Chapter 278: Signal (6)
Chapter 278: Signal (6)
Translation: Godtl
Selena's needles split the air as Hagley's shadows shot forth from all directions.
Their techniques intersected—each aiming to exploit the other's openings and gaps—while sharpening their senses to anticipate the opponent's rear through shadow teleportation.
"You're quite accustomed to battles using teleportation, Selena!"
"Thanks to you!"
Though truthfully, it wasn't thanks to Hagley—it was because of Frondier.
To keep up with his battles, she'd had no choice but to master teleportation.
Swish!
Crash!
Hagley's shadows inflicted no damage except to living beings, and Selena's needles were equally ineffective against inanimate objects.
Thus, their battle was eerily silent.
Only the occasional sound of footsteps against the ground remained—they created no clamor.
Even when not assassinating, the fights between assassins were soundless, as if following the trajectory of life itself.
"I was the one who raised you! I already know every move in your combat style!"
"I've observed you too!"
The fight between Selena and Hagley appeared evenly matched.
Though Hagley had raised Selena, her skill in wielding needles was something he couldn't replicate—just as she couldn't mimic his shadow magic.
Unlike Hagley, Selena wasn't particularly talented in magic. To be more precise, among the assassination unit 'Ten Points,' she, the youngest, was the least adept at magic.
Yet her striking appearance and talent for close combat made her more suited as an assassin than anyone else.
Compensating for her lack of magic with martial arts, she offset her weaker physical strength—a disadvantage as a woman—by mastering needle techniques.
'Needle mastery was Selena's innate talent.'
Selena possessed an eye for reading the mana flow within living beings. Her excellence in close combat stemmed from her understanding of anatomy and her ability to apply it.
Most creatures couldn't withstand her needles and collapsed.
It wasn't due to dislocated bones or joints—it was because her needles severed the natural mana circulation within living beings.
Twisted limbs or even death were merely secondary consequences.
"I should never have taught you that weapon!"
"Regret is always too late, no matter when you feel it!"
Hagley's hands stretched out before snapping forward again, his aim locked onto Selena. The moment she confirmed this, Selena launched herself into the air.
Whoosh!
Shadows shot indiscriminately from all sides of the cave, their blades surpassing the sharpness of clumsy weapons with ease. It seemed there was no escape for Selena—yet.
Swish!
Selena twisted her body through the gaps between the shadow-forged blades, maneuvering through the air with astonishing flexibility.
"......!"
Hagley's eyes widened. Selena's evasion skills were impressive, but the clothes she wore also stunned him.
He hadn't expected to land a direct hit from the start—he knew Selena's abilities well.
But he had assumed at least a grazing blow was possible. If that could induce bleeding, even better.
Yet, none of the blades that brushed against Selena had cut her skin.
"......You're wearing good clothes."
"Indeed."
After landing back on the ground, Selena stood straight and faced Hagley.
"Though they're insufficient for seducing men."
"......Did Frondier give them to you?"
"Yes."
"No doubt about it—that bastard is thoroughly bewitched by you."
"......."
Selena had nothing to say to that.
Be it Belphegor or Hagley—none harbored even a shred of doubt that Frondier was utterly smitten with her.
To be honest, from Selena's perspective, it had merely seemed like he was inspecting the armaments of his own bodyguard. Of course, some degree of familiarity and trust had naturally formed between them.
'What should I do?'
She had tried to act somewhat composed, but in reality, Selena was at a disadvantage.
Just as Hagley himself had said, he knew almost all of her attack patterns.
Though she had made some improvements while living with Frondier, the core framework of her techniques remained unchanged.
By nature, the needles Selena wielded as weapons were difficult to perceive with the naked eye.
And in a place like this cave, where light sources were unreliable, it was even harder.
But for Hagley, who manipulated shadows, a dark environment was literally his battlefield—he suffered almost no penalties from fighting in the darkness.
On the other hand, though Selena had observed Hagley's movements, she didn't know everything about him. And even if she did—
'There aren't enough needles.'
This fight, being evenly matched, only deepened the odds of her defeat.
With her keen senses, Selena could gauge the number of needles embedded in her outfit by their weight.
And to avoid miscalculating, this dress contained the same number of needles as all the others she had worn before.
"Why hesitate, Selena?"
And inevitably—
"You should be hurrying, shouldn't you?"
—Hagley knew it too.
