Volume 4 Chapter 89 Operation: The Naked Passerby Kian ①
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”I’m alive,” Kian grunted. “My right arm is basically gone, and the bleeding won’t quit. I can’t draw enough mana from the Spiritual Vein to kickstart a proper heal, but I’ll manage.”
’You’ll manage?! Kian, that’s a fatal wound!’ Talia shrieked.
”Relax. The blood’s flowing with less force than when I blow a load. Once I shift into Asterios form, I can force a high-speed regeneration. It’s no big deal.”
With a wet tear, he ripped away the remaining flap of skin where his arm used to dangle. As he reconfigured his somatic cells into the Asterios-type, he finally felt the rush of magic power surging up from the Spiritual Vein.
He stayed in the Asterios state, pouring every ounce of Qi he could muster into the raw cross-section of his shoulder. Under the sheer pressure of his will, skin finally knit over the wound and muscle fibers swelled outward. It was a crude, agonizing bit of magical carpentry, but he’d made it work.
’Thank the gods…’ Talia whispered, her voice trembling. ‘I know you’re a powerful warrior, but stop being so reckless. You aren’t invincible. And I’m not in your right arm anymore – I can’t patch you up from the inside.’
”I know, I know,” Kian dismissed. “More importantly, Talia – that woman warrior monk, Almeisa. She used a black magic sword.”
’A black magic sword?’ Talia asked.
”Yeah. That’s probably why our link was severed so unnaturally. It cut my connection to the Spiritual Vein, too. I was totally tapped out for a minute.”
’……!!’
”My right arm just… disintegrated. Countless square holes opened up until the whole thing just tore apart. I’m glad you’d already jumped into that other body.”
Ever since Talia had begun parasitizing Lyritisse’s body, Kian’s right arm had been effectively hollow. He’d set up a relay system – his brain to Talia’s, then back to the arm’s nerves. If she hadn’t moved her soul’s core, that black blade would have erased her along with the limb.
’Black magic sword, square holes… could it be -‘
”Sorry to cut you off, but we’ve got an emergency,” Kian interrupted. “Rita’s been swallowed by some kind of black barrier. According to Tsai Ryoma – the prisoner – this is a mental pollution barrier.”
The bird golem finally pivoted toward the looming black sphere on the Sandy Beach.
”I want to save her,” Kian said.
’I’m sorry, Kian. Not right now. We’ve got guests of our own.’
”Enemies?” Kian asked.
’Yes! The enemy’s second wave! They’ve been raining magic on us for five minutes!’ Talia replied.
”Listen! Jibril is with them! I smashed his puppet, but the real bastard is still out there! Once I help Ms. Aliona, I’m heading your way! Just hold them off!”
’No, stay put! I can handle this side alone. You stay on standby! I’ll deal with Lady Aliona later.’
”I’m not just going to sit here -“
’Yes, you are,’ Talia said, her tone rejecting further argument. ‘You’re missing an arm, Kian! Just stay on standby! It’s a pity for Mrs. Rita, but give up on her. Anyway, stay put! Do not be a fool. You absolutely must not be reckless anymore!’
”But -“
’No “buts”! Just listen to me! …The guests really are here. I’m cutting the link. See you then – I’ll handle the rest, so absolutely stay put! Got it?!’
Talia’s presence flickered and died. Kian staggered, his balance off-kilter, but forced himself to stand.
’── Kian!’
Now it was Aliona’s bird golem, sweeping in from the lookout hut. Kian had been about to trigger the advanced ‘Domain’ application of his ‘Leap’ technique, but he froze and looked up.
”Ms. Aliona! Are you safe?!”
’Yeah, somehow. All the enemies that dropped down here have been taken out. Right now, I’ve planted fungal hyphae in their brains and turned them into incubators.’
”…Good.”
’More than that, you! Your right arm’s gone! What happened!?’ Aliona asked.
”Got sliced by the enemy’s magic sword. The bleeding’s stopped too, so it’s no big deal.”
