Chapter 64. Surprise
Liliya’s heart was going to burst.
That wasn’t hyperbole. Her heart was beating so fast, it felt like a hummingbird was trying to escape her chest. Her arteries and veins ached from the vast torrents of blood pumping through them – or perhaps that was the incredible amount of mana virtually rampaging through her entire body. That was only natural, though, considering how the potions she had downed earlier had a minimum level requirement of over sixfold her own.
As it turned out, Mythmaker Hawke had the good stuff in his collection.
The ultra high-tier potions had amplified all her stats beyond belief. Her mind was running lightning fast, and she had never before seen so many zeroes in her mana bar. Though, it did come with its drawbacks.
The only reason why her body wasn’t actively tearing itself apart from the extreme strain was because of Levi’s healing magic keeping her together. Sparks crackled up and down the length of her body, constantly reinforcing and healing her tissues.
Liliya would definitely be feeling the consequences tomorrow. It would be a miracle if she could even walk for a week afterward.
However, she considered it to be well worth it. Especially since it allowed her to do this.
[Blade Flurry]!
The air trembled and the walls around them cracked as Liliya unleashed dozens of strikes upon Montague in mere seconds.
Montague gritted his teeth as his dagger became a blur. It was a testament to his skills that despite his injuries, he was still able to block most of the blows. The few that pierced through his guard left behind only superficial wounds. Clearly, corrupt as he might be, Montague had rightfully earned his position as a high-ranking Royal Sentinel officer. If this were a normal fight, then he would’ve easily crushed Liliya without a second thought.
Fortunately, this was anything but a normal fight.
Liliya released the final strike of her combination attack, a powerful downward slash. Montague blocked it with the hilt of his dagger, grunting as she pressed down on him with a monstrous force that defied her lithe form.
Then his eyes widened as Liliya suddenly pulled her hilt down to the floor, her blade sliding down perpendicular to his own, so that she ended up in a low stance beneath him. She reversed her blade.
[Heavens Asserting Slash]!
The wall behind Montague exploded, and Montague was sent flying into the hallway outside. Liliya immediately followed through the hole in the wall, not willing to give him even a single second to breathe.
Behind her, she sensed Levi step through the hole as well. He had been observing their fight from the sidelines the entire time. She had asked him to not interfere, and he had agreed.
This was her fight.
“What is the meaning of this, Liliya?” Montague yelled. He was breathing heavily, his shirt rapidly being soaked with crimson from the gash in his left side. “You have no right–”
Liliya vanished from view, a series of loud cracks echoing throughout the hallway floor as she crossed the distance between them in the blink of an eye. Montague immediately leaped into the air, and that was the only thing that prevented him from losing his head.
“All my life,” she hissed as she leaped after him, “I’ve had to deal with the thought of being wedded to you. For years it loomed over me like some ravenous beast. No longer!”
Mana surged through her, and she became a veritable whirlwind of destruction, her sword singing through the air and leaving behind ghostly silver-violet trails. The hallway around them was torn apart by the sheer shockwaves of her strikes as she unleashed attack after attack.
Montague attempted to summon a health potion to his hand, but Liliya instantly pierced the vial with her sword. Montague cursed as the glass shattered and the liquid splashed to the floor. He didn’t have any time to try again as Liliya increased the rate of her strikes. The walls shook as her every stab and slice shattered the sound barrier.
Sidestepping her [Piercing Strike], Montague abruptly stomped his foot down on the ground. A pulse of mana blasted outward, cratering the floor beneath and knocking Liliya back. She narrowed her eyes as she recovered her footing.
[Binding Threads]!
With but a thought, she activated her Conceptual Skill. The glimmering lines left behind by her sword solidified into mana threads, latching around Montague’s form and pulling taut–
Liliya’s eyes widened as her mana threads sputtered weakly before dissipating into motes of light.
What?
That had never happened before. She had seen her [Binding Threads] be severed or snapped before, but dematerializing like that…
Did Montague have some neutralization skill up his sleeve? Though, he seemed to be just as confused as she was.
A vague suspicion took root within her. Perhaps it was because…
No, she didn’t have time to think. It didn’t matter; she didn’t need her [Binding Threads] to beat him.
Right now, Liliya was too fast and Montague too injured. He didn’t even have access to his main weapon due to the cramped hallway; he was forced to rely on the dagger he wielded. Perhaps if he was able to heal himself, he’d have much better odds, but there was no healer in sight and Liliya wasn’t going to give him any opportunities to use his health potions. Briefly, Montague turned around as if trying to run, but then froze as Levi materialized at the end of the hallway, pincering him in place.
