103. Labyrinth
103. Labyrinth
In the underground labyrinth, Phaid's eyes, carrying an unusual presence, emitted a sinister light. With every step he took, black smoke billowed out.
Where his gaze fell, faint magic circles rose up, and the floor his steps touched was stained black.
Forward, ever forward, as he walked through the gaps between Monsters, the already dark labyrinth grew darker still.
Phaid was now creating his own domain as he advanced.
His abilities were hypnosis, mental domination, and illusion.
Used well, they could be useful in combat, but compared to the offensive power of other magic, they were inevitably weak.
However, when he prepared a domain in advance and received his opponent as he was doing now, it transformed into magic more troublesome and lethal than any other.
And on top of that, his opponent was a close-quarters Martial Artist.
Even though she was an academy student and a small girl of merely Tier 5, Phaid did not underestimate Eliarnes.
He had watched her battles through the eyes of the Monsters inhabiting the labyrinth.
Eliarnes was fast and strong, far beyond her age and Realm. Her instincts were sharp, her judgment cold, and there was no hesitation in her actions.
On top of that, she knew exactly how to handle Monsters, and her distribution of power was perfect.
And so, Phaid had created his domain to completely eliminate any possible variables.
Rather than strutting before the weak and boasting of his own strength, he thought it more correct to carry out his master's orders as perfectly as possible.
And that thoroughness was the sole advantage that had allowed him to remain at Samaella's side when other Black Wizards shunned her, and the key that had allowed him to infiltrate the tightly secured academy.
After a long time spent preparing a domain that satisfied him, he looked back over it several times and finished his inspection.
This much was enough. Thinking so, Phaid headed toward Eliarnes.
"They said Student Pina would never be walking around alone, and it seems that was true. Or perhaps you simply came looking for treasure?"
He was about to provoke her anger to create a crack in her unconscious, so he could place her under hypnosis.
"I came to kill you, you fucking bastard."
Along with the scathing curse, crunch.
His ribs shattered.
When? How? Why?
There had been no process. He hadn't seen it. He hadn't felt a hint of it. Killing intent? There hadn't been any of that either.
Phaid recalled the situation from moments before.
He had seen Eliarnes with his eyes, spoken with his mouth, and was about to activate his magic by bleeding from his fingertip.
At that moment, a cherry-blossom-colored light flashed.
He'd been hit? He didn't know. His ribs had simply broken.
His face crumpled at the incomprehensible result, and Phaid turned his gaze toward where Eliarnes should be.
Then, light flashed again.
"Wh, what—"
Crunch—
Pain surged through him as if his entire face were collapsing. His breath stopped, and his head rang. His mind went white as if his consciousness had been severed, and something overflowed from his nose.
He raised a hand and groped at the spot.
His nose had caved in.
Again, he hadn't seen it.
No, he could see the rippling pink twin-tails. He could see the innocent smile in her eyes and the curled corners of her lips.
He could hear her giggling laughter, and the sounds of her beating Monsters to death even now.
So why couldn't he see the moment she extended her fist?
Intent? No.
Phaid had also reached the Realm where he could imbue Mana with Intent. Therefore, he could sense the Intent contained in an opponent's Mana.
But he felt no Intent whatsoever from Eliarnes.
Then did that mean the movements he was seeing now were purely physical ability?
She was stronger than he had thought.
Eliarnes had been hiding her strength all along.
Even while subjugating all those Monsters, she had been hiding her strength. For what? To make him let his guard down?
Goosebumps rose on his forearms.
"...You, what exactly are you?"
"Me?"
Eliarnes, moving her body without rest among the Monsters, giggled.
The laughter came from far away.
"Eliarnes Eustetia."
The answer came from his left.
Phaid immediately reached out. He seized a nearby Monster's head and yanked it toward his left.
At the same time.
Crunch—! A rough sound of flesh bursting rang out, and slick entrails splattered onto Phaid's face.
The Monster's torso burst in a single blow.
There was no time to be surprised.
No time to wipe the entrails from his face.
Was she creating distance again? Or was another attack coming?
Phaid opened his eyes wide to read the next move.
Eliarnes had created distance.
Phaid was given time to prepare. He did not hesitate to bring out a portion of his full power.
He raised his right hand and shoved it into his mouth.
What went in were four fingers, excluding the thumb.
Without any hesitation, crunch! He bit down.
The fingers were severed, bone and all. On top of that, several of his teeth broke as well.
But Phaid paid no mind and spat the fingers out of his mouth. Then he chanted an incantation.
When the incantation ended, his severed fingers had become giant serpents. The serpents chewed and swallowed the surrounding Monsters whole, gradually growing their bodies larger.
Each of those serpents carried a deadly poison fatal to humans. Moreover, their scales were too hard to be easily broken even by Sword Aura, and they were massive.
However, their speed... would not be able to catch Eliarnes. Even so, it was no problem. Behind him was the domain he had prepared in advance.
