Chapter 134: Patchwork (14)

The stone walls moved all at once as if on cue.

"Master! In front of you!"

I heard Rena’s shout and turned my gaze forward. The passageways in both directions were closing simultaneously.

Swish!

I leaped forward, but the moving walls were alarmingly fast.

Rumble!

In an instant, the stone walls were sealed shut without a single gap, and it wasn’t just the entrance and exit—the entire corridor was shaking violently.

Thud!

Crack!

Countless small flasks rained down from all directions, shattering on the floor.

Whoosh!

A thick smoke billowed out, filling the passageway in an instant. I glanced behind me, but the dense fog obscured my companions.

Should I break through?

If I smashed this entire tomb, I could probably escape. It would take days, but if Chandler and Rena died, this entire mission would become pointless—it would mean starting over from scratch.

That’s not an option!

I had to survive and keep them alive! Even if we died, we needed to learn something before we did. I was frustrated at the lord, who’d failed to mention such a trap, but I quickly dismissed it.

They wouldn’t have known because they’d never resisted the curse. For generations, the Chandler family had blindly obeyed this nightmare.

This is bad.

I stepped forward into the thickening smoke. There was no way this was just ordinary smoke—either it was poisonous, or enemies were lurking somewhere inside.

The moment I stepped into the fog, a massive greatsword rapidly descended toward me.

Whoosh!

Clang!

I raised my sword, single-handedly parrying the attack. Even so, the impact was strong enough to force me back a step.

An ambush?

"I... I..."

I heard a trembling voice—It was Christina. What a relief, at least the fog wasn’t the type that killed instantly upon inhalation. But then, something stood out to me.

Was she always this strong?

She’d never displayed such speed and power in training. Her strike had been faster than Chandler's, and stronger than the rusted golems.

SWOOSH!

Even the sound was different. Christina swung her greatsword with such ferocity it felt like she was splitting the ground apart.

Clang!

I locked blades with her, tilting my sword slightly to redirect the force. The white fog swirled away, revealing Christina’s face clearly.

Has she gone berserk...?

I stared into her eyes. They glowed ominously, an unnatural crimson light radiating from them. Her muscular arms swelled abnormally, and veins bulged across her face. Her hair was disheveled, her expression contorted with unfamiliar intensity.

It looks strangely fitting for her...

Her attacks were becoming sharper. Her raw strength, speed, and technique also improved drastically.

Whoosh!

Her greatsword now carried technique, not just brute force.

Clang!

After our blades clashed, she angled her sword seamlessly into another strike. She stepped in close, aiming to bash me with her sword hilt’s pommel.

I slapped her hand away, but she immediately followed up, trying to smash my skull with her crossguard.

"Not bad."

I kicked her shin hard enough to make a loud impact sound. Christina stumbled back two steps—not from pain, but sheer force.

"Is she even conscious?"

"I will eradicate the evil of this world..." she muttered incoherently, her crimson eyes flaring as she charged at me again.

***

Christina was the only girl in the swordsmanship training hall to which her aloof father had sent her. The other boys were clumsy, lacking strength and stamina. Whenever they sparred, she had to be careful not to hurt them. She wanted to help them improve.

"Want me to show you how to swing it properly?"

"

Hmph!

From an Ogre? No way! Let’s go, guys!"

"

Ew!

You stink!"

She had offered her hand to the boys struggling with wooden dummies, but they always rejected her. It was no better at home.

"My feet hurt..."

"You still have to wear these shoes. You’ll get used to them eventually."

Her clothes were uncomfortable. Her corset made it hard to breathe. Her shoes only fit if she curled her toes tightly.

"

Ugh...

What bad luck. She isn’t even pretty."

"Poor thing. They say she’s too tall to find proper dresses."

"Well, at least she’s obedient."

"Should we just dress her in men’s clothing?"

"Even then, I doubt anything would fit.

Haha!

"

Even when she was alone in her room, her sharp hearing caught every whisper from the maids. Nevertheless, she couldn’t abandon the sword. She practiced and read books alone, living within the world of books and blades.

After her father’s death, she found it even harder to interact with others.

"Protect the weak and become their guardian. Stand against injustice and evil..."

The black mist, the shadows crept toward her. Christina raised her sword.

—Kill them.

A voice whispered inside her mind, as sweet as the first time she read a knight’s tale. She had to kill them. Justice had to be served.

***

Christina lowered her stance, gripping her greatsword tightly. She lunged forward with a burst of power, bringing the blade crashing down. Her eyes glowed red, like a raging lycanthrope under a full moon. She moved at her full potential—faster and stronger than ever before.

She’s going berserk? Just how much has she been holding back?!

This was not the Christina from training. She was at least twice as fast and as strong. Unless she had always been suppressing herself, there was no other explanation.

Clang!

She was much stronger than Chandler. Sparks flew as swords clashed.

In a flash, we exchanged dozens of blows before I snapped back to my senses. This wasn't the time to enjoy a duel as if it were a game.

Dragging this out would be problematic.

I needed to ensure Rena’s safety.

Vwoong!

Once again, the sword came crashing down.

Screeech!

Using my left elbow to subtly support the blade, I deflected the greatsword down to the left. As it struck the ground, I extended my left arm.

Crack!

A chilling sound echoed as I twisted Christina's wrist, bending it as if to coil around it. She resisted with brute strength, seemingly unfazed by the pain. Securing her wrist to my side, I struck the back of her neck hard with the greatsword’s hilt.

