“The Thunder Demon King”
Time stopped.
So it seemed, as the scene before my eyes moved like it was frozen.
Greedg, or rather Slowsgil, must have been looking at the same still world. Predicting the magic bullet aimed at my eye was a trivial task.
This is the third blessing. It is not the ability to stop time, but rather an enhancement of concentration.
During the Iskia battle, Nel had cast “Concentration Enhancement” on me, and its effect was to improve the computational ability of the brain used in casting magic.
With heightened concentration, not only can magic be completed at high speed, but multiple operations can also be processed in parallel. More simply, it allows for enhanced imagination and a clearer, more precise visualization to improve the quality of magic.
Additionally, in martial arts, which is based on an unconnected theory of complex calculations, there is a technique called “Concentration” that enhances abilities such as the ability to read an enemy’s movements, reflexes, and dynamic vision.
This “Thunder Demon King” showcases the ultimate cognitive acceleration ability, combining the effects of both the magical “Concentration Enhancement” and the martial art “Concentration.”
However, what I need right now is not just the eye to predict the attack but the actual movement to evade it.
In the frozen scenery, I could see the blade of the Mithril Fl sweeping toward my neck, slowly but surely continuing to move. If I remain silent, it would only prolong the time until my death.
So, I move. I evade. With all my strength, no, even beyond the limits of my body.
“Move!”
I intended to scream this, yet my voice doesn’t actually emit any sound. It will likely echo at the moment I release this acceleration concentration.
My body is frozen, unable to even vibrate my throat, just like this stopped world. It feels like being paralyzed.
Yet, I can move; I should be able to. Slowsgil, controlling Greedg, managed to move.
With the super-speed nerve transmission from the powerful Thunder Attribute, it forcibly moves the body.
“Move!”
With a slight shift, my body leans back.
Every joint feels rusted, rigid and awkward, but it definitely moved.
The approaching blade is now less than ten centimeters away from contact.
Not yet, still not enough. I have not escaped the trajectory that can deeply slice my throat.
More, move more. I can even fall backward. If I can just survive this one blow, I can deal with the rest!
“Moveeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!”
Once again, the world begins to move.
I hear the dull pain of my back hitting the hard ground along with my anguished scream echoing through the arena.
What I see is the silvery trajectory drawn where my neck had been just moments before. Successful evasion.
“Grenade Shelling”
I can’t see the Undead Knight as I fell on my back, but it doesn’t change the fact that it is right in front of me. At such close range, shooting will surely hit.
Take this! I’ve created my hardest grenade in parallel while evading.
From the fingertips of my right hand aimed at the enemy, I unleash a cannonball containing black heat.
A huge explosion erupts at zero distance. My vision darkens, and the world flips.
“—Ugh!”
The shockwave is strong enough to easily blow my body away, but the heat is blocked by the “Azure Flame Guardian.”
I float in the swirling turbulence, feeling trapped, but my nerves are not so weak that I would lose my sense of direction.
Before I follow the path of crashing into the wall like Kai, I twist my body slightly to regain balance and land. I end up kneeling. It’s not so graceful.
“I’m surprised. I didn’t expect you to evade.”
As I land and return my gaze forward, the fire has just begun to clear.
What I hear from behind the thin remaining black smoke is the voice of the girl I heard first. Actually standing before me is the skeletal knight clad in Mithril armor.
“I didn’t expect to be blocked myself.”
The grenade shelling I launched as a counter after evading was blocked by the small shield attached to the knight’s left arm.
The shield is made of holy silver like the sword and armor, but it is blackened and has lost its silver sheen. Conversely, the only impact from the explosion is the dirt, indicating that no damage penetrated.
I see, it’s not just that they have expensive equipment; they also possess appropriate specs for it.
But that’s not what really matters. What I should truly care about is something else entirely.
“And just what is the meaning of this ambush?”
Yes, the Undead Knight who shot a fatal blow that could actually kill me, the master, Safi Maaya Hydra. Her true intent.
