Chapter 68: Labyrinth and Puppet (2)

“Katana…”

Facing an unidentified enemy with a katana at their hip, my vigilance spiked to unprecedented levels.

Bizarre.

Though it’s just one word, the sense of discomfort and strangeness emanating from the figure before me couldn’t be summed up so simply.

The figure, completely encased in blue armor like Nana, took human form but felt nothing like a human.

I channeled aura through my blood vessels, enhancing my entire body. With abnormally heightened senses, I tried to glean any information about this opponent.

I could faintly hear something like a heartbeat, but the rate was absurdly slow.

So slow that it seemed miraculous they could stand there so calmly.

Moreover, I couldn’t hear the sound of blood flowing through their body – a sound that should be audible in any living being.

‘What the hell is that thing?’

Facing this bizarre entity with traits of both living and non-living things, I placed my hand on my sword hilt, ready for any potential attack.

Needless to say, I couldn’t sense Marina’s energy from it.

‘It’s not something Marina created. That means it came from outside…’

Such a bizarre being had never appeared in the original story.

If it had wielded a katana, I wouldn’t have forgotten it. There was no room for misunderstanding.

An enemy that didn’t exist in the original story – in other words, it must be from a group created as a result of a possessed person’s intervention in this world.

If so, what was their purpose? If they were targeting the Sword Saint’s lineage as in the original story, were they waiting here expecting Rain to come first?

‘No, it said “finally here” when it saw me.’

So was I the target? Or did it just happen to be me when they were expecting Rain?

With too few clues from their appearance and earlier words to make a quick judgment, I hesitated.

“…”

The figure, motionless except for its initial words, suddenly shifted one foot forward.

As it moved, I tried to assume a proper stance, but seeing the posture it took, I froze.

‘That’s… Baldo!!’

That stance, hands on the sword hilt and scabbard ready to draw at any moment, was undoubtedly the stance of Baldo.

And not just any Baldo – even from the stance alone, I could tell it was highly skilled, if not quite at my level.

Faced with an opponent far superior to Peter or Nana, my head nearly exploded with rising competitive spirit.

‘Finally… Finally, I face someone who uses Baldo!!’

The moment had come to use the strategy I’d devised in anticipation of someday facing a Baldo practitioner.

“Bahahahaha…!!”

My laughter of joy at a dream realized was short-lived as a possibility flashed through my mind upon seeing his skilled Baldo stance.

‘Why didn’t I realize it sooner?’

I should have known from the moment I saw that katana at its hip.

A new group targeting the academy, influenced by a possessed person.

An unidentified enemy using a katana and Baldo – if these two were connected, there could only be one answer.

“It was you bastards… You’re the reason Baldo’s reputation hit rock bottom in this world!!!”

“What?”

The figure tilted its head, either pretending not to know or genuinely confused, but it couldn’t fool my eyes.

The seven possessed individuals estimated to have fallen into this world, including me.

One of those inefficient, unmanly weapon-wielding possessed people must have realized the limitations of their chosen weapon and belatedly learned Baldo.

But if it had ended there, everything would have turned out fine. However, the bastard who fell under Baldo’s spell didn’t stop there.

To monopolize Baldo for themselves, they spread ridiculous rumors in this world, and if that wasn’t enough, they’ve gone as far as eliminating those who practice Baldo, as I was seeing now.

Just as the Illuminati and Deep State did on Earth, these bastards had been hiding the truth of this world for hundreds of years.

How evil and meticulous a plan was this? If it wasn’t me here, another person who knew the greatness of Baldo would have met a miserable death at their hands.

“I’m right, aren’t I!! You evil bastards!!”

“…”

Struck at the core by my perfect deduction, the figure could only stare at me blankly, unable to utter a word.

But that was only for a moment. Suddenly, its body began to tremble, and then it burst into loud laughter.

“Kahah!! Kakakakat!!”

That laughter, too unnatural to have come from a human body, made me frown involuntarily.

‘Why is it laughing like such a retard?’

‘Kakakakat,’ what is this, a Japanese cartoon? Was it trying to hide its embarrassment by exaggerating its laughter on purpose?

“Hmph! Looks like I hit the nail on the head!!”

“Kakakat!! Hit what nail? I thought you might be a bit off when I heard you only trained in Baldo, but you’re a real nutcase.”

“What? What nonsense!! And stop laughing like a retard!!! Are you trying to mock me?!”

“If anyone’s mocking anyone, it’s you for thinking I’m part of such a moronic group…”

The atmosphere around the figure, which had been excessively quiet until now, seemed to have changed.

Having laughed its fill, it wheezed for breath before speaking with clear hostility:

“Your thoughts weren’t completely wrong, so I’ll give you 30 points.”

“What? If you’re not from the Dark Baldo Association, then who the hell are you?”

“Does my affiliation matter that much when two sword-wielding swordsmen face each other?”

“Of course it matters, you thick-skulled bastard!! If you die mid-fight, I won’t be able to get any information!”

It seemed it was targeting me after all, so I only knew it was sent by a possessed person, but I couldn’t tell who exactly sent it.

‘I was planning to use Wolffang, but… I guess it’s better to capture it alive with Shadowstrike here?’

