Episode 17

Zeke moved to intercept the sudden appearance of the uninvited beings, and a barrier covered all of Samaris.

Confusion, shock, and fear. Various emotions mixed together.

The beings that emerged from darkness had appeared just before the residents fell into mass panic. The pressure released by the shadows imitating Zeke silenced the people. They understood it by instinct. The difference in rank between them as living creatures.

“C-Commander…”

“Veil. Do not move carelessly. You w-i-l-l b-e k-i-l-l-e-d.”

No emotion could be read from the two shadows. They merely stared at them without uttering a word. As though they were judging which lives they should reap.

“…You people do not interfere. I will handle these two.”

“Are you serious? Considering what happened before, they have power on the same level as you.”

“Hah, do not make me laugh. There is no way I would be inferior to imitations. I am more special than anything else in this world.”

Zeke stepped forward alone. The mana he immediately kneaded froze the atmosphere and turned the ground white.

Zeke understood. If he showed a clear threat, the two shadows would bite. It seemed he intended to gather their hostility on one point and leave this place.

“At best, you are the only one who can move decently. Deal with t-h-e o-t-h-e-r o-n-e yourself.”

Zeke leapt into the sky and moved away just like that. The two shadows also vanished from this place as though pursuing him.

Perhaps the battle had already begun, because mana collided violently in the distance. The battle between the powerful would change the fate of Samaris.

“This is… harsh for these old bones.”

Another shadow appeared while releasing intense pressure. A powerful being with the same quality of mana as Zeke. In Baccus’s long life, there was no doubt that it was the strongest opponent after Masfelt.

“The enemy’s target is Her Highness as well, then…”

The enemy likely understood Zeke’s danger. That was why they had prepared multiple shadows to stall him. And with the remaining one, they intended to capture Arnica for certain.

“I shall take the lead. You all protect Her Highness. As for the others… I am sorry, but they must manage somehow themselves. We have no room to spare.”

Baccus drew his greatsword and charged at the shadow. The fake Zeke received him without losing its posture. Defeat meant everyone’s death. A hopeless battle began.

It was a tremendous collision of power against power. Cold magic powerful enough to change the weather flew back and forth, transforming Samaris’s scenery. Each time the two forces collided, cracks formed in buildings, and in the worst cases, they collapsed. It was a scene just like a battlefield.

“How unsightly. Being forced to fight without even understanding why.”

“…”

“Hmph, so you do not possess a language function.”

During a blade lock, he tried to shake the opponent with words, but there was no reaction. No words and no emotions. It was a slaughterer that simply moved according to the orders it had been given.

(Zeke wasn’t supposed to go berserk. Is this also the scenario’s influence?)

Hiroto himself had no terrifying thoughts of destroying Samaris. He had expected Pariaach’s attack, but he had thought there would be no problem as long as he dealt with it. But when the lid was opened, the enemy had attacked from an unexpected angle. Just like in the original, they had come to bring down Samaris by using Zeke.

(When did they prepare that barrier? And when did they plant Zeke’s fakes?)

He sensed inorganic killing intent from behind. Detecting magic that was about to swallow both parties in the blade lock, he jumped away. There was no longer any sense of comradeship. The shadows had nothing except erasing their targets.

As Zeke (Hiroto) flew through the air and released countless cold swords, the fake Zeke blocked the attack with an ice wall. As expected, their fighting styles were similar, and they could read each other’s movements.

(I’m flesh and blood, while the enemy has infinite stamina and mana. That’s why this really is so annoying…)

From the outside, it was probably far beyond the level of “annoying.” He had to fight opponents who ranked among the kingdom’s top-class powerhouses. Two of them at once, no less.

Despite the hopeless situation, Hiroto was not that panicked inwardly. …At least, not toward the shadows in front of him.

He had understood from the previous battle that the opponent was not a perfect copy. In the original work, they had been complete reproductions, but for some reason, these fake Zekes did not seem able to handle special powers such as sacred arts or teleportation magic. They were still troublesome, but if he took his time, he could deal with them well enough. …Yes, if he took his time.

