Chapter 132

The path leading to the valley floor was a gentle slope. The carved walls were conveniently lined with magic lanterns that illuminated the dark tunnels.

I sheathed the Glampanzer and held my wound shut with my right hand as I moved along.

If I glanced down, I would see my red blood dripping. The drops were vivid over the trail of blue blood that led down the tunnel. This blood was from Mordred. I knew he had come down here. Our blood was still wet, yet they did not turn purple when mixed.

“Ahhh..hahhh…”

My breathing was rough as I shivered from the pain. It always feels like this when I am stabbed…even if I can think calmly, my body does not offer me full control. It made me wonder if it was some kind of trauma from that time. Something in me had not quite healed.

Still, I couldn’t stop walking. If I let him be, some other village would get attacked. That was something that had to be avoided at all cost. And I did want to retrieve Arthur’s sword.

Several minutes passed since I went down the tunnel. Presence Detection catches something. I couldn’t miss it. It was Mordred. He had stopped a short distance from here. It was probably because of the wounds I had inflicted on him. Those wounds that had affected his mobility were showing their true value here.

I let go of my own wound and wiped my bloody hand on my clothes before unsheathing my sword. My left arm was useless, but I could still fight. I still had magic in me. I create a Frost Sword in the air and have it follow me.

And then, finally, I saw him. Mordred was leaning against a wall and glaring at the ceiling while he rested. There was nowhere to run. I wouldn’t allow it.

I summoned wind of silver and green to envelop my legs as I dashed forward. For now, I force myself to forget the pain in my left arm. The Glampanzer is held behind me, the Frost Sword levitates in front.

Of course, Mordred was quick to notice as I ran like this, and he turned his eyes towards me. They were full of murderous rage.

“BOOOORGRH!!!”

“Haaahh!!”

I launch the Frost Sword towards Mordred as he roars. A corner of my brain is thinking, ‘Frost Sword: Straight Shot,’ and other meaningless things as I bridge the gap between us.

Mordred blocks the Frost Sword with Excalibur. I see my chance and swing the Glampanzer down on him. However, Mordred quickly steps out of the way.

“BGRRROGH!!”

“Tsk…!”

Mordred now goes on the attack. His toughened body attempts to tackle me. I block it with the flat of my blade, but the impact throws me into the air. I am barely able to regain my balance by manipulating the silver and green wind. I land on my feet but as soon as I raise my face; all I can see is Mordred raising his sword above me. In a flash, I jump forward and evade his attack by going under his legs. Behind me, I can hear the deafening clang of metal against stone.

I turn around and raise my sword. Mordred spins around and raises his. I pull my right arm back, while Mordred grips his sword with both hands. We glare at each other, searching for an opening. To be honest, there was nothing but openings. Same for me. We were riddled with wounds. But these were the bodies we had.

The room was so silent that our breathing seemed loud. We looked at each, full of openings as we held our blades. As we stared, small fragments of stone began to fall from the ceiling.

Clink.

With that sound, I dashed forward as if I were a released spring. I gripped the sword tightly and looked forward as I ran. Mordred began to run as well. It was as if he had forgotten the pain in his blood-drenched legs. He was faster than ever.

Both of our swords are raised in the air. They were raised for the sole intent of killing the other, and so they fell quickly.

“Hahh!”

“Bmorghh!”

However, the swords did not connect. It was as if we had passed each other while avoiding the others swing.

Silence fell over the tunnel again. However, the result of the duel became immediately apparent.

There was a loud clang…as a sword fell. It was followed by the sound of something collapsing with a wet thud. I turned around. And there was Mordred. On his knees with both arms severed.

In this state, the fight was over for him. He could no longer fight. However, I no longer had control over my right hand. I looked at it and saw that there was a shallow cut on it from Mordred’s sword. At the very end, Mordred had cut me just above my gauntlet, where I was unprotected. But it wasn’t as bad as my left arm. Though painful, I moved my arm in order to sheath my sword. And then I generated a new Frost Sword. I would use it to deal the finishing blow.

“Now, it is finished.”

“…”

I approach him from behind and raise the Frost Sword.

Just as the sword swings down, Mordred jumps forward and evades the attack.

“Damn it!”

“BBgggooorrh!! Bbbmoorrgh!!”

I frantically chase after Mordred as he howls and screams. I didn’t think he could last long in this state, but I didn’t want to take any chances. I couldn’t let him get away.

