Chapter 122 : And So(3)
And So(3)
A familiar white gauntlet, surrounded by fist energy.
"I'll kill you!"
That fist shot toward Schutmann's chin.
But no squire would be taken down twice in a row by the identical attack of a 4th-rank.
Schutmann jerked his head back and dodged the punch.
A thin wound appeared on his cheek with a "pit-" as a piece of his hair flew off,
but Schutmann's eyes flashed as he launched a side kick at Hank.
Puk!
Hank blocked quickly with an elbow guard,
but Schutmann's strength was so great that he was pushed straight back.
'Damn.'
Only then did Hank's face come into view.
He looked truly different from before I fainted.
His chin and face were smeared with blood.
He must have vomited up a lot of blood.
The breastplate visible between his elbows was deeply dented and caved in.
That area was also stained bright red with blood.
'At least four ribs must be broken.'
And to think that in that state, Hank just threw a punch like before.
While I was reassessing Hank, Schutmann's voice rang out.
"Hooh. That you're not dead is surprising. You're more talented than I thought."
The moment he finished speaking, a bursting sound came from the ground as rocks and debris shot up.
Kagagak!!
It was Schutmann's sword energy.
Although his aura might be on cooldown,
he could still draw a sword stuck in the ground using sword energy.
"Kuuugh!"
As the immense sword energy burst forth, the ground split in a wide cross.
Zaiya and Legion immediately dashed back.
But—
'That lunatic!'
Not Hank.
His center of gravity was not backward but forward,
readying himself to charge at Schutmann.
'He's going to dodge the sword energy while charging in?'
Hank seemed already resigned to death.
I could understand his state of mind—
he'd been brought back from death by Schutmann while I was unconscious.
But—
'Even if you risk your life, you can't waste it so meaninglessly!'
I grabbed the scruff of Hank's neck just as he was about to launch himself at Schutmann.
"What the—?!"
Hank, caught mid-movement, was easily dragged by my hand.
Though he shot me a resentful gaze,
I pretended not to notice and ran in the opposite direction from Schutmann.
At that moment, my eyes met with the battalion commander, who was rushing toward Schutmann.
The old man's now youthful crown gleamed even more brightly because his wrinkles were smoothed,
but the point of his One Point thrust was even more dazzling.
Siiiik—!
The battalion commander's sharp thrust aimed at Schutmann.
Schutmann drew his sword just in time to block the commander's blade.
Chae-aeaeng! Chaeng!!
Soon after, the floating eyeball above the commander's head began to turn slowly.
Please, let it not be 10.
We can't face Schutmann without the battalion commander again.
Whirr. Plop.
'It's a 9!'
Luckily, it landed on the best number.
It will take at least 9–10 seconds to break the 9-pattern.
I urgently stopped and laid Hank down on the ground, shouting,
"Special Investigator!"
Legion's class was battle monk.
She might not be a specialized healer, but she might have some means to save Hank.
"Company commander Hank...!!"
The moment she heard my cry, Legion and Zaiya rushed over to me,
and Legion pulled out a leather canteen from her belt and started pouring it liberally over Hank's chest.
Splaaaaash.
She poured out half the transparent water over him and gave the rest to Hank to drink.
Hank drank a little, swished it in his mouth to rinse out the blood, and spat it out.
"Tastes nasty."
Hank's complexion looked a little better than before,
but there was no dramatic improvement.
"That's not holy water, is it?"
At my question, Legion couldn't answer.
'Of course. She must have left the Light of Shizua a long time ago; there's no way it's holy water.'
It was probably pain-relieving herb-infused forget-me-not water.
As expected, Legion's expression hardened after checking Hank's torso.
"Six of your ribs are broken. Move any more and the organs or lungs will be punctured and you'll die."
Six ribs.
Hank's condition was more serious than I'd imagined.
Yet Hank got up as if nothing was wrong, dusted off his backside.
Drip.
Blood flowed from his mouth once more.
"I just need to kill before I die."
Hank said this indifferently, wiping with his gauntlet.
His pupils remained fixed only on Schutmann and the battalion commander,
and Legion frowned as she responded.
"Enough. Don't speak anymore. Even talking makes your condition worse."
Her tone implied she wouldn't stop him if he insisted on fighting.
But I had to check on something with Hank.
"What about Company Commander Ralph?"
All three of them turned to me.
Zaiya seemed fairly flustered,
and I, frustrated, asked again.
"Hurry! Where is Company Commander Ralph?!"
"......"
Without a word, Hank pointed in one direction with his index finger.
It was towards our Granfen garrison.
I couldn't help but feel relieved.
'At least he didn't see Ralph die.'
If he had, he would have ignored my words or looked away instead of pointing.
The fact that he pointed at the garrison meant—
'Ralph didn't fight Schutmann and went to the garrison.'
Of course, perhaps he was killed by Schutmann en route,
or maybe there was another reason why only Ralph headed toward the garrison while Hank was fighting Schutmann.
'But at least he's not confirmed dead.'
As this reasoning finished,
I suddenly thought of a sure way to check if Ralph was alive.
'I can just check [Regular Customer] in the system window, right?'
If he's alive, he should still be on the [Regular Customer] list.
About to check, I was interrupted—
Jjeo-keo-eooong!
by the sound of auras clashing.
The battalion commander and Schutmann's curses both lifted and collided at the same time.
Then—
"Kuugh."
The battalion commander's right forearm was drenched in bright red blood.
Even among 5th-rank, the difference in strength was starting to show.
"Battalion Commander!"
Lantz, who was closest, was the first to charge at Schutmann.
Chaeng, chaechang!
As Lantz and Schutmann's swords clashed,
Hank dug his feet into the ground.
Not to be outdone, Legion and Zaiya also charged in.
