Arcane Sniper

Chapter 976

“Kee hee hee! Sent by Grandpa Le, you say? You do reek of Bathory, but… sis, aren’t you free from Grandpa Le’s hold?”

“That’s right. Count Le and I were in a sort of partnership. Thanks to his consideration, we ended the vertical relationship and joined hands anew.”

“Now… even ‘below here’? Including the vampires who’ve flown out and the ones mixed with humans?”

At Pyrot-Cocri’s question, Petyr flinched slightly. Fortunately, the question appeared somewhat ambiguous!

“Ah, you knew. Yes, that’s correct. They all work for me. Among them, of course, is The ‘Arcane Sniper’.”

Chiyou, who was unaware of Petyr’s current presence, could only think about the vampires flying out of a window right below the uppermost floor.

“Kee hee hee! The Arcane Sniper, it’s a name I haven’t heard in ages! It’s amusing, truly amusing! Fine. If Grandpa Le asked you to awaken me, you must have something to offer. What do you want?”

“It’s simple. I want you to resurrect a corpse I have… turning it into an undead.”

“An undead―.”

“Of course, it will be an undead that refuses not only orders from Pyrot-Cocri but also disobeys Count Le’s commands… an entity solely bound to me.”

Listening to Chiyou’s request, Petyr pondered for a moment. What was it that she could transform into an undead?

It likely wasn’t the players. An NPC?

The NPC known as ‘Arcane Sniper’ was already alive and wasn’t something to be made undead. While Petyr pondered, Pyrot-Cocri remained silent.

“The purpose?”

“I didn’t think it was necessary to disclose that.”

“Ang? Kee hee! You came inside me and now you reject me?”

“Could you exert force from ‘inside’ without me? From my knowledge, you already failed before….”

“Unni~? Are you trying to play with me?”

“Kee hee hee! Y-yes, indeed.”

The tension between Chiyou and Pyrot-Cocri was suffocating enough to dry out Petyr’s blood just from eavesdropping.

Even in such a precarious situation, both parties only provoked and nudged each other, stopping just before crossing the line.

Petyr was momentarily curious about Chiyou’s intention in driving the situation to an edge but soon had his curiosity quelled.

He also perceived a strange part in Chiyou’s words.

“Could it be… the one Pyrot-Cocri will play with is not me but… Ha Leeha?”

Pyrot-Cocri’s voice vanished completely then.

‘Indeed. That Ha Leeha’s dealing with Pyrot-Cocri’s projection is a top-secret even among Ezwen and the ‹Sacred Alliance›!’

It was astounding that Chiyou had entirely grasped that fact, and her skill in cornering the conversation was also praiseworthy.

No matter how much of the Demon King’s Fragment one was, or if one were Pyrot-Cocri, they could not outmaneuver Bluebeard in terms of cunning and trickery.

Hence, Chiyou saw them merely as a delectable prey. She incited Pyrot-Cocri’s wrath to redirect it towards a ‘different person’ rather than herself, precisely onto a user whom she utterly loathed.

“Are you against Ha Leeha oppa?”

“Yes, the reason Count Le sent me here is entirely… related to that.”

“Kee hee hee hee! So Grandpa Le was taken too? Kee hee, I should have seen that expression of his!”

Chiyou was no longer viewed as ‘sister’.

When the mischief returned to Pyrot-Cocri’s voice, Chiyou finally played her card.

“The one I aim to resurrect is merely a humble Dark Elf. Though it holds no power in itself, it’s necessary for…”

Petyr recalled hearing Chiyou’s voice in such a tone before. He could envision her expression without seeing it.

A serene dancer, smiling with an exceedingly gentle countenance, was gazing at Pyrot-Cocri—all going according to her plans.

In an infinitely humble posture, with gestures that worked solely for the target.

『You will be able to completely remove Ha Leeha.』

* * *

For a very brief moment, silence fell.

Petyr pressed himself as close to the ceiling as possible, trying to listen, but all he could hear was Chiyou’s breathing.

‘Heh, heh heh, someone’s nervous!’

Even if she could keep her voice calm, controlling her breathing was nearly impossible. Petyr could guess why Chiyou’s breathing was uneasy.

Pyrot-Cocri must not have easily fallen into Chiyou’s trap.

『Hmmm, but that’s a bit of an arrogant statement.』
『Pardon? What do you mean by that?』
『As if I… and Grandpa Le and Ghibrid oppa don’t have the power to kill Ha Leeha?』

Pyrot-Cocri’s voice came directly.

Petyr barely suppressed a smile, imagining Chiyou’s facial expression. However, the smile vanished as Pyrot-Cocri continued speaking.

『It’s not that―.』
『Well, watching your exploits could be nice, but it would be a mistake to underestimate us, those who are ‘all awakened’. Heh heh heh! Regardless of what you’re thinking.』
『Of course. The fact that the moment the three of you gather, you’ll unleash more than the power of three, is evident at a glance.』
『Unni, you’re quite intriguing, aren’t you? Enough of a personality to annoy Grandpa Le, aren’t you? Heh heh! Fine! Then wake me up.』

Despite having doubts about Chiyou’s true intentions, Pyrot-Cocri eventually accepted the deal with Chiyou.

