Evil Avalon

Chapter 161 Black Haze

(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)

The ground-shaking rumble echoed from all around, and from the distance came the sound of something like a battle cry. The Kinrankai and unknown adventurers alike were staking everything they had to fight against the Holy Empire. However, thanks to Kunoichi Red’s scouting of the area, we knew there were no white-robes directly ahead, so there was no worry of suddenly getting caught up in a fight.

That wasn’t the only reason we could move forward with confidence. At the head of the group ran Todou-san, making not the slightest noise. We had learned she possessed enough combat ability to fight a white-robe alone.

In the game, I’d known Kunoichi Red less for its battle power and more for its political influence and intelligence-gathering, so realizing it had someone of this caliber in its ranks was a surprise even now. Depending on the storyline, there were routes where Kunoichi Red could become an enemy, so keeping one’s guard up around a person like Todou Mizuha was only prudent.

And then there was the cute senior, Hinamori-san, running alongside me—though she could be set aside for the moment. Behind us, Rokurogi Shigure’s presence was on a whole other level. A senior executive of Japan’s largest clan, the Ten Rakshashas, known far and wide as both “one of Japan’s strongest adventurers” and “the adventurer guild’s hidden blade,” her prowess was respected even among Explorer players.

The reassurance of running alongside such a celebrity was enormous. If white-robes attacked, one could almost expect her to deal with them single-handedly. If I had one request, though, it would be for her to stop directing that prickly, piercing gaze at me so often. And—

Looking out from the line of windows, I could see shimmering magic bullets streaking through the air like shooting stars, while webs burned in all directions, lighting the surroundings. The battle between Arthur and Mikhail was reaching its climax.

I didn’t think he could win against Mikhail, but handling so many magic bullets with nothing but an unfamiliar spider body and Arachne’s skills—while taking every chance to counterattack—was worthy of praise. Arthur’s combat instincts, once famed in Explorer under the alias “Flash,” were clearly still intact. As expected of my rival.

Even with Mikhail at the head of the Holy Empire’s assault, our allies and comrades were still managing to fight back as one. I was not alone, and that was the greatest comfort of all.

Before I knew it, Rokurogi, too, was looking out the window, smiling as though reminded of something.

"Fufu… I don’t know why that spider monster is siding with us, but… the sight of the Holy Empire looking so pathetic is truly delightful."

She must have been talking about Arthur scattering the white-robes at the clan party venue. Coping with Arachne’s threads on first encounter was extremely difficult, and that allowed him to halve their numbers—a major blow. Without that, we might never have reached the 44th floor.

Hearing this, Todou-san also glanced out the window and looked back.

"If Mikhail Maxim can be held down like this, we may soon have the chance to counterattack. Rokurogi-sama, let’s show them the pride of our nation."

"Indeed… Todou. Once communications with the outside world are restored, use your guild authority to summon the army. I will move the Ten Rakshashas…"

With Todou-san’s urging, Rokurogi’s eyes gleamed with killing intent as she vowed to mobilize every force she could and “hunt down every last one of them—Mikhail included.”

Both Todou and Rokurogi held positions in running the adventurer guild. In particular, Rokurogi’s career and unique status as a [Samurai] had made her a symbol of the guild. With a single word, she could rally over ten thousand adventurers, and the Ten Rakshashas had several other monsters on par with her.

Ideally, I’d make my escape before those people arrived… but whether that would actually work was questionable. It was like walking a tightrope.

From the window, Arthur could be seen swinging his own scythe in desperate combat, but Mikhail’s ironclad defense magic held firm, and he was being struck repeatedly by spells—the outcome was looking grim. If Arthur lost here, Mikhail would be free, and our search for the magic circle would no longer be possible. That meant Arthur’s defeat timing was just as critical to our fate as the detonation deadline.

As I was running, troubled by these odds, Hinamori-san spoke to me with a gentle smile.

"It will work out, I’m sure of it."

