Chapter 85: 21st Floor: I Will Protect You.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 85: 21st Floor: I Will Protect You.
"Wh-what do we do?"
"First, get dressed. They won't be able to enter the cave anyway."
I collected myself and prepared for the assault.
As soon as our affair ended, I could feel my body recovering. The Tireless Onahole effect had activated.
This is actually better. I don't have to worry about being surrounded by cavalry here.
There was no horse to protect, and Irene just had to stay behind me.
"She's near here!"
"Search the area!"
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before we were discovered.
In that case, I'll strike first.
Using the <Stealth> skill from my Asanagi armor, which I had never used before, I slipped out of the entrance.
Then, I slowly approached the direction of the commander's voice.
"Commander! We've found a cave over here!"
The moment the commander turned his gaze toward the cave.
I calculated my remaining divine power, activated all my buffs to the third stage, and—
[Full Charge Over Spear]
[Supersonic Spear]
- used both skills to execute a simple, powerful, and fast thrust.
"Hm!?"
The commander sensed something was wrong and turned his head, but he could neither block nor dodge.
Just as his head turned, my spear pierced his armor and shattered his heart.
CRUNCH!!
"Keuk!"
He died without even letting out a scream, blood pouring from his heart.
"The commander's been hit! Over here!"
Ignoring the enemies that were quickly forming a perimeter, I rushed back into the cave.
"Kyaaah!!"
It had taken me a moment to break through their encirclement, and in that time, a soldier who had carelessly entered the cave was trying to drag Irene away.
CRUNCH!
I killed him by piercing his neck from behind, revealing Irene dressed in modern clothes.
She looked a bit out of place in black dolphin shorts and a white crop top, but it suited her surprisingly well...
No, this is not the time to be admiring her...
I quickly snapped out of it and handed Irene the dead soldier's sword.
"Lady Irene. It's unlikely to happen, but if someone attacks you, fight back."
"Huh...? F-fight?"
Leaving the slightly dazed Irene behind, I ran back to the cave entrance.
"The enemy is trapped! Kill the escort knight and bring the princess back alive!"
I thought they'd be in disarray after their commander's death, but the second-in-command immediately took over and quickly restored order.
The enemies pushed into the cave in a disciplined two-line formation.
The cave was about two meters wide.
It could be considered narrow or wide, depending on your perspective.
Before they could advance further, I charged forward and attacked.
SQUELCH!!
My spear flashed in the dark cave.
"Keok!"
"Gaaah!!!"
I'll make you regret ever setting foot in here...
With every swing of my spear, the soldiers at the front fell one after another.
[Light]
A mage created a ball of light, illuminating the cave's interior, but it didn't change much.
They couldn't beat me on open ground even when I was protecting Irene, so they had no chance of victory now.
Whether they were knights or soldiers, any troops that entered the cave were shredded as if by a blender.
"......"
"Th-this is..."
"A... Spearmaster...?"
Thud...
"You shall not pass."
I stood at the entrance, guarding it with my spear.
In an instant, a mountain of corpses piled up in front of the cave, and crimson blood flowed out like a river.
I could feel the enemies falter, overwhelmed by my imposing presence and the sight of the bodies strewn across the ground.
"Go! She's alone. She'll get tired eventually!" the second-in-command shouted desperately, but his men remained frozen in place.
Who would willingly walk into certain death? It wouldn't even be an honorable one—it would be a dog's death.
Not just the soldiers, but even the knights stared at their commander with pleading eyes, as if rooted to the spot.
Their eyes begged him to spare them.
"Keuk, damn it... Forget entering. Rain down ranged attacks!"
Reinforcements must have arrived, as they began firing arrows and casting spells again, but I blocked them all.
If I could fend off attacks aimed at my horse from all directions, why wouldn't I be able to block this?
"Tsk... damn bitch..."
Just as the second-in-command was glaring at me,
Thud thud thud thud...
My senses picked up a much larger force approaching.
What is it, reinforcements? Whose reinforcements?
If they were allies sent by the Empire, the trial would end.
And finally.
Ooh... are they on our side?
I could see knights bearing the crest of the Arcadia Empire...
".......?"
Why weren't the two groups fighting?
On the contrary, they seemed to recognize each other. The attackers waved at the Imperial forces.
"Reinforcements are here!"
However, the Imperial officials didn't seem too pleased to see them.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk... you still haven't dealt with her?! Do you have any idea how furious His Majesty the Emperor is!" a middle-aged Imperial knight shouted. The attackers' second-in-command protested as if wronged.
"Hey, this is your fault too. You never said her escort knight was such a superhuman."
"Shut your mouth, you useless trash. This actually works out well. We'll say the princess was killed by your Servion Kingdom, not the Luxendark Kingdom. Well, you were our next target anyway."
"What...?"
The situation suddenly turned on its head.
What is this...
SLASH!
"Kill all of these worthless insects!"
"Uwaaaah!!! Why!!"
"We were just following orders... keuk!"
What in the world is happening...
I thought they were allies, but the Imperial forces instantly began slaughtering the ones who had attacked us. With the overwhelming difference in skill, the soldiers of the Servion Kingdom couldn't even put up a proper fight before they were all killed.
Completely terrified, two of them ran into the cave. I felt sorry for them and let them pass. They didn't even spare Irene a glance as they fled madly in the opposite direction.
