The Intruder (4)
"...Incredible."
Rachel muttered under her breath, her wand so slick with sweat it was practically dripping.
Ever since contact with the outside had been cut off, a suspicious stranger had appeared out of nowhere. Students had rushed him immediately, but the man was strong enough to drop them in an instant — more than capable of slaughtering everyone here on his own.
And Rosaria was facing that man one-on-one.
The other students hadn't lasted a single exchange. Rosaria had already traded several blows with him and was still holding her ground, barely giving an inch.
...I never imagined I'd be this powerless...
Watching that fight, Rachel felt a wave of self-disgust wash over her. Before the exam, she'd been told Rosaria was Professor Felix's sister — and when Rosaria hadn't shown anything particularly impressive, Rachel had been disappointed. Now that contempt felt painfully foolish.
The girl she'd looked down on was standing at the front, protecting the students. And she herself, for all her airs, was just standing here watching. The thought set her teeth on edge.
It wasn't jealousy so much as pure revulsion at her own helplessness.
But still—
I can't just stand here and do nothing...!
There was no guarantee Rosaria would win this fight cleanly, and Rachel's pride wouldn't let her sit idle and watch. A chance. If I can just find even the smallest opening... I might be able to help somehow...
Resolved to create at least a sliver of opportunity for Rosaria, Rachel kept her magic ready to fire at any moment and watched the duel without so much as blinking.
Korea? Why the hell does this bastard know that name?
At that same moment, Rosaria — locked in a standoff with the suddenly appeared stranger — was reeling from the word that had just left his mouth: Korea.
"Looks like I was right. As expected, that person was correct."
"Stop spouting shit only you can understand, you bastard!"
Whoosh—
The man grinned at Rosaria's baffled expression. She poured power into her weapons and blasted him away. He tumbled through the air, flipped mid-flight, and landed lightly on his feet.
"I don't know where this 'Korea' place is, but I was given orders, you see."
"You don't know about Korea?"
What? So he's not a possessor? Then how does he know the word Korea? And orders? I still have no idea what the hell is going on!
His next words only deepened her confusion.
"Anyway, I was ordered to bring back people who came from the same 'Korea' as you. If you're curious, why not come along and find out?"
"Bring them back?"
...Okay, let's sort this out. The man in front of me is not a possessor.
Then is 'that person' who told him about Korea one of us — a possessor like me?
And being ordered to bring back people from Korea means he's hunting for possessors like us... but looking at how he acts, he's definitely not gathering them for anything good...
"Ah, fuck, my head's gonna split. Why is this so complicated?"
"Do you really need to overthink it? Just follow me. You can figure out the rest later."
"......."
Honestly, with my current skill, completely subduing this guy is a stretch. After trading a few blows, I can tell he's good.
If I dig in here, things might get even messier... Should I just go along for now? I'm also curious why this 'that person' is looking for possessors.
"........You're taking too long. Is all that thinking actually getting you anywhere?"
"...One question."
"Huh?"
After a long stretch of silent deliberation, Rosaria seemed to reach a decision. She looked him dead in the eye.
"If I go with you — what happens to the people here?"
"Ah~......."
The man rolled his eyes, looking mildly put out by the question.
"Well... I'd have to kill them all, wouldn't I? The whole point of doing this is that there's no need to spare anyone except the jackpot."
"It's just so~ terribly sad, but what can you do?"
He dragged the words out in a tone of exaggerated sorrow. But the corners of his eyes were curved into delighted crescents.
"...Yeah. Overthinking really isn't my style. Simple solutions are always better."
"Oh! You've finally decided? Then I'll just clean up the—"
"I'm not going, you fucking piece of shit."
Click—
With that, Rosaria exhaled once, long and steady, and made her choice. Her hands moved with urgent haste as she loaded her last magic bullet into the chamber — trembling slightly — but her eyes didn't waver.
".......I said don't overthink it. I didn't say act like a goddamn idiot."