’Show it to Auntie later, okay? Not just the injury, but it might be corroded by a curse from the magic sword.’ Aliona rushed her words, her focus clearly divided. ‘I sent Ms. Leanan Sidhe toward Leprobus and Rou. Those kids are holding safely in the northeast. I’m (Watashi) about to deal with the enemy main battleship.’
”Talia’s place has the second wave incoming, they say. It might hit Ms. Aliona’s spot too. Heading there now!” Kian shouted.
’No, you stay put there!’
”Eh!? Look, I’m a vanguard swordsman! Protecting magicians is my job! Staying put here is basically doing nothing! You telling me to stand here gawking while Ms. Aliona gets hurt!?”
’Even if you say that with your dominant arm missing, it doesn’t help. Just stay put! I’ll handle things here.’
”────”
He was useless. Kian bit his lip. He’d been stupid enough to get maimed before he could even reach the people he was supposed to protect. Without that arm, his combat effectiveness hadn’t just dipped – it had cratered. No magician wanted an injured man barking at their heels when they were trying to weave high-level spells.
*(Dammit. I know I can still fight… I have to make up for this blunder somehow…)*
’Just stay put. I’m focusing next on operating the turtle and the incoming main fleet. Close-quarters swordsmen aren’t crucial right now. The enemy warrior monks are manageable for now, so Kian, work on recovering your lost stamina. …Harsh words, but it’d be more trouble if you force your way here and collapse beside me mid-fight. Please, just stay still there.’ Aliona said, her voice firm.
”…”
’Good boy. Kian, you’ve done plenty already. Leave the rest to Auntie. I’ll blast them all away.’
Kian could tell from their voices – they weren’t lying. They weren’t overwhelmed. Between their own massive magic power and the swarms of beetle golems, they were a self-contained army. Kian gripped the empty space where his arm should have been, his teeth grinding. They were strong. Far more used to the meat-grinder of war than he was.
What is a swordsman’s value? What is a warrior monk who guards magicians?
He had no retort. The humiliation burned, but he had to swallow it.
”Understood. But if things get dangerous, please contact me right away.”
’Yeah, I know.’
”Oh, right. Also… can you do something about this barrier?” He gestured toward the black sphere, explaining the situation to Aliona’s golem.
’In the eastern power Shin, there’s a monster called Satori that lives there, but I think this is a mental pollution barrier made from its body hair.’ Aliona mused.
”Satori?”
’It reads the memories and thoughts of intelligent beings it preys on, digs into mental trauma, or if there’s nothing there, it implants false memories and turns people into husks. It’s a dangerous one.’ Aliona added quickly.
’Don’t touch that barrier under any circumstances. If you do, you’ll be forced to relive your worst memories and end up a husk.’
”Is there no way to help?”
’If the caster dies, falls unconscious, or is rendered into a similar state, the subtle changes in the spell pattern that pollutes the mind will collapse and self-destruct. Even though it uses a spell pattern carved into Satori’s body hair, the caster is the one who reproduces and adjusts it for a specific person.’
”I don’t really get it, but basically if we beat up Hanami somewhere, Rita can be saved, right?”
But Hanami was gone. Probably halfway back to the fleet by now. Rita didn’t have that kind of time.
(Now Linca’s absence really hits hard… If she were here, the barrier specialist, maybe she could have done something about this spell.)
”Is there no more direct way? Like, if I hack at this black sphere with my sword, does the barrier break? Or if I dig at the ground with a hoe, does the barrier tilt and collapse like some illegal building?” Kian asked desperately.
’……’
Unlike Talia, who had written Rita off instantly, Aliona actually paused to think.
’There are two ways. One is unrealistic, and the other is very dangerous. I think the second one is unrealistic too,’ Aliona said slowly.
”Tell me both.”
’One is to throw a massive number of intelligent beings into it, more than the caster can control. The second is… if the person trapped inside the barrier realizes before they’re turned into a husk that it’s a bad dream shown by the enemy, and comes back on their own.’
