Chapter 63
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Alliance
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So, she could have tampered with the antidote, but,
‘…No, that can’t be.’
It was preposterous.
There was no way he would have done such a thing.
“Well, it doesn't matter. I'll kill them all.”
*Clang!*
The masked woman drew her weapon.
It was a bundle of long needles.
She intended to annihilate the expedition team using the Extreme Poison House's unique assassination techniques.
“We won't… go down easily.”
Jupien aimed her sword.
A black haze shimmered from her blade, distorting the view.
It was the Illusion Sword Art.
*Fwoosh!*
And so the fierce battle began.
Surprisingly, the outcome wasn't decided quickly.
For one, Jupien's skills were formidable.
Although she had been defeated so easily by Chris before, she was still a young lady of the Dark Magic House.
She possessed power that far surpassed that of an ordinary 3-Star.
Above all, the masked woman was in a state where she couldn't even use half of her power.
‘How annoying. If I used my original assassination techniques, I could wipe them out in an instant.’
But that would leave a trace.
She could only use poison and assassination techniques on par with what ‘Marisa’ would use.
However, the balance did not last long.
No matter how much she held back, a 5-Star was still a 5-Star.
Just because a tiger fought while pretending to be a cat didn't mean a cat could beat it.
“Ugh!”
*Fwip!*
The long needle tore through the air with a sharp sound, ripping Jupien's illusion apart.
Jupien coughed up another mouthful of blood.
“This power… You're not Marisa.”
The masked woman smiled.
“What does it matter? You're all going to die here anyway.”
*Fwoosh!*
The long needles flew again.
Jupien barely managed to dodge, but the other expedition members were not so lucky.
The number of people collapsing to the ground rapidly increased.
It was a desperate situation.
At this rate, the outcome was obvious. They would all be annihilated.
‘I have to make a move.’
Jupien's gaze hardened.
Magi boiled up along her core.
Sensing the intricately weaving magi, the masked woman's face stiffened for a moment.
Her vision grew dark.
Within a darkness where nothing could be seen.
Jupien's sword split.
One blade, two… four, eight, sixteen.
The Dark Magic House's secret Illusion Sword Art, ‘Splitting Sword’.
As one's level rose, the number of swords could be increased exponentially.
At Jupien's current level, sixteen blades was her limit.
But that didn't mean it could be taken lightly.
Those illusions were indistinguishable from the real thing.
And if they couldn't be distinguished, no illusion could be ignored. They were all equally threatening.
“Die.”
Barely suppressing the turmoil within from exerting such force, Jupien swung her sword.
Sixteen swords flew from sixteen different angles simultaneously.
An unavoidable attack.
“!!”
The masked woman furrowed her brow.
She instinctively knew she couldn't break through that attack with the power of a 3-Star.
In that case, there was only one way.
The long needle in the masked woman's hand turned black.
She had manifested a Black Sword from the needle.
But it didn't end there.
The nature of the Black Sword changed.
It became harder, more brilliant.
It wasn't simply forming a sword shape with magi.
As if planting a sturdy pillar, a strong will that could crush any resistance was imbued within it.
An Aura Blade.
In the Alliance, it was called Aura.
In the Demonic Path, it was a power called the Black Aura Blade.
It was a power of destruction that only true masters who had reached 5-Star or higher could use.
The moment she swung the Black Aura Blade, everything shattered.
The sixteen illusory swords.
The darkness that had consumed her vision.
And Jupien's sword.
Dropping her sword, which had been broken in two, Jupien coughed up blood and fell to her knees.
“Now, just die.”
The masked woman said coldly.
The needle, shrouded in darkness, cut through the air.
Aimed precisely at the space between Jupien's eyebrows.
‘Ah… no.’
She couldn't avoid it.
Sensing death, Jupien's vision went dark with fear.
‘I-I don't want to die.’
She acted tough, but she was still a young girl. She couldn't be calm in the face of death.
‘Please… someone save me…’
The moment she made that meaningless wish.
An unbelievable miracle occurred.
*KABOOM!!*
With a deafening roar like a bomb exploding, the long needle was sent flying.
Jupien's eyes widened in surprise.
A boy had appeared in front of her.
Beautiful features.
And at the same time, an endlessly infuriating impression.
It was Christian.
* * *
The area fell silent.
Everyone stared at Christian in disbelief.
Christian shrugged and spoke lightly.
“I'm late. The hero is always supposed to make a late entrance, so I came slowly on purpose.”
In truth, that wasn't the reason.
He had been waiting for the masked woman to reveal her true power.
Why?
To use it as evidence.
With so many people having witnessed the masked woman's Black Aura Blade, she wouldn't be able to deny it.
Chris glanced at the fallen members of the Dark Magic House and snickered.
“You got beaten up pretty badly. This is why you should have trained harder. Here, take this medicine. I picked it up on the way, so have some.”
Chris flicked his fingers, tossing the medicine toward Jupien and the fallen members of the Dark Magic House.
Jupien caught the medicine, her face once again showing surprise.
The mysterious and pure energy contained within the medicine.
There was no doubt. It was a medicine from the Divine Doctor Noble Family.
The one who had switched the antidotes was really Christian!
“You… gave us the Divine Doctor Noble Family's antidote?”
Chris nodded as if to say yes.
“I suspected those scoundrels from the Extreme Poison House would use some despicable means. So I acquired medicine from the Divine Doctor Noble Family at the dark auction in advance and switched it out.”
(Though in reality, I just got the ingredients and made it myself.) Jupien clamped her mouth shut.
The other members of the house were the same.
