027. The Flower of the Eyes (3)
The carriage shattered with a thunderous crack, and the broken pieces slumped heavily to the ground.
Thankfully, the three of us had all trained in mana. When the runaway carriage came to a halt, it was no trouble to extract ourselves from it.
Clink!
“Ho-oh.”
“……!”
Standing on the road after disembarking, the villain in red clothes let out a sigh of amazement at the wrecked carriage.
“Not bad. I expected you to be ordinary brats since you wrecked my carriage, but...”
Clap clap!
It seemed like the way he had gracefully descended to the ground was interesting to him. The grotesque man in red clothes clapped his hands and laughed loudly.
“...Blood Lion.”
I, who knew the man's true identity, let out a heavy voice.
Blood Lion. The last heir of the Blood Cult, the ultimate villain who would cause all sorts of trouble in the Western Continent in the future.
“Huh? How do you know my identity?”
The carefree smile vanished instantly. The man twisted his gruesome face and said.
“......”
I answered briefly, my expression more serious than ever as I scanned the surroundings.
Based on the presence I felt, there were numerous enemies besides this man at the scene. The Blood Lion alone was a 7th tier powerhouse. Even if the three of us combined our strength, we wouldn't be able to defeat him.
Damn it.
The situation was extremely dangerous, and I couldn't help but bite my lip.
The Blood Lion was strong. Around the middle of the story where he was being hunted by the Sword Saint, players could easily defeat him, but right now we were in the very early stages of the Silvering main stream, before even reaching the beginning.
In other words.
...The odds are slim.
It meant a heavy reality. I faced the situation head-on.
The tiers, that is, the realms of Silvering, were like that. No matter how powerful a genius with special traits appeared, could they kill a monster like the Heavenly Demon or Sword Saint from the very beginning?
No.
Originally, the tiers and levels were devices for 'irregulars' like us. Just as a cat couldn't defeat a tiger. That was the common sense here.
“Fr, Frey......”
Ariel's body, still held in my arms, trembled slightly. Her fear was transmitted between her skin and clothes.
Ariel seemed to have felt that the strength of that grotesque man far exceeded our level.
“...What do you want?”
“What do you want?”
With a creepy smile curling his lips, the Blood Lion responded to my question. As if my question was extremely absurd, he burst into laughter and shouted.
“Death! Death! Offer us your blood and flesh. That is the only duty you can fulfill! Uha ha ha!”
“...It's dangerous. That guy is at least a 7th tier powerhouse.”
Lancelot, who had been sending cautious glances until now, approached me and said.
I also knew it. That Blood Lion was 7th tier. In short... he was two tiers higher than me and Lancelot.
“Ariel, step back.”
“W-what? What are you talking about? Frey. Are you going to fight that person?”
I gently set Ariel down. Then, cautiously pushing her away. Immediately, Ariel's voice, full of disbelief, rang in my ears.
“No way.”
I knew the odds of winning against him were slim.
But if I ran away? The result would be the same. No, the chances of surviving would be even lower. I knew that even if one of us became a sacrifice and ran away, it wouldn't take long before their life force was cut off.
That's why.
Swish!
“Let's fight. Lancelot, protect Ariel.”
“Uhm. Frey, you plan to fight?”
“Of course. Once the battle with that guy starts, his subordinates will target Ariel. The biggest variable on the battlefield is the mage.”
“Understood.”
Lancelot nodded silently without saying much.
He also knew it. That right now, the only method left for us was this.
“Kuk kuk! What a tear-jerking friendship. I didn't expect a 5th tier bug like you to challenge me.”
Clang clang!
The Blood Lion dragged his sword on the ground and began to take slow steps.
Swallow!
My dry throat went down.
An opponent I couldn't face. An unavoidable clash with him. The reality I couldn't even imagine when playing the original, heated my blood.
Clink!
I drew my sword. And with the most composed eyes, I stared at the enemy.
7th tier, 79 levels. Characteristic: 'Regeneration'. The enemy with power that greatly surpassed us sent dense killing intent.
“Ariel.”
“...Yeah.”
“I have one request.”
“Uhm, request?”
“After this battle ends, I want to hear the truth you've been hiding tightly.”
I'll admit it. I'm a coward. But it's something I desperately want to know, yet...
“......!”
Ariel couldn't say it and covered her mouth. Without hearing her answer, I advanced to the battlefield.
My legs, moving slowly, didn't stop trembling. The traits of , , supported my will, but a greater wall of reality bound my whole body.
“...Hah! Is this a monster or a fearless fish?”
The Blood Lion stuck out his tongue at my stiff neck.
It would be absurd from his perspective. Seeing the gap in power at a glance, he probably thought we would tremble in fear and shatter.
