章 67: Machine
"No! I won't let this happen!", the old man in white shouted.
Beta was surprised by the sudden shout and even took a step back when he noticed the rage in it. But he also noticed a subtle hint of relieve on the old man's tone which he couldn't really put into words. Why was he angered and relieved at the same time? What was really bothering the old man? Furthermore, what was their true relationship? Were they truly great rivals or friends who broke apart? So many questions popped up in Beta's head.
Beta then stared at the old man in white while trying to discern his true feelings. It was clear that he was on the verge of blasting off but it was also undeniable that he wasn't truly against it and was even conflicted about the idea of the old man in black. Beta couldn't help but just observed them both though since he was too weak to even voice out his own opinion. He pretty much gathered all his courage when he tried to be sly and took advantage of their situation. He was indeed lucky that he took the risk and felt happy with the result, but the old man in white just had to ruin it. His outburst really put a damper on Beta's mood. He was just about to get a really good technique when the shout interrupted everything.
"What do you mean by that? Shut up already and let me teach that kid a little!", the old man in black scolded, a bit annoyed by the other's stubbornness.
"Did you actually think that now I know you have no relatives and not even a disciple, I will let you live any longer? It's time to end things here once and for all... This kid is still pure, and I won't let him be stained by you!", the old man in white said, standing up leisurely.
Shortly after he continued, "Kid, go away. It's not too late for you to turn up a new leaf."
Beta was shocked by the whole situation, but he certainly was no fool as to just stare blankly. He instantly ran away and hid behind a bunch of big pillars. If a fight between two powerhouses of that level broke out, he really didn't want to be caught up in it. But he also wasn't that cowardly as to completely move too far because there wasn't necessarily enough time for that.
"What are you trying to do, Sati?", the old man in black asked seriously. Every little bit of 'friendship' that could be seen before was now completely gone and they finally looked like real enemies.
"Isn't it obvious? We've been here for hundreds of years, so it's time to pass on. I can annihilate you once and for all. Completely extinguish every little trace of you from history, Oleg."
"It really has come to this point, huh? I was hoping to live a bit longer, but since you want to die together with me, I guess it's the end.", Oleg said, looking at Sati solemnly while standing up as well.
Beta heard them mention each other's name for the very first time. The man in black, Oleg, and the man in white, Sati, were apparently both big powerhouse hundreds of years ago. When Beta heard that point, he sighed to himself. He was a little disappointed knowing that he won't get any clue about his parents. But what made him feel even more bitter was the chance that he almost had. He was supposed to receive a great reward and yet he was blocked by a stubborn old man.
Beta could discern that they were indeed serious about the life and death battle. It was just that he badly wished for Sati to lose so that he can get what he wanted. All he could tell was that the fight should be very interesting. So, he braced himself properly in hopes that he would still be able to gain something out of their battle.
As they both looked at each other, Oleg still had his shotgun pointed at Sati, finger on the trigger. Ready to shoot at any given second.
"Boy, you have a good head. If you're cut out for this kind of occupation you won't need someone like me to teach you. Farewell.", Oleg casually said to Beta, voice filled with sincerity and grief.
Right after saying his piece, Sati rushed at Oleg at a speed that wasn't visible to the naked eye. His hand started glowing brightly, blinding Beta. who directly hid behind the pillar. But his target wasn't affected at all. At the same time, a trigger was pulled right opposite to him.
"Boom!"
"Rumble!"
After the loud boom, Beta heard a loud rumbling noise that sounded out from falling and breaking pillars. It took a few more minutes before it finally stopped. And nothing was heard after that first connection. He still didn't dare to look at the scene. Especially, if the fight only stopped for now and they start again in a bit.
Only after several hours did Beta give up on waiting. He pulled out a pan to look at the mirror image of what was behind the row of pillars that separated him from Oleg and Sati. Then, a shocking sight stunned him. He didn't see anyone. No trace of both the old men being around at all. After checking thoroughly if there was any leftover danger, Beta put the pan back into his personal space and took a little peek.
