Chapter 326: Ouroboros (1)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 326: Ouroboros (1)

Bind was a support spell that, when used, designated certain individuals as your comrades and made it possible for you to travel through the labyrinth portal together with them. It also allowed you to share experience points upon defeating monsters.

It was during the Traitor route that I realized this spell was the perfect counter for Nullification. After once again taking the essence of Tranquility, I finally managed to reach the depths of the palace after about three hundred tries. During that attempt, I had been filled with the hope that I would be able to see the king's face if I just went a little further.

[You have been Bound to a member of the Order of Guardians.]

Then the palace NPCs used this strategy on me and flushed all my hard work down the drain. It wasn't long before I found a counter to this counter, but I still never got to see the king's face, and in the end, I gave up on the Traitor route. That had probably been my first time calling it quits since starting the game, but I didn't consider it a waste of time. At times, there was something to be gained from the process of failing—like this.

Choke...!

I followed up Bind with a huge body slam. Lüchenprague was hit head-on, tossed into the air, and thrown backward. However, sitting back and enjoying the show at this point would be a bad move. Just look at martial arts games. If you threw an enemy into the air and rendered them incapable of blocking, you had to follow through with a combo, no matter what.

Transcendence.

I activated another ability before the bastard's body got out of my twenty-yard range: Eye of the Storm, the grab skill I had obtained by consuming the essence of Storm Gush.

It just so happens that I'm perfectly optimized for PVP.

A strong gust kicked up down the long stretch of the sewer, and the bastard's body changed directions in mid-air, coming back toward me. I took up a smashing stance.

One, two, three. Now.

At the exact right time, I put all my power into a well-placed Swing.

Crack!

The crunch of flesh and bone sounded as the hammer connected, but I wasn't particularly satisfied. That was because the sound didn't come from the spot I was aiming for.

Welp.

My target had been his vulnerable temple, but unfortunately, the guy raised his arm. Even while being dragged toward me by the gust, he had managed to come to his senses and protect one of his vital points.

I still took out an arm, though.

Although it wasn't a fatal blow, I decided to look on the bright side. His arm was bent at an odd angle and left dangling. That alone showed that he'd suffered considerable damage.

Dash.

The bastard was sent flying toward the wall by my whack, but he managed to get his bearings and kick off the stonework with one leg.

Looks like this guy has a lot of combat experience too.

Instead of trying to put distance between us, he ran toward me and swung his sword.

Whiiip!

Up close and personal, that aura of his was even more brutal. Because his Agility stat was much higher than mine, it would be tough to stop that with a hammer in the stance I was in.

If he had run backward, I would have continued chasing after him and kept up my momentum, but this time I chose to retreat.

Splash.

Once there were about ten yards between us, there was a momentary lull. The bastard rotated the sword in his one remaining hand, seemingly warming up for the next round, and asked, "How... did you know?"

Seeing as he was out of breath, it seemed the damage from the body slam and arm smash hadn't faded. Wait, then had he started a conversation to buy himself time to recover? I paused in my analysis of his condition to laugh.

"No one... knows about... this essence..." He was clearly looking for an explanation for this unexpected turn of events.

So, you were just curious.

Well, he probably made a concerted effort to hide his weaknesses from others. That was likely why he always worked alone too. Even if he did decide to team up with other people, he would never use Bind with them. The moment he did, Nullification's fatal flaw would be revealed to the world.

Now that I'm thinking about it, Nullification was probably why he was nagging Fallen Scholar so much in the community.

In order to overthrow the royal family, Lüchenprague would need a comrade who would not lose their powers around him even without needing Bind, like a wizard or a priest for example. However, since a priest wouldn't cooperate in killing the king, Fallen Scholar's relative value must have risen. Not only was he a top-tier wizard, but he was also an evil spirit.

"So, you must be an evil spirit..." the guy muttered, watching me intently. I didn't say a word, but he seemed to have jumped through the hoops and hurdles needed to reach that conclusion on his own.

Well, he isn't wrong, but more importantly... He doesn't know the reverse counter method.

