If poison doesn’t work due to [Will Manifestation], then using real poison will do just fine.
I’ll have you crawling on the ground, soaked in poison.
Cautious as he may be, he was still a member of the Heavenly Church.
Once he decided to kill, there was no thought of letting his target live.
Fwoooosh!
In an instant, poisonous smoke filled the space.
Jun responded immediately.
[Volcanic Tornado]
Whooooooosh—!
A burning whirlwind of flames sucked in all the poison mist heading toward his allies and incinerated it.
“……!”
The Poison Master was briefly taken aback. He hadn’t expected it to be handled so easily, but he didn’t mind too much.
Draining the mage’s mana works in my favor anyway.
He pulled out another vial of poison and hurled it to the ground. Before the flaming storm could consume the smoke, he activated [Phantom Clone] again.
The Poison Master concealed himself among the ten clones that appeared in an instant and charged toward Aiden.
As long as that blond guy doesn’t use that wind-infused technique again, I’m fine!
Unlike the poison mist, which took time to affect its target, the poison on his weapon would cause his opponent to vomit blood and collapse the moment it made contact….long before they could be treated.
Suppressing his killing intent to remain hidden among the clones, he attempted to circle around to the side.
Swish!
“What the—?!”
A dagger flew directly toward the real Poison Master.
Unfortunately for him, his trick didn’t work here.
No matter how many clones he summoned, it was nearly impossible to fool Maya and Eleanor, both of whom were highly attuned to spiritual energy.
Maya clenched her fist, sure her dagger had landed.
Got him—?!
But the Poison Master wasn’t someone to be underestimated.
In an instant, he swapped positions with one of his clones on the opposite side and thrust his sword, imbued with [Will Manifestation], at Aiden’s neck.
[Life Shield of Light]
At the very last moment, a golden barrier materialized and blocked the Poison Master’s blade.
“Tch!”
He had been trying to conserve some strength in case he needed to retreat, but at this rate, it was going to end up being neither here nor there.
I’ll have to end this quickly.
For some reason, his opponents seemed to know his entire combat style.
Rather than holding back and getting overwhelmed, it was better to take the initiative and make the first decisive move.
Boom—!
The same pattern repeated.
He threw another poison bomb to create a toxic mist, then cast [Phantom Clone] again to spread multiple clones in every direction.
“Watch out! He can swap places with his clones!”
His allies had a rough idea already, but now, with that confirmation, they began paying close attention to the clones’ positions.
Not that it mattered much.
Even if they kept track of the clones, they couldn’t ignore the real body.
Jun clicked his tongue.
As expected of a level 6 fighter. His movements are faster than I thought.
There’s a reason assassins are considered a mage’s natural counter. With reflexes like that, even landing a spell was difficult.
The Poison Master, despite disliking direct combat, was still a level 6 user. Even casting [Detecting Target] didn’t guarantee a hit.
He wanted to create an opening somehow, but the enemy’s ability to swap between [Phantom Clones] made that incredibly hard.
“Damn it! Why are these clones so fast?!”
Eleanor, summoning her sacred golden spears to intercept the clones, shouted in frustration.
The Poison Master had already created over twenty clones by repeatedly casting [Phantom Clone].
Any of them could swap places with the real one at any time and launch an attack.
“Illusia.”
At that, Jun handed over control of [Volcanic Tornado] to Illusia and shouted to Aiden and Maya:
“Hold out for just ten seconds!”
Responding to Jun’s cry, Maya activated [Shadow Spider Web], reducing the number of clones near her and Eleanor.
Aiden too unleashed his blazing aura and began tearing through every clone he could reach.
Then—
[Multicasting]
[Flame Rage]
[Detecting Target]
Jun locked onto the clones using [Detecting Target], then synchronized its mana pattern with [Flame Rage].
Immediately, spiral fireballs spewed searing flames as they targeted the clones.
Jets of wild flame shredded a dozen of them on the spot.
The Poison Master’s eyes visibly wavered at the sight.
What the hell… These damn second-year brats…!
Their reaction speed was insane.
He had looked down on them to some extent for only being level 5, but due to his inherently cautious nature, the Poison Master had never truly let his guard down.
And yet, to be struggling this much…
Still, I’ve won…!!
While his twenty-plus clones kept the mercenaries’ attention divided, the Poison Master wasn’t just standing around.
As always, he was the type to test a stone bridge ten times before crossing it. He was extremely cautious by nature.
So of course, he had prepared a backup plan just in case.
It’s in place…!
At present, aside from the mage, the most troublesome target was the high-ranking priestess with the black blindfold.
It had taken some time due to the distance, but he had successfully summoned a clone behind her from a crevice in the rocks.
And immediately after swapping positions with it, he drove his sword toward her heart—completely unguarded.
[Flare]
“…Ghak?!”
A blast of crimson flame pierced straight through his abdomen.
***
Just as I know about that bastard, he probably knows about me too.
Of course, Jun had interfered with the Heavenly Church’s grand plans more than just once or twice.
It was highly likely the Church had done its homework on Jun and the White Whale Mercenaries as well.
And throughout the battle, Jun had grown more and more confident in his hunch as he observed the Poison Master’s movements.
That bastard hasn’t targeted me once.
Aside from that initial moment when Jun blocked the mine entrance, the Poison Master had never once aimed for him.
Which was strange.
In a fight like this, the mage is supposed to be the first to go.
Jun had closed off his escape. Jun was also neutralizing his main weapon, the poison mist.
And yet, the Poison Master kept directing his attention toward Eleanor.
He knows about my defensive measures.
