Chapter 394

The breath I take is tainted with a foul stench.

The chamber is overflowing with a suffocating stench of blood, and everywhere, headless corpses are scattered.

I planted my blood-soaked longsword on the ground, leaning on it like a cane, deliberately taking rough breaths.

The arrows stuck in my back were annoying with every move, and the arm I deliberately left exposed to be cut stung painfully.

Buying time was more irritating than I thought.

At this point, it almost feels easier to just give in to Hersela’s temptation and slaughter them all, despite the inconvenience and hassle.

Though, if I actually did that, the aftermath would be quite troublesome.

Anyway, as I mindlessly cut down the enemies, the number of Imperial Guard members lying dead had already reached nearly twenty.

Since I sealed my special techniques and fought with limited strength and skills, I couldn’t cut down too many, but this should be enough to break their morale.

“Twenty of us have fallen… How can someone in that state have such power?!”

“Isn’t he getting tired?”

“That’s impossible…! Look at him. He’s practically on death’s door!”

As the number of casualties exceeded twenty, even the Imperial Guard members began to hesitate, their eyes filled with fear and rejection. Familiar gazes. They must be starting to see me as some kind of monster.

They still haven’t figured out my identity, but they’ve at least realized I’m an opponent they can’t handle.

“When is Sir Cesare arriving?!”

“He’s on the second floor! He’s delayed because the path is blocked!”

So, even a master-level knight has arrived. Troublesome.

…Maybe I should just make my escape now.

While pondering, I glanced toward the annex.

These agents, when are they planning to finish the job… Ah.

Black smoke was slowly rising into the sky above the annex, visible through the window.

Did they succeed? Took them long enough.

Smiling beneath my mask, I leaped toward the window leading outside.

“Where do you think you’re running?!”

The Imperial Guard members, realizing my intent, rushed at me all at once.

Knights blocking the window and charging at me. It was literally a wall of spears and swords.

As if that could stop me.

I rolled on the ground to dodge the spear aiming for my waist, then kicked off the ground, scattering daggers as I leaped.

“Gah!”

“You bastard…!”

The daggers lodged into the gaps of their helmets and collarbones, causing the knights to scream and collapse.

A crack formed in their formation. I immediately charged through, sweeping my longsword in all directions.

Severed limbs scattered along with a spray of blood.

Only one enemy remained near the window.

“In the name of the Imperial Guard’s honor—!”

The Imperial Guard member thrust his sword at me with a determined expression.

I tilted my head to dodge the blade and countered with a kick to his head.

The momentum of the charge carried into the kick, instantly breaking his neck.

The knight, with the back of his head stuck to his back, fell limply out the window.

“Despicable assassin! Your rampage ends here! In the name of justice, I shall judge you!”

A voice as smooth as butter melted in oil, then mixed with milk.

Turning my head, I saw a man with a face that looked like he made seducing women his life’s mission, pointing his sword at me.

What the hell is this idiot?

“Sir Cesare! You must stop him! If he escapes like this…!”

“Don’t worry, I’m here now!”

The man called Cesare laughed, revealing a healthy set of teeth.

His pearly whites sparkled under the light.

What the hell is this guy doing?

What changes just because you’re here? You’re way too late.

Were you busy playing around with women?

“Assassin, hear me! If you are a knight—”

Ignoring the fool trying to talk to me, I stepped onto the windowsill.

No reason to waste time on this idiot. I’ll just escape and be done with it.

Just before leaping out the window into the sea, I turned and waved at Cesare.

“Hey, wait…!”

As the enraged man tried to say something, I kicked off the windowsill and launched myself into the air.

—

A momentary sense of weightlessness, akin to liberation, was quickly replaced by a terrifying sensation of falling.

A storm-like noise filled my ears. My clothes flapped wildly like mad.

This reminds me of the past.

Though it’s much higher this time.

‘Remember? When I jumped off the barrier back then.’

[How could I forget? In all my life, I’ve never seen anyone else pull off such a crazy stunt.]

That memory must have left quite an impression on Hersela too.

Well, she’s probably never experienced a thirty-meter vertical drop either.

But this time, it’s over three hundred meters.

Even though what’s below is the sea and not the ground, falling from this height could still kill me.

