Chapter 172 - Proximity of Death
Gandrault Gang had retreated, the red poison mist now gone. For now, the immediate threat had passed.
Just as I began to let my guard down, movement again. The members of Anastasia Union, having sensed our magic, had awakened and gathered in the backyard.
“That kikyo crest… You’re from the Kikyo Society? What the hell are you doing here?”
“What’s going on!? Did you bastards team up with Gandrault?”
“Damn it! We’ll kill you all!”
Under calm reasoning, the misunderstanding could’ve been cleared. But in this state of chaos and rage, it was impossible. A few—probably those who saw my younger sister being tended to—seemed to realize we’d come to help. But their voices were drowned out by the shouts of anger.
We didn’t have time for pointless conflict. Even now, the McDallian Family might be closing in. And Gandrault could return at any moment with reinforcements.
Just as I considered silencing the loudest ones by force, Paula snapped.
“Doraaaaaaah!”
She raised her right leg high and slammed it down onto the stone-paved path. The force shattered the stones and sent cracks spiderwebbing outward. The impact was so strong it lifted me slightly off the ground.
“You think I’ll just stand here and listen to your nonsense!? Who the hell do you think saved your lives!? Huh!?”
Her bloodied face twisted with fury, shouting louder than anyone else.
“You think we—the Kikyo Society—teamed up with scum like Gandrault? Fine, Yukari. Looks like these ungrateful bastards don’t even want the lives we just saved.”
Paula acted like it was nothing, but a head injury could kill even us. The blood staining her face was proof she’d just narrowly escaped death. To be called an enemy by the very people we’d risked our lives to save—yeah, that’d make anyone furious.
Honestly, I didn’t care about anyone here besides the younger sister. But after going this far to help, it’d be a damn shame if we ended up getting killed. If we died here, all our effort would’ve been for nothing. I couldn’t say I didn’t understand Anastasia Union’s anger. Their losses were devastating. I didn’t know how many had died, but the number was clearly high. Their headquarters was nearly destroyed. Of course they were angry. But they were directing that anger at the wrong people.
It wasn’t just Paula. I was angry too. I’d known from the start this mission was dangerous. But I wouldn’t stand for baseless accusations. Their rage was my rage.
Normally, my Physical Enhancement Magic flowed calm and steady, like a clear stream. But this time, I unleashed it—forcefully, violently.
A swirling surge of magical power. That alone silenced them, seizing every eye and ear.
“I am Shinogami of the Kikyo Society. Our purpose here was to save the Leader’s younger sister. If you have complaints, I’ll hear them. But we don’t have time. Even now, the McDallian Family may be approaching. If you have no intention of protecting her, then we’ll take her and go.”
I stated it plainly, delivering only the facts. And they must’ve sensed my seriousness. If they got in our way again, I’d crush them without hesitation and take the younger sister by force.
Even this notoriously aggressive organization seemed momentarily cowed. But only for an instant. Then their fury surged back.
“Don’t give us that crap!”
“We’ll take on the McDallian Family—and you—any day!”
Disgusting. They’d just been cornered by Gandrault, then overwhelmed by our magic. Their heads were boiling with rage. We truly had no time for this nonsense. If they wouldn’t listen, we had no choice but to act.
“What are you all doing!?”
“O-oh, the Lady!?”
“Put your weapons down! Now!”
Finally awake. Her voice, ringing out at the critical moment, seemed to snap the frenzied members back to their senses. The tone and authority in her words belonged to someone meant to lead. Promising.
Though she radiated an intensity unlike anything I’d seen before, we weren’t intimidated. I gave a casual wave in greeting.
“You don’t seem too unwell. How much of the situation have you grasped?”
“I’ve been able to hear things for a while now, so I understand the general picture.”
Her faint smile was bitter. The commanding aura she’d just projected faded as she spoke to me. Her usual poised demeanor was ruined—hair disheveled, clothes torn and stained. Such a shame. A beautiful girl like her didn’t deserve this.