Slowly, Liliya strode forward, her sword blazing with unrestrained mana. Montague warily watched her approach, and she felt a euphoric satisfaction rush through her as she saw a flicker of fear appear in his eyes.
“You won’t get away with this,” Montague blustered. “My guards and men–”
“—currently have their hands full dealing with Qorbin,” Levi said. “He sends his regards, by the way. He also called you some names that I don’t think I should repeat.”
Montague’s expression grew even more alarmed. “Ravenbane is here…?” He looked around wildly, as if searching for a silver lining. “No, it doesn’t matter. Reinforcements from the city will arrive at any moment.”
“Yeah. About that…”
Lieutenant Erik Grimes of the Lancaster city garrison was feeling more than a little apprehensive. He couldn’t remember the last time the garrison had been sent to Montague Castle; he, like every other citizen of Lancaster, had regarded the fortress to be impenetrable. In fact, most of the time it was the other way around, with Montague Castle being the ones to send aid to help the Lancaster garrison whenever they were dealing with something bigger than they could handle.
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He had no idea what could’ve possibly threatened the castle so much for them to send out an urgent request for reinforcements in the middle of the night, but he knew it wasn’t to be taken lightly.
Lieutenant Grimes had with him a platoon of over sixty men, with more on their way. His soldiers might not be individually that powerful, but they were well-trained and disciplined. Strength in numbers could overcome individual strength.
They rushed toward the castle’s front gate – and halted in place when they were around thirty meters away. From within the gates, a figure stepped out from the shadows.
Lieutenant Grimes examined the man. This clearly wasn’t a castle guard. An intruder? The man was large, perhaps even portly. He had an opera mask covering the top part of his face, and below that he sported an impressive mustache. He was empty-handed, but even then, Lieutenant Grimes felt an instinctive wave of worry wash over him.
“Salutations, my good fellows!” the man called out in a jovial, booming voice. He stepped forward, crossing the bridge suspended over the moat. “Rather late for an evening stroll, isn’t it?”
He reached the road, stopping beside a streetlamp. The dim orange glow from the flames above cast his entire form in flickering shadows.
“Who are you?” Lieutenant Grimes demanded.
“Who am I, you ask? Why, I am none other than the great Ali–” He coughed abruptly. “Err, sorry, force of habit.” He sounded vaguely embarrassed. “I do apologize, but I must conceal my identity tonight. One ought not to shout his name to the skies when attacking the home of a duke, I’m sure you understand.”
In a flash, Lieutenant Grimes and his soldiers aimed their weapons at the man. “You’ve made a grave mistake,” he spat. “Surrender now, and we’ll spare your life. I might even give you a cell with sunlight.”
“Ha!” the man laughed. “I thank you for the gracious offer, but I’m afraid I must pass.”
Lieutenant Grimes narrowed his eyes. “There are sixty of us, and only one of you.”
“It does seem rather unfair,” the man agreed amiably. “If you’d like, I can wait until more of your men arrive. I wouldn’t want to give you anything less than a sporting chance, after all.”
Lieutenant Grimes stared at him. “You must be bluffing,” he said. “I mean – you don’t even have a weapon!”
The man nodded. “That is true,” he acknowledged. “My stone axe broke earlier in a fight against two particularly strong Royal Sentinels, and I don’t have any replacements with me. Not any I can use without revealing my identity, at the very least.” He grinned. “Fortunately, though, I happen to be fairly well-versed in the art of improvisation.”
“What do you mean…?”
Lieutenant Grimes trailed off as the man turned to the side, grabbed the streetlamp next to him with one hand, and tore it from the ground. Lieutenant Grimes stared at him incredulously. He couldn’t possibly plan to…
Despite the streetlamp being nearly twice as tall as him, the man expertly twirled it around as though it was lighter than a feather. Then, he leveled it at them with one hand. His muscles weren’t even straining.
The man smiled. “Yes, this will do quite nicely.” He beckoned with his free hand. “Well, what are you waiting for? Come!”
Another Royal Sentinel collapsed to the ground, foam dribbling out his mouth. Qorbin casually strolled forward, not bothering to give him a second glance. By his side, his blade gleamed with a dark malevolent light.
The remaining defenders, two elite guards and one Royal Sentinel, tensed up nervously as he approached.