“Are you a knight of the Western Continent, you?”
“...Why ask that?”
“Curious. Your appearance looked like a knight who values honor!”
The Blood Lion shrugged and burst into laughter.
And.
“Attack!”
The man, whose expression changed like a beast, shouted.
Pa sa sak! Sa sak!
At the same time, about ten Blood Cultists jumped out from the forest.
Unlike the ones I met in the village earlier, these were properly trained in martial arts. They were desperately targeting Lancelot and Ariel's vital points.
Slash! Clang clang!
Fortunately, Lancelot was holding his own against the multiple enemies. Originally, the number of attackers wasn't that large. Without the problem being the Blood Lion, we could have confidently won.
Perhaps, when Ariel's magic unfolded, the situation would improve.
“Huhu, shall we start too?”
The Blood Lion, dragging his sword, laughed cruelly. For a moment, he watched the clash between his subordinates and Lancelot with interest. His sword stood up.
And.
Pa ah ah-!
The man stepped on the ground. Immediately, the floor turned to dust and scattered. His sword flew through the air, targeting my neck.
Chuk!
“Kuhk!”
The sword and sword collided. Immediately, a pungent blood scent rose in my mouth.
I had definitely pulled up maximum mana just before the collision, but the Blood Lion's sword easily overwhelmed my mana.
“Interesting. You're not even someone who just reached 5th tier, are you?”
The grotesque face with a grin. Feeling a chill, I immediately turned my head. In that moment, the guy's foot appeared stepping on space.
Whoosh!
“Ho-oh. Trying to avoid this?”
Ta dak, ta dak, moving quickly to create distance, the Blood Lion shouted as if surprised. His mouth was stretched as if it would tear. His face, as if enjoying this battle, was like watching a child tearing the wings off a butterfly.
“Try blocking this too!”
The Blood Lion instantly closed the distance with space manipulation and charged. At an unimaginable speed that I couldn't even track with my eyes, I moved my legs quickly.
Hwa ah ah!
Heavenly Demon's Shadow Steps.
The benevolent Sword Demon's guidance. The footwork created by the great Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's master unfolded. Immediately, mysterious movements left faint afterimages.
Swish!
...There's a gap!
Even for a 7th tier powerhouse, there was a gap for him. That gap was so glaringly bright that it was impossible to miss.
Swish swish!
I infused mana into the pitch-black blade. The dark sword energy advanced toward the gap.
“T-this guy!”
In the chaotic clash, my attack, which had tilted my body, made the Blood Lion shout in surprise.
“...Damn it!”
My expression darkened at the man's immediate reaction.
The gap in him gave me confidence. But at the moment I was about to strike, the light faded. My power and speed were far surpassed by his evasion.
But I don't retreat. The gap is still valid. So, I pushed the sword into the space between them.
Sak!
“...Hah!”
The Blood Lion, as if feeling a terrifying sense, took a few steps back. Then, he stroked his severed hair.
“Huuu, uhu hu hu!”
“...Crazy.”
It was a close call to having my head cut off, but instead of being angry, he let out a weird laugh. A reaction that a normal person couldn't understand.
“Fun. It's fun! Uha ha ha ha!”
The man burst into laughter like a madman. Did he not imagine that a 5th tier swordsman would cut his own hair? Or, is it that I, who discovered his gap, am fun?
Clink!
“Come here.”
I gripped my sword and spat out quietly. It had only been two exchanges so far. That meant the guy hadn't properly shown his abilities yet.
“You're crazy. But since you have the ability and talent for it, it's really fun.”
Swish swish—!
The Blood Lion's eyes began to turn red.
It was evidence that he was using the Blood Demon Arts he boasted of. The blood-red light was like a beast hunting prey, aimed at me.
“Here... Take this too.”
The sword on his hand was dyed with blood and mana.
And.
Ta dak!
The Blood Lion, closing the distance at a speed that was hard to react to, swung his sword. The blood mana filled with the grudges of countless victims filled the space.
Pa ba ba ba bak!
An indescribable pain ran through my body. The blood mana... like it had a will of its own, poked my entire body. I gritted my teeth and exerted all my mana.
I can't fall. I can't lose. I can't lose to this guy!
But at that moment.
“Frey! The cleanup is over!”
“W-wait! I'll support right away...!”
“Ho-oh. You're quite the capable mage.”
The Blood Lion's eyes rolled around in the midst of the clash. His red gaze turned toward the two people in the rear of the front line.
Pa ah ah ah!
The man, having pulled his sword away, threw his body backward like a ghost. At a speed that I couldn't respond even when facing him with my sword, the Blood Lion advanced toward Lancelot and Ariel.
And.
Chwak! Puhwa ak!
“No—!”
Red blood spurted out.