I felt a bit uneasy about using Shadowstrike against a swordsman who uses Baldo, not just any swordsman, but it couldn’t be helped.

Here, I needed to capture it alive and find out its identity, even if it meant pushing myself a bit.

Moreover, this was just a gut feeling, but for some reason, I felt Wolffang wasn’t a good choice against this opponent.

Taking up the Baldo stance like my opponent, I prepared to draw at any moment and asked:

“You, what’s your name?”

“Are we on a blind date? Why are you asking for my name?”

“I’m planning to capture you alive, but if you happen to die, I’ll use your name to guess who you are.”

“…You showed it earlier too, but that’s quite the confidence.”

Its pride seemingly hurt, it glared at me with even more hostility than before and said:

“It won’t happen, but if you manage to defeat me in this state, I’ll tell you my name.”

“Bullsh*t…”

If I captured it alive, it would have to tell its name whether it wanted to or not, and in the opposite case, it wouldn’t be able to tell its name at all.

“Dressing up spilling your guts after torture as ‘telling’… you’re unexpectedly witty.”

“What torture… Don’t worry. Whatever happens, nothing like that will happen.”

I was curious about the true meaning behind those words, but in the face of that boiling aura, any room for unnecessary thoughts completely vanished.

“…Here I come.”

With those short words, it drew its katana from the scabbard at a truly light-like speed, and I followed suit, intercepting its attack with my Shadowstrike.

As my Shadowstrike clashed with its katana, a tremendous roar erupted along with a shockwave strong enough to make the labyrinth tremble slightly.

My arm tingled severely, though not as much as when I received Robo’s attack.

It seemed the same for my opponent, as an eerie sound that could hardly be thought to come from a human body emanated from its arm.

“I thought you were just a crazy idiot, but you’re quite skilled…”

“Shut up, I’m neither crazy nor an idiot!!”

As we faced off with our two katanas between us, neither giving an inch, it spoke upon seeing my Shadowstrike.

“You use an odd katana. Can you cut people with such a katana?”

“I’ve already cut two, and you’ll be the third today, so don’t worry!!”

I pushed it back with force and sheathed my Shadowstrike to draw again.

Of course, I thought it would sheathe its katana to draw again too, and I was waiting for that moment of sheathing, but…

“I’ve lived quite long, but I’ve never seen anyone sheathe a sword that quickly.”

It rushed at me again without returning the katana to its scabbard, still holding it drawn.

Caught off guard by this attack that defied the common sense of sheathing after drawing, I couldn’t immediately draw and had no choice but to keep dodging its attacks.

“Did you change your tactics after judging you couldn’t beat me with Baldo?!”

“Regrettably… no, actually not regrettably at all, it seems that way.”

Apparently, it was more confident in other sword techniques than Baldo, as attacks even sharper than its initial draw rained down on me.

Directly witnessing the skill and mastery overflowing from the tip of its sword, I had to grudgingly admit that it was on a higher level than me.

If all the time spent honing these skills had been invested in Baldo instead, what a terrifyingly formidable swordsman would have been born…!!

Just imagining it sent chills down my spine.

Unable to parry its attacks and constantly being pushed back, I soon realized I was about to hit a wall and struggled to break free from its offensive somehow.

However, sensing its victory, it swung its sword even more fiercely, driving me into a corner.

If I hit the wall like this, there wouldn’t be space to use Baldo, the only technique that could get me out of this situation.

There were Baldo techniques for use at close range, but I wasn’t confident I could change the position of my scabbard while dodging these attacks.

‘Is the last resort gambling….’

With a ‘come what may’ mindset, I turned my body and leaped towards the wall with all my might.

Using the wall as a foothold, I jumped high and drew my sword with all my strength towards the ceiling right in front of me.

The ceiling, taking the Baldo technique head-on, collapsed, and debris rained down on both of us, but it paid no mind, either cutting through or dodging the debris while waiting for me to fall.

And the moment my body floating in mid-air came within range, it didn’t hesitate to thrust with enough force to pierce through me.

“Haha…!!”

Seeing that thrust flying towards me as if to pierce my body, I grinned, realizing my gamble had paid off.

“…Huh?”

It was right after launching the thrust that it made such a dumbfounded sound with a bewildered expression.

Its katana, which should have pierced my body, was sheathed in the scabbard I had drawn along with Shadowstrike from my belt when I drew, no longer a threat to me.

“What is this, some kind of circus act…”

Without letting go of the scabbard that had sheathed its katana, I released Shadowstrike and reached for Wolffang.

Watching this, it hurriedly let go of the hilt and distanced itself, preparing for the next attack.

“Can I think of this… as a gift?”

“I don’t mind giving it to you if you want it… but can you handle it?”

“Hah…”

As if responding to that provocation, I shifted my hand reaching for Wolffang to the hilt of this nameless katana and drew it towards my opponent without hesitation.

But the katana that flew out like an arrow didn’t end up splitting its head in two.

“Huh…”

The katana that advanced towards its head didn’t go far before getting caught between its palms, stopping its movement.

“What is this, some kind of circus act…”

Blade catching…

Witnessing this technique, which should only appear in manga or staged demonstrations, in actual combat, I could only mutter the same words it had said earlier.

‘What the hell is this bastard?’

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