Chapter 326 - Ouroboros (1)

[Unity].

A support spell that makes its targets recognize one another as companions, allowing them to travel together through Labyrinth portals and share EXP from monster kills.

I learned that this spell could counter [Silent Decree] while I was deep into the rebellion route.

After absorbing the Silence Essence and making some three hundred attempts, I had finally reached the inner sanctum of the royal family. Just when I was hoping that a little farther would bring me face-to-face with the king...

[Your character has been linked to a member of the Guardian Knight Order through ‘Unity.’]

The royal NPCs used this trick on me and shat all over my long hours of effort.

Well, I did soon find a way to counter their countermeasure, but...

'I still never even saw the king's face.'

In the end, I gave up on the rebellion route.

That might have been the first time I ever gave up on anything while playing this game...

But I don't consider it time wasted. Sometimes, you gain something from the process of failing.

Just like this.

“Ghurk...!”

[Unity] followed by a giant body slam—a perfect combo.

The impact launched Luhenpraha into the air and sent him flying backward.

But only an amateur would stand there and watch. Wasn't it the same in fighting games? Once you launched an enemy into the air where they couldn't fight back, you had to land a follow-up combo somehow.

'Transcendence.'

I recited the command before he could fly beyond the twenty-meter range.

'Eye of the Storm.'

The grab skill I'd gained from absorbing the [Stormgush] Essence.

'Somehow, I've ended up with a build optimized for PvP.'

A powerful gale swept through the long sewer tunnel, reversing his flight and pulling him toward me.

I readied myself for a smash.

And...

One, two, three.

'Now.'

At just the right moment, I used [Swing] with all my might.

CRUNCH!

The sound of flesh and bone being crushed erupted where my hammerhead struck.

But I wasn't satisfied at all. That sound hadn't come from the spot I'd aimed for.

'Tsk.'

I'd been aiming for his smooth temple, but unfortunately, he'd raised an arm. Even as the gale dragged him toward me, he'd collected himself enough to protect a vital spot.

'Still, that takes one arm out of the equation.'

It hadn't been a critical hit, but I decided to look on the bright side.

His arm dangled at a grotesque angle. That alone was undeniable proof that I'd done considerable dama—

TAP!

As the impact sent him flying toward the side wall, he regained his balance in midair and kicked off it with one leg.

And...

'He really does seem to have a lot of combat experience.'

Rather than putting distance between us, he lunged straight at me and swung his sword.

WHOOSH!

The menacing Aura looked razor-sharp.

His Agility was far higher than mine, making it impossible to block with my hammer from this position.

So...

TAP!

This time, I simply retreated.

Hah. If he'd jumped backward, I could have kept chasing him and maintained my momentum.

SPLASH.

With about ten meters between us, a brief lull settled over the fight. Holding his sword in his one remaining good arm, he assumed a ready stance and asked,

“How... did you know?”

The way his breath caught mid-sentence suggested he was still feeling the damage from the body slam and his crushed arm.

Hmm. Was he talking to buy time to recover?

As I assessed his condition, his next words made me chuckle.

“No one... should know... about this Essence...”

His voice sought an answer to the contradiction confronting him.

Right. He was just curious.

I supposed he'd done his best to conceal this weakness. That was probably why he always traveled alone. Even if he accompanied others, he would never have linked himself to them through [Unity].

The instant he did, [Silent Decree]'s weakness would be exposed.

'Now that I think about it, [Silent Decree] was probably why he kept pestering the Scholar of Destruction in the community.'

To overthrow the royal family, he needed companions who wouldn't lose their power even without [Unity].

Mages or priests, for instance.

But a priest wouldn't help him kill the king, which would have made the Scholar of Destruction all the more valuable.

He was a top-tier mage, and a fellow evil spirit to boot.

“I see. You're an evil spirit...”

He muttered as he looked at me.

I hadn't said a single word, but he'd apparently worked through the whole thing and reached a conclusion all by himself.

Not that he was wrong...

'So he doesn't know how to counter the countermeasure.'

This conversation confirmed that for me. If he did, he would have had no reason to insist on working alone.

I tightened my grip on the hammer.

'Good thing this is twenty years in the past.'

Of course, I had no idea what he would be like in the future. By our next encounter, he might have shored up this weakness. He might have replaced a few Essences, too, and brought his swordsmanship to perfection.

One thing was certain: considering his notoriety twenty years from now, he was very likely to grow into an enemy my current self couldn't defeat.

But...

'That's not today.'

I recited the commands.

After all, why did he think I'd been standing around this whole time?

'Transcendence.'

'Eye of the Storm.'

While we'd been talking, the cooldown had finished.

* * *

The battle unfolded in a fairly straightforward manner.

BOOM! BOOM!

