"I… no… we're being watched…"
"To think they could be this well-organized…"
Mages are here too. Barrel is… this powerful?"
The town had been completely conquered. They were trying to make their way to the inn where Krai was staying while avoiding the eyes of sentries and patrols, but progress was agonizingly slow.
Ruda's group was large. As Hunters, they were armed, too. If they walked down a main thoroughfare, they'd be spotted in an instant.
Once discovered, the numbers advantage would belong to the enemy. If Barrel's leader was telling the truth, they were up against three hundred. Ruda doubted every single one would come after them, but even so, her group stood no chance against that kind of force.
Gasping for breath, she carefully assessed the situation. Barrel's method of domination was, even from Ruda's perspective, breathtakingly precise.
It might have been more precise than a regular army. Quick, quiet, seizing control of the town with the minimum number of people needed.
The silence blanketing the town was proof of their skill. Before screams or anomalies could spread, they had already seized the core.
Bandits who attacked villages generally followed a set pattern. Namely, plunder and destruction.
But the Barrel Bandits—none of that existed. Not a single member broke from formation to prioritize their own desires.
It wasn't that there was no violence. The guard post near the gate had been swiftly subdued, and almost no one was walking outside. Presumably, anyone Ruda couldn't see had already been captured.
In Ruda's memory, the Barrel Bandits were known for being unspeakably brutal. They had invaded numerous large towns, attacked countless merchant caravans, and committed every manner of atrocity.
Now, looking at the scene unfolding before her eyes, Ruda understood how Barrel had grown into such a massive bandit group despite causing so much damage.
They understood. The danger of plundering while enemies still remained.
They trusted. In their leader's judgment.
Superb coordination, well-trained members, and a powerful leader so formidable that even Ruda, a Level 4 Hunter, felt an overwhelming gap in power.
Those three elements combined were precisely why Barrel had become the target of a commissioned subjugation request against a Level 8 Hunter.
"…What do we do? Making it there is impossible. They're moving in small groups, and there's no doubt there are Thieves among them."
Slipping past their eyes to reach the inn would be extremely difficult. If Ruda were alone, she might make it with some luck, but Carmine and the others lacked her agility and speed.
Gilbert, his cheek pressed flat against a building wall as he peered out onto the road, spoke in a low voice.
"Hey, do you think Thousand Transformations didn't anticipate this situation?"
"…If she anticipated it, why isn't she doing anything?"
"Who knows. But maybe she's got some kind of plan."
Gilbert's vague words brought back what Tino had said in the hot spring.
The trial isn't over yet. That girl who knew Krai well had said as much. If that was true, and this was the trial—then who was it a trial for?
Ruda briefly recalled the Barrel leader who had sealed off the entrances and exits earlier, then shook her head.
That was out of the question. The gap in absorbed Mana Materials between herself and that leader was enormous. Even with seven people, beating her was doubtful, and the numbers were on the enemy's side anyway.
Even if they tried to lay a trap, the enemy seemed cautious. A surprise attack wouldn't work either.
No, but—what about breaking outside to call for help? Like escaping through the City of Ten Thousand Demons.
It didn't seem like a bad idea. No, given the overwhelming gap in fighting strength, there was no other path.
Escaping the town wouldn't be easy either. Those who had spread out along the outer wall were keeping watch.
However, Barrel's main force was following the leader's orders and converging on the inn where Krai was staying. They intended to surround it with overwhelming numbers.
If they could somehow get over the low outer wall and make it outside, the advantage would shift to their side. The bandit leader was untouchable, but ordinary members were well within Ruda's group's ability to handle. Running and scattering wouldn't be difficult.
If this was a trial, then Ruda's group had to have a role too. Her deliberation lasted only an instant.
Leading Gilbert and the others, she avoided attention and headed toward the outer edge. The lifeless tourist town felt somehow eerie.
For a bandit group, their scale was impressive, but creating this level of silence with only three hundred people was a remarkable feat.
Along the way, they spotted townsfolk with their mouths gagged and bound, being dragged away. Ruda bit her lip and watched them go.
"They're gathering everyone in one place…"
"They're planning to use them as hostages…"
A standard bandit tactic. She'd never seen one this large-scale, but they were fighting a Level 8 Hunter, so they were being as careful as possible.
Without question—there would be massive casualties. The moment the entire town was seized, they were already close to defeat. Even if Ruda managed to call for help in time, these were not the kind of people who would meekly surrender.
How on earth… was Krai planning to turn this around?
She killed her doubts and managed to reach the vicinity of the outer wall without incident. A few armed sentries stood in the distance, but if they sprinted at full speed, they should make it outside.
Gilbert gave a small nod. Carmine and the others clenched their fists, tense with anticipation.
Just as they synchronized their timing and were about to break into a run toward the outer wall, a powerful rumble suddenly echoed through the air.
The violent tremor nearly knocked Ruda off her feet. Gilbert grabbed her arm, and she managed to hold on.
Ruda could hardly believe what she saw unfolding before her eyes.
