When James felt Gordon’s gaze, he tensed up, but at that moment a voice came from behind him.
“Gordon.”
“……!”
James who hadn’t realized someone was behind him felt scared for a moment but he soon observed the situation without making a sound like the skilled assassin he was.
“Kukuku. When you first meet someone, shouldn’t you introduce yourself before calling out their name?”
Instead of replying, Shane removed the mask covering his face.
“Tsk tsk. Young people these days have no manners… So, your name is Shane, huh?”
With that, Gordon scanned his surroundings.
“But did you really come alone?”
“Do I really need anyone else?”
“Kukuku. Your confidence is impressive. It seems you’ve underestimated me quite a bit. Well, quite some time has passed. It doesn’t really matter. I had many questions for you anyway.”
The signal coming from Alpha had just been cut off.
It was truly a sad event.
After all, Alpha was his first child, and to lose him so abruptly like this…
However, the presence before him was enough to pique Gordon’s interest and console his grief.
“I’m curious about how you figured out these the magical patterns of those elf bastards…. It seems your analytical skills are beyond human. Young man, I’ll ask you out of courtesy, which is rare for me. Would you like to become my disciple?”
Just like he said himself, Gordon wasn’t the type to seek anyone’s permission.
Despite that, he asked because Shane’s exceptional analytical abilities had piqued his interest.
“You’ve caught my attention in many ways. Using ancient rune magic and even improving it was impressive. You’re certainly qualified to be my disciple. What do you say?”
“I refuse.”
“Tsk, I thought so. I suppose I’ll just keep your head then. Don’t worry, I’ll soon make you my disciple.”
His words were by no means a bluff.
Though he now looked like a shabby old alchemist, he once stood at the pinnacle of black magic. He was a man who instilled fear across the continent.
“I may not fight with the elegance of my youth, but I’ve done plenty of interesting research. For example, take a look at this.”
Gordon pulled a grotesque mask from the drawer of the desk he was sitting at.
“What do you think this is?”
“Your taste remains as vile as ever.”
“Oh, have you already recognized it?”
“Necronomi Mask.”
Gordon’s worst invention, and the one Shane was most wary of when he came here.
A mask made by tearing off a human’s skin while still alive, growing it with the victim’s blood, and embedding a vengeful spirit in it.
“Hahaha. That’s right. You could say it’s my own masterpiece.”
It was something Shane had somewhat expected.
Though he thought the mask’s level would be low since Gordon had not been with the organization for long. But seeing it now, it seemed Gordon had completed it before even joining the organization.
The only relief was that the number of masks did not seem to be many yet.
The last time I saw it, there were dozens of those masks.
In his previous life, Gordon’s strength was so great that he could handle an entire Legion alone.
“It’s truly a delightful item. Even if I say so myself.”
The power of the mask could not be underestimated.
And indeed, when Gordon put the mask on his face, the aura emanating from him began to grow menacing in an instant.
“Please don’t fall too quickly. This is my first time using it in actual battle. I might accidentally kill you since I can’t control its power well. Kuku!”
In Gordon’s hand was now a murky red sword, like rotting blood.
It was definitely already complete at this time.
The unbelievable power to use the physical abilities of the humans used as material.
That was the effect of the Necronomi Mask.
Judging by the aura emanating from him, the human used as material for the mask must have been at the level of a third-rank master.
At the same time, Gordon charged forward.
His movements were on par with the Imperial Guard Knight, Dominic.
No, he was actually superior in terms of destructive power.
However, Shane lightly dodged Gordon’s horizontal slash.
At the same time, he sent layered magic projectiles flying toward Gordon’s face.
Gordon was not easily defeated and wrapped his hand in aura to deflect the incoming projectiles.
“Ho… you’re faster than I thought.”
Gordon muttered a small exclamation, as he realized that Shane’s movements were unusual, and showed a surprised expression behind the mask. It was rare for a mage to have such quick reflexes.
But it was too early to be surprised by just that.
Gordon’s technique would definitely be a disaster for humans.
In reality, though, the disaster was limited to the human species.
“Blood magic, huh? Did a vampire suck your blood?”
