episode_0057

Chapter 57 – Ambush

“That trash…”

Alisa scrunched up her face as she watched his retreating back.

That shameless rapist had betrayed them without hesitation the moment danger arrived. She was surprised she hadn’t anticipated it beforehand.

Uni, standing beside her, also showed a disgust she rarely displayed.

For her, who had been willing to confront Shakra for Abel even in the face of death, Ruan was nothing less than a complete betrayer.

She couldn’t force someone to sacrifice their life for a friend, but to turn their back without a moment’s hesitation like that was something Uni couldn’t even imagine.

Even Yas was flustered, but only Deborah defended Ruan.

“E-everyone, calm down! He probably went to ask for help. Professor Sara is over there!”

A small amount of doubt cleared from the faces of the group as they realized that fact belatedly.

However, Alisa immediately retorted.

“No way. You must not know that trash very well. He’s more than capable of betrayal.”

“No! Ruan isn’t that kind of person.”

“What do you know? You’re not just defending him because you’re in the same class, are you? Don’t think that what you’ve seen is everything. You’ll get into big trouble if you do.”

“Ugh… but he really isn’t!”

Despite experiencing similar events, the two held completely different stances. It was a scene so absurd it could be called a trick of fate.

Skadia, who had been watching their argument, let out a small chuckle and interjected.

“Both of you, stop fighting. There’s no point in us creating a rift among ourselves here.”

“But…”

Deborah had a lot she wanted to say, but since she had promised to keep it a secret, she couldn’t continue and just mumbled.

And Alisa looked at the calm Skadia strangely.

“You’re fine with this? Your fiancé just abandoned you. I’d think you’d be the angriest.”

“Well, I don’t know. I didn’t have any expectations from the start. That’s just the kind of person he is.”

“…Right. You would know better than me.”

Alisa nodded in understanding at the meaningful words, as if Skadia had already experienced something similar.

As the commotion seemed to settle, Shakra, who had been watching with interest, spoke up.

“Is that the end of your bickering? Why don’t you keep going? It was entertaining.”

“…I won’t be played by you anymore. You’re going to kill us whether we surrender or not, aren’t you?”

“Hmm…? You’re quite calm. I’d like to see that face contort, you know?”

Shakra, whose murderous intent flared at Skadia’s calm response, drew a dagger.

Rippling black demonic energy bloomed, coiling around the dagger and extending out like threads, manifesting a sharp aura in the surroundings.

Even if one wasn’t directly cut by the blade, merely touching the aura would result in fatal wounds.

Alisa murmured softly.

“Sword Threads.”

Sword Threads is an art that only those who have reached level 150 or higher can use.

The fact that she could use it as easily as breathing meant she had likely surpassed level 150 and reached level 200.

Everyone tensed up and quickly formed a formation.

Even without anyone giving orders, they formed a circle, surrounding the mages Skadia, Deborah, and Uni.

Abel, who stood at the front, raised his shield.

“We won’t go down easily!”

“Ahaha! Really? I hope you entertain me then. Shall we begin?”

With that signal, Shakra moved.

She had been approaching slowly, extending her legs, but at some point, she suddenly accelerated.

Scrape! Scrape! Scrape!

She scraped past the shield in an instant.

However, complacency was forbidden. As if the first attack was merely a greeting, she flowed past the formation with fluid movements, surging towards the mages.

“Not so fast!”

Yas hurriedly tried to stop her.

But she twisted her body in mid-air, dodging the scimitar, and thrust her dagger at Uni.

Just as Uni faltered, unable to react in time, Skadia stepped forward.

“Ice Spear!”

Rapidly condensed cold energy became a two-meter ice spear and was shot forth.

Shakra clicked her tongue, deflected the ice spear, and launched herself backward, returning to her original position.

It was an exchange of blows that took less than three seconds.

Uni belatedly touched her neck and then expressed her gratitude.

“Th-thank you.”

“It’s nothing. More importantly, snap out of it. The moment you hesitate, you die.”

“Okay! I’ll be careful now.”

At Skadia’s blunt but effective advice, Uni changed her spellcasting from offense-oriented to defense-oriented.

There was no chance of victory anyway, so they had to endure by dragging out the time as much as possible.

Then, Abel pounded his shield.

Clang! Clang!

“Come on!”

Simultaneously, magical power spread with the sound, provoking Shakra.

But Shakra reacted quickly, repelling the effects of the provocation entirely by deploying a protective aura around her body.

“Kid. Only amateurs fall for things like that. Learn your lesson well this time. Though, this will be the end for you!”

Whoosh!

Shakra moved again.

She had been circling rapidly, then, as if defying physics for a moment, she made a sharp turn and charged forward before their eyes could even follow.

Alisa was in that direction.

“You made a mistake!”

Alisa, drawing all her focus, unleashed a flurry of rapid, storm-like consecutive attacks as a feint.

Usually, when faced with such shallow but swift attacks, one would retreat. This was the intended effect, but Shakra did not back down.

Without slowing down at all, she deflected the rapier with minimal movement and closed in.

“Farewell?”

Shakra swung her dagger with a farewell greeting.

Slice!

