First, two masked individuals emerged from the explosion.
Shing-
I immediately cut one of their throats.
As for the other one…
Crunch-!!
Their head froze solid.
It must have been Lorenz’s doing.
The speed at which it froze was astounding—faster than the speed at which I swung my blade.
Thud!
Thud!
The body with the severed head and the frozen-headed corpse collapsed to the floor.
Whoosh! Thwip!
Immediately after, sharp arrows shot in from the broken door.
“You bastards.”
But…
Fwoosh.
Lorenz muttered a small curse, and a magic circle lit up in his hand.
Thwip-Thwip-Thwip-Thwip-
The flying arrows froze in mid-air as if stuck in place.
“Attack.”
Right after saying that, Lorenz threw a glowing orb toward the entrance where the masked individuals had appeared.
Immediately, his subordinates charged in.
**
It didn’t take long to subdue the ambushing masked individuals.
“Hah.”
Lorenz, who had dealt with one of the masked men in an instant and blocked all the arrows with ease, didn’t seem particularly fatigued.
It appeared he had left the minor details to his subordinates to conserve his strength.
“I heard there was a mage interfering with detection. Looks like that was the case.”
With those words, Lorenz kicked the corpse of the masked man whose head had frozen, flipping it over.
“Mel, confirm it.”
At his command, a woman among Lorenz’s subordinates, referred to as Mel, stepped forward and placed her hand on the corpse.
Fwoooosh-
A light emanated from Mel’s hand, and the body of the masked individual began to decay rapidly.
“As expected, devil worshippers.”
…What is she doing?
“What exactly are you doing?”
I had no idea why the body was decaying or why Lorenz concluded that they were devil worshippers.
“Mel is a devout priest. Devils are the antithesis of the divine.”
“Ah.”
“It’s only natural that a devil’s minion, once dead, cannot go to heaven and is instead dragged to hell.”
So…
When a devil worshipper dies, their body decays rapidly under divine power, signifying they’re being sent to hell?
“By the way, is it true that hell is underground?”
But how does this work?
How do devil worshippers end up in hell when they die? And how do devils exert their influence?
“Heaven is above, and hell is below—it’s common sense.”
“So, heaven is in the sky?”
“Where else would it be?”
Lorenz answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, leaving me stunned.
…Hell is deep underground, and heaven is high above?
Shouldn’t these places exist in another dimension in a fantasy world?
“Physically, is it actually up there?”
“Yes, but humans cannot approach it; they’d burn up from its sheer divinity.”
It was Mel, the priest, who answered my rather foolish question based on this world’s standards.
…So, like the myth of Icarus?
I couldn’t quite wrap my head around it, but in a world with magic, aura, gods, and devils, I suppose anything is possible.
“Let’s leave the underground for now.”
“Is the investigation complete?”
“Yes, confirming the presence of devil worshippers completes the mission.”
After saying that, Lorenz brushed the frost off his gloves—likely a side effect of his magic—and turned to leave.
“Stay vigilant. We’re leaving now.”
It seemed they wanted to withdraw immediately after the skirmish.
I wasn’t too keen on venturing deeper into enemy territory either, so I quickly followed.
“Stay alert; the enemies can avoid detection.”
Moving swiftly, we crossed the third floor, keeping a watchful eye on all sides.
On the way in, I had marveled at the building’s structure, but now, everything looked like potential cover for hidden enemies.
…In hindsight, this was indeed a dangerous place.
Still, thanks to Lorenz, I felt less anxious.
He was quick to assess the situation and, above all, a skilled mage.
Even now, he continued drawing magic circles in his hands, ready to respond immediately to any surprise attack as we advanced.
“The entrance to the third floor. Move quickly.”
Soon, we arrived at the third-floor entrance—the same place we had entered earlier.
“Rain.”
Lorenz called out to me—not to anyone else.
“Yes.”
As soon as I heard him, I cloaked myself in Aura and dashed forward, using Track to scout the entrance to the third floor and beyond.
Track not only slows the perception of time but also allows me to see through darkness.
“There’s no one here.”
“Advance quickly.”
