Arcane Sniper

The freezing expressions of Kidd and Luger, alongside Leeha’s, glanced at Black Bass, making him even more tense.

From the Cobalt Blue Python and Crimson Geckos, a faint light kept flickering.

Leeha paused to gaze at those firearms. What could they possibly be saying at this moment?

‘Could they also be having some kind of adolescent delusion? Haha.’

Thinking about how those mighty barrels and sleek revolvers spoke in the same voice and tone as Black Bass, Leeha’s tension oddly began to ease.

“Alright, are you all ready?”

Leeha adjusted Black Bass’s bolt to face the sky, and then opened the bottle cap received from Kijung.

Even with just the ‘pop’ sound of the lid opening, the inside of the forge somehow felt cozier.

There was something that enveloped the entire space even in the absence of any scent.

A comfort of a different kind from a smell.

‘I don’t need much anyway. Just in case Kidd or Luger might need it later—’

He decided to use it sparingly.

With utmost care, Leeha tilted the bottle.

The little remaining liquid in the already small bottle slid towards the opening with a somewhat thick feeling.

With a single drop resting at the opening, Leeha leveled the bottle horizontally again.

The meticulousness that seemed almost like a religious ritual, coupled with the users’ awareness of the task’s importance, heightened the tension within the space.

Kidd’s shaky breathing, Luger’s complete stillness, and even Leeha’s unblinking eyes.

The focused concentration of the three people coalesced in a single moment.

…… Drip.

A single drop of holy water containing Ahlo’s blood fell onto the bolt of Black Bass.

Leeha fixed his gaze on Black Bass. However, nothing had occurred yet.

Though only a few seconds had passed, it was a silence that made onlookers fidgety and restless. The Three Musketeers could not just stand by and watch.

“It might not react because the amount is too little.”

“That stingy guy! Just pour it quickly!”

Though Kidd and Luger urged Leeha, he had already sealed the bottle with its cap and placed it inside his bag.

His intuition told him he should not use up an item that Kijung said could never be obtained again.

“This is so precious. Hey, Bottleneck! Why don’t you check the status—”

Leeha tried to have Bottleneck detect any changes, but before he could finish speaking, a voice resonated in everyone’s minds.

―Aaaah…….―

“Hmm?”

“Is this— is this Black Bass’s voice……?”

“Could the Ego Gun affect individuals other than its user!”

Kidd, Luger, and Bottleneck were startled by the unfamiliar voice.

Observing Bottleneck’s nervous reaction gave Leeha the confidence that things were progressing properly.

“It doesn’t seem to affect only individuals.”

“―What!?”

Not just individuals, as the Cobalt Blue Python and Crimson Geckos that were emitting light were also being influenced by Black Bass.

“Something’s…… coming.”

“Damn, the Python is howling—.”

“Coming? Howling? What the—.”

─────────────…….

Leeha could no longer inquire from Kidd and Luger. A flash radiated from the bolt of Black Bass.

“…… What is this?”

“What— boss!? Boss!”

The Beard Brothers were staring blankly near the table.

Leeha, as well as Kidd, Luger, their weapons, and even Bottleneck had disappeared.

Leeha had been bewildered.

He could not discern whether Kidd, Luger, Bottleneck, or others were beside him. More importantly, Leeha could not even see his own body.

When he tried to move his hands or feet, only the ‘feeling’ of movement was transmitted to him.

“What’s going on? What is this?”

Speaking felt the same way.

In his head, it seemed as though he could hear a voice. He also experienced the sensation of moving his lips and air leaving his mouth.

Yet, no sound resonated.

It was the same feeling as speaking with ears tightly covered.

Though it was a situation that could cause considerable confusion, fortunately, Leeha had experienced a similar state before.

Hadn’t it been just like this when he used the 『Melding Breath』?

“No, if that’s the case now… did something change when Black Bass absorbed the divine’s blood? Movement? Teleport?”

Even in an environment sufficient to cause panic, Leeha maintained his composure.

Incidents involving the sudden emergence of light and the forced control of his body were already familiar.

“When I reenacted the memories of Arcane Sniper… It’s similar to back then.”

This was likely close to experiencing someone else’s ‘memory,’ and then only one thing remained.

“Black Bass.”

Leeha tried to call Black Bass, but it felt as though his sound didn’t reach anywhere.

There was no response from Black Bass either.

Then, Leeha abruptly closed his mouth.

In a situation where he was unsure whether he was floating or standing, something came into Leeha’s view.

There was a jet-black mass.

It appeared to possess a shape, yet Leeha could not identify that form.

At a glance, it seemed like a human.