“…You know a lot for a young one.”
The ancient race. Vampires.
This ancient race, known to exist before the Common Era, was the origin of blood magic. Their power over blood instilled fear in countless other races.
However, the blood magic Gordon used was merely a degraded version of that. It was created by a group that once followed the vampires.
“Yes, I was arrogant. I’m not the only one who knows about their existence. So, even though it’s surprising… knowing it doesn’t change the current situation.”
Indeed, mere knowledge did nothing to change the current situation.
In reality, Shane also didn’t know of the weaknesses of the ancient vampire race.
“Arrogant, yes. But you’re not fit for arrogance.”
However, this only applied to vampires that he had never met before. It didn’t mean Gordon had no weaknesses.
In Shane’s past life, humanity walked a futile path to destruction, but they didn’t go down without a fight.
They recognized Gordon’s presence within the organization and sent several expeditions to kill him.
But the results were always disastrous.
Sometimes, he became a sword demon who fought against a hundred men; other times, he became a grand mage who rained fireballs from the sky.
At night, he would assassinate the expedition leaders from the shadows, and at dawn, he became a ranger who shot targets from a thousand miles away.
Gordon’s reputation as he toyed with the expeditions alone like a master was enough to crush the faint hope humanity held at the time.
However, one genius shifted focus from Gordon’s various abilities to the source of his power.
When you think about it, no single human could perfectly control all those abilities.
There had to be a cause that made it possible.
And so, the genius focused on understanding the principle behind Gordon’s power, and as a result, just once,
An expedition succeeded in defeating Gordon.
That achievement was due to a young man everyone dismissed as a “stutterer”.
His name was Bernshtein Osten.
At that time, Osten with his almost prophetic analytical skills analyzed everything about Gordon, even as the expedition teams were being massacred by him and he finally found the answer.
Gordon had obtained a sample of an ancient vampire by chance and succeeded in synthesizing its genes into his body, but he did not truly become a vampire.
His knowledge was fundamentally based on black magic, and even that black magic was a result of failing to replicate the degraded version of blood magic.
This meant weaknesses certainly existed and could be found if one looked hard enough.
Osten was not one to miss such a detail.
In the end, one expedition team seized that opportunity and succeeded in defeating Gordon.
Shane was the only person who knew that method at this point in time.
However, the problem was that at the time, Osten had proven his theories through the support of many mages, while the current Shane did not have any other mages to help him as Osten did back then.
Shane, however, did not care.
“The opportunity comes only once. The single point that touched the noble dragon’s descendant.”
“What?”
“The target is fatal.”
“You speak in riddles. Anyway, this talk is starting to bore me, so let’s wrap it up. But don’t be disappointed. You’ll have plenty of time to talk with me if you become my disciple. Kuku.”
Gordon assumed his stance and moved again.
A sword made of dark red aura drew intricate patterns in the air.
The sword energy that flew along its trajectory seemed like it was going to face swords coming from all directions, as if fighting multiple knights at once.
Moreover, the sheer amount of magical power behind it made it impossible to defend against with ordinary magic.
Nevertheless, Shane launched a magic projectile from his fingertip and aimed it at the sword energy.
“How foolish! Do you think you can block it with that petty magic projectile?”
But.
Baaang—!
The sword energy, which should have easily shredded Shane’s limbs while destroying the magic projectile, was surprisingly nullified by it.
Gordon’s face hardened.
“You… how can you use that magic power…!”
The magic Shane had just displayed was the same kind that Gordon despised and could only be seen within the Imperial Family.
In the past, it was this magic that had brought down his group of black mages—
“It’s remarkably similar to what those Imperial cats use.”
“No, you’re wrong. It seems your eyesight has deteriorated with age.”
“What?”
“Why bother imitating such half-baked techniques when you can create something more advanced?”
“…Create? You brat who is not even twenty?”
“If it’s just against a degraded version of blood magic, I don’t need to use the Imperial techniques.”
“…Hehe. It’s been a while since I’ve heard such talk. My technique is just a degraded version? Ridiculous!”
Degraded version.
That was Gordon’s sore spot.