What is going on...
One thing was certain.
Those Imperial forces were not on our side.
"Pichina Ibenstein, surrender. The princess must die here."
"What kind of bullshit is that? I have no intention of backing down, so just report that she's dead and move on."
I went back into the cave and threw out a torn, blood-stained piece of the princess's clothing.
"Here, use this as proof. You don't want to take unnecessary risks either, right? I'll take the princess and live quietly in the mountains. So leave us alone."
Solving trials with brute force isn't always the answer.
Besides, this doesn't feel like a trial meant to be solved with force...
If my previous opponents were a combination of knights and trained soldiers, this time it was a combination of knights and knight-commander-level fighters.
There were even mages lined up behind them, looking like a magic corps.
I'd seen them before while doing my research.
The Empire's special forces, who operated in the shadows.
All of them were here.
"We don't need this. We need the living princess's head. There will be no further negotiations, so decide carefully. We are showing you mercy."
They're completely unyielding...
I had never thought I lacked strength before, and I never thought I would in the future.
Why are enemies of this caliber appearing on the mere 21st floor...
There were at least two Swordmasters.
A Swordmaster was an existence that couldn't be compared to a mere knight who could use aura.
Each one was a transcendent being, practically a national power unto themselves.
I knew the Empire only had five of them, and I had the misfortune of meeting two here.
With my current strength, even one would be a struggle. On top of the continuous battles since yesterday, my once-abundant divine power was nearly depleted.
Is this trial designed for me to fail...
It felt as if the heavens themselves were forcing me to abandon Irene and run.
"Hoo... alright. Just give me a moment to think."
"I'll give you exactly five minutes. If we see any sign of you trying to escape, the negotiations are off. Understood?"
Five minutes.
That was enough time.
First, I drank my breast milk to recover my nearly depleted divine power. Although I wouldn't recover properly after the third one due to potion addiction symptoms, I still replenished what little I could.
I think I have a grasp of the situation.
It seemed the Empire had chosen the princess's death as a pretext to start a war. With a clear justification, other allied nations would be reluctant to join the conflict.
Most likely, their plan was to use the Servion Kingdom's forces to kill the princess the moment she crossed the Luxendark border.
But those guys said they were going to save the princess...? Did they have different agendas...
Five minutes later.
I checked my remaining divine power.
Divine Power (351/2887)
It can't be helped. I didn't recover as much as I'd hoped, but I have to go on like this.
"I'll hand over the princess."
I felt the princess flinch inside the cave at my decision.
I immediately turned around, lifted her by the waist, and...
"Pichina... I, I... huh?"
While the men outside were momentarily off guard, I sprinted toward the opposite end of the cave.
"...Huh?"
"She's... running? Get her!"
My lie had made them hesitate for a moment, buying me about five seconds.
"Eh...?"
Irene, who must have thought she was truly being abandoned, looked up at me with wide eyes. Her innocent expression made me laugh despite myself.
"Hahaha! Did you really think I would abandon you, Lady Irene? Don't worry. I will protect you, no matter what."
I don't want to fail this time.
The trial of the 21st floor didn't have a particularly high death rate. However, its mission failure rate was among the top three.
And the 21st floor was the trial where I, too, had experienced failure for the first time in my past life.
Back then, I had no choice but to kill Diana with my own hands to survive alone. I can still vividly feel that sensation in the hand that holds my spear.
I never want to feel that powerless again.
If we were strangers like yesterday, it might have been different, but how could I abandon a woman whose virginity I had taken!
I kept telling myself not to get attached to the Tower's virtual characters, but when the moment of choice arrives, it's difficult for anyone to make a decision devoid of emotion.
Still, I have a plan.
And I'm stronger than I was in my past life.
I have to do this... No, I will definitely do this.
I could feel someone closing in on me from behind.
Fast...
BOOM!!!
As I ran through the cave, I struck the ceiling, causing stalactites to fall.
"You think you can stop me with that!"
Someone was pursuing me alone, moving quickly.
A Swordmaster?
A young, blond, blue-eyed Imperial Swordmaster was hot on my heels. Like the hot-blooded youth he was, he had charged out on his own.
Even though I hadn't had much time to research the Empire, I thought I knew his name.
The youngest Swordmaster in the Empire's history.
A commoner who became a Swordmaster at the tender age of twenty-one.
Sword Saint Kyle.
The fact that he was following me so precisely in a cave where almost no light entered meant his sensory perception had to be at least on par with mine.
SHWIIING!!
"Kyaaaaah!!"
Irene screamed when she saw him swing his sword from behind.
He had caught up to my speed and was swinging his blade.
Damn it...
He wasn't the only one I had to be afraid of.
There was another Swordmaster with skills equal to or greater than his, along with countless knights and mages supporting them.
I have to avoid confronting the main force at all costs.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
I kept striking the ceiling.
Kyle dodged the falling stalactites and continued to chase me.
"Stop your meaningless resistance and die!"
WHOOSH!!
I dodged his sword, imbued with blue aura, by a hair's breadth and struck the ceiling again.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
"With just this pathetic..."
And then,
RUMBLE... KRA-BOOOOOM!!!!
"What?"
The cave ceiling collapsed, burying Kyle beneath it.