The Calamity Sword, Part 7
Just as we had intended to slaughter them all from the very beginning, Millen had never trusted us either. I didn't know how their internal discussions had gone, but it was clear they were itching to kill us at the first opportunity. Otherwise, they wouldn't have hidden so many men in this cramped building.
It seemed this entire building had been designed to serve as a trap. Men were hidden not only beneath the floorboards I stood on but also in the ceiling, with various preparations made within the worn furniture and walls. The layout was perfect for ambushers to bide their time or rain down arrows. A clever idea. If you couldn't win in a fair fight, setting a trap like this was only logical.
"Right. Everyone has a plan. Until they get punched in the face."
I kicked the table, temporarily clearing away the five men in front of me. Though the table shattered in half from the sheer force of the kick, the impact alone was enough to blow the five men back. I had bought myself some time. First, I would deal with the bastards hiding behind me. Turning around, I drew back my greatsword, taking a stance for a wide, sweeping slash.
A bastard hiding behind a pillar lunged at me with a shortsword. As I'd just witnessed, there truly were countless ways to commit suicide.
"You idiot! Do you really think you can swing that massive thing indoors?"
"I drew it because I can."
Large weapons were naturally constrained by space. We were in a cluttered, narrow room, and pillars and various obstacles lay directly in the path of my blade. For a normal fighter, the moment their sword struck a pillar, it would clatter to a halt. And that would be the end of them. With both defense and offense halted, nothing but death would await.
But I was no normal fighter.
Screeech! Even without being clad in Sword Qi, the blade plowed forward, grinding down everything in its path. I felt the friction of the obstacles, but the sword never stopped. The eyes of the suicidal fool lunging at me widened in sheer horror. I granted his wish on the spot. His severed upper torso rolled helplessly across the floor.
I won't use Sword Qi.
There was no need. If I used Sword Qi, I could slice through everything like tofu, but for now, my raw physical strength and divinity were more than enough. Above all, it wasn't time to show my Sword Qi to others. The reputation of a highly skilled mercenary was on an entirely different level from that of a Sword Master. If news spread that a new Sword Master had emerged, the Imperial Court would immediately take action. That would disrupt our plans.
Besides, it would be annoying if the enemies got scared and fled right from the start.
These guys seemed to have some fight in them. Especially the five I had faced first. Their movements were decent, and I liked how they tried to exploit my openings. Even for me, my sword slowed down when smashing through obstacles. A weapon like a greatsword inevitably required large, sweeping motions. A miscalculated strike meant the opposite side would be left completely exposed. Looking at their movements, they seemed to be trying to lure my attacks toward the walls or pillars. Were they trying to force a dilemma on me using their superior numbers? Their intentions were blatant. Then again, it was the most effective tactic one could think of. Since their effort was commendable, I decided to play along.
"They said you were highly skilled. You certainly live up to your reputation."
"Oh, I do more than just live up to it."
"But do you really think you're the first mercenary to run wild in Requitas relying solely on his own strength?"
My greatsword scraped against the wall again as I lunged at them. A high slash aimed at chest height. Most of them scrambled out of its trajectory, but one bastard ducked low to evade it. He must have judged that a heavy greatsword would be difficult to redirect mid-swing. A sharp decision. Mana flickered along his blade. It wasn't Sword Qi, of course, but rather just enough to enhance the sharpness and durability of his weapon. Against any other swordsman, this would have been his chance to slip inside their guard, and at that level, his attack could actually land. A so-called decisive counterattack.
But it was a fatal mistake. As I said, I was no normal fighter. I stopped my swinging blade through sheer brute force and reversed its direction. Sensing his impending death, the bastard let out a short sigh.
"Ha."
As my sword slammed down, his body was brutally split in two. The impact of the greatsword left a massive crack in the wooden floor. The corpse fell through, finding its grave in the collapsed floor below.
It seemed I had spent too much time dealing with that one. As the sequence of movements dragged on, my right side was left exposed. The bastards didn't miss this opportunity. I knew they wouldn't. After all, I had left it open on purpose.
"Welcome."
It was too late to pull back my sword and counter. In that case, I could slowly retrieve the sword with my left hand and defend with my right. Lunging forward, I swung my right arm outward with all my might. The back of my hand slammed squarely into a man's head.
Crack! His skull imploded, turning his already ugly face into an unrecognizable mess. It would be troublesome if his body flew away, so I grabbed him.
"What kind of strength is...!"
"Thanks for the weapon."
A man with half a face had no further need for a longsword. Accepting his gift with gratitude, I plunged it straight down beneath my feet. The blade pierced the wooden floor, coming back up coated in blood and unidentifiable flesh. I drove it down once more right next to it. It took less than three seconds to finish off the two hiding beneath the floorboards.
