With their blades locked and neither able to move, Loren managed check his opponent’s appearance. 

He was the same height as Loren, but built slightly thinner. His appearance didn’t match his strength, considering that he was able to stop Loren’s double-enhanced attack with just one hand. He wore fitted black metal armor and a black cloak. His almond eyes were also black, however his countenance rather than being cold, gave off a cruel impression. Straight long black hair completed his look. His long sword was currently locked with Loren’s greatsword, whereas his second hand was free as he didn’t carry a shield.

“What now? Do we finish here?”

This guy stopped Loren’s full strength slash with a longsword held in just one hand, yet he didn’t even tremble. Not only that, but he was pushing Loren back, even just a little. Loren gritted his teeth. Keenly feeling his shoe sole scraping against the ground, he put more strength into his hands and noticed the other man’s slight smile.

“Cut, Caliburns.”

Before Loren knew, the flashing attack was coming again, it was already too late to dodge. He prepared himself for the worst and put even more strength into his greatsword. And as if in response, the white blade started emitting a white light.

“Ngh?!”

Loren thought he heard the man exclaim in surprise. But he was immediately blown back by the shock of the impact without even being able to brace himself. At the same time, the other man was also sent flying back, making the distance between them larger.

The man immediately corrected his posture and held his sword up. Loren also readied his sword again, but he had started thinking about how to escape from this place with as few injuries as possible. From the brief parry earlier, he had fully understood that he was no match for this man. If the man could stop his attack by just one hand even after he had used self-boost and triggered his rampage, Loren had no chance of beating him.

Loren felt calmer, probably because he had been repelled so easily. It was lucky that he came out of his rampaging state earlier than usual – he wouldn’t be able to run away otherwise.

The other man was strong, but the fact that his flashing light attack could be triggered again after such a short time was what made him especially dangerous. Even though his unidentified white blade seemed capable of stopping it somehow, Loren didn’t know how far he could rely on that. He didn’t want to receive a blow that could cut through an Evil God’s power with his mortal body, and seeing that he had no countermeasures for said blow, to quickly run away was the best option.

“What are you thinking about? Do you even have the luxury to think now?”

Loren wasn’t incautious, but the man still managed to make a slash at him while he was thinking. The slash wasn’t fast but was packed full with power, and even though Loren was able to parry it somehow, he was still being put into the defensive stance. The man exceeded him in both speed and strength, and if this continued, he would get hit sooner or later. But he could find no way to break the deadlock.

Just then, Gula shouted from behind him.

“Loren! Jump back!”

Jumping back while in the middle of a sword fight would give your opponent the chance to rally and chase after you, making the situation worse. But Loren believed that Gula had reasons to specifically instruct him so, and he jumped back as much as he could without thinking. The other man chased after him.

By that time, half of the dark goblins surrounding them had disappeared. Loren didn’t even have time to think about that, as one of Gula’s Predators suddenly appeared in front of the man. Loren was surprised to see the normally-invisible Predator now suddenly materialized, but the man had already proved that he could cut apart Predators.

Not even faltering, the man swung his sword at the Predator with no restraint. But the Predator spat out a large amount of meat and blood that buried the man down from head to toes.

“What!”

Gula clenched her fists and looked at Lapis with half-opened eyes.

“Gula, that’s gross… You really vomited the goblins you ate…”

Lapis sounded shocked. Loren landed and finally understood what Gula had done.

After knowing that she couldn’t directly use <<Predator>> on the man, Gula had eaten up the surrounding goblins, chewed them up, then materialized a Predator in front of the man and spat them out. The man also didn’t expect such a move – he only thought that the Predator came to attack him. Because of that, when meeting with vomited blood and meat, his reaction was delayed, and he was buried whole.

“I can’t describe it as anything but extremely distasteful.”

“But it’s effective.”

Exactly because it was distasteful the black swordsman couldn’t sense the danger. Also, it was a surprisingly large amount of blood and meat chunks. If such a large amount of things were suddenly hurled at Loren, he would also be confused, and it would take a while for him to regain his senses. In addition, as fat was also present in the chewed mix, it would be sticky all over his body, armor and weapon, making it extremely difficult to continue attacking.

“Let’s run away immediately. Such opponents are not easy to deal with.”

“Because he’s strong?”

Lapis asked as if to confirm, and Loren nodded with no hesitation.

“He’s strong. I couldn’t make a solid hit at all.”

Not only because that man was able to stop his double-enhanced attack with one hand, but also because his longswords didn’t break or chipped after clashing with Loren’s greatsword. His sword skills were also above Loren’s, and he was able to make such a powerful attack like the flash of light rather frequently. To be honest, Loren didn’t even want to be his opponent. Running away from this place was the only correct solution.