Of course, to use that domain most efficiently, he needed to create a crack in Eliarnes's mind, but it was fine to force its activation now.
If he could bind her feet for even a moment, he would inject the serpents' poison and kill her.
Having finished his calculations, Phaid staunched the blood flowing from his hand and looked straight ahead.
Eliarnes, standing directly in front of him.
"The result of your offering is just four snakes? If you cut off your fingers like that, do they grow back?"
She tilted her head and displayed composure.
Was she insane? Phaid thought so.
And he was a little surprised.
An offering.
She knew of this ritual.
Just as she knew of Mimicras.
Just as she knew of the existence of offerings.
She knew too much.
Was it knowledge she had learned from her family?
It didn't matter.
Right now, his master's orders took priority over questions.
Phaid extended his hand. At his command, the four serpents circling around him opened their jaws toward Eliarnes.
"Hmm... it doesn't matter if they don't grow back."
Eliarnes, standing directly in front of them, said as she lightly leaped up.
"You're going to die here anyway."
At the voice that spoke as if stating an obvious fact, Phaid immediately summoned Demonic Energy. The domain he had built up until now rippled and swallowed the light of the passage.
The droplets of blood flowing from his fingertips scattered. Black mist. It became a mist carrying Demonic Energy, covering the entire underground waterway and twisting the scenery.
Even as the scenery began to twist bizarrely, Eliarnes paid it no mind.
She knew what that grotesque distortion of the scenery meant.
A domain mainly used by mental-type Wizards.
She had faced it many times, and broken through it many times.
She was a little surprised by the thoroughness of preparing a domain against her in advance, but that was all.
Killing him would be the same either way.
Four serpents.
The moment the distance between them closed, she wrapped her entire body in Aura. Boom— she stomped down roughly with a Stomp and kicked up with her right foot.
Her thin, white leg extended toward the serpent's jawbone.
The remaining three serpents lunged at Eliarnes's small body.
At that sight, Phaid clicked his tongue.
He hadn't even needed to create a domain.
He even thought the four fingers offered up were a bit of a waste.
Eliarnes was certainly fast and strong.
But she was a Martial Artist of only Tier 5.
If she had a sword, perhaps.
There was no way she could kill Samaella's familiars with those frail feet and fists.
Had he overestimated her?
The moment he thought that.
Crack—
A sound like rock splitting rang out. A sound like wood tearing rang out. The sound of thick liquid soaking the floor rang out, and the sound of tough hide being ripped apart rang out.
And then.
Boom—
Three of the four serpents tumbled across the floor.
A serpent dead with its head caved in.
A serpent with a hole near its heart large enough for a person to pass through.
A serpent gasping for breath with half the skin of its face torn off.
And Eliarnes.
"Why are eyeballs so damn tough?"
With her arm shoved into the eye of the serpent whose face skin had been torn off, she was dodging the attacks of the remaining one this way and that.
Not content with merely dodging, she hid her small frame behind the serpent's back, making them attack each other.
There was not a single wound on her body.
Therefore, she had not shed blood. Furthermore, not even the serpents' blood had touched her. Her breathing was steady. Her expression was calm, and she hadn't even broken a sweat.
"...She's insane."
Phaid's face hardened stiffly at the sight.
He was not angry. He knew that anger was utterly useless in battle.
He was simply dumbfounded.
Phaid had been sufficiently wary of Eliarnes.
He had paid attention and expected her to be at least two stages stronger than she appeared.
He had been wrong.
She wasn't two stages stronger—she was twice as strong.
He hadn't been able to see how she had killed the familiars summoned through the offering.
Because the serpents' massive bodies had hidden it.
And so, Phaid raised his wariness even further.
The domain would fully unfold soon.
If he could just hold out until then, it would be over.
Could he hold out?
Once the domain unfolded, could he kill her perfectly?
The likelihood was high.
But he could not be certain.
Then, he would make certain.
Phaid rummaged through his clothes and took out a small bottle.
Inside was a liquid granted by Samaella, concentrated from her blood and the Demonic Energy of a true Demon.
The effect was simple. Drink it, and you become stronger.
There were side effects as well. But it was better than failing to fulfill Samaella's orders like this.
Pop— with a clear sound, the bottle's cap opened.
Phaid drank it down without any hesitation.
At that moment, Eliarnes's eyes flew wide open.
She felt a massive Demonic Energy writhing violently.
It wasn't Phaid's.
This was.
"Luxrina."
The Demonic Energy of Lust.
She urgently turned her gaze toward it.
Her eyes met Phaid's, black veins standing out around his eyes. His mouth, covered in scales, completed the incantation.
"Selfless Illusion (無我幻象)."
Onto the domain of a frail human.
The Intent of a colossal existence was added.
From there, she felt an unknowable gaze.
"You son of a bitch—"
The darkness swallowed her.