Chapter 86 : 2-Class

A red wind.

By the time Muno perceived his presence, Anthony was already swinging his sword in the center of the first floor.

'What in the world...'

A speed that even my current motion perception could only register as a fleeting movement.

The problem was that the blade, swung so fast it was impossible to follow with the naked eye, was aimed at the civilians who had already been deemed 'judged'.

'What is he doing...!'

In the accelerated time, just as Muno was about to move reflexively to block the sword strike.

Swish.

With a very small sound of wind, Anthony's sword was quickly sheathed again.

And Muno saw it.

The sword-wind stirred up by the Blood Knight had created tiny scratches, imperceptible even to themselves, on the bodies of the dozens of tense people standing there.

'What is this...?'

The moment the question arose, an unpleasant sensation stimulated him at the same time.

'This is?'

Swoooosh.

"Ha...?"

"Found you, you slippery eel."

The moment Anthony frowned.

The blade, drawn again like lightning, struck the neck of a man in a hat who had belatedly emitted demonic energy.

Slice.

Splat.

Thud.

Tumble.

The moment the wide-eyed man's head rolled on the floor.

Fssssss.

His body was seen rotting away in real time.

"Got one. As expected, they always leave one behind."

Anthony, grinning, disappeared upstairs.

The one most surprised by this scene was undoubtedly Muno.

'A Double Veil? Like that woman?'

But the demonic energy the guy who just died had faintly revealed at the end was at most around 2-Circle.

The shadow I caught in the southern forest of Drasen seemed to be at least 5-Circle.

'No, that's not the problem.'

How on earth did the Blood Knight undo that Double Veil?

'I did feel a faint trace of mana.'

That curiosity grew stronger, and Muno, without realizing it, ran towards the upper floor where Anthony had gone.

But soon.

Paaang.

Before he even reached the second floor, he came face to face with the Blood Knight coming down the stairs again.

"Hah. That one was the last. Black Knight, you're really something, aren't you?"

The red knight moved as if he were wrapped in wind.

In that short moment, it seemed he had already performed that sword strike on the six floors above.

On top of that.

"Sir Anthony, that technique, what on earth...?"

"Ah, don't ask. We're competitors right now."

He passed me without properly answering my question.

He immediately vanished out of the building with a 'whoosh'.

Muno stared blankly at his back for a moment.

Hee-hee-hee-heeng!

- Sir Anthony! Here...!

- I got one! The Black Knight took care of the other twenty-five...!

- Hey, a little slower...!

Dudududu.

He only came to his senses after hearing the sound of voices fading to the north.

"Damn it..."

An overwhelmingly self-paced character, but with a hint of kindness?

After a moment of bewilderment from being swayed by Anthony, Muno also rushed out of the trading post after him.

'If Sir Anthony is to the north, then that Holy Knight is...'

He hastily turned his gaze and scanned the surroundings, but there was nothing to be seen.

In that case, for now.

"I'm heading east!"

Tadadadada.

Muno started sprinting again without even hearing the Steel Knights' reply.

If crime was rampant in the capital and the culprit hadn't been caught, the most likely accomplice would be.

'The guards.'

And among them, the one closest from here was.

'The East Gate Guard.'

Both Sir Anthony, who went north, and the now-unseen Holy Knight were probably aiming for the outer castle guards.

If I clear out the East Gate and immediately go to the South Gate, I could secure two points faster than Sir Anthony, at the very least.

"Please, let's not overlap, Mr. Holy Knight."

Repeating that earnest wish, Muno once again leaped towards the roofs of the surrounding buildings.

Thud.

However.

His body, whose heart was Spider-Man's, was in reality just a bulky Chain-man.

Craaaash.

Damn it.

"Ugh!"

"G-get out of the way!"

The chimney Muno had wrapped with his chain to leap across the wide square collapsed, turning the area into a chaotic mess.

He managed to prevent casualties by shattering the chimney as he fell, but there was nothing he could do about the stone debris flying everywhere and the dust rising.

"Cough. Cough."

"What is this mess..."

"I saw something, something black."

......I'm sorry, damn it.

"I'm on official business!

Bill the Steel Knightly Order!"

Forcefully ignoring his pricking conscience, Muno leaped onto the roof again.

Of course, in the process.

Thud.

"Aack! My house...!"

Every time the roof he landed on broke, and every time a pillar or chimney he wrapped his chain around was damaged.

"Bill the Steel Knightly Order...!"

The Steel Knightly Order's empty promises flew along with it.

Naturally.

"Sir Muno!!!"

"If you keep doing this...!"

The expressions of the Steel Knights chasing Muno grew more and more distorted.

Whoosh.

The Chain-man, who had once again soared into the air based on countless sacrifices (?), looked out at the approaching East Gate Guard barracks and was lost in thought for a moment.

'Right... From the cult's perspective, they probably needed to check if the royal family or the temple could see through the Double Veil.'

So it made sense that they only released a few small fry who had barely learned the technique.

Of course, the fact that a mere 2-Circle was using a technique that was previously thought to be possible only for some high-ranking magicians was concerning.

'Still, it's probably not something just anyone can do.

If it were, everyone would be using a Double Veil already.'

That single inference helped to ease some of his worries.

There was another problem that was bothering him more right now.

'How do I test it, that sword strike?'

The sword strike that the Blood Knight, Anthony, had shown at the trading post wouldn't leave his mind.

It was only natural. That strange sword strike had undone the Double Veil that even he couldn't see through properly.

'It seemed like he was handling mana too, but how did he do it? Wound and mana, wound...'

He was on the verge of frustration as he felt like he was about to remember something but couldn't quite grasp the answer.

Then, at the East Gate Guard he had arrived at.

