Heavy Metal-Chapter 136 - 134 – Explosive Exit.

Rusty watched as Theo sauntered away, his smug grin making Rusty’s metal fingers itch to crush his throat. But there was no time for that. He had what he needed: the keys to the basement.

There was no need to keep up the drunken act anymore. He inserted the keys into the heavy door, which groaned as he pushed it open. The noise was noticeable, but just like before, no one seemed interested in his actions. This infiltration mission was turning out to be a lot easier than he had assumed.

He took one last glance around the outer room, where the mercenaries were still drinking and chatting, then stepped inside and closed the door behind him. The air grew mustier as he descended the stairs into what looked like an old basement. This place had not been designed as a holding cell. There were no windows, and air only seeped in through a few cracked holes in the ceiling, making it stuffy and uncomfortable for anyone who actually needed to breathe.

Rolo, the oldest boy, was already on his feet, eyes narrowed at Rusty as he approached. The twins, Ria and Isan, huddled behind him, their small frames barely visible in the dim light. Rusty did not speak immediately. He knew he did not look like the person these children were used to seeing. It was natural for them to be afraid, to wonder what he was here to do. There was no time to explain. He simply reached for the cage lock, inserted one of the keys, and soon a sharp click echoed through the basement.

"Who are you? W-what do you want?"

Rolo asked as he shielded the smaller children with his body. His lip was cut, and several bruises marked his skin, clear signs that he had been beaten recently. One of his eyes was swollen, the skin around it dark and bruised. His left arm was wrapped in a crude bandage, but Rusty could tell it had not been treated properly, likely just a piece of cloth tied around the wound to stop the bleeding. His stance was defensive, though exhaustion weighed down his limbs. He was the only one hurt, which meant he had probably taken the punishment meant for the younger two.

"I’m here to get you out"

Rusty said simply. His tone was firm but somewhat monotone due to the possession skill working on a person who was still alive. Rolo did not move immediately. His wary eyes darted to the open door of the cage, then back to Rusty.

"You’re lying!"

Rusty was not sure what to do. He had expected some resistance, but this was the first time he had found himself in such a situation. For a moment, he considered just grabbing Rolo and yanking him out, but if the children started screaming and resisting, it would only complicate his plan. As he hesitated, he heard a scratching sound coming from somewhere.

" ( •̀ ω •́ ) "

It was Gleam, struggling to squeeze through the same hole she had used to see the kids earlier. An idea struck him immediately. While he was possessing this body and had no way to explain that he was the person they had met at the decrepit house, the children still knew who Gleam was. They had seen her there before, and perhaps her presence would help diffuse the situation.

The hole was too small for her to squeeze through, but she was doing her best to widen the opening. A few small pebbles crumbled down, but there was no time for digging. He decided to help. Pulling out his sword, he startled the children, who trembled in fear and retreated. To their surprise, he did not use it on them. Instead, he pushed it into the narrow hole Gleam was trying to enlarge, using it to wedge some of the rocks out of the way. With his increased strength, the rocks gave way, and Gleam finally managed to slip inside.

" ( •̀ ᴗ •́ )و "

She skittered across the room toward the children. Just as she had with their youngest, Natia, she performed her usual little dance to get their attention. At the end, she skittered back to Rusty, climbing onto his shoulder in an attempt to show that he could be trusted. Rolo took a step forward, and the twins followed as they recognized the silvery ant-like creature.

"It’s that ant from before… But you… are you that mister? But…"

Rusty let out a small sigh of relief as the children recognized Gleam. Rolo seemed to relax slightly, but he was still skeptical. Rusty’s current form was different from when they had first met with his voice included. He couldn’t reveal his true form, so he had to either come up with a lie or convince them to ignore it for now.

"We need to move. While they’re distracted, you can get out!"