Now that the floor was clear, the ceiling was next. Since the sword wasn't of particularly high quality, I threw it to take one down, then grabbed the corpse's neck, as it still had a use. A torrent of blood gushed from its throat. It seeped through the gaps in my gauntlet, sending a hot sensation over my hand. I flung the blood directly into the eyes of the remaining enemies. For a brief moment, their vision would be completely obscured. Maintaining an attack while blinded was no easy feat, and a split second was all I needed.
"What a generous friend. Don't you think?"
Casting aside my generous friend, I slammed my body forward. My taller-than-average height combined with my heavy armor made for a devastating mass attack. Satisfied, I watched as the angle aligned perfectly. The man I shoved collided with his comrade behind him, and my sword drew a clean horizontal line across them both. Two dead. Naturally, two weapons fell. There were also two stragglers left in the ceiling. Since the numbers matched up so perfectly, I sent them all into Hibras's embrace. Perhaps because the sword I threw had shattered a support beam, half the ceiling collapsed. Three corpses tumbled down in a heap.
"You've gone quiet. Do you think it's a coincidence that you're the only one left alive?"
The last one standing was the guide. The cheeky bastard who had been smirking the entire time. There were a few others behind the wall over there and in the other rooms, but... I didn't need to worry about them.
"I don't... I don't understand. What do you stand to gain from doing this?"
"I told you, vengeance. I'm already gaining plenty."
"What exactly? No matter how much I think about it, I don't know! This is the first time we've ever crossed paths with you!"
"Keerux crossed paths with us."
He looked genuinely aggrieved. He probably thought Keerux was the one who took the job, not him. But he had it backward. They shouldn't feel aggrieved; they should feel lucky. They should have died a long time ago, yet they had been allowed to live until now.
"I know two people who wouldn't be able to rest in peace if bastards like you were left alive. I'm just cleaning up so that the same tragedy never repeats itself."
"Cleaning? By whose authority do you do such a thing?"
"Your tongue wags quite a bit now that you're about to die. Since when did this lawless land care about authority?"
There are things I can never forget. For instance, the sight of Therion spraying blood from his neck. It must have been right about here. From this spot, half of his neck had been slashed, blood gushing out in torrents. I couldn't be bothered to draw a dagger. Instead, I tore open his throat with my fingers, ripping the flesh. No more, no less. Exactly where Therion had been wounded. It was a meaningless act of vengeance, but doing it made me feel a bit better.
I sensed a presence in the adjacent room. A familiar set of footsteps.
"Looks like you're all done."
Sirien glanced at the dying man. She didn't linger on him for long, much like how one wouldn't stare at filth on the street.
"I've cleared my side. I also killed one who tried to run."
"Did I miss one?"
"It's hard to say you missed him. He was outside from the very beginning."
"Ah, I didn't think of that."
"Honestly, you can be so careless."
Was this the end of Keerux's trail? I couldn't be sure. Since Millen didn't trust us, he might have just sent some expendable thugs to lure us into a trap. We could figure that out later. If there were more, we would just clean them up too.
"If you search those corpses, I bet you'll find some money."
"How do you know?"
"Do you think they would have come after us for no reason? Millen must have paid them handsomely to take such a risk."
"Then we should put it to good use."
Just as Sirien said, searching the corpses revealed a pouch of gold coins. Though it wasn't as heavy as the one Isha had received, gold was always better the more you had of it. After pocketing the entire pouch, Sirien stepped closer to me.
"Hold still for a second."
I didn't know where she had gotten it, but her small hand began wiping the blood off my armor with a cloth. It was bound to get dirty again soon anyway. Still, knowing I'd get scolded if I interrupted her, I stood quietly.
"Do you think Russell will make a move?"
"We can only pray he does. If he doesn't move while we're causing a ruckus, when will he?"
"If possible, I'd like to keep Russell alive too. Are you still against it?"
"Well, he's not exactly essential. It would actually be much easier to manage things if only Isha survives."
Once we cleared out the Sewer Rats, jackals would naturally gather to claim the vacant throne. We had no intention of leaving Requitas abandoned. There was no reason for us to give up on such a lucrative cash cow. We planned to establish a suitable organization to serve as a straw to suck Requitas dry.
Sirien intended to place Isha at the head of that organization. The overall plan was to use Isha, who was indebted to us, as a figurehead to absorb the remnants of the Crescent Moon. We would then send our own people to seize actual control and act as the power behind the throne. Consequently, Russell was unnecessary to Sirien. Russell was already an experienced leader. He could rebuild the Crescent Moon without our help. If that happened, the amount of gold flowing into our pockets would decrease significantly.
"But since you said you want to save Russell, you can do so. You are far more important to me."
"Then trust me just this once. I have a good feeling about this."
"Has there ever been a moment when I didn't trust you?"
Sirien offered a soft, gentle smile.