Overlord (Light Novel) Chapter 41

Chapter 8: Six Arms

Part 1

Climb was silent and he did not carry a lantern as he walked through the quiet alleys. The fact that he could see while moving in the darkness was thanks to a magical effect in his helmet which made it function like a set of night vision goggles. While he could only see up to 15 meters in front of him, what he could see was as bright as day.

That was why he had joined the pioneer reconnaissance party.

It was surrounded by imposing walls, which sealed it off from the surrounding area. It felt like a prison, or a fortress. His mind raced with dark thoughts like What sort of illegal activities are going on inside? Even the magical lamps installed on either side of the door could not dispel that mental image.

“That's it. I'm sure of it,” Climb muttered as he hunkered down. A voice answered from the empty air beside him.

The person who replied was a former orichalcum-ranked adventurer who possessed thief-type skills. After he was done, Brain — who was travelling with them — added:

“Of course. Our enemy is the Eight Fingers, after all. I'll be operating under the assumption that they have thieves or magic casters on my level. So I hope the two of you will pray for my success.”

This left Climb and Brain.

That was why the two of them were here.

The two of them had risked so much to come here so that they could decide whether to attack or flee if the infiltration failed and the enemy bolstered their defenses. Therefore, their mission was already accomplished just by staying here and watching the enemy.

“It'll be okay, right?”

“I don't know, but… all we can do is trust him. We have to trust in the skills of a former orichalcum-ranked adventurer.”

They did not know how long they had waited, but Brain's hand suddenly went to the 「Katana」at his waist. Just as Climb was about to reach for his sword in response, a somewhat panicked male voice came from beside them.

It was the voice of the thief who had gone to scout ahead.

“Yes, sorry about that. You're right. I'm really sorry for daring to test the skills of the great Brain Unglaus.”

“I discovered two important things when I went inside. One is that there's a prison here, with a woman inside. The other is that there are several people here whose descriptions match those of Six Arms.”

Climb's doubts were immediately answered by a question from Brain.

“Five of them. Now that Illusion Devil's been captured, that ought to be all of them.”

“That's… well, it's terrible, but it's also pretty fortunate. Since they're all here, that means the others can easily take down the other locations.”

“Then, what should we do?”

“Are you alright with that, Climb-kun?”

“Indeed…”

“No, it's too risky. Forget it. Since they haven't found us yet, I think it would be wiser to retreat right away. What do you think?”

“I think that would be the most effective course of action. Could you report to the people behind us? We'll wait here to make sure nobody comes out to pursue you.”

The thief had not yet dispelled his invisibility as he deliberately moved quickly so Climb and Brain could hear. He then fell back to where the rest of the team members were waiting.

“Yes. Then we should probably retreat and go to another location with the others.”

Climb's eyes followed Brain's finger, and they both saw a man they had met yesterday heading for the building they were watching.

“…It doesn't seem like a coincidence, but… what happened? Is he part of them?”

“Aye, he can't be. Unless he's really good at acting. Still, I don't think Sebas-sama is that kind of man.”

Just as the words left his mouth, Sebas turned and his eyes fixed on the two of them. Climb and Brain were some distance away from the building in order to observe it, and they were hidden in the darkness. Under normal circumstances, it would have been quite hard to find them. While he might have looked in their direction by chance, Climb was completely certain that it was not the case this time around.

His speed was abnormal. He was so fast that he seemed to be teleporting every time they blinked as he closed the distance to them. He was running normally, but his celerity was such that their brains refused to acknowledge it.

“What a coincidence, fancy meeting you two here. Is something the matter?”

“…Just the two of you?”

“I see,” Sebas said quietly. Climb then asked him:

“Yes. That is precisely so. The woman I mentioned yesterday, the one whom I rescued, was kidnapped. The enemy called me over here, and so I came.”

“…And where is that comrade of yours?”

The no-longer-invisible adventurer returned from where Brain was looking. He looked at Sebas in surprise. Clearly, the sudden appearance of this dashing old gentleman was quite out of place here.

“I see,” the thief answered. He then began talking about what he had learned starting with news on that woman. After hearing everything, Sebas spoke in a grateful voice.