Selena tensed. She had known from the start that she couldn't waste her needles carelessly. Every single shot she fired through Hagley's shadows was precious.
"Selena, finding an opening is important, but—"
Meanwhile, Hagley raised one hand.
"—I can also play tricks like this."
With those words, he blocked his front with a curtain of shadows—a massive veil large enough to completely conceal him.
"......?"
For a moment, Selena stood still, unable to understand his intent.
"!"
Swish!
But at the last possible moment, she realized his ploy and twisted her body midair.
Ten-Point Secret Technique
Hidden Weapon Throwing Art
Octagon
A technique that simultaneously launches needles in eight directions. Naturally, it exhausts all the needles loaded in her hand.
Originally, it was meant for breaking out of encirclements or wiping out groups of enemies—but this time was different.
Crash!
Hagley, who had appeared behind Selena, blocked the needles with his shadows.
"See? Now you understand, don't you, Selena?"
At his words, Selena pressed her lips tightly together.
If he concealed himself behind a shadow veil, Selena couldn't tell whether Hagley would use shadow teleportation or not.
If she carelessly turned her back, she'd be left defenseless against Hagley if he hadn't teleported.
So, like just now, firing needles in all directions was the safest option—
But of course, that meant expending eight needles in a single move.
"I already know how many needles you have left. Twenty-four remain now. Do you think you can land a hit on me within that limit?"
Swish!
Hagley didn't let up. He relentlessly fired shadows, driving Selena back.
She dodged desperately, using teleportation to evade, but inside the cave, it was impossible to completely avoid all of Hagley's attacks. Eventually, her needles were wasted just to keep him at bay.
Hagley knew. That an all-out offensive was the safest method against Selena. Once she exhausted all her needles, his victory would be assured.
"Khh—!"
And when only four needles remained—just as Selena gripped them in her right hand—
Hagley stretched his shadows wide, intent on eliminating even those last few.
From the ground, they surged like demonic claws. From the walls and ceiling, waves of blade-like fins, resembling a shark's, erupted toward Selena.
She only had four needles left—too few for Octagon.
In a life-or-death situation.
"......Finally."
Selena quietly opened her mouth.
"Finally, I could see it."
Ten-Point Secret Technique
Selena Original
Spirit-Clearing Needle
Selena charged straight forward. The hands of shadow lunged toward her. Selena threw the first needle.
The moment the needle struck, the shadowy hands collapsed weakly.
'......!'
Hagley, witnessing the scene, widened his eyes in shock.
'She erased the magic with a needle.'
Selena's needles severed the flow of mana in living beings. Until now, her techniques had always been direct means of targeting the opponent.
Because the needles directly targeted the enemy, the opponent couldn't recklessly use magic or long-range attacks, making it possible to suppress them.
But just now, the magic itself disappeared upon being struck by the needle—just like every living being Selena had ever hit with her needles.
'Don't tell me, the flow of mana...!'
Did she read the mana flow within the magic the opponent fired? In such a short time?
As if confirming that thought, the next needle she shot toward the ceiling pierced through and erased all the blade-like shadows in a single strike.
'Frondier was nearly devoured by countless evil spirits.'
Back when they shattered the Fragment of Helheim.
Selena remembered the helplessness she felt then.
Faced with the Fragment of Helheim, while Frondier took the brunt of that liquid upon himself, she had been powerless to do anything.
For her, standing by Frondier's side under the pretense of guarding him, it remained a source of immense guilt and shame.
If only she could have interfered with souls—if only she could have touched that mana—
She wouldn't have been reduced to crying like a helpless child.
'I can't show such disgrace again.'
Now.
Two needles left.
Thwip!
Selena leaped up, kicking off the wall. From there, she flipped midair and—
Thwip!
One needle shot toward the ceiling. The shadow magic collapsed, and the cave's ceiling was rendered safe.
Her foot touched the ceiling.
Of course, Selena didn't have the ability to stick to ceilings. The contact lasted only an instant.
But in that instant, she steadied her balance and tensed her muscles.
One needle left.
Kwang—!
Her foot, infused with aura, kicked off the ceiling, and her body shot toward Hagley like an arrow.
Gripping the last remaining needle, she aimed for the enemy's throat, drawing a single, decisive line.
"Futile!"
Hagley's shadow teleportation. By the time Selena reached the spot, there was nothing there.
But Selena knew Hagley.
