Chapter 293: Don’t Make Me Laugh

"I am going to help Commander Ervin!"

Soren declared with confidence.

"Huh?" Nuelia’s eyes widened. "W-What are you saying?! Y-You can’t! They’re strong, and y-you can’t use... mana."

"Thanks for worrying, but I know what I’m doing." Soren smiled at her and turned to Lariel, who was now wearing fine elven armor. "I’ll leave it to you. Don’t screw it up this time."

"...I won’t," Lariel replied after a pause. "However, the same goes for you."

Soren chuckled and, with one Phantom Step, broke out of the formation, surprising everyone. "Be careful."

He said and sprinted toward the ongoing battle.

"..." Lariel watched him run for a moment before ordering. "Don’t follow him. Just keep the formation. Our job is to protect these three. And... be careful. Just knocking them out is enough. Don’t seriously hurt them."

"Understood!"

The knights and the other elf shouted back in response as they kept engaging in battle with the possessed guards.

’Even though they were 6th circle awakened, it doesn’t make sense that they can fight this well,’ Lariel thought as he observed. ’They are even being controlled... Unless the possessor has enormous combat experience, it should be impossible to make them fight like this.’

He gritted his teeth as he parried another strike. The enemy’s coordination was perfect; each body moved as if it belonged to a single mind, because in a way, it did. But that only raised more questions. Controlling one person at full combat capacity was already a feat in itself, so coordinating dozens at this level would require more than sheer force of control or ability; it would demand a terrifying degree of mastery.

’Just how powerful is this ’possessor’?’ Lariel’s mind raced as he ducked under a swing. ’And... Was he mocking us yesterday? In the interrogation room?’

The thought of it alone made his blood boil. But he could only hold it in.

’Once this is over, once we find him, I will make him pay!’

───────

Soren’s eyes swept across the chaos as he approached the ongoing battle between the Hollow Pair and Imperial Knight Commander Ervin. They were locked in a fierce exchange, with Ervin leading it further from where Lucent was. However, he was at a serious disadvantage now, with Leech darting in and out of range while Nullifier kept forcing him to dodge, destroying the surroundings with his every strike.

’Leech’s aim is to exploit openings and drain the commander’s strength over time with Nullifier’s endless assault.’ Soren analyzed as he readied his spear. ’He is a good match against me since I have a spear. I will be able to keep him at a distance and prevent him from messing with the commander or me easily.’

With his decision made, Soren used Phantom Step again. Although it only worked at a fraction of its usual strength due to the anti-mana zone, it was still enough to close the distance in an instant.

Swoosh!

He surged forward, Nightfrost cutting through the air in a wide arc, aimed straight at Leech’s back.

"!" Leech noticed it at the last second and twisted away, but Soren pressed the attack with a follow-up chain of thrusts, finally forcing him to break off from Ervin.

"I’ll take this one!" Soren shouted at Ervin. "You focus on the big guy!"

"...Thank you!" Commander Ervin shouted back. "But be careful! He’s hiding his strength!"

"Un-!" Soren couldn’t finish his reply as Leech suddenly exploded forward, his daggers flashing toward Soren’s throat, his gaze full of killing intent. "DIE, BASTARD!"

"Urgh!" Soren barely brought Nightfrost up in time.

"CLANG!"

The clash of weapons sent a spray of sparks scattering through the air, the force of the impact rippling outward as they both locked in a brief, deadly stalemate. Soren’s feet sank into the broken floor beneath him, making him grit his teeth as the Leech’s full momentum pressed down on him.

"Idiot."

Soren muttered as he suddenly shifted his weight, stepping to the side with a fluid twist of his body. Leech’s forward momentum carried him past Soren, and in that same breath, Soren spun on his heel, reversing his grip on Nightfrost and swinging its butt in a vicious arc toward Leech’s exposed back.

"THUD-!"

The attack landed solidly, sending Leech stumbling forward.

Soren didn’t just stop there; with another Phantom Step, he closed the distance once more, Nightfrost thrusting toward Leech’s side. Leech twisted, his body blurring as he slipped past the spear’s tip while sending flying daggers at Soren. Soren dodged them effortlessly and kept pressing, each thrust and sweep forcing Leech to retreat.

Then, in a heartbeat, everything changed.

The Leech’s eyes gleamed with cold amusement as his daggers started to emit an eerie red glow. His body dropped low, and in the space between one breath and the next, he vanished from Soren’s line of sight.

"!"

Soren reacted on instinct, raising his arms to guard.

"SLASH-!"

"SLASH-!"

Two long gashes tore across his forearms before he even registered the movement, and the sheer force of the blow sent him hurtling backward. His feet skidded against the broken ground, leaving twin trails of dust as he fought to stop himself. Blood dripped from his arms, staining the floor beneath him.

The Leech straightened, twirling his daggers as the eerie light faded from their edges. A wicked grin spread across his face. "Consider it payback for daring to lay a hand on our young master."

The next moment, he blurred and appeared in front of Soren, his daggers already slicing toward his neck in a deadly scissor motion.

"..." Soren kept his expression calm, tilting his head just enough to let the blades whistle past his ears. But Leech kept pressing forward with a relentless barrage of slashes and stabs, each strike flowing into the next without pause.

Soren backpedaled, Nightfrost spinning in his hands as he deflected what he could. But the Leech’s speed and techniques were overwhelming, his daggers slipping past Soren’s guard again and again. Thin cuts opened across his shoulders, his ribs, his thighs. None were deep, but each one stung, and together they began to take their toll.

"Hahaha!" The Leech laughed, his voice filled with cruel delight. "What’s wrong? Can’t keep up?"

Swoosh-!

"Where did all your arrogance go?!"

Clang-!

"Did you seriously think you could fight me?"

"Urgh-!"

"You! A f*cking chef?!" The Leech snarled, his daggers crossing in a lethal arc. "Stop making me laugh and just die already!"