◆ Ruins Fortress, 3rd Floor, Former Command Room ◆
Just like during the third exam, Tatarka danced behind Formas. As he opened his fan and began to twirl, Formas leaped to the left and fired two shots. Thanks to that dance, Formas’s movements had become remarkably faster. Glaive, clad in his rocky armor, watched the three of them with an air of detachment.
Soon, as a bullet was about to strike Glaive’s elbow joint, the rock armor expanded at an even greater speed, shielding the joint. They must have aimed for the unprotected areas, but that armor could probably cover his entire body if it wanted to. A few more shots followed, this time targeting his eyes, but the rock simply adjusted to protect them.
However, the moment the rock shielded Glaive’s eyes, spheres of electricity appeared simultaneously to his left and right, as well as above him. They emitted a tearing sound and shockwave, striking Glaive directly. Yet, only small fragments of rock scattered across the floor, causing no damage whatsoever.
Bebe and Gilbert had already guided the hostages outside the room. As they walked in line, some of the people, overwhelmed by the sound and light, were seen closing their eyes and covering their ears, writhing in distress. Sensing the potential for further harm, Gilbert raised his shield and stepped in front of the hostages to protect them.
“There are hostages here, you know!”
“I don’t care! You know this guy isn’t someone to take lightly!”
Gilbert seemed to have no intention of listening to him. Meanwhile, the henchmen who had been thrown at me by Tatarka stood up behind the three. Perhaps sensing the ambush from behind, Brikna’s wall of flames was faster. Realizing that stepping forward would surely result in being burned, the henchmen groaned and retreated.
By that time, Gilbert and Bebe had successfully led the hostages outside. The only one left was Barm, who stood with his arms crossed, watching the unfolding situation.
“Fire Wall. Don’t interfere.”
That Fire Wall simultaneously surrounded Glaive. It seemed they were trying to take him down from a distance without getting too close. But I thought it would be better to refrain from that. The proof was that even surrounded by flames, Glaive merely quickened his motion of wiping away sweat.
“What the hell is this… I’m not attracted to it at all, not even a little…”
Glaive finally began to walk. Clad in Auto Earth, he resembled a rocky monster. He was making a statement that he wouldn’t be fazed by a wall of flames.
“Gravity Fall.”
This was it. I thought that even without this, Formas and the others would have collapsed without being able to break through that rocky armor. Perhaps the pulling force was stronger than when it was Gilbert’s turn; Formas and the others could only crawl on the floor. They couldn’t even move a finger, and at that moment, they couldn’t even utter their usual curses. I barely caught the words “we’re going to be crushed to death” from one of them.
“That man manipulates the gravity around him. That’s his Custom Magic, isn’t it?”
“How did you notice when Gilbert tried to approach?”
“I just compared the information about that man that Mugen mentioned with Glaive’s earlier statement. It was a mountain of corpses crushed by something, and he made a statement that lured others into his territory, as if to say ‘come over here.’ If he only wanted to convey that he would fight one-on-one, that was an unnecessary remark.”
“Lua-chan and Barm! Let’s not dawdle and help!”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
It wasn’t that we were dawdling. The safety of the hostages had been secured, and Bebe and Gilbert were leading them outside the fortress. More than anything, that Formas had told us not to intervene. I was just following his orders. I certainly didn’t intend to leave them to die, so I thought it was about time to help. Now, I had to capture this guy alive. For now, I needed to get closer to him.
“Hey, hey, that’s some amazing magic. What’s Custom Magic?”
“Buhehehe, just get crushed… Huh? Y-you’re not affected by this gravity at all…”
Finally, Glaive turned not just his head but his whole body toward me. Sure, it felt a bit heavy, but it wasn’t enough to stop me from walking. It seemed that the closer I got to him, the heavier it became. If I could just widen the range without moving too much, he would crush himself on his own. It was a lazy kind of magic that suited Glaive.
“Take this! Anti-Gravity Punch!”
Glaive, now resembling a rocky monster, slammed his rocky fist into my stomach. The punch didn’t have much power, but this time, it felt as if my body was being ripped away from that fist, sending me flying backward.
But the distance was only half a step. I was momentarily surprised as my body floated slightly. Just when I thought it had become heavy, it felt like I had become lighter.
“This is supposed to be maximum output Gravity Fall, yet what the hell is this? I’m not attracted to it at all… I came all this way to hide, and to think there would be something like this here…”
Glaive leaned back, distancing himself from me. I was holding back from making a move because I was contemplating how to capture him alive. In his case, even if I tied up his limbs, he could still generate this gravity. I needed to restrain his power while capturing him alive. It seemed more complicated than I thought.