“You said to come at you with the intention to kill, didn’t you?”
You fool! That was directed at Helen and Kai! It clearly doesn’t apply to you, who was obviously in spectator mode.
Well, considering the face of Safi, who looks like she wants to say, “I’m very devious; what about it?” it’s enough to understand she wasn’t being serious.
“Isn’t committing murder in the School of the Gods something that would not go unpunished, no matter how noble one is?”
“To stop a criminal rapist and save a dear companion. I could make so many excuses.”
You demon. I’ve been called a demon by Crusader Soldiers plenty of times, but it’s clear that the name truly suits a cunning person like this.
Even if I curse in my heart, it doesn’t change the fact that I look like the villain in this situation.
With the shattered Imperial Guard members, Helen still sobbing in the corner of the arena, and Kai laid out on the ground as a new victim of the berserker.
Wow, this scene truly is a nightmare.
“Then, are you really planning to kill me here?”
“No, I think I’ll hold off. It would be foolish of me to fight you head-on—return.”
Demonstrating that she has no will to fight, Safi withdrew the Undead Knight, her servant, from the scene.
Above the skull face visible in the helmet, a glowing purple line outlines a magic circle. Then, a sickly purple smoke bursts forth. The purple smoke, as if it has a will of its own, entwines itself around the holy silver armor, completely engulfing its shine.
And in the next moment, the smoke vanishes into the magic circle as if being sucked in, and the Undead Knight that had been there disappears without a trace. It was a mysterious return technique as if it melted into smoke and flew off into the beyond of the magic circle.
But I don’t have time to be impressed.
“I was almost killed here. Do you think I’ll let it slide just because you don’t intend to?”
“If you’re seen assaulting an unresisting beautiful girl, things won’t just be misunderstood anymore?”
“I see, misunderstanding… You knew all along that I was innocent from the beginning.”
There was no need for an excuse from the start. Besides, even if I wanted to make one, there wasn’t any time to do so.
Still, to refer to herself as ‘beautiful girl’ so confidently is quite the self-assured person. However, it’s frustrating that I can’t outright deny it.
While catching a glimpse of Safi’s beauty from the corner of my eye, I casually scan around the arena. Just as I thought, there’s no one. There’s no sign of new intruders.
“You all saw everything from the moment I got involved with these guys, didn’t you?”
“I just returned to school after lunch. If we had been watching from the start, that fool would have jumped in before the Imperial Guards were wiped out.”
“Your timing for appearing is pretty convenient.”
“The news already spread that the Imperial Guard of Princess Nel challenged the Black Nightmare Berserker.”
Wait, really? I barely managed to suppress my instinct to respond.
But I guess that makes sense; anyone inside this arena wouldn’t know what was happening outside. Since at first, I was dealing with them one by one, quite a bit of time has passed.
Most likely, idle onlookers are gathering around now, fully engaged with curiosity. If anything happens, they will probably rush in immediately.
If rumor has spread that the Imperial Guards have picked a fight with me, I might be able to clear the misunderstanding, but if they see me genuinely trying to kill Safi, that’s a different problem. Unfortunately, I can no longer make a move here.
“Tell me the reason you want to kill me.”
“Well then, yes. At least I can tell you that much—”
Safi brushes back her distinctly purple hair before continuing.
“—It’s because you used the ‘Evil Eye.'”
The magic eye behind her glasses sparkled ominously… or so it seemed.
“They say you punched and killed Greedg, but the decapitation was due to the crystallization of the ‘Evil Eye.’ It’s obvious just by looking at the cross-section.”
I can’t say “No, I didn’t use it.” However, I doubt that this cunning necromancer would be fooled by such a childish excuse.
“So, what you’re saying is that you are upset that an adventurer used the Hydra family’s prized magic eye?”
“Of course not. There’s no way I would get serious over something as trivial as noble pride.”
Well, I don’t know her personality.
