The Puppet Master's Knife Rain
‘Anasis’s weapon must be throwing knives.’ I thought as I ran. She probably enchants the knives used in juggling with Puppetry and hurls them like drone weapons. ‘Then, to avoid being ambushed from behind while chasing—’
I needed to move to a position where the enemy couldn’t see me and would have trouble following. I dashed into the alley and kicked off the ground with force. —Tap! I kicked the wall with stealthy steps. Circulating mana through my body, I focused on my movements. The body control honed through acrobatics allowed me acrobatic feats. —Tap! Tap-tap-tap! I alternated kicks off both walls and leapt onto the rooftops. Britannia’s architecture had no flat roofs. I ran while listening to Roman’s footsteps below. Like a parkour scene from a movie, I bounded between rooftops, chasing until I entered attack range. ‘I’ll take Erika back in one strike!’
Roman didn’t look like a skilled warrior. Carrying such a heavy load while running would drain his stamina quickly. I’d strike then.
“Huff, huff……!!” Roman kept glancing back as he ran, his movements betraying fear of pursuit. He seemed unaware of my presence racing across the rooftops. Fear and exhaustion had narrowed his thinking. —Tap-tap-tap! The alley’s atmosphere shifted to that of a slum. In the half-developed, abandoned street, a nearly five-meter drop appeared. Roman leapt over the ledge without using the stairs. ‘—Now!’
At nearly second-floor height, Roman and Erika were airborne. I kicked off the roof hard enough to shatter it and drew my sword. The distance closed in an instant. Roman, showing his back, never noticed the ambush. If I cut him down now and took Erika— ‘Shit!’ I swore under my breath and swung my sword. —Shwaaaak!! A knife hurtling at high speed struck my blade and bounced away. The attack had aimed for my head; I couldn’t block it with my body. Clang—!! At the metallic sound, Roman whirled around in shock. Mid-fall, he twisted like an acrobat, clutching Erika and pressing a dagger to her throat. The motion was practiced, as if he’d done it many times. 0.1 seconds. Erika’s unconscious face came into view. 0.5 seconds. I gripped my sword with both hands. 1 second. Despair flooded Roman’s face as he realized I had no intention of stopping my attack.
I held the sword in both hands and concentrated for the first time in a while. I would sever only the arm holding the hostage without cutting Erika. Even with the enhanced movements from Beast Regression, it was difficult. My body control had improved precision, yet I had failed repeatedly to adjust the sword’s spacing. ‘Can I do it?’ I had never learned systematic swordsmanship, so I doubted I could swing exactly as I wished. I had almost no experience paying attention to “spacing” in my life. ‘—No, that’s not true.’ A realization flashed through my mind. Had I truly never moved while minding the spacing of my body? That wasn’t the case. Since arriving in this world, I had gauged “precise spacing” dozens, hundreds of times.
Spacing. Gauge the spacing of my arm and swing! Make the sword’s length and my arm’s length one, and save Erika! I could do it now!!
“Bicheon Samgeomryu.” When I held Franc close, I had always been aware of the exact spacing of our bodies. “—Jajiseom.” —Slash!! The sword flashed in the back alley. My swung blade severed Roman’s arm. Erika’s forehead was lightly grazed, but not even a drop of blood flew. My attack had precisely cut Roman’s arm and rescued her!
“Graaaaaah!!” Freed from Roman’s grip, Erika floated upward, and I caught her. Roman screamed and rolled on the ground, spilling his bundle. All of it in just two seconds. —That woman had been waiting for this moment. “—Puppetry.” The instant I extended both feet to land, eight knives flew in to surround me, and Erika stabbed at my throat with a knife.
***
Clang—!! —Thud!! Sparks flew and blood poured. I deflected all four knives coming from the front, but couldn’t block those from behind. The knives, engraved with magic circles that strongly amplified Puppetry, pierced the defense of Beast Regression and sliced my flesh. —Drip. Drip. “……Shit. That fucking hurts.” Blood from my back ran down my waist and spilled onto the ground. Thankfully, my neck was fine. I had expected her to control Erika for an attack and managed to block it. The real damage was to my back. The knives hadn’t sunk deep, but a burning pain throbbed.
“I’m surprised. I meant to kill you.” Anasis looked down at me from the ledge. —Float. More than ten knives hovered around her. —Kwaaaak! I held Erika tightly in one arm so she wouldn’t slip away even if controlled by Puppetry. “That last attack…… you were aiming for Erika.” I growled.
