Chapter 164: Survival (5)

When I saw Nana sprawled on the ground, I immediately realized the situation I’d been dreading had unfolded.

Jessica noticed too, and without a word, she slipped off my back. Finally free from supporting her legs, I could move more freely.

“Baldo!!!”

With the most majestic technique name in this world, the red blade was drawn and rushed towards the mysterious enemy.

‘He’s going to block this?’

It should have been a perfect strike, taking advantage of the moment when he was distracted by Nana on the ground, but he easily deflected it.

The familiar, heavy sensation in my hand instantly revealed the identity of my opponent.

“Ganryu!!”

As I emerged from the bushes, my suspicion turned to certainty. A sword much longer than the one he’d brought before came slashing towards my neck.

I twisted my body to dodge the attack, but his sword, like a hungry beast, kept pursuing my neck relentlessly.

‘That sword…’

The historical figure he was based on was said to use a longer sword than ordinary swordsmen. Did this mean Ganryu was getting serious?

While his physical abilities weren’t much different from the previous puppet, just the sight of him wielding that sword made me break out in a cold sweat from tension.

“Ugh…!!”

I managed to parry his attack by drawing Wolffang again with Jinta’s power, but Ganryu clicked his tongue and leaped back.

“Oh? That body of yours even has a tongue?”

“No, it’s just the sound of a tongue clicking that was transmitted. More importantly, you’ve got a new sword? Let me see it up close!!”

“…If you want to see it that badly, why don’t you try clashing against it yourself?”

“Alright, let’s do that then.”

Just by using his favorite sword, Ganryu’s skill had increased to the point where he seemed like a completely different person from before.

It was as if he could see the gaps in my sword technique. He didn’t let me get within even a step of his range, and using his sword’s superior reach, he kept forcing me back without letting me counterattack.

While Wolffang could extend its blade length, it was clear that any attempt to do so while drawing would be blocked before I could complete the motion. I couldn’t risk a careless move.

‘This is getting dangerous.’

Time wasn’t on my side. I needed to defeat him as quickly as possible, even if it meant taking risks, because I didn’t know when that Archwizard who had fought Marina might join in.

I gradually retreated, then suddenly leaped back a large distance. Instead of Wolffang, I placed my hand on Jinta’s hilt and stared at Ganryu.

Ganryu met my gaze with a look that said, “Finally, it’s come to this.”

“…Here I come.”

I concentrated my energy manipulation into my legs and charged straight at Ganryu, not caring if I got cut.

As I ran at bullet-like speed, tearing through the air, Ganryu calmly took his stance and waited for me to enter his range.

The moment I did, he swung his sword down at my head without hesitation.

‘You said you wanted to see Jinta’s power, didn’t you?’

To grant that wish, I slightly drew Jinta and used its exposed blade to deflect his sword.

As the blades clashed, a screeching sound of metal grinding filled the air. The friction on Jinta’s blade built up as I pushed forward.

I planned to keep building friction as I advanced, then cut him in half with one strike. But Ganryu seemed to know about Jinta’s ability; he withdrew his sword the moment he heard the metal scraping.

‘I thought he might do that, but still…’

I had a hunch he might know about Jinta’s ability, but this confirmed it. Otherwise, there was no reason for him to retreat so hastily just from our swords touching.

“For someone who asked to see it, you seem to know quite a bit already.”

“Knowing and seeing are as different as heaven and earth. I would have liked to take my time, but… it seems the time has come.”

Confused by his words, I followed Ganryu’s gaze and turned around. To my shock, about ten slimes had gathered behind us, neatly arranged in rows.

Their orderly formation made it clear they were being controlled by someone.

And it didn’t stop there. From the sky, an intense mana that anyone could feel was pouring down.

Euclid, the only one among us on the path of a wizard, was nearly crushed by the mana pressure, barely able to stand. Even Nana and Jessica didn’t look comfortable.

The woman who landed gracefully from the sky stood in front of the lined-up slimes like their leader and addressed me.

“Baldo House, our goal is not you. If you hand him over, you can take those two people back with you.”

“Do you really think I’m the kind of person who’d back down after hearing that?”