She was right—thinking only negative thoughts wouldn’t help. There was still a chance we could destroy the explosive magic circle without further trouble—

"Stop! Three Holy Empire ahead… they haven’t noticed us yet."

"We’re going straight through. The passage to the 44th floor is just ahead, right? I’ll take the lead."

"Please do."

Receiving some kind of signal from an ally, Hinamori-san warned of the white-robes ahead. But with the elevators unusable, we’d already taken so much time, and the stairs to the 44th floor were almost within sight. With only three enemies, Rokurogi stepped forward, intent on pushing through.

(Three white-robes… huh.)

Recalling our past deadly battles did give me pause, but with our current strength, it was manageable, so I agreed with Rokurogi. Todou-san drew her kunai and took up a mid-range position, while I thought to guard Hinamori-san—but she seemed to be moving to join Kunoichi Red’s rearguard instead.

So what should I do? Thinking back to Rokurogi’s Explorer performance, she should be more than capable of taking out three white-robes alone, so I decided to conserve my player skills.

One of the Kunoichi Red called out, "They’re coming!" Just then, a white-robe appeared from around the corner, perfectly on cue. I thought they might hunker down to defend against Rokurogi until their allies arrived, but instead they cast several buff spells, drew their weapon, and charged at full speed—opening with a weapon skill at full power.

A greatsword user exploded with magic, stepped in hard, and roared as they swung their white-glowing blade.

『Salut și la revedere! 《Delay Slash》!』

The holy-imbued slash tore vertically through space, shattering even the floor and ceiling in an instant—a two-hit sword skill with a greatsword.

Rokurogi stepped straight into the center of the blow without slowing, deflected it at a perfect angle, and unleashed an even greater burst of magic. The force of it warped the air behind her like a shimmering heat haze.

The other two white-robes, wary of Rokurogi’s weapon skill, immediately attacked as well, and in the narrow space of a few meters, a fierce close-quarters battle of countless blades erupted. Against level 30-plus adventurers fighting seriously, even reinforced concrete stood no chance—the walls, ceiling, and floor were shredded in moments.

From a distance, the Kunoichi Red joined in, hurling kunai one after another. Even though only a few seconds had passed since the two sides first came into view, the density of attacks was already terrifying.

Magic that could no longer blend into the air swirled like violet lightning. Slashes and kunai flew in every direction, and in the tiny gaps between them—so small they seemed impossible to pass through—the three white-robes and Rokurogi blurred with acceleration as they dashed about. Normally, with that many kunai thrown from behind, even Rokurogi might have been hit, but the Kunoichi Red knew her ability well and were deliberately using spatial pressure to force openings.

Given the same level of pressure, Rokurogi’s superior level worked in her favor. Sure enough, the white-robes—who should have been able to dodge easily—were starting to get hit by the kunai. The plan was going extremely well. So, in this situation, was there anything I could do—

"I wouldn’t recommend going in there, you know?"

"Of course not. Even if you asked me, I wouldn’t go."

The other two white-robes, wary of Rokurogi’s weapon skill, immediately attacked as well, and in the narrow space of a few meters, a fierce close-quarters battle of countless blades erupted. Against level 30-plus adventurers fighting seriously, even reinforced concrete stood no chance—the walls, ceiling, and floor were shredded in moments.

From a distance, the Kunoichi Red joined in, hurling kunai one after another. Even though only a few seconds had passed since the two sides first came into view, the density of attacks was already terrifying.

Magic that could no longer blend into the air swirled like violet lightning. Slashes and kunai flew in every direction, and in the tiny gaps between them—so small they seemed impossible to pass through—the three white-robes and Rokurogi blurred with acceleration as they dashed about. Normally, with that many kunai thrown from behind, even Rokurogi might have been hit, but the Kunoichi Red knew her ability well and were deliberately using spatial pressure to force openings.

