'I can't shake the pursuit that will follow once I leave this place on my own.'

『Rule of Law』 was a cheat of a skill. But it had surprisingly many drawbacks beyond those Li Qingyu had deduced. The most serious was that he couldn't use it properly anywhere he hadn't first made legally subject to it. That was why Bellows had stayed at Leviathan undercover as a guest. He could impose so many restrictions only because he had spent over a month here completing that process. Once he left Leviathan, however, the restrictions he had created would disappear, and 『Rule of Law』 would lose much of its power. He could forcibly maintain that power while 『Constellation Descent』 lasted, but once it ended, he would be weaker than most high-level players.

'I have no choice.'

Bellows considered his best option.

'I'll have to deal with that bitch first, even if I need my comrades' help.'

By now, Eugene should have carried out a massacre at Leviathan, and Ryu Gang-cheol should have turned the subsidiaries upside down. If he summoned them and the three joined forces, they could kill even Li Qingyu. Then he wouldn't have to worry about pursuit. Of course, needing help to dispose of a mere princess of the Seven Dragons Society was humiliating. But he could bear it for the mission. All the more so if it meant killing Li Qingyu, who had humiliated him so thoroughly.

Yet the moment Bellows left the Underground Dragon Palace to join Eugene, he was startled into hiding.

"Any word from Guardian?"

"They've already finished their preparations and are operating under Type A response protocol."

"Reposition the formations to match Type A response protocol. Seal everything tight. Don't let so much as a rat slip out."

From the main entrance to the windows and back doors, Yo U-in and the warriors of the Ink Dragon Unit had deployed formations to block every escape route. They were the first reason Bellows hid. They should have been wiped out by now; finding them alive was outside his calculations.

"Ahahahahaha! Yes, yes, yes! Your soul is incredible!"

Eugene was fighting in the middle of the half-demolished lobby, covered in blood. That was the second reason. Eugene surpassed him in sheer combat ability, yet even after using 『Constellation Descent』, she was being driven back. That, too, exceeded his expectations.

"Keep letting me hear your soul! Until one of us dies...!"

"『Wave Cannon』, 『Gale Fist』."

BOOM!

But the greatest problem was the third reason: the man who fired off skills in a seamless stream and sent Eugene flying like a sheet of paper. Bellows had allowed for the possibility of his own defeat, even the mission's failure. The intervention of that monocled man was beyond anything he had imagined.

*'Infinite Monarch Lee Cheon-gi! What is he doing here?'

A fish monster appearing as the boss of a jungle dungeon would have been less bewildering. This turn of events was so unexpected that it overturned every calculation Bellows had made. As far as he knew, the Infinite Monarch had no reason to help the Seven Dragons Society. If anything, he had reason to do the opposite.

'... Could it be because of that?'

As Bellows gritted his teeth, the fight between Lee Cheon-gi and Eugene grew more intense.

"『Binding Chains』, 『Gravity Manipulation』, 『Freezing Bullet』, 『Heavenly Thunder Hell』."

Chains appeared out of nowhere and bound her ankles. Crushing gravity bore down on her as bullets of cold and bolts of lightning swirled around her. Lee Cheon-gi's barrage of skills was astonishing. Even Bellows couldn't help admiring the might of an absolute being who transcended humanity.

BOOM! BA-BOOM!

"Ahahahahaha!"

Eugene, by contrast, snapped the chains around her ankles with brute force, took the skills head-on, and charged Lee Cheon-gi on all fours like a beast. She was ferocity incarnate, a monster in human skin rampaging on instinct alone.

An absolute being who wielded thousands of skills. An immortal monster that could never die. Their battle was so close that neither could confidently be called the stronger. But Bellows was a duke-class player himself, and he could detect the slight tilt in its delicate balance.

'She's losing.'

In a sense, their fight resembled Bellows's earlier confrontation with Li Qingyu: Lee Cheon-gi kept his distance and poured out skills while Eugene tried to close the gap. What convinced Bellows she was at a disadvantage was what happened when she succeeded.

"『Hyperacceleration』, 『Supernatural Might』, 『Enhanced Technique』, 『Curse Imbuement』."

Eugene forced her way through the storm of skills and swung her hammer. Lee Cheon-gi met the blow with his sword. To Bellows, it looked like a foolish act of recklessness. Given Eugene's physical abilities and unique skill, even with all his support skills, Lee Cheon-gi should have had his arm broken in an instant.

"『Demon-Cleaving Dragon-Slaying Sword』."

CLANG!

But when the weapons met, it was the hammer that went flying. Just before the collision, Lee Cheon-gi had deftly shifted his blade and sliced through Eugene's fingers.

It lasted only a moment. Despite the curse clinging to her from the sword, Eugene quickly regenerated her fingers and attacked again with her hammer. The result was the same.

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

He struck the handle to deflect the hammer's path, pressed against its back to drive it into the floor, and cut her ankle a step ahead of her. Eugene clearly had the advantage in physical abilities such as strength and agility. Yet her hammer could not so much as touch Lee Cheon-gi, while his sword cut her again and again, as though he knew every move she would make.

