CHAPTER 44: TIMELY RESCUE

"The name's Mason… Mason Melbourne. Nice to meet you, kid."

Hearing his introduction, Hermes looked around the dust-ridden battlefield. Corpses, both human and monster, were scattered across the crimson sands of Mars. Blood of all hues and saturations dyed the finely ground molecules in an assortment of colors. He sighed to himself.

'If only I got here sooner… Would I have been able to save them?' His thoughts churned once more. 'No, I cannot think like this… This world might all just be an illusion… My mission is to save Elizabeth; that is all I need to preoccupy myself with…'

While Hermes pondered about his morality in the current situation, Mason was busy analyzing the battlefield. In the distance, he could still hear the sounds of gunfire and explosions. The sound of the hover tank still swerving across the vast dunes could also be barely heard. He looked at Hermes and scrutinized his build.

"Kid, you're of the Knowledge Domain aren't you?" Hearing his question, His chain of thoughts burst open. Seeing that he had grabbed his attention, Mason continued. "You are probably a Martial Master, no? Use [Sensory-Boost] to locate the last of the three Mutant Devil Wolves."

Understanding his request, Hermes pushed his glasses up his sharp nose bridge and nodded in confirmation. He moved his cosmic force to his cochlea and closed his eyes to focus his sensations only on his hearing.

'[Sensory-Boost]...'

About 300 meters away in the south, the sounds of gun shells and howls mixed into a symphony of death and carnage. The last of the three beasts was artillery shelling what was remaining of the convoy while hiding himself in the clouds of dust and sand— a clear representation of its intelligence.

Hermes opened his eyes and looked at Mason who was smoking his cigarette nonchalantly. "He is about 300 meters south of us. I can hear him firing his shells rapidly."

Flicking the cigarette's ash tip, Mason clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Those bastards are such a pain in the ass. What in the Sovereign of Enlightened Insight are the Guardians doing?! How can they become so incompetent and allow such garbage to get this close to the capital?!"

Hearing his words, Hermes was left confused. 'Guardians? Capital? Sovereign of Enlightened Insight? What is this man saying right now? Could this be some sort of illusion of the Marcia Empire? I need more evidence, but if I question things now, I'll just seem suspicious; I'll hold off my curiosity for now...'

Composing his words, Hermes decided to just ignore his remarks and get to the point. "Should we ambush it together?"

The man shook his head. With his beard being stroked, he began briefing Hermes on his plans. "Listen up. I need you to go east instead."

"Huh?" His orders made no sense to Hermes. In his mind, taking care of the enemy quickly was the priority. Reconfirming his request, Mason nodded his head.

"Correct. If you head straight from where we are, you will arrive at a large metallic carriage. Inside are two nobles from the Valencourt house."

"What? You want me to save the two nobles? Why wouldn't you do it instead? You are stronger than me…" Hermes was dumbfounded. Why would he allow a Stage 1 like himself to take care of such important people?

Although Hermes did take down a Mutant Devil Wolf with a single slash, a monster that Leonardo stated as being close to a Stage 3 Celestial in strength, it was done through a combination of factors.

For one, he had the element of surprise as a huge advantage. He had reached the area roughly five minutes before the fight with Mason and his crew started as he began observing the situation below from the top of a colossal sand dune. He knew that his strength was not enough to deal with them in a straightforward confrontation, so he began to analyze the scene below using [Augmented-Comprehension] to find any way to beat them without exposing himself.

The horrors he witnessed almost made him throw up multiple times as doubts constantly plagued his mind. Thoughts like 'Is it really ok for me to just stay here and watch?' or 'I could probably save them if I went down there…' became a storm of sadness and grief as he contemplated his options slowly.

Hermes' life had never been marked with such violence before; it had only been a month since his transmigration. The fact that scenes like these would become commonplace for him soon ached his heart, but he knew that he had to get used to such cruelty soon or else he would be just like the soldiers on that battlefield, food for abhorrent abominations to feast upon.