Given the same level of pressure, Rokurogi’s superior level worked in her favor. Sure enough, the white-robes—who should have been able to dodge easily—were starting to get hit by the kunai. The plan was going extremely well. So, in this situation, was there anything I could do—

"I wouldn’t recommend going in there, you know?"

"Of course not. Even if you asked me, I wouldn’t go."

Todou-san, holding several kunai between her fingers, threw them at bullet-like speed while casually asking,
"You’re not actually planning to go in there, are you?"

The kunai used by Kunoichi Red were coated with a special poison that caused intense pain—just grazing one would make you writhe in agony. If she thought I was going to charge headlong into that storm of kunai, she was very much mistaken.

However, while Rokurogi was locked in a life-or-death struggle and even Hinamori-san had joined the attack, I couldn’t just stand there doing nothing. Beyond them was a staircase leading down to the 44th floor, where Kano and the others were waiting. I must have been wearing an expression that said, "How can I take them down as quickly as possible?"—enough to make her worry.

(Well, I do have a long-range attack method of my own.)

By twisting my wrist, I could unleash a weapon skill called Agares Blade, which sends a flying slash even without a weapon—or with one in hand. It could hit opponents from a fair distance. However, it required a skill motion to activate, had a fairly wide range, and there was a high chance I’d accidentally hit Rokurogi.

So instead, I kept my hand in my magic bag while watching the battle, looking for another option… and then I realized something.

(My vision really is better.)

Those three in white robes—judging from the speed of their weapon swings and movement, they seemed about as strong as the white-robed enemies we’d fought before. Yet their slashing motions and the trajectories of their magic projectiles were so much clearer to me now. It wasn’t that my eyesight had simply improved—rather, my dynamic vision must have increased significantly due to leveling up. The question was: how much had I leveled?

Judging from this increase in visual acuity, as I’d suspected, I’d probably gone up several levels. The enemies on the rooftop and at the elevator lobby had been nearly ten levels above me. Defeating such strong foes in succession, it wouldn’t be strange if my level had risen that much.

If so, the gap between me and these opponents would now be only around five levels. Against enemies ten levels above me, my attacks would be in the “saw it coming, easily dodged” category. But with just a five-level gap, I could likely match them without even using Overdrive.

(Might as well test it… I have a feeling this will land now.)

I felt a thin metal rod in my magic bag and pulled it out—it was a pure mithril shortbow I’d made recently. I then took out a few blue, translucent arrows, their surfaces frosting over as if from intense cold. They were made from the Frozen Treant, a tree-type monster that grew near Arthur’s home. Expensive material, but I wasn’t about to hold back.

Standing behind Kunoichi Red, I checked the bow’s condition while watching the movements of the white robes again.

It seemed they had been targeting Rokurogi as their top priority from the start, but the kunai from Kunoichi Red were more effective than expected, making them occasionally want to switch targets to us. They couldn’t, though—Rokurogi kept shifting her position and using skill motions to pressure them, ensuring they couldn’t break away. That gave me the freedom to take aim.

In DunEx, I’d often used a bow during PK battles, so I recalled that sensation as I widened my stance, carefully nocking the arrow without damaging it, and drew the bow. Back at level 25, it had been quite stiff, but now it opened easily—proof my STR had increased significantly.

Todou-san stood beside me, watching my every move intently, but I wished she’d at least pretend not to stare so openly.

(Let’s target that one first.)

Not the greatsword user who had been trying to get to us earlier, but the dual-sword white robe who was openly hostile toward Rokurogi. I read their movements in my mind, and the moment they finished a big slash, I let the first arrow fly.

With a sound like a small explosion—far too loud for a bow—the arrow flew faster than the speed of sound toward its target. I thought it would pierce them in the back, but they’d apparently been watching me; while attacking Rokurogi with their left-hand sword, they used their right-hand sword to deflect my arrow.

Being able to attack and defend simultaneously with dual swords was a style that only a handful of players in DunEx could master—proof that they were indeed a top-tier adventurer of the Holy Empire. However—

A normal arrow might have been deflected, but mine was a special Frost Arrow. The instant it touched the sword, a burst of freezing magic about one meter in radius exploded, covering half their body in white frost.

