Whoosh!
The sword energy soaring through the air narrowly missed the glass box. However, it was stopped by Heilbronner’s defensive barrier.
As soon as I confirmed that the Silver Magnolia Branch was safe, I began to attack the impostor. The sword energy, manifested in red, spread in all directions.
This red light was not emitted to subdue the opponent. It was intentionally a weak sword energy that was dispersed over a wide area.
‘No matter how much the imposter is in an invisible state, the distortion would become evident with the light created by the sword energy!’
It was the same principle as when Heilbronner broke the barrier and generated a blue light, causing the silhouette to be visible.
The invisibility magic is optimized for camouflage, but it is not perfect. There are ways to detect it through external factors like this.
As soon as I pinpointed the imposter’s location, I fired a follow-up shot as if I were taking aim.
Swish, clang, clang!
In the situation where my field of vision was limited due to the invisibility spell, the imposter seemed to be quite skilled, as they deftly dodged my attacks.
‘It’s annoying, but let’s not get impatient. Victory is on our side.’
“Captain! I’ll chase after Heilbronner!”
At some point, Lan, who had returned to this area, was seen climbing onto the building across from me, shouting loudly.
“Yes! I’ll leave it to you!”
Along with Lan, I could see the other knights splitting into two groups—some heading toward Heilbronner, while others were rushing to assist me.
At that moment, Heilbronner drew a massive magic circle. Soon, particles of light, silent and swift, flew toward the imposter I was targeting.
As soon as he completed that action, Heilbronner immediately turned and fled. The knights chased after the lingering traces of light, but it would probably be difficult for them to catch him.
‘…..I wonder if Ludger has caught some clue about the imposter.’
Of course, the best outcome would be for me to defeat this annoying impostor myself.
The battle on the rooftop continued, resembling a frantic game of cat and mouse.
Other knights rushed to assist me, but honestly, their efforts were insufficient. The impostor and I were moving faster than they could keep up.
I pursued him, leaping from roof to roof with light strides, using my Spirit to maintain balance.
Thanks to the particles of light left by Heilbronner, it was easier to gauge his location.
‘Got him!’
I reached the edge of the roof, feeling a surge of accomplishment from all the complaints I had dealt with. Using the geography I had memorized, I cornered him.
When we reached a dead end where crossing the roof was impossible, the impostor turned around and jumped down to the ground. Given the geography, this was the only place he could go.
I felt a thrill for having cornered him, just as I had anticipated. Without hesitation, conjured a blazing yellow aura.
Crackle!
With a crackling recoil, like a bolt of lightning, the sword energy flew through the entire dead-end alley.
There was no way to avoid the massive force that came flying straight at him. The opponent barely managed to create a defensive barrier.
Boom, boom, crash!
However, unable to withstand the pressure of my sword energy, the defensive barrier shattered, and I could hear the imposter, still in their invisible state, being pushed into the corner.
Without giving him a chance to recover, I immediately drew out a new wave of sword energy and launched a follow-up strike.
“..…!”
The opponent, who barely avoided the attack by rolling away, conjured about fifteen thin, tentacle-like crimson sword energies and shot them at me.
In a split second, a swarm of light struck, finding an opening. Dodging the counterattack with the instinct engraved in my body, I let out a breath.
‘This sword technique….’
It was one of the techniques Gustav specialized in.
‘No, Gustav wasn’t the only one who used that technique. I can too.’
To put it simply, I could easily imitate that technique if I wanted to. It’s just not my preferred finishing move, which is why I don’t use it.
This sword energy was tenacious, like a tentacle. It automatically tracked enemies, splitting into several strands optimized for entangling and restraining the opponent.
The sword energy itself wasn’t particularly lethal, but it was used to hinder the opponent’s movement, setting up a follow-up strike with a more destructive skill.
‘Where did he learn to rebel with such a trick?’
Just thinking of Gustav, who was still lying there unconscious in such a pathetic state, made that technique even more irritating.
I stood firm, refusing to dodge the opponent’s sword energy. The swaying sword energy tried to stick to my body like sticky glue, but I repelled it all with a defensive barrier.
Whoosh!
As I shook off the aura of the shield, reflecting it in the opposite direction, the sword energy spread out weakly in all directions.
I took a long stride forward and applied strength with all my might.
The air vibrated silently, and a crescent-shaped sword energy flew towards my opponent.
