Chapter 246: A Necessary Task
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 246: A Necessary Task
By successfully utilizing Tenebrax’s ‘Dematerialization’ magic, I was able to effectively counter Iris’s desperate attack patterns.
Moving my body, now transformed into a violet mist, I surged toward Iris. Reappearing directly behind her as she cast her spell, I deactivated the dematerialization and reconstructed my entire form from the mist.
“Ugh...!?”
The sensation of my entire body being reconstructed was accompanied by an agonizing surge of pain. Having succeeded in dematerializing for the first time, I let out a cry despite myself.
Thud-thud-thud!
Iris’s blood droplets tore through my body like bullets. This was an attack I couldn't properly block just by shrouding myself in Aura. If I really wanted to, I could have compressed my Aura by shrinking my entire body down to the size of a soccer ball, leaving only my brain intact, but...
“Aaaargh!!!”
It’s hard to pull off such maneuvers when you’re in that much pain.
In the end, I severed my head from my body, maintaining my previous form as it was, and instantly launched my head into the sky. Simultaneously, I reconstructed a new body. Using my abilities, I then reclaimed the old body, which had been turned into a bloody sieve by Iris’s attack.
“Phew...! That hurts like hell, seriously!”
“Yes.”
As the battle dragged on, the strain on my brain began to mount. The side effects of Adrenaline Break manifested as a wave of lethargy washing over my body. My limbs grew heavy in an instant, and my thoughts turned sluggish, causing my combat efficiency to plummet.
Finally, I turned to the third method.
“I’m counting on you...!”
If my muscles were fatigued, I replaced them. If my bones broke, I replaced them. If my organs were severed, I brought out new ones.
There was no reason I couldn't do the same with my brain.
“Horus—!!!”
:: Kieeeeeeeeeeeek—!!!!!!!!!!! ::
A new body soared into the sky at incredible speed. Horus, possessing high-level combat intelligence, instinctively sprouted wings as if he were using his own body and took to the air.
Originally a creature that flew at the speed of sound, Horus dove from the heavens with terrifying velocity, thrusting Aura-clad claws toward Iris. It was just like him to undergo dozens of physical transformations per second, seeking the optimal physical state even in the heat of battle.
Using Amelia’s mana, he countered Iris’s magic at the perfect moments. Rather than shrouding his entire body in Aura, he compressed it only at the points of impact, maintaining a far more efficient combat style.
Just watching him fight provided me with an immense learning experience.
Scanning the functions of his new eyes one by one, he instantly gauged his opponent’s level. Then, Horus made a decision: he mobilized every ounce of mana from the mana cores I had collected thus far. He gathered that compressed mana into a single point and coated the Orichalcum Greatsword with it.
Vrooooooom...!
The mere presence of that mana caused the earth to tremble and cracks to form in Iris’s subspace.
Even to me, as I let my brain cool down for a moment, it looked like a bit of an emergency.
‘This is getting out of hand.’
Snap.
I immediately seized control of Horus’s body, halved the mana output, and brought the sword crashing down on Iris.
BOOOOOOOOM—!!!!!!!
* * *
“My head is throbbing.”
“Yes.”
Watching Iris speak so nonchalantly was quite infuriating. If this was only fifty percent of her power, her full strength would probably be enough to end the world.
“Is sixty percent next?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“That was my full power just now.”
What on earth was she talking about? Before we fought, she said she’d use half her strength. Did she get angry and use a bit more?
“The first fight was twenty percent.”
As it turned out, she had intentionally called out a lower number for the amount of power she was using. She claimed it was to stimulate my desire to improve, or something like that.
“Sigh. So that was your full power, Iris.”
While the fact that I won was gratifying, it also felt a bit anticlimactic. I was already worrying about how I’d manage to beat her next time.
“Two weeks and it’s over. We finished with time to spare.”
Now I could finally rest. My time in Iris’s subspace was over. I wanted to head to the hotel, see the faces of the people from the inn, and take a break—or I could use this momentum to go and sweep through the Southeast immediately.
“There’s one more thing left.”
“No, come on. Can’t we just stop now...?”
Iris shook her head as if the real work was only just beginning.
“This is the main point.”
* * *
Where had the two people Yoo Eon brought up from the labyrinth two weeks ago gone?
“Ah, Lord Roland. You’re here.”
“Yeah. What were you doing?”
“I was eating—ack, Lady Theodora! Good day to you!”
“Yes, keep eating. You’ve worked hard, Wish.”
“Yes, it is an honor.”
Surprisingly, they were still at the Mounted Goat Inn. Since the Otmarie family and the part-timers of the inn were currently staying at a hotel prepared by the Lymain family to avoid pursuit by the Antonio Brotherhood.