Anasis twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “Yes. I was. I’ve buried quite a few people who chased us from behind, so I know the type well.” —Shing! The knives aligned like snakes, all aimed at me. “Hypocrites like you become cold easily when you can’t save the hostage—but if you think you can save them, you leave an opening.”
“So what. I couldn’t kill you even with your back wide open. You think you can kill me by throwing fist-sized knives?”
“Of course. You’re already struggling to stand, aren’t you?” Anasis smiled, eyes curving. I clenched my teeth. “……Fucking bitch.” —Thud! My knees trembled and I dropped to the ground. Poison. Something had been smeared on the knives. Anasis observed my condition closely. “You’re holding up well. It’s the same paralyzing poison that brought Bicorn down. Shall I cast a Sleep spell so you can rest properly?”
“Fuck off. My schedule’s packed tonight. I’m going to wash my eyes, dirtied by your pathetic circus act, with a first-class circus show.” I answered while feeling the tremors in my peripheral nerves. I didn’t know what kind of poison it was, but its effect was fast. Even holding Erika was becoming difficult. It was fortunate that Beast Regression was a magic that strengthened muscle power. Magic persisted regardless of the paralyzing poison. Still, if knives flew while targeting the hostage, I couldn’t block them all. My head felt foggy. Even trying to think of a reversal, my thoughts scattered.
“Now, hold on. The poison will circulate faster with every movement.” —Shushuk!! At Anasis’s gesture, the knives shot forward. Projectiles at arrow-like speed! I deflected the knives obviously aimed at Erika with larger movements than usual. —Struggle! Erika thrashed, eyes still unconscious.
“One~ two~ three~.” —Clang! Clang! Knives kept firing one after another. Every time I knocked them away, my limbs grew heavier. “Now now. Block them properly~. Otherwise the poor child will die, you know?” Looking down at me kneeling on the ledge, Anasis continued launching knives. Every time I drew up mana, my movements grew clumsier. At this rate, I’d lose.
Then it happened. —Tingle! I widened my eyes at the sensation my senses screamed. Mana poured into Beast Regression to reinforce my dulled movements flared roughly. I planted my leaden, waterlogged legs on the ground and stood. “Erika, forgive me!” —Whish! Apologizing, I threw the girl in my arms upward. Anasis’s gaze followed Erika’s soaring form. “Haha! As expected, you value your own life more than the child—”
—Shwaaak!! Before Anasis finished speaking, I threw my sword. But her eyes, seemingly fixed on Erika’s body, had been a feint; she easily dodged the blade flying at her torso. “—There’s no way! Did you think I’d fall for such a crude trick!”
“No. I already tricked you, you idiot.” I grinned. —Thud-thud-thud! The sound of footsteps I had sensed grew violent. —Whoooosh!! A massive shadow leapt from the rooftop of the back alley. A clown-shaped marionette over two meters tall. A small woman who had jumped from its back caught Erika. My lovely lover, whom I could never mistake. “Nor! I got her!!”
“—What?!” Anasis cried out in shock and fired knives. —Shwaaaak!! The violently thrown knives all bounced off the long, thick arms of the clown marionette. Kwaang!! The massive marionette, carrying the weight of three people, landed heavily behind me. Damn it, my legs have no strength—don’t do this. The marionette’s arm caught me as I staggered. Mana threads were visible on that arm.
“Dugudugudugu!! Ta-da!! The beautiful girl who makes a dazzling entrance at the protagonist’s moment of crisis☆! Lalirula has arrived♡!” Lalirula shouted at high tension, swinging both arms. —Whish! The marionette opened its mouth with the sound of internal mechanisms turning, and long needles poured out like arrows. Tududududu—!!!!
“Tch!” Anasis knelt and deployed a translucent shield. —Tang-tang-tang-tang!! The small shield, less than a meter across, blocked the needle barrage. Lalirula shouted in irritation. “What the hell, it’s so tough?! Is that the hysteria of an old maid?!”
“It’s a shield that compresses direction and range. It won’t be pierced easily.” I explained, reaching into my pocket for an antidote potion. Franc quickly pulled one from my pouch. “Here, Nor. Bite this handkerchief. I’ll pull out the knives in your back. I’ll apply a wound-healing potion too.”
“Thanks.” A few of the knives that hadn’t sunk deep had already fallen out. —Thud-thud-thud! Franc used her dexterity to remove the knives quickly and painlessly, then applied the potion beneath my clothes. Goddamn it still hurts like hell!! Tears welled in my eyes and I spat out the handkerchief I’d been biting.
“Lalirula! Protect yourself with the marionette while using Puppetry to restrain Erika’s body! She’s being controlled!”
