I couldn’t move quietly since the security system went off on the First Basement Floor. No matter what I did, the chase was on.
I didn’t even have time to use Invisibility. The Empire’s personnel showed up from everywhere to bother me.
I dodged incoming magic and went down the stairs. I was heading to the Second Basement Floor.
Unlike the First Floor, the Empire’s Second Basement Floor wasn’t a place for rookie knights to work.
There were fewer of them, but the elite personnel with better skills were on guard.
“Ah?! Who are you?”
“How did you get in here?”
Unlike the rookies, they were not easily shaken off by ordinary means.
In front of me were the Knights Order’s regular knights, and behind me were the rookie knights chasing me from the First Floor.
There seemed to be no way to escape combat any longer. I pulled out a Dagger and held it in my hand.
“……”
So this is how it ends.
I had put in some effort, after all.
My aim was to head to the lowest floor without killing them.
But things didn’t go as planned. Even if there were some casualties, it couldn’t be helped.
*
It wasn’t my first time facing multiple enemies.
I recalled the time during External Practicum when I was surrounded by shadows. What did I do back then?
I think I wrapped my body in wind and accelerated to take them out one by one.
With my current Mana amount at around 200, it was far too little to deal with seasoned knights.
Of course, knights are stronger than shadows.
They might not stand out because of their numbers, but each of them is stronger than the Academy’s Top Student.
Thus, I shattered one high-grade Magic Stone. I absorbed the Mana that burst forth from it into my body.
And.
“Wind!”
I leaped.
A Blue-Green Wind followed my movement.
Fighting without using Magical Energy and Hallucination abilities felt like fighting with my arms and legs bound.
But still, I would win.
The gap between them and me wasn’t narrow.
Monsters have better physical abilities than Humans. Even seasoned knights would find it hard to overcome that gap.
They couldn’t keep up with my speed. They couldn’t catch me with their pace.
A faint afterimage was left between my swiftly leaping movements. As I dashed forward, I inserted the Dagger into a knight’s body.
“Ugh?!”
With a thud, red blood burst into the air. Then I immediately grabbed his collar and pulled him closer.
With the knight so close, they couldn’t use Attack Magic on me. I aimed the sword I held at the knight’s neck.
A makeshift hostage. Also known as a meat shield.
“Capturing a hostage, how cowardly!”
“……”
Isn’t it more cowardly to swarm me with several people at once?
If I didn’t use Magical Energy, there was no way to handle multiple enemies at once.
So I had to take them down one by one.
Shadows didn’t have intelligence, so I could sweep them away all at once, but knights were different; they watched the situation unfold.
They smoothly linked their offensive magic while thrusting their swords at me.
It would be one thing if I were fighting them one by one, but it was challenging to break through a well-coordinated formation on my own.
So.
“I’m running away! Catch me!”
I chose to escape from that spot. I abandoned the hostage and searched for a way deeper underground, sprinting.
I slashed through the knights blocking my way with the Dagger and dodged incoming attack magic.
But there seemed to be no end.
Finding a way through the maze-like interior of the building wasn’t easy, and too many were blocking my path, making it chaotic.
‘Should I break the floor again?’
If I can’t see the way, I’ll make one. I executed the idea that popped into my head.
BOOM!!
I slammed my Blue-Green Wind-wrapped fist onto the ground. I jumped down through the large hole I created.
The knights from the Second Floor chasing me didn’t bother to follow me down.
Thus, I fell to the Third Basement Floor.
And.
It might not have been such a good idea to jump down after breaking the floor.
As I fell, several knights pointed their weapons at me as if they had been waiting.
They were stronger than the knights from the Second Floor. Because I smashed the floor, all their gazes turned toward me.
If I could use Magical Energy, things might have been a bit easier.
But that wasn’t possible. Right now, I was an ordinary human hiding my identity.
If I showed my Magical Energy here, who knows what would happen afterward?
“……The welcome party is quite extravagant.”