Through this conversation, I became convinced that he did not know of the counter to my counter. If he did, he would have had no reason to insist on working alone. I gripped the hammer tighter.

Good thing this is twenty years in the past.

Of course, I had no way of knowing what would happen in the future. Perhaps when we met again ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠someday, this particular problem of his would be solved. He could have gotten a ton of new essences over twenty years, too, and his swordsmanship may have reached a stage of perfection. What I knew for sure was that considering his notoriety twenty years from now, there was a high chance he would turn into an enemy I had no hope of defeating.

But that's not the case today.

I made my next move. There was a reason I'd been staying put until now.

Transcendence. Eye of the Storm.

While we were talking, the cooldown period had come to an end.

From there, the battle unfolded in a pretty straightforward way.

Bang, bang!

The aura and double-digit Demon Grinder clashed nonstop, exchanging blows.

Shit, why is he so good at fighting?

I was hitting my limit for the first time. I'd been overpowered in terms of stats many times, but I'd never felt this way when it came to pure martial arts technique.

Slice!

The moment I hesitated, my opponent sliced into my flesh. His sword moved as fluidly as a snake, and at times was as hard as steel. That wasn't all, either. Even to my untrained eye, the amount of technique that went into every form and thrust of his blade was clear. Put simply, this was a completely new type of enemy for me. Even in a fight against a knight, the winner was bound to be decided by split-second decisions if I managed to force them into a dogfight to the death.

Once there were about ten yards between us, there was a momentary lull. The bastard rotated the sword in his one remaining hand, seemingly warming up for the next round, and asked, "How... did you know?"

Seeing as he was out of breath, it seemed the damage from the body slam and arm smash hadn't faded. Wait, then had he started a conversation to buy himself time to recover? I paused in my analysis of his condition to laugh.

"No one... knows about... this essence..." He was clearly looking for an explanation for this unexpected turn of events.

So, you were just curious.

Well, he probably made a concerted effort to hide his weaknesses from others. That was likely why he always worked alone too. Even if he did decide to team up with other people, he would never use Bind with them. The moment he did, Nullification's fatal flaw would be revealed to the world.

Now that I'm thinking about it, Nullification was probably why he was nagging Fallen Scholar so much in the community.

In order to overthrow the royal family, Lüchenprague would need a comrade who would not lose their powers around him even without needing Bind, like a wizard or a priest for example. However, since a priest wouldn't cooperate in killing the king, Fallen Scholar's relative value must have risen. Not only was he a top-tier wizard, but he was also an evil spirit.

"So, you must be an evil spirit..." the guy muttered, watching me intently. I didn't say a word, but he seemed to have jumped through the hoops and hurdles needed to reach that conclusion on his own.

Well, he isn't wrong, but more importantly... He doesn't know the reverse counter method.

Through this conversation, I became convinced that he did not know of the counter to my counter. If he did, he would have had no reason to insist on working alone. I gripped the hammer tighter.

Good thing this is twenty years in the past.

Of course, I had no way of knowing what would happen in the future. Perhaps when we met again someday, this particular problem of his would be solved. He could have gotten a ton of new essences over twenty years, too, and his swordsmanship may have reached a stage of perfection. What I knew for sure was that considering his notoriety twenty years from now, there was a high chance he would turn into an enemy I had no hope of defeating.

But that's not the case today.

I made my next move. There was a reason I'd been staying put until now.

Transcendence. Eye of the Storm.

While we were talking, the cooldown period had come to an end.

From there, the battle unfolded in a pretty straightforward way.

Bang, bang!

The aura and double-digit Demon Grinder clashed nonstop, exchanging blows.

Shit, why is he so good at fighting?

I was hitting my limit for the first time. I'd been overpowered in terms of stats many times, but I'd never felt this way when it came to pure martial arts technique.

Slice!

The moment I hesitated, my opponent sliced into my flesh. His sword moved as fluidly as a snake, and at times was as hard as steel. That wasn't all, either. Even to my untrained eye, the amount of technique that went into every form and thrust of his blade was clear. Put simply, this was a completely new type of enemy for me. Even in a fight against a knight, the winner was bound to be decided by split-second decisions if I managed to force them into a dogfight to the death.