The other two factors that contributed to his clean kill were that his gunblade was a replica of Dawnbreaker. This meant that its rank as an Ecliptic-tier Stellar Artifact was kept even inside the trial he was currently partaking in.

Even if he couldn't completely harness its strength yet, a weapon with the equivalent power of a Stage 5 Celestial was not something to joke about. Once he paired it with the new move he created, 'Magnum Carnage', a devastating attack that completely caught the monster off guard was executed, allowing him to cleanly decapitate the foul beast in a single, fluid motion.

His body was still not completely used to the recoil, but his training allowed him to wield it with perfection; with enough practice, a deadly swordplay would soon be born.

Mason scrutinized Hermes once more before garnishing a rough smile on his face. "Bastard, your badge ranks you as a Gold-tier Mercenary… Who the hell are you fooling?!"

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Before Hermes could even ponder about the meaning of his words, Mason continued. "Besides, I have bigger fish to fry…" His dark eyes shifted toward the south as his face became abjectly serious. "That thing is attacking from the distance for a reason. It might be trying to stall for time for more of its pack to arrive."

"Pack?" A shiver ran down his spine. Seeing his reaction, Mason furrowed his brows.

"Yes, a pack… Didn't you know? Mutant Devil Wolves always act in groups. They have entire dens full of them after all… You need to study up on the Mutant Encyclopedia, son. Your strength alone isn't enough to survive this world. Take it as advice from an old fart who has seen the deaths of numerous rookies over the years…"

Hermes nodded his head fervently. For some reason, the man before him gave him nostalgia. His habits of smoking and lecturing Hermes reminded him of his father… Noticing how sentimental he was feeling, Hermes shifted his attention to the East; he wanted to continue talking to Mason, but his mission right now was more important.

Mason flicked his cigarette to the ground and stomped out the flame. "Alright, let's split up from here. If we both make it out alive, I'll take you out for drinks!" Before Hermes could even reply, he had already run off in the Devil Wolf's direction.

Seeing this, Hermes gave a forlorn sigh. "His impatience is familiar also…" Shaking his head, his lips curled up into a smile as his figure disappeared within the clouds of dust and ash; after all, his new destination was further in the East.

…

Inside the now disarrayed carriage, paintings of unknown worth, jewelry, and other decorations were scattered across the floor in complete chaos. The dilapidated state of the carriage reflected the feelings of those currently inhabiting the space.

In fear, the two sisters cuddled each other in one of the corners of the room as dust from the ceiling continued to pile on their fair skin. Their brunette hair, which used to be beautifully combed, was now a mess. Rips and tears encompassed their noble dresses, adding to their decrepit looks.

In the other section of the carriage, Trevor, in an equally damaged outfit and derelict armor, paced around the room with dread in his eyes. He continuously bit his fingernails to calm his frenzied heart. His inner voice became apparent inside the now-in-ruins space.

"I shouldn't have applied for this mission, I shouldn't have applied for this mission!!! Ahhh!"

The fear that encompassed his body had turned slightly into anger. If he had stayed home, he would have been able to avoid this whole situation entirely.

"Damn, that father of mine! Is me forging a relationship with this pathetic woman really that important?! Their family is on the brink of bankruptcy! I still haven't tasted those two slave girls I got yesterday!"

Eleanor heard his disgusting words as her revulsion for the man grew even more. "Trevor, you pathetic swine! Slavery is outlawed in the Marcia Empire! How dare you go against the kingdom's laws! How can you call yourself a Guardian?!"

Rage filled his eyes as he shifted his attention in her direction. "Huh?! Don't lecture me about the Kingdom! The law?! What does it matter?! My family is the law! How dare you call me a swine, you ungrateful woman!"

He rushed in her direction and grabbed her by the hair. "Do you know how much time I spent pursuing you?! You never accepted my advances at all! Do you think of yourself as some untouchable flower?! Know your place!"