“No, please don't worry about it, sir. By the way, everyone's ready to pull out…”

“Sebas-sama. Five of the strongest fighters in Eight Fingers, called Six Arms, are in that building… Can you defeat them?”

“Five people of Succulent's caliber shouldn't be a problem.”

“…Leader. Is he a madman?”

“No. That man really is that amazing.”

“Brain-sama thinks so too.”

Brain smiled bitterly to the thief and nodded.

“That. that's really… no, if what you said is true, then it would be amazing…”

“If we can count on your aid, Sebas-sama, we might be able to… sorry, could you tell Sebas-sama about the Six Arms?”

“Undying King Davernoc, is it… a mere fool does not deserve that title.”

“Then, Sebas-sama… if you don't mind, could we count on your assistance?”

“I'm fine. Someone's already cast a [See Invisibility] spell on one of my magic items. It can only be used once, but I can use it on myself.”

“Is that so. Then communications between the infiltration party ought to be fine. In that case, we'll be going in first; please wait a while before making your move, Sebas-sama.”

Sebas bowed his hoary head to them, which startled Climb and Brain. After all, they had done nothing to make this amazing man bow to them. This was because they were sort of using the mighty Sebas, much like they had during the brothel raid.

“Then we are helping each other out, are we not?”

“Then we will be falling back first, to have the others cast spells on us.”

Lower Fire Month (9th Month) 4th Day 22:15

“Oi, you're on time, aren't you?” a voice asked hoarsely. Following that, a man stepped out from among the trees.

“This way. Follow me.”

Considering this yard was the property of a criminal organization like Eight Fingers, it did not feel particularly gloomy and the vegetation was neatly trimmed, as though they had a skilled gardener taking care of things.

There were several bonfires blazing away merrily, and bright red firelight illuminated the surroundings.

Sebas looked around him. There was nobody here who could begin to rival him, but he found the Six Arms of which Climb had spoken.

Their sole female was dressed sheer silks, and looked to be agile. She wore gold bangles on her wrists and ankles, which rang with crisp metallic sounds as she moved. She had six scimitars at her waist.

The final man wore a suit of unadorned full plate armor, and his sword was securely stowed within its sheath.

The four of them advanced on him, and the others moved to encircle Sebas.

“We got to where we were in Eight Fingers through our skills. It would be pretty bad if we lost. That idiot didn't realize that. While the slave trading division's on the decline, we can't lose in front of their boss.”

“Yes. I never fought him directly. I met him once at the house, and the next time I saw him, he was unconscious on the ground.”

“Considering he continued honing his skills after that duel and he's on par with Gazef Stronoff, I suppose it's understandable why he lost.”

“We have to subdue you with force and kill you. Otherwise we'll be in a bad state.”

As the members of Six Arms took turns addressing him, Sebas pointed to the the third floor of the building.

“Is the man called Zero there?”

A scornful expression appeared on one of the four. Sebas extended his finger and pointed toward the third floor. He then put his hand down, paying no attention to the confused looks on the Six Arms' faces.

“Please do not worry about it. Then, where is she?”

His opposition was still sneering at him as they answered his question with a question. Sebas calmly replied:

“—And if I said she was dead?”

“Hahaha! That's right. We aren't that nice. That woman is a present for Cocco Doll. She's being well taken care of.”

Sebas saw one of the four people shift their line of sight towards a certain location in the building. However, what caught his eye was the fact that it was not the place where he heard Tsuare had been held — that being the case, all he had to do was verify the location.

“…You talk big, human.”

“Very well said. I wish to take these words and return them to all of you. However… may I ask a question? Why do you think I am weaker than Brain-sama?”

The other two people, Davernoc aside, nodded in agreement.

Sebas could gauge his opponent's strength by the potency of their ki. However, much like his other ability, it would be difficult to tell if his opponents were concealing their power with skills or magic.

“—I am very strong, you know.”

“Like I said just now, coming one at a time is troublesome. All of you should attack me at once. That way, you ought to be able to last about ten seconds.”

Davernoc's shoulders trembled.

