Chapter 21. Investigation (3)

First, two Masked Persons burst from the explosion.

*Swoosh!*

I immediately decapitated one.

As for the other…

*Crack-!!*

His head froze solid.

Lorenz's handiwork, probably.

…The freezing speed is insane.

Faster than I could swing my sword.

*Thud!*

*Thump!*

The headless corpse and the frozen-headed corpse dropped to the ground.

*Whizz- Swish!*

Sharp arrows flew from the shattered doorway.

"These bastards."

However.

*Flare.*

A magic circle glowed in Lorenz's hand as he muttered a small curse.

*Thud-thud-thud-thud-*

The incoming arrows stopped mid-air, as if embedded in nothing.

"Attack."

Immediately after.

Lorenz spoke, simultaneously throwing a glowing orb towards the entrance where the Masked Persons had appeared.

His subordinates charged in right behind it.

***

Subduing the ambushing Masked Persons didn't take long.

"Hah."

Lorenz didn't look particularly strained after instantly dispatching one Masked Person and blocking all the surprise arrows.

Seems like he conserved his strength by leaving the small fry to his subordinates.

"I heard there was a Magician Woman interfering with detection, and it seems I was right."

So saying, Lorenz nudged the frozen-headed Masked Person with his foot, flipping the body over.

"Mel, check it out."

Looking at the corpse, he spoke, and a woman called Mel among his subordinates stepped forward and placed her hand on the body.

*Flare-*

Light emanated from Mel's hand, and the Masked Person's corpse began to decay rapidly.

"Devil Worshippers, as expected."

…What the hell is that?

"What did you do?"

I don't understand why the body is decaying or why he thinks they're Devil Worshippers.

"Mel is a devout cleric. And Devils are the antithesis of God."

"Ah."

"It's only natural that those who serve Devils can't go to Heaven after death, but to Hell instead."

…So.

A dead Devil Worshipper's body decays rapidly when exposed to holy power because it’s going straight to Hell.

"By the way, is Hell really located beneath the Underground?"

But how does that work?

I have no clue how Devil Worshippers go to Hell after death, or how Devils exert their influence.

"It's common knowledge that Heaven and Hell exist, with Earth between them."

"So, is Heaven in the sky?"

"Where else would it be?"

Lorenz responded as if asking why I would even question it.

And I was struck by another wave of shock.

…Hell is deep beneath the Underground, and Heaven is high in the sky?

Shouldn't they be in different dimensions in a Fantasy world?

"Is it physically *above* us?"

"Yes, but humans would burn up if they got too close, unable to withstand its intensity."

It was the woman called Mel who answered my rather stupid question, by this world's standards.

…Like the Icarus myth, huh?

It's hard to wrap my head around, but with magic, Aura, Gods, and Devils, I guess it's possible.

"Let's get out of the Underground."

"Is the investigation over?"

"Yes, we've confirmed the presence of Devil Worshippers, so the mission is complete."

Lorenz brushed off his frost-covered gloves, a side effect of his magic, and turned around.

"Everyone, stay vigilant. We're leaving now."

It seems he wants to pull out immediately after the clash.

I'm also not keen on crawling into the enemy's main base, which is swarming with them, so I quickly followed.

"The enemy can avoid detection, so don't let your guard down."

We crossed the third floor faster than during our initial investigation, wary of our surroundings.

The building, which I had admired upon entering, now seemed like a potential hiding spot for enemies.

…Now that I think about it, this place was definitely dangerous.

Still, I was less worried thanks to Lorenz.

He's decisive and, above all, a skilled Magician.

He continued to draw magic circles in his hand as we advanced, ready to react to any enemy ambush.

"Entrance to the third floor. We'll breach quickly."

We reached the entrance to the third floor, the same way we came in.

"Rain."

Lorenz called out to me, and no one else.

"Yes."

As soon as I heard him, I channeled Aura throughout my body and dashed forward, using Track to check the entrance and beyond.