The scenery around me vanished like a speeding train.

My falling body was accelerating rapidly.

The royal palace of Panam was built on the edge of a coastal cliff, so there was no way to slow my descent after jumping off.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have jumped… I should’ve just clung to the cliff and climbed down.’

[Oh, now you regret it?!]

I didn’t think much when I jumped out the window, but now that I’m falling, a sense of crisis is surging.

Is there any way to lessen the impact…?

That’s when it happened.

“Where do you think you’re running, you despicable baaaaastard!”

A voice echoed like a reverberation.

Looking up into the night sky, a knight in full armor was falling like a shot bird.

It was Cesare.

‘He’s following me? Is he insane?!’

[I can’t believe there’s another lunatic like you…!]

It was a truly shocking sight.

I at least have a way to survive by focusing my energy on absorbing the impact, but for a mere master-level knight to jump in full armor—what’s the difference between that and suicide?

“You crazy bastard…!”

The shock of witnessing a genuine madman made me curse involuntarily.

“…A woman? No, it doesn’t matter. I’ll cut off your head and offer it to His Majesty!”

To make matters worse, Cesare threw something into the air, using the recoil to accelerate further.

The distance between us closed rapidly.

“Give me your head!”

A guillotine-like strike falling from above.

The blade, reflecting the dim starlight, flashed with a dark gleam.

“Tch…!”

I swung my longsword overhead to parry his blade.

The clashing swords. Sparks of fire bloomed in the dark night sky.

Perhaps due to the combined speed of our fall, a powerful shock ran through my shoulder.

“Got you…!”

The moment our swords clashed, Cesare, with a face full of ecstasy, glared at me and reached out with his left arm.

His left hand firmly grabbed my right arm.

“I’ll cut your throat now!”

“You… crazy bastard…!”

His longsword swung toward my throat.

I stretched out my left hand and grabbed his wrist to block it.

And so, we spun around in a deadly waltz, holding each other’s arms as we fell.

My instincts screamed of danger.

If we fell in this unstable position, there’d be no saving either of us.

“Let go! Are you trying to die?!”

“Hahaha! Who’s dying here? Justice never falls!”

Cesare burst into laughter.

The water’s surface was getting closer.

“You’re insane!”

“Chirping like a strangled nightingale. Too bad I can’t see your face!”

Cesare pulled on the arm he was holding and shifted his legs to change his position.

My vision flipped, and I was now facing the sky.

The next moment, Cesare was on top of me.

This bastard, he’s planning to use me as a cushion!

Using someone as a cushion would absorb most of the impact!

It was a brilliant idea.

So much so that I could almost feel a tiny bit of gratitude toward him.

“No, no. I’ll fish your corpse out and strip it! You must be quite the beauty!”

Cesare already looked like he’d won.

Well, I’ve been acting like a tired master all this time, so it’s natural for him to think that way.

But there was no need to keep up the act anymore.

The royal palace on the cliff was already far away, so even if I revealed my full power here, they wouldn’t be able to see it properly.

That was Cesare’s fatal mistake.

“You’re the one who’s going to die!”

I released all the power I’d been holding back and clenched his arm with my left hand.

– Crunch!

The sound of metal, flesh, muscle, and bone being crushed together. His right arm was instantly compressed like a sausage in a vise.

Bits of torn flesh oozed between my fingers like mud.

“Huh…?”

Cesare’s face contorted in confusion for a moment.

It takes a little time for extreme pain to reach the brain.

Not long, but enough.

The next moment, his face twisted in agony.

“G-Gaaaaah!”

Cesare screamed, unable to withstand the pain.

I released his mangled right arm, wrapped my left arm around his side, and kicked off into the air, flipping us around.

In an instant, our positions reversed, and I was now on top of him.

“Guh…! This power, could you be…?!”

Cesare’s eyes trembled with shock.

Had he figured out my identity? But it was too late now.

I stomped on his abdomen with my leg, pushing myself up.

“It’s over.”

Pushing his upper body with my leg, I yanked my right arm upward, tearing his left hand clean off.

Cesare’s mouth hung open. The water’s surface was now right before us.

Before he could even scream, a spray of water welcomed us as we hit the surface.