Bonding was an auxiliary magic that, when used, recognized individuals as comrades and allowed them to advance together through the portal of the labyrinth. It also allowed you to share experience points when defeating monsters. It was during the traitor's route that I realized that this magic was the Annulment's advancement method. After taking the essence of tranquility, I finally reached the depths of the palace after about three hundred attempts. It was a moment when I was overcome with hope that I would be able to see the king's face if I moved a little further.
[The character has been linked to a member of the Guardian Knights].
The palace NPCs used this method on me and threw all my hard work overboard. It didn't take me long to find a breakthrough for this breakthrough method, but I still never got to see the king's face. In the end, I gave up the traitor route. It was probably my first loss since I started this game, but I didn't consider it a useless time. Sometimes, there was something to gain in the process of failure, like this.
Attack...!
Linking was followed by a huge blow to the body. Lüchenprague was hit head-on, thrown into the air and thrown backwards. However, just seeing this happen was an inferior move. Martial arts games were like that too. If you had thrown an enemy into the air and made them unable to resist, you had to throw a combo at them, no matter what the cost.
Transcendence.
I issued an order before the bastard's body left the distance of twenty meters: Eye of the Storm, the grappling ability gained by consuming Storm Gush's essence.
It just so happened that I'm perfectly optimized for PVP.
A strong gust began to descend the long stretch of sewer and the bastard's body changed direction as it flew before coming towards me. I took a crushing stance.
One two three. Now.
At the right time, I used Swing with all my might.
¡Crack!
The sound of crushed flesh and blood came from the place where the hammer sent the additional blow, but he was not satisfied. That was because the sound didn't come from the place I was aiming.
Those.
My goal was a smooth temple, but unfortunately, the guy raised his arm. Even being swept away by the blast, he had regained consciousness and protected his vital point.
Still, I took an arm.
Although it wasn't a fatal blow, I decided to look at it positively. The arm was bent at an odd angle and was left hanging. Just by looking at that, it was undeniable that considerable damage had been done.
Dash.
The bastard flew towards the wall from the impact before finding his balance, and then kicked the wall with one leg.
It seems like this guy also has a lot of combat experience.
Instead of widening his distance from me, he ran towards me and brandished his sword.
¡Wiiiip!
Just looking at him, the aura was fierce. Because his agility status was much higher than mine, it was difficult to stop that with a hammer in this current stance.
This time, I just walked away. If he had run backwards, he would have continued to chase him and maintained that momentum.
Splash.
When our distance thus increased by about ten meters, there was a momentary pause. The bastard made a snatching motion with the sword in his only remaining hand and asked, «How... did you know?».
Seeing that he was out of breath, it seemed that he still had the damage from the blow to his body and the crushing of his arm. So did you start the conversation to buy time to recover? I was analyzing the enemy's status when I ended up laughing.
«No one... knows... this essence...». His words asked for an answer to the contradiction he had encountered.
So I was just curious.
He was probably trying to hide his weakness. That's probably why he was always alone too. Even if I was with others, I would never have used Link with them. At that time, the defect of the Cancellation would have been revealed.
Now that I see it, the reason it bothered the Fallen Scholar so much in the community was the Annulment.
To overthrow the royal family, he would have needed a comrade who would not lose his power even if the Link was not cast, for example, a magician or a priest. However, since the priest would not cooperate in the king's assassination, the relative value of the Fallen Scholar would have increased. He was not only a high-level mage, but also an evil spirit.
«So you are an evil spirit...» The bastard watched me and murmured. I didn't say a word, but he seemed to have gone through hoops and obstacles and come to that conclusion on his own.
Well, it's not a wrong conclusion, but... He doesn't know the reverse advancement method.
Through the conversation, I became convinced that I did not know the reverse advancement method. If I knew him, I would have had no reason to insist on being alone. I grabbed the hammer tighter.
Thank goodness twenty years had passed.
Of course, he couldn't know what would happen in the future. Maybe when we met again, this part would be reinforced. He could also have gone through many essences, and his sword skill could have reached a stage of perfection. The truth was that considering his notoriety twenty years from now, there was a good chance that he would become an enemy that I could not defeat.
But that's not today.
I pronounced an order. After all, there was a reason why he had remained motionless until now.
