Who were they? Why were they targeting me?
Such questions occurred to me, but I did not bother asking. Even if I did, they would not answer.
In that case, I only had to draw the answer from them with my blade.
Before I knew it, the enemies had surrounded me in a circle. The enemies charging at me from four directions at once were all holding swords.
For me, facing one strong opponent was preferable to facing many insignificant ones. After all, I had made that covenant.
People often said subduing someone alive was harder than killing them. That was true, since humans would struggle somehow until the very moment before death.
But to me, that was not much of a problem.
Such problems only applied to those with mediocre experience and mediocre strength.
The enemies charged toward me, and white flower petals scattered. I deflected the first sword that flew at me.
―CLANG!
The sound of metal rang out among the flower petals. I turned as I moved and lowered my stance. I aimed for the second enemy’s pelvis and struck down with the hilt of my sword.
If I cut off a limb, he might die from excessive bleeding. Breaking one was not suitable either. Someone well-versed in battle could still fight somehow even with a broken arm or leg.
But if I shattered the pelvis or spine, the center and axis of the body, the situation would change. It would not only make walking impossible; even crawling would become difficult.
―CRUNCH!
I brought the hilt of my sword down hard on the enemy’s pelvis. I should have felt the sensation of bone shattering, but strangely, it felt hollow.
Normally, he should have collapsed, yet the enemy was still standing in place.
Without even a moment to assess the situation, other attacks rushed in. I leapt high into the moonlight. Through the petals drifting like snow, I saw the enemies.
I looked down clearly at them.
And then I realized.
They had no shadows. These things were not human. They were beings created by magic, or perhaps puppets belonging to a spirit master.
If that was the case, killing them would not be a problem. I fell as I was and stomped down on one enemy’s shoulder. Then I drove my sword straight into the crown of his head.
―CRAAACK……!
There was still no sensation of bone or flesh splitting, but unlike before, it seemed to be a fatal blow. The enemy dispersed as though melting away. And then I realized something else.
I had experience fighting these things before.
Once I knew what they were, there was no reason to hesitate. When I cut down everything that resisted, rebelled, and rejected me, all the enemies scattered into shining dust.
Before I knew it, silence had settled on all sides.
As soon as the situation ended, I immediately ran toward the inn. The enemy would not have targeted only me. In that case, Cesare was in danger.
I ran as though flying and reached the inn. The moment I went up to the second floor, the stench of blood wafted over me. When Cesare was not drunk, his movements were restricted. If he had been ambushed while sober, a chaotic fight would have……!
“Huh? Master?”
My disciple’s voice came from the end of the hallway. I hurriedly turned around, and there stood Cesare.
All around him were traces of battle. Broken walls, floor, and doors.
Cesare, who was holding an assailant by the collar and beating him mercilessly, was covered in wounds here and there, but he seemed safe.
Although he was naked.
“Cesare! Are you all right?”
“Yes. No, what kind of mad bastards barge in while someone is bathing?”
“Were you all right even though you had not been drinking?”
“These pathetic bastards are more than enough, even without alcohol…….”
Just then, one remaining assailant attacked Cesare. Cesare’s fist immediately slammed into the assailant’s face.
―BANG!
The assailant vanished into particles of light. It was a fairly strong enemy, yet Cesare looked as though he had merely swatted an insect.
“Good grief, they are like cockroaches. They do not seem human, so what exactly are they?”
“They are a kind of clone made with mana.”
It was magic used by fairly high-ranking mages. However, it was not common. Creating multiple clones this strong required a great deal of mana, and if one had that much mana, it was usually easier to use another attack spell instead.
Then I remembered a man I had met in the past who had enjoyed using clone magic like this.
“I think I know who sent them. Let us go, Cesare.”
“Uh. Yes. Let me put on some clothes first.”
As he said that, Cesare was standing there proudly in the nude. Without realizing it, my gaze drifted downward.
……Hmm. He had grown well.
After he finished preparing, we immediately rushed out of the inn. I knew exactly where we had to go.
***
A crescent moon had risen.
Thanks to the moonlight pouring over the dim forest, the surroundings were bright, though not as bright as daytime. Gainak’s residence in the middle of the forest was also clearly visible.
Gainak stood in the yard. His eyes were closed, and then he slowly turned around.
“To think you would come back alive.”
Gainak’s eyes grew even sharper. The person who walked out of the forest was Dane. Dane’s expression was as cold as a blade.
“Gainak. I thought you were rotting away in prison. I did not recognize you because you aged and grew a beard.”
A mage required many qualities. One of them was the amount of mana they possessed.
No matter how intelligent they were or how many difficult magic formulas they knew, it was useless if they lacked the mana to activate them.
Because of that, mages with little mana used a kind of trick.
They drew on another person’s mana.
However, this method inflicted extreme pain on the one providing the mana. In severe cases, a person could be ruined from mana depletion.
Gainak was a man who used such a trick. A man who kidnapped children and extracted mana from them. He was also a man Dane had caught and thrown into prison.
Since Gainak had mainly used mana clones to kidnap children, Dane had immediately thought of Gainak right after being ambushed.
Whether he had been released or had escaped from prison, the fact that such trash was out in the world made Dane’s anger surge.