Perhaps because he didn’t have time to raise a defensive shield, the impostor also unleashed his sword energy in an attempt to counter mine.
In mid-air, the sword energies tangled with each other, scattering light in all directions like performing a dance.
I twisted the corner of my mouth and fired a series of sword energies. It didn’t matter that the opponent was under the spell of invisibility.
I had already perfectly deduced his location. My heightened senses, pushed to their limits, conveyed the opponent’s appearance and position to me, even with my eyes closed.
The opponent had been cornered against a dead-end wall. I raised my sword high, preparing to deliver the final blow.
At that moment.
Swoosh!
Once again, thin, tentacle-like sword energy extended from the opponent.
“Ha….”
It was so absurd that I couldn’t help but laugh. Even at the very end, resorting to this technique in a last-ditch effort; he really was just like Gustav in his fighting style.
Of course, there was no way I would fall for something like this.
I formed a sphere with my Spirit and burst it forward. The thin sword energies lost their strength and disintegrated into nothing.
It must have been difficult for the imposter to withstand this impact because I could see his silhouette sliding down against the wall beyond the light.
I landed a precise kick to his solar plexus, and with a choking sound, blood burst out. Whether it was my attack or the breaking of his magical artifact, his figure slowly became visible, revealed by the blood flowing around him.
He was a young man with sky-blue hair and a refined appearance. Since I didn’t recognize his face, it seemed like he had never been on the wanted list until now.
He was knocked unconscious after taking a severe blow from my last attack. It was easier to deal with him this way than dealing with unnecessary resistance, so it didn’t matter.
‘If his internal injuries are too severe and it takes a long time to recover, the Mayor will probably nag at me.’
I didn’t let my guard down while capturing the guy with a magical tool. There was a possibility that he wasn’t acting alone.
“This is Clara Weyburn, Captain of the Ruby Knights. I have apprehended the terrorist we were pursuing. Please immediately send personnel to transfer the suspect, and to respond to any additional damage….”
Soon after, I received the news that Heilbronner had suddenly appeared at the Royal Palace, handed over the Silver Magnolia Branch inside the glass box, and then disappeared without a trace. There was also a report stating that no additional suspicious individuals were found.
I glanced up at the sky absentmindedly. The tumultuous events that had just unfolded felt like a lie, as the dark night sky remained calm and peaceful.
There would still be a long, arduous process ahead to clean up the aftermath.
But knowing that I had passed the biggest hurdle, I was finally able to let out a sigh of relief.
* * *
After that, it was a hectic post-processing period.
I had to request an investigation from the Mage Tower to check for any traces of magic in the remains of the demonic creatures. I also had to contact the relevant departments to repair the damaged water pipes and various other equipment damaged by the demonic creatures.…
Above all, the top priority was to calm the citizens, who were trembling with anxiety due to the sudden appearance of demonic creatures in the city.
The festival, originally scheduled to last for three days, was, as expected, abruptly ended. It seemed that, as a result of this incident, security measures would be strengthened to prevent something like this from happening again.
‘This time, it was discovered that the ‘underground’ was used to bring the demonic creatures into the city.’
Of course, it would require significant magical power, but it was still fortunate that we had identified the method of bringing the demonic creatures in.
If the method had remained unclear, all the knight orders in Melshas City would have felt helpless and miserable for a while.
Anyway, after managing to settle down this chaos to some extent, before I knew it, it was morning. Of course, I hadn’t slept a wink.
“Before I knew it… the sun is already high in the sky…”
As I muttered wistfully while looking out the window, which had become brighter, Billy, who was assisting me, responded cheerfully.
“It was truly rewarding for the all-nighter that we pulled up!”
“Our Billy looks so happy…”
“Well, the Captain was very active! As for me… I worked hard in my own way, so I’m proud of myself!”
Billy’s eyes gleamed with his typical dog-like expression. I chuckled softly and ruffled his messy hair.
Although he seemed to have had a few minor accidents, Billy still performed admirably while accompanying Sir Sein. This also applied to his response when the demonic creatures first appeared.
This was the biggest task he’d ever been given, and he did a great job, so he deserved some praise.
“Okay, you did well. Let’s aim to do even better in the future.”
“Yes, Captain!”
Billy was so moved that he jumped up and tried to hug me. In the process, he accidentally pushed the ink bottle over with his elbow.
“Ah!”