(These two were decoys, then. The real threat is over there?)

The other one, which had been swallowed by the fake Zeke’s magic, emerged while breaking through the ice. It should have taken damage, but its movements did not seem to have dulled. Apparently, it did not intend to end yet.

“You puppets who can do nothing but ape me are no enemies of mine. Scatter at once, wooden dolls.”

““…””

There were no words. The battle would not end until one side disappeared.

Baccus and the black shadow… the being modeled after Zeke, crossed swords and scattered sparks.

Baccus easily swung around a greatsword longer than he was tall, while the fake Zeke used an ordinary sword. It was astonishing that the shadow could fight Baccus as an equal or better without making him feel the difference in weight or reach. Advanced body enhancement and outstanding swordsmanship must have made that possible. …He had not wanted to learn that in this form.

In the middle of a blade lock, Baccus suddenly unleashed a kick. He had intended to take it by surprise, but the fake Zeke dodged it with ease and even fired magic.

A spear clad in cold air flew straight toward Baccus, but he smashed it apart with greatswordsmanship that took advantage of his natural physical strength. He had understood from the other day’s movements, but its magical ability was also considerably high. Was it not on a level that rivaled that Sage?

The enemy changed its movements from close-range combat to long-range, magic-centered combat. The shadow continued unleashing a variety of ice magic without pause. Each shot came out fast and had high power. On top of that, swordsmanship that made use of its speed was occasionally mixed in.

Even if Baccus tried to attack, the enemy was faster than him, and if he aimed for a counterattack, it jumped back and fired magic. When he took a defensive posture, it assaulted him from behind. That repeated over and over.

(It is strong. This one is more troublesome than Masfelt.)

Masfelt had built his combat around monstrous sword techniques. His old friend’s sword had been a divine blade that cut through reason itself. Shields, magic, and projectile weapons were all meaningless. Because it cut down everything regardless. …When Baccus heard that Masfelt wanted to train to cut lightning, he had spat out the tea in his mouth. He had invested everything into the sword.

As Zeke had said before, his ability was certainly inferior to the Sword Saint’s. Zeke’s sword was powerful, but it did not reach Masfelt. A sword that could cut dragon scales like scraps of paper was not a realm that could be reached through effort and talent alone. The Freak-style swordsmanship that transformed mana into flames would also give Zeke’s ice magic a disadvantage. And… Masfelt had a trump card.

(However… magic and speed. In these areas, this one surpasses Masfelt. There are likely few who can balance them to this extent. That youth is also a weapon.)

There were many in the Royal Guard Corps who handled both sword and magic. But even in this wide world, geniuses were not easy to find. There was one talented individual among Baccus’s subordinates as well… but that one was a pervert.

Remembering the prodigy who combined court swordsmanship with lightning magic disturbed his thoughts. If he did not focus on the target before his eyes, his life would be taken at once.

The enemy did not miss the instant his movements faltered… or so it should have gone, but it did not. Perhaps it instead found it suspicious, because the enemy stopped moving and showed signs of caution.

(My body is getting cold. In his case, it was heat.)

The area around Baccus was filled with cold air. As he blocked the powerful ice magic, his feet and armor gradually froze. He circulated his mana and generated heat, but his body grew even colder than that, turning frigid as though he were in extreme cold.

He understood very well that his movements were slowing. He had known it from the start, but a long battle was disadvantageous for him.

(I do not have as much talent with the sword as Masfelt. I am inferior to Zeke in magic.)

The fake Zeke crushed the ground and closed the distance in an instant. It was an instantaneous body enhancement and thrust that it had not shown until now. The sword that seemed to pierce through the air attacked Baccus’s abdomen.

(――But I do not lose in toughness.)

Blood dripped onto the frozen ground.

The fake Zeke’s sword had caught Baccus… but the reverse was also true. Baccus’s rugged hand was firmly gripping the fake Zeke.

“You showed an opening for the first time, did you not? T-h-i-s o-n-e c-h-a-n-c-e is my opportunity for victory.――Lightning Howl.”