“Stop!”

I take aim and launch the Frost Sword. It catches him straight in the center of his back; and yet he continues to run. I prepare a second sword, but the tunnel suddenly starts to twist and wind, and I can no longer take proper aim. If I tried to use Legs of the Forest Wolf here, I would just crash into the wall and it would all be over. And so I run desperately with my original speed. Modred should be on the cusp of death. And yet I cannot catch him. Finally, the tunnel becomes straight again. I take aim and I’m about to shoot, when I see a light in front of Mordred. It was the tunnel’s exit.

“Ahh…”

I remember now. The exit of this tunnel…

“BMMORRGGH!!”

Mordred raises his severed arms as if reaching towards the light as he runs. Just as he gets close to the exit, I hear a ‘click.’

In a flash, the exit erupts with an explosion of flames. I drop to the ground, as there was nowhere to hide from the wind and impact. Thankfully, I was far enough to not be thrown into the air once again.

I stayed on the ground for some time, keeping my hood down as I waited for the dust to settle. The ringing in my ears finally subsides and I open my eyes and squint. There was still dust floating in the air. I stand up…or try to, but my foot gets caught on something.

“Hmm?”

I pick it up. It was a sheath. Excalibur’s sheath had been blown towards me in the blast.

“Pretty lucky…glad I wasn’t any closer to it.”

I attached the dusty sheath to my belt. And this time, started to walk forward.

The exit was now hidden in rubble. It would be difficult to open the passage up again without a hole mole. And I saw now that there was blue blood dripping from the cracks between the boulders.

Mordred was dead.

“I’ll have to thank Angelica for this later…”

I muttered as I looked at what remained of him. …I was so tired. I wanted to go back.

I turned on my heels and began to walk. The return trip was an upward slope, which was quite harsh.

On the way, I found Excalibur. It was still connected to Mordred’s severed arms. I crouched slowly and picked it up. The Excalibur was stained with blue and red blood. I had no idea if this was a holy sword, but there was something of an honest, incorruptible air that seemed to come off the otherwise filthy blade. Who knows? Maybe it was the real thing. Well, it was probably just Arthur slapping a name on it. But maybe with that name, it would one day reach the heights of the real sword. It was Arthur’s job to see that it happened. I swore to clean it when I got back, and then I put it in its sheath.

□ □ □ □

When I returned to the orc room, I was greeted by a mass of corpses. The extermination was completed. Even the grey orcs who had given up the fight now lay dead.

I saw that the Adventurers were all resting against the wall, and so I decided to search for Virgil first. I made my way through the corpses, searching desperately until Ness found me and called me over.

“Asagi!”

“Ah. Ness… Where’s Virgil?”

“You’re horribly wounded! You better rest!”

“No, I’m still fine. I have to tell Virgil…”

I felt like I would no longer be able to move if I stopped, and so I continued to walk while talking with Ness.

“You really are…fine then. He’s over here!”

“Sorry…”

I apologized, but Ness just scratched his cheek and told me to follow him. I did so on my unstable legs. We came out to the entrance of the orc building. Here the wounded were lined up on the floor. Virgil was there too. But he was talking to some Adventurers, and seemed to be unhurt.

“Virgil.”

“Ah, Asagi. Glad to see you… you’re not exactly fine. Rest right there.”

“No, I have to tell you…”

“You’re here and alive. I presume that means it’s finished?”

“Well, yeah… Thanks to Angelica.”

I wanted to make a detailed report, but Virgil wouldn’t listen. Damn it, Ness. He must have known this would happen when he brought me up here… I turned around to see him chuckling.

With no other choice, I collapsed on a blanket that had been placed on the floor and then sighed while staring at the ceiling. Suddenly, I turned to my side and saw Daniela sleeping next to me. Thank god. She didn’t appear to have any heavy wounds. Thank Virgil, really…

I think back on this battle, which was the longest I’ve ever experienced.

I never would have thought a mere valley investigation would turn into this… Now that I think of it, it had always just been me and Daniela. And here we had fought alongside so many others. It really was unexpected. Well, I feel as if I thought about this before. Maybe it’s just me. My head doesn’t seem to be functioning right.

Thankfully, while there had been plenty of pain, there were also good things. I think, anyway. No, I can’t think properly right now.

I sigh once again. My eyelids feel heavy. In the end, I was just so very tired. At the same time that I realized this, my consciousness faded into the shadows. I didn’t dream.