“Seriously…? Then, allow me to witness your so-called seriousness.”
Grave slightly raised the corner of his mouth upon hearing my words. Was he enjoying the prospect of fighting my serious self, or was he simply confident in his own abilities?
Having deactivated [Iron Rose], I retrieved two ceramic bottles from the pouch at my waist and nonchalantly tossed one at Grave’s feet.
“Hm?”
As I threw it, Grave stepped back, and the ceramic bottle shattered upon hitting the floor, spreading a viscous liquid.
“…What do you intend, Aria?”
“…………”
Grave wore a dubious expression as I, having even ceased my own enhancement, splattered the odorless, pale green liquid that was neither water nor oil.
I didn’t answer his question, instead throwing the second ceramic bottle onto the liquid. The liquid spilling from the broken second bottle mixed with the first, emitting a strange stench.
“This is…!”
Grave instantly realized it was ‘poison’ and retreated further, covering his mouth.
“Aria, you…”
“Grave… I told you, my seriousness is for ‘killing’.”
What I used was the ‘Corrosion Poison’ I had applied to my arrows when sniping Orc Soldiers. By mixing the two-part solvent, it transformed into a potent poison, instantly killing even Rank 4 Orc Soldiers with just a small amount applied to the arrowhead.
The reason it was two-part was that it began to vaporize the moment it was mixed, and the gas was also a poison that corroded the human body. The stench was so severe that if used indoors, it would be noticed and people would escape, but this situation was different.
Even when mixing just a few drops of this poison, I had to cover my mouth with a cloth and take utmost care to minimize the impact. But if I mixed all the remaining solvents into a poison—
“Even in a room this size, the vaporized poison will fill it in a matter of minutes. Even I, who knows the poison’s components, has poison resistance, and covers my mouth with a muffler soaked in neutralizing solvent, would die in fifteen minutes. How long can you endure? You can’t be so wary that the poison won’t affect you at all, right?”
“…………”
Grave silently glared at me with a sharp gaze, trying to discern my true intentions. I pointed over my shoulder, behind me, towards such a man.
“The exit is there. If you want to survive, defeat me. If you take too long, your lungs will rot even if you kill me.”
In the dark room, with only the sound of the corrosive poison eating away at the stone floor and the poison vaporizing, Grave quietly readied his longsword, a towel covering his mouth.
“You’re insane… Not strength, not skill, but that spirit is your ‘essence’?”
“Don’t lump me in with you.”
I simply chose the most efficient means to kill you.
Clang!!
We kicked off the floor simultaneously, my black dagger and Grave’s sword clashing and sparking as I closed the distance in an instant to evade the poisonous fumes.
I was being pushed back due to the difference in skill level and physique. Still, without losing my balance, I threw my knife while somersaulting like an acrobat, causing Grave, who was about to follow up, to stop for a moment.
Thirty minutes until death. If we were fighting at full strength, we’d probably reach the danger zone in half that time. Grave must understand that too; if he let me escape, I would use [Treat] on myself and pursue him. To survive, Grave had to ensure I didn’t get a chance to use [Treat] and kill me here and now.
“Tch.”
Grave, judging that blade clashes would waste time, frowned and took distance, deploying the armor on his left prosthetic arm towards me.
“It seems I overestimated you, Aria. No matter how much power you possess, to stoop to being a royal dog aiming for a mutual kill with me. In the end, you couldn’t reach the place where I am.”
Invisible blades, Steel Blade Threads, were released from the prosthetic arm’s gimmick.
“—[Magic Shield]—”
I used [Magic Shield] while dodging to the side. This shield, which crystallized particles of light, had a slight physical defense, but that was limited to substances with strong magical power, like weapons used by humans or superiors.
Crack!
“Ugh.”
I heard the phantom sound of the Magic Shield shattering, and the steel threads that reacted to and broke through the Magic Shield’s magical power wounded my arms and legs. But by using Magic Shield even after deliberately deactivating Iron Rose, which increased magic consumption, I also learned something.
The steel threads didn’t have the flexibility of my spider silk, and the range I could manipulate them with Thread Manipulation was limited. To launch them at high speed without a pendulum-like weight, the Steel Blade Threads had to be bent like a spring before being fired. And by receiving them with the Magic Shield, I also grasped the amount of magic the Steel Blade Threads were imbued with.
The stench of the corrosive poison intensified, and I began to feel a slight pain in my eyes and throat. The more I moved and inhaled air into my lungs, the more I shortened my lifespan.
Grave seemed to feel it too, as he covered his mouth with his sleeve and pointed his left arm at me, as if to shallow his breathing.
“This is the end, Aria!”
Steel Blade Threads were released from Grave again.
Grave, you said I was aiming for a mutual kill. That I had stooped to being a dog risking my life for the royal family. But that’s not it. I spread the poison to ensure your death. And to push myself to the limit.
“—[Iron Rose]—”
My pink hair turned ashen-gray as if scorched, and the remnants of light scattering from my entire body like silver wings fluttered, expressing my fighting spirit.
I jumped and dodged at three times the speed of a normal person, but even so, the invisible steel blade I couldn’t evade tore through my shoulder.
“I’ve already seen that technique!”
