn’t happen, but…’
At this rate, he would receive orders from the High Priest to reject Allen Pleuk’s terms.
If that happened, it was highly likely Allen would back down.
However…
‘What a shame.’
That wasn’t really what he desired.
‘It would have been better if he had directly stormed Prison Island.’
Even if it meant he would inevitably end up locking him in, he wanted a chance to speak with him directly.
Of course, he didn’t want to know what he knew.
…That knowledge would surely be dangerous.
He couldn’t imagine that the knowledge the man had was one he would freely share after locking himself away in Prison Island.
But he was still curious about what kind of person he was.
Whether he was truly someone who could stand up to the High Priest.
That was his biggest question.
And yet, it had come to this siege situation.
“What a shame.”
Just as he sighed that, he suddenly felt a presence.
‘Hmm?’
He turned his body toward the window.
And his eyes widened.
‘The island is approaching?’
It was no illusion.
The Central Island was racing towards Prison Island at great speed.
Clap, clap, clap…
He began to applaud.
His subordinate beside him asked, “Warden? What’s going on?”
He replied, “A distinguished guest is arriving. Prepare to welcome them.”
*