His Aura and my double-digit Numbered item, Demon Crusher, clashed endlessly as we traded blows.

And...

'Holy shit, why is he so good at fighting?'

For the first time, I felt like I'd hit a wall.

I'd faced plenty of enemies who outclassed me in stats, but never had I felt this way about someone's martial skill.

SLASH!

A moment's slip, and another strip of flesh was sliced away.

His sword moved as fluidly as a snake, yet at times it was as unyielding as steel.

And that wasn't all.

Even to my untrained eye, his swordsmanship had clearly defined forms and techniques.

Simply put, he was an enemy unlike any I'd ever faced.

Even against knights, once I dragged the fight into a brawl, the outcome usually came down to split-second decisions as we tried to kill each other.

SLASH!

More and more wounds accumulated on my body, faster than my natural regeneration could heal them.

Even so, I hadn't suffered any fatal injuries yet. Not because I was dodging well, but because I kept using potions at regular intervals.

HISSSSS!

Bubbles seethed in a deep cut as flesh grew back to fill it.

After a quick check of my condition, I took a backward step.

Then...

'Transcendence.'

'Eye of the Storm.'

I pulled him toward me with the grab skill that had just come off cooldown.

But it went much the same way as before.

As if proving he'd only fallen for it the first time because he hadn't known about it, he remained completely composed, using the speed of the pull to swing his sword.

WHOOSH!

Whew. Now even his timing was uncanny.

I'd better stop using the grab skill altogether.

TAP!

I retreated again to evade his sword.

He kicked off the ceiling, closing the gap in an instant, and spoke.

“Who are you?”

BOOOOM!

“Considering you're that woman's companion...”

BOOOOM!

“Were you sent by the royal family, after all?”

God, he was distracting.

What a chatterbox.

His nonstop talking throughout the fight irritated me, but it also raised a question.

'Sent by the royal family? Why bring them up all of a sudden?'

Of course, that question only crossed my mind briefly.

The combined forces of the royal family and the lord had invaded the eastern district occupied by Orculus. It wasn't strange for him to get the wrong idea.

There was only one thing I really wanted to know.

'But how are things supposed to play out now?'

I hadn't even considered killing him here.

According to the original course of history, he would appear before Amelia very soon.

But...

'Winning might be tough, but I don't really see myself losing, either.'

If I set my mind to it, I felt like I could keep him here for hours.

I couldn't say for certain, but barring some sudden, unforeseen complication, I could keep this up all day—

'Huh?'

That was when it happened.

As if I'd jinxed myself.

SPLASH.

I heard someone in the distance.

At the exact same moment, he and I pulled away from each other as one and quickly looked toward the sound.

I hadn't imagined it. Someone really was there.

'Motherfucker.'

It was someone I remembered.

And judging by his reaction, Luhenpraha seemed to know something about the man, too.

“... Jerome Saintred.”

No sooner had Luhenpraha muttered the name than the silver-haired knight at the other end of the tunnel spoke as well.

“Ricardo Luhenpraha.”

This was hardly an affectionate exchange of names.

Their voices and eyes brimmed with hatred and murderous intent toward each other.

Well, that was only natural when the Traitor who intended to kill the king met the Guardian of the Royal Family.

I quickly finished assessing the situation.

'Okay. Get those two fighting, then run.'

I was undoubtedly the reason the Knight of Light had entered the sewers, but given the enmity between those two, I could turn this crisis into an opportunity.

I was looking for an opening to escape with that in mind.

Unfortunately, someone else had made his decision faster.

“Two.”

Luhenpraha uttered a single baffling syllable.

Then...

“... Huh?”

He began fleeing down a side passage.

Only after seeing that did I realize what he'd meant by “two.”

'... Holy shit, this is how it plays out?'

He'd mistaken me for that bastard's ally.

* * *

This blunder was the result of my failing to clear up Luhenpraha's misconception that I worked for the royal family.

To be fair, even I would have been reluctant to fight two against one in this situation if I'd been him. I understood his reasoning.

Not that sympathizing was what I needed to do right now.

'Ah... I'd better run, too.'

Luhenpraha's escape only stunned me for a moment before I pulled myself together and got moving.

All the while, I desperately prayed.

'Please, please, please...'

Please, chase him instead of me.

Come on. He's the lunatic who wants to kill your king.

TAP!

A short while after I started running, a sound came from behind me.

He seemed to have finished deciding whom to chase...

SPLASH!

Hah. Right.

Of course it wouldn't be that easy.

SPLASH! SPLASH!

The sound of his pursuit continued behind me.

Apparently, he'd decided that retrieving the Stone Fragment of Records I supposedly held took priority over the Traitor.

Hmm. Or maybe he was still holding a serious grudge over what happened earlier.

