Instead of taking back the sword he had given Johan, Georg broke it.
He shattered it so completely that it couldn’t be repaired.
That was his own form of resolve. It was also a clear declaration that he had chosen to stand on Faust’s side.
But even though Georg had easily driven Johan into a state where he couldn’t fight, he couldn’t bring himself to kill him.
Indecisive and naive as he was, he couldn’t kill his own student.
To begin with, why had he done nothing all this time? He understood the sadness of the Cradle’s students, and he also tried to understand the despair of those who had turned to the Under Chain.
A fool who couldn’t take anyone’s side and only wavered back and forth.
That was who he was.
“Stupid bastard…”
Johan must have known that too.
That it was Georg who had severed their teacher-student relationship. If he had any sense of shame, he shouldn’t have tried to maintain it.
Georg could have harmed Johan. Killing him wouldn’t have been a problem either.
And yet, even knowing that, Johan had said this to him:
– Make me another sword later, will you? How could you just break it like that? It wasn’t a sword you made alone. I need to be able to face Senior Jabir, don’t I?
The relationship that Georg himself had cut off. Johan held onto it.
That only made Georg hate himself more. It was a miserable feeling.
But aside from that—
“Sniff… I-Is he gone?”
Georg pulled a document out from inside his coat. He hadn’t planned to do this.
He had thought he might kill Johan, and even if not, that their relationship would be completely destroyed.
But he was afraid too.
He didn’t want to sever that relationship. And so, without thinking, he had done something.
He hadn’t intended to use it.
Even after doing it, he found it absurd and let out a hollow laugh.
But Johan had forgiven him.
[Cradle University Admission Application Form]
While Johan was unconscious, Georg pressed ink onto his finger and stamped the document with it.
When he did it, he thought it was pointless and foolish. But now that he had been forgiven, a wicked thought kept creeping into his mind.
“Johan, you’re too naive.”
He shouldn’t have forgiven him.
Georg was the kind of person who could betray someone who trusted him.
“I just hope that naivety doesn’t become your weakness.”
I have no intention of using this document right away. As long as he still has a human heart, he’ll struggle with the decision.
But one thing was certain: this would become Johan’s weakness.
“Kuku……”
Georg who had been sobbing just moments ago now grinned.
“Kuhahaha!”
In terms of shamelessness, he was no less than Johan.
Like teacher, like student.
***
As I moved along the path again, I tried to wipe off the blood that was especially thick on my thumb.
“It’s not coming off easily.”
“You’re going to get covered in a lot more anyway, so is there any point in wiping it off now?”
“That’s true. It just feels a bit uncomfortable.”
“For now, focus on the enemies in front of you, Johan.”
“Yes, yes, Master.”
I gave a casual reply to Yuna, who was stabbing dark mages in the neck without even turning her head away from me.
What an incredible ability.
“I’ll clean it off with magic later.”
“I’d appreciate that, Ariel.”
Yeah, better not dwell on it. If I get too hung up over something like blood on my hands, I might end up losing my head.
Though, looking at the two of them slaughtering enemies without even facing forward, that didn’t seem likely…
“By the way, shouldn’t we go rescue Miss Ollie, Johan?”
“I’ve already confirmed her location. That’s enough.”
We didn’t come here today to rescue Ollie but to stop Faust.
Taking a detour here and increasing someone else’s burden would be too selfish.
“I just hope we’re not too late.”
No matter what, Professor Georg’s attack had been critical. I’d been unconscious for nearly five minutes.
If he had been just a little more ruthless, we might have died.
I shouldn’t forget that. Just because I’ve gotten a bit stronger doesn’t mean I can afford to be arrogant.
This is a world where even final boss candidates can die from a moment of carelessness.
I need to be cautious.
“I don’t think you need to worry about that, Johan. Do you see that?”
“I see……”
In the direction Yuna pointed, there stood a pale figure, as if the very space itself had been bleached white.
It seemed the Great Sage Faust had come out to intercept us.
The moment I recognized him, bundles of chains began to pour down around him like a waterfall.
“For someone so busy, is it really okay for you to be wandering around like this?”
“So it is. But I hear there’s someone who returned from death. What could be more important than that?”
