Making an Entrance (Part 2)
That Muriel had grown far stronger than I'd imagined was obvious from her very first move. A shadow, swelling outward without releasing the faintest presence, swallowed the surrounding area in pitch darkness before bursting into hundreds of sharp, needle-like spikes.
"Guh?!"
"Urgh...!"
Chunks of flesh and sprays of blood erupted like a torrential downpour surging in reverse. And yet, not a single one died. With unnaturally tough hide, dense sinew and bone, and heightened reflexes and kinetic vision pushed past mortal limits, they barely managed to dodge fatal blows. At that level, they were practically monsters.
"Fall back! She's not someone we can handle!"
"Keep her pinned from a distance! A Master must be fought by a Master!"
Yet even assassins enhanced into monstrous anomalies scattered in terror, desperately widening the distance—such was the weight of a Master.
"Oh..."
I was genuinely impressed. Not merely hiding within darkness, but actually ruling over shadows and wielding them as weapons—this was undeniable proof that an assassin practicing the Shadow Arts had reached the Master rank.
"...Damn it!"
The enemy Master attempted to retaliate by manipulating their own shadow, but they couldn't even give substance to it, let alone alter its shape. From the very beginning, they were hopelessly outmatched in the battle for dominance. While the shadows swirling around Muriel surged like living beasts to claim territory, the opposing Master's shadow was steadily eroded, its control seized by Muriel's overwhelming authority.
Is the difference between possessing enlightenment and lacking it really that vast?
Stat-wise, there shouldn't have been much disparity, but seeing them clash, Muriel felt at least two steps ahead.
"She is quite reassuring," Wendy murmured, standing close to shield me.
I nodded. To avoid interfering with Muriel's shadows, Wendy was actively suppressing the radiant aura flowing from her body to a dim glow.
"How's your body?"
"No issues. My constitution is somewhat unique, so I do not die easily. I also possess my own methods of recovery. Though, the potion from the Duke's Castle was truly extraordinary."
"Naturally. Considering the sheer fortune poured into brewing it."
Taking a deep drag from my hand-rolled cigarette, I swept my gaze across the battlefield.
"Hmm..."
Urtega was locked in an intense stalemate against Nemeth, two Master-rank assassins, and dozens of rank-and-file killers. Muriel was dominating the remaining Master-rank assassin and the surrounding fodder, throwing their ranks into disarray, but... she hadn't managed to inflict decisive, lethal damage yet.
As expected, this wasn't great. There were just too many enemies.
"Damn it. Failing to wipe them out in one fell swoop stings."
I sighed, watching a squad of assassins creep toward us, apparently having enough leeway to peel away from the front line.
"...Stay as close to me as possible."
Shrouding her frame in streams of radiant divinity, Wendy drew a deep breath and calibrated her posture. Yet the assassins paid no heed to the dazzling light, closing the encirclement like murky, blurred silhouettes.
"—!!"
Just then, the operatic cadence sung by the Third Princess resonated with greater, more majestic resonance. If this weren't the middle of a battle, her voice was so breathtaking and hypnotic I would have wanted to pull up a chair and listen at leisure.
"Urgh...!"
Immediately following the crescendo, strength drained from my limbs, and a sharp spike of vertigo assaulted my senses. The assassins, on the other hand, exploded with terrifying vigor, their movements overflowing with raw power. Even their wounded began to regenerate at an alarming rate.
It clearly packed a mental attack as well. Without the Holy Guardian Fortress, I would've been in serious trouble.
Looking around, Urtega and Muriel were rampaging through their opponents seemingly unaffected, but Wendy staggered slightly, her brow deeply furrowed.
Damn, this was way too disadvantageous.
"...O Goddess. Grant me the strength and courage to protect the one precious to me."
Wendy's low murmur of prayer conjured a translucent barrier around me.
Clang! Screeech!
Because it was cast by a paladin rather than a consecrated priest, the barrier was too frail to withstand even a single slash from an assassin, but it bought a fraction of a second. And that split second was an invaluable window for Wendy to defend me.
Cl-cl-clang! Craaaack!
As soon as one barrier shattered, another was raised; as soon as that one splintered, she erected yet another.
"Ngh...!"
Continuously manifesting barriers while parrying the assassins, Wendy's face was taut with strain. The assassins never rushed. Merely closing the net step by step, hurling concealed blades, and swinging their daggers in unpredictable arcs posed an immense threat to Wendy, who was shackled by the need to shield me.
"...I really don't like this."
I had anticipated things playing out like this, but actually being treated as hostage baggage made my lack of combat prowess genuinely irritating.
Clang! Shing! Thud!
It would be great if Muriel or Urtega could lend a hand, but both were firmly pinned down; neither could break away before concluding their own fights.
"Guess I have no choice..."
Focusing my attention on the Silk of Atonement wrapped around my left arm, I searched for an opening. With this relic, I could launch a surprise attack and bind a few of them if push came to shove. With an opening like that, Wendy could handle the rest.
Craaack! Shatter! Screeech!
The moment yet another barrier—I'd lost count of how many—shattered under an assassin's blade, I poured my focus into the Silk of Atonement.
"Hrrrryaaaaah!!"
"...Huh?"
Just before the Silk of Atonement could unravel, a boisterous battle cry tore through the air, followed by an Aura Blade blazing crimson like the sun sweeping across our surroundings.
"Gaaah?!"
"Urgh...!?"
Taken aback by the ambush, the assassins hastily retreated, glaring at the woman who had materialized out of thin air.
"Hahaha! Seems I showed up at the perfect moment! Are you alright, Lord Alzen?!"
"...Your timing really is immaculate, Rebecca. Almost feels like the two of us planned it."
"Pardon?"
"No, never mind."
I breathed a quiet sigh of relief and relaxed. Honestly, exposing my demonized left arm wasn't something I was keen on doing.
"Could you explain the situation?! Who are these people?! Why are you fighting?!"
"...To put it simply, they're assassins targeting me."
"What about that strange woman singing over there? Is she an enemy?"
"That's the Third Princess. Don't touch her."
"...Eh? An Imperial Princess?"
Seeing Rebecca turn to me with a dumbfounded expression, I smirked.
"Ngh...!"
Just meeting my gaze flushed Rebecca's cheeks crimson. She fidgeted, pressing her thighs together restlessly.
...Even after becoming a Sword Master, do you still get turned on every time you look at me?
"...Anyway, take care of the assassins around us."
"Ahem! Understood! Leave it to me!"
"Ah, does this count as your second request? Or the third?"
"I'll handle this one for free! Who was it that helped me become a Sword Master in the first place?!"
"...Well, if you insist."
The moment I nodded, Rebecca bared her teeth in a fierce grin and lunged forward, twin swords leading the charge.
Kzzzzzzzt!
Unlike Muriel's subtle strikes, her arcs were loud and dazzling, stretching and snapping back like elastic whips to scour the area.
"Aaargh!"
"Damn it! Where the hell did that woman pop out from?!"
"Don't panic! Focus on defense and evasion!"
"Prioritize survival!"
They did their absolute best. But the only thing capable of stopping an Aura Blade is another Aura Blade. And evading it was utterly impossible without the reflexes and agility of a Sword Master or beyond.
Thus, the assassins were tossed aside helplessly, spraying blood into the air.
...Yet, wow, even with that, not one of them was dying.
They narrowly dodged fatal blows or sacrificed weapons and armor to minimize the damage. This was against the onslaught of a full-fledged Sword Master, no less. Is this for real?
Back when the Third Princess was in my party in the game, I hadn't realized it, but facing her as an enemy was monstrously irritating.
Still, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the tide had turned. Muriel alone had been overwhelming, and now that Rebecca had joined the fray, the ones backed into a corner weren't us, but the Third Princess and Greenjack.
"Still, this is going to take a bit of time..."
If only Cacciola would emerge now, we could wrap things up swiftly and cleanly...
Clinging to a shred of hope, I glanced down into my breast pocket at the relic, the Invitation of the Forgotten. Perhaps because Muriel and Rebecca had already broken through, it was glowing with a faint golden light, but there was no sign of Cacciola stepping out.
"...I'm getting a bad feeling about this."
Truth be told, out of the trials given to the three women, Cacciola's was by far the most grueling and agonizing. Perhaps because of my own circumstances, I sympathized with her even more... but if I were faced with a trial like hers, I had zero confidence I could overcome it.
After all, my trial would undoubtedly force me to face Kang Han-gil from my past life.
"—!! —!!!"
"Urgh...! She's really pulling out all the stops now."
While I lost myself in idle thoughts after regaining some breathing room, the Third Princess, realizing her side was being pushed back, began to sing the climax in an even higher, sustained pitch.
My strength vanished to the point where I could barely support my own weight. Intense dizziness and disarray warped my senses, dropping me to the floor with a dull thud. From the ground, I stared blankly at the Third Princess, who was singing with every ounce of her life force.
"Are you all right?" Wendy asked.
I nodded, taking a swig of liquor.
"Keugh...! Wendy, help me up."
"You may remain seated. I will protect you."
"No, I want to go over to the Third Princess."
"To the Princess? Is that not dangerous?"
"It should be fine. She doesn't have much in the way of direct offensive power, so as long as you guard me, we'll be good."
"......"
She stared at me intently for a moment before nodding.
"Understood."
Draping my arm over her shoulder, she hoisted me to my feet in one smooth motion and marched toward the Third Princess without hesitation.
Schwiiing! Clang!
Muriel and Rebecca caught on immediately, carving open a clear path while covering our advance.
"—! —--—!"
Even as she continued her lyrical song, the Third Princess glared fiercely at me as I drew near.
"...Your singing sounds even lovelier up close, Your Imperial Highness."
"—-—---—!!"
Her pitch wavered slightly, but she stubbornly pressed on with her melody, bolstering her allies with buffs while burdening her enemies with debuffs.
"Won't you call it quits soon? Your Imperial Highness's defeat appears quite irreversible."
"──!!"
As if declaring otherwise, her voice rang out with heightened clarity.
Craaaack! Crunch!
"Kuh...!"
"Aargh!"
Yet, none of it could alter the flow of battle. As time went on, the wounds suffered by the assassins, including Nazareth Nemeth, grew both more frequent and more severe. Since the Third Princess wasn't a dedicated healer, her song couldn't possibly cover all the mounting damage.
"—..."
Furthermore, the Third Princess was growing noticeably exhausted.
It was only natural. Specializing in buffs or not, elevating dozens of individuals an entire realm higher while layering continuous buffs and debuffs took a tremendous toll on her stamina. If anything, it was astonishing that she could support a group this large in the first place.
"You don't need to worry—I have no intention of publicizing Your Imperial Highness's connection to Greenjack. Well, you might not believe me, but... please consider that a risk a loser simply has to bear."
Despite my words, she kept singing with all her might, determined not to yield. She looked like a stubborn child throwing a tantrum, fueled entirely by sheer defiance.
"—*Cough!* *Gasp!* *Haaah!*"
Yet that stubbornness couldn't last forever.
Having finally exhausted her energy, the Third Princess collapsed to the floor in a fit of violent coughing.
"Haaah! Hah... *pant*...!"
"Do you feel... even a little relieved now, Your Imperial Highness?"
"...No. Not in the slightest."
"A pity, then."
I hooked my middle finger against my thumb and aimed it straight at her forehead.
"...?"
*Fwack!*
"Kyaaah?!"
Snapping my wrist with full momentum, I delivered a stinging forehead flick.
"Ow, that hurts...!"
"Consider that the victor's strike."
When I flashed her a bold, shameless grin, she clutched her forehead, eyes welling with tears, and looked up at me with an utterly baffled and bewildered expression.