Click… click…

Petyr could hear the sound of Chiyou’s shoes.

The moment the footsteps stopped, a crimson light erupted, reaching even the lower floor where Petyr was.

───────────────!

Simultaneously, a very high-frequency noise resonated throughout the entire Peklo City.

* * *

A sharp “zzz” sound resonated to the extent that even Petyr had to frown and cover his ears.

Its significance was all too clear.

Even amidst the noise, Petyr tried to eliminate as much interference as possible to focus on the conversation of those on the upper floor.

『The dark elf to be resurrected―.』
『No, wait. There’s no advantage in staying here. I will handle that by meeting Grandpa Le directly.』
『Understood. Then, how will the transfer be… ?』

Chiyou’s voice wavered for a moment but soon regained composure. Petyr thought she seemed reluctant to go to Bluebeard’s side.

『Heh heh heh! Just head to Ghibrid oppa’s house! Enter through the “Abyssal Maw”.』
『Is it safe for us to go in?』
『Of course! Oh, before that—there’s something to gather first!』
『Something to gather?』
『The fragments of my power… right here.』

Pyrot-Cocri’s voice altered slightly.

It was enough for Petyr to notice.

Specifically, it wasn’t her voice—her tone, her atmosphere, had changed.

It wasn’t hard for Petyr to perceive it.

The moment the high-frequency noise completely subsided, the entire Peklo City began to tremble.

『Wha-what are you doing—if you dare threaten me, Arcane Sniper will―.』
『”Whaaat~? Kikikih! Don’t worry!”』

Petyr felt alarmed.

Something was about to happen soon. How should he react to the unfolding events?

Where could he flee? Where could he hide?

He should not make a hasty escape immediately.

Moving thoughtlessly might lead Pyrot-Cocri to ask Chiyou if the ‘one fleeing is on your side’, and Chiyou would grasp the situation instantly.

Yet, staying around was not an option either.

If the increasingly wary Chiyou employed a sensing skill, it would be difficult to avoid her watchful eyes.

He needed a place where he could hide himself while ensuring his safety at the same time!

Petyr yearned for such a place.

『”I told you, I am merely collecting pieces of my power! This entire 〈Peklo City〉 is made of my bones!”』

Even if everything in Peklo City hadn’t turned into bone dust and started collapsing, Petyr would have swiftly found such a place.

“Buhihi, 〈Invisibility〉, 〈Size Reduction〉.”

However, the immediate task at hand was to conceal himself first.

In the collapsing city, he shrank himself down to the size of a small insect and became invisible to move swiftly.

Avoiding Chiyou’s ‘gaze’ was indeed a brilliant choice. Yet, if he were to be hit even once by debris falling faster than the speed at which the city turned into dust, survival would be difficult for Petyr too.

“This kind of play is something I haven’t had fun with in ages!”

Petyr’s acrobatic movements, leaping and twirling on each falling stone, were the epitome of acrobatics.

Just when he thought the name 〈Midnight Circus〉 was rightly earned, Chiyou looked towards one of the entrances leading into Peklo City.

“That, that’s―.”

“Uhihihit, those too are definitely part of ‘my power’. If we are to eliminate Ha Leeha-oppa… Kikihit! We need to gather even more.”

Where had they appeared from?

Various undead had started pouring down from the entrance.

With the singular objective of ‘returning to Pyrot-Cocri’, the monsters, governed by this order, even appeared zombie-like to Petyr.

‘No, not just zombie-like―these undead are―.’

They were literal zombies.

Within this frenzy of zombies rushing towards him, Petyr saw clearly.

These entities were all summoned or dominated by Pyrot-Cocri’s reach or possible control over the undead.

Regardless of whether they were planted externally beforehand, the command of the 『Queen of the Undead』 absolutely dominated them.

Naturally, there had to be one.

Petyr, now reduced to ant-size, ran and ran.

He could sense Pyrot-Cocri was aware of him.

Because, all living beings within what she referred to as her ‘stomach’ could be sensed by her.

So what about him, sprinting from the castle towards the exit?

Would Pyrot-Cocri let his movements go unchallenged?

“Buhihi! Of course not!”

By now, the information would have reached Chiyou.

Among their party, there was someone who handled firearms at a level akin to Ha Leeha. In that case!

“Buhihihihit―! 〈Revert to Original〉!”

Simultaneously growing back to his original size and executing a cartwheel without letting his hands touch the ground,

Snap―!

As a stone sprang from the earth, a gunshot echoed through the air.

Bang─────────!

“Petyr!”

“I’ve gained all I can, Chiyouoo! Buhi, buhihihit! Thanks for the bonus gift!”

Petyr twisted his body efficiently.

The duration of his airborne leap, incomparable to that of an Olympic gymnast, allowed for a dynamic yet smooth thrust.

“Directoooooooooor―!”

What Petyr had seen while running in his small form was unmistakable.

Among the undead horde charging mindlessly, the one with an exposed face, who was unmistakably akin to the former leader of the Midnight Circus.