Chapter 34 | Alicar VS Rick
The entrance of the base stood before them in all its glory.
There were still a few people wandering around, but much less than before as most of the new awakeners had reached Level 10 already and moved on.
The guild representatives had already left the Initial Stage after picking the talents they wanted, their business concluded, and there were no healing potions waiting for them either.
The trio entered the human base and started to look around, their eyes scanning the familiar surroundings.
Alicar eventually approached one of the other awakeners present and asked a question.
"Where’s Rick."
The man turned around, annoyed by the sudden question and the demanding tone, but as soon as his gaze landed on Alicar, his eyes widened with caution.
"C-Commander Rick is in the strategy building..." he replied in a slight panic before quickly walking away from them, eager to escape the killing intent.
"Alright then," Alicar turned toward his two companions, a cold smile on his face. "Let’s get this over with."
Iris and Leon nodded, just as determined as he was, their eyes burning with the memory of what Rick had done to them.
After a few minutes they arrived in front of the building, and Alicar slowly pushed the door open—
SLAM!
Before Alicar could fully open it, the door slammed right in front of him, and from behind, Rick emerged, having kicked it with devastating force.
Alicar was pushed back several meters from the sheer strength of the attack, his feet sliding across the ground, but he quickly got up, unharmed.
"You’re back," Rick said simply, his expression neutral, his eyes studying them with cold calculation. "I... don’t understand how, did you find the exit?"
"..." Alicar didn’t reply, instead he began to channel his mana around his palm, the energy crackling with power.
Rick noticed that, his expression darkening as aura surrounded him as well, his body tensing for combat.
"Well, you three were supposed to be dead, especially the Crowford family’s daughter," he groaned as he took a step forward, his voice dripping with malice. "So... I better finish the job, or else they might do worse to me..."
Alicar launched a massive fireball at the commander, the flames roaring through the air, but he blitzed out of the attack’s way and attacked Alicar directly with blinding speed.
Unlike when he was only level 4 though, Alicar could actually see Rick’s movements now, his enhanced perception making the commander’s speed manageable.
Fwoosh!
He dodged the attack as it was about to hit him and summoned ice spikes from the ground, which Rick dodged by jumping into the air with practiced ease.
Iris and Leon decided to act at that moment, the former released several magical attacks, while the latter used his Power Charge to gain speed and charge at Rick head-on.
"You think you can defeat me? I have much more experience than you kids," Rick replied with a wide grin, his confidence unshaken.
He dodged all of Iris’ attacks with fluid grace and met with Leon head on to fight with their fists, exchanging blows with brutal efficiency.
’Rick is strong, can’t deny it,’ Alicar thought as he watched them, analyzing the commander’s movements. ’But even then... he’s nothing compared to that thing we killed.’
Rick took this opportunity to avoid every attack then rush toward Alicar as he was at the back, exploiting what he perceived as a weakness.
"You’re just a mage," the commander roared, his voice filled with contempt. "You can’t do ANYTHING!"
A terrifying amount of aura surrounded Rick’s fist as he used every ounce of speed and strength he had to close the distance, his attack aimed directly at Alicar’s chest.
Alicar knew that such an attack would kill him if it connected, but even then, he didn’t panic, his expression remaining calm and composed.
He simply lifted his arms, one of which still carried the S-Rank core, and used Demon Guard, the image of Vorgath appearing before him.
BOOM!
Rick’s fist hit Alicar straight on, the impact creating a shockwave that shook the ground.
But of course, his Demonic Art’s technique managed to almost completely nullify the blow.
"What the..." Rick’s eyes widened as he saw Alicar not even move an inch from his position, his attack rendered useless.
Then Alicar immediately acted to end this fight once and for all.
Using the power of his earth element, he summoned a wall of earth right behind Rick, stopping him from escaping what he would do next.
Then, Alicar lifted his fist, and using Demon Fist, struck Rick with the full force of his skill, the crimson aura exploding outward.
BOOM!
The commander slammed through the earth wall created by Alicar and hit the strategy building’s wall with devastating force, cracks spreading across the stone like spiderwebs.
"We killed the Sun Beast," Alicar replied to Rick’s initial question, his voice cold and steady. "That’s how we got out."
The commander’s eyes widened, though every inch of his body ached, unable to move anymore, his limbs broken and useless.
"H-Haha... You killed something... that not even the strongest among us could defeat...?"
Rick’s body slumped forward, his back against the wall, bleeding from multiple wounds that stained his uniform red.
"You... are... the... real... monster..."
These were Rick’s final words as his head lowered and his eyes lost their light, his body going still.
Ding!
[You have killed Lv.10 Human.]
"...I did it," Alicar mumbled as he watched the notification, his voice barely above a whisper. "I killed someone."
He stared at the notification for a long moment, the weight of what he had done settling on his shoulders.
He had taken a human life, something he had never imagined himself capable of.
But as he looked at Rick’s lifeless body, the man who had betrayed them, who had sent them to die, who had sacrificed countless others to the Sun Beast, Alicar felt no guilt. Only justice.
And if he wanted to move forward in the Eternal Realm, he knew for a fact that Rick would only be the first among many.
"I wish I had dealt the final blow," Leon smiled as he stood beside Alicar, "But at least this is done, we can leave this place!"
Alicar spent a long time looking at the commander’s corpse, then he responded, "...Yeah."