Shattered Tiles
The tiles lay broken, the walls crumbled to dust.
The auction house's seventh floor had been reduced to utter devastation. Yet Bruno, the one who had caused all this chaos, now appeared eerily composed.
"...What a rat-like bastard."
Bruno's gaze shifted to Chris. The boy's right arm was shattered, and there wasn't a single inch of his body left unscathed. Even so, Bruno hadn't managed to finish him off.
"Movements like you anticipated every attack. Is that your Trait?"
"Cough!"
Instead of answering, Chris wiped the blood from his mouth. Whether from being thrown around or some internal injury, his insides were a total mess.
...Surviving this long is a miracle in itself.
Before meeting Zien, Chris's skills hadn't even reached 3rd rank. But now, even if all he could do was endure, he was holding his own against a 5th rank Hunter. He wasn't born with the genius talent of others, but Chris had worked harder than anyone, steadily and without complaint.
Demona must've gotten away safely, right?
"That woman's as good as dead."
As if reading Chris's mind, Bruno spoke up.
"Maybe getting caught by me would've been the better option."
"Ptoo! Bullshit."
Chris spat out the blood pooling in his mouth.
Bruno seemed utterly relaxed, with no intention of pursuing Demona.
"It's the truth. I've already made contact."
He pulled an ear mic from his pocket and showed it to Chris.
"She's another 5th rank Hunter, but the guy's chasing her is at least twice as strong as me. And the boss? At least three times."
"For a big lug like you... pulling the numbers game?"
Bruno regarded Chris with an inscrutable expression. His tightly clenched lips held a steely resolve.
"...What's your goal here?"
Bruno swung his fist through empty air.
Krrrk!
Spear-shaped rocks erupted from the ground.
They pierced straight through Chris's shoulder.
"Gahhh!"
Chris's scream was brief, but the agony was excruciating. Bruno looked down at him calmly.
"No one risks their life for a simple heist. You're not the type."
Chris's face hardened. It was as if Bruno was probing the very essence of what it meant to be a Saber. He couldn't possibly know the truth, but his instincts were spot on.
"That's..."
"Can't say, huh."
Bruno kicked off the ground.
His massive frame hurtled toward Chris like a bullet.
Bam!
The impact slammed Chris into the wall.
"Ngh! Urk... urgh!"
His mind reeled, breathing became a struggle. Bruno's deep voice reverberated through the building.
"...We had someone we wanted to protect, too."
Bruno approached Chris slowly. The weight of the thickened air pressed down, suffocating him.
"...Is that the villain's excuse?"
"No excuses. That person's dead. An upright soul. They probably wouldn't have even dreamed of revenge like this."
"Then why... Gah!"
Bruno seized Chris by the collar and hoisted him up.
"No. That's exactly why."
Killing intent poured from Bruno's body.
"Because they were that kind of person, we took up the revenge ourselves."
Bruno gathered power into his fist.
This was destructive force on a whole other level. If it connected, Chris would be obliterated beyond recognition.
"Ngh! Let go!"
Chris thrashed, but Bruno's arm didn't budge an inch.
"Only we can be the vengeful spirits for that person."
Bruno pulled his fist back.
And as he thrust it toward Chris—
Slash!
Fresh blood sprayed from what had seemed like an arm of stone. Someone had sliced Bruno's arm with a sword.
"Tch! Damn it!"
Chris slipped free from Bruno's grasp.
"Gasp, hack! Hack!"
Panting raggedly, Chris looked up. There stood Lucia in her association uniform, elegantly wielding a sword that gleamed like moonlight.
"Am I too late?"
Her black hair swayed like a curtain in the ripple of mana. Chris managed to croak out a response.
"Nah, you fucking... took your sweet time."
Chris slunk toward the corner. Bruno, ignoring him entirely now, glared at Lucia with murderous intent.
"So the association's dog shows up."
Lucia didn't reply. She simply leveled her sword at him.
"With that toy... against me?!"
Bruno's arm hardened like metal. It was the power of his Trait, [Metallization]. Losing his cool at the sight of Lucia, he unleashed a frenzy of punches fueled by rage.
...Slow.
But to Lucia, his attacks were crystal clear.
Compared to that person's sword...
This was the fruit of her special training.
Like a reed bending in a storm, Lucia parried and deflected Bruno's assaults. His sheer mass was incomparable to hers, yet he couldn't overpower her.
"Raaargh!"
Roaring, Bruno slammed both palms into the floor. Rocks burst forth, hurtling toward Lucia.
