95
Chapter 95
Balzac stared at the scene unfolding before him with trembling eyes.
He couldn't comprehend the current situation at all.
It was enough to make him genuinely wonder if he was looking at an illusion created by Illusion Magic.
However, not only would something like Illusion Magic never work on a superhuman who had reached the realm of a Sword Master,
but with all the surrounding mana under his control, there was no way anyone could even cast a spell.
Therefore, that was undeniably reality.
The man he had fought so desperately to take down had revived without a single scratch, as if mocking him. As if that wasn't enough, he had even brought reinforcements.
......This is dangerous.
This was definitely dangerous.
The three troops that had just appeared.
The aura he felt from them was by no means ordinary.
He was confident he could somehow beat a single Hero.
But four of them?
Could he really win?
An ominous premonition washed over him.
All the battles he had fought so far. His countless experiences were flashing red, warning him.
Telling him to avoid this fight no matter what.
'I have no choice but to take a step back.'
A strategic retreat.
Of course, it wasn't running away.
There was no such thing as running away in an Empire Knight's dictionary.
He was simply charging in the opposite direction to prepare for the future.
'There's still room for negotiation.'
If that woman named Rubia had died, the chances of them accepting a ceasefire proposal would have been slim.
Since the Hero had arrived much faster than expected, they hadn't injected her with much of the drug.
As long as she received proper treatment, there wouldn't even be any aftereffects.
And when it came to treatment, the faster, the better.
This might just be enough to negotiate. All he had to do was emphasize that continuing to fight would only result in mutual loss.
'They didn't seem to have much of a will to fight in the first place, anyway.'
The white-haired girl was looking around with a dumbfounded expression. She didn't even seem to grasp the situation yet.
She looked a bit slow, so if he played his cards right, she would probably come around easily.
The blue-haired girl seemed to be calmly assessing the situation, but that was actually a good thing.
He needed a rational person to negotiate with him right about now.
Lastly, the black-haired girl....
was more engrossed in checking the condition of the white-haired man than in Balzac.
He had no idea why she was slobbering over a guy whose wounds were already healed, though.
Her expression was also blank, showing no real intention to fight.
Surprisingly, a ceasefire might be established more easily than he thought.
Balzac genuinely believed that.
"Are you okay?"
"No, I'm not okay. That bastard tried to kill me."
Until he heard those words.
The man replied as such to the black-haired girl's question.
The moment he finished speaking, an anomaly occurred.
The atmosphere changed in an instant.
"Is it because my heart was pierced by that guy's sword? It still hurts a lot. Don't tell me I'm going to die from this?"
Despite saying it hurt, an evil smile hung on his face.
The more that man opened his mouth, the stranger the condition of his comrades became.
It was as if they had all malfunctioned simultaneously.
As if they had planned it beforehand, the three of them fixed their gazes on Balzac simultaneously.
...His sword wavered.
Balzac's face was dyed with dismay.
In other words, he was trembling right now.
He, who had reached the realm of becoming one with the world, one of the only three Sword Masters in the Empire.
Frightened by that unfathomably vicious malice.
And the endless, deep killing intent pouring down on him.
However, Balzac quickly steadied his breathing and composed his mind.
Although he was surprised by the sudden anomaly, he was a martial artist who had reached the level of a superhuman. There was no way he couldn't control his own mind.
'There's no need to be scared.'
No matter how menacing their aura was, he ultimately had control over all the mana in this place.
Those guys couldn't harm him either. That was how Balzac reassured himself.
However....
A deafening sound of something cutting through the air rang out.
The white-haired girl, her eyes stained with madness, kicked off the ground and flew toward him.
A sudden attack.
Balzac desperately managed to block it, but....
A terrible pain shot through him.
He was certain he had defended properly. Yet, despite blocking her fist with his sword, a pain like his ribs fracturing washed over him.
Balzac's face was painted with astonishment.
'How on earth....'
Mana Reinforcement should be impossible.
Just where did that monstrous strength come from?
Was that strength really produced without the aid of mana?
To think there was another existence capable of such bizarre feats besides that man, of all people?
There's a limit to how nonsensical things can get.
Just how unlucky did he have to be to encounter two such Irregulars in a single day?
Balzac was gritting his teeth at such misfortune when it happened.
-Craaaash!
Destroying the surroundings, a fierce Sword Aura flew towards him.
An absolutely incomprehensible phenomenon.
