Chapter 32 These Guys, That...
The attackers facing off against Logan and his group.
For some reason, an awkward silence flowed between the 2 parties.
The silence seemed to last for over ten seconds. It was weird because Logan, who should be enemies with the attackers, was giving them a look like he was watching pigs being sent to the slaughterhouse.
Anyway, the first one to break the silence was the leader of the ≪Slayers≫.
"Hahahahahahaha!!"
For some reason, he burst out laughing, then quickly turned around and shouted,
"――Let's get out of here!!"
As soon as he said that, he took off running towards the exit, followed by his companions.
One of them, who looked stunned, shouted in a flustered tone,
"Hey, wait! Judas!? Do you think those guys will let us get away with this?!"
"Shut up! If you don't want to die, then run! You're not going to get a second chance!!"
"Dammit...!"
But despite the protests, they all turned their backs on Logan's group and ran away.
It was a ridiculously clean escape.
They were trying to flee with their amazing speed, but they soon came to a halt.
"What the...?! You're...?!"
The reason was that someone was blocking their escape route, standing at the entrance.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?"
Well, it was none other than me.
No, to be exact, after defeating Ignitor, I had carefully collected the drops and used [Skywalk] to sneak back here alone.
I had used my magical energy sense to search for them, and since they were still facing off without fighting, I thought I'd block their escape route just in case... and it seemed like I made the right call.
Maybe Logan had predicted that these guys would try to escape, and was stalling for time until we defeated Ignitor...?
If that's the case, then Logan is truly impressive.
He wasn't just a crazy warrior; he was a clever one too.
"Huh? Wait, these guys... their eyes are gold...? Oh, Lady Eva! Are they... related to you or something?!"
"Not at all!!"
I guess that's not the case.
Then, I'll have no qualms about taking them down.
"Damn it, you bastards! There is only one opponent! ――Kill him!!"
On the other hand, the guy they called Judas seemed to have decided to take me down and make a run for it.
The attackers all swung their weapons and unleashed their magic at once.
"What the...? This is completely different from before!"
The sheer power was several levels above what Logan and I had faced during our initial ambush.
The aura and magic violence were overwhelming, filling my entire field of vision.
With just this attack, they could take down any floor boss below the 44th floor.
If they had unleashed this during their initial ambush, it would've been a close call.
But unlike back then, I didn't have any allies behind me. As long as I protected myself, I could do whatever it took.
I drew the Black Radiance, which I had switched with my own Silver.
My unique sword technique, [Continuous Blade], [Aura Blade]――combined technique [Continuous Blade Barrier].
The countless blades I unleashed swirled around me like a tornado, within a one-meter (≈3.3-foot) radius.
By narrowing the range of [Continuous Blade Barrier], the density of the swirling blades increased, creating a stronger barrier.
The attackers' assault collided with [Continuous Blade Barrier], sending shockwaves and explosive sounds flying everywhere. The ground was torn apart, and a cloud of dust rose into the air.
I expanded the range of [Continuous Blade Barrier] outward, creating a gust of wind that blew the dust away.
When I glanced down at the ground, I saw that the area outside the barrier had been heavily damaged, as if a dragon's breath had struck it.
I had thought they wouldn't be that strong since they were trying to kill us using Ignitor, but these guys were pretty tough.
If it were Logan or Io, they might have emerged victorious without a scratch, but if we had kept fighting, there was a high chance the other clan members would've gotten hurt. And since they had escaped without hesitation, it was likely they would have escaped most of the time.
So Logan was just stalling for time until this was over.
Logan, what a sly old fox.
Or should I say, he's been working me too hard?
"What the... you bastard...!!"
Judas-kun's eyes widened, and his cheeks turned red.
"Why are you still alive...!!"
"Uh, I just didn't want to die, I guess..."
The question of why I'm still alive is a pretty deep one, isn't it?
I racked my brain for a clever, intellectual-sounding answer, but I couldn't think of one, so I just gave a honest reply.
"Ha! You're kidding me...!! Leave me alone! Do it again!!"
"No, that's enough already."
I just fought Ignitor, after all.
From here on out, I don't plan on putting on a desperate fight against Judas-kun and his friends.
These guys are definitely my enemies, but I don't think they're important figures in the organization. I'm not hot-headed enough to think of every single member of the organization as a target for "revenge". Besides, our goal is to capture them alive.
If I kept going like that, I wouldn't know how many people I'd have to cut down. And besides, our goal is to capture them alive.
So I'll leave this to Logan and the others. Or rather, I'll let them do the work.
With that in mind, I operated my [Continuous Blade] technique, which I had been casually rotating around me, and unleashed it all at once towards them.
My unique sword technique, [Continuous Blade Barrier]――a hidden technique, [Raging Continuous Blade].
"Ugh...!!"
The countless blades I rained down on Judas and his friends exploded one after another.
The power of the attack was nothing special, since it had already been used to block their attack and consumed my aura. Judas and his friends each defended themselves with their weapons, used their skills to counterattack, or had their shield-bearing Jobs members step forward to block the attack.
"Hah! The power's not that impressive, is it!!"
Judas-kun smiled, seemingly unscathed by my attack.
I gave him a stern warning.
"You're in trouble if you're worried about me."
"――Huh?"
