Crimson Eternal - Book 6 - Chapter 45 (Patreon)

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Table of Contents

Click the following link for the 1338 word chapter 45:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wrtDpu7Hgb3-wrn2Y53xAl8tI-6Gmf3_GIdC14SWNk4/edit?usp=sharing

Or you can read the unformatted version below:

Aria

“And why are you here?” I ask with a tilt of my head when I return from hunting criminals to find Ruby and Ryan just sitting around chatting with Shirogane and Little Blue.

Is my trip here turning into some vacation party or something?

“We’re on vacation,” Ruby answers bluntly while taking a sip of wine.

No, seriously. I’m not a vacation spot.

I roll my eyes at her answer before turning my focus onto the still-dumbfounded delegate from the Underground and stating, “I just finished the last job you’ve assigned me. Is it alright to head to the Hunter’s Spot now, or is there another job?”

The man snaps out of his stupor and answers, “There is one final job left. Should you complete it, all of the District Commanders have agreed to let you have free reign over the Hunter’s Spot whenever you please for the rest of your life.”

Oh? The rest of my life?

Isn’t that just saying for all of eternity? Or do they not know that I can’t die and won’t age?

Either way, doesn’t really matter if they know or not. A lifetime pass is great news.

And all for just one last target too.

“Where’s this target?” I ask while ignoring the looks Shirogane, Little Blue, Ruby, and Ryan are all giving the delegate. Looks that are strongly questioning the decision he just made.

“You do not have to face this target if you aren’t absolutely confident,” the delegate suddenly adds, making me narrow my eyes for a moment. “The District Commanders have agreed to let you enter the Hunter’s Spot for free as many times as you want for the next few years even if you don’t finish this last job. So please make your decision carefully based on the intel that is being sent to you now.”

This guy is acting way too cautious about this. A target’s a target after all.

I look at my terminal when I feel a notification buzzing from it on vibrate mode. At the same time, the delegate continues speaking, “This final target is known as the Undertaker. A self-proclaimed reaper of the Underground who has claimed control of a vast majority of the criminal empire on the planet. He is the most powerful of all the targets you’ve faced so far and even has a skill that completely nullifies all healing, just like you. His level is over fourteen thousand, and he has completely taken over several entire Districts of the Underground over the years.”

For some reason, hearing someone else calling themselves a reaper kind of grates on my nerves.

“I’ll take the job,” I state without hesitation after reading the details they sent me about him. Then I turn around and begin heading in the direction of this Undertaker guy’s main base. Not bothering to listen to the delegate’s surprised sounds from behind me.

Little Blue and the others pack up their things and quickly follow after me. At which point Little Blue comments, “So it sounds like we’ll be done here soon?”

I nod my head and answer, “Sounds like it. Then we can move onto the Hunter’s Spot at last.”

“We’ll be hanging back this time, so go do your thing!” Ryan exclaims with a thumbs-up, making me seriously question why he even came here.

And what does he mean ‘this time’? He only just arrived, so he wasn’t even there at the start of the last target’s hunt…

I roll my eyes but keep walking.

He’s not wrong in a sense though, considering that this target is apparently over level fourteen thousand. Which is too high a level to risk any of them getting caught in the crossfires.

This Undertaker guy could probably easily kill Little Blue, Shirogane, Ruby, and Ryan. His level is just too high.

“Make sure you all stay sufficiently far away this time,” I tell them, my tone a lot more serious than I usually make it. Because I am serious.

I might not care about danger when I’m alone, but the last thing I ever want is danger of this scale getting near them.

“Aria…” Little Blue mutters, looking rather overwhelmed for some reason. “So you do have some common sense after all…”

I glare at her before rolling my eyes.

“I have plenty of common sense, thank you very much,” I state with a frown on my face. Only to ignore the judgmental and disbelieving looks these traitors are sending me.

Rude.

“Stay safe in a nearby District,” I tell them while choosing to be the mature one and completely ignoring their treachery. “Or you can just go to my ship.”

Either works for me.

They all give me their little farewells – Little Blue, Ruby, and Ryan all hug me goodbye while Shirogane gives me a fist bump – then they leave as I continue making my way to a vast city. One with incredibly high walls and even special cavern walls around the cavern its in that are clearly made of a very durable metal ore.

My main target is the one known as the Undertaker, but my other targets are the rest of his forces.

As for civilians in the cities under his control? There aren’t any.

Any civilians that used to be in the cities were all sent to the mines under his control according to the details sent to me by the commanders. So there isn’t any need to worry about killing innocents in the cities.

With that in mind, I prepare some lovely objects that I haven’t had the chance to use in combat for a very long time.

Some rather wonderful explosives.

These explosives were developed by the Rex Dynasty of the Dead with the pharaoh’s help, and they are very special amongst explosives.

They have the power of nuclear explosives, but they don’t run on nuclear energy and do not have any side effects. On top of that, they don’t send out shockwaves, and they even have stabilizing factors in them for cavern walls and the like, so they’re safe to use underground.

Not that it would really matter to me if I were buried underground. I’d just dig my way out.

At most it would be a mild nuisance.

My level is easily high enough now to handle digging myself out after being buried alive, after all.

Of course, these explosives aren’t anywhere near powerful enough to kill a level fourteen thousand. But they should be more than enough to level this city.

The only issue with them is their activation time. Since they require some time to blow up.

I’ll likely have to sneak into the city and set up the explosives all around it one by one. Then blow them all up at once.

Honestly, I’d rather just set one up and blow it up, but they even take around a minute or two to set up. And someone could walk up and toss them into a different plain or the void or something before they blow up as well.

So it’s best to only activate them after they’re all ready.

Raja is still working out the kinks in them to get rid of these issues. But they blow up perfectly well still, so it’s fine for now.

It just makes this a little bit more challenging is all.

I can’t help but smile a little at that thought as I look over the vast city on the other end of the even larger cavern. Just trying to decide how I’ll get inside without anyone knowing about it.

Let’s see… I could chop myself up and mail myself in. Or I could fire myself in like a cannonball and hope no one notices.

Although the latter isn’t as likely to work, and the former would need someone to bring me in.

So I guess those options are out.

I purse my lips while tapping my chin in thought for a few minutes before muttering, “Ah.”

That should work.