Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Chapter 286
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Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Chapter 286
61. My Goal (2)
The direct blast radius from the explosion was 150 meters in diameter.
The indirect impact zone from the shockwave was 500 meters in diameter.
This was a level of power that no ordinary small bomb could ever produce.
People within 50 meters of the center, which could be called ground zero, evaporated without a trace, and the ground was carved out as neatly as if someone had scooped out ice cream with a spoon.
"W-what is this?"
The people who had survived thanks to being in the indirect impact zone, and those who had been watching Adrian from the outskirts through camera zooms or binoculars, briefly wore dazed expressions.
And their reactions soon turned to horror, shock, and confusion.
"Kyaaaahk!"
"Run!"
"M-move!"
"Tia! Where's Tia!? Tia!"
Terrorism the worst criminal act that must never happen for any reason.
The plaza in front of the conference hall where the ASEAN meeting was being held had come under attack.
The targets were Grand Duke Lawrence and his wife.
The scene of this terror was broadcast in real time through media and personal streams.
-ddtthh: What is this!?
-goldbulls: Terrorism?
-Carim21: Is Grand Duke Lawrence dead!?
-redkim: What kind of madman!
-torrPool: It's over, everyone. This is the end. The person who was keeping Rondel's military power in check is dead, so all that's left now is war.
Naturally, everyone watching the broadcast was just as shocked as the people on the scene.
But if you were to pick who was most shocked, it would probably be the President of Indonesia and the other ASEAN leaders who had been scheduled to welcome Adrian at the building entrance.
Because there was a high possibility that Rondel would hold them responsible.
As everyone watched the scene turned into chaos and worried
"Revive."
A massive blue magic circle covered the sky above the conference hall plaza.
Then blue particles reminiscent of fireflies scattered like snow.
"Huh?"
"Is that magic?"
The people touched by the blue particles felt their hearts calm and became composed, and anyone still breathing was completely healed of any injury.
At that, people wore expressions of admiration and awe as they searched for the being who had used the magic.
"Look over there!"
"It's Grand Duke Lawrence!"
It was about 20 meters above the ground at ground zero.
There, Adrian was floating in the air together with Arcia.
Everyone's gaze poured onto the two.
In the eyes of the people directed at Adrian and Arcia were various emotions and thoughts.
Some were relieved that they had survived.
Some worried that perhaps they might become angry.
Some expressed gratitude for having their injuries healed.
Some regarded it unkindly that innocent citizens had been massacred while only those two survived.
"Everyone, step back from the blast range."
Adrian spoke in an extremely calm tone, as if he understood the citizens' various emotions.
Whether his voice carried some kind of mana, the people did not dare refuse the instruction and retreated from the explosion area that had become chaos.
Then Adrian used a new spell.
"Resurrection."
A pure white magic circle covered over the blue magic circle.
The range was similar, but the aura it gave off was on a different level from the previous magic.
And the people witnessed a miracle.
-Ssssss.
Those who had died and become charred remains, as well as those who had evaporated without a trace, returned along with light as if time were flowing backward.
In other words, it meant that every single dead person had come back to life.
At that, both the people at the scene and those watching the broadcast swallowed dryly and looked at Adrian with trembling eyes.
A being that could even bring the dead back to life.
Could such a being truly be called human, the same as themselves?
"I was definitely...?"
"I think I was caught in the explosion..."
The revived people, still unable to grasp the situation, voiced their questions, but those who had watched the entire process doubted their own eyes and offered reverent prayers to Adrian.
Though they each had their own religion, the miracle that unfolded before their eyes could only inspire awe in anyone.
"So you're the culprit."
But the citizens' reactions soon turned fierce.
Because Adrian lifted someone into the air and identified the mastermind.
The perpetrator of the bombing.
It was a statement more than enough to excite the people.
* * *
A petty act of terrorism won't be enough to kill me.
Both Arcia and I have been fighting battles measured in 0.01-second increments, and our bodies have been reinforced to the point where mediocre bullets can't even pierce our skin, even without any defense.
On top of that, we have a permanent defense system in place to prepare for terrorism, so unless we're hit by a 9th-circle or higher attack while completely unguarded, there's no chance of dying.
That's why I was able to survive this terrorism as a matter of course.
However.
"..."
I had to narrow my eyes as I looked at the blackened hem of my sleeve.
I hadn't suffered major damage, but this meant one thing.
It meant that my permanent defense system had been breached, even if only briefly.
So even though I didn't show it outwardly, I was inwardly flustered.
'Is this what happens when you're hit by Hellfire, a quasi-9th-circle spell?'
It ended with only this much damage because it was me.
I thought that if anyone other than me had been the target, they would have undoubtedly been done for.
Of course, dragons, Demon Kings, and Heavenly Kings, being transcendent beings, are exceptions.
But excluding such beings, the people of Rondel would not escape death if they were hit by an attack like this while unguarded.
Even the Emperor of the Bringham Empire, who is plastered with all sorts of artifacts.
That's why I couldn't help but take this seriously.
'This isn't an ordinary bomb.'
The range was small, but its power alone was comparable to Hellfire.
No, it might even be a bit more dangerous.
Moreover, I hadn't even sensed any sign of the explosion.
Simply put, it meant that I hadn't felt any trace of supernatural energy from that attack at all.
At first, I suspected Rondel's involvement based on the power, but it occurred to me that it might have been made with Earth's technology.
I thought I knew a lot about Earth, but apparently that wasn't the case.