If it was Hagley, he would undoubtedly—
'Now.'
—strike the moment she was midair.
Swish!
Selena twisted her body and thrust the needle behind her back.
Hagley would appear there. Without fail.
——However.
Thud!
Even though all her predictions had been correct.
"That was close."
Hagley blocked Selena's needle.
He had anticipated her reading his teleportation behind her, but Hagley, having read Selena's movements, deflected her last needle with his shadow.
Just as Selena knew Hagley—
Hagley also knew Selena.
Thud!
Selena fell from the air. Hagley loomed over her.
"You've grown, Selena."
"......"
"But in the end, that's all. You couldn't surpass my expectations."
Hagley's shadows twisted, splitting into multiple tendril-like spikes, all aimed at Selena.
Selena stared blankly at the sight.
What came next was beyond her knowledge. That was why she had tried to settle things with just four needles.
But she had failed. Her best plan and means had crumbled.
And so, Selena—
'......Just what—'
"...Always holding four needles in one hand, the needles that must be loaded in multiples of four."
'What the hell is this last remaining needle?!'
Unable to comprehend, she loaded the final needle embedded in her clothing and fired it at Hagley.
She didn't know the origin of this needle.
She didn't know what would happen by drawing it out.
Whether it would help her, whether something even more horrific would occur, whether it was something else disguised as a needle.
Because she didn't know, she hadn't wanted to use it.
But the needle Selena threw this time was pitch black, unlike any before.
"......!"
Hagley's eyes widened at the suddenly ejected needle from Selena.
Yet even that—
Swish—
Hagley barely managed to tilt his head to evade. It grazed his skin, but the flow of mana remained unaffected.
"...Hah, still doing pointless things, I see."
Hagley spoke while inwardly breaking into a cold sweat. He pretended he had anticipated this, but he hadn't.
After all, if she had truly possessed this last needle, he wouldn't have been cornered into such a dangerous situation.
Selena was lying down now, and if this last shot missed, it would truly be over. And indeed, it had missed.
It really was the final remaining needle. Selena's body slumped, drained of strength.
'She's finally given up.'
Confirming this, Hagley aimed the shadowy thorn at Selena.
And then, just like that—
Thud!
He collapsed sideways.
"......?"
"??"
Both Hagley and Selena were momentarily stunned, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Hagley tried to push himself up, straining his arms. But his body wouldn't budge. No—he couldn't even muster the strength in his arms in the first place.
Hagley had fallen beside Selena. Slowly, Selena rose to her feet, putting distance between them.
Utterly baffled by what kind of trick this was, Selena half-expected Hagley to be pulling some absurd deception.
"Sele—what, what did you... do to me...?!"
But the sheer bewilderment on Hagley's face, the way he reached out to her—it clearly wasn't an act. There was no need for such elaborate deception, nor could she see through anything.
And above all else—
"...No way."
Selena had seen Hagley like this once before.
—What, is he dead?
—No, not yet.
It was when she had entered the Sacred Forest with Frondier.
After striking the bat with his dagger, Frondier had said those words.
'No way... No way...!'
—"There are exactly 24 in this wrist right now."
Selena had said that. About her outfit.
About the mechanism of the needles she fired.
—"The sleeves and waist need some adjustments. There isn't enough storage space."
—"The needles are always loaded in multiples of four. When fired by hand, exactly four are ejected at a time."
Frondier, who knew that Selena gauged the remaining needles by weight and always loaded them in multiples of four.
Which meant that if he had hidden just one needle in her clothes, he knew Selena wouldn't detect it.
A single needle that even Selena herself hadn't known about—one that Hagley could never have suspected.
A single needle made of 'Black Heaven,' laced with Slab's Poison.
—"It's fine."
Selena's eyes trembled violently.
There had been times, ever since some point, when an inexplicable emotion would rise within her.
At times, it would surge uncontrollably, painting over her—an assassin—in colors she couldn't recognize.
She didn't know what it was.
No—she had refused to know.
—"I have nothing to spare for you."
"...Hah, ugh..."
Selena covered her face with both hands.
She wanted to hide the tears streaming down. She wanted to hide her contorted expression.
Most of all, she wanted to hide the overwhelming flood of emotions that threatened to drown her.
For so long, Selena had tried to turn away from the feelings that had colored her.
But deep down, she had known all along.
For a very long time—from the very first moment he had touched her.