What he saw truly made him recognize what true power meant. At first, Beta imagined that there would be a huge crater judging by the sound of the impact, but, starting from the point where the old men clashed, two huge cones of destruction formed. The pillars in both directions were all destroyed.
"Of course… Instead of spreading their power nonsensically, they focused it right on their enemy... It's no wonder I can't even see any corpses... I guess they truly both died. Without leaving any trace at that. Oh well. That's that. I'm just passing by after all. Can't do anything about their own issues. Alright, it's time to scavenge. It'd be bad if I miss out on any good opportunity!", Beta said as he looked around, trying to find anything useful.
Even after looking around for hours, Beta didn't find much. There were some metal scraps that may or may not be from the shotgun that Oleg used to have. Even if it was a part of the gun, he didn't know which part or what use it had. Still, no matter how battered it looked like, he didn't let the materials go to waste and picked up every piece he could.
As Beta followed the path of destruction that Oleg had left behind, he saw a small hidden chamber of which a part had collapsed on the ground. In it, he saw a door with a broken machine which looked similar to a human in front of it. The humanoid machine seemed to be guarding the door behind it.
"Is that one of the guards Oleg talked about? Hmm… It seems to not work anymore... did he open up this room on purpose during the fight? His farewell message was also strange. He told me that I won't need a teacher if I'm fit for this occupation. Is this what he meant? So, now he entrusted me with one of his machines... Well, you're really full of surprises old man Oleg. Too bad that you're no longer here. Since you've given me this opportunity, I'll, of course, take it with me. But I'm not sure how much time I have left so, I should only look at it later. As for what's behind this door..."
Beta put the machine into his personal space that had grown a lot together with his rise in cultivation. He then went forth to open the door carefully and with full of vigilance. He wasn't sure if the other side would be safe. So, he prepared his mentality and his body against any surprise. But, just as he gripped the door handle, Beta suddenly vanished and appeared next to the door he had used to come into the underground area of the city with.
"Really?! Again?! Sigh... And I wasn't even completely finished yet...", Beta said softly as he took a look around.
He didn't expect the door to teleport him away again just like before. Beta felt crestfallen for he might've missed something back there. The first thing he did was to follow Oleg's path so he missed the chance to check Sati's. He was so distracted mulling to himself that he didn't notice a bunch of tents had been erected while he was away. There were noises coming out from some of the tents which sounded like people talking. Only then did Beta realize which area he was in. He slowly got closer and kicked a pebble against one of the tents.
"Who's there?!"
"Attention!", Beta shouted once, then everyone suddenly got out of their tents.
"Beta!"
"Ayy, Beta is finally back!"
Several cries of excitement were heard as everyone rushed at him and greeted him with a salute.
"Hahahaha! Good brother! You've gone on your own again to have fun without us… Tsk tsk tsk… Why did it take you so long? Did you get some benefits again? You're way too lucky!", Brian said while patting Beta's shoulder.
"Lucky? More like too unlucky. Sadly, I didn't find the key...", Beta shrugged, completely ignoring what they had said.
"Pfft! Of course, you didn't. Another team already found it and freed the headmaster.", Domian said with a laugh.
"Wait, what? When did that happen? Which team found it?", Beta asked full of bewilderment. While he was spirited away, somebody actually took his rewards from his grasp! To this, Beta felt another heartache. "Seems like luck is not on my side today…"
"Heh! While you were away, the S class seniors found it! You took way too long!", Brian answered while trying not to giggle. Though it was indeed a pity that they missed the opportunity to grab the rewards, he wasn't really that desperate to get it. As for Beta, he loves anything expensive and free, so Brian finds it funny that his dear friend was sulking for having lost his chance.
"Ehh... So that's how it is… Oh well, at least the headmaster is fine now... Anyway, let's head back to the camp before it gets dark!"
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット