The Experiment (Part 2)
The assassins encircling us wore an eclectic assortment of disguises: merchants, adventurers, mercenaries, mages, and everything in between. It seemed these were the ones responsible for leaking rumors about us in the first place. Come to think of it, that made complete sense. To coordinate the movements of local adventurers with the exact timing of our entry into the Wyrm Mountains, they would have had to deliberately spread the word ahead of time. Must have cost a pretty penny, too. Was that Zebran bastard an even bigger player than I thought?
"*Pfffft.* Who's your leader?"
I exhaled a long trail of cigarette smoke as I asked, but no answer came. Faint presences, tightly refined auras, and an encirclement steadily tightening in disciplined formation—these bastards were remarkably well-trained. A definite cut above the assassins we had dealt with before.
Ah, I see. So that's how it is.
It would have been convenient if the adventurers had killed us for them, but this was the main force deployed just in case they failed. The sheer murderous intent rolling off them was so thick it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
"...Well, fine by me. Once you're below a certain threshold, all you small fry are the same anyway."
Smirking, I focused on the rings adorning both my hands. On my left hand were the Ring of Absolute Evasion and the Absolute Ring of Taunt; on my right was the Absolute Counter Ring. There was no deep tactical rationale behind the placement. I was right-handed, so I simply figured it would be easier to counterattack with my dominant hand.
"Muriel, Rebecca, Cacciola, and Lira."
"Y-Yes? Me as well?"
Having never been called upon during combat situations before, Lira blinked in mild panic, her eyes widening.
"Yeah. There's no need to protect us this time. All I need is enough firepower to put the enemy down fast."
"What does that..."
"Prepare for battle. Here they come."
There was no time left for explanations. Having closed the distance, the assassins lurking behind the brush and up in the trees flared their auras all at once, drawing their weapons in unison. In other words, their 'first strike' was imminent.
"Hahaha! Come on, give me everything you've got! Let me show you why the Absolute Ring Set is called the Civilian Slaughter Rings!"
Fwoosh.
The crimson gem of the Absolute Ring of Taunt flared briefly, washing over the assassins before settling back into a quiet glow.
"Kh...!"
"Kill him...!"
The very next instant, their bloodlust swelled at a terrifying speed. It was sharp enough to send chills straight down my spine.
"Diiiiiiie!"
"Yaaaaah!"
"Drop dead, you bastard!"
Assassins who had exuded cold, calculated, machine-like malice only seconds earlier suddenly began roaring at the top of their lungs like raving lunatics as they charged. It was a blatantly unnatural sight. And needless to say, every single attack was aimed squarely at me.
"Lord Alzen?!"
"Look out!"
"Damn it, I'm too late—?!"
The women turned pale with shock and moved to intercept even though they were a step behind. Waving them off with a quick gesture, I splayed the fingers of my left hand and concentrated my awareness into the rings.
In a split second, a faint, translucent violet haze wrapped around my entire frame.
Squish! Slurp! Shwump!
A series of bizarre, utterly impossible sounds erupted from my body as it moved.
"Wh-What in the world...?!"
"Lord Alzen...?!"
"What was that movement just now?!"
I couldn't blame them for being horrified. My own heart was pounding like a jackhammer in my chest.
"...Completely intact."
Looking down at my unharmed body, I let out a breath of relief. It claimed to guarantee absolute evasion, so I assumed incoming attacks would simply slide off or miss on their own. I never imagined it would force the wearer's physical form to contort so grotesquely. Could flowing like a slick, viscous liquid—thinning out, stretching long, or snapping short—even be classified as mere 'movement'? It felt far more accurate to call it an occult phenomenon that flagrantly violated the laws of physics and causality. The game had never depicted it like this, nor was there any mention of it in the setting lore.
"...Well, whatever."
Doing my best to soothe my rattled nerves, I channeled my focus into the ring on my right hand.
Fwip! Shring!
Dozens of black spears condensed from pure shadows manifested in the air around me before firing off at speeds far too fast for the naked eye to track.
"What?!"
"What is this?!"
"Magic?!"
"Dodge—*Gaaaaah!*"
The black spears seemed to teleport directly to the assailants who had targeted me, impaling them in the blink of an eye. Evasion, parries, barriers—every defensive action they attempted proved utterly meaningless. The spears bypassed, penetrated, and phased right through. As if meeting an inescapable destiny, the assassins crumpled helplessly under the unnatural onslaught, coughing up sprays of blood as they collapsed with fatal wounds.
"Oh? A far more impressive relic than I anticipated," Weller remarked, genuine intrigue coloring her decadent features.
"Wow! That was incredible, Orabeoni! So cool!" Vivian cheered, clapping her hands in awe.
Snapping back to their senses, the four combatants raised their weapons and rushed in to finish off the remaining survivors.
"...Hmm. Well, look at that."
"They're all going to bleed out in a minute anyway."
"Lord Alzen, I don't think we even need to lift a finger."
"Hey. Did you seriously not even know what your own artifact could do?"
None of them swung their weapons. There was simply no need—the incapacitated assassins were already taking their dying breaths.
"...Is that so? Quite useful, then. Glad I went out of my way to acquire it."
I maintained an easy, nonchalant smile, but internally I was reeling. What in the sweet hell was that? Where did those bizarre black spears come from? In the game, even if there were numerous enemies scattered at a distance, the character simply dashed forward at blinding speed to deliver a flurry of physical strikes. That was the sole reason I had equipped the Absolute Counter Ring on my right hand in the first place.
"*Tsk...*"
I glanced down at the black gem gleaming mysteriously on my finger. Was this the fundamental difference between game mechanics and reality? Or was there some hidden lore mechanic I had never known about?
"...Muriel, Rebecca, Cacciola. Any of them still breathing?"
"None around me, My Lord."
"There's one over here. But he'll die of blood loss soon."
"Why? Looking to confirm the kills yourself?"
"No, I want to test something. Who's still alive?"
"Over here."
Following Cacciola's pointing finger, I walked over and stood before a man sprawled on the ground, gasping raggedly for air.
"Let's see..."
I focused on the Absolute Ring of Taunt.
"......"
Nothing. The ring didn't respond at all. It seemed the encounter was still registered as an ongoing battle, meaning any further action was treated as a subsequent attack rather than an opening strike.
"Hey. Can you speak?"
"...D-Damn it... In a place like this... you monster... bastard..."
Watching him squeeze out words with the last dregs of his strength, I continued, "Do you still intend to fight me?"
"What...? What kind of... bullshit is that... Look at the state I'm in... Can't you see...?"
"Hmm."
Giving Muriel a subtle flick of my fingers behind my back, I took one step closer.
"*Hah!*"
In that instant, the man sprang up like a coiled steel spring, thrusting a concealed dagger straight toward my throat.
Clang!
Muriel deflected the strike effortlessly with a flick of her blade, her calm eyes glancing toward me to gauge my intent.
"Kill him."
"Understood."
Crack!
Listening to the crisp snap of cervical vertebrae without a shred of emotion, I strolled toward the next survivor.
"Can you speak?"
"...Just kill me... if you're going to..."
"Are you going to keep fighting?"
"What the hell... is wrong with you...? Heh... Are you mocking me...?"
"I see. So you've completely lost the will to fight, have you?"
I channeled my will into the Absolute Ring of Taunt once more. Immediately, a faint reddish hue seeped into the man's battered form.
"*Graaaagh!*"
Where he managed to find the strength was a mystery, but the man who had been limp only seconds before suddenly whipped his leg upward, aiming a vicious kick at my neck. A wicked metal spike embedded in the toe of his boot gleamed with lethal intent.
"I see... So losing the will to fight completely resets the combat state."
Shwiiip!
Activating the Ring of Absolute Evasion, my body rippled through another round of grotesque, unnatural contortions, sliding effortlessly around the incoming spike with inches to spare.
"Now then..."
Without missing a beat, I triggered the Absolute Counter Ring.
Whoosh!
My body moved on pure instinct, sweeping forward like a sudden whirlwind in a display of seamless, elegant martial form.
CRACK!
Tracing an utterly flawless arc, my heel smashed into the assassin's face, caving it inward on impact.
"......"
No black spears manifested this time; my body had physically executed the counterattack instead. What dictated the difference? Was it proximity? Or was it because there was only a single target?
"Cacciola. Any other survivors?"
"Huh? Um... nope, looks like that's all of them. Everyone's dead."
"*Tsk.* Couldn't even squeeze out any proper information... Useless bastards."
Clicking my tongue in annoyance, I turned around, only to find Rebecca staring at me with wide, hollow eyes. She flinched violently when our gazes met.
"What's the matter?"
"Y-Yes?! No! It's nothing at all, My Lord!"
She whipped her head away, her expression frozen stiff as stone.
"...Ah."
Did watching me act so ruthlessly shatter whatever idealized image she had of me?
"......"
Honestly, it wasn't my problem. Whatever she thought of me, as long as she did her job properly, that was plenty. Her upright, righteous nature was a bit of a headache to navigate at times... but you can't put spilled water back into the cup.
"...?"
Still, why was she fidgeting like that? Did she need to take a piss or something?
Rebecca was spiraling into complete turmoil.
It wasn't because he had treated human lives like disposable lab rats to test an artifact without a shred of hesitation. While Rebecca was inherently upright and good-natured, she was never naive enough to extend mercy to assassins who had come explicitly to take her life. If she had been that soft, she would never have earned the rank of Gold Rank Adventurer and Gold Rank mercenary in two cutthroat, blood-soaked industries.
The true problem lay in her own body's horrifying reaction to the spectacle.
The cruelty the real-world Alzen had never shown until now, the cold eyes that treated human existence as worthless, and the absolute disregard for anything that didn't serve his immediate goals—it was all terrifyingly identical to the Alzen from her hallucinatory trauma.
"*Nnnh...!*"
The moment those countless memories of being defiled and broken as a mindless sex slave replayed in her head, a blistering heat surged through her veins, sending a deep, heavy ache thrumming through her lower belly. Down between her thighs, a slick, suffocating dampness was already spreading, warm fluids pooling against her undergarments.
Have you completely lost your mind, Rebecca?! Are you insane?! You cannot be thinking like this! The Alzen from that hallucination and Lord Alzen are entirely different people! And you are not a sex slave!
She berated herself furiously, cursing her own depravity and desperately rejecting reality. Yet the harder she struggled to deny it, the more vividly those memories of conditioning, degradation, and overwhelming physical ecstasy flashed before her eyes.
I'm going crazy...! What am I supposed to do?!
Distressed beyond measure, she pressed her thighs tightly together, squirming in a futile effort to suppress the throbbing friction. Before she could stop herself, her eyes drifted back toward Alzen's silhouette. It was an irresistible instinct—a deeply conditioned reflex wired into her nervous system that craved absolute submission and pleasure.
"......"
And because she was so consumed by her inner torment, Rebecca failed to notice Muriel's steady, unblinking gaze watching her every move.