Transcendence. The eye of the storm.
As we talked, the cooling was over.
The battle progressed quite simply.
¡Bang, bang!
The aura and the double-numbered Demon Crusher clashed non-stop and exchanged attacks.
Shit, why is he so good at fighting?
I experienced my limit for the first time. I had been surpassed in terms of statistics many times, but I had never felt this way in terms of martial arts technique.
Slash!
My flesh cut off as soon as I hesitated. The opponent's sword moved fluidly like a snake, and was sometimes as hard as steel. But that was not all. The opponent's sword had a clear shape even to ignorant eyes like mine, and it had a shape. Simply put, this was a completely new type of enemy. Even fighting a knight, the winner would be decided by split-second decisions once it led to a fight to the death.
King!
Wounds accumulated in my body faster than my recovery time through natural regeneration. Even so, he still did not have any fatal injuries. That wasn't because he was good at avoiding them, but because he used potions regularly.
¡Chhhh!
Air bubbles boiled from the deep cuts and the meat filled. I only briefly checked my condition before backing away.
Transcendence. Eye of the storm.
I used the grappling ability that had just finished cooling and dragged the opponent. However, once again the situation was similar. As if to prove that it only worked the first time because he didn't know it, the opponent was not startled at all and took advantage of the speed with which he was being dragged to brandish his sword.
¡Zas!
Ugh, even its synchronization is scary now. From now on, it should only seal the grappling ability.
Dash.
I took a step back to dodge the sword again. In response, the opponent stepped on the ceiling, closed the distance instantly, and said, «Who are you?».
¡Kwa claim!
«Seeing that you are that woman's comrade».
¡Kwa claim!
«Were you sent by the palace?»
Geez, how loud. You talk a lot.
On the one hand, not stopping talking about the bastard irritated me, on the other, it made me question him. Sent by the palace? What does the palace have to do with it?
Of course, it was a question that was quickly overlooked. After all, the alliance between the palace and the lord of the castle had invaded the eastern district occupied by the oculi. It wasn't unusual for that misunderstanding to occur, but there was something I was curious about.
So what happens now?
I didn't even think about killing this guy here. According to the story, he would appear in front of Amelia shortly anyway.
Although winning can be difficult, I don't think you necessarily lose.
If I put my mind to it, I think I could keep him here for hours if I wanted, although I can't be sure. Unless something unexpected happened, I could do this all day.
¿Eh?
Was then. You have to be careful with what you want.
Splash.
I heard a presence in the distance. The opponent and I widened our distance with the same thought and quickly verified the origin of the sound. I hadn't heard it wrong, there really was someone there.
Damn sea.
That someone was a person I recognized, and from the looks of it, it seemed like Lüchenprague also had information about that man. «...Jerome Saintred.»
As soon as Lüchenprague murmured this, the silver-haired knight on the other side of the tunnel also spoke. «Ricardo Lüchenprague.»
It was far from an affectionate greeting. The hatred and murderous intent of each other overflowed from their voices and eyes. Well, that would be the natural result since the Traitor who wanted to kill the king had met with the protector of the palace. I quickly finished evaluating the situation.
Well, I have to let these two fight and bounce.
The reason why the Knight of Light entered the sewer had to do with me, but considering that the two were enemies, it would be possible to turn this crisis into an opportunity. I was looking for a way out with that thought in mind.
Unfortunately, someone was quicker to decide. Lüchenprague said a strange word. «Two.»
«…¿Eh?»
He took the fork next to him and fled. Only after seeing that did I realize what «two» meant.
...Shit, are you serious?
That guy thought this bastard and I were on the same side. It was a mistake that arose because Lüchenprague misunderstood me as from the palace. Even I would have found it heavy to fight two against one in this situation if it were him. I understood that feeling, but what I had to do now was not empathize with him.
Oh... I should leave too for now.
Startled by Lüchenprague's escape for a moment, I quickly come to my senses and move my feet. Deep down, however, he begged desperately.
Please, please, please... Please follow him, not me. Hmm? That's the crazy bastard who wants to kill your king.
Dash.
When I started running, I heard a sound behind me. It seemed like he had finished deciding who to follow.
Splash.
Ha, sure. There is no way it will work that easily.
¡Splash, splash!