Kuuung.

"Salute!"

"The East Gate Guard receives the royal command."

The moment he landed in the huge training ground, Muno received a surprisingly polite greeting.

As he had seen from the sky, the gazes of the well-organized troops were gathered on him as a bonus.

"Do you know me?"

"The news is spreading through the communication spheres right now.

The Blood Knight, the Silver Knight, and the Black Knight are on the move to catch the magic soldiers.

It is an honor to meet the sanctity of the kingdom, the Black Knight, Sir."

Silver?

'Ah, that Holy Knight.'

The mustached middle-aged man who extended his hand with a smile clearly seemed to be a person of high status.

Moreover, the mass packed into his short body even allowed one to roughly guess his martial prowess.

'4-Star... As expected...'

He was in a hurry, but after receiving such undeserved treatment, he couldn't just state his business and act rashly.

"It is a pleasure to meet you.

I am your junior, Muno Drasen.

I apologize, but may I have your name...?"

"Turen. Turen Gail, Sir Muno.

I have been undeservedly entrusted with the East Gate Guard of the royal castle."

Did he like being called a junior?

Turen smiled and shook his hand.

"It's a pleasure, Sir Turen. But as you know, I'm currently in a competition.

May I get straight to business?"

"Of course. Ah, of course there are no magic soldiers in our guard..."

Before Turen could finish his words.

Thud.

Muno's body shot out towards the guardsmen as if fired.

"Now...?"

The moment Turen contorted his face and moved to chase after him.

Chrrrrk.

The chains that extended from Muno's hands directly covered two of the guardsmen who were in formation.

Those bastards, who had been fidgeting since his arrival, seemed to try to respond hastily at that moment.

'Hmph. Too late.'

Their clumsy movements couldn't block his chains.

Chrrrrk.

"No!"

"Ugh!"

Chrrrk.

The chains bound the magicians as they were.

Pulling them out of the guards' ranks as if plucking them and bringing them before his eyes, Muno.

"...What do you think you're doing...!"

Ignoring Turen's approaching voice, he quickly swung his sword.

Swish.

But the blade only lightly grazed the skin of the cultists who were waiting for their end with their eyes squeezed shut.

"...?"

"What kind of joke is this, Sir Muno!

To do such a rude thing to my soldiers...!"

As Turen, a step too late, grabbed Muno's shoulder.

"Ah, I see."

Muno, with a sudden smile, now moved the chains forcefully.

Crack.

The cultists, with their necks broken, lolled their tongues out.

"What do you think you're doing...!"

Before Turen's furious roar could fully spread.

Fssssss.

"Ugh!?"

"The smell of rot..."

"Jim?"

"Lowell...!"

The two corpses were already emitting a rotten smell and turning black.

"Huh...?"

As Turen let go of Muno's shoulder and stared at the rotting corpses with dazed eyes.

Muno was already scanning the surroundings instead of the dealt-with corpses.

'Too few.'

The East Gate Guard, who maintained their formation almost perfectly even amidst the commotion.

Their numbers appeared to be well over 300.

But there were only two magicians hiding among them.

'Have the cultists almost completely pulled their hands from the guards?'

Considering that over twenty magicians came out of the trading post, it was too small a number.

In that case, perhaps...

"...Among the soldiers currently on duty, are there any who have changed their duty hours?"

"Pardon?"

No matter how many small fry were left behind to see the royal family's reaction, it would be the instinct of a living creature for those small fry to seek their own path to survival.

"There must be some who were not originally on duty today but suddenly requested a change.

Where are those bastards now?"

Muno's eyes gleamed as he urged Turen on.

"I will check them myself. Myself...!"

"Whatever, let's go."

Turen, with bloodshot eyes, led the way, and Muno ran after him.

Muno's attitude seemed much more relaxed than when he had recklessly jumped into the East Gate Guard's training ground.

His mindset hadn't changed.

He was just thinking again about the Blood Knight's technique, for which he had just gotten a hint.

'Inject mana into the blood vessels and see if a repulsion occurs.'

The principle was much simpler than he thought.

But logically, that would require the consumption of enough mana to induce a repulsion.

However, the Blood Knight's sword strike contained much fainter mana than expected, yet it had completed the verification on dozens of people in an instant, so it seemed there was a special secret art that maximized this principle.

That must be the method developed by the royal family.

'Even so, it would still be selective.'

A technique that couldn't be used unless one was a Corporeal Arts user or a Spirit Master who could handle mana.

Muno, who met both of those conditions, was able to guess it easily.

However, just because he knew the principle didn't mean he could reproduce the technique.

Nevertheless, he couldn't help but be bothered by it.

'This is not the time to be obsessed with something like this...'

It felt as if a wall that had been on the verge of crumbling for a long time was finally about to break through.

That feeling was what was preventing him from letting go of the thread of thought even in this urgent situation.

'Mana, repulsion, small amount, short time...'

The keywords related to the Blood Knight's technique floated chaotically in his mind.

"...Still, it would have been proper for you to speak to me and move after getting my permission, Sir Muno."

"Pardon?"

"Even if you're dealing with magic soldiers, there's something called procedure."

"No, no. Before that."

"You should have moved after getting permission, permission!"

Ah!

Turen's resentful remark pierced his head like lightning.

Of course, it wasn't that he agreed with the words.

- Mana is the power of nature.

We are just borrowing that power of nature.

'Mana's permission, and repulsion.'

That single word brought Rasmia's words to mind, and the third spell, which had been on the verge of completion for so long, came into clear view in his mind.

And that meant.

'2-Class.'

It signified his growth as a Spirit Master.

Woowoong.

The mana that began to boil within his body created a new change.