Chapter 164: The Empire’s Reach
TL: Potato-tan
“The Empire? Which part of the Empire?”
“Groan. . . . . .”
Percus was trembling, unable to give a proper answer to Russell’s question. By that point, Russell had narrowed his eyes. The swirling light in his eyes subsided. If he pushed any further, it was likely to shatter Percus’s mind.
In the past, Russell had extracted information by directly penetrating a shaman’s mind, but that method was time-consuming. With the turmoil still ongoing in his territory, it would not be wise to waste time in one place.
Whew. . .
As Russell’s left hand extended to the side, a blue flame engulfed the spot where he was standing and the alley. The heat of the flames was so intense that the ground began to bubble and the walls melted. The wooden houses were reduced to black ash in an instant.
However, the flames didn’t advance beyond a certain distance, and soon began to converge into a single point. As it sucked in the heat generated by the flames, the buildings, walls, and floors that had been burning fiercely were instead covered in cold and frost.
The necrol, which had been spewing flames from its head, which was open like a flower bud, realized something was wrong and closed its head. In front of the monster, a man was sitting with his left hand outstretched.
Russell’s gaze, which had been focused on the palm of his left hand, now turned to the monster.
“Indeed. As the saying goes, one must start with the small things to achieve great things.”
Despite the distance, his voice reached the monster as if he were speaking from close range, causing its head to split open again. Within it, the concentrated magic power surged, layering and compressing to unleash an even more powerful flame.
Bang!
The sphere of flame that Russell launched didn’t pierce through the monster with the flower bud head. It was a necrol that looked like a large spider, its presence hidden in the blind spot of his vision.
Kishaaaa!
The spider’s body, which had been bent at the knees in preparation to pounce on Russell, was pierced by a large hole and set ablaze. As it rolled around, a white axe that had been in Russell’s hand flew towards it, severing its body.
Woosh!
The monster with the flower bud head flew out of the alleyway, making strange noises. The sight of the creature with abnormally long limbs destroying the narrow alley as it ran was more like a horror.
The way it drew its arms back and then shot them out was like shooting a javelin. Russell straightened his bent knees and stood up. He didn’t back down. Behind him, the dark elf Percus lay sprawled, his limbs broken.
Russell’s right hand moved with an afterimage, and the two arms that had been aimed at his head and chest were knocked away. The necrol, feeling the impact of an attack that was strong enough to pierce steel, slammed on its brakes.
Necrols were not particularly intelligent, but their sense of survival was as keen as any other living creature. The monster immediately tried to jump up with all its might, using its long limbs. If Russell had not summoned the axe, it would have been able to jump even with the axe embedded in its body.
Boom!
With the axe falling from above, the monster was split in two from its crown to its crotch. The monster, which had fallen to the ground with a thud, did not turn to dust like the first one Russell had killed.
Russell frowned as he looked at the massive amount of blood flowing from the severed cross-section. It was enough blood to suggest that it had eaten at least a few dozen people.
Wooooosh!
A transparent wave erupted from Russell’s body. The wave that erupted from his body spread over the surroundings in an instant and dispersed throughout the territory.
‘Twenty-two.’
The number of necrols had now increased to twenty-two. Two necrols had just disappeared, but three more had appeared elsewhere. The rate at which necrols ate humans and produced new individuals was too fast. He would have liked to know what kind of mechanism was at work, but Russell was not the kind of person who studied magic with such a scholarly attitude.
Russell picked up Percus and performed a simple healing spell to keep him alive. Then he put the Breath of Nemesto, which was still emitting a faint smoke, into his coat.
“What should I do with this guy?”
━Is there something troubling you?
“Calia?”
When Russell was contemplating what to do with Percus, Calia’s voice rang out. Russell looked in the direction of the voice. It was the wall where his shadow was cast.
The shadow cast on the wall rippled, and Calia’s form faintly flickered.
━I sensed some distress, so I came. Is something wrong?
“Well, yes.”
Russell shrugged and held out the dark elf he was holding.
“This dark elf is the mastermind. From what I’ve gathered from the interrogation, he seems to have been sent by the Empire. Can you take him?”
━Of course.
Along with the answer, a hand made of shadow shot out and grabbed the dark elf.
“Oh, no, you don’t.”
At that moment, an alarm bell rang in Russell’s senses.
A strong presence accompanied by an unfamiliar voice. The moment Russell detected the presence of another person that had not been picked up by his magic power detection, he twisted his body, reversed his grip on the axe handle, and covered his side.
Clang!
The attack that had been aimed at his abdomen grazed his side, sending a sharp sound through the air. However, it was deflected by the blade of his axe, cutting only the air.
“Oh ho.”