Sebas stepped forward. He approached the person whose title most displeased Sebas.

“Undying King” Davernoc.

The aim of his false life was to ably harness the power of magic and to learn techniques beyond the spells he could use since his genesis.

Therefore, he thought of accumulating wealth, and using them to pay the price to have people teach him magic.

However, someone else learned that he could continuously launch [Fireballs] and his identity as one of the undead came to light. He was then forced to flee that mercenary band.

He introduced Davernoc to someone who was willing to teach him magic, and paid him appropriately. In turn, he asked Davernoc to use his magical powers under his direction. That was exactly what Davernoc had hoped for.

However —

Davernoc's unlife was thus extinguished. It vanished without him knowing why or how he had offended his opponent.

“Only one person in this entire world deserves to use that title. That person commands incomparable majesty. An inferior undead being like yourself ought to know your place.”

Even when everyone was frozen in shock, the Six Arms could still move. As expected, they were capable warriors; only people who had been through numerous life or death battles could do such a thing.

After that, Sebas stalked towards that woman.

There was a certain magical item property called “Dance”. As the name suggested, it was an enchantment which allowed a weapon to move as though it were dancing, allowing it to attack independently. Thus, it was commonly regarded as the best way to increase the amount of one's attacks.

That said, there was no better enchantment for her than the Dance property.

However, that was not the case for her.

The first was an excellent sense of spatial awareness — bordering on the preternatural.

It would not be unusual for someone to describe her as having two brains. This was her ability.

In all likelihood, there was nobody else within the Kingdom's nine million souls who had the same abilities as her.

This was a barrier of blades. Stepping into this cage meant certain death.

Before the scimitars could begin their attacks, Sebas had already entered his attack radius, and he threw a chop with impossible speed.

Fresh blood spurted from her neck, and her body collapsed a beat later. However, the five scimitars still hung in the air.

The five scimitars — still obeying her will — sliced through the air towards Sebas.

“To think you would continue to fight even with your head severed… I salute your fighting spirit.”

What are you saying?

However, she had probably sensed something from those words. Her eyes spun madly, and then realized her body was missing its head. Her expression distorted wildly. She blinked several times, and then her eyes went so wide it seemed as though her eyeballs were about to roll out of her head.

And then, she finally accepted reality, and despair colored her face.

“Come on, attack with me! Let's get him together!”

He had realized — not with his logical mind, but with his heart and soul — that Sebas had been telling the truth, and that he was currently facing a creature he should never have fought, which should not exist in this world.

He already knew. He knew that he was about to die. He knew that no matter what happened, there was no possible way for him to defeat the man called Sebas.

Those thoughts proved that he was still a warrior.

That was because he was thinking, perhaps this might be the first enemy whose abilities I have to watch.

“Void Cutter” Peysilian.

His nickname was derived from the fact that he had a mysterious technique where he could draw from a one-meter long scabbard and bisect a foe over three meters away. In truth this move did not actually cut through space.

There was a type of sword called the urumi. It was a long blade made from a flexible metal which bent easily. The weapon Peysilian carried was an urumi which had been so finely sharpened that it could be called a sword of cutting string. Perhaps a metal whip might be a more accurate name.

Compared to the rest of Six Arms, this move was more of a trick, but the fact that he could skilfully use a weapon which was so difficult to master proved his incredible warrior skills. If one handed the same weapon to Gazef, even the man hailed as the mightiest warrior would not be able to wield it as well as Peysilian.

The frightening aspect of the whip lay in the ridiculous speeds its tip could reach. Seeing and then avoiding it was very difficult — no, it was almost impossible.

However—

Sebas carefully examined the metal between his fingertips, and arched an eyebrow.

“Yeeart!”

“Thousand Kills” Malmvist.

Those two abilities were vicious enough, but there was one more ability on top of those. It was not a magical power — but poison.

Without the proper countermeasures, even Gazef Stronoff and Brain Unglaus would perish beneath his blade.

Since he relied on his ability to win by causing a single scratch, Malmvist's swordsmanship was subpar. However, his lunges were the real deal; his lightning thrusts were arguably superior even to those of Gazef Stronoff.