It didn’t completely freeze them, but it dealt frost damage and slowed their movements slightly. More importantly, they froze—figuratively—for just a moment in surprise. Showing such an opening before a battle-hardened demon like Rokurogi was suicide.

With an explosive surge of magic from his small frame, Rokurogi swung her blade down like a lightning strike, packed with terrifying power. To block it, one would need to lower their stance and brace with both hands—but slowed and staggered, the dual-sword user tried to block it one-handed.

The result: their sword broke, the slash tore through from their shoulder to their side, and even gouged a huge crater in the concrete floor. The shockwave and vibration reached me dozens of meters away, and when I glanced over, Hinamori-san had been knocked over entirely. I could only be thankful that such a monster was on our side.

The remaining two white robes, realizing the fight was hopeless, began to retreat while dodging the rain of kunai. If we let them go, they might return with reinforcements. Before they could escape, I fired another arrow.

With another loud don, the Frost Arrow shot forth. This time, they didn’t try to block, but instead sidestepped entirely. However, Frost Arrows had another tricky property—they could detonate midair. Just as it seemed they’d dodged, it exploded beside them, releasing more freezing magic. The greatsword user was soon covered in frost, but Rokurogi’s real target was the axe wielder. Pouring on even more magic, she lunged like a beast.

"Let’s go, Narumi-kun!"

Todou-san, now dual-wielding small swords, charged forward. None of the kunoichi here, including Hinamori-san, were high enough level to trade blows with the white robes in melee. I was likely the only one who could, so she was inviting me to join in. It suited me fine—I wanted a safe chance to test my physical enhancement. And if I took any damage, as long as it wasn’t fatal, they’d heal me with potions.

I dashed behind Todou-san, who zigzagged forward while throwing in feints, drawing my sword as I ran.
When I matched my timing to strike together, the white-robed enemy—frost clinging to him—swung his greatsword in a wide horizontal arc, blocking us from getting any closer.
However, thanks to the kunai’s poison and the frostbite on half of his body, his movements seemed much slower than before.

Todou-san ran up the wall and circled around behind him, attacking again.
As she pulled away, a storm of kunai roared past, and when it ended, it was my turn.
I crouched low, focusing my mana, picturing in my mind the triple high-speed slashes forged through all my past struggles—this is it!

"Burst forth, my mana! Shine, my sword skill! Here we go! Vorpal—"

"Too slow."

Just as I leapt lightly into the air to unleash my ultimate skill, Rokurogi, who had somehow returned, drew her blade in an iai slash, cutting the greatsword user in two right before me.
Looking deeper inside to check on the one I had first chased, I saw another corpse split neatly into upper and lower halves lying there.

Resigned, I hunched my shoulders and slid my sword back into its sheath, mentally writing Rokurogi’s name at the very top of my “Dangerous People List.”
Before I knew it, Hinamori-san was smiling at me, pressing a clean new handkerchief to my forehead in thanks.
I appreciated the gesture, but the kunoichi in red nearby were giving me curious stares, and all I could do was shrink back.

"Thank you for your hard work, Rokurogi-sama!"

"Ah… more importantly, have you all noticed?"

After delivering an overwhelming performance, Rokurogi sheathed her sword.
Todou-san and the red-clad kunoichi bowed deeply to welcome her.
It was obvious she was someone worthy of such respect, so I bowed at the very back as well.

Meanwhile, Rokurogi kept her sharp gaze fixed on the lower floor, not relaxing her guard.
When I focused my senses to see what she had noticed, I too felt it—some kind of strange, crawling magic.
It was likely coming from below.
I hadn’t realized it before, too focused on the fight in front of me… but now I was worried about Kano and the others.

"Let’s hurry—Kano and Satsuki… and Kirara senpai should be there too."

"You don’t need to tell me. Let’s go."

