MIGHT AS WELL BE OP-Chapter 458: Clap

Elsewhere, a streak of crimson light cleaved through the air with urgent velocity, as though propelled by sheer determination. It was Colonel Vazeryth, his demeanor marked by haste and resolve.

His hair and cloak whipped fiercely in the raging wind he summoned, parting the heavy clouds in his wake. Entrusted by the Grand Marshals, Colonel Vazeryth bore the solemn duty of delivering the Severed Crown of Echoes to Zhyravel for safekeeping. At this moment, he pressed onward toward the hideout where the entirety of the Logistics Department remained concealed.

The location that housed the Logistics Department was far more than a mere subterranean bunker. It was a secret realm, intricately layered over the very expanse of Military Base Alpha-6 itself.

While many were aware of the realm's entrance, only those of Grand Marshal rank possessed the key knowledge required to traverse the threshold into its depths. Yet, in light of the dire urgency brought on by Azrakar's sudden emergence, this secret had been entrusted to Colonel Vazeryth. The Grand Marshals, constrained by circumstance, were unable to undertake the mission themselves.

Accelerating with relentless urgency, Colonel Vazeryth neared the threshold of the secret realm, a precise point suspended in space itself. It was then that his keen eyes caught sight of a lone figure locked in desperate combat near the entrance.

It was Corporal Daniel, fiercely battling for his life against a relentless horde of demons and abominations.

A fierce determination blazed in Corporal Daniel's eyes as he moved with precision, his twin short swords weaving through the chaos, seizing every narrow opening between the enemy's attacks. In that moment, his visage bore the resolute spirit of a hero, unbending, committed to protecting what he had been entrusted with at all costs.

With a swift sidestep, Corporal Daniel evaded a searing bolt of black lightning. His short sword then arced through the air, cleaving cleanly through a demon's neck. Without hesitation, he dropped low to the ground, propelling himself upward with a powerful kick that sent another fiend sprawling. As the demon faltered, Daniel's blade descended relentlessly toward its temple, his movements perfectly synchronized within the deadly rhythm of the battle.

But before Corporal Daniel could launch his next strike, an abrupt surge of heat rippled through the air. In the blink of an eye, and before he could even react, the surrounding demons and abominations were reduced to scorched remnants, their forms incinerated in an instant.

His gaze snapped upward, hovering above was Colonel Vazeryth, his presence undeniable, power radiating from him like a furnace barely restrained.

"Colonel… what are you doing here?" Daniel asked, wiping the blood from his brow.

Colonel Vazeryth's eyes swept the area, his senses finely attuned to any remaining threats. Then, without moving his lips, his voice echoed directly into Daniel's mind: "I've been sent to deliver the Severed Crown of Echoes to Zhyravel"

Daniel gave no verbal response. He simply nodded in solemn understanding and, without another word, fell into step beside the Colonel as they made their way toward the entrance of the secret realm.

As they reached the precise location that marked the entrance to the secret realm, Colonel Vazeryth stepped forward, preparing to initiate the complex process required to unseal the passage. But before he could begin, a sudden and violent shift overtook him.

His body seized. Without warning, he collapsed to his hands and knees, blood erupting from his mouth, ears, and the pores of his skin. His mana surged wildly, only to be violently siphoned away, devoured by an unseen force from within.

'I've been poisoned' The realization struck like a thunderclap, sending a chill down his spine even as his body burned. Desperately, he reached for the antidote vial nestled within his cloak, but his muscles refused to obey. A wave of paralysis had taken hold, complete and merciless.

With great effort, his gaze jerked toward Corporal Daniel, his most trusted right hand, intending to instruct him to retrieve an antidote from his space ring. But the words caught in his throat, frozen, as his eyes fixed upon a scene that stopped him cold.

It was Corporal Daniel, but the expression on his face was no longer one of loyalty or concern. An unsettling grin twisted his features, dark and satisfied, as he watched the Colonel writhe in agony, his power draining away like sand through open fingers.

Colonel Vazeryth didn't need an explanation. The truth struck him harder than the pain coursing through his veins.

He had been betrayed. By the very man he had trusted most.

"Ho…w? Wh…y?" The words escaped in a frail, broken whisper, his voice dragged and trembling under the weight of his failing strength. Blood ran freely from his eyes as he looked upon the one he had guided, protected… even cared for like a younger brother.

And in that moment, the weight of betrayal felt far heavier than the poison threatening to end his life.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH"

A manic, almost unhinged laughter burst from Corporal Daniel's lips, echoing through the still air like a crack in reality itself.

"You dare to ask me why? You actually, fucking dare?" His voice dripped with venom, a twisted blend of fury and long-suppressed pain. He stepped forward, slowly, deliberately, his eyes locked onto the Colonel's fading gaze.

"For years, I was nothing but your shadow, your glorified errand boy. Signing your papers, fetching your orders, cleaning up after your work. Always just behind you. Always overlooked. And what did I get in return, huh?" He spat the words like poison. "Nothing. Not a single ounce of respect. Not even a passing thought. I was just another talentless, human soldier to you, rotting at the bottom of the military while you soared"

He paused, glaring down at Colonel Vazeryth, as though daring him to deny it, daring him to speak through the blood in his mouth, to offer a defense that might redeem him in Daniel's eyes.

"Ah, right" Daniel muttered with a smirk, watching the Colonel's trembling body struggle to even breathe. "I almost forgot, paralysis is one of the side effects" He crouched down slightly, his tone growing darker as he spoke with mock tenderness.

"As for how I did it. You always did love your coffee, didn't you?" He chuckled bitterly. "So predictable. Every morning without fail, you'd sip away at the one thing that brought you comfort. And in each cup, I slipped in a single drop of demon poison, the Nihlaroth. Slow, undetectable. Tasteless. Just waiting to be activated" Colonel Vazeryth's hand twitched feebly as Daniel reached forward and slipped the space ring off his finger.

"And now…" Daniel whispered, rising to his feet, the ring glinting in his palm, "with this mission complete, the demons will reward me handsomely. Rare resources, forbidden techniques to increase my talent and everything I need to finally rise above the mediocrity you shackled me to"

He turned the ring over in his hand, tempted. His eyes narrowed, hunger flaring for a moment as he considered retrieving the artifact within, the legendary Severed Crown of Echoes. He had never seen it, never even touched it. The weight of its power tugged at his curiosity.

But caution restrained him, but he knew better., even the slightest peek would trigger the attention of the abominations and demon sentinels scattered through the area.

"It was an honor to serve you, Colonel Vazeryth. Now… onto the second mission" Corporal Daniel murmured, his voice low as he turned his gaze from the lifeless body of the Colonel. "Though this one may prove far more perilous"

A man of Exarch Rank, cut down with such ease, all that power… gone in an instant.

CLAP. CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.

Daniel's stride halted immediately, frozen by the sharp, deliberate clapping that echoed behind him. He turned slowly, floating there was a man with snow-white hair and piercing blue eyes, it was Anthony.

"I must admit" Anthony said with an air of serene detachment, seated midair as if the very void bowed to his presence, "family dramas and betrayals, they never fail to entertain. No matter the world"