Alex spoke with a deliberately relaxed smile.

“Mister. Looks like you’ve lost your way in the middle of the night. Want me to tell you how to get out? Just head straight back the way you came. Easy, right?”

“Young man, you’re certainly polite. Unfortunately, I haven’t lost my way.”

Lutus’s gaze shifted toward Phantos.

“On the contrary—I’ve come to exactly the right place.”

“Oh, yeah?”

Alex replied casually, but inside he couldn’t help clicking his tongue.

A quick glance over Phantos’s condition showed wounds scattered all over his body.

Phantos, like this... What the hell is that monster of a man?

Even without weapons, Phantos’s opponent was barehanded too.

Which meant they had fought hand-to-hand.

And yet, Phantos—a beastkin with a mutant-level physique—had been completely overwhelmed.

If I let my guard down, I’m done for.

With that in mind, Alex adjusted his grip on his sword and fixed his gaze on Lutus.

I’ll start with a light check...

But just as he was about to charge in, Alex instead took a quick step back.

Cold sweat trickled down his back.

He felt it instinctively—if he’d rushed in with his sword just now, he’d have been the one on the receiving end.

“Huh.”

Lutus’s eyes narrowed at Alex’s reaction.

“You read that? Just where did they find people like you?”

He had been planning to counter the instant Alex attacked, concealing his intent so it wouldn’t be noticed.

And yet, the man in front of him had caught on—or perhaps sensed it by pure instinct.

The newcomer looked young, but his senses were extraordinary.

Not to mention the technique he had shown when blocking his punch earlier.

He had redirected most of the force, which meant he’d achieved considerable mastery in swordsmanship.

With this level of skill, if he’d been trained properly in a knight order, he could have aimed for the position of captain.

So why was someone like that living in the back alleys?

It was nothing short of a loss for the nation.

Lutus found that a shame.

But regret was regret—his task remained the same.

“Looks like you two are companions. That makes asking for directions twice as easy. Tell me where your base is.”

“No idea what you’re talking about.”

Alex deflected lightly, but the moment he saw Lutus’s unyielding gaze, he realized the man already knew.

“Ah, this is the worst.”

It wasn’t just that he hated fighting—he hated fighting monsters like this one.

Hadn’t he just seen someone stronger than him, Phantos, get beaten one-sidedly?

But if he backed down here, this monster would follow them to their base.

Straight to where his comrades—his family—were.

What would happen after that was obvious without needing to imagine it.

If Lutus had come with good intentions, there wouldn’t have been a violent clash to begin with.

“Sorry about this, mister.”

Alex readjusted his grip on his sword. His presence grew heavier and sharper.

“Whatever else happens, that’s something I couldn’t tell you even if it killed me.”

“Is that so? Then there’s no helping it.”

Lutus shook his head as if disappointed, but his eyes glinted with menace.

“In that case, one of us will just have to die.”

“Damn it.”

Alex exhaled in frustration and focused his mind.

He watched—his opponent’s shape, stance, movements.

Without blinking once, Alex locked his gaze on Lutus.

They were about ten meters apart. He could respond in that distance—

“Where are you looking?”

“...!”

In an instant, the gap between them vanished.

Alex hadn’t looked away, not for a moment—he’d been staring so intently his eyes felt dry.

And yet he had missed the movement.

Lutus was suddenly right in front of him, driving a fist toward him.

The air shuddered, and it felt as if the world were collapsing.

Alex’s breath caught, his whole body freezing up.

What tickled his nose was the scent of death.

In his mind’s eye, he saw his own head exploding under that punch.

Gritting his teeth until they felt like they would break, Alex forced strength into his arms and lifted his sword.

It felt as heavy as if bound in chains, but he moved with the will to wring out every drop of his soul.

Lutus’s fist descended toward Alex’s raised guard.

Sword and fist.

The outcome of that clash was obvious.

But Alex wasn’t careless.

On the contrary, he was certain that his shabby sword wouldn’t be able to block that massive punch.