Russell’s fist flew towards the person who had exclaimed.
Bang!
The wall that Russell’s fist had grazed collapsed, and the attacker who had launched the attack jumped back. The man, who seemed to be demonstrating his agility, flipped twice in the air and landed lightly on the ground, muttering.
“Following the necrols’ frenzy all the way here, I’d never have imagined this. I never heard that there was such a strong person in this northern backwater.”
The man tilted his head, stroking his chin. He was wearing a rough leather jacket and was adorned with blades all over his body.
Two swords were crossed on his back, and a sword and a dagger were on each side of his waist. A short sword and a dagger could also be seen on the inside of his chest.
The long sword that had been aimed at Russell had been sheathed in the scabbard at his waist.
His face was one that made it difficult to guess his age. His hair was dark blue and his expression was constantly accompanied by a light smile.
His feet were incredibly fast. Even though he was standing still, the aura of magic power emanating from the man was like a raging fire.
Furthermore, judging from the fact that he had appeared in Russell’s sensory range out of nowhere, it seemed that he either had an ability related to concealment or possessed a magical artifact that provided such an ability.
An extraordinary appearance, powerful magic power, and even an attempt to take the dark elf. Russell had known for some time that the dark elf was going somewhere in a hurry. Was that where the man was?
Just then, the man spoke.
“Excuse me, handsome. I hate to break it to you, but I’m going to have to take that dark elf. Oh, and by the way, have you seen an incense burner? It’s about this big, with the face of a devil on it, spewing out black smoke.”
“Are you talking about this?”
Russell took the incense burner out of his coat, and the man nodded with a smile.
“That’s it! Wow, I never thought I’d meet someone so kind. As expected, handsome people are always worth their weight in gold━”
“I don’t know what kind of misconception you have.”
Russell cut off the man’s chatty speech and put the incense burner back in his pocket. Then he kicked the dark elf that had been rolling around at his feet.
The dark elf’s body rolled and touched Russell’s shadow.
Then, dozens of black hands, conjured by Calia from the shadow, emerged and dragged the dark elf into the shadow, where it disappeared.
“. . . .”
Despite the events that had unfolded in an instant, the man still had a playful smile on his face. However, the slight stiffening of his mouth made it clear that even he had not expected this turn of events.
“Unfortunately, you can’t take anything. So, why don’t you just leave quietly?”
“Is that so? I don’t think so.”
Russell smiled as he heard the man’s cheerful reply.
“Well, I was just saying that.”
Thud, thud, thud.
As the man summoned his magic power, the ground shook and pieces of stone began to float upwards. The air around them crackled and sizzled.
The man said,
“The person who gave me this assignment is quite a picky person. It would be a pain in the neck if I didn’t carry out the assignment properly.”
“I see. You’re probably talking about the Empire’s prince?”
Russell’s sudden question caused the man’s smile to disappear for a moment before returning. However, Russell was not the kind of person who would not notice that brief moment. And the man also noticed that Russell had seen through his act.
“Damn. That’s why my sister should have stepped in. Business is so difficult. Hey, what’s your name?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Why? Because you have the face that my sister would like the most out of all the people I’ve seen. I think she’d love it if I ripped off your face and brought it to her. So, I should put a name tag on it, right?”
“. . . .”
Russell smiled and replied,
“Russell.”
“Oh? You’re surprisingly cooperative. Then I’ll tell you mine in return. My name is Weizen. Nice to meet you.”
Russell did not reply. And the two men stopped talking. As Russell summoned his magic power, the pieces of stone and building debris on the ground where he was standing also trembled and floated up.
Crackle, crackle!
Sparks flew and the ground shook as the areas where the two men’s magic power dominated overlapped. More and more sparks erupted and disappeared in the air as they invaded and defended each other’s territory.
And just as the two men were finishing their reconnaissance.
Splash!
The ground they were standing on collapsed and sank like mud. However, before the fragments of the broken ground could rise, a shockwave erupted from the center of the alley.
Boom!
The shockwave spread in a circle along the ground. The ground within a radius of fifty meters was completely overturned and shattered, and dozens of buildings were swept away at once.
And in the midst of it all, Weizen moved.
Click.
A very small sound as the sword was drawn from its scabbard. However, it was a sound that could be heard amidst the dust and debris rising into the air and the crashing sound of the falling debris.
Russell’s senses detected the threat again. And the flash came in an instant.
Swoosh!
The dust and debris had already parted by the time the sound was heard. The buildings that had been cut diagonally behind Russell slid down and crashed to the ground, unable to support their own weight.
However, Weizen’s eyes widened.
“You blocked that?”
“I saw it coming.”
Russell replied in a pose that stopped his momentum. In his hand was a black greatsword that had not been scratched, absorbing the light.