Beyond the low outer wall—where moments ago there had been nothing—a rough, craggy gray wall of rock was rising from the ground.
Not from just one point either. It was surging upward along the entire length of the constructed low wall, stretching as far as the eye could see.
The tremor lasted for roughly ten seconds, then subsided. By then, a towering wall loomed outside the low outer wall—so high you had to crane your neck to look up at it.
Ruda was struck speechless. It was no illusion.
"What… is this!?"
"Magic… Impossible… That can't be…"
Carmine pressed his lips together tightly, his face ashen.
The town of Surusu wasn't particularly large, but even so, its outer perimeter covered a considerable distance.
She knew that magic capable of creating walls existed, but she had never heard of a Mage who could produce walls of this height, at this scale, and in an instant.
But having witnessed it with her own eyes, she couldn't afford not to believe it.
The sentries showed no signs of being rattled. They were simply pointing at the wall and laughing in admiration.
The wall stood roughly three meters tall. At this height, getting over it would not be easy. Destroying it would take considerable time.
If this was the work of a Mage, the strain must have been enormous. There was no need to create walls—Barrel's operation was already near perfect.
Did the Barrel Bandits see Thousand Transformations as worth going this far for? Was there some grudge?
And what should we do now?
"Is there no other way out?"
"…Let's go back to the gate. They must have secured escape routes there too… There shouldn't be a wall there."
But that would also be the place they needed to be most wary of.
They needed a diversion. Someone to create an opening and someone to get outside. But the chances of the ones left behind escaping would be quite low.
Ruda met eyes with Carmine and the other members of the Flame Whirlwind.
They all wore grim expressions—probably thinking the same thing. But none of them seemed to be suggesting they simply stay hidden inside the town.
Ruda forced a smile, took the lead, and started heading back the way they had come, toward the gate.
§ § § It was a flawless, masterstroke operation. The fact that the Barrel Bandits had repelled the elite Gradius Knights multiple times was no mere coincidence.
Barrel had no mercy. Barrel accepted everything. Plunder, murder, violation.
Liberated desires were honed under a powerful leader, and now they boasted a level of morale and coordination that put regular armies to shame.
Geoffroy Barrel, head of the Barrel Bandits, sat upon the enormous barrel that symbolized his gang, quietly trembling with an exhilaration he hadn't felt in some time.
One of his subordinates—a man clad in light armor—jogged up and delivered a terse report.
"Chief, we've deployed the partition wall."
"Good work."
"But was it really alright? It covered quite a wide area—we're nearly out of charges now."
"It was a precious Treasure Weapon, but it couldn't be helped. We can't let them escape, not even by accident. We're bandits. We're putting everything on the line here."
"Y-yes."
The cost was significant. The Treasure Weapon that could freely generate partition walls was a consumable. They had raided numerous towns and merchants, but a similar item had yet to fall into their hands.
Still, if they could claim the head of a Level 8 Hunter, it would be more than worth it. He wouldn't hold back.
If they could bury Thousand Transformations—slayer of numerous illegal Arcane Societies and large-scale bandit groups—Barrell's fame would thunder through the underworld, and they would be known by the name of the most dangerous. Other bandit groups would come begging to serve under them.
On the other hand, failure was not an option. Nearly every member had been mobilized. Powerful poisons procured from Arcane Societies, flying phantom beasts—most of their resources had been poured in. If they lost even once, the Barrel Bandits, who had spent twenty years building their power, would be annihilated.
"The interrogation of Thousand Transformations' companion—is it finished?"
"No. All we got was that he's a black-haired man. The important details about their capabilities—he wouldn't spill a thing. All that comes out of his mouth are screams and words praising us."
As the subordinate spoke with a vulgar grin, Geoffroy narrowed his black eyes ever so slightly.
This was the gamble of Geoffroy Barrel's lifetime.
Even Geoffroy hadn't originally set out to claim Thousand Transformations' head.
When intelligence reached him from a subordinate planted among the Gradius Knights that a subjugation commission had been issued to Thousand Transformations, he had intended to simply withdraw from the territory and relocate to another country.
A Level 8 Hunter was a monster. Geoffroy had confidence in his own strength, and all his subordinates trained diligently every day.
In terms of coordination alone, they rivaled Gradius, but high-level Hunters were worth a thousand warriors. He had no intention of losing, but a head-on collision was far too risky.
What overturned that decision was an encounter during their retreat from Gradius territory—during a mountain crossing carried out so as not to draw attention, they had stumbled upon two traveling men by pure chance.
Seizing the opportunity, Geoffroy attacked and captured them with ease. The men claimed to be members of the Mourning Specter.
The name of Thousand Transformations' Party.
It didn't seem like a lie. Geoffroy had learned that a subjugation commission had been issued against Thousand Transformations and had begun his retreat. The timing was far too perfect for it to be a deception, and almost no one knew that Thousand Transformations was heading toward Gradius territory.
The men were reasonably strong. At minimum, they possessed the skill of mid-rank Hunters.
