Wizard of the Abyss – Ch. 218

Wizard of the Abyss

[Extra Novels]

Chapter 218 - Rakshasa (4)

The Abyssal Sea was quite honest. The deeper you descended, the more horrific it became.

To survive in such an environment, you had to make use of anything you could find. Modifying one’s body was only the beginning. Eating strange things, grafting living creatures onto one self… I had repeated such strange acts countless times…

They were choices I made out of necessity to survive, but the further I drifted from being human, the more a subtle question began to take root in me.

What kind of being had I become?

"Hmm, Sir Jern. To be honest…”

"You think I’m at a disadvantage?”

A small training ground behind the meeting hall.

Camelot scratched his head awkwardly as he handed me a sword.

"Yes. Of course, I don’t think you’re weak, considering that you defeated an Upper Tier. This is rather unpleasant for me to admit, but…If Her Highness ordered me to capture you while you were hiding somewhere in the city, I’d have no choice but to refuse. I’d die.”

"No, I’m not that strong.”

I frowned in disbelief. No matter how strong I was, if someone like Brimdal, a true Knight, came to assassinate me, I’d be in serious trouble.

I didn’t know Camelot’s exact level, but I was sure he wasn’t leading these commanders just for show.

"Well, it’s just a figure of speech. The real issue is the location.”

Camelot sighed, casting a dissatisfied glance at Morzan, who stood there clad in armor.

"No matter what you try, at this distance, it’ll be countered.”

"Even if I can read every trajectory of his attacks?”

"Against someone of equal level, that ability would be nearly invincible. But if there’s a significant gap in strength, then even if you can read it, you won’t be able to stop it.”

"Hmm. Fair enough.”

"...If this is about pride, I can try to smooth things over—”

"No, that’s not necessary. I pushed a bit earlier, but I want a clear answer.”

I gave Camelot a small smile.

"You heard the terms of the duel I proposed to Sir Morzan, right?”

"That part is a bit…I’m fine with it, but the other commanders won’t accept it so easily.”

"I know that much. I’m not asking you to force them. I just want you to watch this duel carefully.”

"...Hm?"

"This may sound a bit rude, but I don't think you fully understand how dangerous the Fallen are. Since I’m one myself, I’d like to show you.”

Leaving behind a stunned Camelot, I stepped onto the sandy ground.

The sunlight was harsh. Recalling what I had learned from Brimdal, I clumsily took hold of the sword, to which Morzan gritted his teeth.

"Sir Jern. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I’ll make sure you understand just how foolish it is.”

"Yes. I’ll be learning a lot from you.”

Since we were still comrades, I responded with as much as I could, but apparently, that struck a nerve.

Morzan’s face flushed even deeper as his gaze flicked briefly to my shoulder.

I immediately understood his intent. My hair.

If he cut the tip of my hair, he could claim it was equivalent to taking my head. Even in his anger, he avoided aiming for vital points. Very Knight-like.

"Then…Hm, begin!”

As Camelot gave the signal, still looking quite uneasy—

"Hup!"

The moment Morzan stepped forward, he began slipping out of my Tide Sense.

A fading afterimage. And before I could even react, he would already be holding a lock of my severed hair. I had seen Knights enough times to know that much was possible.

What would I have done? Probably overturned the entire arena with water pressure just to keep the distance.

That method would still work now, but that wasn’t what I wanted to show the commanders.

What I needed was an overwhelming victory that would truly make them wary.

And for that, I had to fight on their battlefield.

"Hm."

I tightly closed my eyes.

I recalled the image of Morzan just before I shut them. 

The way he lunged and aimed for my hair at all costs.

There was one thing Camelot didn’t know.

I had learned a total cheat technique while fighting the Lump last time. A technique that would make any Knight curse the moment they saw it.

'There he is.’

When I opened my eyes again, the bubbles were already right in front of my nose.

I twisted my body just enough, and Morzan’s blade cut through empty space.

It didn’t even graze a single strand of my black hair. All that force merely pounded down on the sand.

"...?!"

"What..."

At the same time, the commanders watching the duel wore expressions of disbelief.

"Did Sir Morzan just attack the spot he moved away from?”

"...Why?"

Amazingly, they had perceived that brief moment.

I moved first, and only then did Morzan’s attack follow.

Morzan, now looking utterly ridiculous, flushed even deeper red and launched a second and then a third strike.

"Ghk!”

But in the end, every attack cut through empty air.

Each strike missed by the slightest margin. It wasn’t as if I were moving at incredible speed, which only made it more frustrating.

At some point, Morzan began mixing in irregular strikes. Feinting a thrust before slashing, then suddenly changing direction mid-swing.

Of course—The bubbles still showed me their physical paths, so I could read all of them.

"Haah..."

"I feel like…I’m watching some kind of miracle.”