For the time being, I punched Glaive around the stomach. My fist struck his Auto Earth, breaking through and hitting the sagging part of Glaive. The moment I made contact, an unpleasant, sticky sensation was anything but pleasant. It was probably sweat, followed by a sour odor.
“Ugh…”
Glaive let out an indescribable groan as he crumbled down to his knees and then fell face-first to the ground. Naturally, I dodged as he toppled over. More than the fact that he had fainted, I wanted to get rid of the unpleasant feeling on my hands. No matter how many times I rubbed them against the wall, it felt like it wouldn’t come off.
Glaive might not have bathed in ages. I wondered if I had smelled like this when I was in the Abyss Cave.
“G-Glaive has been defeated…”
“He was a key member during the Amur Kingdom invasion…”
The henchmen of Glaive were still blocked by the wall of flames. Since their leader had been taken down, I thought it was time to let them go.
“Roel, do you have something to wipe with?”
“I do, but I don’t want to give it to you…”
Even Roel showed disgust at Glaive’s foul odor. I felt hurt by her rejection.
“Let me see…”
Barm approached, soaking a cloth in some liquid, and then wiped my hands with it. To my surprise, the unpleasant smell vanished, replaced by a delightful floral fragrance. I couldn’t help but inhale that scent repeatedly. During Laurel’s exam, Barm had also used scents, strange potions, and summoned creatures I had never seen before. I wondered what that was; maybe I should ask him next time.
“Ugh… finally, my body feels light again…”
Formas and the others, freed from the gravity, finally stood up. They looked between the collapsed Glaive and me, who was still on the ground. I was troubled by their unimpressed glares. I understood their frustration, but we were technically still in the middle of an exam. If I could capture Glaive alive and take him with me, I would finally achieve A-Rank. Alright, I needed to finish this before he woke up.
“This filthy pig thief dares to underestimate me, Formas!”
After spewing the utmost insults, Formas shot Glaive’s arm. Following the same method, iron bullets were fired into all his limbs. As Glaive screamed and woke up, Formas mercilessly thrust his sword vertically onto Glaive’s blubbery belly.
“Formas! I won, so the match is over! All that’s left is to capture him alive and take him away!”
“If we torture this guy and extract all the information about the Comet Wolf Brigade, we’ll get rewards beyond just passing! Especially since no one knows who the top of the Comet Wolf Brigade is. We’ll make him spill everything.”
“I-I won’t say a thing! I won’t be attracted to this! No way will I talk after all this!”
Perhaps due to his limbs being completely immobilized, he showed no resistance against the manipulation of gravity. Taking advantage of that, Formas began to slice Glaive’s belly with his sword. Blood splattered from the vertical wound, and Glaive finally cried out in tears.
“I am the heir of the Matere Trading Company, Formas! You filthy pig bastard!”
“Ughhh! Stop it, stop it, stop it!”
Next, he aimed to cut off Glaive’s fingers. As he gradually applied pressure, preparing to sever them slowly, I, or rather Brikna, touched Formas’s hand to stop him.
“…What is it, Brikna? Is something wrong?”
“Uh, um, well…”
“Ah?”
“Isn’t this a bit excessive? I mean…”
Without a moment’s pause, Formas’s slap struck Brikna’s cheek. The force sent Brikna tumbling, and Formas didn’t stop there; he stomped on Brikna’s head two or three times before kicking his stomach repeatedly.
“Brikna, when did you start talking back to me? Who do you think saved you from living as a slave, your body toyed with by others?”
“Fo-Formas…”
“Right? You’ve finally become a person instead of a slave, haven’t you? It’s not something a human would do to repay kindness with malice, is it? Do you even understand what you just said? Or do you want to go back to those days?”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Please stop… I’ll do anything, just don’t abandon me…”
“I can’t hear you, you filthy whore!”
“I’m sooorry!”
“Tatarka! You too! Who raised you as a combat Adventurer after the theater cast you aside?!”
“Ma-Matere Trading Company…”
I couldn’t bear to watch. I didn’t even know what to say anymore. All I understood was that he was a hopeless case. All I could think about was hitting him, with all my strength, I wanted to strike him.
As I clenched my fists and moved toward Formas, Roel rushed past me, standing silently in a position where Formas could see her. Upon noticing her, Formas raised an eyebrow in surprise at the unexpected presence.
“Stop it already…”
“…Huh?”
“Both of them have fought for you… and yet, this is how you treat them?”
“Roel, do you even know who you’re talking to? So you think you’re tough because you’re paired with that monster girl? Don’t underestimate me, you little brat!”
“I-I’m not the same person I used to be! Threatening me like that won’t work anymore!”