The dagger sliced through Alisa’s neck.

No, that’s what she thought.

But Shakra soon realized there was no sensation at all when she “cut” Alisa’s neck.

Simultaneously with that realization, Alisa’s counterattack and magic poured forth.

Shakra pulled herself back with nimble footwork and shook her head.

Clenching and unclenching her fist, Shakra was certain that her senses were subtly misaligned.

Her gaze turned towards Deborah.

“You did that, didn’t you? Truly befitting a disciple of the Gray Archmage. I’ll have to kill you this time.”

“Try it if you can!”

“Oh? Surprisingly brave, aren’t we? I wonder what it would be like to cut off your head and send it to the Gray Archmage?”

This time, truly enraged, Shakra unleashed streams of killing intent.

She drew another dagger from her waist, then, with a serious expression, aimed for an opening before launching a surprise attack.

The speed was on a different dimension than before.

The daggers moved, leaving afterimages, shredding the entire space.

The group was relentlessly tossed about.

If they blocked one dagger, another would fly in, and if they barely managed to block that, the recovered dagger would again aim for a vital spot.

She even threw them, so they couldn’t even feel safe if there was a slight distance.

As time passed, the group’s stamina rapidly depleted, and their injuries increased.

And finally, the first casualty appeared.

“You first!”

Slice!

While Yas, who was defending the flank, focused on the incoming dagger, he was caught off guard and deeply cut by Shakra’s dagger that had plunged in.

Fortunately, his internal organs didn’t seem damaged, but blood profusely seeped from the gaping wound in his side.

Since it was an injury caused by demonic energy, taking a potion would only stop the bleeding; the wound itself wouldn’t disappear.

As one member’s combat strength was reduced, the group began to fall helplessly.

Midway through, Skadia, believing there was no chance of victory, gathered all her magic and launched ice crystals, but Shakra easily deflected even those.

As a result, the morale of those who had placed their hopes in the ice crystals plummeted, only creating an adverse effect.

In the end, everyone but Abel was injured and collapsed.

“Oh dear, what should I do? Everyone has collapsed, haven’t they? Right about now, you must be regretting it inwardly. ‘Why did I become friends with Abel?’ No, ‘Why did I come here with them?’ ‘Should I have just run away like that fool earlier?’ Something like that. What do you think?”

“Gasp… gasp!”

“Oh, you’re too exhausted to speak? Hehe! No choice then. Shall I slowly bring this to an end? I’ll kill you with this special technique. Consider it an honor.”

Shakra, smiling annoyingly, approached leisurely and raised her dagger.

Then, the misty aura that had materialized around the dagger compressed all at once, forming another blade.

It was Sword Aura.

A collective groan escaped the group’s lips as they saw the dagger, brilliantly sparkling as if containing a cluster of stars.

Despair gripped the area.

Abel, who had stood firm until then, let go of his shield.

Abel believed there was no longer any chance of victory. However, that didn’t mean he had given up completely. He merely thought it best to bet on even the slightest possibility.

For that, he could humble his pride as much as needed.

The moment he was about to kneel.

Thump-thump— Thump-thump—

Footsteps were heard from the corridor behind them.

At the quiet yet imposing presence, everyone’s gaze turned towards it.

And then they saw him.

The silver-haired, golden-eyed masked man who had saved them during the practical training and then vanished like the wind.

“You are…”

Alisa was the first to react.

Faced with her savior once again in a crisis, she felt a small bit of indignation mixed with an incomparable sense of relief.

She wasn’t the only one feeling it.

Deborah, who had believed he would definitely come to save them, and Skadia, who had implicitly harbored a sense of defeat, all regained hope.

Only Pernia sent a doubtful look, but it wasn’t important.

In any case, with the atmosphere changing in an instant, Shakra quickly realized that the person before her was extremely dangerous.

The power she sensed was insignificant, but she couldn’t rely solely on that.

Shakra tightened her grip on the dagger.

‘First, kill the top priority target.’

There was nothing more disgraceful than losing a target by being too leisurely.

The moment she was about to swing her dagger at Abel, the masked man, as if having anticipated it, sent a warning.

“Lower your body.”

“Uh, what…?”

Abel let out a bewildered sound at the words spoken while looking straight at him.

Even so, his body diligently followed the instruction.

Immediately after, the masked man’s right fist shot out, generating a massive shockwave.

Boom!

An intangible energy, extending in a straight line from the fist, barely grazed Abel and enveloped Shakra.

“Damn it!”

Shakra immediately thrust her dagger.

The Sword Aura and the intangible energy collided, creating a powerful repulsion.

Due to the impact, cracks appeared on the surrounding walls, and the entire area trembled as if an earthquake had struck.

Shakra couldn’t withstand the force and was pushed back, leaving a long gouge in the ground.

She had barely managed to defend herself, but seemingly unable to bear the full power, a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of her mouth.

“Who are you!”

Shakra, suffering from internal injuries, shrieked at the masked man as if in agony.

Meanwhile, the masked man, having passed Abel, declared before the aftershock could fully subside.

“I’ll rape you.”

“…What?”

Shakra’s face was stained with bewilderment at the sudden remark.