“I might have been lacking in words. The issue is not just about using the magic eye but that it belongs to its original owner. You would have heard the name if you won it at the ‘Cursed Weapon Gladiatorial Tournament,’ right?”
The image of a man with a shining magic eye screaming crazily flashed through my mind. One I could never forget.
“You’re talking about Sayed.”
Bingo, Safi seems to smirk with an evil smile.
“I’ve met Uncle Sayed once. Just once when I was a child.”
I see, so they are uncle and niece. Since they are both from the same Hydra clan, it’s only natural that there would be some connection, but I had thought Sayed was someone who lived much longer ago.
I don’t know the detailed assessment results of Sayed’s magic eye, nor have I caught a glimpse of any embedded memories like the cursed cleaver or the devourer.
However, there is one thing I can assert with confidence.
“I didn’t kill him. At the time of the match, Sayed was already just an Undead head.”
“I know that. He was deceived by a filthy whore and expelled from the clan, and as a result, he ended up being killed by that woman, what a foolish fate.”
Wait, Sayed’s past was like that!? Oh man, what should I do? I really don’t want to see any more details about it. Should I just leave it be…
“In that case, hold a grudge against the woman who was the culprit. I have no relation to it.”
“Yes, that’s true. While I don’t hold any grudge against you personally, I can’t stand that you still have Uncle Sayed’s magic eye.”
“Sayed’s magic eye was used up when I defeated Greedg.”
The ‘Evil Eye’ I had inserted into his neck was lost like that. While it was just a single eyeball, it changed nothing. It must have been crushed beneath the collapsed rocky body. No rediscovery or reuse would be possible.
“Both of his eyes awakened. Therefore, there’s still one left, right?”
Dammit, I couldn’t fool her.
Indeed, I still have one bottled magic eye remaining in my Shadow Space.
“If you hand it over quietly, I’ll overlook you.”
“Even if you offer me ten million Klan, I won’t give it up.”
At first, I thought, “I should sell off this dangerous thing,” but if it proves to be useful, my perception changes.
This magic eye is dangerous but usable. It might even be powerful enough to affect an Apostle. There’s no way I’m giving it up that easily.
“Ah, that’s unfortunate. Then, I’ll aim for it again if I get the chance, so it would help if you let your guard down.”
That dark smile could be interpreted as either joking or genuine. Seriously, give me a break… While being fed up, a question suddenly pops into my mind.
“To be so fixated on a relative you’ve only met once, you really are quite loyal.”
And yet, she denies noble pride herself. It seems that despite everything, she has strong feelings for her clan.
“Even if you stole my parents’ magic eyes, I wouldn’t think about retrieving them.”
Safi’s eyes are looking at me with a somewhat exasperated expression. Even though she’s not emitting the crystallization rays, I feel a deep discomfort.
“You’re thick-headed.”
“Huh? What’s with that all of a sudden?”
“By the way, your party members are said to be the rumored beautiful fairy and witch duo… Hehe, you’re going to have a tough time from now on, aren’t you?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Uhehe, well, it’s fine. If you’re that oblivious, I’ll tell you straight out. Uncle Sayed is—”
Her face while speaking is full of delight, a smile that suggests she’s immensely pleased. While undeniably beautiful, that smile carries a sense of ‘shadow’ that sends a shiver down one’s spine.
Intuitively, I sense it. There’s something off about her.
“—My first love.”
Desiring the eyeball of one’s beloved? Honestly, that’s a bit off-putting. Yet, it makes sense.
Having apparently said all there is to say, Safi begins to withdraw nonchalantly, exposing her defenseless back. I indeed did not ask her anything further.
I wonder if it’s okay for her to leave her companion, Kai, behind, but still, I say nothing to her. No, I can’t say anything.
“Damn… to activate blessings three times in a row was too much…”
With weak arms, creaking joints, and blurring vision. What had been an assured victory has turned into a hard-fought victory, marred by injuries.
If a new intruder were to appear now, my fate would be sealed.
Thus, there is only one choice I can take here.
“Alright, I’m heading back.”