“No, I don’t. Sadly, it seems we’ll have to force you to step aside.”

The slimes and Ganryu began to approach me simultaneously, slowly closing the distance.

To be honest, I was in a tough spot. Even if I left the slimes to Jessica, Nana, and Euclid, that Archwizard was still waiting in the wings.

Facing both of them at once was too much, even for my Baldo, without Hori’s doping drug.

‘Maybe I should’ve taken it before coming here.’

I had a syringe in my pocket, but even though it was injectable, I didn’t have the luxury of using it while sandwiched between these two.

I could use a large-scale technique to create an opening, but that would involve everyone here in the blast.

As I stood there, unable to move, with my hand on the sword hilt, glaring at them…

Suddenly, a chilling sensation swept over my body, and everything around us turned white.

Trees, grass, ground, and even the slimes behind me – everything turned white and crumbled like dry plants.

The only ones unaffected were the academy students including myself, and Ganryu’s group protected by the enemy wizard’s spell.

“Haa… I-I made it in time, it seems.”

Marina, unlike the enemy wizard, landed on the ground panting heavily. She looked like she might collapse at any moment as she spoke to me.

“T-thanks to Ian setting fire to the forest, I was able to pinpoint your approximate location. It took some time to deal with the magical beasts, though.”

White snow was falling from the sky as if winter had suddenly arrived. Seeing the trees freeze upon contact with the snow, it seemed Marina was still dealing with the slimes that had been taken over by the enemy.

“Now we might have a chance.”

Marina’s arrival had changed the tide of battle, but we couldn’t let our guard down.

The enemy wizard’s skill surpassed Marina’s, and more importantly, Marina was exhausted from casting multiple spells to get here.

‘I need to take care of Ganryu quickly and then team up with Marina.’

Conversely, what we had to be most wary of was the enemy wizard defeating Marina and rejoining this side.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the outcome of this battle depended on which of us – me or that wizard – could deal with our opponent faster.

The enemy, well aware of this simple fact, moved immediately.

Ganryu, probably aiming to keep me occupied as long as possible, didn’t engage aggressively but retreated significantly. However, if I charged in recklessly, I was sure to get cut down.

“What a pain…”

The one silver lining was that Marina had read the enemy’s intentions and was mirroring Ganryu’s actions.

Even though the enemy wizard was more skilled, Marina wasn’t an opponent to be taken lightly. The wizard couldn’t approach carelessly either, resulting in a tense standoff.

As this dull battle of stares continued with no one making a move, Ganryu, who had been facing me, spoke up.

“Haven’t you guys forgotten something?”

“What?”

“That this fight is just a means to an end, not the goal itself.”

“What?”

With those words and a grin, Ganryu turned tail and ran off into the distance without looking back.

At first, I was confused by his words, but soon I grasped their true meaning and hurried after him.

“That bastard…!!”

That’s right, this fight was just a means to an end. Their real objective was what lay inside Euclid.

Nana had realized this earlier and fled with Euclid on her back, but even with a head start, she was no match for outrunning Ganryu.

Leaving the wizard to Marina, I sprinted after them. It wasn’t long before Ganryu’s back came into view.

“Ganryu!!”

The snow that had piled up on the ground reflected the moonlight, illuminating the forest brightly. Ganryu ignored my shout and kept running.

And soon after, we faced the future that had been inevitable since the start of this chase.

We caught up to Nana, who was breathing heavily, and Euclid, clinging to her like a child.

“Your Highness!!!”

As Ganryu dropped his sword and lunged for Euclid, I saw an opportunity and immediately drew my sword towards his unprotected back.

Jinta, drawn from its scabbard, sliced through Ganryu’s waist with incredible speed and power, separating his upper and lower body. But even this wasn’t enough to stop his movement.

‘…A dagger in his hand?’

Ganryu pulled out a dagger from his left hand and, even as his body was split and flailing in the air, accurately threw it at Euclid.

Nana tried to shield Euclid by throwing herself in front of him, but the dagger passed right through her body towards Euclid.

“Ugh!! Aaargh!!”

Euclid’s scream that followed… everyone knew what it meant without having to see it…