“Then you understand we don’t have time to stand around like this. We’re leaving. What about you?”
The younger sister closed her eyes briefly, as if considering her options, but quickly reached a decision.
“Yukari-san, everyone. I will repay the debt of your help. From here on, we’ll handle things ourselves. Please withdraw.”
Her eyes were serious—something I’d never seen before. Determined, yet gentle beneath the strength. That was the real her.
Hmm. Perhaps I’d meddled enough. Once calm returned, they wouldn’t resort to reckless suicide.
“Understood. But remember—revenge can wait. Right now, think about the future.”
With that small warning, I began to move out.
My sharp ears caught the conversation behind me as I headed toward the front courtyard.
From what I overheard, the number of survivors in this mansion was shockingly small. They’d decided it was impossible to hold their ground and fight the enemy here. Instead, they’d regroup, gathering scattered forces across their territory. A reasonable decision.
When I reached Bonnie and the others in the front courtyard, the retreat was already prepared. The vehicles stood ready to move at a moment’s notice.
“Hurry! The McDallian Family is near!”
At those words, we quickly boarded the vehicles and withdrew swiftly, taking a route that avoided confrontation.
I could only imagine, replaying the events in my mind.
Gandrault Gang’s assault on Anastasia Union. Honestly, I never expected them to corner such a powerful group so effectively.
Even with the Leader and high-ranking officers absent, Anastasia Union was a fighting organization famed for its individual strength. Head-on, even a small number of them should’ve been formidable.
That’s exactly why Gandrault didn’t fight head-on. They were cautious, thorough.
Setting the main building on fire was likely meant to drive people toward the back exits—the backyard, specifically—right into that sea of red poison mist.
The poison mist and space-binding magical tools were set up in the backyard, probably because they couldn’t be brought inside the building.
Fire to force evacuation, lure them into the mist, then crush them. Many were likely incapacitated by smoke even before the fire fully spread. Others, trapped and panicked, were easy targets. It must’ve been a one-sided massacre.
And for those who somehow escaped—the poison mist waited to finish them off.
Poison mist was a dirty tactic, but paired with space-binding tools, it was effective. They probably didn’t care about collateral damage, but as long as it didn’t affect civilians, it stayed within the bounds of underworld conflict.
I didn’t like it, but against a hyper-aggressive organization like Anastasia Union, it wasn’t a bad strategy—if you could stomach it. And clearly, their plan had been working perfectly. Until we showed up.
Still, such a meticulously prepared attack couldn’t have been improvised. I wondered when they’d started planning this. It was strange. Perhaps even without the Legisamo Cartel incident, they’d already been laying the groundwork.
In any case, Anastasia Union had been on the verge of total annihilation—until the Kikyo Society intervened. There was no doubt now: we’d made Gandrault Gang our enemy.
Not that I cared. I’d gone in knowing that risk, to save the younger sister.
But we should explain the situation to the Clad Family. I didn’t want to recklessly make them enemies too. I’d have Bruno Gang relay the message. Bruno himself might understand, but the Clad Family? Hard to say. They probably didn’t care about honor or loyalty—only which side offered more benefit. Still, I’d rather have them oppose us out of calculation than genuine misunderstanding. At least then, they’d hold nothing back.
In the car, I glanced at Paula as she used purification magic to clean the blood from her body. She repeated the spell meticulously, as if the blood disgusted her.
Paula, one of our founding members and our combat leader, was naturally strong. Her skill now rivaled even Siegrune and Gradena. Her raw magical aptitude might be lower, but her sheer tenacity more than made up for it. A comrade I trusted completely. And even she had been wounded—on the head, no less.
The head was an obvious weak point. Unlike the torso, protected by sturdy outerwear, it was vulnerable. A direct hit could mean instant death. You had to be vigilant. Avoid it at all costs. For someone like Paula to suffer even a graze meant her opponent was terrifyingly strong.
“…Paula, what was the enemy like?”