And when he thought of Xenia, who must have been used by a man like this for fifteen years, his anger burned even hotter.
Hatred filled Dane’s eyes. Gainak looked quietly at Dane, then opened his mouth.
“That expression is exactly like your father’s.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Do not play dumb. That face. Since you look exactly like the bastard who put me in prison, you must be his son.”
Deep resentment could be heard in his voice. Hatred toward the Dane of the past.
Apparently, he had mistaken Dane for his own son. There was no need to tell him the truth.
“I was disappointed when that bastard died in the attack, but fortunately, his brat came to me instead. I took that bastard’s disciple to get revenge on him, but my resentment never faded…….”
Dane gripped the hilt of his sword. He had wondered why Gainak had taken Xenia, of all people. So revenge had been his goal.
The moment he learned that, flames rose in Dane’s eyes. Gainak opened his mouth.
“You have no idea how glad I am to meet you.”
The wind stirred, and the air slowly began to heat. The forest rustled. It felt as though the spirits living in the woods had sensed what was about to happen.
Then Gainak sensed someone’s presence behind him.
―CLANG, CLANG, CLANG!
Over a dozen Mana Spears struck down in front of Cesare, who had been trying to launch a surprise attack from behind. No, Cesare was not the only target. Spears of mana were also aimed at Dane.
Cesare clicked his tongue and stepped back. Gainak increased the distance between them with blazing eyes.
“Did you think you could buy time and ambush me? It is useless.”
Before anyone realized it, countless Mana Spears were floating around Gainak. As if he would fire them the moment anything went wrong. Dane aimed his sword and said,
“You, who are only at the Second Engraving, should not have had the talent to use magic like this.”
And yet the magic Gainak was now using was something one had to be at least at the Fourth Engraving to wield.
The blood energy flowing from him was faint as well. Dane’s eyes gleamed coldly.
“Three years ago, when you made rain fall, did you draw mana from Xenia then as well?”
There was no other way to explain the situation. Gainak also glared quietly at Dane and said,
“Yes. I told her I would find Balanus for her, and she obeyed so meekly. She was such a good child.”
At those words, Dane’s brow twitched. Gainak gave a faint laugh.
“At some point, she began resisting too much, so I placed a restriction on her.”
“…….”
“Once I sealed her memories as well, she finally became obedient again.”
Had such magic been developed in the last fifteen years? Dane’s blood boiled silently. Gainak looked straight at him and said.
“It should have been your father standing here now, not you. What a pity.”
At the same time, rain began to fall.
A sharp rain made of spears.
―CRUNCH!
Mana Spears poured down like a torrential rain. Dane and Cesare dodged them, but that was not the end. Spears continued to form endlessly in midair.
Under that fierce shower, Cesare was bleeding from wounds all over his body. He dodged the attacks and grumbled.
“Why is that bastard not casting?”
Ordinary mages used casting. Reciting a formula aloud reduced mana consumption.
All the spells Gainak used were powerful. On top of that, because he omitted casting, an enormous loss of mana occurred, but he did not care.
After all, all of that mana was flowing out of Xenia.
“The more you defy me, the more Xenia suffers. In other words, you are the ones killing that child.”
Even at that nauseating provocation, Dane did not waver. He merely dodged the spears with agile movements and advanced toward Gainak.
His gaze was fixed on Gainak. A chill ran down Gainak’s spine.
A blade.
A sword blade.
Eyes like a blood-soaked blade.
His survival instincts screamed at him. The thing before him was a being he must not oppose.
He had to kill it at once. He had to remove it. Mere Mana Spears were not enough.
Light began to flicker in his hand. Because of the lightning, the air around them began to crackle. The moment Gainak gestured, lightning flew mercilessly toward Dane.
―KRAKABOOOM!
Light speed. Literally, without even the slightest exaggeration, the speed of light. A speed the eye could not follow, a speed a mere human could not reject.
If one blinked just once, the lightning would reach Dane. When one opened one’s eyes, Dane would be burned black and dead.
Gainak blinked.
And in that moment.
―SLASH!
The light split.
With a single stroke of the sword, the lightning was cut precisely in half. Beyond the scattering light stood Dane.
As Gainak watched the vanishing streaks of light, he was horrified.
‘He cut lightning?’
It was something possible only with extraordinary dynamic vision and overwhelming swordsmanship to support it.
Even though he had performed such a miraculous attack, Dane’s expression remained calm. No, it was not something that could be described with so gentle a word.
Beyond his expressionless face, hatred sharp enough to cut flesh flickered. Moonlight caught the corner of his eyes, making them gleam fiercely. His golden eyes blazed even more violently than the lightning.
Those eyes were looking at Gainak.
Gainak bit his lip hard enough to draw blood and drew mana from Xenia. All manner of magic surged toward the two of them. But it had little meaning.
Every time Dane swung his sword, the magic died.
Each time a funeral was held for a spell, he drew closer and closer to Gainak. He might be slow, but he did not stop. Just like death.
Death.
Gainak thought of that word and ground his teeth. He wanted to carve him apart himself, but he had no choice. He shouted.
“Xenia! Come out and fight!”
The door of the building burst open. Xenia sprang out, tentacles already unfurled. She said dryly,
“Yes, Master.”