Slice!

The wounds accumulated on my body faster than my Natural Regeneration could heal them. Even still, I didn't have any fatal injuries yet. That wasn't because I was good at avoiding them, but because I was periodically using potions.

Chhhhhh!

Bubbles boiled from the deep cuts and flesh filled the gaps. I took stock of my condition for only a brief moment before back-stepping.

Transcendence. Eye of the Storm.

I used my grab skill which had just finished recharging and dragged my opponent in again. However, it turned out basically the same way as last time. As if to prove that it only worked the first time because I caught him off guard, he didn't miss a beat and used the speed with which he was being dragged toward me to put more force behind his next swing.

Whippp!

Whew, even his timing is scary now. From now on, I should table Eye of the Storm.

Dash.

I took a step back to dodge the sword again. In response, my opponent kicked off the ceiling, instantly closed the distance between us, and said, "Who are you?"

Kwaaang!

"Seeing as you're that woman's comrade..."

Kwaaang!

"Were you sent by the palace?"

Jeez, so noisy. You talk a lot.

On one hand, the bastard's nonstop, uninterrupted chatter was pissing me off, but on the other hand, it made me wonder what he was talking about. Sent by the palace? What's the palace got to do with anything?

Of course, it was a question that quickly slid out of my mind. After all, the palace and the castellan had teamed up to invade the eastern district occupied by Orcules. It wasn't strange that he'd assume that I was with them, though there was one thing I was still wondering.

So, what now?

I didn't even consider the possibility of my killing this guy here. According to history, he was going to appear in front of Amelia not long from now.

Still, although winning may be hard, I don't think I'd necessarily lose.

I had no way of knowing for sure, but I felt like if I put my mind to it, I could stall him here for hours if I wanted to. Unless something unexpected happened, I felt like I could do this all day.

Huh?

So, of course, something unexpected happened. You had to be careful what you wished for.

Splash.

I thought I heard someone in the distance. Both my opponent and I put distance between ourselves and quickly looked toward the source of the sound. I hadn't misheard it—there really was someone there.

God damn it.

That "someone" was a person I recognized, and by the looks of it, it seemed Lüchenprague also knew of him. "...Jerome Saintred," he muttered.

As soon as his name left Lüchenprague's mouth, the silver-haired knight on the other side of the tunnel spoke up as well. "Ricardo Lüchenprague."

The greeting was far from friendly. Hatred and murderous intent filled both their eyes and voices. Well, that was exactly what you'd expect when the Traitor who wanted to kill the king was faced with the protector of the palace. I quickly finished assessing the situation.

Slice!

The wounds accumulated on my body faster than my Natural Regeneration could heal them. Even still, I didn't have any fatal injuries yet. That wasn't because I was good at avoiding them, but because I was periodically using potions.

Chhhhhh!

Bubbles boiled from the deep cuts and flesh filled the gaps. I took stock of my condition for only a brief moment before back-stepping.

Transcendence. Eye of the Storm.

I used my grab skill which had just finished recharging and dragged my opponent in again. However, it turned out basically the same way as last time. As if to prove that it only worked the first time because I caught him off guard, he didn't miss a beat and used the speed with which he was being dragged toward me to put more force behind his next swing.

Whippp!

Whew, even his timing is scary now. From now on, I should table Eye of the Storm.

Dash.

I took a step back to dodge the sword again. In response, my opponent kicked off the ceiling, instantly closed the distance between us, and said, "Who are you?"

Kwaaang!

"Seeing as you're that woman's comrade..."

Kwaaang!

"Were you sent by the palace?"

Jeez, so noisy. You talk a lot.

On one hand, the bastard's nonstop, uninterrupted chatter was pissing me off, but on the other hand, it made me wonder what he was talking about. Sent by the palace? What's the palace got to do with anything?

Of course, it was a question that quickly slid out of my mind. After all, the palace and the castellan had teamed up to invade the eastern district occupied by Orcules. It wasn't strange that he'd assume that I was with them, though there was one thing I was still wondering.

So, what now?