The enemy’s sharpened hostility and the refined incantations aimed at me were blinding amidst the darkness.
I discarded the dull Dagger into the ground and pulled out a new one from my pocket.
Was this going to be a series of battles?
I wasn’t so confident about it. I was getting dizzy from not having eaten.
So I wanted to finish it quickly.
Before I couldn’t hold back and killed someone else.
I slashed at the charging knight.
After dodging the path of his swinging sword, I got in close and swung my Dagger.
With that done, I immediately aimed for the next target.
Just like before, I watched the sword’s trajectory, dodged, and sliced.
Occasionally, incoming attack magic was deflected by the wind. It wouldn’t have been too bad if it hit, but leaving them alone would be quite troublesome.
So this time, I decided to target the Mages.
I’d make them realize that distance doesn’t mean safety.
WHOOSH!!
Wrapped in wind, my accelerated speed far surpassed what they expected.
That was the reason to not let down your guard just because the distance was far. It really took only a moment to reach them.
Literally, I could close in faster than they could blink.
“What, what—.”
As I approached, the faces of the Mages turned to shock.
But they didn’t get to finish their sentences. Before words could come out, I sliced their necks with my Dagger.
Blood splattered. One more body added to the pile.
“Huuh……”
After taking a Mage down and planting my feet on the ground, I took a deep breath.
I shifted my stance with the sword.
The element that gives me the most significant advantage over them is speed.
So I added technique to my swift movements.
This time, I intended to subdue multiple enemies at once rather than just one.
CLASH!!!
I stomped the ground harder than ever before.
I swung my sword.
In various directions.
The sword strikes etched in the air split apart. The Blue-Green Strike left a thick trail.
“GUAAAH!!”
“Ugh?!!”
Imperial Sword Style Sixth Form.
Originally designed to draw a sword from a sheath and accelerate, I adapted it into a different form since I had no sheath.
The splitting sword strikes felled the knights along with the wind.
After one leap, blood and flesh rained down onto the ground. The scent of blood filled the basement building.
It was a sweet aroma for me, but for a human, it was likely pungent and disgusting.
I brought the bloodied Dagger to my lips and took a lick before putting it away.
As I continued fighting elite knights consecutively, I was physically exhausted.
I brushed the hair soaked in sweat away from my forehead.
After the battle ended, I stood among human blood and flesh, which didn’t feel particularly great.
Two lives had been lost, three had serious injuries, and the rest were all severely wounded.
I had tried to control it somewhat, but it wasn’t as easy as I thought.
I felt sorry for those who died, but I had my reasons to get through this place.
I walked through the now quiet corridor of the underground.
Just as I was about to move on to the next floor.
“Who are you?”
“……”
Someone blocked my path as I stepped over the fallen.
A knight with flowing red hair was in my way. Her uniform tag represented her status.
She was on a different level than the ones I just fought. Is the Top Knight coming out now?
She was the manager of this floor. Coincidentally, I was already familiar with her.
Eve.
One of the professors from the Academy. I didn’t expect to see her in a place like this again.
“That swordsmanship is Imperial Sword Style. It resembles that of my former superior, Top Knight Leon. I will ask again. Who are you?”
I didn’t answer.
I merely took one step forward.
Leon, huh.
Come to think of it, I remember that name.
Leon and Eve were the pair that patrolled the Back Alley.
Of them, Leon was dead, and Eve was still alive.
Today might shatter that balance. Deep down, I hoped she wouldn’t block my path.
After all, she was a professor I had met before. I wanted her to step aside and let me pass.
Before we crossed swords and more blood flowed.
“……Are you not going to answer?”
But Eve didn’t step aside.
She drew her sword and took her stance. The same stance I used when subduing the knights.
It wasn’t a mimic of mine; it was the real Imperial Sword Style.
As she drew her sword from its sheath, I drew my sword as well.
I figured there would be no smooth sailing ahead.