He blasted it at super-close range with a high-pitched sound that seemed to tear through the atmosphere. The shadow, which took the lightning-element binding magic head-on, became unable to move.

Baccus had not used magic until now. It was not because he was worse at it than swordsmanship; he had deliberately refrained from using it. If he showed his magic, the enemy would adapt after that one time. He knew that if it became a simple exchange of magic, he would be at a disadvantage.

“I am the commander of the Royal Guard Corps, even if only in name. Did you think I could not use magic, fool?”

Baccus’s body began to crackle with electricity. The surging lightning magic engulfed even the fake Zeke and grew in power.

(I was the one who drilled the basics of lightning magic into that fool Aaron. …Though he had talent from the start.)

The child prodigy of the Marquis House of Izosaar, who caused nothing but problems. Aaron’s suspicious words and actions stood out, but his eyes had always gazed into emptiness.

His eyes, which had lost their color, rejected others. Baccus had thought himself pathetic for allowing a young man with a future to have eyes like that.

“After meeting you, Aaron changed. Of course, I mean the real you.”

When Aaron participated in the Lords’ Council escort, for some reason, he clashed with the Lagias brat and was beaten to a pulp. After that, Aaron requested suspension on his own. And then he ignored that suspension and charged onto the battlefield, so his abnormal actions had increased even more than before.――But his eyes were shining.

“It was thanks to you, Zeke. …This is my thanks for that. Take it to heart.”

Thunderclouds appeared above both of them. The lightning created by magic eagerly awaited the moment it would be released.

“Masfelt cut it down, but what will you do?”

Light rose to the heavens and gathered at a single point.

It was Baccus’s trump card, which could be activated by consuming most of his mana. He had never imagined that the magic he had learned while vomiting blood to surpass his dear friend would end up being used for training. …That too was now a good memory.

“Carve it firmly into yourself. This is the heavenly thunder that protects the king.”

A moment of silence.

Sound vanished from the world, and lightning fell from the heavens.――Toward Baccus and the fake Zeke.

――Dimension Bolt

How much time had passed since then?

Feeling silver light, Baccus opened his eyes. His body, which had been pierced by a sword and burned by lightning, had somehow returned to normal.

“You overdid it again, Baccus…”

“Your Highness. Using sacred arts on an old body like mine…”

The one who had treated the severely injured Baccus was Arnica. She had been led away by Rosetta and the others, her guards, but after seeing the powerful lightning magic, she had returned.

“I see no reason for you to lecture me, do I? As long as the barrier exists, escape is impossible. In that case, no matter where I am, it is dangerous, is it not?”

“…This is troublesome. I can say nothing.”

Around them were Rosetta, Rachel, and Veil, who wore worried expressions. The reason that they were guarding the princess was likely part of it, but it was also true that they were worried about Baccus himself. Knowing that gave him a strange feeling that was both嬉しく and made him want to scold them.

“What happened to the enemy?”

“It has gone completely silent. If that thing is a being that imitates people, then there’s no way it’s alive.”

At the place Rosetta indicated, there was indeed the figure of a shadow lying collapsed. A shadow that still had the shape of Z-e-k-e.

The shadow twitched, and powerful mana surged out.

“!? No way… It’s still alive after taking Commander Baccus’s full power!?”

“I-Is it immortal…?”

“I want to say there’s no way such a thing exists, but…”

The three drew their weapons and stepped forward. Their first priority was protecting the princess, but Arnica was behind them. With Baccus not in perfect condition, Rosetta and the others were now the only ones who could face the monster.

“I’m sorry when you’re tired, but this time, Commander, please protect Her Highness…”

“Are you treating me like an old man? I cannot rest yet.”

Baccus raised himself up.

Arnica, the person they were meant to protect, supported Baccus and the others with sacred arts. At this point, it had become an all-out battle.

The fake Zeke also rose, and the battle was about to enter its second phase.

――Then a being appeared to put a stop to it.

“This looks like an interesting situation. Let the ‘Wings of Light’ join in too.”

Five adventurers joined the battle line.