Episode 258: Detour
Tel Aviv, a city in Israel—
Here, the staff of the International Dungeon Research Organization (IDR) were reeling from an unbelievable event.
“It shattered again. This time, it’s the 【Green Lord】…”
Among the staff gathered in a corner of the Laboratory, in front of the 【Orpheus Tablet】, was Ethan Noble.
Ethan adjusted his glasses with a pensive look, gazing at the Stone Tablet behind the glass.
Of the six jewels at the top, three—【Black】, 【Red】, and 【Green】—were shattered.
“Following the Red King, the Green Lord has also been defeated… It seems someone is intentionally taking down the 【Kings】.”
“Then, as we thought…”
Clark, Ethan’s assistant, muttered with a frown beside him.
“Yes, most likely, ‘Yuma Mitaka’ defeated the 【Red King】 and the 【Green Lord】. The Japanese government said he was dead, but he must be alive. I can’t imagine anyone other than him, with the power of the 【Black King】, being able to do this.”
“If that’s the case, he defeated the 【Red King】 in Japan and then moved to India to defeat the 【Green Lord】. Why would he do such a thing? If he’s gone, Japan might fall into crisis again, and I don’t see any benefit for him personally.”
Ethan chuckled and looked at Clark.
“That, I don’t know. But it seems he’s hunting the 【Kings】 himself for some reason. If that’s the case, his next target will be the 【Blue King】 in England.”
“If so, this is our chance! The 【White King】, who should be in Orpheus, hasn’t emerged on the surface. If we defeat the other Kings now and then take down the 【White King】 with Seekers from all over the world, we might be able to restore this world to its original state!”
Clark said excitedly, but Ethan remained calm.
“Now, I wonder if it will go that smoothly? Among all the 【Kings】, the 【Blue King】 is said to be the most difficult Monster to subjugate. Even if Yuma Mitaka is alive and slaughtering Kings with extraordinary power, that fact remains unchanged.”
Ethan shifted his gaze to the Orpheus Tablet behind the glass.
The blue jewel shining at the far right of the top row. He wondered if this jewel would ever shatter, and a slight smile crept onto his lips.
◇◇◇
“Aaaaaaaah—long! Are we there yet!?”
Yuma looked out the passenger seat window, venting his pent-up frustration.
“We haven’t been gone that long. Distance-wise, um… I don’t think we’ve even covered a tenth of it.”
Rui replied while gripping the steering wheel. Hearing that, Yuma grimaced, “Only that much!?”
It had been a full day since Yuma and Rui departed from Cuttack, India.
The truck they were riding in was steadily traveling along the national highway, but they hadn’t even crossed the Indian border yet.
This was because parts of the road had collapsed, forcing them to take detours.
“I think it’ll take about a week to ten days, depending on the road conditions.”
“Ten days… that’s quite a while.”
“But, given the situation, crossing the border shouldn’t be too difficult, right? I don’t think there will be any guards.”
Rui let out a soft chuckle. Seeing Rui’s expression, Yuma felt a little of the tension leave his shoulders.
He didn’t know if he would get what he wanted by continuing this journey.
Yuma had become increasingly withdrawn, but he was always helped by Rui, who treated him with cheerfulness.
“…Thanks.”
“Huh? What?”
“Nothing.”
Yuma replied gruffly, leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes.
Two more days passed, and the truck pulling the container rattled along an unpaved road.
“Ah!”
Yuma was startled by Rui’s sudden exclamation and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Cars are blocking the road.”
Looking ahead, they saw several cars abandoned on the road, blocking their path. They stopped the truck, and Rui and Yuma opened the doors and got out.
“That’s quite a few. It’ll be a pain to move all of these.”
They were currently in an urban area of Afghanistan. There were dozens of cars, and detouring would mean a considerable detour.
This had happened several times before.
Each time, Rui and Yuma had worked together, blasting away the cars blocking their path to clear the way, but this time there were too many.
“Hey, wouldn’t it be faster if I transformed into the 【Ancient Dragon】 and flew?”
“If I rode on your back, I’d burn to death. And what about the cargo in the container? A Dragon’s small hands can’t carry that, can they?”
“Ugh… you’re right, but…”
As Yuma was unable to refute, a high-pitched cry echoed from the sky.
“What’s that?”
The two looked up. There were Monsters spreading their wings and swimming leisurely through the sky. And not just one. They were flying in multiple groups.
“Those are… Fire Drakes! If that’s the case, the 【Red Dungeon】 is nearby.”
Yuma gasped at Rui’s words. Currently, countries all over the world were being ravaged by Monsters. Even during this journey, they had hardly seen any humans, but they had seen Monsters countless times.
“Once you fight those guys, they call their comrades. I want to avoid combat as much as possible, but…”
The two waited until the Drakes disappeared from sight. After a while, there were no more Monster shadows in the sky, and the cries faded away.
“Alright, let’s move while we can.”
“Yeah, I’ll look for another route.”
The two got back into the truck and backed up to enter a different road. It would take a little longer, but they had no choice but to proceed without being spotted by Monsters.
Taking another road, they found rubble blocking the way this time.
The damage from the Monsters must have been severe. Yuma and Rui got out of the truck to check the road conditions.
“This is no good. I think the other roads will be the same.”
Yuma could only nod at Rui’s words. No matter how far they detoured, there might be no way to proceed.
“Guess we have no choice. Let’s blow away the rubble and move on.”
“Are you sure? If we make a loud noise, Monsters will gather, though…”
Rui was worried, but Yuma had made up his mind.
“I’ll deal with them. Rui, drive the truck while I do.”
Yuma tensed his body, and his entire body was covered in black “metal armor.” Sharp horns grew from his head, revealing ferocious fangs.
“I’m going to blow away the rubble now. Once the road is clear, go immediately!”
“Got it. Be careful, Yuma.”
Rui got into the truck and started the engine. Seeing that, Yuma focused his mind on the 【Chimera’s Jewel】 on the back of his left hand.
One of the Jewels began to shine, and Yuma’s body began to change.
His metal-gray body turned red, and wings sprouted from his back. A tail grew from his coccyx, and his neck lengthened.
Yuma, now in the form of an Ancient Dragon, gathered Flames in his ferocious jaws and unleashed them towards the road.
The rubble on the road was engulfed in Flames, exploding as if bursting. Seeing that, Rui stepped on the accelerator, and the truck sped off.