"Wohoo! As expected, riding a bike is nice! The wind is refreshing!"
Misaki exclaimed as they rode at a moderate speed through the icy road.
Kuma had changed the bike's tires to the one that suited an ice environment. However, Atsuku needed to be careful, so he didn't go full speed even though he was in a hurry.
He also didn't melt the ice with Flame Control because he wanted to have Arcane left in case there was a battle with other people to get the Secret later. And there was no doubt people who had read about his novel would hunt for Secret while knowing how dangerous it was.
"Ah, turn left. We will arrive after this intersection."
"Alright." Atsuku nodded and controlled his bike to turn left.
Soon, a place that could be called a bamboo jungle could be seen. The bamboo was soaring to the sky, with snow painting the green bamboo white. What could be more magical than Arashiyama Bamboo Grove in winter? There was none.
A path filled with snow was between two tall bamboo forests. And in the middle of that path was a floating red light as big as a soccer ball. It was hovering around like a firefly, going around the bamboo as if it were playing with them.
'It's red… Perfect.' Atsuku thought as his lips curled into a smile behind the dark visor.
Secret held strange knowledge left behind by an unknown being that not even people in Fantasia have found out yet.
That knowledge was often related to dangerous things, but all of them carried enough Arcane to make one advance and refine the Core in their body faster, as absorbing Secret also meant absorbing Arcane hidden on the outer layer of that knowledge.
Atsuku stopped the bike at the entrance and looked around. It was filled with people who were unable to enter due to a scary group of people blocking the entrance. They even held guns, which made people hesitate to approach them.
Those people were here for Secret, and they had angry looks on their faces when the scary men in long coats stopped them. From the look of it, they all had read Atsuku's book or heard about Secret from other people on the internet.
Taking off his helmet, Atsuku let Misaki down from the bike before he got off. He walked toward them casually with the girl dressed in a white bike suit and leather pants beside him.
Both of them were dressed quite thinly as if they were walking in warm weather. As someone who had Flame Control and another one who assimilated with Cocytus, cold weather wasn't an enemy for them.
As they approached the crowd, Atsuku managed to see how many people Misaki assembled just to guard Secret from other people.
"You are really going all out." He commented with a smirk.
"Of course. I planned to absorb Secret by myself if not for Kuma's vision. I have a feeling it would be better to let you have it." Misaki commented, unzipping the jacket. She wore a simple black shirt underneath.
"You're not wrong. Red Secret is dangerous. It's ranked 3 in terms of danger in Fantasia as it's mostly filled with knowledge that only Fifth Stage or higher can handle. If you were ever trying to absorb it, you would lose control and become a Demon." He said, stopping before the crowd.
"Phew, that's close, isn't it? You never described it in your novel."
"I know. I only write it in my setting note." He answered, lying slightly. In fact, he only just found out about that too in Fantasia. His first novel wasn't perfect in any way. It could even be called bad with some plot holes.
That was why he rest easy and didn't really hunt people who had his novel, only destroying the one that he found on the way or near him.
The people in black coats noticed their Young Boss and Young Miss and began to shout.
"Get away!"
"Shoo! Don't get close to this place, bastard! Do you want me to shoot your head, huh?!"
They threatened the crowd and made a small path for Atsuku and Misaki. As if this was an everyday thing, the brother and sister walked in the newly created path under the gaze filled with anger from other people.
Only some people recognized Atsuku as the author of The Miracle Hero's Adventure because his atmosphere was really different from when he held a meet and greet. This news would soon spread, but Atsuku didn't really care about it. His goal was the most important for him.
Ignoring those gazes, Misaki giggled, "Hahaha, I guess I was lucky? So, what should we do to these people? You need silence to absorb the Secret, right?"
"Simple. Back away a little bit."
Atsuku suddenly stopped and turned around. His eyes narrowed slightly as it flashed a yellow light. Some people in the crowd had been watching them with hostility since they had arrived.
From his palm, a pillar of fire shot up. The snow around him and the one on the bamboo instantly melted due to the hot temperature.
Seeing what Atsuku did, Misaki's eyes widened in surprise, and she sent out an order with a loud voice, "Move here!"
Her subordinates in black coats heard her order and looked at her. They saw the pillar of fire their Young Boss created, and fear filled their faces. Without wasting any time, they immediately ran in their direction and stood behind Misaki.
With a sweep of her hand, she created an ice pillar from the snow that hadn't melted yet and made a barrier between her and Atsuku, who began moving forward.
The crowd began to run away, with the exception of those who were confident. Only three people left, and they were those who sent hostility to his direction.
"What do you want from me?" Atsuku asked in a chilly voice; the pillar of fire disappeared from his hand. It was only to threaten the weaklings who gathered around, and it worked wonderfully.
Seeing how they gathered around in formation, those three men seemed to be in one group.
"I recognize you. You are the author of that novel." One of them answered with anger in his voice. "Is turning this world like this not enough?! You even stole the Secret we found first!"
"Ah?" A voice escaped Atsuku's lips. As expected, they recognized him.
And they were blaming him for something he didn't do.
'But that doesn't matter. Also…'
"Give it up. It's mine now." He pointed at the Secret that was still floating around between the bamboo trees. "If you want to take it, kill me first."
No answer came from them.
As if they had reached a silent agreement, one of them created an ice spike from his palm and threw it toward Atsuku. It was slower than a bullet but still fast enough to reach him in a second.
However… Atsuku didn't move. The fire pillar he created earlier wasn't necessarily gone. It was thinned out to the point that it only heated the temperature and had no fire shape. As proof, the snow around him melted into a small puddle.
So when the ice spike reached him, it melted into water and fell to the ground.
The men were confused, but the two of them had already advanced toward Atsuku and were too late to stop themselves.
Both of them seemed to assimilate with a Minotaur Devil, as there was no change in their bodies, but their steps caused a loud sound from enhanced physical strength.
Getting close, they launched a punch at Atsuku at the same time.
"Die!"
Atsuku jumped back and easily avoided them. Even if their body was strengthened due to Minotaur's ability, they were still a normal human with no real training yesterday. Their attacks were easy to predict and too simple.
"Fucking amateurs. Don't hesitate if you want to kill someone."
Muttering slowly, he pulled his gun underneath his suit and pulled the trigger twice while still in midair.
Bang! Bang!
The bullets flew from the muzzle, splitting the cold air and lodged into the two men's foreheads, destroying a part of their heads due to the sheer force of the .45 Magnum bullet.
"Kah!"
"Ugh!"
Thud! Thud!
Their bodies fell to the snowy ground with a soft thud. They were dead, and red blood dripped slowly from their destroyed head, mixed with their destroyed brain juice, creating a small puddle of pus and blood on the ground.
No mercy to those who showed their hostility.
It was one of Atsuku's principles to survive in Fantasia. Naivety and pity would only lead to one's downfall. He certainly wouldn't mistake kindness to his friends and loved ones for pity for his enemies.
Looking at his friends easily killed like that, the last man looked baffled and could only mutter in surprise.
"D-Dean, S-Shura… H-Hey, this is a lie, right?"
"Nope," Atsuku answered coldly and put the muzzle of his gun on the man's forehead. He got close when the man was surprised. "Any last words?"
"You bas–"
Bang!
Without letting him finish, Atsuku pulled the trigger and destroyed the man's head beyond recognition. He lit their dead bodies on fire and walked back to Misaki and the group, who were watching him with their jaws open.