'That lunatic!'
Creed, who wore Number Five's mask, was startled.
He had never imagined Rohan would cut down Number Three without any warning.
And the technique Rohan had used to cut down Number Three was.......
'Rainer's Swift Sword...'
It had already surprised him when Rohan used the technique that afternoon.
Yet the technique Rohan had just displayed was far cleaner than what Creed had seen that afternoon.
Rohan seemed to have grown yet again in that short time.
"You sons of bitches! Number Four! We have to kill Number One and Number Five."
Shing, shing! Numbers Two and Four drew their swords.
The basement was cramped, and Rohan faced Numbers Two and Four across the round table.
Only one torch was lit, leaving the surroundings extremely dark.
Creed also drew the sword at his waist.
'He must have a plan, right? He must have killed him because he had one.'
Rohan had only told him there would be a secret meeting in the basement, saying nothing about what came afterward.
The bastard always slipped out of trouble like a loach, so he must have prepared some kind of plan...
'What's wrong with him?'
Rohan was staggering with both hands clutching his head.
Creed nudged him several times with an elbow, but there was no response. Something was wrong with him.
'Don't tell me.......'
Creed recalled when Rohan had killed Hans.
Back then, Rohan had also dropped his sword and stood dazed for a while.
Creed's brow furrowed deeply as his thoughts reached that point.
'This son of a bitch.'
Did killing someone leave him defenseless for a certain amount of time?
If so, Rohan had prepared a plan as expected. A very thorough one at that.
The problem was that Creed himself was the plan.
"That bastard's acting strange. Attack him now!"
After grasping Rohan's condition, Number Two thrust her sword at Rohan's neck.
Number Two seemed stronger than Number Four, as well as quicker to assess the situation.
CLANG! Creed knocked down the sword aimed at Rohan.
Creed shot Rohan a resentful glare, but only for a moment.
Numbers Two and Four charged at the same time as though they had joined forces.
Number Two climbed onto the round table and brought her sword down, while Number Four circled the table and thrust straight ahead.
Their intent to exploit Rohan's strange condition and finish him quickly was obvious.
CLANG, CLANG!
Creed swung his sword only once, yet sparks flew twice.
'They aren't easy opponents.'
It had only been one exchange, but Creed could clearly tell.
Both of them had undoubtedly reached a certain level.
The larger Number Four swung his sword diagonally.
CLANG—! The collision of blades sent a numbing pain through Creed's hand.
The power generated by that massive body was fierce.
While Creed received one man's sword, another blade shot in from the right.
This sword was exceptionally sharp.
Number Two was tall, slender, and agile.
Creed rolled away, but a long gash opened along his side.
"Ghk."
Had he been even a little slower, his organs would have spilled out.
Ignoring his wound, Creed watched for an opportunity.
He thrust his sword straight at Number Four, whose movements were relatively sluggish.
'Got him.'
Just as Creed thought he had pierced Number Four's heart, Number Two's sword blocked his blade.
CLANG—! Sparks flew with the sharp sound.
'When?'
Number Two had clearly been on the opposite side of Number Four.
Creed clicked his tongue at Number Two's agility.
Perhaps startled, Number Four stood dazed for a moment.
"Kill Number One!"
Number Two shouted when Number Four faltered.
Only then did Number Four come to his senses and whip around in obedience to the order.
His hulking body bore down on Rohan with a threatening presence.
Rohan remained dazed, clutching his head.
"Rohan!"
Creed kicked the chair in front of him.
CRASH—! The chair caught Number Four's foot, making him lose his balance and fall.
A blade flashed beside Creed.
SWISH, CRUNCH! Creed jerked his head aside to evade it, and Number Two's thrust struck the wall.
A glance showed a deep crack running through the wall.
"What are you doing, bastard? Kill him!"
Number Two shouted at Number Four again.
Number Four sprang up from the floor and charged at Rohan once more.
Creed moved to stop him, but something flashed before his eyes and fragments of brick scattered.
Number Two's sword was embedded in the wall right in front of Creed's nose.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Though the mask concealed her face, Creed could almost see the mocking smile beneath it.
'Goddamn it!'
Number Two pulled her sword from the wall and immediately thrust it at Creed.
At the same time, Number Four swung his blade toward Rohan's neck.
It was only an instant, but to Creed it seemed to last an eternity.
He could block Number Two's sword, but Rohan would die if he did.
Conversely, if he blocked the sword aimed at Rohan, Creed would suffer a fatal wound.
After only a moment's thought, he decided to act on instinct.
"Ghk!"
Number Two's thrusting sword cut diagonally across his shoulder.
CLANG—! But the sword Creed barely managed to extend blocked Number Four's strike at Rohan.
Before he could even feel relieved, a razor-sharp blade appeared before Creed's eyes.
Number Two had swung again at Creed, left defenseless after protecting Rohan.
'I'm dead.'
He could neither dodge nor block it.
It felt as though his life flashed before his eyes.
Creed could almost see Number Two's mocking smile behind the mask.
In the end, Creed squeezed his eyes shut.