I didn't even consider the possibility of my killing this guy here. According to history, he was going to appear in front of Amelia not long from now.

Still, although winning may be hard, I don't think I'd necessarily lose.

I had no way of knowing for sure, but I felt like if I put my mind to it, I could stall him here for hours if I wanted to. Unless something unexpected happened, I felt like I could do this all day.

Huh?

So, of course, something unexpected happened. You had to be careful what you wished for.

Splash.

I thought I heard someone in the distance. Both my opponent and I put distance between ourselves and quickly looked toward the source of the sound. I hadn't misheard it—there really was someone there.

God damn it.

That "someone" was a person I recognized, and by the looks of it, it seemed Lüchenprague also knew of him. "...Jerome Saintred," he muttered.

As soon as his name left Lüchenprague's mouth, the silver-haired knight on the other side of the tunnel spoke up as well. "Ricardo Lüchenprague."

The greeting was far from friendly. Hatred and murderous intent filled both their eyes and voices. Well, that was exactly what you'd expect when the Traitor who wanted to kill the king was faced with the protector of the palace. I quickly finished assessing the situation.

Okay, I should leave these two to fight and bounce.

I was the reason the Knight of Light came into the sewer in the first place, but considering the two were enemies, there was a chance I could turn this disaster into an opportunity. With that thought in mind, I started looking for a way out of there.

Unfortunately, someone was quicker to make up their mind. Lüchenprague said a strange word. "Two."

"...Huh?"

He took the fork in the road next to him and started to flee. It was only after that that I realized what he meant by "two."

...Shit, are you serious?

That guy thought this bastard and I were on the same side, likely because he already mistakenly assumed I was from the palace. Even I would have found it tough to fight two on one in this situation if I were him. I understood the sentiment, but I didn't have room to empathize with him right now.

Ah... I should scram now too.

Momentarily startled by Lüchenprague's escape, I quickly came to my senses and got moving. Deep down, though, I was desperately begging.

Please, please, please... Please follow him, not me. Please? Come on, that's the nutjob that wants to kill your king.

Dash.

When I started running, I heard a sound behind me. It seemed Saintred had finished deciding who to follow.

Splash.

Ha, that tracks. There's no way things would go that smoothly.

Splash, splash!

I could hear him chasing me. It seemed this guy had decided that retrieving the Fragment of Records Stone came before the Traitor. That, or he had a deep grudge against me for what happened earlier.

Flash!

As Lüchenprague fled, Nullification was lifted and the knight used the Gateway of Light to block my path. I didn't notice because of the distance earlier, but he seemed different.

What the? What's with the serial killer eyes?

The bossy vibe I got when I met him earlier was gone, and before me stood a knight with the eyes of a merciless executioner.

"Did you think you could survive after making a fool out of me?"

Perhaps this was karma. You know, running down the quick and easy path when you realize you're surrounded on all sides by enemies. Of course, this didn't mean I regretted it. Things like this were the fault of the person who got fooled in the first place.

"Before I punish you, I will ask you one thing." The knight pointed a sword covered with a twisting aura at me and spoke. "Lüchenprague. What is your relationship with that man? Is he the one who ordered you to bring the Fragment of Records Stone to him?"

This was a bit of an ironic situation. Lüchenprague thought I was in cahoots with this guy, and this guy thought I was on Lüchenprague's side. I felt like an innocent bystander caught up in this mess, but what could I do? I had to wriggle my way out of it somehow.

"You noticed?" Instead of clearing up the misunderstanding, I simply affirmed his assumption. I decided this was my best bet for now.

In fact, when I nodded, I saw something in the knight's gaze shift. "Did you already hand the item to him?"

"I don't know." Donning the Lion's mask had taught me this: to tell a good lie, you had to convince yourself first. "What do you think?"

When I shrugged and let his imagination run wild, the knight started to shake with barely restrained energy. "...So that's why you split up."

"I guess you didn't earn the reputation of Knight of Light for nothing. Your gears appear to be turning well." When I used this time to compliment him, the knight went quiet. I did my utmost to harden my expression. Then I sprinkled an extra bit of seasoning on the already finished dish. "I won't let you get to the commander. Fight me."