Behind Judas-kun and his friends, the members of the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ had finished making all their preparations.
In other words, it's time to prepare to unleash our skills and magic. We've had plenty of time, so we're all set to go all out.
The moment Judas and his friends realized this, they panicked and turned around.
"They're pretty tough, aren't they? Let's take them down with all our might ——Fire away!"
Logan and the others from the clan launched a simultaneous attack with their skills and magic.
Fiona and the others, who had returned from their battle with Ignitor, were also there. It was an all-out attack without holding back, with 38 expert explorers.
"DEFEND YOURSELVESSS!!"
Judas and his friends tried to defend themselves, firing back with their skills and magic.
Their skills and magic activation speed was impressive, but unfortunately, they were outnumbered and outmatched. With Logan, Io, and Ail mixed in, it was clear that 12 people couldn't take them down.
They were engulfed in a storm of destruction from the aura and magic, and Judas and his friends were blown away without being able to do anything.
* * *
To sum it up, Judas and his friends didn't die.
Some of them were on the brink of death, barely holding on to their original form, but they managed to recover with healing potions.
They had a bit of superhuman toughness and vitality.
However, since almost everyone was on the brink of death, it was easy to restrain them.
Currently, Lady Eva had prepared special restraints and ropes, and Judas and his friends were being held captive.
Normally, for high-ranking combat job holders, ropes and the like are meaningless. They can use their skills and magic to break free, and some might even use brute force to escape.
So, in cases where they need to be restrained, special restraints are used.
That's what Lady Eva had prepared ―― the "collar".
Its official name is the "Anti-Magic Ring".
This collar is a type of magic tool that forcibly disrupts the target's internal magical energy when worn, making it impossible to use magical energy. Not only magicians but also those with other combat jobs can't use their auras.
The aura is ultimately a variation of magical energy, so if the magical energy within the body is disrupted, it's impossible to produce an aura.
Furthermore, the high physical abilities unique to combat-based Jobs also cease to function, and physical abilities temporarily drop to the level of an average person.
So, after we put on the chokers and barely brought everyone back from the brink of death, we, the Ail group, listened to various explanations from Logan and the others while Judas and the others, who had lost consciousness, recovered.
We asked about why Judas and the others had golden eyes, and who they really were.
According to Logan's explanation, the change in eye color was due to drinking a strange potion. At the same time, their magical energy and physical abilities increased, and their control over their aura also improved, making their skills much stronger.
And about their true identities...
"For now, they haven't revealed anything about their organization. Instead, they've been calling themselves ≪Extreme Sword≫."
"≪Extreme Sword≫...?"
"Are you saying they're ≪Extreme Sword≫...?"
Calum and Claire, as well as the other members of the Ail group, looked down at Judas and the others, who were bound and lying on the ground, with puzzled expressions.
On the other hand, I also glanced at my friends' faces, my expression serious.
――And for some reason, Logan was staring straight at me.
"What do you think, Aaron?"
"Hmm..."
I didn't voice my internal question of "Why are you asking me?" and instead replied with a serious expression.
"It's unbelievable that they're... that... ≪Extreme Sword≫..."
Even as I said that, I was thinking something else in my heart.
――No, what's this ≪Extreme Sword≫ thing?
I have no idea what it is?
I think these guys are probably famous for something, but I've never heard of the title ≪Extreme Sword≫. I mean, I'm basically a solo player, so I don't have many connections, and new information from the explorer community doesn't reach me easily. I do get some info from the Wood Sword community, since I've been interviewed by "Wood Sword" a few times, but...
If someone's a pretty famous explorer, I'd know their title, but that's only because I happened to overhear other explorers gossiping about it at the guild or a bar.
I'm pretty sure these guys had a different title, though. I remember them introducing themselves with confidence.
But the other clan members seem puzzled, just like me, and they don't seem to know what the ≪Extreme Sword≫ title means either.
From what I can tell, everyone's acting like they know something, but...
So I'll just play along.
I glance at Logan, who's still staring at me, and nod slightly.
"I see... their strength is impressive... I guess that's what it means to be called ≪Extreme Sword≫... yeah..."
Why is everyone looking at me like that?
Every time I say something, Logan and a few others start giving me weird looks. Did I say something wrong?
I'm starting to feel a bit uneasy when Logan opens his mouth.
"No way... they can't be ≪Extreme Sword≫. They're way too weak."
What?!
Oh, I get it. Everyone was doubting whether these guys were really ≪Extreme Sword≫ because it sounds too good to be true.
In other words, nobody really knows what ≪Extreme Sword≫ means, so they can't deny it outright.
I finally understand.
"Yeah, I thought so. These guys claiming to be ≪Extreme Sword≫? That's just ridiculous. They're making a fool of the real ≪Extreme Sword≫."
"......"
≪Extreme Sword≫ got that nickname for some reason, but I have no idea what it is. They're probably really strong, though.
For some reason, Logan and Lady Eva were giving me a weird look, but I'm sure I didn't say anything strange.
However, as I was acting all calm and collected, Lady Eva opened her mouth to speak to me.
"Uh, Mr. Aaron... can I ask you something?"
"Ugh, guuu...!"
And then, at that moment.
Judas, who had been unconscious, let out a painful groan and opened his eyes.
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