Three Against One
Three Against One
Meanwhile, Daniel Steiner and Lucy stood before the room of Archmage Seraile.
The room, with nothing but a single door and no special security devices, exuded an eerie sense of incongruity.
It was such an ordinary room that, without Lucy's help, he might have walked right past it, thinking there was no way Seraile could be inside.
"......Here it is."
When Daniel asked just to be sure, Lucy nodded.
"It's certain. I can feel that woman Seraile's presence strongly from within."
"Is that so. Then it means Frien has been keeping Seraile well occupied. We haven't seen any of the traps Seraile prepared trigger on our way here."
Seraile had undoubtedly laid numerous traps throughout the mansion and was lying in wait.
She would have certainly prepared multiple traps capable of inflicting fatal wounds with a single gesture of her hand.
Otherwise, there was no way she would have allowed an intrusion this easily.
But the one thing Seraile had overlooked was the existence of Lucy Emilia.
Seraile, who was virtually the source of the human experimentation project conducted by the Allied Nations, knew that Lucy had received her factor.
However, she had not anticipated that the special factor running through Lucy's blood could track the source's location.
That was why Seraile had ignored Lucy and Daniel and focused solely on Frien.
After all, she believed they would never find where her real body was in this labyrinthine mansion.
That was Seraile's opening, and it was the first and last opportunity granted to Daniel.
"Adjutant."
Taking a deep breath, Daniel lightly gripped the strap of the gun case slung over his shoulder.
"The moment that door opens, Seraile will awaken. No matter how much time Frien buys, an alarm will ring when the door opens. Then Seraile's main body will awaken, and battle will commence."
To his question asking if she was ready, Lucy replied flatly.
"I have been waiting for this."
Her voice, devoid of trembling, was suffused with fury.
Daniel understood that Lucy.
Count Kaledra had resolved to carry out human experimentation only because Seraile had consented to share her factor.
Because of that, countless orphans had died under the label of test subjects, and Lucy, too, had been forced to endure pain equivalent to torture during her childhood.
'So then.......'
This was Frien's revenge, and at the same time, Lucy's revenge.
Steeling his resolve, Daniel knelt on one knee and set down the case he had been carrying.
When he opened the case, the sniper rifle revealed itself.
"That's......."
"It's something I brought from the supply warehouse to deal a meaningful blow to Seraile. An ML Model 3 firearm equipped with a magic compression chamber. It's a troublesome thing in many ways due to its emphasis on destructive power, but there's nothing better for this situation."
Through the compression chamber, magic could be concentrated into the bullet and released at once, making its velocity and destructive power theoretically capable of penetrating tank armor.
However, it had been discontinued from the market due to the problems of excessively draining the user's mana and causing frequent firearm accidents.
Daniel picked up the sniper rifle and stood up.
"Adjutant. When you open the front door and enter to fight Seraile, I will enter through the side door. I'll exploit the moment Seraile lets her guard down and land a shot, so even if things become disadvantageous in battle, do not lose heart. Understood?"
Daniel smiled playfully.
"I am behind you. So trust in me and fight."
It was something he said in case Lucy might be nervous.
"Of course."
Lucy, too, was not unaware of Daniel's consideration, so she smiled faintly.
"I am always trusting in you, Major General Daniel."
*
Seraile, who had been sitting in her chair, abruptly opened both eyes.
"Heok......!"
Perhaps due to the recoil of having her mind forcibly disconnected from the doll, her breath became ragged, but there was no time to care.
Seraile almost reflexively felt at her own neck.
Only after confirming that her neck was intact did relief wash over her like a tidal wave.
'......A relief.'
Because of Frien's threat, she had thought Lucy might have reached this place and attacked her, but it seemed that had not happened after all.
'If an intruder had entered my room, the mental connection with the doll would have been severed automatically.'
Even knowing that, there had been something about Frien's threat that sent a chill down her spine.
'In any case.......'
Since Frien's words appeared to be true, she needed to prepare in advance.
Around the time Seraile had steadied her breathing and risen from her seat, the front door of the room opened.
Beyond the opened door stood a woman with silver-white hair and red eyes flashing beneath her locks.
'Lucy Emilia.'
Seraile, instinctively realizing who the woman was, let out a low laugh.
"My, my. You really found your way all the way here. That factor of mine flowing through your body must be quite powerful, hmm? Seeing as you chose only the right path through my mansion, which is no different from a labyrinth."
Lucy moved her steps without a word.
"So, what business brings you here? Did you come to whine to your mother? We may be meeting for the first time, but we share the same blood, don't we?"
Lucy ground her teeth audibly.
It was because Seraile showed not the slightest hint of remorse, even though she had to know that countless orphans had died due to the human experimentation.
Deciding there was no need for conversation, Lucy immediately accelerated her nerves and kicked off the floor.
She closed the distance in an instant, but Seraile, far from running away, was merely wearing a sardonic smile.