As for what had happened with this dwarven village, even though they still didn’t know anything clearly, they had gotten enough information to know that these guys had done something. Investigating further might very likely turn this into a matter of life or death for them.

“Indeed. Gula, let’s run.”

Hearing Loren’s opinion, Lapis also agreed that they should run away from this place. She immediately called out to Gula, who had eaten almost all of the goblins only to spat them out, rushed over to their side with a smile of a child that had succeeded in a prank.

“Running away? Well, let’s do it right away then.”

“Was that guy also a difficult opponent to you, Gula?”

“How to say it hm… I probably can do him if I’m serious. I don’t want to deal with him though. He’s stronger than Loren. So such a human does exist.”

As the man was buried under a mound of blood and meat, they couldn’t see him. But this was no place for idle chit-chat, being near an enemy that could strike any time and all. So, Loren’s party immediately fled the place. They didn’t even consider where they were running to – all they knew was that they had to put some distance between them and that village. But before long, they noticed that it was bright behind them and realized that flash of light was coming again.

“He’s already back?!”

“What a troublesome guy!”

Just as Loren turned around and swung his greatsword down, the flash of light crashed into his blade. As a result, he was pushed back due to the tremendous force, but his white blade managed to shatter the flash of light coming at them. Loren frowned – his arm had begun to hurt, and his hands felt a bit numb due to the shock transmitted from the sword.

>”You do this and dare to run away?!”<

The man’s body was soiled with meat and blood from the head down. His face was distorted with anger, and he chased them with his long sword held high. Loren’s face stiffened, he was still quite fast despite the heavy-looking armor he was wearing.

“That’s fast! You caught up with us!”

“I’m mad.”

“Well, that’s understandable.”

Anyone would get mad after being vomited on, even more so if that vomit was goblins’ meat and blood. Loren understood his anger. Looking back while frantically running for the forest, they could see a man covered in meat and blood from head to toes in the meager light. His state was so horrible that even though Loren had no intention to apologize, he was sure that even an apology wouldn’t stop him.

“Cut, Caliburns!!”

Another flash of light shot at them from behind. Still running, they had very little time to defend themselves, but the intense light flashed by them into the trees ahead. The trees were blasted away, soil turning up with them. Loren shook the dirt from his body while still running, and he looked over his shoulder to see the man brandishing his long sword again. He called out to him loudly.

>”That dirty bastard! He keeps firing that attack ’cause it’s risk-free for him!”<

“Even if I try to eat him with my <<Predator>>, he’ll just slice them apart again.”

“That’s a rather powerful magic weapon. It’s a set with the armor, though incomplete. They are endowed with various kinds of magic.”

Lapis glanced back and spoke about her appraisal. His armor seemed to have unthinkable power, yet it was still incomplete.

“Probably the shield and helmet are missing.”

“That’s just a trivial thing now, isn’t it?! It’s already enough in this situation!”

Another shot of light was coming. Probably because the man fired it while chasing them, his aim was off: the light missed them and hit a nearby area instead. Still, the aftershock of it jolted their bodies, and Lapis tripped because of that. Loren, who was running beside her, immediately saved her by carrying her.

“That bastard! He’ll hit us sooner or later!”

“It can’t be helped. Should I make some effort, I wonder?”

Lapis said from within Loren’s arms. She slipped out of his hold and climbed to sit on his shoulder to look behind. As Loren was still running at full speed, her maneuver looked just like an acrobatics act to Loren and Gula, but they had no idea why Lapis would do it.

“Well then, the unknown mister from behind, may I suggest you stop chasing us?”

“Shut up! Do you think you can get off unscathed after doing something like THIS?!”

“I just want to give you an advice.”

Lapis’ shoulders drooped a bit at the man’s reaction. Loren, being the closest to her, had no idea how that was an advice though.

“So, I have no choice. I’ll have to use my power to make you leave.”

“Try, if you think you can!”

The man stopped with his declaration. Loren didn’t think he stopped because of the exchange with Lapis at all, so he looked over his shoulder to see their attacker and his face stiffened. The man held his sword aloft with both hands and said:

“In the name of the King, I call your noble name. Fire, Caliburns, encompassing light.”

“Wake up, the power that fills this land, in the name of the ruling King. Attack the insolent one.”

At the same time, Lapis said another incantation and turned her palms towards the man, while still sitting on Loren’s shoulder.

Loren knew something happened, but he had no idea what. All he could feel was a white light so intense that it could burn his eyes despite coming from behind him, and a shock crashing into his back so hard that he thought his body was shattered.

Then he saw Gula jump at him while shouting something and felt Lapis, who was still sitting on his shoulder, softly place her hand on his head.

In a silence so complete that he wondered if his eardrums had been torn, white painted all over the scenery, and Loren with a strange floating sensation lost his consciousness.