He could feel it in the shock traveling up the blade into his arms—he wouldn’t be able to withstand it.

If things continued, his guard would collapse along with his sword.

Then I’ll deflect it.

But how? That question found its answer in what Alex had just seen moments ago.

The same way he did!

Alex’s sword moved in a smooth, bending motion.

Lutus’s descending punch, like a falling mountain or a collapsing star, touched the sword—and the force was redirected almost entirely to the side.

It wasn’t just a parry.

In the seconds that felt split into thousands, Alex drew out every ounce of his strength.

He controlled every fiber of muscle in his body to the utmost precision.

A talent for analyzing every movement shown by his opponent and reproducing it exactly with his own body.

That was how he had copied Lutus’s technique.

Even so, it was hard to follow.

He had imitated the swordsmanship of a knight at the level of master, but Lutus’s skill was beyond even that.

His body screamed, muscles on the verge of tearing.

Still, Alex didn’t hesitate.

Even the slightest flinch would mean death here.

He had to control every bit of his strength perfectly.

Not a single drop could be wasted.

Clang!

His effort bore fruit.

Alex’s sword knocked Lutus’s fist aside.

Lutus looked from his own hand to Alex in disbelief.

It had been just a single exchange, yet Alex was drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

“...How did you do that?”

Lutus asked in pure, genuine admiration.

Hearing that, Alex smirked.

“How do you think? You showed me.”

“Did I? Hahaha. That’s right, I did.”

Even Alex’s mocking tone seemed admirable to Lutus, who let out a hearty laugh.

The display had impressed him that much.

It even made his next move unpredictable.

As Alex braced himself for the next attack, Lutus suddenly asked:

“Would you like to work for the Imperial Family?”

“...”

It was such a sudden offer.

Alex didn’t ask what he meant—Lutus was serious about his skill and wanted him as a subordinate.

Anyone who knew Lutus even a little would have been shocked to hear this.

He was a man who never showed mercy to enemies—yet here he was, breaking his own creed to offer defection.

“The beastkin next to you as well.”

Lutus was sincere.

To him, Alex and Phantos were men who wouldn’t be outclassed anywhere.

He’d met many prodigies and talents before, but it would be hard to find others like these two.

With proper refinement, the level of master would be nothing, and they might even surpass him.

Killing them with his own hands would be a waste.

Better to make them surrender and take them in himself.

“...”

But Alex’s expression only grew colder at the proposal.

“Mister, I don’t know who you are—well, actually, you look like some high-ranking big shot, but my knowledge is lacking.”

“Lutus Wardot. Nothing special, but I’m a knight commander for the Imperial Family.”

“Wardot? The Empire’s Greatest Sword? Damn. No wonder you’re so damn strong.”

Even Alex, who wasn’t interested in such matters, had heard of Lutus’s fame.

No knight who trained in the sword could be unaware of him.

A master-class knight with power beyond that level—he was the idol of all knights.

And now that very Lutus wanted him.

For a knight, there could be no greater dream than this.

“Sorry, mister. But it’s still a no.”

Alex rejected the offer without a moment’s hesitation.

Lutus’s eyes widened in surprise.

More than the fact that Alex had deflected his attack, the outright rejection was far more shocking.

“Why?”

“I already gave my word to someone else.”

There was no point hiding it, so Alex spoke honestly.

“Is it just because they asked first? To keep your word?”

“It’s not because they asked first, and it’s not even about trust. It’s just...”

Alex remembered the day Ludger had extended his hand to him.

It was something he couldn’t put into words.

“...Let’s just say it struck a man’s heart.”

Even as he said it, he thought it sounded like utter nonsense.

But Lutus only let out a faint chuckle.

It wasn’t a mocking or scornful laugh.

It was a smile born purely from recognizing the other man.

“But if you came with me, I could treat you even better. I could train you myself. You could become a knight whose name shakes the Empire.”

“Mister, you’re saying that because you don’t know—once upon a time, I already learned swordsmanship in a place where I could have become exactly that.”