“Controlled? Understood, I'll lock her somewhere safe for now!” —Click! Lalirula opened the marionette’s stomach and placed Erika inside. There was easily enough space for a child, so it was simple. Tududu… dududak….
By the time I emptied the antidote potion and stood, Lalirula’s needle attack had already ended. —Knock-knock! I tapped the massive marionette over two meters tall while keeping an eye on Anasis. “By the way, who’s this guy? I’m shy around strangers, so being held by someone I’ve never met feels weird.”
“It’s Ringring Number 3!! My partner who specializes in rough work☆!!”
“That charming name doesn’t suit its face, does it?” The damn marionette looked insanely menacing. Its mouth opened like a monster’s with shark teeth top and bottom, its palms were larger than my head, and its outfit was that of a mad clown. A goddamn otherworldly Hulk Joker. Its size was about that of a small golem. Imagining what weapons it might be equipped with inside made me feel like I was being held by a psychopath.
“Nor. Treatment’s done. So what happened? That person’s the culprit, right?” Franc’s eyes, having finished emergency treatment, glared at Anasis. Whether her blue eyes burned because of my wounds or the kidnapped children, I didn’t know. Either way, her motivation was welcome. I clenched and opened my fist.
“Yeah. The guy in the back too—shit, he ran.” Only an arm remained where Roman had fallen. I clicked my tongue and moved my arm. The antidote potion must have worked; my limbs moved without issue. They felt a bit rusty, but that much was forgivable.
“You’re all gathered here making quite a racket. Quite the nuisance in broad daylight.” Anasis released her shield as the attacks stopped. —Shurrrrk. The knives rose into the air again. Lalirula and Franc tensed, shrinking back. I rotated my wrist and spoke to them.
“Franc. Lalirula. You two chase after the troupe leader who ran.”
“What?”
“What? No way! We can take her down together and then chase him!” When I said that, both refused outright. I extended my arm past Franc’s head. —Shwaaak!! A knife that had bounced away and fallen to the ground stopped ten centimeters from Franc’s temple. Franc flinched.
“Leave this to me and go first. This one doesn’t care about methods. If we lose the troupe leader who ran, we don’t know what’ll happen.” I firmly gripped a knife and drove it into the ground. Creak…! Bang!! The knife, buried deep to the hilt, trembled and stopped. Poisoned knives could come flying from anywhere like this. It was too dangerous for Franc or Lalirula, whose defenses were low.
“Oh my, will you be all right?” Anasis covered her mouth and smiled demurely. She didn’t hide the mockery in her eyes. “Even if you strike a pose like that, I won’t know if you end up crawling on the ground like a bug and regretting it later? I have no intention of letting you appear in our show, so I’ll have to kill you.”
“You mean the freak show? Too bad, my limbs are intact. Unlike you, I don’t have a prosthetic leg.”
“—.” At my jab, Anasis’s smile froze. She’d taken the bait. I smiled, tapping my shoulder with a clenched fist. “You, your left leg is prosthetic below the knee, right? I noticed from the start because your footsteps sounded strange. You personality-disordered bitch.”
“……You'll regret speaking so lightly.” Anasis spoke, her casual tone completely gone. I shrugged.
“Why? Pissed off? How did you lose that leg? Did it break during circus practice or something?” Veins bulged on Anasis’s neck. Watching that, I deliberately chuckled. “Looks like I’m right. In that case, it makes sense you’d chase after Lalirula trying to kidnap her. I was wondering why an old lady like you was clinging to a talented young junior.”
—Fwoosh. I chanted a short spell and ignited flames in both hands. I held the burning fists at my waist. “Did you also bury the unsightly behavior as shameful as the dagger hidden in your bosom? Did you slowly walk out in the show and bask in superiority while looking down on people with the same disability?”
“—Shut up.” Brrrrr—. Knives rose behind Anasis’s back. When she pulled her arm, the knives on the ground began to move as well. —Slide. I gestured for my companions to step back. Considering that psycho’s personality, if she got angry she might target them instead of me. “No matter how many people who learned your secrets you kill and bury, it’s meaningless if you yourself remember. Ruins buried underground will eventually be exposed to the sun hundreds of years later.”
So I continued provoking her to the end. Enough to make that woman unable to resist killing me. “But don’t worry. I’m an archaeologist. I’ll tear your entire body to pieces and dig up every last one of your shabby secrets.”
—Paaang!!! The instant my words ended, knives flew much faster than before. —Clang!! I snarled savagely and deflected them. “Reveal your sins to the world and die, one-legged clown bitch—!!”