And then this move was further augmented by many martial arts, almost as many as the former Black Scripture member Clementine.

Sebas did not dodge it. He did not need to dodge it.

Malmvist, who had made that thrust with all his might, could not bring himself to speak.

Indeed, Sebas had halted the tip of the rapier with the pad of his index finger.

Malmvist blinked repeatedly, so much that it seemed unnatural. Only after that did he realize that it was not an illusion, that he was not dreaming, and then he managed to gasp a few words out. That was the only thing he could do.

Malvist could not budge an old man's gently raised finger with all his strength.

He tried to pull the rapier back to try and strike somewhere else, but before he could do so, Sebas had pinched its tip between his thumb and index finger. That immobilized the blade.

Amidst this situation, a voice of iron rang forth, cutting through everything.

In the next instant, Peysilian's head exploded.

An attack like this could be considered quite rare coming from Sebas. Until now, he had been using proper technique, but this blow had been born of thoughtless anger, punching off his opponent's head with sheer brute force.

His white glove was flecked with spots, and the stench of rusted iron wafted forth.

He let go of the rapier and used the fingers which had held it to peel off and discard the bloodstained glove. In the instant that it hit the stone floor, Malmvist hooked it away with the tip of his slender blade, snatching the glove away.

“What… are you trying to do?”

It was merely a glove made out of cloth.

“You need only acknowledge my strength; why are you thinking like this… although you may do so if you wish.”

After Malmvist crumpled to the ground, his head blown to smithereens, all that remained was silence.

“In any case, I could have settled it in five seconds if that 'Void Cutter' title had not put me on my guard. Being able to last 20 seconds is quite praiseworthy.”

“Solution, I imagine they possess useful information, so do not kill them. Now then…”

“Ten seconds for the rest of you.”

Lower Fire Month (9th Month) 4th Day 22:13

He was careful not to make too much noise, but neither could he slow his pace.

After several more turns and rushing down a staircase, the man at their head suddenly ground to a halt.

“Sorry for the sudden halt, leader. This is it. The cells are just beyond this corner, and there's a woman in the innermost one.

Heeding the thief's suggestion, Climb peered around the corner. There he saw a dark passageway, with several large cells in a row.

There were no captives, or even sentries. This lack of precautions was terribly suspicious. It was as though someone was trying to lure them in. However when one thought about it calmly, nobody would be suicidal enough to infiltrate a building where the strongest members of Eight Fingers — Six Arms — were gathered. Climb and the others would not have taken that risk either, if not for the fact that Sebas was serving as a decoy and another woman was locked up here.

This casual attitude and the openings they had left were a great boon to Climb's team. This was what people called “pride going before a fall”.

Perhaps it was because they were on deadly ground together, but the thief's tone had become a lot friendlier than just now. Brain asked him:

Looking down the corridor, there was a set of double doors, just as Brain had said.

“I see… indeed, I can smell beasts from those cells. I heard that in the Empire, they allow magical beasts to fight in their arenas…”

“However, there's a difference between taking them for training or using them for public executions. I don't really want to think about what other things you could use them for… but I guess they might have put on a monster exhibition or something. Ay, look at how far I've drifted from the topic. Shall we?”

The thief led the way, followed by Climb and Brain.

The magic activated, and there was the sound of the cell door lock disengaging. The thief looked unhappy, but there was no time. All Climb could hope for was that he would not mind a small thing like this.

That calmed Climb down greatly. Their first objective had been achieved. Next was their second objective of getting her safely out of here.

The woman — Tsuare — nodded as Climb spoke to her.

“There's no noise from behind this door — the one which might lead to an arena. Still, it's too risky to enter a place we don't know anything about. We ought to stick to the plan and retrace our steps.”

Climb looked down at Tsuare's feet and made sure that she was wearing shoes. That way, she ought to be able to run.

“Right, I got it. I'll lead and you follow, like just now. However, there's no invisibility magic this time round. I'll be advancing while keeping an eye open, so don't miss my signals.”

“Hm? …Oh, no, it's nothing, Climb-kun.”