After nearly half an hour of effortlessly slipping through Morzan’s attacks like flowing water, he panted heavily, teeth clenched as he shouted.

"How long do you intend to keep dodging?! Face me properly!”

"I am.”

"...! Are you mocking me?!”

"Commanders."

I turned my gaze away from Morzan and toward the watching commanders.

"As I mentioned to Sir Camelot earlier, I believe your awareness of the Fallen is severely lacking.”

"...Sir Jern. While we may not have achieved results on your level as vice-commander of the Waxed Wings Unit, that does not mean we have been idle.”

Jahan, now a bit more composed, shook his head.

"I’ve personally captured over a dozen of Fallen. The other commanders are no less experienced. Do you really think we’d underestimate something that’s been rampaging against the Empire like this?”

"Sir Jahan is right. If anything, it seems you’re the one being careless, Sir Jern.”

"What do you mean by that?”

"The duel isn’t even over, yet you’ve already turned your head. Do you think that’s appropriate? Sir Morzan hasn’t given up yet.”

-Tap. 

A cold blade touched the back of my neck.

Morzan, breathing heavily, stood behind me with a humiliated expression, his sword level.

Naturally, a Knight wasn’t someone who would tire from merely swinging a blade for half an hour.

"Well, even so, you were the one who maintained the advantage throughout. We can call this duel a draw…”

"True. The duel isn’t over yet.”

I lightly shrugged my shoulders.

"Which is why, Sir Morzan, that won’t be enough. Try pushing your blade a little further forward…”

"...Sir Jern, Duels to the death are forbidden.”

"And I’m not asking for one.”

Without turning around, I took a step forward, widening the distance between us.

"Try advancing again. If you can prove that your previous strike could have pierced my neck, I’ll concede defeat.”

"...I don’t understand what you’re asking for. What exactly do you want?”

"I simply want you to take one step forward and confirm my defeat.”

"If that’s what you want. Sir Morzan. Finish it.”

Even at Camelot’s instruction, Morzen did not move a single bit, not having a clue what was going on.

"...Ghk!”

As if bound by something unseen, he trembled, his breathing growing ragged. Only then did he clutch at his throat, as if realizing something.

A Knight wouldn’t tire from moving for half an hour.

Those monsters could run for thousands of miles without breaking a sweat.

Then why did that 15-minute exchange of blows leave him so drenched as if he had been caught in a downpour?

"...Morzan?”

"Oh my, it seems something is troubling him. Would the other commanders like to step forward instead?”

"U-ugh…”

"Haah..."

At my casual suggestion, the other commanders' faces paled as realization dawned on them.

"M-my legs!”

"What is this…when did this happen?!”

The ability ‘Bubbles’ could only be used when I unfolded my Abyss Realm.

I closed my eyes and submerged myself in the Abyssal Sea. The space I created had, over the past 15 minutes, steadily imposed a burden on everyone present.

Just 15 minutes of pressure. On the surface that hardly seemed meaningful. Even Decay’s World wouldn’t have exerted any meaningful burden during that time.

But the Abyssal Sea was far deeper than Decay’s world.

The depth I stood in was something else entirely.

"I see."

Camelot rubbed his temples with a troubled expression.

"It seems Sir Morzan is quite distressed. Could you release him?”

"Of course."

The release was instantaneous.

Freed, Morzan exhaled sharply and took several deep breaths, while the other commanders stared at their own bodies in shock.

"My apologies for revealing it so abruptly. However, this is what a Great World is like.”

I spoke calmly.

"The Fallen you've faced so far aren’t truly what you’d call Fallen. They're closer to broken wizards who merely possess small, incomplete worlds. It’s only natural that you’ve been able to handle them with ease. But if you were to face someone on my level, then the story changes completely.”

"What exactly did we just experience?”

"You’ve all gone through that sudden climate anomaly before, haven’t you? Think of it as that, only far more severe, and centered entirely around me. As long as you stand within the same space as I do, even if I do nothing but evade and retreat, your bodies will be devoured by my world.”

I paused for a moment, my gaze sweeping across the dumbfounded commanders, before bowing my head low.

"I hold deep respect for you, the Knights, who devote themselves to the Empire. I don’t want to see people like you hunted down by Fallen who wield powers like mine. So at least for this campaign against Rakshasa, please follow my lead.”

After this brief introduction, silence fell over the area.

But it wasn’t a bad kind of silence.

"...I see."

It was Camelot who finally broke it, his expression tinged with bitterness.

"My apologies. It seems I let your youthful appearance mislead me.”

"Well, it’s understandable.”

"—I will be entrusting full authority over the Rakshasa subjugation force to Sir Jern.”

Camelot turned to the other commanders and solemnly declared his decision.

"Does anyone object to this decision?”

Thankfully—no one raised a hand.

Not even Morzan.

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