It was the heartfelt declaration of someone determined to somehow buy more time for the greater cause. However, in front of Jerome, that determination was meaningless. No matter how much I tried to stall him, all he would have to do was use the Gateway of Light to pass me by. Which was exactly what I was hoping for.

"Kekeke..."

What the fuck? Why is this guy laughing all of a sudden? Has he lost his mind?

When I frowned, the knight's laughter instantly died as he stared me down. "Almost got fooled again."

"...What?"

"It doesn't matter whether your words are true or not. I just have to kill you first to confirm."

"But then it would be too late—"

"It doesn't matter. Arrive at the destination one step at a time without being overly ambitious." The knight looked at me coolly. "That is the way of a knight." It seemed this guy had figured out his own way to navigate this world of con artists.

...Do I have no choice but to fight?

I wordlessly lifted my hammer. It didn't seem he would change his mind even if I kept talking.

Silence fell, marking the part of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the match where breaths were exchanged just before the swing of weapons.

Suddenly, an old man's laughter rang out behind me. "Hahaha..." Since Jerome was right in front of me, I couldn't turn around to check, but it wasn't difficult to identify who it was. "You are very adept at deceiving others," said Auril Gavis.

However, it seemed Jerome had never met him before. "...Reveal your identity, old man," the silver-haired knight said in an authoritative tone.

"What a rude fellow."

As Auril's voice echoed through the sewer, the Knight of Light suddenly wrapped his free hand around his own neck.

...Choke!

The strained look on his face suggested he couldn't breathe. His eyes were locked behind me, and the emotion in his pupils was one of astonishment. "Y-You... who on earth..."

"I don't sense any particular value in you."

Cough...!

"Begone." The moment Auril finished his sentence, tone utterly dry, Jerome's limp body floated up into the air. Goosebumps ran down my spine.

Is he dead? The strongest royal knight gone, as easily as killing a fly?

As if to answer my question, the voice behind me spoke up again. "He is probably not dead. He will likely wake up in the palace."

Ah, was he talking about that essence? I slowly turned around, shaking off the thoughts that flashed through my mind.

"Finally you look at me." The sight of the old man and his kind smile was disturbing. That was because his lips were clearly curled, but his eyes were not.

Just how much does he know?

I swallowed involuntarily, and Auril opened his mouth. "About the barbarian we were talking about—Bjon, son of Thor. When I asked around in the city, a kind young man informed me that he is also known as Iron Mask because he always covers his face with a thick helmet. Just like you."

So, you came here already knowing everything.

Okay, I should leave these two to fight and bounce.

I was the reason the Knight of Light came into the sewer in the first place, but considering the two were enemies, there was a chance I could turn this disaster into an opportunity. With that thought in mind, I started looking for a way out of there.

Unfortunately, someone was quicker to make up their mind. Lüchenprague said a strange word. "Two."

"...Huh?"

He took the fork in the road next to him and started to flee. It was only after that that I realized what he meant by "two."

...Shit, are you serious?

That guy thought this bastard and I were on the same side, likely because he already mistakenly assumed I was from the palace. Even I would have found it tough to fight two on one in this situation if I were him. I understood the sentiment, but I didn't have room to empathize with him right now.

Ah... I should scram now too.

Momentarily startled by Lüchenprague's escape, I quickly came to my senses and got moving. Deep down, though, I was desperately begging.

Please, please, please... Please follow him, not me. Please? Come on, that's the nutjob that wants to kill your king.

Dash.

When I started running, I heard a sound behind me. It seemed Saintred had finished deciding who to follow.

Splash.

Ha, that tracks. There's no way things would go that smoothly.

Splash, splash!

I could hear him chasing me. It seemed this guy had decided that retrieving the Fragment of Records Stone came before the Traitor. That, or he had a deep grudge against me for what happened earlier.

Flash!

As Lüchenprague fled, Nullification was lifted and the knight used the Gateway of Light to block my path. I didn't notice because of the distance earlier, but he seemed different.

What the? What's with the serial killer eyes?

