Clash with the Empire's Elite Knight
Stronger than expected. In that case...
Before their eyes stood one of the Empire's Three Knights: Achilles. Holding a sword that gleamed silver-white, he gazed at them with cold eyes, radiating the unmistakable presence of a powerful warrior.
"That guy... seems pretty strong, that's what it is."
"You're right. He's one of the Falcon Empire's proud Three Knights. In terms of pure combat ability, he's stronger than I am."
"Oh... the Empire's Three Knights... I've heard the stories, but I never thought I'd run into one here. This is getting interesting, that's what it is."
Even when facing Achilles, one of the Empire's top-tier powerhouses, Shamyuel showed no sign of intimidation. Instead, a fierce fighting spirit welled up within her at the prospect of battling a strong opponent. Seeing this, Hector voiced his deep concern.
"Don't do anything reckless. I'll say it again—he's strong. Even someone with strength comparable to mine can't handle him alone."
"Even so, it doesn't matter. There's one of them and more than two of us, that's what it is."
"Well, that's true, but...?"
Shamyuel spoke in her usual matter-of-fact tone, prompting a sudden question in Hector's mind.
"W-wait a second. Does that mean... you're not planning on a one-on-one duel?"
"? This isn't some tournament. Why would we do something that stupid? In a situation like this, ganging up is obviously the right answer, that's what it is."
"B-but... what about a warrior's pride...?"
"Save that for when you're fighting in an arena. Right now we're in the middle of enemy territory on an infiltration mission. No one's going to praise you for dying because you were chasing pride, that's what it is."
"Ugh..."
Hector was left speechless by Shamyuel's blunt facts. She continued in a firm voice.
"If you're done chatting, then draw your sword. I went through the trouble of saving dozens of humans because you asked, and this much doesn't even cover the principal, let alone the interest, that's what it is."
"...Calling the head of one of the Empire's Three Knights 'interest' makes me a pretty terrible debtor."
"Now you get it? You'll be paying it back forever, generation after generation, that's what it is."
Even in this situation, Shamyuel poured mana into her gauntlets while saying things that were half-joke, half-serious. Watching her, Hector felt his tension ease slightly and found himself smiling.
As expected... the more I see her, the more charming she is.
With that thought, Hector turned his gaze back to the enemy ahead. Meanwhile, Achilles watched them with a cold smile on his lips.
"Looks like you've finished your last goodbyes. Then, for the crime of causing a disturbance in the imperial capital, I'll execute you both right here."
With those words, Achilles began radiating an enormous amount of mana from his entire body. Shamyuel and Hector immediately took combat stances, waiting for his attack.
If we attack recklessly, we might end up in trouble instead. Even though our combined strength gives us the advantage, if we get picked off one by one, we'll really have no answer...
Honestly, since they'd never coordinated before, Hector still felt uneasy about whether they could pull this fight off. The one saving grace was that while they knew the enemy's strength, the enemy knew neither their power nor even their identities. If they exploited that gap, Hector believed they had a decent chance.
At that moment—
"!"
"Hup!"
Achilles suddenly charged at them with tremendous speed. Moving so fast he was nearly invisible, like a loosed arrow, Shamyuel and Hector reflexively raised their weapons to block.
And then—
Clang!
"Ugh..."
"Kuh!"
A heavy impact ran through their arms. Even though it was just a glancing blow, the shock was greater than they'd expected, and they couldn't help but frown.
"Oh...? Blocking that attack? You're not ordinary opponents, are you...?"
Achilles spoke with a hint of admiration and composure. But the very next moment, he found himself slightly flustered by what followed.
BOOM!!!
Before he could even finish speaking, a massive gauntlet came flying at him. Achilles had no choice but to stop talking and defend. At the same time, a sword strike came from behind. Sensing it at the last possible moment, Achilles twisted his body to narrowly dodge the incoming attack, then used his strength to shove the gauntlet away before swinging his sword in a wide arc from that position.
However—
Tap!
Despite his unexpected counterattack, the gauntlet-wearer skillfully evaded it. Achilles furrowed his brow as his evaluation of their strength rose in real time.
These guys... are stronger than I thought.
Very few people in the Empire could block his mana-infused attacks and even counterattack. Yet these two were displaying power that nearly matched his own, naturally heightening Achilles' wariness.
The two continued to hold their own in the ensuing exchange. Though their coordinated attacks showed some awkwardness in their teamwork, Achilles could feel the situation turning against him.
Just who are they?... I vaguely heard something about witches sent from the Magic Kingdom. Don't tell me... the 4 Arch-witches?
The 4 Arch-witches referred to the four strongest witches the Magic Kingdom boasted, beings estimated to possess power comparable to the Empire's Three Knights. However, their individual identities were shrouded in secrecy, with the only known one being Shude, who had been part of the Hero Party. And now, facing these two who were fighting him on equal or better terms, Achilles naturally thought of those powerful figures.
This is troublesome. If the opponents are two of the 4 Arch-witches, even I can't guarantee victory. In that case...
He had come expecting an easy win, but the enemies were stronger than anticipated. Of course, if luck was on his side, Achilles might have the chance to eliminate two of the 4 Arch-witches at once. But if luck wasn't with him, his life would end here. Achilles realized he had to make a cold decision—whether to gamble on a low-probability victory or retreat to ensure his safety.
And regarding that, Achilles' choice was naturally...
"Haaaaah!!!"
Thud!
In an instant, Achilles exploded with power and pushed the two back. The presumed 4 Arch-witches were forced to create distance, and Achilles spoke to them in a cold voice.
"You're better than I expected. I never thought I'd encounter opponents of this caliber here."
"..."
The two remained silent, merely observing his movements. Achilles confirmed once again that these weren't opponents who would respond to words—they had ignored his previous statement and charged in.
"Fine. In that case, I'll show you proper respect and face you with everything I have!"
With those words, Achilles suddenly began emitting golden mana unlike before. Shamyuel and Hector, who had been facing him, immediately gathered their mana and braced their defenses, preparing for the strike they knew was coming.
Is he planning to charge with high-speed sword strikes like before?
Or maybe he'll shoot sword aura to prevent us from dodging, that's what it is.
As they calculated their responses while anticipating his next move, at that moment—
"!!! Above... danger!"
"!!"
A thought flashed through Hector's mind. He threw his body toward Shamyuel with all his might, but something reached her faster than he could. It was a golden spear of light shot from Achilles' hand. Shamyuel, who had tried to block the strike carrying an enormous amount of mana comparable to his full power, felt a chill run down her spine.
This... this is dangerous...!!
"Damn it!"
And then—
BOOOOOOM!!!!
A tremendous explosion rang out, followed by a thick cloud of dust. But immediately after, without even checking the result, Achilles poured all his remaining power into fleeing the battlefield.
With that, if we're lucky, I might have taken out at least one. Either way, retreating is the answer right now.
Always mindful of the worst-case scenario and never acting recklessly, Achilles knew that gambling with his life wasn't his style. As a result, he chose to unleash his maximum power in an instant to incapacitate his opponents and use that opening to escape. That said, having poured out enough power to make fighting impossible for the rest of the day, he couldn't help but feel some expectation about the outcome—though he had no luxury to stay and watch under the current circumstances.