A place where he could have done exactly that—

meaning, a military academy that trained knights.

“But as you can probably tell from the way I look and act, I’m a commoner without even a surname. I must’ve been an eyesore to the others, because, well... I got thrown out, right to my face.”

“...”

“To me, that place wasn’t somewhere good. Just thinking about it now pisses me off. Not that everything there was bad...”

Alex thought of Enya’s face and smiled bitterly.

“And now you want me to go back to a place like that? I’ve got my pride, you know. Don’t you think so too?”

“...I see.”

Lutus’s expression grew heavier as he listened to Alex’s story.

It wasn’t disappointment at having his offer refused—it was anger that a place meant to cultivate the Empire’s future had let such a talent slip away.

“Even if you were given the chance to make up for that mistake?”

“Once you choose a path, you see it through to the end, don’t you think?”

Lutus’s eyes shifted to Phantos.

“And you... it seems you wouldn’t accept my offer either. You’re the type who would never be tamed under someone else.”

Seeing the beastkin’s resolute gaze, Lutus tilted his head back to look at the sky.

The night sky over the smoke-choked city of Rederbelk was so murky not a single star could be seen.

And this was an era of chaos, when dangers to the Empire seemed to appear almost daily.

For someone serving the Empire, losing not one but two talents of this caliber was a bitter thing.

But if they truly wouldn’t accept his offer—

“Then there’s no helping it.”

Lutus’s aura shifted.

An overwhelming killing intent poured from his body, filling the alley.

Crack. Crackle.

The ground beneath his feet split with a menacing sound.

It wasn’t aura—it was pure will manifesting as physical force.

“That power, which may threaten the Empire—I’ll cut it down here and now.”

Alex and Phantos swallowed hard at the sight.

In that moment, both of them knew death was near.

But they didn’t turn their backs to run.

They had no confidence they could escape from a monster like this, and more than that, their pride wouldn’t allow it.

“Hey, Phantos. You feeling better?”

“...Well enough to fight.”

“Good. I think we can both agree we’re in a pretty damn dangerous spot right now, right?”

Phantos gave a silent nod.

“And we can also agree now’s the time to toss pride aside?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s work together and figure out how to deal with this scary bastard first.”

Both of them knew the other was strong.

That was why they had subconsciously avoided working together—part pride as the strong, part consideration for each other.

But now was the time to shove all of that aside.

“You know what needs to be done, right?”

“Yes.”

By any means necessary.

They had to fight with their lives on the line.

A single instant of carelessness meant death.

And one death would mean the other would follow.

“Don’t just charge in. That guy’s swordsmanship is beyond anything we know.”

Alex had seen it—

Lutus’s unbelievable technique, shown barehanded.

Passius, when sparring with Phantos, had fought without letting a single drop of power go to waste, controlling it with precision.

That was the realm of a master-class knight.

Lutus was several steps beyond even that.

He had gone far past the point of wasting no strength at all—he could turn even his opponent’s power into his own, redirecting or countering it at will.

So far beyond common sense that even Alex, watching it, could barely imitate it.

“Any half-baked attack will just get turned aside.”

“Then?”

“It’s got to be the fastest, sharpest strike—sharper than a needle’s point.”

If it was even slightly lacking, it would come back at them in full force.

It was an absurd condition, but Phantos nodded without hesitation.

“I’ll take the vanguard.”

“Buy me some time. I need to analyze that technique a little more. I’ll give the orders.”

“Understood.”

When they finished exchanging words, Lutus spoke.

“Done with your little chat?”

“You waited for us? How touching. I’d be even more grateful if you’d extend that kindness by stepping aside.”

“You’ll at least get the bare minimum.”

“Damn. I really can’t talk you down, can I?”

Phantos looked at Alex.

“That was supposed to be persuasion?”

“Now that I think about it, maybe not?”

Well, it didn’t matter what it was.

There was only one thing to think about now.

“Let’s go.”

“Yeah.”

The /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ strongest enemy stood before them.