Finding that strange, Lucy halted mid-dash.
It was because she had discovered threads, so fine they were hard to identify unless you looked closely, woven like a spider's web directly in front of her.
As Lucy, breaking out in a cold sweat, ended her neural acceleration, Seraile's laughter rang out.
"Ahaha! So close! If you had gone just a little further, your body would have been torn into dozens of pieces! But it's fine. I have a few more toys to make you submit, after all."
Tak!
As Seraile snapped her fingers, the dolls positioned throughout the spacious room opened their eyes all at once.
The dolls, their eyes blank as if without consciousness, slowly began to move their steps toward Lucy.
Noticing the dolls' approach, Lucy drew her revolver, and Seraile whispered low.
"Seize her."
No sooner had Seraile's words ended than the dolls rushed at Lucy with a battle cry.
Lucy raised her revolver and pulled the trigger on instinct.
Tang! Taang─
Each time she pulled the trigger, a charging doll's head burst or its body and arms shattered.
But the number of dolls was far too great to eliminate them all with six bullets.
Having exhausted her bullets, Lucy threw away her revolver and drew her dagger.
She slashed the neck of the first doll rushing at her, lunged forward, severed the arm of the doll coming up behind, and kicked away the doll closing in from the side.
In an instant, she had rendered three dolls combat-incapable, but it was not enough.
As the blood packed into the dolls splattered everywhere, the gap between them was gradually shrinking.
Thinking she had no choice, Lucy once more used neural acceleration to kick off the floor.
As if a silver flash had flickered, the necks of ten dolls were simultaneously cut off.
However, dolls still remained.
Her breath rose to the tip of her chin, but Lucy quickly turned her body and swung her dagger.
It was the moment she plunged her dagger into the mouth of a doll approaching with its mouth gaping open like a zombie.
Chwak!
A sword swung by one doll grazed past Lucy's shoulder.
Pain flared as her skin was cut, but Lucy suppressed a scream and swung her fist.
The doll whose face was struck hard could not even think of swinging its sword again and collapsed backward.
After confirming it had fallen, Lucy pulled out the dagger lodged in the doll's mouth.
Now there were no dolls remaining around her.
Lucy, now covered in blood, exhaled roughly and wiped her mouth.
Watching that Lucy, Seraile wore a delighted smile.
"Impressive. The dolls guarding my room are elites with fast movements and good durability, but I didn't know you could kill them all by yourself. But what now."
Seraile walked leisurely toward Lucy.
"You not only used neural acceleration, which strains the body, twice in a short period, but also got wounded to boot. You know. You don't think you can defeat me in that state, do you?"
No matter how much Lucy had been born as a killing machine through human experimentation, her stamina was not infinite.
Stopping at merely being out of breath after using neural acceleration twice in succession was impressive, but that act clearly had its limits.
"Listen. I don't want to kill you. How could I possibly want to kill a child who received my factor and began a new life? So, won't you stop this now and come into my embrace? If it's me, I can further develop your abilities."
After taking a deep breath, Lucy gripped her dagger.
As if there was no need to answer, Lucy held the handle at an angle and swung her arm.
Seraile's eyes widened into circles upon seeing the dagger hurtling through the air, cutting through it.
But.
Ting─
The dagger, just before touching Seraile's head, was blocked by an invisible barrier and bounced away.
Thanks to that, Seraile's eyes narrowed sharply.
"I thought we might be able to communicate a little, but it seems that was my miscalculation. Well, I don't care even if you are a failed product incapable of communication. I'll make you into a doll and dote on you dearly—"
In that instant, Seraile felt a chill.
It was because she felt killing intent surging from behind her back.
Seraile, turning her head reflexively, could see a man aiming a sniper rifle at her.
Before she could even say anything, the man pulled the trigger.
Kwang!
A thunderous roar, like a shell exploding from a cannon barrel, shook heaven and earth.
Sensing danger, Seraile urgently deployed a mana shield.
A mana shield composed of five layers formed along the trajectory of the bullet.
But the bullet was merely approaching, shattering the mana shields as if they were glass windows.
Kwajangchang─
The moment even the last mana shield was smashed, Seraile caused the mana throughout her entire body to backflow, protecting her skin.
The instant the bullet touched her body, brilliantly colored fragments burst forth and Seraile's body was flung backward.
Her flying body slammed straight into the wall.
Kung!
Amid the dust caked on the wall scattering in all directions, Seraile's body fell downward and tumbled.
Her vision flickered and pain assailed her.
Propping herself up on the floor with trembling hands, Seraile gasped for breath and slowly raised her head.
Ddagak─
In the space where the sound of boot heels echoed, a man carrying a sniper rifle walked forward.
"Seraile. Your pathetic puppet show is over now."
Perhaps thanks to the voice, even through her blurry vision, she could easily tell who that person was.
'The root of all this trouble.......'
It was Daniel Steiner, the one they called the Devil of the Empire.