Eleanor gritted her teeth as she continued to resist his insults. Elara, who was protected within her bosom, couldn't hold back anymore as tears continued to fall on her plushy cheeks. With anger in her eyes, she voiced her opinions towards him openly!

"How dare you talk to Sister like that! You ugly, man! Sister Eleanor is beautiful. She will never accept someone as disgusting and warped as you!"

"Huh?" His gaze sharpened, sending a piercing chill through Elara's heart. His expression morphed, taking on the predatory leer of a hunter eyeing its prey. "Such insolence, akin to your sister's... Perhaps it's time you learned respect for your elders…" His lips curled into a vile smirk, exuding a palpable air of revulsion as he slowly licked them, adding a sinister undertone to his threatening demeanor.

Eleanor looked at his expression in horror. "Trevor! What do you think you are doing?! If our father found out about this, you are dead! Just because our family has fallen a little, doesn't mean anything! We are still a part of the founding nobles!"

Trevor covered his eyes with his hand, and a gleeful smirk appeared on his face as he began laughing hysterically.

"Hahahaha! You idiot! We are both going to die, anyway!" His eyes shifted up and down Elara's petite body as one disgusting thought after the other conjured itself in his mind. "Let's have some fun before we all go out!"

"Eeek!" Elara hugged her sister tightly in fear. Glaring at him intently, Eleanor warned him in a stern voice. "Trevor, if you even dare get close to her, I will not hold back!"

"Heh, try it." Cosmic force oozed out of his body as both staggered to stand on their feet. Struggling to get up and fight back, Eleanor cursed out loud.

"You, bastard!"

"Hahaha! How do you like my Cosmic Force Suppression? My Dimensionality is higher than yours you know… Tsk, tsk, if only you didn't resist…"

Licking his lips once more, his voice warped as his lust became more and more apparent. "No matter… I like it when girls play rough; it's a lot more satisfying once they become more obedient…"

Tears fell down her cheeks, and with no ability to fight back, all they could do was sit there and await their fates. She hated that about herself. 'If only I was stronger! If only I practiced more!' Thoughts like these went and gone, but regret for the past was useless to ponder about as time enjoyed only traveled forward, not backward.

Grabbing them by the shoulder, he separated the two from each other violently. Eleanor staggered to the floor as she stared at Trevor, who lifted Elara and shoved her into the leather couch.

Then he began to take off his armor slowly, his lips curling up further and further in anticipation. Eleanor could no longer hold back her anger. "You monster! You freak! How dare you! She is still too young! How can you be this disgusting?!"

"Keep talking, I cannot wait to see how you change your mind once you have a turn with me… Soon, you will start fighting your own sister just to sleep with me!"

"You delusional creep!"

Ignoring her words, Trevor leaped on the couch and pinned down Elara as she wept incessantly. Her face was covered in snot and tears. Seeing how much she was resisting his advances, Trevor grabbed her arms as she began twirling her body left and right, desperately trying to escape his grasp.

Dread filled Eleanor's heart; panic began to set in. Her voice turned into a somber tone as she began pleading with him in desperation. "Trevor, Stop! I give up! I can marry you if you want! Take me! Please, just spare my sister!"

Hearing her words, Trevor turned his head to face her. "Haha, too late! I want a taste of both of you now!"

In a sudden motion, he began to slowly inch his head closer to Elara's face; the desire for her lips grew more and more. Seeing his actions, horror encapsulated Eleanor as her face flushed pale. "Nooo!"

-Boom!

The sound of the tightly sealed door blasting open was heard as it pummeled into the floor. The blinding light of the sun encroached upon all the beings within.

Hermes' figure, donned in a trench coat and plated obsidian armor underneath, came into view. The luster of his gunblade refracted the rays of light resplendently as he held it over his shoulder. Analyzing the scene within, Hermes squinted his eyes as his face warped into a frown.

"Wow… And I thought Charles was bad… Are you trying to set the world record for the most disgusting human being alive? Very commendable…"

End of Chapter