"...What's going on, where did he go?"
The people following Leonardo suddenly became flustered. This was because the pursuit target who had gone behind a tree had disappeared without a trace.
"Did he use teleport?"
It had happened in just a few seconds.
"What are you talking about, there wasn't any sign at all."
"Instead of making a fuss, spread out and search!"
The leader-type commanded in a suppressed voice, sounding frustrated.
The pursuit team members, who had been dumbfounded for a moment, quickly dispersed upon hearing the order. One who had been tailing at the front kept looking around the tree, unable to believe it. He had been maintaining a 15m distance from the target all along. If the guy had used teleport, he would have surely felt the mana.
'But I didn't feel anything...'
The pursuers, muttering curses one by one, turned directions and started searching for signs of presence. Due to the barrier's influence, most of the 3km radius around the gate was subject to ability restrictions equivalent to mana control zone 1. Therefore, even if the pursuit target had secretly used teleport, he couldn't have gone very far. They had to believe that.
They had come all this way chasing him, and if they lost him now, they might have to stake out in front of the gate all night again.
'Damn it... when did he notice?'
Given who the target was, it was uncertain if they could recognize him as the target even if they were lucky enough to encounter him. The pursuit team leader, who had moved about 50m in one breath, gripped a dagger in both hands and started parting the bushes.
Being experienced in pursuit, they moved without hesitation even in shaded areas where light didn't reach. They were sometimes even mistaken for swift mountain beasts.
That was the problem.
"Aagh~!"
A short scream rang out from somewhere. Those who had been spreading out widely immediately stopped in their tracks.
"What was that?"
Tense eyes scanned the pitch-black scenery left and right. Meanwhile, a dull impact sound along with a friction sound like dragging a sack was heard from another direction.
At first, they thought it might be an attack by a monster or beast, but this was surely the sound of someone being taken down with one blow and then dragged away. Sensing that something was happening in the darkness, the pursuers lowered their bodies and drew out throwing knives and daggers.
When they received the order, they were told never to attack or injure the target, but faced with primal fear, the will to protect oneself came first.
"Aargh!"
No sooner had they taken their stance than another pain-filled scream tore through from beyond the undergrowth. It was already the fifth person. The pursuit leader, who had been observing the situation, understood the implications and shouted loudly:
"Everyone gather! We're vulnerable to attacks if we're dispersed!"
At that moment, an eerie shadow descended behind him. A pale hand loomed before his eyes as he turned around.
Thud, after a heavy collision sound, the undergrowth shook violently with an intense physical struggle. Even small grunts of exertion sounded extremely loud in the middle of the quiet forest.
The scattered pursuit team, sensing the suspicious circumstances, quickly gathered around that area. About seven or eight approached step by step towards the undergrowth where it seemed a fierce battle was taking place, holding blue-tinged weapons.
They exchanged glances, counting to three, and just as they were about to rush into the scene,
"Wait!"
A familiar voice stopped their charge, and the pursuit team hesitated with pale faces.
The pursuit leader was on his knees with his face pressed against a tree, letting out suppressed groans. Behind him, a golden-haired man was stepping on his back and holding both his arms as if about to break them at any moment.
Leonardo, his face expressionless but eyes glowing, scanned the rat-like pursuers who had rushed in with momentum and muttered:
"If any of you move, his arms become useless."
Though his tone was calm, it was enough to bind the feet of the pursuit team. Watching their rapidly rolling eyeballs, he added a word:
"Put those down."
He meant for them to drop their weapons. As if to show what would happen if they resisted, his blood-stained hand half-twisted the two arms he was holding.
As the shoulder-wrapping muscle fibers tore and the sensation of dislocation set in, a hoarse sound gurgled from the man's mouth. The pursuers' eyes were filled with agitation.
"P-put me down! Put me down–!!"
The leader shouted, his voice close to a scream, even drooling. Leonardo, furrowing his brow, firmly stepped on the trapezius muscle connected to the man's scapula.
Between the sunken tree bark, the human orbital bone was deeply buried, crushing the inner tissues. The man's neck turned bright red as if he couldn't breathe, and he screamed silently from the crumpled gap.
As his convulsing limbs struggled at the crossroads of life and death, the group, thinking someone might die at this rate, put down their weapons with ashen faces.
"Go back, raise your hands, and stand still. I'll ask you why you were tailing me step by step."
Just as Leonardo gave them a chance, he sensed a presence from behind.
"Uwaaa!"
Five people who had been hiding rushed in with blades. Leonardo immediately grabbed the pursuit leader by the nape of his neck and used his body as a shield, flipping him over.
Before they could hesitate, he charged in with his shoulder in the same way. Two blades that couldn't stop due to inertia stuck into the leader's outstretched arms and legs with a slicing sound.
"Kuk, kuuk, aaagh–!"
Though he had deliberately avoided vital points, the man floundered like a fish dying on land.
'What a drama queen.'
As the guys pushed back by the leader's body stood dumbfounded, Leonardo tossed aside his shield and moved behind them.
He broke one guy's arm to make him drop his weapon and twisted his neck with his entire forearm. He threw him at another rushing in from the left, causing their skulls to collide and sprawl like corpses. He kicked the solar plexus of the one trying to stab his side from the right, leaving him in respiratory distress, and elbowed the nose of the one trying to choke him from behind, using rotational force.
He even crushed the jaw of the one dropping from above, then pulled his arm and gifted him to the guys in front with a throw. Soon, resentful voices echoed like a roar.