“Do you think I’m afraid of that kid and can’t make a move? With Matere Trading Company backing me, crushing a single Adventurer is a piece of cake. And I could easily blow a hole right through your forehead right now!”
Formas sheathed his sword and aimed a gun at Roel instead. Before I could intervene, Roel restrained me with one hand. It seemed like she was trying to reassure me, saying it would be okay. The subordinates of Barm and Glaive had also gathered, watching the unfolding situation.
I wondered if Gilbert and Bebe had already led the hostages outside. I felt that I should intervene in the standoff between Roel and Formas. It would cause trouble for Barm and the others, and we couldn’t leave Glaive, who was cowering on the ground, behind. But I had entrusted my desire to hit Formas to Roel, and I had to stop Formas’s rampage no matter what.
“I don’t care if I get disqualified for killing you here. The reason I became an Adventurer was to see you pathetic losers wallowing in the mud, scraping by for coins. I wanted to witness how miserable some people can be. While I return to a mansion where meals you’ve never seen are prepared for me, and servants take care of everything, you’re fundamentally on a different level from the poor souls worrying about their next meal. Roel, I’ll still let you off the hook. If you beg for your life, I might even consider making you my woman. Along with your little friend over there.”
“Roel and I are not objects!”
Formas could have stopped firing at Roel, his veins bulging in anger. But having trusted Roel, he wouldn’t betray that trust. I wasn’t worried at all.
The bullet dug into Roel’s forehead but quickly lost its momentum, falling to the floor as if it had merely been a bean thrown at her. It seemed she wasn’t completely unscathed, as she rubbed her forehead repeatedly, which was slightly reddened.
I suspected Roel had cast Enhancement Magic on herself beforehand. Even with a level above sixty, getting shot at such close range shouldn’t leave her unhurt. Still, it was impressive that she was nearly unscathed due to just one spell.
I could see the eyes of Barm and Glaive’s subordinates glued to the scene, stunned into silence.
“Wha… what? Did this thing break?”
Formas continued to doubt his gun. If he truly thought it was broken, he should just shoot it at himself, I wanted to say, but I knew he wouldn’t actually do that. When Formas shifted his gaze from his gun to Roel, the condescending attitude he had before vanished.
Just as I had been called a monster girl, Roel had become something similar in his eyes. He must have understood that in an instant. Formas had gained experience from previous battles; if he had any understanding of the difference in their abilities, he could no longer look down on Roel.
“This country bumpkin has no right to look down on me!”
I was taken aback by the stream of foul language pouring from him. In a near frenzy, he fired at Roel repeatedly, but the result was the same. The bullets merely rolled onto the floor. After taking four or five shots, Roel scratched the spots where she had been hit.
When I next looked at Formas, his expression was a mix of disdain and anger. Gripping the Fire Rod tightly, Roel seemed ready to retaliate.
“You lowly peasants have no right to look down on me! I am the heir of Matere Trading Company! Brikna, get up! Tatarka, kill this one!”
“Stop it already, Formas.”
“Huh?!”
Barm approached Formas with calm steps. I doubted that arguing further would make Formas back down, so I wondered what he was planning. Suddenly, Barm pulled out a bottle. He uncorked it and expertly splashed the greenish liquid all over Formas’s gun. Naturally, Formas was drenched in the mysterious liquid, and things were about to escalate.
Before Formas could explode in anger, a change occurred with his gun. The angular design morphed, becoming rounder and shifting shape. In an instant, the once formidable weapon vanished from Formas’s hand. What had been a gun was now a liquid, soaking his hand and dripping onto the floor.
“My gun…!”
“‘Acid Break’—an acid that only dissolves metal. I developed this myself. Don’t worry; it won’t harm the human body. In actual combat, just throwing the bottle will yield decent results.”
“What the hell did you just do?!”
Before Formas could draw his sword from its sheath and slash at Barm, Roel’s staff struck him square in the face. Just like with Yuyu, the tip embedded itself between his cheek and temple, knocking him out in an instant. By the time he started to fall, his eyes were already rolled back.
“Ugh…”
He let out a groan similar to Glaive’s just before losing consciousness. Now, next to Glaive lay Formas, who had been taken down by Roel, someone he should have been cooperating with. I couldn’t make sense of how things had turned out this way.
“Stop it already, please!”
Even after knocking him down, it was too late. Roel shouted, tears welling in her eyes, panting heavily. All that remained were Barm, Roel, and me, along with Glaive’s subordinates, who could only stare in shock. Brikna and Tatarka showed no signs of concern despite Formas being knocked out.
What should we do first? The situation was so chaotic that I felt like I was losing sight of our original objective.