“There's nothing, right? Then, shall we?”

After running past the cells, the thief slowed down before he turned the corner. He was probably checking out the situation around the corner.

Just as Climb froze in place from the sudden development, the thief made use of the reflexes a former orichalcum-ranker ought to have. He readied his dagger and stepped forward with murderous intent.

Climb was worried about the thief's groan as he tried to fight back the pain, but he was more concerned about the man who had appeared before them. That was because he was most definitely an enemy.

The man's name flashed through Climb's brain, and his surprise took physical form as a sound.

This man was one of the Six Arms, and the leader of their Security Division, the mightiest being in Eight Fingers.

Zero spared only a glance for Climb and the thief on the ground before turning his stern gaze onto Brain. He sized the man up from head to toe, evaluating the worth of Brain the warrior.

“Are you alright? Do you have some way to heal yourself?”

There was no answer, just the sound of unimaginable pain. The shocking thing was that there was a fist-shaped dent in his breastplate. It clearly illustrated the power of a single punch from Zero.

“I've seen your face before. You're Brain Unglaus, aren't you? The man who fought on par with Gazef Stronoff. Your name's not for show; none of your movements expose any weaknesses. By the looks of that, you must have been training yourself after that tournament. Now I understand. Succulent didn't lose because he was careless, but because he faced you head-on. He lost because his foe was too strong. I have to forgive his failure just this once. Alright, you made me lose face, so normally I'd have to kill you. However, I'm a generous man. On account of your peerless sword skills, I'll give you a chance. Kneel before me and swear to be my subordinate, and I'll spare your life.”

“Oh… are you interested…?”

“Hahaha! Your desires do run deep. You're talking money before begging me for your life. You can't take it with you, you know.”

“The hell you say?!”

“You've got a mouth on you, Unglaus. A lot of people talk better than they fight; are you one of them? Or did you get cocky because you beat Succulent? Then here's a sincere apology for making you so full of yourself despite only beating the weakest member of Six Arms.”

In that case, why had Zero played along with Brain? He was probably confident of beating them three-on-one. Or was there some other reason?

Tsuare had slowly shifted behind Brain. If she wanted to be protected, then she should have hidden behind Climb for safety's sake. There was no need to savor the thrill of danger by moving behind the man staring down Zero.

Eh? Why move there? Was he looking at me? No, that's not it.

“Hmph, so the ant stood up? Bought enough time for him, haven't you? It's about time to tell me what you really think. No, there's no need to speak. Kneel, or don't kneel! Show me, Unglaus!”

—This was enough.

He extended his left hand straight out and pulled his right hand back, clenching his fist as he did so. He lowered his waist straight down, but his body was rigid and unmoving. The way his muscles bulged almost made one think that they were creaking. At this moment, Zero was easy to describe. He was like a massive boulder, or no, perhaps it would be better to say he was like a raging bull.

If Zero was like the roaring rivers, then Brain was like a gentle brook. If Zero was the attacker, then Brain was the defender.

His face twisted wickedly. It was as though to demonstrate how hatred could make a person ugly.

A wave of bloodlust washed over them from the front. However, it was nothing compared to what they had experienced from Sebas back then. Climb's eyes sharpened and he stared back, leaving Zero a little disappointed.

Climb did not understand what he had said for a moment. But it was only Climb who did not understand. The thief hurled a throwing knife at Tsuare.

Tsuare barely managed to evade it. According to Sebas, Tsuare should have been an ordinary maid. This was far too skilled for it to be a mere coincidence.

The speaker was still Tsuare, but the voice belonged to the “Illusion Devil” Succulent.

Brain did not look back — still staring down Zero — as he unravelled the mystery.

The thief's face hardened for a moment. Then, he seemed to be directing an expression of gratitude at Succulent.

“Of, of course, boss.”

“When I think about it, I went out of my way to get you out. If you can't even do a small thing like this…”

“We meet again, kid.”

Eight Fingers was not a compassionate organization, and naturally, they would not forgive a second failure. Succulent was now fighting an uphill battle, and the composure fled from his face.

Though he had witnessed the power of Eight Fingers, he nevertheless raised his sword.

