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[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 48: Dancing with the Puppet (3)
Crash, crash, crash!
Three blue swords plunged into the spot where Hamel had been standing.
Agnes's magic swords, drawing trajectories like meteors, easily pierced the walls.
Dodging the attacks fluidly, Hamel thought,
'First, close the distance.'
Hamel gathered strength in his legs and dashed towards Agnes.
His steps were light.
With each step, the floor dented, and afterimages lingered.
But Agnes's eyes accurately captured Hamel's movements.
Crash!
Noticing Agnes's eyes fixed on him, Hamel quickly twisted his body.
At the same time, he narrowly dodged the sword flying straight towards him.
If he had continued running straight towards Agnes, he would have been hit.
Hamel didn't stop.
He continued to dash, weaving back and forth.
When it seemed like he would be surrounded by swords, he quickly leaped and ran along the wall of the Magic Tower.
When necessary, he jumped and ran across the desks in the lobby.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Books and papers on the desks scattered in all directions.
The rain of swords that flew incessantly and Hamel dodging them.
The deflected swords scattered fragments of wood and stone everywhere, but Hamel, like a performing acrobat, dodged the obstacles and closed the distance to Agnes.
After a while,
'Now.'
Hamel instinctively knew.
Crack!
Hamel kicked off the ground powerfully, his figure shooting forward in a straight line.
Agnes saw it but couldn't react in time.
Without even closing her eyes, the opponent who had been 10 meters away was now holding a sword to her neck.
'I'll cut.'
Hamel didn't hesitate.
Agnes had given up her life the moment she entrusted her body to the enemy impersonating the Tower Master.
Hamel respected her choice and resolve.
Therefore, he swung his sword without hesitation.
However,
Clang!
A thick steel sword intervened between Hamel and Agnes.
Hamel's attack struck the sword, creating sparks, but it didn't reach Agnes.
Ego Sword, 'Shield Sword'.
One of the magic tools possessed by Agnes Lowell, the Sword Mage.
Hamel had no way of knowing, but it was a device that automatically defended its user when their life was in danger.
'...It's coming!'
Feeling a strong presence behind him, Hamel leaped back.
Immediately after, a sword fiercely swept through the spot where he had been standing.
A white sword emitting a cold air.
This was also one of Agnes's tools, the Ego Sword 'Ice Sword', a device that automatically attacked enemies within a certain radius.
'There were hidden tricks...'
Hamel clicked his tongue and continued his assault.
Even if he retreated, he couldn't stop for even a moment.
Crash, crash, crash!
Swords made of Agnes's mana continued to rain down on Hamel.
She was overwhelming from a distance, but she was also well-defended at close range.
This was Agnes, the Sword mage.
The Colorless Magic Tower of the East, the renowned Glenval clan of the North, and even the veiled Ishtaka clan of the West.
Her skills were worthy of a monster said to be unmatched in one-on-one combat by any of the three powers.
In a way, it was strange that Hamel was facing her head-on.
Because members of the order, including exorcists, weren't specialized in fighting humans.
Exorcists were those who specialized in eliminating demons.
Their fields were different.
But Hamel was different.
Whoosh!
Hamel lightly dodged a sword as thick as a pillar that was swung at him and then threw two daggers.
The blackened daggers, cloaked in shadows, flew towards Agnes, but the Shield Sword easily blocked them.
It could even block attacks that its user wasn't aware of.
"This isn't working either."
Hamel muttered with a hint of regret.
He hadn't expected to defeat her easily from the start.
It was already remarkable that he, an exorcist, was fighting on par with Agnes, the second-in-command of the Magic Tower and one of the most skilled mages, in a one-on-one battle.
If he hadn't drunk the dragon blood, he would have been a corpse by now.
Even though his attack was thwarted again, Hamel didn't stop.
He continued to approach her, swinging his sword.
And as the attacks piled up,
At some point,
"Yeah, it was tough. I almost died trying to fight while dodging that rampage."
Come to think of it, the wounds on Ono's body weren't caused by magic.
He seemed to have been torn by stone fragments and covered in dust.
It was obvious who had done that.
"I'm sorry. I didn't have time to help."
"I was joking, so just come here quickly. I caught him, but it was too easy..."
Just as Ono was speaking with a dubious tone,
Footsteps!
Since when had he been there?
A child, wearing the robe of a Magic Tower student, approached Ono from behind.
Hamel was the first to notice something was wrong.
"Behind you!"
"Hmm?"
Ono frowned and turned around.
A male student was looking up at Ono.
But his eyes were strange.
Something colorful seemed to be wriggling inside them.
The next moment,
Stab!
A sharp blade plunged deep into Ono's stomach.
A cold, burning sensation.
The blade stirred his insides chaotically.
"...You son of a bitch."
Ono mercilessly struck the student's head with his mace.
The head exploded, and the larva parasitizing the eye popped out.
Leucochloridium.
A parasitic demon that controlled its host.
The one disguised as the Tower Master had secretly implanted it into the student's body.
He had released the mind control spell according to the agreement, but he hadn't expected him to plant demons beforehand.
And then,
Stab!
"...!"
Another dagger was thrust into Ono's back.
There wasn't just one student parasitized by a demon.
More than ten students surrounded Ono.
"Master Ono!"
Just as Hamel was running towards him,
Wiggle!
The Tower Master's body, bound tightly by the plants, wriggled as if shedding its skin.
Suddenly, as if molting, a black-haired woman squeezed out from within, breaking free from the plant's restraints.
Then she started to run away, stumbling.
It was her.
The culprit who had impersonated the Tower Master and wreaked havoc in the Magic Tower.
"..."
But Hamel didn't chase after her.
Saving Ono was his priority.
Without hesitation, Hamel swung his sword at the students surrounding Ono.
Slash!
A chilling cutting sound rang out.
The demons, bisected along with the students' skulls, wriggled and fell to the ground.
They were as good as dead the moment the demons had burrowed into their heads, but it still didn't feel good.
By the time Hamel finished off the parasitic demons, the woman had already escaped the Magic Tower.
***
"Crazy bastard... Catching a high-ranking mage alone? Then is it true that he caught a special-grade demon?"
The horrified woman hurriedly touched her neck.
A hidden tattoo surfaced, and then,
Crack!
The woman's lower body suddenly burst and swelled enormously.
Eight long, black legs sprouted out.
A lower body in the form of a spider.
The high-ranking demon Arachne.
The woman, who had been human just moments ago, had transformed into a demon.
She started to flee at an even faster speed.
Hamel flinched but quickly checked Ono's condition.
Three swords were embedded in his body, two in his abdomen and one in his back.
"..."
Hamel carefully reached out and placed his hand under Ono's nose.
Then he froze.
For a long time.
But even if he stood there like that,
No matter how much time passed,
Nothing would change.
Ono was no longer breathing.
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]