While the exact mechanism might’ve been unclear, the other party was clearly aware Jun had something like Predator.
Must’ve been then…
The Twin-Headed Troll that caused an erosion phenomenon on the fourth Floor.
Jun had used Predator during the final moments of that fight.
So instead of targeting me, he went after Eleanor, who was providing ranged support.
What an idiot.
All that effort to create a distraction with clones ended up meaningless.
Just as Jun predicted, the Poison Master had summoned a clone behind Eleanor and attempted to assassinate her, even at the cost of significant mana consumption.
Jun who had been prepared for this from the beginning instantly fired off [Flare], driving it deep into the Poison Master’s gut.
“……What?!”
Only then did Eleanor, realizing that the Poison Master had appeared behind her, recoil in shock.
And Maya shot forward like an arrow, driving her sword into his heart.
Fssshhh…
“……?!”
The Poison Master’s figure, clutching his abdomen as he collapsed, dissolved into smoke and vanished.
“A clone?!”
The Poison Master.
He was far more meticulous, far more desperate to cling to life, than Jun had imagined.
***
“Graaahhh……!!!”
Inside the pitch-black mine tunnel.
The Poison Master fell to his knees, coughing up blood.
His entire body felt like it was melting.
Had he not immediately swallowed a toxin that neutralized fire attributes, he would have died on the spot.
If I hadn’t made preparations halfway through…!
The steel wall summoned by the mage.
Sending a clone beyond that wall, where powerful magic swirled, was extremely difficult and time-consuming.
If he hadn’t quietly begun summoning a clone beyond the wall little by little with [Will Manifestation] and preparing for the worst from the start…
I’d definitely be dead.
This was an opponent against whom the word “complacency” didn’t apply.
He had been fighting them with everything from the very beginning.
“Jun… damn it…”
He forced down the flames burning inside with [Will Manifestation], then poured an entire healing potion over the gaping wound in his abdomen.
“Hrrraaaaghhh!!!”
The pain was enough to make him faint on the spot, but he bit down on his lip to keep himself conscious.
“I need… to escape….”
Even setting aside the damage from the magic, he had forcefully summoned a [Phantom Clone] in that space overflowing with mana and made it travel a long distance.
The backlash was by no means small.
The mine is vast. It’ll take them time to find me. If I can just hide until my body recovers and then escape with the clone I prepared outside…
He had already brought an artifact that resisted detection magic.
Relief at having somehow survived, tangled with the unease that he still wasn’t safe, churned inside him.
Get a grip! I can’t die like this.
He might have failed to obtain the Ancient Spirit Stone, but hadn’t he secured Moltan’s Joy?
All he had to do was smooth over this incident and deal with the Third Prince.
I can climb higher…!
Firmly steeling his resolve, he held onto his wavering vision and kept moving for quite some time.
“No signs of… pursuit.”
Even in the worst possible condition, he forced his body to move to survive.
He struggled with everything he had just to stay alive.
“Haa, haa…!”
The healing of his wounds was slow.
He had somehow managed to suppress the mage’s firepower, but the mana had been so dense that the aftereffects were still severe.
I need to finish the bare minimum treatment and then immediately…
In that brief moment of relief as he was plotting his escape route, his eyes suddenly widened.
“H-How…?!”
“Well now. Looks like I’ve found you.”
Sword Soul Aden.
He had silently approached the Poison Master and now looked at the glass orb in his hand.
“They said it was made in a rush, but it seems to work quite well. Unfortunately for you, that is.”
“..…!!”
A faint trace of mana in the air.
It was clearly an artifact related to tracking.
But it wasn’t one that scanned a wide area. It had unmistakably led him straight to his target.
In that short time…?! Ah!
Only then did he look down at his own abdomen.
The wound was nearly healed now. But traces of the mage’s mana still lingered faintly.
So that’s why the artifact I had didn’t work!
His mind went blank.
Sword Soul Aden.
Once famed as the Emperor’s Blade before his retirement, to the Poison Master, he was nothing more than a frog before a snake.
– Ahh… So it was a trap after all. Sword Soul.
Just then, someone’s voice echoed through the corridor.
“Who are you?”
Even as Sword Soul asked the question, the voice ignored him and spoke directly to the Poison Master.
– If you want to live, use it… Poison Master.
“B-But!”
– Better than dying a pointless death… right? We both know everything already, don’t we? Don’t make me bother with this…
“Heh. You think I’ll just stand by and watch?”
There was something else.
Just as the Sword Soul was about to strike, drawing his blade and moving with lightning speed to cut the Poison Master’s throat before he could make a move based on the mysterious voice’s instructions—
Something absorbed his sword.
At the same time, Aden twisted his waist and turned around.
The sword he had just thrust forward was now piercing into a distorted space behind him.
Spatial magic?
No, it wasn’t magic.
If it had been magic, it wouldn’t have been able to stop his attack.
– Ughhh… This just got annoying… Anyway, Poison Master… You understand, right…? That there’s only one choice for you here…
“…Understood.”
The Poison Master made his decision and gave a nod.
Rather than letting his head be chopped off, it was better to accept the side effects, achieve his master’s goal, and cling to whatever slim hope remained.
“You bastard!”
– Ahh… Sword Soul. You’ll be keeping me company for a bit…
In the next moment, as the flat, emotionless voice stirred up an unseen force, an intangible energy surged forth to engulf the Sword Soul.
He responded immediately, unleashing his own [Will Manifestation] to resist it.
– Oh dear, oh dear… Looks like I’ll have to lay low for a while after this one…
But the force that followed was far greater, swallowing not only the Sword Soul’s willpower but also his physical body whole.
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