A flash of light!

With Luhenpraha's retreat apparently ending [Silent Decree]'s effects, the knight used [Gateway of Light] to block my path.

I'd been too far away to notice earlier, but his expression had changed.

'What the hell? Why does he look so unhinged...?'

Gone was the gullible look from our previous encounter. The knight before me glared with the eyes of an unforgiving executioner.

“Did you think you could make a fool of me and escape alive?”

Perhaps I'd brought this upon myself.

You know how it goes. You keep choosing the quickest, easiest paths, only to realize that somewhere along the way, you've surrounded yourself with enemies.

Oh, not that I regretted it.

It was his fault for getting fooled in the first place.

“Before I punish you, I have one question.”

He pointed his sword, rippling with Aura, at me and continued.

“What is your relationship with Luhenpraha? Was he the one who ordered you to steal the Stone Fragment of Records?”

It was a rather ironic situation.

Luhenpraha thought I was on this guy's side, and this guy thought I was on Luhenpraha's side.

I felt like a shrimp caught between two whales... but what could I do?

I had to wriggle my way out somehow.

So, with that in mind...

“Yes. So you've figured it out.”

Instead of clearing up the misunderstanding, I simply confirmed it. I judged that this would be more useful for the moment.

Sure enough, when I nodded, his eyes trembled.

“Don't tell me you've already handed it over to him?”

“Who knows?”

Wearing Mr. Lion's mask had taught me something.

The foundation of lying was getting people to convince themselves.

“What do you think?”

I shrugged as if inviting him to use his imagination, and he began flailing eagerly.

“... I see. So that's why you split up to flee.”

“You certainly didn't earn your reputation as the Knight of Light for nothing. You're quick-witted.”

When I added that lavish praise at just the right moment, he pressed his lips together.

I desperately kept my expression stern.

Then I added the final seasoning to my nearly finished dish.

“I won't let you reach the Commander. Come at me.”

A declaration of my resolve to buy time for our great cause by any means necessary.

Of course, such resolve was meaningless against Jerome. No matter how hard I tried to stall him, he could simply use [Gateway of Light] to pass right by me.

In fact, that was exactly what I was hoping fo—

“Heh heh heh...”

What the hell? Why was this bastard suddenly laughing?

Had he lost his mind?

As I frowned, all traces of amusement vanished from his face, and he stared at me.

“You almost fooled me again.”

“... What?”

“It doesn't matter whether you're telling the truth. I can kill you first and then find out.”

“But then you'll be too la—”

“It doesn't matter if I'm late. Reaching one's destination by following the proper path, steadily and without greed.”

Then, looking at me, he declared grandly,

“That is the way of a knight.”

Apparently, he'd discovered his own way of surviving in a world full of con artists.

'... So I have no choice but to fight.'

I quietly raised my hammer.

It didn't seem as though anything else I said would sway him.

“...”

“...”

Silence stretched between us.

At that decisive instant just before we swung our weapons, with our breaths crossing...

An old man's laughter suddenly came from behind me.

“Ho ho ho...”

With Jerome directly in front of me, I couldn't turn around to check.

But recognizing the voice wasn't difficult.

“You've truly mastered the art of deceiving people.”

Auriel Gabis.

Jerome, however, apparently hadn't met him before.

“... Identify yourself, old geezer.”

The silver-haired knight spoke imperiously.

It happened that very instant.

“What an ill-mannered fellow.”

The moment Auriel Gabis's voice echoed through the sewer...

“... Ghk!”

The man known as the Knight of Light clutched his throat with his free hand.

His face strained as though he couldn't breathe.

He was looking past me, and his eyes were filled with horror.

“Y-you... who... are you...?”

“I see little value in you.”

“G-gah...!”

“Begone.”

The moment Auriel Gabis finished speaking in that flat voice, Jerome's body stretched out in midair.

Goosebumps prickled down my spine.

... Was he dead?

Had he disposed of the royal family's strongest knight that easily, as though swatting a fly?

As if to answer my question, the voice came from behind me.

“He won't be dead. He'll probably wake up in the royal palace.”

Ah. Was he talking about that Essence?

Forcing aside the thought that crossed my mind, I slowly turned around.

“Finally looking at me, are you?”

The kindly smiling old man looked profoundly unsettling. The corners of his mouth were certainly curved upward, but his eyes weren't smiling at all.

'... Just how much does he know?'

No sooner had I involuntarily swallowed than Auriel Gabis spoke.

“About that barbarian you mentioned. Bjorn, son of Thor.”

“...”

“I went into the city and asked around, and a kind young fellow told me something interesting. They call him Iron Mask because he always wears a thick helmet that covers his face.”

“...”

“Just like you.”

Right. He'd come here knowing everything.