However, the continuously changing, living-like, undulating, dark black substance could not be called a human.

It appeared to be moving somewhere, and Leeha observed its journey.

More precisely, as the black mass moved, Leeha’s gaze naturally followed.

“What is this?”

Looking at the black mass that entered his view, Leeha felt a strange sensation.

It was definitely close to a negative emotion, but he couldn’t clearly distinguish whether it was discomfort or disgust.

The thought that he should look away persisted, yet he couldn’t avert his gaze.

That was because Leeha himself couldn’t control his line of sight. Almost akin to being forced into a nightmare, Leeha observed the black mass as it moved.

A short while later, the black mass halted its movement.

Leeha couldn’t clearly perceive any surrounding features he could deem as ‘background.’

Something rose tall like a mountain, yet seemed too small compared to the ‘black thing.’

Something flowed long enough to connect from one end of Leeha’s vision to the other, perhaps resembling a river. However, compared to the ‘black thing’, it felt infinitesimally small.

『With this…….』

Leeha flinched at the moment.

What echoed in his mind was undoubtedly a voice. Yet, it wasn’t the voice of Black Bass or any other users he knew.

By the time he realized the voice came from the ‘black thing,’ it had already reached the ‘relatively’ thin stream, which he assumed was the river.

There was no sudden flash of light.

However, Leeha could definitely perceive it.

When it withdrew what could be considered a ‘hand’ from the river, the alien object placed upon it was clearly visible.

Despite being the same shade of black, it was distinguishable by its outline, as well as some reddish elements.

『Seven forces… My avatars…….』

Seven forces? Avatars?

Leeha focused on the voice of the black entity.

The foreign lumps placed on its hand gave Leeha a strange sense of familiarity. As he observed them, he thought, “Where have I seen something like that before? What is it—hmm?”

While studying the black entity’s hand, Leeha’s gaze shifted to the river where the black entity had immersed its hand.

“Oh, oh-oh-oh?!”

Leeha’s gaze narrowed onto the river as if being drawn in.

Only just then did he realize that it was an actual flowing river.

It felt like plummeting from a high altitude straight to the ground in an instant!

Even though he had no equipment to safeguard himself and was constrained from even shielding his face with his hands!

“Wait! No matter—no matter if it’s a game, this is bad for my mental health!”

It wasn’t skydiving from an altitude of 10,000 meters; he was diving straight into the river?

Even though he would die from the fall, the impact of hitting the water, even in a dead state, would be unimaginable.

“Aaahhhh!”

…

Without even having the chance to scream, Leeha plunged straight into the river.

Of course, since it was only his viewpoint that had shifted, there was no shock. Without even the sound of breaking the surface, he observed something underwater.

“This is… it’s definitely a river. And those things are—”

The number of fish floating belly-up was beyond counting. All kinds of aquatic life, aside from the fish, were utterly dead. Leeha couldn’t understand why it happened, but he could express it.

“The river is dead.”

Nothing, not even microorganisms, could have survived.

The moment the black entity created ‘something’ here, the entire river died.

Though it was still flowing and not dried up, within the doomed current of the river, Leeha saw something.

Forming slowly at the riverbed was something pitch-black.

As the pitch-black entity gradually took shape, Leeha understood.

“I see…”

Why he had seen this vision as soon as he touched the Black Bass. What this vision signified.

What this black form that had killed the river was.

Moreover, what was emerging at the riverbed now.

Leeha collected his thoughts.

―Ha ha ha… indeed.―

At that moment, Black Bass’s voice resonated.

To be precise, it was as if a flash occurred and an event took place simultaneously within the newly formed pitch-black shape in Leeha’s field of vision, now located at the riverbed.

Leeha spoke.

“Black, you were created together with the 《Arcane Bullet》.”

The entity that killed this river was the Devil.

It likely depicted a time when God and the Devil still remained on Middle Earth.

The Devil had created their power here.

Why had the dark elemental spirits been so enraged upon sensing the form of Black Bass?

Why had they associated it with Devil instantly?

They had known.

Even if the specifics were unclear, they had clearly felt the connection to the origin and birth of Black Bass.

In the dwelling where the Devil lingered, dark elemental spirits were born.

In that case, could it have been that nothing happened at the spot where the mage used their power to create the 《Arcane Bullet》?

“No, to be precise… it formed in the place where the Arcane Bullet was created.”

If that power had leaked out and pervaded the surroundings, an evident effect would have been unavoidable.

Why was Black Bass sealed away?

Why was there guidance against unleashing all its power?

As Leeha spoke, another change occurred in his field of vision.

The specific form assembled on the riverbed was vibrating.