Track not only slows down the world but also allows me to see through the darkness.

"No one there."

"Breach quickly."

Once I confirmed, Lorenz and his subordinates quickly exited the third floor.

*Bang!*

Lorenz conjured an ice pillar at the entrance, blocking it.

"Now, we head outside."

After sealing the entrance to prevent pursuit, we quickly headed for the stairs leading to Underground Level 1.

We passed the third floor, which we considered the biggest hurdle, without any issues.

Whether it was due to Lorenz's quick judgment or the enemy letting us go, I don't know.

For now, we made it to the long, dark sewer.

This area is under the Adel Kingdom's control, so I doubt there will be any enemies here.

Still, we didn't let our guard down, illuminating our path as we moved quickly.

"There are stairs up ahead. Check them and then we go up."

We were close to the stairs leading to Underground Level 1.

*Flare-*

The magic circle Lorenz had been maintaining glowed.

"Ambush!"

Ambush? Was that a detection spell?

I immediately stopped and scanned my surroundings.

Ahead, by the stairs? Or behind us, where we'd just passed?

Just as I was trying to gauge where they would come from.

"Below!"

*Splash! Splash!*

With Lorenz's shout, Masked Persons emerged from the sewer water.

…Are you fucking kidding me? The water isn't that deep.

Moreover.

"They're coming from the front and back too."

To make matters worse, dark figures started appearing from both the front and back.

…They were waiting here.

*Swoosh!*

I quickly cut down the ones emerging from the water. Our numbers are limited, so I needed to minimize the angles from which they could attack.

"Be careful, there's a skilled one among them."

As Lorenz said, I felt a sinister presence from both the front and back where the Masked Persons were coming from.

"Lorenz, which direction?"

"I'll take the rear."

While Lorenz's subordinates are skilled,

those powerful individuals are definitely Aura Users at the very least.

Lorenz and I needed to handle them separately.

"Understood."

Therefore,

after quickly dispatching those who came from the water, I channeled as much Aura as possible and charged towards where the enemies were approaching.

*Crash!*

"Ugh!"

First, I sent two Masked Persons flying with the force of my charge.

Then, I swiftly decapitated the others following behind.

I was trying to reduce their numbers by dealing with the small fry as quickly as possible when…

"I'll handle this one."

A voice echoed from among the Masked Persons, and at the same time…

*Swish!*

A sword thrust from the darkness.

*Clang!*

I blocked it and quickly retreated.

This one's skilled.

At least stronger than Daren or Kaiden.

Someone I need to be wary of, even me.

Therefore.

*Thud.*

I activated Aura to its maximum and drew my sword.

*Clang!*

The opponent also extended their sword to block.

With that single clash, we gauged each other.

...This guy seems stronger than I thought.

Facing him, a sense of danger poked at my head.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

After the initial clash, our blades continued to exchange blows.

Even as I aggressively wielded my sword, incorporating the Void Family's Swordsmanship, he calmly parried every strike.

Meanwhile, other Masked Persons and Lorenz's subordinates were clashing around us.

Lorenz was probably holding the rear alone, allowing most of his men to join the fight up front.

That meant Lorenz was under a lot of pressure, so I tried to force a quick decision.

*Fwoosh-*

The opponent seemed to have a similar idea. I felt the Aura on our colliding blades intensify.

...A Rush?

The instant I sensed it, I used Fleet.

He used an offensive technique, so I had to dodge.

As Fleet activated, I pulled my sword back, lowered my center of gravity, and spun my sword once.

Then.

Almost prostrate, I swung the spun sword directly at him.

As I swung, I used Track along with Fleet to observe his movements.

His eyes were fixed on me, but he didn't react.

...Isn't he going to use Fleet?

I was a little taken aback when he didn’t dodge even as my sword reached his neck.

*Clang!!*

Even though I hit his neck, it felt like striking steel. The impact reverberated painfully up my arm.

Immediately after, a step too late, his Rush exploded in the air.