Grind!
No sword could block an onslaught like that. Bruno was a Hunter specialized for combat, his Trait boasting terrifying destructive power.
"King's Call."
But.
Lucia's Magic Tool wasn't a sword. Her Stigma had bestowed upon her a throne of transparently glowing crystal. Her surroundings slowly transformed into a crystalline world. Seated upon that throne, the space around Lucia became her domain. The invading rocks turned to crystal and clattered to the ground.
"...You bastard!"
Bruno charged, but it was futile resistance. His full-force punch was blocked by a crystal soldier, while spears and arrows of crystal rained down from the air.
"How! With that! Pathetic Trait! Raaargh!"
Bruno's fury echoed.
The arrows and spears pouring down turned to crystal dust under the power of his Trait, [Lion's Roar]. But in this world, sustained by Lucia's mana, it was eternal. With a single imperious gesture from her—
Clang!
Crystal chains bound Bruno. Soldiers rose from the floor. In this realm of crystal, the Rebellion's uprising held no sway. Lucia was the iron-blooded empress.
"This is your defeat."
Her voice held no tremor. She merely stated the fact impassively toward Bruno. But he had no intention of surrendering.
"Raaargh!!"
Thrashing like a beast, Bruno struggled. The more he did, the tighter the crystal chains constricted.
At Lucia's gesture, a spear pierced him. Bruno no longer had the strength to activate his Traits.
"...Damn it all."
Chris turned his head away from the limp Bruno.
"You..."
As Lucia descended from her throne, the crystal world began to crumble. She had not a scrap of mana left, but she showed no sign of it.
"This is a Gate."
A illusory space no different from a game. Lucia looked down at Chris expressionlessly.
"They're just characters."
"I know."
"Then why the long face?"
"Beats me..."
Chris's gaze lingered on the fallen Bruno for a long while.
Gate Management Bureau.
With Lucia's victory, Metis finally breathed a sigh of relief. The success of Zien's assault team was a pivotal event tied to his political career. He'd been monitoring non-stop, barely catching a wink.
"Impressive, isn't it, Dennis? The students are on par with active-duty pros."
"...Hm."
Dennis scrutinized every judgment call by the assault team more meticulously than anyone. He wasn't just evaluating raw combat power—acting, history, decision-making. His inspection embodied the precision of the sole active 7th rank Saber.
...Flawless so far.
On top of that, the Bruno whom Lucia had defeated was from the Rebellion—a villainous group that had etched its name in Zone 1's history. Impressive, despite the matchup advantage.
The strongest of the Rebellion's inaugural members. She took down two of them.
Of course, this was the Rebellion's first incident, nothing like their infamous heyday. But Zien's party were mere first-year students.
Wonder how far they'll grow. Which makes it all the more...
Dennis's evaluation had to remain cold.
Letting promising seedlings die in a Gate before they could mature into great trees would be an irreplaceable loss for the government. After deep contemplation, Dennis finally spoke.
"I agree. Among the first-years I've seen, this party's the most capable."
Praise from Dennis was rare.
It made sense. He'd reached 5th rank at 18 and now stood at 7th. His standards were sky-high. Yet Zien's team had satisfied even his exacting palate.
"Which is why my evaluation will be all the stricter."
Metis's bill could rewrite Saber history.
Clearing Gates from student days could forge unprecedented Sabers, stacking experience and skills.
But it was a double-edged sword—students could perish before blooming.
And Metis believed the Rebellion's terror was just beginning.
Iruka and the nameless Hunter. Considering their Traits...
Dennis pondered as he watched the screen.
The Rebellion's top two wielded Traits that defied common sense, even among 5th ranks. And the biggest variable in this Gate remained in Demona's hands.
"The quest's success hinges on the Blood Jade."
If the artifact fell into Rebellion hands, Dennis could say with certainty:
Clearing the Gate would be impossible.
It was Blood Jade's nature.
A red gem at first glance, it absorbed blood to amplify the owner's mana. Useless junk to most Hunters. But paired with Jeokhyeol's Trait, the synergy was monstrous.
"Exactly. The nameless Hunter reached 7th rank thanks to Blood Jade... If it gets into his hands..."
Metis swallowed hard, tense.
He'd stake his position as Gate Management Minister on it.
"From that point, the Gate's difficulty won't be 5th rank anymore."
The gap between 5th and 6th rank was 5 to 10 times. Metis prayed the Blood Jade wouldn't reach Jeokhyeol.
My Previous Life was the Strongest Sword God