“A creepy bastard. Strong, but clumsy. I’d just finished off his underlings and slashed open his gut—thought, ‘Alright, next one’—when he swung his sword at me, guts spilling out. I was careless, but damn, that was close. A direct hit would’ve been bad.”
“You mean he fought you like that—after being disemboweled?”
“Nah, not for long. That was his last strike. He collapsed and died. Then the rest went wild, blasting magic everywhere. Next thing I knew, they’d retrieved the corpse and retreated.”
I see. So he had incredible willpower.
A single moment of carelessness could lead to death. A lesson to engrave in my bones.
Truth was, I wasn’t invincible. If I didn’t die instantly, I could probably survive. But if I did die, it’d be quick and final.
Thanks to my sturdy bones, I was confident I wouldn’t die even if a weapon struck my head directly—though I had no intention of testing that. But everything else? Different story.
A strike piercing my eye, destroying my brain—instant death.
If I wasn’t wearing my outerwear, even a thrust slipping between the ribs could pierce my heart. Instant death.
Poison mist? I was fine as long as I wore my coat. But direct exposure to liquid poison? Might kill me. If it entered my body somehow, it’d be dangerous.
If someone could manipulate air, they could suffocate me. Even a small amount of water, in the right hands, might be enough to drown me.
If I took a blow that caused excruciating pain—sure, my bones were tough, but I still felt pain. If the agony knocked me out, that’d be the same as death.
There were still unknown magics, unexpected tactics.
Of course, it was precisely because I could easily avoid or repel such attacks that I was strong. But in real combat, anything could happen.
Gandrault Gang and the McDallian Family weren’t part of the Five Great Families for nothing. They had their own power—maybe even abilities we couldn’t imagine.
I didn’t intend to lose. But I’d never let my guard down again.
Back at the Headquarters, we immediately prepared for what came next. I had no idea what would happen, but if we didn’t act, we’d be on the back foot forever.
The Intelligence Bureau was already working—no need to micromanage. The information we needed would come in steadily. I gave orders to the senior officers waiting at base.
“Siegrune, go with Paula to Bruno’s place and explain the situation. Make our position clear. Ensure the message reaches the Clad Family’s main house. And if they’ve learned anything, bring back every scrap of information you can.”
“Understood. Paula, sorry to drag you out when you’re tired, but we’re leaving now.”
“Heh. I’d be fine storming in right now.”
She wasn’t bluffing. I could feel her overwhelming aura. If she showed up at Bruno’s like this, they’d think she was launching an attack. But Siegrune was with her. It’d be fine.
“Margaret, go smooth things over with the Newspaper Guild. If we leave it be, they’ll paint the Kikyo Society as the villains again. They’re desperate for information about what’s really happening. Give them enough to prevent them from being easily manipulated by Gandrault or McDallian.”
“Yes. I’ve already arranged a meeting with one of the reporters.”
“Good. Once the information is organized, I’ll leave it to you.”
Impressive. At this rate, she’s probably already reached out to the other major guilds too.
“Yukari, what now?”
For now, all we could do was gather information and assess the situation. Acting too quickly might trap us. The Kikyo Society didn’t have the same leeway as the Five Great Families. We couldn’t afford to waste strength.
“We wait. We’ll see how the Clad Family moves, what the McDallian Family does next, how Gandrault and Anastasia Union fare. And we can’t ignore the Legisamo Cartel’s movements. We’ll tighten our defenses and focus on intelligence. It’s passive, but right now, we have no other moves.”
I couldn’t predict who would do what. I didn’t even know who was friend or foe anymore.
The most unsettling was the Legisamo Cartel. They’d surely strike at the worst possible moment. That’s exactly what they were waiting for. Lurking in the shadows, biding their time, ready to appear when it mattered most. We had to prepare for the worst. We didn’t even know their base, let alone their full strength. Not knowing—that was stressful.
With that uneasy feeling, I welcomed the night and fell asleep.
Exembra had fallen into chaos and conflict, and the Kikyo Society had now stepped into the storm.
This was only the beginning.
Next time, “The Harbinger of Misfortune.”