Brain had helped him defeat his opponent last time. However, not even Brain Unglaus could guarantee an easy win against Zero and Succulent, who were both members of Six Arms.

If he clung to that cowardly line of thought, all he could do was await death.

With this unshakeable determination in his heart, Climb pushed his foot forward — he slid it forward — and advanced a step toward Succulent.

The thief voiced his encouragement from behind. His casual tone was probably a kindness on his part, calculated to ease the tension in Climb's heart. Since he was more skilled than Climb, it was good to be able to count on his support. However, he had taken a blow from Zero, and he was not fully recovered even after drinking his potion. In addition, they had never fought side by side before, making Climb worry that they would not be coordinated.

“Don't worry. I'm just here to support you. Thieves fight differently from warriors — I'll show you that we don't just clash swords.”

He was more experienced than himself. Therefore, it was not that Climb should match himself to his partner, but that the thief would match himself to Climb. All Climb had to do was fight Succulent with all his strength.

Just as both sides closed in on each other, a bag flew out from behind Climb's back.

The bag burst at Succulent's feet, and powder burst out. Succulent covered his mouth, thinking that it was poison. But that was not the case. It was not poison, but a magic item.

The effects were immediately visible. Of the five Succulents, only one glowed with a murky bluish-white light.

Will o' Wisp Powder was used to reveal invisible opponents or those who were skilled at stealth. It was also ineffective against the unliving.

Perhaps a high-level illusion spell might have been able to replicate the effects of a magic item, but Succulent — who had studied as a fencer and an illusionist at the same time — could not use such high-level illusions.

“Dammit!”

They went back and forth like this over a dozen times.

Humans could not suddenly become more skilled in the space of a single day. The difference in their respective combat abilities had not changed since their previous encounter. However, there were exceptions to all things. Simply put, Climb had become stronger while Succulent had become weaker.

Their equipment had shrunk the gap between them, but naturally, that was not all.

Even when Succulent used illusions, they were countered one by one through the thief's alchemical or magical items. The way the thief had responded to Succulent was as though he had specially prepared to face him. In fact, the thief had estimated the abilities of Six Arms from prior information and prepared countermeasures against all of them. The startling thing was that he even had countermeasures for Succulent, who should have been in jail. This was an obsessive degree of preparedness.

Succulent's voice was more worried and panicked than he had been before the battle.

Defended by a frontliner, the thief deliberately aggravated Succulent.

Succulent's face twisted in hatred. The wounds he had taken in their exchange of blows wept fresh blood, making him look even more vicious.

Succulent cursed, and prepared to cast a spell. As a warrior, Climb should have rushed up to stop him, but he did not. This was because he had executed over a dozen tandem maneuvers with the thief, and they had developed an unspoken understanding with each other. Therefore, he decided to trust the thief.

“Kahah! Koff! Koff!”

This was was merely petty interference with an alchemical item. However, it was quite effective, and Succulent ceased his spellcasting.

Climb charged forward with all his strength at the distracted Succulent. This was not the same measured strike in their exchange of blows until now, but an advance that did not allow for retreat. Some people might have felt that this was a rash action, taken in the hope of gaining a speedy victory. However, Climb's warrior instincts were screaming at him:

Indeed, Climb and the thief currently had the upper hand, but there was no telling how long their superior circumstances would last. The thief's supply of thrown items was not inexhaustible either. He ought to make the best of this favorable moment and press the advantage.

This move did not have a name. If he had to pick one on short notice, he might call it [Limit Breaker — Mind]. Its effect was simple enough; it released the human brain's limitations on the human body. Through this, all his attributes — from his senses to his physical abilities — reached the next level.

As the martial art activated, Climb sensed something switching on in his brain.

Succulent looked shocked, as though he had recalled something. Accompanying the surprise was something which might have been called fear. This was not a feeling which he — a man who was on par with an adamantite-ranked adventurer — ought to have when facing his lessers.

But that was not the end of the attack. Climb immediately thrust his foot forward in a kick.

“Abbaahhhh—!”

Climb glanced back and saw the thief wincing in sympathy.