When I urged her to move faster, Rokurogi took the lead, descending the stairs like a gust of wind.
Todou-san and the red kunoichi, now armed with fresh kunai, followed after her.
In moments like this, a leader who acts decisively is far more helpful than one who hesitates.
I kept watch on our rear while following behind Hinamori-san as we headed down to our destination—the 44th floor.

Stepping inside and looking around, I noticed the interior had changed completely.
This floor seemed to be a lodging area for the upper class, unlike the sterile office-like rooms before.
Luxurious carpets lined the floor, potted plants were bathed in the soft glow of indirect lighting, creating a refined and elegant space.

Though the white-robed enemy might still be nearby, we had Rokurogi and the red kunoichi with us now.
If we wanted to meet up with Kano and the others as quickly as possible, we’d have to overlook the risks.

The source of this tingling, skin-prickling mana was likely where they were.
I didn’t even need to search—each step toward it made the magical waves grow stronger.

In less than thirty seconds of walking, we reached a room that looked like a storage closet for cleaning supplies and shelves.
The door was slightly ajar, and peeking through the gap revealed only a black, mist-like wall inside.
What lay beyond was hidden from view.

I might find out if I stuck my head into the mist, but touching magic of unknown origin was… understandably something I hesitated to do.

"Dark magic? I’ve never seen a spell like this…"

"It could be from an explosive magic circle. Narumi-kun, any ideas?"

Since both Rokurogi and Todou-san turned to me, I peered inside again, flanked on both sides by the red kunoichi.
From this close, I could tell the magic was of the darkness attribute, but my DunEx knowledge wasn’t perfect—so please don’t get mad at me if I couldn’t answer.

"Not an explosive magic circle… maybe a barrier?"

Explosive-type circles shouldn’t create a mist-like wall—they usually just go boom on activation.
This looked more like a barrier magic affecting only the inside of the mist, but I couldn’t recall any high-level job skill that matched.
By process of elimination, it had to be one of the ultimate job’s barrier skills.
And those could only be used by a select few—either players or a Saint.

The first person that came to mind was Lisa, a dark magic user.
If she was here causing havoc, that would explain a lot…
But did she even have a barrier skill that could continually release magic this strong?

As I dug through my DunEx memories, a terrible possibility flashed through my mind.

"Ah—no way!?"

"What is it? Tell your big sis."

Todou-san leaned in immediately when I blurted it out.
I had completely forgotten the effect visuals since this spell was almost never used in DunEx, but now I realized—the mist was similar to one of the magic types I feared most.

There are three kinds of ultimate magic in this world that are nearly impossible to avoid, and if you can’t resist them, the fight ends instantly.

The first is instant-death magic—exactly what it sounds like.
The second is mind control, where your thoughts and emotions are seized, leaving you utterly at your enemy’s mercy.
And the last is—

"A black misty wall… this wave of darkness… Inside there—time is stopped."

"Time…? You mean time-stop magic!?"

Hinamori-san and the red kunoichi gasped in turn, but even Rokurogi’s face paled, and she instinctively stepped back.

There was no mistaking it—what was happening beyond that door was the ultimate magic Endless Prison, which completely halts time within a set area.
Step inside, and the outcome would be decided before you even realized what had happened—a truly vicious magic.

In DunEx, where most players were high level, even time-stop magic could be easily countered, rendering it nearly useless.
But in this world, it would be devastating.
Satsuki, as a Cleric with anti-status magic, might be able to resist briefly, but against someone who could create a barrier like this, it would be little more than a drop in the bucket.

The only way to enter from outside was to physically destroy the barrier, but such a massive shock could harm Kano and the others inside.

(Kano… Satsuki… are you safe…?)

Even though the people most important to me were right there, I could do nothing—only stand frozen in place, my mind drowning in anxiety.
I couldn’t even spare a thought for the sweat beading on my skin, my eyes locked on that black wall.

TL Note- I did this in hurry, you can report error and i will fix them.

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