'The Infinite Monarch is that skilled in combat...? This doesn't match our intelligence.'

Bellows was baffled. Eugene's instinctive combat sense put her among the Liberation Brigade's best fighters. And being among the best in a group so proficient at fighting people meant she had no equal among ordinary players. Seeing her outmatched in technique was hard to believe, even against the Infinite Monarch. It was harder still for Bellows, who had thought he knew everything about him.

'Hah. Ever since we got tangled up with the Seven Dragons Society, nothing has gone according to plan.'

Bellows clicked his tongue inwardly. He didn't know why the Infinite Monarch was helping the Society, but the man was undeniably an obstacle now. And from what Bellows could see, it was all but impossible for Eugene to defeat him in her current state.

'Even if I help, our chances won't be good.'

Of course, if they could fight him two against one, Bellows was certain they would win, even against the Infinite Monarch. The problem was Yo U-in, the Ink Dragon Unit, and Li Qingyu. If Bellows joined the fight, Yo U-in and his warriors would not stand by. Judging by the way they moved along the walls and ceiling, they had already worked out how to circumvent the restrictions of 『Rule of Law』. If he faced them in his current condition, they would hold him up. With Li Qingyu following slowly behind, that was a risk he had to avoid.

'... At this point, I'll have to use my two comrades as bait.'

So he changed his plan: he would slip out unnoticed while Eugene rampaged. Even if pursuers followed, Ryu Gang-cheol's clones could confuse them about his route, buying him enough time to leave the country. He couldn't know what would become of Eugene and Ryu Gang-cheol once he used them as bait, but...

'I'm sure both comrades would gladly give their lives for this mission.'

"『Civilian Surveillance Prohibition Act, Enacted』."

"『Personal Information Protection Act, Enforced』."

The Liberation Brigade ghost, who had never had any affection for his comrades to begin with, finished his cold calculation. Using a concealment skill to hide his appearance and presence, he rode the banner stealthily toward the entrance.

Other exits might be another matter, but Eugene had smashed the barrier blocking Leviathan's entrance when she broke in. It was still wide open. The Ink Dragon Unit guarded it, but with their senses dulled by 『Rule of Law』, slipping past them should be easy enough. So Bellows believed.

"And who the hell are you, crawling out of there like a sneaky little bug?"

A languid voice spoke, and a streak of light shot toward him.

"Guh?!"

Bellows instinctively swung his statute book to block it. The impact sent a tingle through his hand; he grunted and stumbled back. Then he looked at what he had deflected, dumbfounded.

*'A pebble?'

He had surpassed the limits of a duke-class player, yet a mere pebble had threatened him. The person who had thrown it paid his shock no mind. He approached at an easy pace, looking at Bellows's side.

"And you've got something that belongs to someone else."

"...!"

A white-haired young man with a sword in one hand. Bellows tensed at the sight of Limon. He had noticed Limon's gaze fixed on his side—or rather, on the violin case tucked beneath his arm.

"Well, well. Another uninvited guest, I see."

That was not the end of it. Perhaps blocking the pebble had broken his concealment skill: black mist rippled around him, and before he knew it, Yo U-in and more than ten Ink Dragon Unit warriors had surrounded him.

As Bellows gritted his teeth, Yo U-in all but ignored him and bowed to Limon.

"I'm sorry we failed to see our guest out properly, Sword Lord."

"No need to apologize. I doubt I needed the help anyway."

"It did help, actually. We've had a rather difficult time of it."

"Hmm?"

Limon's puzzlement lasted only until he saw Yo U-in's broken arm. His expression turned curious.

"Looks like you really have had a rough time. You led the Ink Dragon Unit yourself, and still ended up like this."

"I can only be ashamed."

"I don't know about that. If you let your guard down and failed to show what you could do, then yes, you'd have reason to be ashamed, but..."

The instant Limon set foot inside the hotel, 『Bipedal Walking Prohibited』 took effect and his feet stopped of their own accord. He frowned. Then he felt 『High-Speed Movement Prohibited』 restricting his movements as well. He clicked his tongue softly and went on.

"If someone beat you fair and square, you can be frustrated, but you shouldn't be ashamed. That's not like you Black Dragon Clan people, is it?"

Being outwitted was one thing, but wasn't being outmatched in a fair fight common enough for the Black Dragon Clan? Yo U-in calmly agreed with a remark that might have been comfort or mockery. Limon turned his head slightly.

"Doesn't look like this little shit broke your arm himself. Was it that one over there who gave you trouble?"

"Yes. Quite an extraordinary guest."

"Extraordinary, sure. Just look at him fighting that errand boy..."

Yo U-in was puzzled. Limon had barely given Bellows, surrounded by the Ink Dragon Unit, a second glance. But the moment he looked toward Lee Cheon-gi, he abruptly fell silent, his expression turning grave.