It was time to put the plan into motion. The children still needed to escape through the main exit since they would not fit through the hole Gleam had used unless Rusty did something drastic. Instead, he motioned them toward the door. Even with Gleam there, they still did not fully trust him. Fear was evident in their eyes.

"Natia is waiting for you. Do you not want to see her?"

"N-Natia is? She is safe?"

"Yes, she is at my la… I mean, she is at that home, waiting for you to go back, now be quiet and come."

At the mention of their youngest sibling’s name, the three children seemed to respond positively. Rolo’s hesitation wavered at the mention of Natia, his bruised face tightening as emotions warred within him. The twins clutched at his sides, their wide eyes filled with hope and uncertainty.

"If you hurt her…"

Rolo started, his fists clenched and shaking.

"I didn’t. Now stop talking. When I give you the signal, you will run. Just follow Gleam; she will guide you to the exit."

On his way here, Rusty had made some preparations. He had replaced parts of the man’s armor with his own twilight steel body. Without doing so, he would not have been able to use his skills and ensure the children’s escape. His words seemed to be enough. Rolo and the others looked at Gleam and nodded. They quickly moved behind him as he stepped forward to open the door to the outside. Once there, he was ready to create a diversion with his darkness elemental skill.

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In a way, he was excited. He had come here not only to rescue these young humanoids but also to get revenge. These people had intruded on his lair, so he would do the same. He would destroy their lair and escape without them ever knowing it was him. All the blame would fall on the body he was possessing. However, just as he was about to put his plan into action, something unexpected happened.

’Wait, what’s that?’

His life detection skill picked up three more signals approaching. One in particular stood out, far stronger than the others. Its presence was many times stronger than of these E rank mercenaries, it was a life signal which was probably a D or C rank, something that he probably didn’t stand a chance against.

This was no ordinary thug. This was someone experienced, likely the leader of the Black Hound mercenaries. His plan had already been risky, but now it was downright dangerous. If this man had any skill or ability to see through disguises, Rusty’s infiltration would fail instantly.

He was also not alone. The two people with him were also relatively strong and nothing like the drunken mercenaries Rusty had judged to be weaker than him. His miscalculation could cost him dearly, and perhaps sticking to his original plan would be unwise.

"Change of plans… we’ll have to do something more drastic! Gleam!"

" ( •̀ - •́ ) "

Rusty backed away into the basement. There was one escape tactic he had been avoiding because it was volatile, but in this situation, he might not have another choice. He turned to Gleam and spoke.

"Gleam, you have been practicing your shielding spell, right?"

" (｡˃ ᵕ ˂ ) "

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She nodded enthusiastically. She had been leveling up a lot lately, and her Lesser Shield of Light spell had also improved. Now, it was crucial for this plan to work.

"Good. Here’s what we’re going to do…"

The children watched Rusty, who was still possessing the body of one of the drunken mercenaries. They still weren’t sure if they could trust him, but the ant beside him reminded them of the strange armored man in the house where they had stayed for a few days before being captured. Rusty soon turned back to them, his mind seemingly made up.

"Go back into the cage for now. It will protect you from the blast."

"B-blast?"

"Yes. Don’t worry. Gleam will shield you and lead you to safety."

Rusty laid out his plan, leaving Rolo and the twins even more confused. But they had little choice. Hesitantly, they moved back into the cage, this time accompanied by the small silvery ant, who wiggled around as if trying to ease their nerves. Then, to make things even more bizarre they watched Rusty push his gauntlet into the hole through which Gleam squeezed through earlier.

"Good… This should be fine, once the path is open, just run and don’t look back!"

Rolo was quite confused about what was happening. The gauntlet disappeared into the hole, and Rusty walked back toward the entrance. Then, suddenly, another gauntlet appeared on his hand. Rolo was stunned and had no idea how it got there, but it was just there. The boy wanted to ask about it, but Rusty silently left the room before a dome of light descended over the children, a shimmering shield created by none other than Gleam.

