The Second Skill

1.

In the same instant, the second skills of Black Wolf and Yellow Dragon came unbound. The situation was far too dire for rewards, so Nahan shoved the spoils aside and checked the skills first. Black Wolf, to begin with.

Once again it was no skill of raw, shattering force, no more than the first had been, and yet it was every bit as exceptional as its rank.

One less thing to die over. I can put this to work in all sorts of situations.

Sorting the knowledge poured into his skull, he checked Yellow Dragon's second skill as well.

A skill fit for the Blessing of the Sun, that power which stole people's hearts, and fit, above all, for battle on a grand scale.

No need for it right now.

The judgment was instant. Nahan activated Black Wolf's second skill — Undefeated.

If Black Curtain burned the strength within him for fuel, Undefeated felt as though it were reinforced by a power flowing in from outside.

Black Wolf's passive. The strength of the members bound to Black Wolf.

Ten seconds for each contractor. Once a day, he could ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠be invincible for ninety seconds.

……There are seven members in Black Wolf. Who are the other two?

His newly sharpened senses let him count the contractors, but identifying them was beyond what that power could do.

No. Later. Right now, ending this fight and getting out comes first.

Survival instinct rang like an alarm and reordered his priorities, and Nahan threw himself into the clash between the two of them with no time left to think.

"……Yes. If that's what you want, then anything……"

Luna was still looking down on Balkan with those cold eyes, and Balkan was trying to drive the broken edge of his shield through his own throat.

Bewitched?

When he had stopped the fifth bad ending, most of the information restrictions had fallen away, and he had learned every one of his members' skills. Even so—

What skill is that supposed to be?

Nothing he knew possessed an ability like this. The state of the surroundings made it plain that this was her first skill, Masquerade, and his thoughts drove hard in that direction. Dozens of masks. A different effect for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠each. And, noticed a beat too late—

The mask's name was Mother. Nahan knew only what the System showed him of the skill. Of the souls Luna had collected, he knew nothing. But he had to move.

He could feel the Black Wolf constraint thinning beneath the mask called Mother. Not even Nahan, who had cast it, could predict what would happen the moment that constraint came undone. One thing alone was certain. If Mother encroached upon Luna completely—

—then he would not be able to resolve what followed without killing her.

He had to live. And to live, he had to save her.

So find a way.

Stop what was happening in front of him, get out of this place alive, and find a way to save Luna. The moment that goal locked into place, a new System window rose before his eyes.

Just as before, a subquest that seemed to take him by the hand and lead him.

First I wake Luna, save Balkan, and run. Understanding Luna, and Mother's rest, can wait until this is over.

Even if he flung them far away through Robin Hood's Subspace, Asha was the strongest being in this world. The hero on his way back. The rest of that company. The Gardner family's response. With every one of those dangers closing in, saving Balkan and fleeing had to come before all else.

Time left?

Driven by survival instinct, he had thought fast enough that only five seconds had passed. Brief as that span was, Balkan's shield had already traveled a dangerous way.

If that edge bites any deeper, he's done.

Nahan hesitated no longer.

Focus. Right now I am Black Wolf. Unhurried in everything. And still oppressive.

He closed the distance at a pace neither quick nor slow and reached for the shield. Watching him, Dalan muttered under his breath.

"So he means to stop it by strength."

Halting the suicide of a man on Balkan's level by main force would take tremendous power. Within Black Wolf, only the Captain, the Vice-Captain, or Hanryang could have managed it. But the Black Wolf standing here now had the possessor Nahan inside him. As he had already learned, it was no different from not knowing how to pilot the body. He could not wield it properly, and he could not produce strength on that scale.

Even so, there is a way.

Nahan knew that, which was why he set his hand upon the shield's edge.

A creak of metal. Undefeated was active, so the fingers neither sheared nor broke. Even so, he lacked the strength, and his hand was dragged along, crushed into following Balkan's motion.

"……Captain? Stop, Persona!! You're attacking the Captain!!"

Dalan, who had been watching in silence, understood in that instant that something had gone wrong with Luna. And Nahan, in an utterly ordinary voice, whispered to the girl standing blank before him.

"We're leaving."

With the words, it activated.

All but a bare handful of his life force, offered up to drag Black Curtain to its limit.

……

A hideous sensation, as if cold metal were boring into both temples and scraping along the inner walls of his skull. Endless dark. Quiet death. The faintest sliver of rest. Black Curtain at its maximum, unfolded for a span too short even to count in seconds — a literal instant. Something that had left the human far behind swept over the whole of Count Gardner's estate, and vanished.

In the mansion where everyone else had fallen, the only ones still standing on two legs were the members of Black Wolf, and—

"……Ah? Just now, what……"

—Balkan alone, who had felt something dreadful and clawed his way back out of whatever Mother had laid over him.

While his rigid members fought their way back to themselves, Nahan walked toward Balkan.

"……!! H-hold on. Back away."

"The Verdant Forest. We'll be there, so send your household on to the capital."

Balkan flinched and, without meaning to, crawled backward across the floor. Nahan paid him no mind. He finished what he had to say and turned away.

"How much longer do I have to wait?"

The skill had already ended, and still that high, crushing voice jolted Dalan back to his senses.

"My apologies. I sent the summons some time ago. The bloodfiend should be here any moment."

"Call Hanryang, and see to Persona."

"Yes, Captain."

Dalan had just gathered up the still-dazed Luna when it came.

Kraaaaaaawk!!

The familiar scream of the flesh-wrought monstrous bird rolled across the whole of Count Gardner's estate.

"……!!"

Only then did Balkan's mind snap back into place. There was no room to think. His body simply rose, hauled up by instinct.

Even if I die, I have to take at least one of them with me.

He still felt as though he were drifting through death, and the fear had not left him, but Balkan set his feet on the ground and stood. Leave them alive, and worse things were certain to follow.

Step. Step, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠step.

Raised by instinct, gripping the broken shield tight, he advanced slowly on the Black Wolf members climbing onto the monstrous bird.

……Even one. Just one.

Because he was a hero. Because he was a noble knight who would burn his own life to bring peace to the world.

His teeth ground together.

"I—!!!"

Balkan clenched his jaw hard enough to crack his molars and was a breath from triggering Crushing Charge when something occurred to Nahan. The Captain turned his gaze on him and offered a piece of advice.

"Ah. Always beware the eclipse."

"Hic. I will."

"Then we'll be going."

"Go. Hic."

Balkan caught himself standing still and nodded before he knew he was doing it, and the monstrous bird took to the air. Once more, that dreadful scream. Black Wolf dwindled into the distance with the bird.

A wet splash.

Left alone, Balkan sat down, drawing his legs together with peculiar decorum.

"Black Wolf. Next time we meet, I'll take at least one of you with me, even if it costs my life."

The words were fierce enough. The fist clenched around them trembled uncontrollably.

"Anyway, why did it splash when I sat— ……Damn it."

And so, somewhere around midnight, Balkan — who had gone and refreshed himself a little too thoroughly — muttered to the empty dark.

2.

Meanwhile, in the moments after their escape, Black Wolf rode the monstrous bird's back toward the hideout. Everyone was silent, until Ruby, who had been handling the bird, let out a sigh and spoke.

"We're going down."

Nahan had already expected as much. He only nodded.

They had escaped, more or less, but Luna's encroachment was still underway.

This has to be that thing called Mother. The encroachment is faster than I thought. I figured something was about to give.

Having recovered a measure of stamina through the Ring of Iaso, Nahan turned to Ruby.

"How long until we hit?"

"Probably thr—"

"Three minutes is enough."

"Two…… One……"

"Huh? Wai—"