Kian looked around. There were no enemies left to throw into the meat-grinder, and luring them one by one would take hours. Rita didn’t have hours.
”The second one is betting on Rita saving herself somehow?”
’Before, after you had sex in East End, you told me about the ‘Night Crier’ quest, right?’
”Oh, yes. The story about Sarah turning into an evil spirit and trapping people in a barrier in a small fishing village,” Kian remembered it vividly—how he’d entered her mind with Priscilla to grant her final wish.
’Ms. Rita is, like Ms. Sarah back then, endlessly shown nightmares of her worst memories and unforgettable events. For example, if I enter Ms. Rita’s dream world and create a scene in the dream that’s different from her memories… Ms. Rita might realize this isn’t reality, just a poorly made dream, and come back,’ Aliona explained.
”U-Understood…?”
He remembered the Sarah incident. Priscilla had warned him not to let Sarah notice the seams of the dream too early, or she’d wake up before being healed. This was the reverse. He needed to walk into the dream and prove it was a lie.
Kian thought about his own recurring nightmares of the exile. Usually, they were grim until the ‘glasses’ version of himself took over. In the middle of the trauma, he’d see Sarah, his sex drive would red-line, and he’d end up trying to take her right in front of Umar. Then he’d realize, “Ah, this is a dream,” and wake up.
From last year to this year, he’d been suffering nightmares purely, but time is indeed cruel.
”In other words, if a witch like Ms. Aliona who knows how to defend themselves enters this barrier and brings Rita back, she might be saved,” Kian said.
’Yes. …But, sorry. I can’t go. I have to get back to operating the turtle! The main fleet just corrected its course in the right direction!’
”Then, Rita is…”
’Can’t be saved. Already, impossible.’
Aliona’s voice was ice. She was a goddess of mercy when it was convenient, but when the math didn’t add up, she was as cold as the void.
’Kian, Ms. Rita was supposed to be a disposable mercenary from the start. It’s not rational to change your stance now.’
”She protected me. Honestly, even without her, I think I could have managed somehow, but with her, I was able to wipe out the enemy much more easily. Thanks to her, I didn’t get injured except for my right arm.”
She’d jumped into the fire for him. A woman who barely knew him had sacrificed herself without a second thought. Because comrades help each other. A fanatical logic. Kian felt a strange kinship.
”…Honestly, I thought she was just a female warrior monk covered in lies. But I don’t think that’s true anymore. Maybe she’s like me.”
And then there was the other thing. The blood of a warrior. That final move she’d used to slaughter Almeisa… he wanted to see it again. He wanted to see whose blade was truly faster. But he kept quiet. Aliona already thought he was crazy enough.
”So, no matter what, is there no way to save her?”
’No. Give up.’
”Ah, yes.”
He heard Aliona let out a long, weary sigh.
”Look, just stay on standby there,” Talia-san said. “Don’t you dare dive in trying to save Ms. Rita, even by mistake. You’ll be nothing but monster bait before you even reach her nightmare. You can’t hope to counter Satori’s technique unless you’re a complete freak who doesn’t understand the concept of a nightmare, or someone so broken they can’t even recognize one when they’re in it. I don’t care how strong you are, Kian; some things just can’t be muscled through.”
”I hear you loud and clear,” Kian replied.
”I appreciate you being reasonable,” she said. “Now, this old lady is going back to work. Got it? I’ll say it one more time: do not touch that barrier. I mean it.”
The bird golem took flight, banking back toward the watchtower. Kian watched it for a moment, pumped a few more pulses of healing magic into his arm, and performed a quick check for any physical abnormalities.
(Talia-san’s and Ms. Aliona-san’s ‘eyes’ are nowhere to be found,) he thought.
He stood up and turned back toward the black sphere pulsating on the Sandy Beach.
”Alright. Time to go save her,” Kian muttered.
× × ×
Kian wasn’t charging into Hanami-san’s barrier without a plan. He had his own special brand of certainty.
