Volume 2, Chapter 59 – Power That Surpasses Humanity

However, for the other Fallen ones facing Yisi, this was something they could never accept.

It was as if they had witnessed a monster devouring someone alive. Everyone except Ander had their mouths agape. They trembled all over, unable to even hold their weapons, which clattered to the ground. Some of them even collapsed limply, desperately scrambling backward as if trying to escape death itself.

“Hey! What’s wrong with you all? Get up! Where has the glory of the Empire gone!”

The cowardice of his subordinates angered Ander, but he also found it strange. Although Yisi emerging unscathed from the magical barrage earlier was indeed frightening, she should be a corpse by now. There was no need to retreat in such a panic.

He subconsciously turned his head, and a sight beyond human capability entered his vision.

The stone golem’s full-powered strike had been caught with a single hand by Yisi, who stood on the ground. The visually shocking scene left Ander frozen in place, his mouth agape. Then, as if the golem was no match for Yisi, its arm, over thirty meters in diameter, was slowly being forced back.

“Impossible…”

Forgetting what fear was, Ander was simply stunned by the sight of a human single-handedly contending with the Empire’s Gift. But Yisi’s next move quickly pulled him back to reality.

Contrary to the image of someone gritting their teeth and desperately resisting immense force, Yisi appeared to have strength to spare.

“So this is your trump card. Interesting. The strongest among you is only level 21, yet you’re able to summon a level 47 monster. Normally, a summoner can only summon a creature at most ten levels higher than themselves. How did you manage it?”

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This was information Yisi had learned from her grimoire, a standard of this world, the continent of Alexia. If this were in ‘Ragnarøk’, the maximum level difference between a summoner and their summon could be as high as 50.

“Ggagagagaga—”

Seemingly enraged at being underestimated by Yisi, the stone golem, unable to crush her with one fist, swung its other one at her. Yisi frowned at the boisterous action; she was curious as to how Ander’s group could perform a summon so far beyond their level, but she had no interest whatsoever in the stone golem itself, named ‘Gresis’.

“Disappear.”

“[Dust of Annihilation].”

Like a time-lapse video of a rock weathering in the desert, the green flames on the stone golem’s body rapidly vanished. Its black body gradually turned white, then began to flake away piece by piece, finally turning to dust that was scattered by a gust of wind. The entire process lasted less than ten seconds, and the behemoth in the wilderness was gone.

[Dust of Annihilation] was not a particularly powerful spell; it didn’t even reach the threshold of a Tier 10 spell. Had a normal biological monster been standing before Yisi, this skill would have been useless. [Dust of Annihilation] was only effective against non-biological, earth-elemental monsters, and only when there was a level difference of over fifty levels with the user, which happened to be a perfect fit for the current situation.

The nighttime wilderness fell deathly silent.

The sound of someone gulping broke the silence. Then, as if awakened by the sound, fear spread through the ranks like a plague in less than two seconds. Ander’s subordinates let out terrified yelps, scrambling backward on their hands and feet, their faces contorted in a desperate attempt to flee from Yisi. Her actions were clearly outside the realm of humanity; no one would even consider fighting such a monster.

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Who could guarantee they wouldn’t be inexplicably turned to dust by this vampire, just like the stone golem? Being run through by a sword wasn’t terrifying—or rather, they were already prepared for such a fate. But to be killed so helplessly, to be inexplicably reduced to powder, was something they could not face under any circumstances.

It was not death they feared, but the unknown.

Even if these men managed to escape the battlefield, they would never again be capable soldiers. The terror of this day would haunt them for the rest of their lives, becoming an inescapable nightmare.

Like rats fleeing a cage, the dozen or so soldiers scattered and vanished in an instant. Only Ander remained, pinned in place by Yisi’s gaze. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to run, but he had a premonition that the moment he turned his back, Yisi would instantly be behind him.

Getting no answer from Ander, Yisi walked toward him, repeating her previous question.

“Why were you able to summon a monster that surpasses your level?”

In Ander’s eyes, Yisi was no longer a girl but a demon straight from hell. With every step she took toward him, he felt as if a hand were squeezing his heart.

“Eek!” Letting out an inhuman shriek, Ander’s knees gave way, and he collapsed to the ground, abandoning all dignity. “Th-that was an item His Majesty gave me! I didn’t summon it! I-I am an elite warrior of the Empire! I hold a noble title! You can’t kill me!”

But Yisi continued her unhurried advance. Seeing that his threats were useless, Ander quickly changed his tune. He had lost all will to fight, desperately seeking any means of survival, terrified of being turned into a pile of dust himself.

“I can give you all my treasures and gold! No—as long as you spare me, I’m willing to betray His Majesty and swear fealty to you! As the captain of the Empire’s 7th Secret Unit, I can easily gather intelligence unknown to others!”

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“One who betrays is always a traitor. If you can betray your master under my threat, who’s to say you won’t betray me the next time you face death? Besides, I have no interest in your so-called intelligence. In my eyes, you’re worth less than a starving slave on the street—”

Yisi stopped in front of Ander, looking down at the hopeful face of the kneeling man.

“—at least slaves feel respect for those who feed them. Letting you go would only sow the seeds of future disaster.”

“N-no, I don’t want to die…”

His face contorted in agony, Ander shuffled forward on his knees, trying to grab Yisi’s legs to beg for his life, but she simply kicked him away in disgust.

“Of course, you won’t die. Just as you said, as the leader of an Imperial secret unit, you possess far more information than others.”

“You’re letting me go? I’ll tell you absolutely everything!”

A look of ecstasy spread across Ander’s face, but Yisi’s next words made it freeze solid.

“As I said, to me, you’re worth less than a slave on the street. But to Count Pescia—to my father—you hold a different kind of value. You will spend the rest of your life being interrogated in the Pescia domain.”

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Of course, Yisi’s real goal wasn’t for the sake of the Pescia domain, as she claimed. It was to produce concrete results for Count Pescia. Just like when she sent the fallen angel Samael back, if she could periodically convey the message that “the Count’s eldest daughter is indeed working hard,” the Count’s trust in her would grow.

As for Ander’s fate of being tortured, Yisi felt not a shred of pity. Shinku’s group had originally numbered twenty; the fact that only five remained was entirely the fault of the Imperial Fallen led by Ander. Even on Earth, Ander would have received the death penalty. The guilty must be punished; it is the law of cause and effect.

“Well then, just go to sleep here for now.”

Yisi’s emotionless sentence made Ander’s eyes widen slightly. Then, like a cornered animal making a last, desperate struggle, a crazed look spread across his face.

“Go to hell!!!!!”

His savage features contorted, the previously ashen-faced Ander charged at Yisi, sword raised and screaming like a self-immolating fanatic. Yisi dismissed the idea of using ‘Stun Bolt’ and instead teleported to his side. She delivered a sweeping kick to his chest, and as he flew back like a sack of grain, she teleported above him and drove her elbow into his back.

With just that one combination, Ander was left prone on the ground, groaning in pain, all resistance gone.

“If you’d just obediently accepted your fate, it wouldn’t have been so painful.”

After tossing out that cold remark, Yisi immediately switched back to her “Yisi” identity and used “Short-Range Teleport” to return to the Margaret Tavern in the Celtic city. While the task of capturing the escaped rats and dumping them in the Pescia domain along with Ander remained, the safety of Camilla, Mary, and Shinku’s group was clearly more important than dealing with the Imperial Fallen.