At that moment, I felt the magical power emanating from Grave’s prosthetic arm expand. He was probably dividing the linearly fired Steel Blade Threads into several strands, releasing them to surround me from all directions.
But, Grave. That’s also wrong.
The Combat Art [Iron Rose] isn’t such a simple technique. The reason I couldn’t evade the Steel Blade Threads, and the reason you thought you could kill me with them, is all because I haven’t mastered Iron Rose.
When I fought the Assassin Guild’s master in the East Forest, I sought the swiftness comparable to [Iron Rose] and momentarily reproduced the movement of Iron Rose’s magical power myself.
As a result, I suffered severe damage to my legs, but I thought that action could also be used to control Combat Arts.
[Aria (Alicia)] [Race: Human Female] [Rank 4]
[Mana Capacity: 159/320] [HP: 113/250]
[Strength: 10 (14)] 8 down [Endurance: 10 (14)] 8 down
[Agility: 17 (52)] 16 Up [Dexterity: 9 (10)]
[Overall Combat Strength: 1428 (Special Body Enhancement: 2520)]
[Combat Art: Iron Rose /Limit 79 Second]
I focused all the power in my body into my legs and relied on the killing intent of the approaching blades to evade, but even so, my arms and sides were shallowly cut.
Give it your all. Push yourself to the limit. If you lose, you die. Then who will save Elena? It’s still not enough. Be faster. Focus your eyes. Concentrate. The power to fight is already within me.
The slight magical power contained in the Steel Blade Threads. The killing intent to kill me. And the magical power of my blood that had repeatedly cut me and clung to the ten or so steel blades approaching from all directions showed themselves to me for just a moment.
I tore off the obstructive muffler covering my mouth, deeply inhaled the surrounding poison to exert all my strength, and shouted a word in the Spirit Language.
“A・re (Swiftly)!”
[Aria (Alicia)] [Race: Human Female] [Rank 4]
[Mana Capacity: 159/320] [HP: 113/250]
[Strength: 10 (14)] 8 down [Endurance: 10 (14)] 8 down
[Agility: 17 (52)] 16 Up [Dexterity: 9 (10)]
[Overall Combat Strength: 1428 (Special Body Enhancement: 2520)]
[Combat Art: Iron Rose /Limit 79 Second]
At that moment, as in the battle in that forest, everything in my vision turned gray, and I evaded the trajectory of the blades that were visible for only a moment in the slowly flowing scenery like mucus, approached Grave, and slit the throat of the guy who slowly widened his eyes with my black knife as we passed each other.
Amidst the scattering blood, I realized that my entire body was screaming, deactivated [Iron Rose], landed smoothly, and met the dark crimson eyes of Grave, who was turning around with a stunned expression.
“…Guh,”
Blood overflowed from Grave’s mouth instead of words as he tried to say something.
“Cough…”
I coughed up blood as well, but without wiping it away, I readied my black knife.
There’s no difference between your ‘way of life’ and mine. But in your final moment, you clung to life feeling death, while I struggled to live in order to overcome death.
” “……” ”
We stare at each other without moving. Grave’s right arm weakly rests the tip of his sword on the ground, and his prosthetic left arm is motionless as if it has lost its function.
Still wary, I hold my knife ready, meeting Grave’s eyes, which hold a gruesome light, with a cold gaze.
“I’ll watch you until you die.”
“……”
I won’t let my guard down for even a moment. I wonder if what flashed through Grave’s mind at my words was anger or despair. The blood flowing from his neck whittles away at Grave’s life, and just like when I killed the Bandit Leader for the first time, the spirit and light disappear from his eyes, and I continue to stare, knife in hand, until all his life is gone.
“Grave. As I thought, we can’t understand each other.”
[Aria (Alicia)] [Race: Human Female] [Rank 4]
[Mana Capacity: 121/320] 20 Up [HP: 75/250]
[Strength: 10 (14)] [Durability: 10 (14)] [Agility: 17 (24)] [Dexterity: 9]
[Dagger Arts Lv.4] [Martial Arts Lv.4] [Throwing Lv.4]
[Archery Lv.2] [Defense Lv.4] [Thread Manipulation Lv.4]
[Light Magic Lv.3] [Dark Magic Lv.4] [Non-Attribute Magic Lv.4]
[Utility Magic x6] [Mana Control Lv.5] 1 Up [Intimidation Lv.4]
[Stealth Lv.4] [Night Vision Lv.2] [Detection Lv.4]
[Poison Resistance Lv.3] [Abnormality Resistance Lv.1]
[Simple Appraisal]
[Overall Combat Strength: 1428 (Body Enhancement in progress: 1774)] 89 Up
Finally.
I lost once, let him escape once, and finally settled the score with Grave, who had become my fated enemy.
Aria has also become stronger and already possesses combat strength close to Rank 5.
Aria’s new technique, [Iron Rose], will be used in two types: normal state and speed specialization. Please consider that Mana consumption will double in that state. Continuous use also puts a strain on the body. In other words, it’s the same as other Combat Arts.
Next time, I will return to the Royal Capital in pursuit of the Evil Race.
Can Aria protect Elena-san?
The first chapter is almost over.
Thank you for your continued support.