”…Finished,” he said.
He had scavenged the precision gears and parts from the bird golem Talia-san left behind. In under fifteen minutes, he had rigged them together with other scraps to create a delayed-action mechanism-specifically, a device designed to snap shut and violently clamp down on his own cock.
His days as a starving adventurer had turned him into a master of necessity-driven crafting, and that experience was paying off now. Kian immediately stripped off all of his Silver Ice armor, then shredded his sweat-and-blood-stained undergarments, ripping them away until he was bare.
He shed his greaves, leaving nothing on but his socks.
Standing there nearly as naked as the day he was born, Kian tied the device around his waist with a cord. It looked like a botched, mechanical version of a chastity belt. He adjusted the part that would do the pinching, ensuring the pain would hit the glans with maximum intensity.
Perfect.
The strategy was simple: Hanami-san’s barrier trapped subjects in a nightmare. If Kian dove in, he’d be trapped too. But with this gear-driven mechanism set on a timer, the sudden, agonizing jolt of pain would forcibly yank him back to reality in an instant.
Once he had that anchor of lucidity, he would infiltrate Rita-san’s mental world. He wouldn’t try to break her out immediately. Instead, he would sow tiny, subtle inconsistencies-just enough to build pressure without being flagged as a foreign object and expelled by her subconscious. Eventually, she’d hit a breaking point and think, ‘Wait, this isn’t real… this is a dream,’ and he’d lead her out.
(I can’t let her notice the oddities too soon,) Kian reminded himself. (I learned that with Sarah-chan.)
During the ‘Night Crier’ quest, the first intrusion into the dream world was caught because he showed Sarah-chan a scene where he defeated Abbas Shakerdoust in a duel. Sarah-chan knew the weakling fourteen-year-old Kian didn’t have a one-in-ten-thousand chance of winning that fight.
Similarly, if he interfered with Rita-san’s dream in a way that felt wrong, she’d reject him.
(On the other hand, I have to make her absolutely certain it’s a dream by the end…)
It was a paradoxical, messy objective. But he had to do it to save Rita-san.
To summarize: Blend into the background to avoid detection, stack up the glitches in her reality, and then hit her with a tidal wave of absurdity to wake her up.
(And right now, I’m naked,) he thought.
Kian kicked off his socks. He was now completely nude, save for the mechanical clothespin-from-hell rigged to his junk. He looked himself over.
(Perfect. In this state, I can slip into Rita-san’s nightmare as ‘Background Extra A’!)
If Rita-san was being forced to relive her bullying at the hands of the Lightning Knights-those jerks like Shark-san who looked down on her for her connections-Kian would just… be there. In the background.
He’d be the ‘Subliminal Naked Guy.’ A random, naked man walking past in the distance of every traumatic memory.
Rita-san would think, “Wait, did I just see something weird? Whatever, back to the trauma.” It had to be the perfect seasoning of weirdness.
Then, for the finale:
Shark-san: “N-gh… Rita! You don’t belong in the Lightning Knights!”
Eugenia: “Ohohoho! That’s right desuwa! Get lost, you brat! Why don’t you go cry to your daddy desuno!”
Meimei-chan: “Yeah, blee-eeeh nano desu!”
Kian (suddenly appearing): “Blee-eeeh nano desu~♡”
Everyone: “WHO THE HELL IS THIS NAKED OLD GUY?!”
And then Rita-san would realize: “Wait, that’s Lord Kian! This MUST be a dream!”
Happily ever after.
Kian had a brief moment of lucidity where he wondered if he was a total moron, but logic told him this was the highest-probability path to success. He was as serious about this as he had been about the ‘Light & Darkness O-Chin-Chin’ operation. Maybe more so.
”Hanami-san… you might be the top barrier-mage under that strategist Umar, but you lost the moment you went up against me,” Kian said. “The cause of your defeat? You weren’t expecting… THIS GUY!”