'If this bomb is mass-produced and deployed on Earth, not only Vanguard but even the Heaven-Piercing Fortress would be in danger.'
Who on earth made a weapon like this?
I shifted my gaze through Myriad Mirror to the culprit, who was being pelted by stones flying in from all directions.
At that, the bastard was dragged through the air and brought to stand before me.
"Who made this?"
"I-I don't know."
"Who gave it to you?"
"I don't know. I received it from an anonymous member."
"Is there someone who put you up to this?"
"It was my own will."
"What organization do you belong to?"
"It's a small internet club called the Meeting for a New Era."
"Reason for the terrorism?"
"To remove obstacles to a new era..."
I had no intention of handing the culprit over to the local guards.
So I immediately cast brainwashing and asked a few brief questions, but there was no information worth gaining from him.
"Your Highness, Grand Duke Lawrence! Are you all right!?"
That was when the ASEAN leaders, surrounded by guards and soldiers, arrived a step late.
After scanning them with Myriad Mirror, none of them appeared to be connected to this incident.
"Yes, I'm fine."
"Whew, that's truly a relief."
"I'll take the culprit with me."
"Understood. Let's do that. Please be sure to find the mastermind."
I teleported the culprit to the underground prison of the Duchy of Lawrence.
Then, with a slightly stiff expression, I moved inside the conference hall along with the citizens and the guards who had died and come back to life.
Then the President of Indonesia carefully asked.
"Should we cancel the meeting?"
"Proceed as scheduled. We must not yield to terrorism."
"I suppose you're right. Then we'll move locations and proceed with the meeting as scheduled."
At that, the President of Indonesia was greatly relieved.
After all, if the meeting had been halted on top of being hit by terrorism, he would have been savagely torn apart by the opposition party, including the Indonesian citizens.
"By the way, we've witnessed something tremendous. The internet will be in an uproar."
Having cheered up, he said that with a smiling face, but no one, including me, laughed.
The embarrassed President had no choice but to scratch the back of his head.
* * *
[A bomb of alarming power targeting Grand Duke Adrian El Lawrence and his wife]
[The power at the epicenter is comparable to Hellfire magic.]
[It is time for thorough surveillance of Earthlings visiting Rondel.]
The meeting was nothing special.
It ended with a formal agreement on development cooperation.
From the start, I had only attended the meeting to build ties with the ASEAN leaders, so I didn't do anything in particular.
However, the ASEAN representatives, who couldn't help but be mindful of me due to the bombing, brought and offered gifts I hadn't even asked for.
For example, they tossed in without conditions such things as: people with Duchy of Lawrence nationality could visit ASEAN hunting grounds and dungeons without restriction, and materials obtained in ASEAN would be sold through an exclusive contract with the Lawrence Mage Tower.
Naturally, there was no reason to refuse, so I snatched it up.
[Adrian El Lawrence: This terrorism is no one's fault. The only ones who should be blamed are the culprit and those behind them. I extend my condolences to Indonesia and the ASEAN leaders, the hosts of the meeting, who must have been more shocked than anyone.]
And I did one lip service for Indonesia, which could not escape the question of responsibility.
Thanks to that, the terrorism incident was outwardly settled for now without any innocent people suffering harm.
Of course, that is, except for the unexpected turn of events in which, even after mobilizing Rondel's intelligence organizations and investigative agencies, including Blue Moon, the mastermind behind the culprit was ultimately not found.
And so I had to wear a serious expression all day long.
It was a situation where I couldn't avoid working, even though I didn't want to.
"What am I missing?"
There is no clue.
I thoroughly investigated not only Rondel but also the nations and corporations belonging to Earth, but there was not a single suspicious place.
That means it could also be the work of an individual, which...
I wondered whether it was possible for an individual to accomplish something that even nations had failed to do.
"Ah, I don't know."
"What are you agonizing over?"
When I let out a sigh, Arc Scarlet, who was beside me, asked in a passing tone.
She hadn't paid much attention to this incident.
It seems that's because the power of the bomb doesn't work on transcendent beings like her.
"The culprit must be a dragon."
"Huh? Us?"
At Arc Scarlet's follow-up remark, Brangish, who had been quietly sitting there and got caught in the crossfire, was startled and shot to his feet.
"Well, of course. Where else would there be an individual with this level of ability besides a dragon? Looking at dragons these days, they're totally absorbed in Earth's technology."
"No, we're not the only ones interested in Earth's engineering technology. The Dwarves were crazy about it too."
"Come on, no matter how skilled they are with their hands, they're not at the level of suddenly producing a Hellfire-class bomb."
Arc Scarlet had identified the culprit by process of elimination.
Certainly, hearing it that way, I thought it was possible for dragons to cause a situation of this magnitude with their abilities.
But I shook my head.
"It's not the dragons."
From the start, all the dragons were within my sight.
Thanks to that, Brangish, who had suddenly been named as the culprit, glared at Arc Scarlet even as he felt relieved.
"It's not?"
"Yeah."
"Then not her."
"That bitch?"
When Arc Scarlet responded in a manner that suggested it wasn't her either, Brangish's eyes rolled back.
But he could never lunge at her.
Although they had now reached a point where they could casually exchange insults, Arc Scarlet is the Crimson Demon King.
Fundamentally, he was no match for her in combat ability.
So Brangish had to swallow his anger inside.
"Wait a moment...."
Just as I was about to flick Arc Scarlet on the forehead on Brangish's behalf.
I realized something from the earlier conversation.