Thud!

Christina lost consciousness and went limp. But she twitched slightly as if she was ready for an encore performance.

How troublesome...

Judging by her movements, she would likely regain consciousness soon, but there wasn’t anything around to tie her up.

Clang!

In the distance, through the thick smoke, the sound of clashing blades echoed once more.

Rena!

I needed to hurry.

Tap, tap, tap!

I shoved Christina away and ran straight toward the source of the noise. With a shout, the clash of metal rang out sharply. It was swordplay. They were likely Rena and Chandler.

Is it because of the smoke?

Both of them would probably be out of their minds, just like Christina. Unlike me, they couldn’t survive without breathing, even for a moment.

Vwoosh!

The gust from the sword cut through the dense white smoke. The scene that emerged was peculiar.

A crow...?

Someone wearing a long-beaked crow mask stood there, as if attending a gloomy masquerade. They hadn’t bothered to cover their limbs or body, leaving only their face and neck hidden under the black crow mask. Chandler and the masked figure stood with their swords pointed at each other, having exchanged several blows. The masked figure seemed more fatigued.

Is that... Rena?

Fweee!

The masked figure aimed the Cutting Rapier at Chandler, disrupting him with feints up and down. The sword was definitely Rena’s, but what was the meaning behind the mask? Could the smoke have transformed her into one of Malphas’s minions?

The rapier’s afterimage trembled rapidly.

Vwoosh!

Chandler crouched down and swung his sword upward with force. The masked figure pressed their rapier down on Chandler’s blade, deflecting it as they stepped back.

Whirl!

With a swift snap, the rapier's tip drew a chaotic circle, creating afterimages before focusing on a single point at Chandler’s leg.

She avoided the vital spot.

It was clearly an intentional move. Unlike Christina, she wasn’t in a berserk state.

Clang!

Chandler attempted to cut deep into the masked figure’s neck, but the latter blocked using the rapier’s hilt, bouncing back three steps.

Then, the masked figure shouted, "Master! Are you just going to watch?"

The voice was muffled but recognizable enough.

"Rena?"

"You don’t recognize me just because I wore this...?"

Her voice echoed dully again. There was no time to question why she wore a mask when her identity was obvious.

Clang!

Chandler swung his sword sharply at Rena once more. With my greatsword, I fiercely struck the lower part of Chandler’s blade. The massive sword precisely hit the guard, causing Chandler to stumble under the impact. He gritted his teeth and swung his sword at me again.

Just like Christina, his eyes were red, as if they were about to burst.

Swish!

I blocked a diagonal slash, but Chandler used the rebound to flip his sword 270 degrees, slashing from below. It was flawless, textbook technique—even a fairly agile opponent would have their arm deeply cut or collapse backward. But I simply lowered my greatsword slightly.

Suction.

Clank!

The incoming blade stuck to the slightly lowered greatsword.

Thud!

I pulled Chandler closer by the sword and kicked him hard, causing him to drop his blade and fly backward.

Thud!

However, he didn’t pass out so easily. Even after landing on his back, he twitched and tried to get up again. Perhaps, he dreamed or mistook me for someone else due to the smoke.

"

Hoo...

"

Beside him, Rena let out a long sigh. Before I knew it, she was holding a small bomb.

"I’m this close to blowing up the client and the usage rights."

"

Hmm

."

The fight was clearly unfavorable for her. It seemed she had considered blowing up Chandler if it came to that.

Tap.

I grabbed the crow’s beak. It felt rough to the touch.

"What a curious mask."

The long beak seemed to be stuffed with something.

"

Mmph! Mmmph!

"

Rena, still wearing the mask, waved her hands frantically.

"

Huh

?"

"That’s... my breathing hole!"

The beak vibrated with a low hum. I released it and stepped back.

"

Hah... hah...

"

"What is this exactly?"

"It’s a gas mask. The world is filled with stench, and humanity only grows in number, so you need one of these. I picked it up from the armory. The moment something went bang, I put it on."

"Was that a thing?"

It seemed her seven hours of looting hadn’t been in vain.

"Unfortunately, there was only one. Not that anyone else would have bothered to bring it even if I told them."

Chandler and Christina both attacked me after inhaling the smoke. If Rena hadn’t worn that mask, she would have ended up like them.

Looking at Chandler twitching on the ground, I spoke up. "You seemed slightly pushed back by him. Was it because of the berserk state?"

"

Ugh

... It’s because of this gas mask! Just wearing it makes me feel suffocated. My combat strength plummets." Rena stretched her arms forward, trembling as she clenched her fists. "It’s hard to breathe!"

She looked ready to blow up Chandler if I didn’t comply quickly.

"Got it..."

I decided to understand.

"But the protection is excellent. Hold on, I need to tie him up." She adjusted the bomb’s fuse and pulled out a large disk from her bag. I’d never seen it before. Did she get it from the armory?

Squeak, squeak.

From one side of the disk, pitch-black wires continuously emerged. Rena carefully tied Chandler’s wrists and ankles tightly with them. Her restraint technique was skillful.

Her voice, muffled under the long beak, echoed dully. "This smoke seems to induce dreams. That guy, Chandler, was mumbling about his mother while attacking me."

"

Hmm

."

"What about Christina?"

"She’s over there."

After binding Chandler, Rena also moved to carefully twist and restrain Christina’s joints.

"By the way... have you seen Acorn?" she asked.