Kanna Belfos and the maid, Wish, were staying at the inn to prevent the empty building from being burglarized and to keep dust from piling up.
Wish had mastered most household chores while following her master, and her martial prowess was exceptional. Since they weren't taking guests, they faced no major inconveniences.
By now, they were on familiar enough terms to greet Roland casually whenever he visited the inn. However, the members of the Lymain family were still a bit overwhelming.
“Lord Roland, are you looking for something?”
Kanna’s purple drill-curls bounced as she stopped eating to follow Roland. When she first saw him, she thought he was just a young girl who wouldn't even pass for a novice student.
But after seeing him instantly subdue her attendant, Wish—whose combat ability was estimated to be around Cobalt Grade—she had immediately tucked her tail.
“I came to pick up a sword. You don’t have to follow me; go back to your meal.”
“Hehe, it’s fine.”
When she first heard that Yoo Eon was the son-in-law of the Lymain family, she had practically wet herself. Not in a strange way, but more like a literal leak. Cold sweat had poured down her back, soaking her all the way down to her underwear.
Her current efforts to show her best side and wag her tail were all part of her struggle for survival.
If they ever found out what she had been thinking when she saw Yoo Eon on the 6th Stratum of the labyrinth... not only would her life be forfeit, but her entire family might be obliterated under the immense financial weight of the Golden Glove Syndicate.
Of course, such a drastic outcome likely wouldn't happen, but in noble society, there was nothing one should avoid more than getting on the bad side of a high-ranking noble.
Clatter...
“Is that the sword you use, Lord Roland?”
“That’s right. Want to take a look?”
Kanna took the sword Roland handed her with both hands. She tilted her head from side to side, looking puzzled.
‘Is there no edge?’
The weight in her hands was light—far too light. Considering the user’s physique, it made sense to build it that way, but even if the blade was made of Zephyrite, a lightweight rare metal, it shouldn't be this light given its length.
Curious, Kanna carefully opened the scabbard covering the blade.
Click.
“Whoa... This is... like paper...?”
“Hahaha, right?”
It was an unrealistic weapon that pursued extreme sharpness, thinner even than a kitchen knife.
“And the edge looks a bit strange...? Was it... made wrong?”
“No, it’s meant to be used like that.”
It was Roland’s specialized weapon, the ‘Reverse Blade Mail.’
The edge was crafted on the inward-curving spine, and it was ground into a right-handed single edge for left-handed use. Because it was so thin, it could break if one simply held it vertically and swung it side-to-side, yet Roland used it skillfully in combat.
“Go on back up and finish your meal.”
“Ah, yes. Understood. Have a safe trip!”
After returning the sword to Roland, Kanna followed him out of the storage room. On the first floor, Theodora—who had been asked by Sera to fetch some items—was waiting in the dining area with the things she had found. Roland, having reclaimed his sword, greeted Wish, who was busy polishing the inn, and stepped outside.
“So, child. You said you wanted to learn how to fight?”
“Ah, yes...! When we sparred in the labyrinth, I thought you were incredible....”
Theodora had once fought Roland and lost miserably. Of course, given who the opponent was, neither side could be said to have fought at full strength.
However, the moment their blades clashed, even a fool who had never held a sword would have felt the overwhelming difference in power.
“Isn't your mother strong? Why me?”
“Mother is busy, and...”
“Well, I don’t have a job, so I’m quite free.”
“No, no! I didn't mean it like that!”
Renart was certainly strong. If she fought Roland, the outcome would be difficult to predict. However, there was a significant difference in the combat styles of Renart and Theodora.
Theodora had imitated Renart’s combat style—which was close to that of a stalwart warrior—since she was young, originally fighting with a long greatsword. Now, she had accepted that it didn't suit her body and had switched to using claws with curved blades on both hands.
“I just thought it would be better to learn from you, Father. Sera is weak... I need to be able to protect her in an emergency.”
“Oh, look at you. You’re better than my son-in-law. I don’t know what that boy is thinking, leaving his wife behind to go off and fight.”
“Ahaha... I’m sure he thinks it’s a necessary task.”
* * *
The arena was packed with a massive crowd. Lights flickered on one by one against the dark ceiling, and the audience began to cheer.
This was the illegal fighting arena of the Antonio Brotherhood. Through a wide window that was invisible from the outside, Mystery Antoinette looked down at the cheering stadium.
“Fufu, I suppose I am the one loved by the world.”
With the power of a Succubus Queen, she could charm anyone. Since she wasn't fully prepared yet, she refrained from using it, fearing she might be sliced apart by an Orichalcum-grade explorer if she were discovered.
Clink...
Mystery Antoinette took a quiet sip of tea, set the cup down on the table, and flashed a bright smile.
“With this, I can move the summoning ritual forward by another week.”