CLANG—!!!
Yet his body remained intact.
When he opened his eyes, an old sword was guarding his throat.
Blue energy rippled over the blade.
Rohan's sword, wielded beneath Number One's mask, had caught Number Two's strike.
"I'm a little late, aren't I?"
Creed's temper flared at the sly remark.
"You are, you son of a bitch! I almost died!"
***
Rohan shook his head hard.
His head throbbed.
He had nearly died.
The backlash from killing a human was stronger than he had expected.
His skull had rung for a while, leaving him unable to do anything.
The backlash also seemed to vary according to the level of the person he killed.
Had Creed not protected him, he would have died without being able to move.
'He must have had quite a hard time.'
Rohan had been defenseless for roughly a minute.
The battle must have been fierce during that time. Objects lay broken everywhere.
Blood dripped steadily from Creed's side and shoulder.
'He threw himself in harm's way to save me?'
Rohan's mind filled with curiosity.
Rohan had never sacrificed himself for someone else.
He had likewise considered it only natural that others would not sacrifice themselves for him.
The only person who had ever sacrificed anything for Rohan was his mother, who had gone hungry to give him even a little more food.
Creed could not have thought much of him either, yet human emotions truly were difficult to understand.
"Why are you standing there like an idiot? Get a grip, you bastard!"
CLANG! Creed blocked Number Four's strike at Rohan.
Creed was frustrated by Rohan's vacant stare, but it was not because Rohan had failed to see Number Four's sword.
Without realizing it, Rohan had come to trust that Creed would block Number Four's blade for him.......
"Huh?"
Before anyone knew it, Rohan's sword had pierced Number Four's stomach.
Creed, Number Four, Number Two... No one in the basement had anticipated the strike.
They had been so distracted by Rohan standing blankly that they had not even noticed him raise his sword.
Number Four let out a groan.
"Number Four! Get a grip!"
Seeing this, Number Two grabbed Number Four by the nape and pulled him backward.
SPLATTER—! When the sword came free of Number Four's stomach, blood began gushing like a fountain.
"Hhk, hhk, fuck!"
Number Four gasped as though he were about to stop breathing.
Number Two raised her sword and kept Rohan and Creed in check as she spoke again to Number Four behind her.
"Number Four, tear the scroll!"
Apparently understanding, Number Four searched inside his clothes and pulled out a scroll.
His hand was drenched in blood, and the scroll quickly grew wet as he took it out.
It was a scroll the Noxis spies carried in case of emergency.
Tearing that scroll would teleport its user to a spot just outside the barracks.
They were so expensive that each person had only one, but this was no time to worry about that.
Number Four spoke between ragged breaths.
"S-sorry."
"Shut up and get to Noxis. Tell them what happened here. Hurry!"
Number Four nodded once and tore the scroll.
His body was soon enveloped in light and vanished.
The two fools before Number Two must have been seeing a scroll for the first time, because they had merely stared as Number Four openly tore it.
After confirming Number Four had vanished, Number Two carelessly tossed her sword onto the floor.
CLATTER. She discarded the sword as it fell limply, pulled aside her robe, and drew two crescent-curved blades.
The moment Creed saw them, he discerned Number Two's identity.
"Meiwa."
"...Yes."
When Creed called her name, Number Two removed her mask.
A dark-skinned woman revealed herself.
Creed and Rohan also took off their masks.
Meiwa seemed surprised when she saw Rohan.
"I suspected it, but it really was you, Rohan. The brat has barely been here, yet already... You've found yourself a useful junior, Creed."
"He's far better than bastards like you who became dogs of an enemy nation."
"Heh heh heh. Regrettably, the two of you must die here today."
Creed frowned.
"Meiwa. I know you're from the Nakandiya tribe, and the Nakandiya tribe lives deep within the Empire. Why are you a Noxis spy?"
"It isn't only those born and raised in Noxis who can become spies. Must I tell you every last detail of my story?"
Meiwa clenched her teeth.
"One thing is certain. The two of you will die here today... Ghk!"
CLANG—!
Rohan swung his sword as if tired of listening.
Meiwa caught the middle of Rohan's blade with a crescent-curved sword and forced it downward.
Rohan's sword descended with a grating sound.
Still binding Rohan's sword, Meiwa rolled once and swung the blade in her opposite hand at Rohan's leg.
Creed swung to block it, but Meiwa changed her sword's path as though she had expected that and slashed across Rohan's thigh.
"Ghk."
A short groan escaped Rohan.
Creed tried to kick Meiwa in the face, but she was already well out of reach.
Her agility was unbelievable.
"Creed. You mediocre bastard."
Meiwa gave a short laugh and charged again.
Her movements were as agile and flexible as a leopard's.
She repeatedly varied the paths of her swords, throwing the two men into confusion.
Meiwa's crescent-curved swords were short, which made such changes easy.
As time passed, wounds large and small accumulated across Rohan and Creed's bodies.
'This won't work.'
Rohan sensed it instinctively.
Meiwa's swordsmanship was fundamentally different from ordinary swordsmanship.