From his dissolute behavior in Baron Castle before the mission to all the scoundrel-like acts he had shown until now.
They realized it was all actually a profound scheme to stop the Extreme Poison House's plot.
Having cursed Christian without knowing any of this, everyone present was at a loss for words.
Just then, the masked woman spoke coldly.
“…So you're the scoundrel of the Dark Magic House. You've used your head a bit, but you're just a fool who's too clever for his own good.”
*Clang!*
This time, she drew a dagger.
“You should have run after seeing the Black Aura Blade. I'll kill you here as well.”
A deep darkness gathered once more.
A power of destruction on a different level from the Black Sword.
‘I definitely don't stand a chance against a 5-Star martial artist.’
Whether a martial artist or a magician, every time their star level rose, an explosive growth in power followed.
However, from 1-Star to 4-Star, the change wasn't that significant.
1-Star was magi accumulation.
2-Star was magi manifestation.
3-Star was the Black Sword.
4-Star was the Black Sword's transformation.
These were the differences.
But from 5-Star and above, a dramatic change occurred, as if shedding one's skin.
The 5-Star of ‘Aura’.
The 6-Star of ‘Will-Thought’.
The 7-Star of ‘Domination’.
The 8-Star of ‘Absolute’.
The 9-Star of ‘Transcendence’.
As such, the class was completely different, making it nearly impossible for a lower level to face a higher one.
A gap that couldn't be closed, no matter how exceptional Chris was.
But Chris, with a calm face, said,
“You idiot.”
“…What?”
“Well, with a brain like yours, I suppose you would try such a cheap trick. Do you really think a great genius like me would enter a fight I couldn't win?”
Chris didn't fight losing battles.
No, to be precise, his specialty was turning even impossible fights into victories.
“Watch.”
And then.
A group appeared from the other side of the canyon.
They were the members of the Extreme Poison House!
-Christian!
The girl who let out this furious cry, Marisa, was at the forefront.
‘Perfect timing.’
Chris whistled inwardly.
He had deliberately timed it so that the members of the Extreme Poison House would rescue Marisa and then be lured to this location.
It was easy, thanks to the signaling magic tool he'd taken from Marisa.
“Christian, I won't let you get away with—!!”
She must have been furious; her usual intelligent and calm demeanor was gone as she charged like an angry bull, only to come to a sudden halt.
The situation before her was strange.
“This is…? What? My poison?”
Marisa looked around, bewildered.
Members of the Dark Magic House were collapsed, and the lingering scent of the ‘Blue Flower’ poison she had developed herself filled the air.
And that masked woman?
“……”
At Marisa's gaze, the masked woman brought a hand to her face, looking troubled.
The worst-case scenario had occurred.
The people she absolutely should not have met here were the members of the Extreme Poison House. Especially Marisa.
That's why she had deliberately come all the way to the Dark Magic House's territory to cause this incident.
“…Who are you?”
Marisa asked in a low, subdued voice.
“You must be a member of our Extreme Poison House. State your name and affiliation.”
“……”
The masked woman, of course, could not give an answer.
Marisa's face grew even colder.
Just then, Chris sneered.
“What are you asking for? She's obviously a traitor from your family.”
“!!”
“Her purpose… is obvious.”
Marisa instantly grasped the whole story.
‘She's trying to steal the artifact. And she was going to frame me for it.’
It was a guess close to the truth.
Marisa gritted her teeth and commanded.
“Everyone, subdue that person and make them kneel!”
“Yes, ma'am!”
The members of the Extreme Poison House rushed at the masked woman.
‘Damn.’
The masked woman faced them with a troubled expression.
It was a different demeanor from when she was fighting the members of the Dark Magic House.
It wasn't that she was reluctant to act because they were from the same house.
The relationships between members of the demonic noble houses weren't so sentimental.
‘If I use my unique poison or the Black Aura Blade, my identity will be revealed.’
The masked woman clenched her jaw.
When fighting the Dark Magic House, she had subtly mixed her own signature techniques into the basic poison and assassination arts.
She had mimicked a 3-Star, but in reality, she had displayed power no different from that of a 5-Star.
But the members of the Extreme Poison House would recognize it instantly.
She couldn't reveal any trace that could lead to her identity, so it was no different from fighting with one hand and one foot tied.
It was just as Chris had intended.
And Chris used a cheap weapon that any member of a demonic house would despise.
The broken holy sword.
*Clang!*
The masked woman didn't dare underestimate it, hastily retreating to dodge the holy sword.
At that moment, Marisa and Chris's eyes met.
“…You.”
“What? You want me to apologize again?”
“No, that's not it.”
Marisa mumbled as if she had something to say, then pressed her lips firmly together with a complicated look in her eyes.
“…Never mind.”
“How fickle. Cover me. I'll subdue her.”
Subduing a 5-Star.
Even if the tiger's claws were bound, it was still a tiger. It was an absurd claim.
But Chris intended to succeed.
‘It's possible.’
The entire situation was unfolding according to his plan.
If things continued like this, it was possible.
Chris pressed the masked woman with fierce momentum.
The holy sword was definitely a cheat key.
The masked woman didn't dare confront the holy sword and was busy just dodging it.
Not only that, but Marisa's hidden weapons also supported Chris.
Long needles and throwing stars flew in, aiming for her blind spots.
‘Damn it all.’
The masked woman grew increasingly anxious.
‘Looking at his level, he's only a low 3-Star, but what are these movements?’
It wasn't just the holy sword that was tricky.
Chris was moving as if he was predicting all of the masked woman's movements.