With his signature emotionless expression, Faust stared straight at me.
Even with that blank face, it was obvious he found me quite unpleasant.
I’m the one who was cursed, so why is he the one acting annoyed?
“Johan? What should we do?”
“We stick to the plan. We avoid a direct confrontation for now. Yuna, you understand, right? You need to hold back too.”
“Johan, I’m an assassin.”
“I know.”
“I’m not stupid enough to take risks against an opponent I can’t kill.”
“Is that so?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Ariel tilted her head with an innocent look, while Yuna smiled brightly as she looked at her.
They seemed to have gotten a bit closer recently, so why were they like this again?
Weren’t they supposed to have reached some kind of understanding?
“Well, it’s nice to see you both have some composure. Let’s move according to plan.”
Ignoring their subtle clash, I was the first to turn and run.
A retreat without even the slightest hesitation.
There was no way Faust could catch us with his mobility anyway.
With all those chains wrapped around him, how could he possibly move quickly?
Even if he used spatial movement, it would take time to move all those chains along with him.
“……”
As if choosing action over words, Faust raised his hand. Several chains that had been draped around him lifted into the air along with it.
“Hup!”
I ran at full speed.
All we had to do was widen the distance. No matter how long those chains were, their accuracy would inevitably drop as the distance increased.
“Hyah!”
Clang!
I deflected the chain flying straight at me with pinpoint accuracy using my sword.
The blade Cynthia had made for me was definitely high quality. Even though I blocked it hastily, it didn’t break.
Not only that, it seemed to absorb some of the impact transmitted to me. Even without fully drawing out my sword aura, I was able to withstand Faust’s attack without taking a major hit.
“Good……”
This will work.
I can proceed according to plan.
Each of Faust’s attacks is lethal, but as long as I can block them at my current level, it doesn’t matter.
“Johan!”
Most of the attacks will be shot down by Ariel’s magic anyway.
If there’s a truly dangerous ability, Yuna will warn me.
All I have to do is watch out for the occasional stray spark from the raging flames.
But… will that really be enough?
Think. I just experienced firsthand what happens when I let my guard down.
I need to think more carefully, more thoroughly.
There’s definitely something I’m missing. There’s no way my plan will go exactly as intended.
Something is bound to go wrong again.
“……!”
Maybe it was because I had heightened my senses to the limit. I clearly recognized the moment the problem I feared occurred.
“Ghk!”
A chain grazed right past my neck. I barely managed to twist my head and avoid it.
Slash!
But even though I had completely dodged it, blood still burst from the back of my neck.
The destructive power of those chains is no joke. But more importantly—
“You retrieved the Wonder Mage?”
That chain hadn’t come from behind. It came from the front.
It wasn’t swung around from afar. It suddenly emerged right in front of me, aiming for my neck.
Not rotation, but the ability to connect space itself. That was the power of the Wonder Mage.
Good thing I sharpened my senses. If I had only focused on attacks coming from behind, my head would’ve been taken off just now.
“Unfortunate. I’m not yet accustomed to this power, so I missed a rare opportunity.”
Faust had been waiting for that exact moment. He had hidden this card to finish me off for sure. If I hadn’t been suspicious, that would’ve been it.
Now that he had revealed his hand, Faust no longer bothered to hide it and fully deployed his spatial movement ability.
“This won’t be easy.”
Chains from Faust lunged in from every direction. From above, below, left, and right.
At that moment, the limitations of the chains as connected objects disappeared.
And most likely, the biggest issue which was Faust’s own mobility had been resolved as well.
At this rate, it would be difficult to escape from him.
“Johan.”
“……”
Ariel who had blocked all the chains flying toward me with telekinesis spoke in a low voice.
“You go on ahead. Yuna and I will handle things here.”
“Lady Ariel, and my opinion?”
“Johan, you already know, don’t you? The Great Sage is targeting you right now. He must see you as the biggest threat.”
“Lady Ariel, can you not hear me?”
“So we’ll hold him in place.”
“Will you be alright?”
“We’ll be fine. It might be difficult if it were just me, but with Yuna here, we can at least keep him occupied. And since he’s focused on you, he won’t waste time and strength trying to take us down.”
It was a reasonable argument.