"I don't have a hobby of sitting down to dinner with dogs. And you look an awful lot like a dog."
Even so — even in a situation like this — Rosaria had too much of Darian's blood in her veins to fold and trot along obediently.
"...Well, nobody said I had to bring you back in one piece. I can always lop off an arm or two."
"—Hell, that might even be more fun."
The man's face had stiffened for a moment at her refusal. Then he grinned again, sword in hand, body coiling.
Whoosh—
"What the—?!"
In the same instant he vanished from where he'd been standing, Rosaria registered the blade already sweeping toward her left side. She desperately blocked the edge with the body of her gun.
"While we're at it, you might as well make this entertaining for me."
"Go ask your damn mother for that!"
But the flurry that followed made their earlier exchanges look like child's play — faster, sharper, relentless. His attacks were clean and vicious. Rosaria couldn't even counter; she was barely managing to catch or deflect each strike, and the tip of his blade was steadily closing around her throat.
Damn it...! I can't get a clean aim like this...!
Her guns were practically overpowered in this world — devastating firepower, penetration, speed, and even homing. But if she fired and the bullet curved after its target only to be blocked or deflected into a wall, that force would be spent. And she had no more rounds after that.
If she'd had a full magazine, she could have just sprayed and overwhelmed him with volume. But all she had left was a single magic bullet — only slightly better than a standard anti-personnel round. She had to aim carefully. Against an enemy closing this fast, she couldn't afford to pull the trigger recklessly.
"Is that all you've got? Kind of boring..."
"Kh...!"
As if he still hadn't shown his full strength, the man ramped up his speed even further. Her blocks started to slip. Thin red lines had already scored her body all over, and the blood seeping from them was staining her clothes dark.
An opening. Just one tiny opening...!
By the time she'd lost maybe a cup's worth of blood, the cold was starting to set in. Her whole body trembled faintly as she forced herself upright, desperately hunting for a moment to aim. But the man clung to her at close range with obsessive precision, never giving her room to create distance.
"I'll take an arm first."
"....?! Shit—!"
Blood had soaked her grip. The gun slipped in her hands, and the instant she adjusted her hold — leaving herself open — his blade flashed toward her forearm. Her pupils blew wide as she realized she couldn't dodge in time.
In that instant—
"Light!!!"
Fwoooosh—
Before the blade could reach her arm, a brilliant flare erupted from behind her. Rachel — who had been holding her breath, waiting for exactly this chance — finally seized her opening and unleashed her magic in a single strike.
Light was nothing more than an illumination spell. It had zero offensive power, and the plaza was already bright enough.
"Ugh?!"
But Rachel had poured every scrap of her mana into it. The Light spell detonated like a flashbang, blanketing the entire plaza in pure white. Caught completely unprepared, the man squeezed his eyes shut on reflex.
Danger!!
He scrambled backward at once, putting distance between himself and Rosaria.
"Please... help..."
"Shit...! Fucking hell!"
Rachel's desperate cast had drained what little mana she had left just to cover the whole plaza, and the Light spell snuffed out almost immediately. The man recovered his sight in seconds, brow furrowed tight as he spat curses.
With the last of her strength, before she collapsed, Rachel poured every ounce of her will toward Rosaria. The man was annoyed that the opening had slipped away, but he was confident he wouldn't fall for the same trick twice. Once he neutralized Rosaria, he fully intended to butcher every remaining student himself — and Rachel, the one who'd blinded him, would not die cleanly.
But—
"You're the one who's dying, you bastard."
Click—
The moment the light burst, Rosaria — who had been facing away from the source — found the exact opening she'd been praying for. She didn't waste it. Her gun was already shouldered, already locked on him.
"...Huh?"
"Avada Kedavra, you fucking bitch!"
Bang—
The man, who had no idea what a gun aimed at him even meant, froze for a split second. And in that second, Rosaria — grinning with vicious clarity — pulled the trigger.