In reality, even with the sample of an ancient vampire, he had never been able to match them.
The inferiority he felt because of this was indeed real.
Of course, Gordon’s techniques were exceptional. But Shane’s analytical skills had allowed him to understand and further advance those very techniques.
A mask refined with the blood and souls of others?
A technique that could replicate the original abilities of those sacrificed just by using a mask?
Shane could confidently assert that this was precisely Gordon’s limitation.
He merely reached a degraded version.
He merely achieved a copy.
With just that, he could not move forward.
Why could Shane who was a mere second-circle mage grasp the movements of Gordon who was a third-rank master?
It was because Shane sought a more advanced direction rather than just mimicking.
Above all, Shane knew. He knew another ability that displayed performance on par with the ancient vampires’ abilities.
One of the seven great desires of humans, greed.
By grasping the power of the Knight of Judgment Daira, who indulged in the noble’s villa where Dilaila was imprisoned, Shane absorbed Gordon’s aura with the ability to infuse origin into magic.
The countless memories and experiences plundered from the imperial knights allowed him to read Gordon’s movements with his eyes.
Though Shane could not elevate his physical abilities like Gordon, he had no need for such a thing in the first place.
Therefore, there was no reason for him to lose to such a fake who brought only degraded and copied versions.
“Kuku, kuhuhuhu, me, a degraded version? I’ve changed my mind. I intended to take you as my disciple, but you’ve angered this capricious old man too much.”
Following that, Gordon swung his sword again, sent out another sword energy, then pulled another mask from his clothes and put it on.
While Shane countered with magic projectiles as he had before, this time a blood-red cold air created a storm.
In response, Shane recalled the techniques of the most outstanding fire mage, Raviata.
However, since he did not possess the fire attribute, Shane countered with a spell enhanced by the rune of “Disintegration”. This was the closest thing he had to what the fire attribute could do.
The blood-red storm of cold was broken down and dissipated as if oxidized by a mist of magic created with a small amount of magical power.
Once again, Gordon changed his mask.
“This wretch!!”
This time, lightning-like arrows shot out from a bow made of blood magic.
A barrage of over a dozen arrows flew at Shane’s vital points in an instant.
Without needing to borrow someone else’s memories, Shane twisted the arrows’ trajectory with layered magic projectiles.
Meanwhile, in Gordon’s hands, a huge battle-axe was poised to strike with the force to topple a mountain.
Shane easily dodged it with a layered haste spell.
As the battle-axe struck the ground, it created a huge crater, sending fragments of earth and wood flying toward Shane.
Shane defended himself with layered magic shields and sent dozens of magic projectiles into the dust-filled space.
When the dust settled down, Gordon charged with a shield and sword made of blood magic.
But he made a mistake this time.
If it had been a real shield made of sturdy material, it might have been a different story, but for Shane who had the property of absorption, magic was easier to penetrate than steel.
No matter how strong the aura of a third-rank master was, when three magic swords created by magic attacked a single point at the same time, Gordon’s shield cracked like a spider’s web.
When Shane once again used layered haste to widen the distance, Gordon’s movements finally came to a stop.
“Hehe… Alright, I admit it. It’s tough to catch and kill you with just this.”
Even though he had used all the masks he had, he couldn’t even touch a hair on Shane.
All Gordon could do was acknowledge the current situation.
“But the same goes for you.”
With that, Gordon lightly tapped his own mask with his index finger.
“As long as I have this, even if I can’t kill you, I can at least buy some time. Doesn’t your heart feel quite sore?”
Gordon had hit the mark.
Indeed, Shane was currently a second-circle mage. And while he was supplementing his insufficient magical power by absorbing Gordon’s magical power, that alone wasn’t enough.
In fact, constantly undergoing the process of emitting and absorbing magical power had significantly shaken Shane’s mana core.
However.
“Buying time? No, it’s not you who is buying time.”
“……?”
“It was me.”
Before he knew it, the magical power scattered on the ground by Shane was still glowing faintly and connecting with each other.
Runes.
[Expansion], [Refraction], [Contraction].
As the space twisted.
“Now.”
An assassin who had been hiding in the shadows all this time sprang out.
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