It was a type even Rohan had never seen despite indirectly experiencing countless sword arts.
It was probably the swordsmanship of the Nakandiya tribe.
'I want it.'
At the same time, Rohan blindly coveted Meiwa's swordsmanship.
Rohan's eyes gleamed.
More wounds appeared across his body, but Rohan paid them no mind.
Instead, he reinforced his vision with mana and tracked Meiwa's movements.
Meiwa's motions came into sharper focus.
"You bastard, what are you doing?!"
Creed looked alarmed.
Moving mana anywhere other than one's sword in a melee filled with incoming strikes was no different from suicide.
Not only would it weaken him, he would not even be able to block his opponent's sword.
SWISH, SWISH!
Rohan stabbed as though he had no interest in blocking Meiwa's attacks.
He narrowly twisted aside to protect his vital points, but Meiwa's blades were cutting all over his body.
Moreover, because Rohan's strikes carried no mana, Meiwa evaded them with ease.
Blood poured from Rohan's tattered skin.
'What the hell is that lunatic doing?!'
Creed wanted to stop him, but he could not.
More precisely, he did not even have the time.
Meiwa attacked with all the agility of a vicious beast.
The swords in both hands allowed her to fight Rohan and Creed simultaneously.
'That look.'
Rohan's eyes flashed for an instant.
Creed had definitely seen that look before.
At the same moment, Creed saw Rohan's mana rush into his right arm.
'What is he planning?'
Creed did not know, but Rohan seemed ready to try something, so he deliberately overextended with a swing.
Meiwa's gaze shifted briefly toward Creed's large, clumsy motion.
CLANG. She blocked the attack with ease.
'That's my limit.'
Creed bit his lip.
He did not know what Rohan's scheme was, but all he had to do was keep Meiwa from noticing it.
Meiwa's gaze returned to Rohan, who once again raised his sword directly in front of him.
'So obvious. Painfully obvious.'
Meiwa scoffed with confidence and twisted her body to the right.
Rohan's sword was extending in a straight thrust.
Meiwa belatedly saw the mass of mana wrapped around Rohan's arm, but she was faster.
Easily evading the sword, Meiwa swung her right hand in a wide arc.
This path would drive her blade squarely into Creed's neck.
Creed had left himself badly exposed with that reckless attack.
Meiwa did not miss the opportunity.
'Got him!'
Her arm swung, Creed's neck in its path.
'......?'
WHOOSH! Her arm's trajectory clearly passed Creed's throat, yet Creed remained standing on both feet.
'His neck should have been cut...?'
SLASH—! Blood sprayed along the path of Meiwa's swing.
Unable to understand what had happened, Meiwa looked bewildered.
Thump... thump-thump...
Something fell through the air.
Looking closer to see what the black object was, Meiwa realized it was a human hand.
She raised her right arm.
The place where her hand should have been was empty.
Blood dripped from Rohan's sword.
"You always dodged thrusts to the right."
Rohan smiled after speaking.
"What?"
The battle that had just unfolded flashed through Meiwa's mind.
Rohan's sword had thrust persistently and straightforwardly even as blades cut all over his body.
Why had Meiwa failed to notice anything strange?
SPURT—!
Blood gushed like a fountain from the cleanly severed stump of her right wrist.
"Ah... Aah... Aaaagh!!"
Only then did Meiwa clutch her wrist and scream.
An overwhelming pain surged through her, enough to make her vision swim.
Rohan approached with his sword in hand.
'I have to run!'
Meiwa hurriedly searched inside her clothes with her remaining hand.
Fortunately, the scroll was still there.
She unfurled the scroll with her remaining hand and bit one corner.
"You sons of bitches. I'll have my revenge. I'll kill you!"
RIIIP—! The scroll tore, and Meiwa vanished in a flash of light.
Rohan's sword belatedly swept through the place Meiwa had occupied.
Rohan clicked his tongue in disappointment.
Blood streamed from his entire body.
That was when it happened.
Rohan felt something cold against the nape of his neck.
Creed had leveled his sword at him.
***
Light engulfed Meiwa's vision after she tore the scroll.
Her body soon felt weightless, and her surroundings changed.
She had arrived at the wooded hill outside the knight order that she had designated as the teleportation point.
'I have to run. I have to get to Noxis.'
The moment her identity was exposed, everything was over.
She would no longer be able to set foot in the Empire and live there.
Meiwa clamped down on her wrist to stop the bleeding and tried to move, but a noise came from behind her.
"Another one came, just as Rohan said."
"Where are you going in such a hurry?"
One voice belonged to a woman, the other to a man.
When Meiwa turned, she saw human silhouettes in the moonlight.
"Kaisen, Johanna?"
They were members of Creed's squad.
"What the hell? Platoon Leader Meiwa? You're a Noxis lackey too?"
"How shocking. You will be recorded as a disgrace to the Nakandiya tribe."
They approached at an unhurried pace.
Beyond them, Number Four lay collapsed, his entire body covered in bruises.
'I'm fucked.'
That was the only thought in Meiwa's mind.