“Another down,” Qorbin drawled. “Three to go.”
After Merriweather had helped him take out most of the castle guards and Royal Sentinels, the professor had then excused himself to deal with the incoming city reinforcements. With his enhanced hearing, Qorbin could detect the sound of battle coming from outside: resounding booms and terrified cries amidst joyous laughter. It seemed like Merriweather was having fun.
Perhaps Qorbin would join him later. For now, though, he had his own enemies to worry about.
In a flash, Qorbin appeared in the middle of the defenders and smashed a poison gas pellet to the ground. A cloud of smoke exploded outward. The three immediately held their breaths, but this particular concoction was absorbed through the skin. Their movements became sluggish as they fought against the paralytic.
Though, as Qorbin began systematically cutting them down, for some strange reason he felt a sudden premonition pass over him. A certain unease in his guts.
It took him several seconds to pin it down, but…
Their plan was working perfectly.
Too perfectly.
Qorbin had memorized the names and faces of everyone inside the castle. Every guard, every Royal Sentinel, every mercenary adventurer. Even assuming that some of them were in the upper levels defending Montague and the Duke himself…
The numbers didn’t add up. There had been too few defenders, with the most powerful ones nowhere to be seen. Qorbin and Merriweather should’ve had a much harder time dealing with them all.
Had Levi taken care of the others? No, that couldn’t be it. Levi was busy dealing with Liliya and Montague; unless something had gone horribly wrong, he should’ve been able to avoid detection for the most part.
No, it was almost as if there was a third party at play here, one who’d dealt with the rest of the guards…
Qorbin froze as a sudden thought slammed into him.
Wait.
The Ascension Trials sabotage… Why had Liliya been the target of that again?
Levi watched as Liliya stepped forward, ready to take a pound of Montague’s flesh. Probably even more, judging by the look in her eyes. She was pretty scary when she wanted to be, huh?
“You can’t do this,” Montague said, backing up. Levi let out a polite cough, reminding him that he was still behind him, and a small flinch ran through Montague as he whirled around. His head snapped back and forth as he tried to keep both Liliya and Levi in his field of vision.
“Oh, but I can,” Liliya said softly. “I have ninety seconds until my potions run out.” Levi’s healing magic, as well. She smiled. “That should be more than enough time to give you a piece of my mind–”
Her gaze focused on something behind Levi, and she froze in shock.
“We really have to stop meeting like this.”
Levi instantly whirled around, an automatic Sever and Cleave blasting forth from his hands – and splashing harmlessly against the man who stood there.
“Hello, Levi Ironwood,” Phantasm said. “Long time no see.” He looked Levi up and down before giving an approving nod. “I dig the new outfit.”
“Phantasm?” Levi said blankly. “What are you doing here?”
Phantasm was clad in the same white-and-grey robes as last time, a blank white porcelain mask covering his face. Levi noted that his left arm was still gone. It seemed like he hadn’t been able to heal it after their previous fight.
“Oh, the usual,” Phantasm said. “We can get to that later, though. For now…” He tilted his head. “Two on one is rather unfair. Let’s even up the odds a little, shall we?”
He snapped his fingers, and the space around them warped. The floor beneath Liliya and Montague opened up, and before either of them could react, they were sucked in by some unseen force.
No! Levi made to rush forward, but Phantasm suddenly appeared before him with a vicious strike, and Levi was forced to leap back. The holes closed up a moment later.
Shit. Shit shit shit!
“Where did you send them?” Levi demanded. The holes had distorted space; Levi didn’t sense them in the room underneath.
“I just wanted to give them a little privacy to sort out their disagreements. It’s not polite to pry into marital conflicts, you know,” Phantasm said. “They’re still in the castle, don’t worry about that. The wards, or what remains after you shattered them, prevent me from transporting them outside of castle grounds. Thanks for that, by the way – I was not looking forward to my original infiltration plan. Crawling through two hundred meters of sewage pipes and… well, I won’t bore you with the details.”
Infiltration plan?
Levi cursed under his breath. Shit, had Phantasm also been planning to strike Montague Castle tonight? Two covert operations simultaneously occurring with neither party aware of the other’s plans…
What an utter tactical nightmare.
Even worse, however…
Liliya’s potions would run out any moment now. And with her left all alone with Montague… Even with Montague’s injuries, Levi didn’t think she’d be able to beat him by herself, especially once the potions’ aftereffects hit her.
This might be bad.