"Hey, you bastard!"
"Catch that son of a bitch!"
As six people tumbled to the ground in an instant, the seven who had been rooted to the spot also rushed in as a group.
Leonardo kicked up a rolling dagger and caught it with his hand. He threw sand in the eyes of the nearest one to block his vision, then cut the tendons in his upper arm and Achilles tendon to make him drop his weapon.
When someone swung down a long sword from behind, calling him a coward, he retorted, "Aren't eighteen of you cowardly?" while deflecting the blade with his dagger, making the attacker stab his own leg.
Then, he lowered his body to avoid a heavy kick that made a woong sound, and while touching the ground, he shattered the attacker's ankle bone with a spinning kick. Over the body losing balance and falling, a sharp spear flew aiming for his head. He quickly tilted his neck back to avoid it, then pulled the spear and smashed the head of the guy who came with it with his knee.
"Shit... there's so many, really."
After briefly lamenting to himself, he grabbed the arm of one of the remaining three who was wielding a butcher's knife and bent it outwards at the elbow.
"Uwaaagh!"
He stuffed the back of the blade into the mouth that was about to scream, shattering the teeth, then struck the back of his neck to knock him out. Then he threw the knife at the collar of one who was slowly retreating, pinning him to a tree. When the guy turned around in confusion, he stomped down on the crown of his head with his heel, saying, "Is this what you call a head?"
The guy collapsed without even being able to utter a death cry, and now there was only one left.
"Phew..."
He thought his condition had fully recovered, but his lung capacity seemed to have decreased as he was quite out of breath.
'Armsilver is in a sorry state.'
Muttering inwardly, he used his forearm instead of his blood-soaked hand to wipe the sweat from his temple. He remembered His Excellency's earnest advice to always be mindful of his health and take care of his body, even if he seemed fully recovered.
Perhaps it was because he had often collapsed in front of that person. He understood, but still, His Excellency worried too much.
What he should be worried about now was not himself, but the guy trembling in the undergrowth. The rustling of the rat who couldn't even properly hide his footsteps due to urgency easily caught his ear.
"Hey, if you come out now, I won't knock you out. Come on out."
Leonardo tried to persuade the other as gently as possible while catching his breath. At the same time, his wide golden eyes roamed around, searching for the unstable breathing sound.
"Just come out for a moment, will you? I want to ask you something. If you answer well, I won't do anything–"
At that moment, a shadow moved quickly from within the undergrowth. The guy who had been waiting for the right timing escaped the scene like an arrow.
That which stimulated Leonardo's dynamic vision fled with the sole intention of surviving alone.
'If I'm caught, I'm dead.'
He had heard about the target, but seeing the movement in front of his eyes was on a different dimension. It wasn't something to be tackled with half-baked skills. How could a mere pursuit team subdue a killing machine that had flown and crawled on the battlefield?
It took him less than two seconds per person to strike vital points and knock them out without unnecessary movements. This was an extremely trained assassin.
'I can never win one-on-one. I have to run away.'
He, who had come to catch but suddenly became a fugitive, kept running while taking out a tool for teleportation. He had to get out of range as soon as possible. Just as he was setting the coordinates with trembling fingers, something dropped on his head with a thud.
"Uwagh!"
The fleeing body felt a terrible pain and instantly lost balance. He fell hard on the dirt ground and rolled around in the middle of the forest, clutching his leg.
The dagger that the murderous demon had been wielding earlier was precisely piercing his kneecap.
Leonardo, who had lightly jumped down from the tree, carefully pulled out some thick grass roots from around and diligently gagged the mouth.
"You know what?"
After kindly pulling out the embedded dagger, he flipped the body over to make it easier to handle. As if operating a shutdown lever, he lightly twisted the left shoulder of the guy who was wailing.
"When prey moves, it's more stimulating."
"---!"
A savage sound like a wooden puppet breaking rang out. Shock seemed to hit him at once, and the fugitive rolled his eyes and fainted along with his death throes.
Leonardo, who had cleanly dealt with the eighteen prey, picked up the guy's nape and massaged his carotid artery. Only after confirming that he hadn't died this time either did he roughly wipe his blood-stained hand on the clothes of the sprawled pursuit team member.
Although the other side had first wielded weapons and gone wild, it would be a big problem if they died by any chance. After confirming their survival, he dusted off his palms with relief and stood up.
Having been quietly captured by the Council for so long, it seemed these guys thought they could look down on him. Usually, sending people like this is something a high-ranking person ignorant of the ways of the world does when trying to draw him into their business.
But even so, this was ridiculous. It was laughable that they thought to subdue him by force when they should have sent a neatly dressed negotiator. Well, it did feel refreshing to use his body after a long time.
"Hah..."
Leonardo, who had been looking around with a satisfied face, suddenly furrowed his brows.
"Ah."
His gaze fell on the grass roots he had stuffed into the mouth of the last guy who fell.
'Am I an idiot?'
Leonardo hurriedly pulled out the tightly stuffed grass roots and slapped the cheeks of the unconscious guy repeatedly.
"Hey, hey, wake up."
He needed to ask who had sent them, but somehow he had ended up taking out even the guy who could give him information. Leonardo, having secured the airway, continued to hit his face and shake his arm vigorously. However, the body with a dislocated shoulder just dangled like a broken arm and went limp like a corpse.
"Shit... I messed up."
Leonardo quickly got up and looked around where the other guys should be sprawled. But unfortunately, the situation didn't seem much different from this guy.