I too sprinted to enter the range of Legion's sanctuary buff.
Whoong!
Hank's kick soon targeted Schutmann's face,
while Zaiya's short spear and Legion's six-section staff bore down on him as well.
Chae-chang, chaeng, chaeng! Kagak!
Now Legion, Zaiya, Lantz, and Hank—four fourth-ranks.
They surrounded Schutmann, a 5th-rank squire, and relentlessly attacked him.
Chae-chang, chaeng! Chae-aeng!
The clashing of blades, mana, and energy rang out without pause,
and Schutmann appeared barely able to handle their assault.
'They're really holding their own!'
Schutmann's movement was slowed by Legion's "Evil-Doer designation" and "sanctuary" holy spells.
Plus, he'd used up a lot of mana and stamina spending his aura on the battalion commander.
That's why the fight was somewhat even for now.
'Ah, is this why the battalion commander said I had to reach the 4th-rank?'
Maybe this was the scenario he'd expected.
Regret at not reaching the 4th-rank surged within me.
Jjeo-keo-eooong!!
Once again, the battalion commander's and Schutmann's auras collided,
and as the commander pulled back to recover, the four fourth-ranks closed in on Schutmann.
At this rate, Schutmann would get overwhelmed soon.
Now, what was the best course of action for me in this situation?
'I can't wedge myself in that fight half-heartedly.'
Even if I am the strongest among the 3rd-rank, I'm still 3rd-rank.
Compared to those 4th-rank fighters, I'm seriously lacking.
If I tried to squeeze in among the four fourth-ranks flanking Schutmann, I'd only likely get in their way.
So—
'Guess there's only one option.'
I pushed up the left sleeve of my gambeson.
As the bare skin met the air, I felt a cool sensation—but it would soon heat up.
'Let's go.'
I pressed Black Vein to my forearm and sliced about 10 centimeters.
Swiish.
The flesh split cleanly and red blood dripped freely.
I pressed Blood Iron's kitchen knife to the wound, leaving not a single drop.
Watching Black Vein darken,
I returned my focus to Schutmann.
It was all to use Hunting Time.
'Let's find an opening. Just a tiny opening.'
I pushed my senses to the extreme to listen for Schutmann's biological clock.
However,
"......"
I couldn't hear it easily.
Despite facing four fourth-ranks,
Schutmann must have sensed my killing intent—he showed no opening.
But—
'Why does his expression seem so serene?'
A strange sense of unease welled up within me.
If this state continued, even if it took time, Schutmann would ultimately lose.
After all, we had numbers and a clear strategy.
Of course, how long Hank could hold out was the key variable,
but judging by Hank's eyes, he wouldn't fall right away.
So why wasn't Schutmann showing any sign of panic or trouble?
It was as if the battle was just child's play for him—
a faint smile had formed at his lips.
'That's the expression you show when you have some ploy in reserve.'
I recalled how Schutmann had surprised me with Phantom Sword just a while ago.
Could he have another trick hidden?
Another OOPArts, like the battalion commander's? Or maybe an artifact?
'What. What is it?!'
Frustration tightened my jaw muscles.
At the same time, I honed my vision to maintain clarity.
My eyes fixed solely on Schutmann.
Show yourself. Let me hear it! ... Please!!
'Let me use Hunting Time!'
As that thought raced through my mind,
an unexpected variable struck faster than anyone expected.
Kooluck—!
Hank vomited a gush of blood.
It dripped from his nostrils as well.
And then—
"!!"
Schutmann didn't miss the chance.
He drew out his aura a beat faster and swung it at Lantz.
Lantz hastily withdrew his sword and twisted his body,
and the formation was slightly broken.
At that moment—
Shweeeek!
Schutmann's aura vanished,
and the sword energy he'd released flew straight at Hank.
The battalion commander spotted it the fastest and leaped toward Hank
—to intercept the blade.
But—
'Damn!'
Sword energy that vanished mirage-like at the last second.
Simultaneously, Schutmann's sword snaked forward.
'It was a Phantom Sword!'
Schutmann's blade targeted the battalion commander.
The commander had overextended himself leaping in front of Hank and was off-balance.
At this rate, he would be struck by Schutmann's sword—there was no way to avoid it, damn it!
'Will we lose our most crucial strength like this?'
If the commander died or was badly injured, it would be over.
Just as despair was settling in—
A grid suddenly traced itself over Schutmann's body,
Tick-tock.
The sound of a biological clock.
"!!"
The sound I'd been straining to hear all this time finally broke through!
'Schutmann must be wholly focused on his attack!'
He'd been pushing himself, rapidly conjuring his aura,
then using sword energy and Phantom Sword in succession.
That's why the biological clock was audible at last.
Tick-tock. Tick-tock.
This was my chance.
I raised my perception to the limit.
Six people in my field of vision.
I tracked everyone's and Schutmann's movements.
I calculated the trajectory for Black Vein.
"!!"
I saw it. Crystal clear.
Raising my left leg like a pitcher—pop!
A prickling sense of electricity shot up my body
as I drew my right arm all the way back.
With my left foot planted, I shifted my center of gravity forward.
Never had I felt a more perfect stance for throwing.
I focused all my energy into this instant.
'From my toes to my fingertips.'
I let go.
Whoooosh!
With a sound slicing through the air, black Vein flew.
Sword energy surged fiercely with all my might poured into it.
Tick-tock.
Now Schutmann had to make his choice.
Call back the blade he was swinging at the commander to block my kitchen knife,
'Or have his throat pierced by my knife.'
Black Vein shot past Legion's neck—so close it grazed her.
Tick-tock. Tick-tock.
At this point, only one meter separated Black Vein and Schutmann.
In less than a second, the outcome would be decided.