" (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) "

She wiggled her antennae at the children, who were unsure of what was happening, and waited. Rusty had left the area, and soon the gauntlet that had been left behind began to glow. One side shone radiantly, while the other was pitch black. Slowly, the darkness and light crept toward each other. Gleam braced herself, knowing what was coming.

Back at the entrance to the basement, Rusty focused. The range of his skill was limited, but he could control his limbs through his Limb Control ability. It had been leveling up gradually, but the real challenge was using it in combination with Elemental Charge. To make things worse, the mercenaries started to quiet down as who seemed to be their leader finally arrived.

He entered through the main door which was pushed open by two rather large-looking men. The two were truly bearish and their hulking frames barely fit through the entrance. They were heavily armed, their armor reinforced with thick plates, and their movements carried the confidence of experienced fighters. The moment they stepped in, the rowdy atmosphere in the room dimmed, as if a thick fog of authority had settled over the mercenaries. The weaker members instinctively straightened up, their drunken slurs replaced with nervous mutterings.

A man of average height but overwhelming presence strode in between the two brutes. His dark coat, adorned with the insignia of a black hound, swayed slightly as he walked, revealing a set of pristine, well-maintained armor underneath. Unlike the others, he wasn’t covered in grime or soaked in ale, instead, he radiated control. His piercing amber eyes swept across the room as if he was looking for something.

’I might have to thank this person later…’

At first, Rusty thought this situation would be bad, but the sudden appearance of the man had caused all the mercenaries to gather in one place. This was the perfect opportunity to execute his plan, and it would start with a bang. The leader of the mercenary group noticed something was off as he looked at Rusty, who was raising both hands. But it was already too late. Suddenly, pitch-black fog erupted from Rusty’s gauntlets, engulfing the entire hideout.

His dark element quickly engulfed the entire area and affected the mercenaries. Cries of confusion erupted from the mercenaries as the darkness swallowed the room. Tables crashed, chairs scraped against the wooden floor, and the panicked shouts of men calling out to each other filled the air. The Black Hound leader cursed under his breath, immediately on guard. However, he didn’t move and instead just covered his face with part of his cape that gave out a strange silvery glow which to some extent repelled the darkness element from affecting him.

Rusty didn’t stop. His plan needed to continue, and soon the gauntlet he had left behind combined the two elements, triggering an explosion. The entire building shook violently as the hole where the gauntlet had been left behind erupted with black and white flames. It did not stop there. His other gauntlets shot forward, the two elements quickly creeping together and ready to explode. One of the gauntlets soared into the air while the other sped toward the strongest being present, the Blood Hound leader.

The man reacted rather quickly, seeing right through the attack coming his way. His hand blurred as he pulled out his saber and with a single motion, he slashed through the incoming gauntlet. Even though this gauntlet was from twilight steel, the man’s saber went through it like a hot knife through butter.

His impromptu gauntlet bomb was sliced into two identical pieces, which fell to the ground on either side of the man who had cut it. The reaction between light and dark had no time to take place, but the one that had been shot upward did. A massive explosion erupted.

Flames of pure black and searing white burst from the ceiling, sending debris cascading down upon the bewildered mercenaries. The shockwave rattled the entire building, knocking some men off their feet. Smoke and dust filled the air, thick and suffocating, adding to the chaos as the area became engulfed in pitch-black smoke.

However, the mercenary leader didn’t panic. Instead, he turned toward the one responsible for all of this. His body shot forward, his saber gleaming within the chaos as he brought it down on his target. Instantly, blood splattered everywhere as his blade connected with the figure shrouded in darkness.

"..."

He stared at the defeated man with an expression that barely changed—cold, calculating, unimpressed. The mercenary leader had expected more resistance. His blade had cleaved through the possessed mercenary’s body with no effort. A clean kill or so he thought. A chill ran down his spine as the body collapsed, lifeless, but something was off. Soon, he turned around to see the two sliced gauntlet halves of metal glowing once more…