He should have had complete control over the mana, yet the blue-haired girl fired a Sword Aura without any mana.
He was beyond dumbfounded, left completely and utterly speechless, but...
There was no time to dwell on such things.
Balzac desperately swung his sword to cancel out the blue-haired girl's sword aura. By all rights, that should have been a successful defense.
He was being corrupted.
He could feel something invading him the moment her sword aura made contact with his sword.
His head grew dizzy.
For some reason, an intense hatred towards the Holy See filled his mind.
Balzac bit his tongue and barely managed to regain his senses.
'......A swordsman who uses a curse instead of mana?'
To condense a curse and wield it like mana.
He had never even heard of a knight who used such a bizarre method in his entire life.
Moreover, the curse was so dreadful that it threatened even the mind of someone who had reached the realm of a Sword Master like him.
Under normal circumstances, he would have been able to deal with it.
But his mana and stamina were not infinite.
He had no idea what kind of trick that Swindler Hero pulled, but he had healed all his wounds while Balzac could not.
His body was exhausted from the battle with the white-haired man.
It hadn't recovered at all, and the situation was only getting worse.
Enemies that would be overwhelming to face one-on-one were appearing one after another.
......This bleak situation.
There was only one way to turn the tables.
'I didn't want to resort to this, but....'
It couldn't be helped.
His death would deal a massive blow to the Empire.
A truly honorable person must know when to bend their convictions for a greater purpose.
"I'll finish you all off at once."
With those words, Balzac drew it out.
The power bestowed upon him by His Majesty the Emperor.
Balzac's hair turned stark white.
His irises were dyed a blood red.
His Secret Technique.
Asura Light Slash fiercely struck out toward the bound Rubia.
Naturally, those bastards would have no choice but to step in to protect Rubia. And even if the four of them teamed up, there was no way they could withstand the power bestowed upon him by His Majesty the Emperor.
This battle would end in his victory.
...It had to be.
It was supposed to be.
"Break the necklace! Light came from the necklace, and then that guy attacked Rubia unnie with a weird sword!"
The Shadow Passage was still open.
A brown-haired girl peeked her head out from the other side and said that.
He hadn't even unleashed his Secret Technique yet.
But the blue-haired knight shattered his necklace into pieces. Naturally, the power contained within it was now impossible to use.
Gritting his teeth, Balzac recklessly sprayed sword aura at the fallen woman, but...
[Long time no see.]
What appeared before him was Wolf.
The Beast Demon King, who should have definitely been betrayed and absorbed.
Before he could even panic at the bizarre situation, his Sword Aura was swallowed by the shadows.
A Shadow Passage had appeared behind him.
The Sword Aura Balzac had fired was now flying back toward him.
He somehow managed to muster his reflexes and dodge it, but...
It was merely the same process repeating itself.
The Sword Aura he had dodged was swallowed by the shadows once again and flew back at him.
Added to that was the white-haired girl's relentless attacks, along with the steady slashes flying in, carrying a curse that absolutely could not be ignored.
Balzac couldn't even attack anymore. Just dodging and blocking all of that was already overwhelming.
In that situation...
[Consider this a bonus, kid. I happen to have a grudge against that bastard as well.]
Wolf's voice echoed.
The black-haired girl walked over with heavy steps.
A massive and complex magic circle was inscribed beneath her.
No, could that even be called a magic circle?
[I shall lend you my power.]
A Spell Formula formed not of Mana, but of overwhelmingly sinister Demonic Energy. It manifested, radiating an ominous light.
Balzac's shadow moved of its own accord and bound him.
No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free from the restraints. The shadow, transformed into chains, completely incapacitated him.
However... the attacks stopped coming.
Both the blue-haired girl and the white-haired girl, who had been threatening him just moments ago.
They had all ceased their attacks and backed away from him.
Why was that?
Why was this happening?
He didn't even need to think to know the answer.
The white-haired man was looking at him.
Golden flames ignited within his eyes.
That bastard hadn't just been standing idly by watching the fight. He certainly hadn't exhausted all his strength in the previous battle, either.
He had simply been preparing.
For the final blow.
"Holy Sword......"
A holy aura could be felt.
An Archbishop? A Cardinal? The Pope?
No, it wasn't anything like that. This wasn't an aura that could possibly come from a human.
That Divine Power.
That figure, spreading radiant wings.
......It was a god.
A god was right before his eyes.
"Draw."
And then, a pure white light engulfed everything.