After I confirmed the area, Lorenz and his subordinates swiftly exited the third floor.
Bang!
Lorenz sealed the entrance with an ice pillar using his magic.
“We’re heading outside now.”
Blocking the entrance to prevent pursuit, we made our way to the stairs leading to the first basement level.
The third floor, which I thought would be the toughest challenge, had been crossed without much trouble.
Thanks to Lorenz’s quick judgment—or maybe the enemy was letting us through—we reached the long, dark sewer system.
Since this was part of the Adel Kingdom’s infrastructure, there likely wouldn’t be enemies here.
Still, we didn’t let our guard down. We illuminated the path ahead and moved quickly.
“There’s a staircase up ahead. Check it and proceed immediately.”
Just as we neared the stairs leading up to the first basement level…
Fwoosh-
The magic circle Lorenz had been maintaining glowed brightly.
“An ambush.”
An ambush? Was that a detection spell?
I stopped in my tracks and scanned the area immediately.
Ahead near the stairs? Or behind us where we’d passed?
As I tried to figure out where the attack would come from…
“Below!”
Swoosh! Swoosh!
With Lorenz’s shout, masked figures emerged from the water in the sewer.
…What the hell? The water’s not even that deep!
And then…
“They’re coming from the front and rear too.”
To make matters worse, shadows began appearing from both the front and back.
…So they were waiting for us here.
Slash-
I quickly struck down the ones emerging from the water. With our small numbers, we needed to minimize the angles from which the enemies could attack.
“Be cautious—there’s a skilled one among them.”
And just as Lorenz warned, I felt ominous energy emanating from both the front and back where the masked figures were gathering.
“Lorenz, which side?”
“I’ll take the rear.”
Lorenz’s subordinates were competent, but…
The skilled ones were likely Aura users at the very least, so Lorenz and I had to handle them ourselves.
“Understood.”
Thus, after quickly taking care of the ones in the water, I surrounded myself with as much Aura as possible and charged toward the incoming enemies.
Boom!
“Urgh!”
First, I sent two masked men flying with the impact of my charge, then immediately cut down those who followed behind.
I tried to thin their numbers by taking out the weaker ones as quickly as possible, but then…
“I’ll handle this one.”
I heard a voice from among the masked figures, and in the next moment—
Swoosh!
A blade thrust out from the darkness.
Clang!
I blocked it and stepped back.
This one’s no ordinary opponent.
At the very least, they’re stronger than Darren or Kaiden—skilled enough to make even me wary.
So…
Tsk.
I activated Aura at its maximum and drew my sword.
Clang!
The opponent extended their blade to block mine.
With that single clash, we assessed each other’s strength.
…They’re even stronger than I expected.
Just standing face-to-face made me feel an unsettling sense of danger.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Even after the initial clash, our blades continued to collide relentlessly.
I mixed in the Boyd family’s swordsmanship and attacked aggressively, but they calmly parried every strike.
Meanwhile, around us, Lorenz’s subordinates were clashing with other masked figures.
From what I could tell, Lorenz was holding the rear by himself, while most of the others had joined the fight at the front.
That meant Lorenz was likely under immense pressure, so I needed to end this quickly.
Just as I was about to push forward with a decisive move—
Fwoosh-
The opponent seemed to have similar thoughts, as I could feel the Aura condensing along their blade as it clashed with mine.
…Rush, huh?
As soon as I sensed it, I activated Fleet.
If they’re using an offensive skill, I’d better dodge.
The moment Fleet was activated, I pulled my sword back, lowered my center of gravity, and spun my blade in a wide arc.
Then…
While nearly crouching, I swung my spinning blade at the opponent.
With Fleet active and combined with Track, I observed their movements closely.
Though their eyes were fixed on me, they showed no reaction.
…Not using Fleet?
As my blade approached their neck, they still didn’t dodge, which left me momentarily puzzled.
Clang!!
Even though I struck their neck, it felt as if I had hit steel. The recoil sent a shock up my arm.
Immediately after, the delayed burst of their Rush exploded into the air, catching me off guard and forcing me to retreat past them.
…Guard, huh? How is it that tough?