And then, he finished him off with a cleaving strike to the head.

Climb did not dare let himself get careless, and so he surveyed his surroundings. He was particularly watchful in case an enemy tried to circle around behind him to where the thief was. After a while, he finally allowed himself to be certain. That was probably not an illusion.

Their battle was on a completely different level.

Zero, in particular, caught his attention.

“Oi, oi… they say first-rate monks can make their fists as hard as steel, but that guy's fists aren't just that. Are they as hard as mithril… no, orichalcum?”

After a minute's worth of exchanged blows — after an intense battle which would have seen Climb lose his life if he were in there — both sides were unharmed. As a result, a look of genuine respect bloomed on Zero's face.

Similarly, Brain had a respectful expression on his own face.

“Oh?” Zero's face twisted in interest. “To think there's another monk with skills like mine. That's the first time I've ever heard of something like that. Tell me his name. I won't be able to ask you when you're dead.”

Zero's eyebrows wrinkled, and he smiled.

“You think so? I'd find it easier to picture him strolling leisurely around that corner.”

Climb was dumbfounded by those words. The fact that Zero still counted that intense back and forth as taking it easy made Climb imagine just how unattainable he would be if he fought in earnest. The fact that Brain did not seem surprised at all also shocked him.

“Let's do it, then. Those two have wrapped things up on their side, so I don't need to draw this out any more. Fall to me here and let's have an end to it, Zero.”

“Edstrem can deploy a sword barrier. Your move isn't exactly the same, but it's also a barrier of blades, no? Enter casually and you'll be cut in half, am I right?”

“Still… from what I can tell, that move of yours only allows you to respond to your opponent,, and you can't use it if you don't take a stance.”

“So all I need to do is attack you from a distance and I win. Or do you have some way to cut a distant foe?”

Zero calmly — with an expression that some might say did not suit him, one that brimmed with motion like the surface of a lake — asked Brain:

“Indeed. This trump card of mine has only ever been… defeated once, from the front.”

Zero slowly pulled his fist back, taking a stance of his own.

“And instead your ambition's going to falter at the first step of facing me. Zero, you really do have too much time on your hands, don't you?”

Zero's body was covered in animal tattoos, and those tattoos began to glow faintly. Brain, on his part, remained still. While Zero appeared to be as still as a statue, Climb could sense a tremendous power accumulating inside him, longing for the right moment to be unleashed.

And then suddenly, a nonchalant voice cut in.

Everyone turned to look at the unexpected arrival, as though they had received an electric shock. Even Zero and Brain — who should not have turned their eyes away from the powerful foes before them — did the same thing.

“What? What's this? The Six Arms should be dealing with you now… Did you sneak in like these people?”

“No. I defeated your colleagues and then I came here.”

“As the saying goes, truth is stranger than fiction.”

“Ah. Thank you for your concern. However, it is fine, Climb-kun. I have already rescued her. She was elsewhere in this building.”

“Ah!”

“Pay it no heed, Climb-kun. The maid uniform is merely a cloth outfit. There is nothing to regret.”

“Oi oi oi, you're actually ignoring me for idle chit-chat… you lot are pretty relaxed, aren't you?”

“Old man! I'll ask you again, what happened to my people!”

His tone was as casual as though he were picking a wildflower by the road, but his words were merciless beyond compare.

Zero's furious cry only drew a smile from Sebas. All that benign smile did was make Zero's instincts realize that Sebas was telling the truth.

“Mm, got it. Try not to die right away. Still, I don't think there'll be anything left for me to do.”

Sebas smiled bitterly. That smile was unbearable for a man who prided himself as the strongest warrior.

Head of the Security Division, leader of the Six Arms, “Battle Demon” Zero.

One of this man's careers was a vocation called Shaman. That vocation had a skill which allowed one to be possessed by animal spirits, through which he could gain those animals' excellent physical attributes. It could only be used a limited number of times in a day, but once used, it would allow a human to boost his physical abilities into the realm of wild beasts.

Normally, he would conserve his strength by only activating the power of one animal at a time. However, Zero understood that Sebas' strength could not be underestimated.