Kian slapped his cheeks to fire himself up, took a running start, and dove headfirst into the black, dangerous sphere.
× × ×
(Kian, I wonder if he’s okay,) Talia-san thought, glancing up at the leaden sky.
She was stationed in the southeast of Underworld Island, atop a ridge overlooking the labyrinthine hills where the Minotaurs dwelt. Dawn was still a ghost on the horizon, hidden by the mountain’s bulk. Her makeshift base was, in her own estimation, a pathetic excuse for a fortification.
Aliona-san had created an extremely dangerous ‘forest’-monstrous plants, brain-rotting spores, an entire ecosystem of lethality. That was the classic defense of a witch living in the wilds. Given a month, she could have turned this island into an eldritch domain capable of repelling an entire army. Kian saw that High Elf as a delicate lady; Talia-san knew better. She saw a creature on par with giant dragons or the mad vampires who ruled cities of the dead. Talia-san had hunted ‘World-Class Evils’ like her under Albert’s orders. She knew the scent.
By comparison, Talia-san’s defense was awkward. She had used the protruding Azurebolt Stone crystals as obstacles and lined up her beetle golems in neat, rectangular blocks.
It looked like someone who didn’t know the first thing about magic had tried to play general with toy soldiers. It was embarrassing.
”Five!” she shouted.
From her position on the hill, she called down another meteorite, aiming for a large ship on the horizon. The meteorites were being perfectly blocked by the enemy’s mages. These weren’t the bumbling Beastmen mages from Kian’s memories; these were elite, professional sorcerers.
(They’re blocking my strikes but not firing back,) she noted. (Does that mean they have no intention of engaging in a mana duel with me? Clever.)
She was tapping magic power directly from the Spiritual Vein. Since she had a massive output, her plan was to drive the enemy mages into exhaustion if it turned into a long-distance fire-fight. However, the enemy was sticking to the classics: sending in the infantry.
Talia-san saw them-countless human shadows jumping like fleas from the dark sea toward the shore. They weren’t just using boats; the warrior-monks were chain-teleporting toward the beach. Since she’d just exhausted her big offensive window on the large ship, she wouldn’t have another Great Incantation ready in time to roast them.
Jibril, Kian’s brother, was proving to be a headache. Or perhaps it was Shidarkan’s tactical mind. Either way, Talia-san decided Shidarkan was an existence that had to be killed here and now.
(…They’re here,) she realized.
Shadows blurred from the beach into the blind spots beneath the hill. Seconds later, over a hundred warriors in black monastic robes erupted onto the ridge, shattering her beetle golems. They moved in the ‘Impact Stance’ of their Sword-Dance, flowing around Talia-san like a rising tide.
Most were grizzled veterans. A few younger females were peppered in-the rewards for the old boars after retirement, Talia-san figured.
”Iyaa!” “HRAA!” “KYEEEEI!”
Three veteran warrior-monks lunged at Talia-san. She was standing perfectly still, her Oathbound Misericorde hanging limp at her side. She didn’t even look at them.
Without a hint of an incantation, shadow-slicked chains manifested in the air, entwining the space like iron ivy. The charging monks were snared mid-leap, their limbs torn from their sockets. Their screams filled the air.
Talia-san’s flaxen hair whipped in the sea breeze. Her eyes narrowed into frigid slits. From the depths of her own shadow, the crimson eyes of a beast glared out.
Her pink-glossed lips parted to speak a Command. A reproduction of a primal memory.
”Shroud the sun… Apollo Lykeios!”
A thunderous roar shook the ridge. From Talia-san’s right arm, a gargantuan, pitch-black wolf manifested, rising on two legs to howl at the heavens. Jagged, cursed stakes erupted from the earth, skewering dozens of monks trapped in the chains.
They didn’t die. Instead, red glowing brands seared into their flesh.
”Ga… GAAAAHH!” “GUGYAAAAA!” “GYAAAAA!”
