Chapter 62: Confrontation with the Reaper
The Subarokia Empire boasts the largest territory on the Slada Continent. With such vast dominion comes the need to control numerous lands and an abundance of nobles. And as their numbers increase, so does the likelihood of corruption.
One of those corrupt nobles was the target of an assassination request by the "Reaper," Shu.
"That house, huh?"
On a quiet night in the imperial capital of Aldaal, Shu Arklight, known as the "Reaper," muttered in a district lined with noble mansions, his face hidden beneath a hood. Using applied vibration magic, he concealed his presence and walked the streets. While careless use of magic or enchantments within the capital could lead to capture, as long as he remained undetected, he was fine. Hidden by unsystematic concealment magic, no one noticed Shu's presence.
By taking on a spectral form, he could pass through walls and become truly invisible.
It was convenient for assassination.
(Shall I go?)
No need to speak from this point.
While vibration magic could mute his voice, there was no point in speaking aloud when there was no one around. Soliloquies were sufficient within one's own mind. Unnecessary actions and redundant use of magic were a waste.
The data was already stored in his mind.
Naturally, he also knew the layout of the target's bedroom within the mansion.
(From the mansion's floor plan... that room, perhaps?)
Becoming ethereal, he floated and passed through a window, infiltrating the mansion. A sleeping man lay on the bed. Expecting a bloated, unsightly figure due to his status as a corrupt noble, Shu was surprised to find the man in better shape than he had imagined.
Of course, Shu had no interest in observing men. He reached out without scrutinizing the figure.
("Death.")
Closing his hand tightly, he activated death magic. This magic robbed all forms of energy, bestowing death upon living and non-living alike. Empowered by Shu's mastery over the very laws themselves, the nobleman met his demise. Stripped of all life force, from vitality to magical energy, the nobleman's heart ceased to beat.
(Now, for the head...)
Utilizing disassembly magic, he broke molecular bonds, separating head from body. After solidifying back into physical form, Shu released the vibration magic and stowed the severed head into a bag. He then summoned a shadow spirit.
(Take this.)
The serpent-shaped shadow spirit could freely traverse the realm of shadows. In the world of shadows governed by the spirit, it could accommodate seemingly limitless cargo. Even Shu wouldn't carry a bag reeking of blood, so he handed over the incriminating head to the shadow spirit.
If he had the shadow spirit take it to the Black Cat's Tavern, he could accomplish two things at once.
(Now, time to return.)
Just as Shu pondered this, his legs stopped moving.
Unexpectedly, his balance was disrupted, and he stumbled. Thanks to the soft carpet, the fall was silent, but his legs felt heavy. Upon examination, his legs had turned to stone. In fact, they were actual stones.
"What is this..."
Petrification of both legs.
He sensed no trace of magic, ruling out traps. Hence, he deduced that it was the result of concealing magic artificially.
Shu grew wary.
And, as if in response, five distinct presences appeared.
One man and four women.
"Amazing. The 'Reaper' has come just as Captain planned."
One of the girls spoke, her eyes radiating powerful magic. Apparently, she had substitution-type enchantments. Her eyes had been replaced by magical constructs.
And she lit up her eyes once more.
"...This one has incredible magic. My magic eye can't affect it anymore."
"Magic eye" Mysla.
Through her enchanted attire, she had petrified Shu's legs. The mission from the Ravyn Squad's captain, Lut Ravyn, was to lure the "Reaper" using a corrupt noble's mansion as bait. While it was true that the mansion's noble had indeed fallen into decay, this offered an opportunity to draw out the "Reaper," killing two birds with one stone.
The plan was to capture the "Reaper" using Mysla's petrification once the noble had been assassinated.
However, the power of petrification wouldn't work on an opponent possessing greater magic than herself.
It had somewhat affected Shu, who had suppressed his magic, but it failed to work beyond that.
(Troublesome.)
Shu murmured within his hood. However, it was merely troublesome; he wasn't truly distressed.
Because Shu was a spirit-type magical creature.
Originally, he was the primeval spirit Alfa Spirit, without a physical form. Thus, petrification of his legs held no meaning.
"Seriously... to think this was a trap."
It was his first experience, even after starting his career as an assassin. Betrayals were commonplace in the world of darkness, but this was his first brush with a conspiracy at the national level.
Nonetheless, there was no need to panic.
"Captain, what now?"
"He got caught rather easily. If it's the 'Reaper' against us, it's child's play!"
"Don't let your guard down. The 'Reaper' isn't dead. What's our next move, Captain?"
The three girls spoke in succession, directing their attention to the woman referred to as the captain. They faced the assassin known as the "Reaper," but their confidence stemmed from their status as S-rank magical soldiers. They believed it impossible for them, S-rank magical soldiers, to easily lose. There was no way five S-rank magical soldiers would allow the "Reaper" to escape. Their overconfidence, however, led to their folly.
Ravyn Squad's mission was to exterminate the "Reaper."
Their confidence was also rooted in the strength of Captain Lut Ravyn.
And Shu didn't miss a word.
(If I kill this captain, I can easily escape. "Death.")
Draining a large amount of life force as magical energy. That was death magic.
Lut, who had grown complacent after the "Reaper" was captured, had her life force sapped away by death magic.
"Ugh... What is..."
Suddenly, Rut's strength left him, and he fell to his knees.
The four subordinates present here, Misura of the "Magic Eye," Erina of the "Infinite," Yuri of the "Reverse Mirror," and Ike of the "Flame Dragon," were all astonished. It was understandable for them to be shocked, considering their captain Rut had suddenly taken damage.
Equally surprised was Shu.
(This guy! A awakened magic armor user!)
Death magic could take a life with a single blow. Only awakened magic armor users were immune to it.
