Chapter 55: When the Team Leader Becomes the Target (Magic Castle Bonus)

Chapter 55. When the Team Leader Becomes the Target (Magic Castle Bonus)

He stood beneath the trees, one hand still extended from the throw.

I glanced at the poisoned dagger lying in the grass.

Then back at him.

"So. You’ve finally decided to attack me openly."

"Yeah." Raven drew another dagger. "I’m bored with this fake courtesy."

My heartbeat quickened. That lovely, terrible feeling.

Danger.

Real danger.

A sharp smirk pulled at my lips.

"Do you think I can’t kill you, Raven?"

"Maybe I can’t do it alone."

He glanced toward Garr.

The warrior drew his enormous sword.

Then Darius stepped forward, pulling his holy blade free with a metallic hiss.

Raven looked at me again.

"But we can kill you."

My grin widened.

Three SSS-rank heroes.

Against one S-rank magus.

Me.

Was I in danger? Absolutely.

Could I overpower all three of them? No.

Could I win an impossible fight?

Well. That was a much more interesting question.

In my previous life, I’d spent years conducting research with a mana capacity that barely reached ten percent of what most magicians considered normal.

Ten percent.

So I’d learned to make every drop count.

To exploit momentum.

To borrow power.

To make stronger opponents waste theirs.

And now three walking mana reservoirs had kindly volunteered to demonstrate their SSS-rank abilities.

How generous.

Raven moved first.

Naturally.

He vanished into the shadows.

[Abyssal Eye]

The clearing sharpened.

Residual mana trails glowed against the trees, revealing the faint distortion of his movement.

Left.

Behind.

Above.

I tilted my head.

A dagger passed my cheek.

Another came for my ribs.

[Obsidian Earth Manipulation]

Black stone rose along my side.

-Clang! Clang!

Both daggers struck the barrier.

Raven appeared behind me, his third blade already descending.

[Voidwind Manipulation]

I twisted beneath his arm.

The dagger sliced through a loose strand of my hair.

How rude.

I’d spent nearly an hour getting ready for the banquet.

I drove an elbow toward his ribs.

He caught it.

Fast.

His knee rose toward my stomach.

I let myself fall backward.

[Void Shift]

The world folded.

I reappeared beside Garr.

Darius shouted. "Holy Severance!"

A brilliant arc of Light Mana tore across the clearing.

Excellent timing.

Garr’s eyes widened. "DARIUS!"

I smiled at him. Then vanished.

[Void Shift]

The holy arc struck Garr’s raised sword.

A deafening crash shook the clearing.

Golden sparks exploded around him as he staggered backward, boots carving trenches through the soil.

Darius stared. "Garr! Why were you there?"

Garr’s face turned crimson. "WHY DID YOU ATTACK WHEN I WAS THERE?!"

I reappeared on a fallen tree. "Gentlemen, please. Communication is the foundation of a healthy relationship."

And that, right there, was their problem.

Darius was the official leader of the Five Heroes.

Officially.

He had the title, the noble blood, and the shiny armor that practically screamed "I’m in charge".

But who had actually led them through the war?

Rey.

Because Garr was hotheaded enough to swing first and consider the consequences sometime next week. Raven preferred working alone, which was a charming quality in an assassin and an absolute nightmare in a team. Darius was too easily carried away by his pride, especially whenever someone questioned his authority.

And Elia?

Elia always needed someone to cling to.

Someone to reassure her, make decisions, and tell her everything would be fine.

That person used to be Rey.

Now, apparently, it was Darius.

They’d had four powerful fighters, a Saintess, and enough collective ego to establish a small kingdom. Yet whenever their plans fell apart, Rey had been the one holding everything together.

I supposed we were about to discover how well they functioned without their unofficial leader.

Judging by the holy attack Garr had just been forced to block?

Not particularly well.

Raven’s dagger flew toward my throat.

I leaned aside to dodge.

Garr charged.

His enormous sword swept horizontally, cutting through the tree beneath my feet.