Using Guard to shield other parts of the body is understandable, but to block a strike aimed directly at the neck with just Aura? That was unexpected.
Regardless, I managed to move behind the opponent, but instead of launching a follow-up attack, I waited for their next move.
Because…
I had already used Fleet, while they had conserved their technique.
Fwoosh-
Yeah, they’re definitely planning to use Fleet now.
In the slowed world of Track, I saw their sword coming straight at me.
Since I’d already expended Fleet, I couldn’t match their speed.
I curled my body tightly, reducing my exposed areas as much as possible.
The blade thrust toward my relatively open abdomen, so I focused my Guard on that area, relying on my armor for protection.
Then—
Boom!!
“Ugh!”
Rather than the sensation of being pierced, it felt like I was struck by a hammer, and I was pushed backward.
…My Guard technique isn’t advanced enough to absorb the impact completely.
I should’ve trained in Guard more instead of just relying on dodging with Fleet.
Facing a master of this level, my perspective has changed.
But still…
I need to survive first if I want to train later.
As my stance crumbled from the impact, their sword came at me again.
Clang!
Barely regaining balance, I managed to block the blade.
My posture wasn’t steady, so ordinarily, I’d have been overpowered.
But I still had one move left.
‘Rush.’
The technique I had been saving until now.
As I activated it, my sword surged with power.
Boom!!
The resulting shockwave shattered both my blade and the opponent’s.
“…!”
“Hah!”
Damn it, my sword!
I only meant to break theirs, but in my haste, I couldn’t control the technique properly.
However, the opponent had also lost their balance from the Rush.
Crack-
Twisting my knees more than felt natural, I quickly planted my foot and grabbed the broken sword.
Then, I lunged toward my opponent, who was still struggling to regain their footing.
In the dark sewer, I couldn’t make out the interior of their shadowed hood even at this close range.
But I aimed to drive the silver blade straight into that darkness.
Suddenly—
Prick.
A familiar, sharp sensation tingled at the back of my neck.
Why now? A danger signal?
Does the opponent have a final move left?
Their stance is broken, and there’s no ally nearby.
By all appearances, this is my victory.
Normally, I’d thrust without hesitation.
But this instinct has saved my life too many times before.
Crack-
Forcing my joints to the limit, I abruptly stopped my strike.
Then—
Fwoosh-
From within the shadows—no, from deep inside the darkness of their hood—
A massive hand suddenly shot out.
‘…!’
What the hell is that?!
I immediately leaned back, tilting my head sharply.
Snap!
I felt the sharp graze of their claw barely missing my nose as their hand clenched the air just inches from my face.
…I was this close to having my face grabbed by that hand.
What kind of twisted anatomy does this bastard have to have an arm extending from their face?!
If it weren’t for my heightened senses, I would’ve been caught for sure.
“Whew…”
Though I managed to dodge, it left my stance completely broken.
In stopping so abruptly and bending backward, my abdomen was left wide open.
The opponent’s broken blade, now back in the shadowy confines of their hood, thrust toward my exposed side.
‘Guard!’
I barely managed to focus and activate Guard over my abdomen, but—
“Rush.”
At their murmured word—
Boom!!
“Ugh!”
The Guard I hastily raised over my side shattered, and the impact sent me rolling across the damp floor.
“Cough! Gah!”
A dizzying pain surged through my head.
“Whew…”
Yet, strangely enough, my mind felt sharper than ever.
I’ve faced pain like this many times before.
Using the momentum of my roll, I regained my footing, turning to face the opponent who was closing in to finish me off.
A normal person would’ve been down for the count by now, but…
I’m not just anyone.
Teetering on the line between life and death, I redirected all of my heightened senses—not toward my opponent, but toward my Aura.
And then—
Swish!
The opponent swung their broken blade.
A shallow line traced from my right collarbone to just below my left armpit.
However—
Whoosh!
No blood sprayed from my wound.
“…!”
Their blade had cut through nothing more than my illusion.
By the time they realized, I had already used the Boyd family’s secret Fleet technique to position myself behind them.
Their exposed back—more precisely, the area near their heart—
Thunk!
I drove the broken blade deep into it.