Awakened magic armor users defied the laws of the world and gained the ability to endlessly regenerate their magical energy. They no longer needed to recover their magic through meals and rest; their magical power now restored automatically. Furthermore, they had become beings beyond human understanding, achieving immortality.
Death magic wouldn't kill them with a single strike. It required death magic power, which annihilated its target through the concept of death.
"What have you done to the captain!"
A boy named Ike activated his magic armor and attacked Shu. He invoked the Flame Dragon on his arm, manifesting a fiery dragon arm. The blazing dragon arm, controlled by Ike, grew larger and tried to crush Shu.
Shu countered it with death magic.
The burning dragon arm was merely a manifestation of magic armor. Shu could make it disappear by absorbing its energy.
"What!?"
Ike had witnessed his father, Schmidt, being killed by the "Grim Reaper." He had attacked Shu with flame magic as revenge, experiencing the sudden disappearance of his magic once again.
Ike speculated that Shu's magic armor nullified magic attacks.
"Contact Sadina! Set up barriers around the estate!"
"Yes."
Rut, still on his knees, commanded Erina, who then used a communication magical tool to contact Sadina of the "Sky" division. Sadina was an extended-type magic armor user who manifested wings and attacked from the sky using her specialized magic.
This time, she had been on guard in the sky above the estate.
Whether the command had reached Sadina or not, sunlight-based magic was activated. Sunlight magic, possessing properties of healing and barrier, spread widely and formed a dome over the estate. Their intention was to prevent the "Grim Reaper" from escaping.
In the meantime, Shu was taking action.
(Would it be wise to conceal my true identity as a monster...)
If he materialized as a spirit, he could instantly remove the petrification and escape. However, to conceal his identity as a monster, Shu chose a different approach for now.
He generated a blinding light with vibration magic.
The intense flash blinded the five individuals, causing a whiteout.
"Kuh! You won't escape!"
Even though their vision was impaired, Rut deployed his magic armor, attempting to capture the "Grim Reaper" using gravity. However, Shu had already become ethereal, utilizing invisibility magic and unaffected by gravity.
When their vision returned, the "Grim Reaper" was nowhere to be seen.
"...You let him get away."
"His legs were petrified by the Magic Eye. Why?"
"I should have bound him with chains."
Rut muttered in frustration, and both Misura and Erina wore grim expressions. Yuri felt awkward for being unable to contribute.
At that moment, the window opened, and Sadina, who had been on alert outside, appeared. She had wings and could fly, allowing her to show her face even on the third floor.
"Captain, the barrier has been broken!"
"I see. So they've managed to escape completely."
The image of an assassin with low direct combat ability had been assumed, but the 'Reaper's' abilities were unexpectedly high. Not only were their stealth capabilities impressive, but their magical prowess and abilities in dark arts were considerable.
"They nullified Ike's magical armor and even used light magic at the end. Quite versatile."
Luto's perception of the 'Reaper' began to change. The rumors circulating were thought to be exaggerated, but it seems they were not.
If they underestimated and let their guard down just because they cornered and immobilized the enemy, the 'Reaper' might escape again.
The Emperor's command was to eliminate the 'Reaper'. While capturing would have been ideal, accomplishing the mission without intending to kill would be difficult.
"We'll change our strategy."
At the captain's declaration, Ike, Misura, Elia, Yuri, and Sadina turned their attention.
"Shall we kill the 'Reaper' next time instead of capturing?"
As part of Emperor Gias's plan, capturing the 'Reaper' was intended to strengthen the Subarokia Grand Empire. Having served as a high-ranking member of the shadow organization Black Cat, they had tipped the balance in favor of the Revolutionary Army Libellion in the war against the Grand Empire through assassinations.
They could be counted on as a formidable force.
Binding them with a curse of the shadow attribute could swiftly overcome the troublesome Revolutionary Army Libellion.
(How can we lure the 'Reaper'? They're likely on guard, so that's a dilemma.)
Observing Ike, whose eyes were ablaze with the desire for revenge, Luto contemplated.
***
"I'm home, Iris."
"Oh, welcome back."
Shu, who had returned home, recalled today's mission.
(I messed up. At least they didn't see my face.)
He hadn't expected to be ambushed. Five of them and another person flying in the sky outside were dressed in the uniform of the Grand Empire, revealing that the Empire had come to deal with the 'Reaper'.
Judging from their magical power, they were all S-rank or A-rank magical armored soldiers.
"I was ambushed by the Empire's magical armored soldiers today. I managed to escape, but they've got their eyes on me now."
"Unusually, you didn't kill them?"
"Yeah, I tried to kill their captain, but death magic didn't work. Probably the same as that awakened magical armored soldier, Celstar, we fought in the Elise Republic."
"Are you okay?"
Iris offered words of concern, but it seemed she wasn't too worried. She trusted Shu's abilities. The Dark Lord Shu Arklight was not supposed to lose to an S-rank magical armored soldier.
In the sacred land of Grinia, the current Dark Lord Arklight was considered to be on the level of Ruin Ruin or Despair Dispya.
As S-rank magical armored soldiers refer to monsters that require multiple of their rank to handle as Ruin Ruin, Shu, who can repel even awakened magical armored soldiers, is equivalent to Despair Dispya. Despair Dispya refers to monsters that bring about a country's downfall. Given that they've actually destroyed the Ramza Kingdom, it's not an exaggeration.
"Let's observe for a while. We'll receive a good sum of money for today's assassination request, so let's live quietly just in case."
"Back to part-time work again. I'm looking forward to it!"
Iris showed a truly delighted expression.
On the other hand, Shu was recalling. The squad that attacked the noble mansion, and the boy who had glared at him with intense anger.
He felt like he would fight that boy again.