Weizen, who knew that neither of them had a single scratch, chuckled and raised his sword.
“This isn’t going to be easy.”
With those words, Weizen’s body became a shadow that shot towards Russell.
Screech!
His figure was hidden in the dust cloud that had yet to settle, and his presence became faint in an instant. Russell instantly understood the principle.
The effect of blending with natural objects by naturally harmonizing the flow of magical power moving within his body, making his senses perceive it as an ordinary object. He didn’t seem to be activating any particular magical artifact, so it was either his own inherent ability or a type of martial art.
The blade of Weizen’s sword, which had popped out of his field of vision, flashed brilliantly as Russell’s eyes lit up.
Clang, clang, clang!
Dozens of clashes occurred in less than a second. It was a sword fight that was divided in a gap that ordinary people could not dare to see or perceive.
As Russell stepped back, Weizen’s body followed even closer, wielding his sword.
Boom!
Once again, a wave and a shockwave erupted. This time, it was a collision that had blown all the remaining dust and debris out into the open.
“Well, well, well, this really isn’t easy.”
“What is?”
“Your face. It’s going to be hard to peel it off in a clean state.”
Weizen, his hands were moving frantically. In his right hand was a short sword, and in his left hand was a long sword.
As Russell, who was standing still, deflected, dodged, and countered all of the attacks, cold sweat began to flow down Weizen’s face.
His attacks became more and more desperate. As Nahilnir broke two swords and a dagger, the swords that had been crossed on his back were drawn, and the daggers that had been hanging inside his coat flew towards Russell with incredible speed and power.
It was as if he was fighting a man with four arms instead of two. The blades, which constantly changed depending on the situation, attacked Russell’s limbs simultaneously.
In addition, Weizen’s attacks were slightly slower or faster than Russell’s senses anticipated. It was a desperate attempt to confuse Russell’s perception, which was able to perceive the surroundings in units of a second.
However, Weizen, who was continuing his desperate offensive, was screaming inwardly.
‘F*ck, f*ck, f*ck, f*ck, f*ck, f*ck. . . . . .!’
He couldn’t reach him. No matter how fast he became, no matter how much his magic circuits screamed in pain as if they were on fire, his swordsmanship could not reach Russell.
What was even more frightening was that Russell had not moved more than a certain distance away since he had started taking Weizen’s attacks. The radius was exactly three steps based on his stride. Russell was taking Weizen’s attacks, deflecting them, and dodging them in a circular space that was exactly three steps away.
“That was quite interesting.”
Russell said. His voice was calm, even as Weizen’s attacks were getting faster and faster.
“This is the first time I’ve encountered someone who wields so many weapons. It’s interesting to see how you draw different paths and trajectories. But I think you’ve run out of tricks.”
Thud!
Russell’s left foot took a step forward.
Crackle, crackle, crackle!
The moment his foot touched the ground, a distorted noise rang out as if a hammer was breaking the air, and a cold air spread out from his left foot.
“Ugh, what the hell is this. . . . . .?”
Weizen groaned in confusion on the ground, which was so frozen that it was almost impossible to keep his balance. However, he was a warrior who had trained his magic power to its limits.
He immediately poured magic power into his legs and planted them on the ground to support his sliding body. In the meantime, his upper body continued to move, trying to slash at Russell’s flesh.
And Russell’s Nahilnir was drawn from below to above.
Slash!
With that one move, all of Weizen’s blades, which had been moving dozens of times, were erased. The daggers and long swords, each twisted in a different direction, scattered broken shards, and Weizen’s front was wide open.
Even so, Weizen did not run away. Instead, he charged forward. He had already given up on the weapons flying in the air, and he approached without hesitation with another dagger in each hand, but Russell’s hand was faster and grabbed his neck.
As soon as he grabbed Weizen’s neck, Russell dodged the blades that had been shot from his hand with a nod, and then slammed Weizen’s body into the ground.
The impact came first, and the noise came next.
Boom!
A sonic boom that was deafening enough to pierce the eardrums pushed the surrounding air in a hemisphere. The air that had been pushed out by the impact and the stagnant air outside it collided with each other, creating a loud noise and secondary damage.
Thud, thud. Coo-coo. Hummmmm. . . . . .
As the sound of debris falling faintly echoed, a large shadow rose from the crater. A man with a head that was one and a half to two times larger than others.
The man with long black hair that had come loose from its tie, and mountain-like shoulders and back. Russell twisted his head, then looked around.
A radius of more than two hundred meters had been devastated by the aftermath of their fight. However, since he had directed the aftermath towards the outskirts of the territory, where there were no people, there were no casualties.
“This have to rebuild this from scratch.”
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