A chain reaction of howling began. Fur sprouted from the skewered monks; muzzles elongated. They were warping into werewolves. Reacting to the roar of the giant wolf Apollo Lykeios serving beside Talia-san, they turned their frothing, lupine faces toward their former comrades.
”Run, beasts of darkness and earth,” Talia-san said, spreading her arms. “Today is a feast day.”
The werewolves pounced. The ridge turned into a slaughterhouse of agonizing cries, the smell of blood, and the ghastly sound of crushing bone.
”Heh. That’s a pretty nasty familiar you’ve got there, Madam Head Magician,” a voice called out.
Talia-san looked up.
Two shadows were descending from a Great Eastern Dragon circling above. Both were Wolfmen. One was Tersea-san, the beauty in black leather who had fought Kian sebelum ini. The other was the cocky youth in sunglasses she’d met at the beach.
”Awaken, Phoenix!” the youth cried.
He summoned a burning orange sheath in mid-air, gripped the hilt, and unleashed a vertical pillar of solar fire upon the werewolves infesting the ground.
CRACK-BOOM.
A white-hot blast wave rolled over the ridge. Talia-san swept her Misericorde through the air, conjuring a freezing gust that pushed the heat back.
”Ozeas, it’s this presence,” Tersea-san said, landing gracefully on the scorched earth. “She’s the one who was Dual-Casting.”
”Hmm… and she’s holding the Oathbound Misericorde, aren’t you?” Ozeas asked, pushing up his sunglasses. He drew a shimmering holy sword of pure silver. “That’s Lyritisse. She was a mage in the Rank 1 ‘Lion’s Companion’ party. But… the vibe is all wrong. She’s drinking mana straight from the earth like a spirit.”
”Doesn’t matter who she is,” Tersea-san growled, leveling her black magic sword. Her blue eyes glowed with predatory light. “We’re putting her down. Now.”
—
Summary:
Kian survives a brutal attack that costs him his right arm, using his Asterios transformation to brute-force a stabilization of the wound. Meanwhile, Rita is trapped in a Satori-based mental pollution barrier, which causes psychological trauma by manipulating memories. Kian’s allies, Talia and Aliona, urge him to stay on standby as they engage a second wave of enemies and a main battleship fleet.
—
Character Insight:
Kian struggles with feelings of worthlessness after losing his dominant arm, feeling he has failed his duty as a vanguard. Despite his own injury, he feels a growing kinship and sense of debt toward Rita, wanting to save her against the cold, tactical advice of his more powerful companions.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The ‘glasses’ Kian mentioned refers to a fusion or alternative personality that introduces more cynical and sometimes lewd modern sensibilities into Kian’s thought process, acting as a mental defense mechanism against trauma.
Notes:
• Talia – A high-ranking vampire spirit currently possessing the body of Lyritisse. In this form, she has flaxen hair, blue eyes, and thick lips.
• Leprobus – Rou’s comrade who sacrificed his chance to escape during a pirate raid by pushing Rou off in a small boat. He returned to the deck, sword in hand, to protect the others. Distinguished by his giant blood and burning red hair, marking him as more than human. He is released by Kian on Cyclops Island jail.【v4c23】.
• Linca – Jibril’s favorite girl. High-ranking warrior monk woman from Shin, with strong abilities like ignoring attacks and poisons.
• Abbas – The heir of the Shakerdoust family, a prominent clan within the Twelve Divine Generals.
• Shidarkan – Gloomy, bearded son-in-law of the Malc family (Flora’s clan); once a modest Malc magician, ordinary next to Shajar’s elites. Attends the Cyclops Island war council after losing his wife, Flora, and sisters-in-law in the northern base’s destruction. First appears Vol. 4 Ch. 45. Reminder: bereaved Malc son-in-law—sober, doubtful, and dim but dutiful.
• Mag – The wolfwoman under Yelmar—the one who was caught by Kian’s group earlier.
• Tersea – A shaman who assisted Barghest and is connected to the summoning ritual.
• Ozeas – Son of Glen, involved in forbidden experiments.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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