The Fall of the Hero (1)
Spade and Check had scattered during the battle. Were they aiming for a surprise attack from the blind spots, or trying to break away from this location to prepare for what came next? Either possibility existed.
'I can't let them get away.' If they were still looking for an opening to strike, that was fine. This side could handle any attack they threw. But if they were trying to escape this place, that would be troublesome. They might join the villains' forces afterward, and there was no telling what kind of ripple they could cause in society. Regardless, to clean up this mess and protect her subordinates' futures, she couldn't afford to let even one of them slip away.
Just as Rahe was pondering what to do, someone suddenly appeared from the passage beside her. It was Coco, who had left with No. 13 earlier.
"Pardon me, Captain Rahe."
Rahe made her judgment in an instant and sealed her ears with mana. This type of mental domination worked most effectively through hearing, so the manual specifically instructed sealing the ears first. Instead of hearing the voice, she would read the speaker's lips to infer the meaning.
It seemed Coco had only appeared to relay Villain No. 13's words. In short, the message was: "Let's play a game. I won't run from here, so let's see who wins first—whether you find and subdue me, or I bring you down. If you win, I'll release all your subordinates as you wish. Of course, in exchange for my own safety."
Using the word "game" in this situation was either incredibly bold or simply absurd. At the very least, his nerve was impressive. Of course, she had no intention of believing a villain's words. Just moments ago, he had rejected her proposal and challenged her to a fight. Perhaps this talk of games and fair duels was a feint, and he might already be fleeing this place.
"Villain No. 13, this is my final warning." Taking all of that into account, Captain Rahe declared firmly, "If there is even the slightest lie in what you just said, you will truly experience hell. I will show you what real hell looks like."
Rahe's chilling words—whether they reached No. 13 or not, she couldn't tell. Coco, who had been standing in front of her, remained silent for a moment before fading away like a mirage. The Coco who had come to deliver the message had been an illusion created by the real Coco. She had likely projected her own hidden form from somewhere else.
Regardless, even with No. 13's declaration, what Rahe had to do remained unchanged. Search for No. 13, pursue him if he fled, and mercilessly subdue her subordinates if they interfered. That was all.
Rahe decided to continue searching inside the factory first. She didn't believe No. 13's offer of a game at face value anyway. Even if he had lied and was trying to escape, there was nothing she could do to stop him right now. Recalling their earlier conversation (though No. 13 had communicated through writing) and his attitude, she sensed a strange impatience from him despite his apparent advantage. It wasn't because of her intimidation or threats—he clearly wanted Rahe herself. Perhaps there was some personal reason only he knew about.
In any case, Rahe decided to trust her intuition. Since he still had business with her, he wouldn't flee so easily. With that judgment, she prioritized searching the factory.
Thud... Thud... Rahe moved carefully yet swiftly through the factory. The first ambush aimed at her came in the form of nets shooting out from both sides. Rahe instantly summoned ice pillars to block one net and sliced the other to pieces with the saber in her hand.
Though the net attacks were stopped, a second wave of bombardment followed immediately. Once again from both sides, pitch-black spheres flew toward her. The fist-sized orbs didn't hit Rahe directly but landed around her, and upon impact with the floor, they began spewing smoke with a loud hissing sound. Tear gas, perhaps.
Rahe held her breath and released her mana. A storm whipped around her, instantly scattering the smoke that had filled the area. She sensed confusion from her opponent. Even so, they immediately moved to launch a third wave, but Rahe's reaction was faster.
"Spade, this ends here."
Bursting through the dissipating smoke, Rahe's figure closed in. She smashed through the cover piled in the passage and immediately revealed Spade hiding behind it. Spade desperately raised her arms against Rahe's incoming sword. The tonfa in her hand blocked the blade with a loud metallic clang.
"Kuh...?!"
Though she managed to block the sword, she couldn't avoid or defend against the kick that followed. Spade took the blow to her abdomen at a slight angle, coughing up air as she was sent flying and rolled across the floor. Thanks to twisting her body at the last moment, she seemed to have avoided a fatal injury. It had been a mana-infused kick, so with bad luck, it could have knocked her unconscious outright.
"As expected, you've grown. I'm truly proud of you, Spade."
The presence she had felt from the other side of the passage was quickly moving away. It was probably Check. Rather than trying to save Spade, she had chosen to flee. That must have been No. 13's order. She didn't know what he was after, but he would surely try to provoke her again with another cowardly trick.
"Can you come to your senses, Spade? Think carefully about who you are. Remember that you're a hero."
"......."
Spade breathed heavily, drooling, and took a stance as if to confront Rahe. Her slightly bloodshot eyes glared at Rahe with clear hostility. As expected, words wouldn't work. She had fallen completely under the enemy's control. There was no choice. Rahe adjusted her grip on her saber and gathered her mana once more.
No. 13 was watching everything through the cameras installed throughout the factory and Club's magic relay. The trap using Spade and Check's coordinated attack had failed. Six out of the fifteen methods he had prepared were rendered useless in one go. Spade had also been defeated by Rahe and restrained. She was now fitted with ice handcuffs and shackles, left abandoned in a corner of the factory. Even if he tried to rescue her, there was nothing he could do about those restraints made from Rahe's magic. Rather, she looked like bait meant to lure him into an ambush the moment he tried to save her. It would be better to give up on Spade. The only ones left were Club, Check, and Coco. No. 13 anxiously bit his nails.
—What is No. 13 aiming for? While trying to guess his intentions, Rahe continued her search of the factory and the ensuing battles. Even after restraining Spade, interference from Check and Club continued. Occasionally, Coco's illusions would appear to disrupt Rahe's vision and cause confusion. She was sometimes lured into a sealed room where gas spewed out, and at other times, she had to smash speakers rolling toward her that emitted suspicious voices. While chasing the fleeing Check, she also had to quickly avert her eyes from a wall covered entirely in suspicious drawings and graffiti.
According to the mental domination manual, the most important things to watch out for were hearing and sight. Special sentences, drawings, or videos required extra caution, and Rahe responded appropriately each time. However, even for Rahe, this situation filled with traps everywhere was inevitably exhausting. If it were just fighting, it would be simpler. But having to deal with surprise attacks from Check or Club while simultaneously handling various traps thrown at her as curveballs, fatigue was unavoidable. In a situation where even the slightest mistake wasn't allowed, she had already been running around in circles for over thirty minutes.
"Just wait here quietly for a moment, Club."
"Ugh...!"
With a thud, Club's body collapsed on top of Spade. Both of Club's hands and feet were fitted with the same heavy ice restraints as Spade's. Since they were restraints made from Rahe's mana, it would be impossible to break them with ordinary strength or mana. The hour-long game of tag hadn't been in vain—she had found Club, who had been cleverly hiding, and restrained her like this. Check must be even more exhausted than Rahe. After repeatedly encountering and fleeing from her, Check had ultimately sustained various injuries at Rahe's hands. The next time she saw Check's face, she would definitely capture her.
"...?"
Just as Rahe was about to resume her search with that thought, something suddenly caught her perception. While searching, the simple detection traps she had set up at several points leading to the exits had reacted. She had already mostly mapped out the factory's structure. Rahe immediately ran down the passage toward the reacting trap, taking the shortest route to the exit ahead.
It wasn't too late. Rahe spotted a man running toward the exit at the end of the passage. Villain No. 13. She had no idea where he had been hiding, but he was now trying to escape this place.
—I won't let you get away!
Rahe immediately kicked off the floor and walls, flying toward the man's back like a storm as he fled into the distance.