I could hear him chasing me from behind. It seemed like this guy had decided that recovering the Stone Fragment from the Records came before the Traitor. That, or he had a deep grudge against me for what happened before.
¡Flash!
As Lüchenprague fled, the Annulment rose and the knight used the Portal of Light to block my path. I didn't notice because of the previous distance, but it seemed different.
Why does he have crazy eyes?
The arrogant impression from when I met him before had disappeared and I could see a gentleman throwing the eyes of a ruthless executioner at me.
«Did you think you could survive after making a fool of me?»
Maybe this was karma. You know, run the fast and easy way when you realize there are only enemies left around you. Of course, this didn't mean I regretted it. It was the fault of the person who let himself be fooled in the first place.
«Before I punish you, I will ask you one thing». The knight pointed a swirling sword with an aura and spoke. «Luchenprague. What is your relationship with that man? Is he the one who ordered you to bring the Stone Fragment from the Records?».
It was a bit of an ironic situation. Lüchenprague thought I was in cahoots with this guy, and this guy thought I was on Lüchenprague's side. I felt like an innocent bystander stuck in this mess, but what could I do? I had to sneak out somehow.
«Have you noticed?» Instead of clearing up the misunderstanding, I simply stated it. I decided this was more useful for now.
In fact, when I nodded, I saw the knight's eyes flutter. «Have you already given him the object?»
«I don't know.» I learned this after wearing the Lion mask: The beginning of a lie is convincing yourself first. «What do you think?»
When I shrugged and let his imagination run wild, the knight began to tremble vigorously. «...So that's why you split in two».
«I guess you didn't earn the reputation of Knight of Light for nothing. Your gears seem to spin well». When I took the opportunity to pay him a compliment, the gentleman fell silent. I did everything I could to harden my face. Then I sprinkled the final seasoning over the finished dish. «I won't let you get to the commander. Fight me».
It was an expression of willingness to somehow buy more time for the greater cause. However, in front of Jerome, it was a meaningless resolution. No matter how much he tried to entertain me, he just had to use the Portal of Light to pass me. Actually, that was exactly what I expected.
«Kekeke...»
What the fuck? Why is this guy suddenly laughing? Has he gone crazy?
When I frowned, the gentleman instantly erased all his laughter and stared at me. «They almost fooled me again».
"...¿Which?"
«It doesn't matter if your words are true or not. I just have to kill you first to confirm it».
«But then it would be too late...»
«Does not matter. Reach your destination step by step without being too ambitious». Then the gentleman looked at me and said coldly: «That's what a gentleman is like». It seemed like this guy had found his own way to survive this world of scammers.
...There is no choice but to fight?
I raised the hammer in silence. He didn't seem like he was going to falter even if I kept talking.
Thus there was silence, the moment of combat in which breaths were exchanged just before brandishing weapons.
Suddenly, an old man's laughter came from behind. «Hahaha...» Since Jerome was right in front of me, I couldn't turn around to check it, but it wasn't difficult to identify who it was. «You are very skilled at deceiving others», said Auril Gavis.
However, it seemed that Jerome did not know him. «...Reveal your identity, old man». The silver-haired gentleman spoke arrogantly.
«What a rude guy».
Simultaneously with Auril's voice echoing in the sewer, the Knight of Light wrapped his free hand around his neck.
!
His face seemed tense, like that of someone who has trouble breathing. His eyes were fixed behind me, but the excitement in his pupils was one of amazement. «You... who the hell...?»
«I don't particularly perceive any value in you».
«Get out.» The moment Auril finished his words in a dry voice, Jerome's body stretched into the air. I got goosebumps.
Is dead? The strongest royal knight, as easy as killing a fly?
As if to answer my question, a voice came from behind me. «He's probably not dead. He is likely to wake up in the palace».
Oh, were you referring to that essence? I turned around slowly, shaking off the thoughts that were going through my mind.
«Finally you look at me». The sight of the old man with a kind smile was so strange. That was because his lips were clearly curved, but his eyes were not.
How much do you know?
As soon as I swallowed involuntarily, Auril parted his lips. «About the barbarian you were talking about. Bjon, son of Thor. When I asked in the city, a kind young man informed me that his name is Iron Mask, because he always covers his face with a thick helmet, just like you».
So you came here knowing everything.