Chapter 28 - Strength In Numbers

"Come on, Gramps, make this fun for me--!" Rouge yelled out in excitement, holding his arms out in a welcoming embrace as he watched the man evade his blades.

As fast as Norbert was, his speed was put to the test by the pace Rouge was able to produce his deathly steel. It felt like an impossible task to reach the man as the blades continued to block Norbert's path.

"Ngh!" Norbert slammed his fist against the flat surface of one of the blades.

With just his physical might, he managed to shatter the blade into a hail of steel. It was a gamble, a test of his own strength withered by time, but it was the only way to compete against the growing number of blades that filled the ballroom. His strength proved to be more than sufficient as the pressure created by his punch blew a gust of wind towards Rouge, nearly knocking his top hat over.

"Now, now! That is impressive! I knew the Devil of War wouldn't be just some old man encumbered by age, but this is beyond my wildest expectations! Even without reinforcement magic, you're this strong--?" Rouge couldn't help but let out a laugh at the ridiculous display of raw power.

It only served to fuel his long ignited rage as he heard his opponent laugh at his resistance, all the while he hid behind the overwhelmingly powerful ability of his. As he tunneled his way through the path of blades, all he could hear was the maniacal laughter of the Argonaut, who almost seemed to delve into ecstasy amidst the battle.

"Slow, slow, slow! Your fists will never reach me with that pace, Gramps! Try a bit harder, won't you?" Rouge let out a roar of high-pitched laughter that pierced the old man's ears.

The butler leaped into the air, nearly bumping his head against the high-reaching ceiling as he avoided the new set of blades that drove out from the ground, desperately trying to spill his blood.

"Where are you going to land now, Devil? Atop my blades? If you insist on putting your own head on a spike and saving me the time to do so, I would gladly appreciate it!" Rouge continued to taunt him, still standing in the same spot.

In this situation, it indeed looked dire. Even with all of his physical might, he couldn't fly, he couldn't use magic. The concept of gravity was, all the same, applied to him as he began to fall towards the dozens of shining blades that awaited his arrival.

"Don't mock me--! The head butler of the Althaus estate is prepared for a multitude of situations!" Norbert proclaimed as he reached inside his vest.

Rouge watched closely as the man pulled a small blue gem out of his vest before tossing it down towards the sea of steel below.

"A spell stone--?" Rouge uttered in confusion.

His perplex was answered as the stone cracked before detonating into a fierce explosion of azure flames, disintegrating and blowing apart the mass of steel below. The resulting shock wave shattered the windows into particles of glass, rumbling the entire second floor as if a violent earthquake had awakened under their feet.

The man landed safely on the ground below with a heavy thud, wiping the dust picked up by the magically conjured explosion off of his clean suit.

"You're full of surprises, aren't you? I guess I've had enough time playing with you, Devil of War. I still have a mission to fulfill, so do me a favor and die," Rouge's mood seemed to have fallen complete, annoyed by the old man's resilient efforts.

Even Norbert knew that during this entire encounter, the Argonaut wasn't giving it his all--or anything close to that. However, he bought more than enough time than he expected with just his body. His old bones ached just from keeping himself standing upright now. As strong as he was, the shock wave from the explosion took a toll on his body--without the usage of reinforcement magic, even he was privy to the drawbacks of a human body.

"Lord Althaus, forgive me...it seems my contract is about to come to an end," Norbert spoke quietly to himself.

Just the act of forming a fist with his hand felt as if daggers were piercing his flesh, it seemed the shock wave shattered some of his bones as well in the process. Each breath was as if inhaling a thousand tiny little blades that poked and jabbed into his lungs. His eardrums had been blown out, blood seeping out from his ears and traveling down his neck.

"Even I feel some sadness in seeing the famous Devil of War in such a sorry state, but fear not, as I am low on time--I shall make this death quick," Rouge announced in his over-the-top tone.

The man raised his hand as a stream of blades came burrowing towards the withered butler, who stood in place. All he could do was stand there, pleading for his body to move as he watched the endless sight of steel inch closer to him, bringing the horror of death that much closer.

"Gaia Protection," A disembodied voice suddenly spoke out in a commanding tone.

Following the sudden words, a wall of stone protruded from the ground, rising high as it casted a shadow over the incoming wave of blades, managing to halt their bloodthirsty path.

Both Rouge and Norbert looked around to see who the voice belonged to, confused by the sudden usage of nature magic.

"It looks like you are in need of some assistance, old friend," Hodwin suddenly stepped beside Norbert.

"Hodwin…?" Norbert spoke in a raspy voice, following up with a bloodied cough.

"I know what you're going to ask--worry not, the boy is safe. What we need to worry about is the enemy before us," Hodwin looked forward towards Rouge as he narrowed his gaze.

At the mention of his own existence, the Argonaut lifted his hat and bowed with one foot tucked behind the other. Even now in this situation being outnumbered, his frivolous attitude didn't change in the slightest--even seeming happier now with this new development.

"I've always wanted to skewer an elf. Such an uptight race that sees themselves above all others, I will enjoy seeing what wonders are tucked away inside your bowels as I inspect them closely," Rouge's toothy grin radiated with pure bloodlust.

"High Elf, not an elf. Such a mistake will be the cause of your lack of a head, human," Hodwin's beady gaze locked onto Rouge.