It was more likely that he had been accompanied by Blue Rose.

He decided that this was the best way to do things, and he began preparing his most powerful move.

“YEEEEEEEEAAAAARRRTT!”

This was the attack of Zero, the mightiest warrior of Six Arms. It was a straight punch with just a fist. There were no feints or fancy moves here; it was just a simple punch with an Iron Fist. However, the power within that fist beggared belief. In addition to his shamanic skills, it was also enhanced by numerous other skills from monk-type jobs and then by many magic items which granted his fist overwhelming speed and destructive power.

Zero's heart cleared as he cast everything else behind him. His senses seemed to slowly distend, and he stepped forward, feeling as though his body was stretching out behind him.

Someone shouted.

Zero saw Sebas frozen in place — probably because he had been too fast for the old man — and smiled. It was as though to say: Go and regret making an enemy of me, the strongest warrior of Six Arms.

The fist connected with Sebas' vulnerable belly. It was a perfect, immaculate strike.

He did not move. He had died on the spot.

This was Zero's most powerful technique. It was a fiendish move which incarnated the principle of the one-hit kill.

Instead, Sebas — did not move at all.

Nobody who saw it dared to believe it. One could say the scene before them was unreal.

The person who could least believe it was naturally Zero himself. This was the most powerful blow he could make. He could not believe any living being could take it and remain unharmed. That was how it had always been until now. That was what he had always thought until now, but then this scene had unfolded before his eyes. Thus, he did not react even as a black object flashed before his eyes.

And like a thunderbolt, it fell.

That was the typical name for a move like this. However, its speed and power were anything but typical.

A gruesome sound of cracking filled the air. Zero fell to the ground, his skull pulverized and his neck and spine shattered, as though he had been crushed by a several-hundred kilogram weight.

In a word, everyone in this room was transfixed. Sebas shifted away from where Zero's smashed skull was gushing fresh blood and patted at the place where Zero's fist had struck.

Are you kidding me? What warning are you talking about?!

“You saved me, Climb-kun.”

Climb's mouth was still wide open as if to go “Ahhh”, but he nervously accepted Sebas' thanks. His mind had been so overloaded that he had no idea what to say.

Sebas indicated a small distance between his two fingers. The gap between them was probably the difference between Zero and himself which Sebas was implying, but naturally, nobody agreed with that assessment.

Just like before, everyone present thought the same thing.

“Ah, no, ah, are the other members of Six Arms… really…?”

“Is, is that so. Well, there's nothing to be done about that. Ah, please don't beat yourself up about it.”

“In, in any case, let's get the troops to search this building.”

One could say they had done better than any other group. The only imperfection was that Zero — a man who knew a lot about the organization — had been killed, but that was merely a calculated loss since they could not have taken him alive anyway. Only a fool would be unhappy with that.

“What's wrong, Sebas-sama?”

“Mm, indeed.”

Sebas walked up to where Tsuare was standing at the entrance and scooped her up. Her pale, slender, almost fleshless legs dangled in the air. They saw how tightly Tsuare clung to Sebas' clothing with her emaciated arms.

It would be boorish to ask about their relationship. Does it matter what's going on between them?

After saying so, Climb led everyone out without waiting for them to reply.

They had sensed people within the building on their way in, but now it felt like it had been abandoned.

That sense of liberation took a great weight off his shoulders.

Climb followed his line of sight, and then his own eyes went wide.

Climb unconsciously nodded as he heard Brain mutter to himself.

“Now what could that be?”

“What should we do, leader? I think that's the warehouse district, who's in charge of that?”

“That's probably the best course of action… ah — Sebas-sama…”

_{The latest_epi_sodes are on_the ʟɪɢʜᴛɴᴏᴠᴇʟᴡᴏʀʟᴅ.ᴄᴏᴍ website.}

“Understood, Sebas-sama. Thank you for your help yesterday and today.”

“Please pay it no heed. We shared the same objectives, so all I did was render a bit of assistance… I shall strive to repay you all for your attempt at rescuing her. Now, if you'll excuse me, I will be taking my leave.”

Chapter end