I jumped.

Wood exploded below me.

[Voidwind Manipulation]

Wind caught my body and carried me over his shoulder.

I flicked my fingers.

[Eclipse Light Manipulation]

Six thin blades of dim, silver-black light formed around my hand.

They shot toward Garr’s exposed back.

He spun and deflected four.

The fifth scraped his shoulder.

The sixth struck his armored thigh.

Blood appeared along the edge of his breastplate.

Not much.

But enough.

Garr roared and swung upward.

I crossed my arms.

[Obsidian Earth Manipulation]

A curved shield formed above me.

His sword struck.

The impact shattered the outer layer and sent me flying backward.

Ouch!

My arms tingled.

SSS-rank strength was an exceptionally unpleasant thing to experience firsthand.

I landed on one knee.

Raven appeared at my side.

His dagger flashed.

I raised two fingers.

[Abyssal Water Manipulation]

A ribbon of dark water wrapped around his wrist.

He twisted free before I could freeze it.

Clever and I liked clever opponents.

They made better research material.

Unfortunately, he’d already stepped exactly where I wanted him.

"Darius!" Raven shouted. "Now!"

A golden spear of light formed above the Holy Knight.

Another expensive spell.

How exciting.

I caught the edge of Raven’s sleeve with a narrow ribbon of Abyssal Water.

His poisoned dagger flashed toward it.

It was a decoy.

Then I sent a sharp gust of Voidwind against his back, pushing him straight into Darius’s spear path.

I vanished.

The spear flew toward him.

He barely escaped.

The golden spear struck the ground between Raven’s feet.

The explosion hurled him sideways, tearing a long gash through his cloak.

Darius swore.

I reappeared behind a tree.

And laughed.

Not loudly.

Just a little mad chuckle.

They adjusted quickly.

These weren’t ordinary adventurers.

They were the heroes who’d defeated the Dark Lord.

Garr advanced from the front while Raven circled behind me. Darius remained farther away, preparing another spell.

A coordinated formation.

Much better.

Much more dangerous.

[Abyssal Hunter’s Domain]

Darkness spread beneath my feet.

A thin, almost invisible layer of Forbidden Energy settled across the grass, trees, and broken stones.

Raven disappeared.

I felt the grass bend.

Garr shifted his weight.

Darius gathered mana.

I exhaled.

[Blackflame Manipulation]

Black fire erupted around me.

Garr halted.

Raven withdrew.

Darius raised his sword.

The flames rolled outward, obscuring my position.

I moved through them.

[Voidwind Manipulation]

My boots barely touched the ground.

Raven emerged from the smoke and slashed toward my neck.

I ducked.

His blade passed over me.

I caught his wrist with a narrow band of Abyssal Water.

Then froze it.

He tore free, but the ice slowed him for one precious instant.

Enough.

I stepped behind him.

Garr’s sword descended. "REY!"

Oh, he sounded angry.

How adorable.

I shoved Raven forward with a burst of Voidwind.

Then Void Shifted.

Garr’s sword struck Raven’s crossed daggers.

The impact drove the assassin to one knee.

Blood ran from a cut along his forearm.

"WATCH IT!" Raven snarled.

"HE PUSHED YOU!"

Darius stopped using broad attacks.

Good.

He’d learned.

His next spell condensed into a narrow beam of concentrated Light Mana.

A precise killing technique.

Very difficult to dodge.

Unless, of course, I knew where he was aiming.

The mana gathered at the tip of his sword.

His gaze locked onto my chest.

I smiled and ran straight toward Garr.

Garr grinned. "Finally!"

He raised his sword.

Darius released the beam.

I waited.

One heartbeat.

Half.

And I disappeared.

The beam passed through the space I’d occupied.

Straight toward Garr.

"OH, YOU HAVE GOT TO BE—"

He threw himself sideways.

The beam tore through his shoulder guard and struck the earth behind him.

Blood splashed across his armor.

His sword slammed into the ground.