Right now, Faust considered me more dangerous than Ariel and Yuna. Probably because of the outcome of the last battle.
So if I escaped alone, the situation would flip.
Faust, who had been blocking my path to keep me from escaping, would now have to shake off the two of them trying to hold him back in order to chase me.
Of course, there was something that concerned me.
I would have to move forward alone from here. The Under Chain forces were still swarming ahead, and breaking through them by myself would be quite dangerous.
But this was the best option.
“If it gets dangerous, run.”
“Yes, I will.”
“So what about my opinion?”
Leaving Ariel and Yuna behind, I immediately turned and moved again.
They’ll be fine.
If it’s just a matter of holding him back rather than defeating him, they should be able to endure.
For now, I need to worry about myself.
***
Meanwhile, things on the other side were progressing relatively smoothly.
The twin pillars, Lobelia and Theseus, were so powerful that the enemies didn’t even dare to resist. Wherever the two of them moved became a path forward.
There was no need to even fight the enemies.
The enemies charged in, staking their lives, but like moths throwing themselves into a blazing fire, they couldn’t even get close.
Lobelia hadn’t taken any particular action.
She was simply releasing her power.
It was an ability she had never been able to fully output because her body couldn’t handle it, but through the gauntlet Cintia had made for her, she was now pouring it out without restraint.
The red lightning gathered around the gauntlet burned the enemies with its mere aftereffects.
“Lobelia, your momentum is too strong. How about dialing it back a bit?”
“……”
“Lobelia?”
Theseus broke into a cold sweat.
The lightning Lobelia unleashed didn’t distinguish between friend and foe.
Even deflecting the bolts flying toward him was no easy task.
How was it that his ally was more terrifying than the enemy?
“Quit talking and try harder. The level of the fodder swarming this way is pretty low, isn’t it?”
Lobelia was growing impatient. She had intended to rampage freely and draw attention, but no enemies were taking the bait.
From her perspective, having hoped to lure out Faust or at least a chain bearer, it was only frustrating.
“They’re completely ignoring us. What on earth are they planning? As far as I know, they haven’t deployed all their forces to the main front.”
“Indeed……”
There were plenty of foot soldiers, but not a single high-ranking unit.
Realizing this, Lobelia felt unease and turned her gaze.
“I think it’d be better if we head straight to the place Johan mentioned, where they’re preparing the ritual.”
Something was happening.
It wasn’t hard to anticipate that much.
***
The Misfits group of Jeff, Dietrich, and Helena was in no different a situation.
With his new sword in hand, Dietrich was cutting through enemies like a tidal wave, while Helena was restoring his stamina in real time.
On top of that, Jeff stood as an iron wall to protect Helena, and together the three formed a perfect battle line.
“This is strange.”
“……”
Sensing a similar unease as Lobelia, Dietrich frowned.
And Jeff, who had been hardened by all kinds of terror in the Cradle, instinctively sensed that things were taking a strange turn.
“Dietrich, let’s split up here.”
“What?”
“You two go on ahead. I’ll handle Melana on my own.”
Things were getting tangled.
That was why Jeff decided to send the two of them ahead first.
“In this situation, it’d be better to infiltrate quietly.”
“What about you, Jeff?”
“In this state, sneaking in quietly isn’t really an option for me. Go on ahead. If the enemies are only at this level, I can hold out for hours.”
It was true.
Jeff was a paladin who wielded divine power.
Against dark mages, he was nothing short of an unbreakable wall.
“And I plan on finding Melana, so move ahead so you don’t interfere with that.”
“……”
Dietrich stared at Jeff for a moment, then nodded.
He felt something that couldn’t be persuaded away with words. From Jeff, he sensed the same feeling he had when facing Kult.
People have something they cannot bend as long as they live.
“Then I’ll go on ahead. See you later.”
“Huh?!”
Dietrich immediately grabbed Helena and started running.
“Nice and decisive.”
Thud!
Jeff watched the two of them leave, then slammed the large shield he was holding into the ground.
“Alright, I’m right here. Come at me.”
Then Jeff gripped the sword he was holding in one hand with both hands and scattered a brilliant radiance in all directions.
So that anyone could see that light.
So that Melana would come find him.
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