Confused, I slid past him, moving behind him.

...Guard? How the fuck is it so solid?

Using Guard to protect armor or other body parts is understandable. But using it to block a sword aimed at your fragile neck? I hadn't anticipated that.

Anyway.

Although I was behind him, I waited for his next attack instead of pressing my advantage.

Because…

I had already used Fleet, and he had conserved it.

*Fwoosh-*

Yeah.

He'll probably use Fleet now to try and finish this.

In the world slowed by Track, I saw his sword coming at me.

I had already used Fleet, so I couldn’t match his speed.

I crouched as low as possible, minimizing my exposed areas.

His sword then thrust towards my relatively unprotected abdomen.

Trusting the armor there, I focused my Guard on that area.

Immediately after.

*Boom!!*

“Ugh!”

It felt less like being stabbed and more like being hit with a hammer. I was thrown back.

...My Guard isn't strong enough to absorb the impact properly.

I should've trained Guard more instead of just Fleet.

I hadn't taken it seriously, thinking I could just dodge.

Seeing an opponent with this level of mastery changed my mind.

Still…

I needed to survive this first before I could train my Guard.

His sword came at me again as I struggled to recover.

*Clang!*

I barely regained my balance and parried his blow.

I should have been pushed back since I wasn't properly positioned, but...

I still had one trick left.

‘Rush.’

As I used the technique I’d held back…

My sword swelled.

*Fwoom!!*

The impact of Rush shattered both our swords.

“...!”

“Hah!”

Fuck! My sword!

I had only intended to break his, but the rushed activation must have messed up my control.

However.

Now, *he* was off balance from the impact of Rush.

*Crack-*

I twisted my knee almost too far, quickly planting it on the ground for leverage.

Gripping the broken sword, I lunged at him before he could recover.

I was going to ram that silver blade straight into the darkness of his hood, deep enough that it wouldn't matter how dark the sewers were...

*Throb.*

A familiar tingling sensation ran down the back of my neck.

Why a danger signal now?

Did he have another trick up his sleeve?

His stance was broken, and he had no allies nearby.

By all accounts, I should be winning. Normally, I would’ve just gone for the kill, but…

I owed this tingling sensation my life more than a few times.

*Crack-*

I braked hard, straining my joints.

Then.

*Fwoosh-*

From the darkness.

No, more accurately, from within the darkness of his hood...

A large hand shot out.

‘…!’

What the—!

I jerked back, arching my head.

*Snatch!*

His fingernails grazed my nose as his hand grasped at empty air in front of me.

…That was close. He almost caught my face.

What the fuck kind of anatomy does this guy have? A goddamn arm growing out of his face?

If it weren’t for my heightened senses, I would have been done for.

"Hngh…."

I had dodged, but... the evasive maneuver had broken my stance.

The awkward stop and backward arch had left my abdomen exposed.

His arm retracted back into his hood, and his broken sword pierced my side.

‘Guard…!’

I desperately focused, deploying Guard on my abdomen, but…

“Rush.”

With his words…

*Bang!!*

“Gah!”

The hastily formed Guard on my side shattered, and I tumbled onto the damp floor.

“Ugh! *Cough!*”

A sharp pain shot through my head.

“Haa….”

But at the same time.

My mind became crystal clear.

This level of pain? I'd been through it countless times.

I rolled further, using the momentum to regain my footing.

Focusing intently, I watched as he moved in to finish me off.

A normal person would have been done for…

But I’m not normal.

At death's door, my heightened senses focused not on him, but on his Aura.

And then.

*Swish-!*

He swung his broken sword.

A shallow line was drawn from my right collarbone to under my left armpit.

But…

*Woosh-!*

No blood sprayed.

“...!”

His sword had sliced through my afterimage.

I had already used the Void Family's Secret Technique, Fleet, to get behind him.

Into his exposed back, right at his heart…

*Thud-!*

I plunged the jagged edge of my broken sword.