The bossy vibe I got when I met him earlier was gone, and before me stood a knight with the eyes of a merciless executioner.

"Did you think you could survive after making a fool out of me?"

Perhaps this was karma. You know, running down the quick and easy path when you realize you're surrounded on all sides by enemies. Of course, this didn't mean I regretted it. Things like this were the fault of the person who got fooled in the first place.

"Before I punish you, I will ask you one thing." The knight pointed a sword covered with a twisting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠aura at me and spoke. "Lüchenprague. What is your relationship with that man? Is he the one who ordered you to bring the Fragment of Records Stone to him?"

This was a bit of an ironic situation. Lüchenprague thought I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was in cahoots with this guy, and this guy thought I was on Lüchenprague's side. I felt like an innocent bystander caught up in this mess, but what could I do? I had to wriggle my way out of it somehow.

"You noticed?" Instead of clearing up the misunderstanding, I simply affirmed his assumption. I decided this was my best bet for now.

In fact, when I nodded, I saw something in the knight's gaze shift. "Did you already hand the item to him?"

"I don't know." Donning the Lion's mask had taught me this: to tell a good lie, you had to convince yourself first. "What do you think?"

When I shrugged and let his imagination run wild, the knight started to shake with barely restrained energy. "...So that's why you split up."

"I guess you didn't earn the reputation of Knight of Light for nothing. Your gears appear to be turning well." When I used this time to compliment him, the knight went quiet. I did my utmost to harden my expression. Then I sprinkled an extra bit of seasoning on the already finished dish. "I won't let you get to the commander. Fight me."

It was the heartfelt declaration of someone determined to somehow buy more time for the greater cause. However, in front of Jerome, that determination was meaningless. No matter how much I tried to stall him, all he would have to do was use the Gateway of Light to pass me by. Which was exactly what I was hoping for.

"Kekeke..."

What the fuck? Why is this guy laughing all of a sudden? Has he lost his mind?

When I frowned, the knight's laughter instantly died as he stared me down. "Almost got fooled again."

"...What?"

"It doesn't matter whether your words are true or not. I just have to kill you first to confirm."

"But then it would be too late—"

"It doesn't matter. Arrive at the destination one step at a time without being overly ambitious." The knight looked at me coolly. "That is the way of a knight." It seemed this guy had figured out his own way to navigate this world of con artists.

...Do I have no choice but to fight?

I wordlessly lifted my hammer. It didn't seem he would change his mind even if I kept talking.

Silence fell, marking the part of the match where breaths were exchanged just before the swing of weapons.

Suddenly, an old man's laughter rang out behind me. "Hahaha..." Since Jerome was right in front of me, I couldn't turn around to check, but it wasn't difficult to identify who it was. "You are very adept at deceiving others," said Auril Gavis.

However, it seemed Jerome had never met him before. "...Reveal your identity, old man," the silver-haired knight said in an authoritative tone.

"What a rude fellow."

As Auril's voice echoed through the sewer, the Knight of Light suddenly wrapped his free hand around his own neck.

...Choke!

The strained look on his face suggested he couldn't breathe. His eyes were locked behind me, and the emotion in his pupils was one of astonishment. "Y-You... who on earth..."

"I don't sense any particular value in you."

Cough...!

"Begone." The moment Auril finished his sentence, tone utterly dry, Jerome's limp body floated up into the air. Goosebumps ran down my spine.

Is he dead? The strongest royal knight gone, as easily as killing a fly?

As if to answer my question, the voice behind me spoke up again. "He is probably not dead. He will likely wake up in the palace."

Ah, was he talking about that essence? I slowly turned around, shaking off the thoughts that flashed through my mind.

"Finally you look at me." The sight of the old man and his kind smile was disturbing. That was because his lips were clearly curled, but his eyes were not.

Just how much does he know?

I swallowed involuntarily, and Auril opened his mouth. "About the barbarian we were talking about—Bjon, son of Thor. When I asked around in the city, a kind young man informed me that he is also known as Iron Mask because he always covers his face with a thick helmet. Just like you."

So, you came here already knowing everything.