But even so, they were only strong enough for Geoffroy to defeat on his own.
When he learned that, desire took root in Geoffroy's heart.
He could claim the head of Thousand Transformations.
He had harbored doubts from the start. Thousand Transformations' accomplishments were great, and her foresight was well known, but information on her combat ability was virtually nonexistent.
For Geoffroy, who had traveled through numerous countries and gathered intelligence on countless Hunters, that was a bundle of contradictions.
You can't put a lid on a person's mouth. Strength, no matter how much you try to hide it, can never be fully concealed.
Perhaps she wasn't that strong? Geoffroy's speculation turned to conviction once he captured Thousand Transformations' companion.
And if the full Party wasn't even assembled, then now was the perfect moment for Barrel's leap forward.
Be cautious—but be bold when the moment demanded it. Achievements were needed to make a name.
He had surrounded the town and seized it. Taken a massive number of hostages. Even dealt a deep blow by surprise attack to a powerful Hunter who happened to be present.
So far, nothing major had gone wrong. All that remained was claiming Thousand Transformations' head.
No reinforcements would come. Even if they did, unless they came with fighting strength beyond a regular army, they couldn't beat Barrel.
And by the time everything was prepared, Barrel would have claimed Thousand Transformations' head, plundered to their heart's content, and be raising a toast in a faraway country.
"Chief, a Hunter's Party is trying to enter the town. What should we do? Apparently four people, with some who seem pretty strong mixed in."
A subordinate approached with a scowl to report.
The gate had already been taken, and everyone from the entry-screening officials to the guards had been swapped out with members skilled in covert operations.
Unfortunate. Hunters were both dangerous enemies and lucrative prey.
Under normal circumstances, they would have let them into the town and killed them when they let their guard down, but now wasn't the time.
"…Tch, we're cornering a Level 8 here! I don't have time to deal with this right now! Make up some excuse and send them away quietly."
"Understood."
The subordinate hurried back toward the gate.
There was no time to spare. Even for Barrel, seizing a town this large was something that happened only a handful of times.
"Hey, what's taking so long? Send a status report! Don't forget—the longer it takes to claim the head, the less time there is for plunder!"
"One of the strong ones we poisoned seems to have revived and is causing trouble. No casualties yet, but five of ours have been taken down! We're sending people around from the back now."
The poison Geoffroy had purchased at great expense was incredibly potent. Until now, no one had ever survived it.
At the unexpected report, Geoffroy clicked his tongue loudly and roered.
"Damn it, fine—I'll go too. I'll kill that bastard myself! If one of the strong ones is guarding, there's no doubt a Level 8 is in there! You handle the commands!"
The strongest in Barrel was Geoffroy. He couldn't afford to keep losing people needlessly.
He gras his beloved axe—a battle-axe that was a Treasure Weapon—and rose to his feet.
Almost simultaneously, a gray mass plummeted from the sky, landing just a few meters in front of Geoffroy.
The cobblestones shattered and fragments flew. In that split second, his mind went blank.
He looked up at the sky with just his eyes, but the blue expanse stretched on endlessly with nothing out of the ordinary.
Then the mass stirred. His eyes widened involuntarily.
"K-Kiru?"
"!? What—what the—what is that!?"
He had always maintained his composure in any situation. But now, for the first time in a long while, Geoffroy's thoughts ground to a halt.
The thing embedded in the ground slowly rose to its feet.
It was a gray-skinned human. No—whether it could even be called human was questionable.
A body grotesquely swollen with excessively developed muscle. It wore nothing—the only concession to decency was a pair of bright red briefs covering its crotch.
It carried no weapons, but being struck by those abnormally long arms would not end well.
And atop its head sat a paper bag, held in place by a ribbon.
It was the most absurd outfit imaginable. Its head swayed as it turned two holes, cut precisely where the eyes would be, toward the frozen Geoffroy.
"Kiru… Kiru… cut… kill…?"
Muttering in an absurdly cute voice given its towering stature, the creature leapt high into the air. The moment it landed, it dropped into a forward stance and launched itself like a cannonball.
It was a magnificent sprint. Arms pumping wide, feet shattering the ground, it vanished from Geoffroy's field of vision in the blink of an eye.
Everyone gathered at the gate stood frozen, struck dumb. Subordinates trained to shout the instant an enemy appeared, subordinates trained to remain calm under any circumstance and endure any form of torture—none of them could move.
The first to recover was Geoffroy, who screamed in a trembling voice: "!? What—what was that!? After it! Chase it—go go go go go!"
The mysterious creature was already gone without a trace.
A subordinate grabbed Geoffroy's shoulder with shaking hands. His face was pale.
"Ch-Chief, that—"
"!?"
Following the pointing finger, Geoffroy's mind went truly blank this time.
The axe he had been gripping tightly slipped from his hands. But there was no time to pick it up.
A rock partition wall that had risen a full three meters.
And from far above it—a dull-gray helmet gazed silently down at Geoffroy.