White snowflakes were splattered with drops of red blood.
"Heuk! Heuk!"
In a back alley of Crossroad.
Lucas gasped for air as he tightened his grip on his sword.
Five members of the Special Forces lay defeated before him. Only Mason was barely holding on, leaning his greatsword against the ground.
Despite their numerical advantage and strength, Lucas's talent and capability surpassed them all.
"Heh heh, as expected, a real McGregor is different."
Mason muttered, pressing his hand against a long sword wound on his chest.
"Even if we are elite agents selected from the best Team 1, to think we can't beat you alone..."
"Just surrender, Mason."
Compared to the fatally injured Special Forces, Lucas was mostly unscathed, save for a few minor injuries.
Lucas menacingly lunged his sword forward.
"I'll finish this."
"Sorry, but that's not going to happen."
Mason said and pulled something from his pocket.
"Lord Fernandez has given me power."
"What?"
"Power that you can't even come close to with mere swordsmanship... truly destructive power!"
In Mason's hand was a small syringe filled with a blue substance.
"Is that... Beastification Serum?"
"You've used it before, haven't you?"
Mason sneered as he put the needle tip to the side of his neck.
"It's a more refined version compared to those lowly experimental samples you used."
"A refined version, you say?"
"Yes. A serum perfected by extracting only the pure animalistic traits from all kinds of beastmen...! Only the agents handpicked by Lord Fernandez were given this serum. The effect is a bit volatile, but it's plenty strong."
Lucas gritted his teeth, his shoulders trembling.
"How many beastmen did you have to sacrifice to create that serum...?"
"How would I know?"
With a sinister smile, Mason plunged the syringe into his neck.
"As long as it's effective!"
Thuk!
The serum was sucked into Mason's body.
"Haaaa..."
Starting from his neck, his veins bulged and traveled throughout his body; his muscles expanded, and steam rose from his sword wounds as they healed.
Mason grinned, his face veined and contorted like a beast. Pointy, animal-like fangs were visible.
"So, this is what it feels like to abandon humanity."
"..."
"The more you abandon, the stronger you get. Human decency is really laughable, isn't it?"
Thud-!
Mason, who had stomped the ground, lunged at Lucas at an incomparable speed to before.
Craaang!
Mason's greatsword tore through the air as it came crashing down. Lucas barely managed to parry the attack with his own sword, but he staggered, nearly falling.
'What insane power...!'
The force of the sword strike was far greater than before.
Mason, already a large figure, now resembled a medium-sized monster.
He was wielding his massive greatsword as if it were a mere dagger.
Lucas barely fended off Mason's sword strikes and regained his stance.
'I'm outmatched in both strength and speed! At this rate...'
Lucas had a straightforward way to turn the tables: Beastification.
He just had to abandon his humanity and entrust his body to his animalistic instincts.
Hadn't he overcome countless crises thanks to Beastification before?
Just a momentary release, and he could easily kill this damn traitor and go rescue Ash...
- Didn't I tell you not to use Beastification?
Suddenly, Ash's voice brushed past his ear.
"...!"
Lucas clenched his teeth.
Yes, I made a promise. I swore never to use Beastification again.
I didn't want to break my trust with Ash. I wanted to keep this promise, even if it cost me my life.
Then, the only means to counter Mason right now is—
'There's one.'
[Divine Descent].
It was Lucas's ultimate skill, granting a massive stat buff and even enhancing existing skills.
Golden aura erupted behind Lucas as he closed his eyes.
Roaar-!
The golden aura that stretched out from his back soon enveloped his entire body.
In the pouring snow, Lucas shone like a lantern, emitting his own light.
"Phew."
With a light exhale, Lucas shot forward like a bullet.
Clang! Clink! Thwack-!
With [Divine Descent] activated, Lucas began to trade blows with Mason on equal footing. No, he started to dominate.
Thud! Splash...!
Blood splattered from various parts of Mason's body as Lucas's sword grazed him.
"Heh...?!"
With his brows deeply furrowed, Mason let out a beast-like groan, clearly taken aback.
'I can end this!'
A cluster of light gathered on Lucas's sword.
A [Strike of Will] executed under the state of [Divine Descent] transformed into an area-of-effect attack. With a single slash, he could rip Mason to shreds.
In the midst of their swordplay, Mason's lower defense momentarily faltered. Lucas's eyes widened.
'Now!'
With immense power, Lucas's longsword swung upward from below. Sensing that his defense was late, Mason clenched his teeth.
That's when it happened.
Something caught Lucas's eye.
"...!"
Beneath the wall that Mason leaned on, there was a small semi-basement window.
Through that window, a child was looking this way.
Seemed like a kid who lived in this alley.
If Lucas continued with his swing, the area-of-effect [Strike of Will] would surely sweep away the wall, the semi-basement room, and that child.
In a split second, Lucas hesitated.
"...Damn!"
The next moment, he desperately twisted his sword trajectory.
Whoosh-!
Abruptly altering its course, Lucas's longsword sliced through empty air.
Watching this, the corners of Mason's mouth twisted into a malicious smile.
"Awww, our darling Lucas, sir..."
Mason's greatsword crudely slashed horizontally.
"Why would you pick up a sword in the first place if you're this softhearted?!"
Whoosh-!
"Cough?!"
A clean hit.
The greatsword struck Lucas's unguarded breastplate directly.
At least the golden aura from [Divine Descent] mitigated some of the damage, preventing it from becoming fatal, but his breastplate shattered.
In turn, the aura diminished, and with it, the duration of [Divine Descent] shortened.
Feeling desperate, Lucas lunged forward with a reckless thrust.
"-I've been waiting for this."
Mason employed a secret technique he'd kept in reserve.
Screech-!
Mason's greatsword had jagged edges like a saw on one side.
Catching Lucas's thrust with that side, Mason snagged the blade, channeling magic power into his greatsword as he spun it in a spiral.
Mason's innate brute strength, honed skills, the hefty weight and unique structure of his greatsword, and utilizing the opponent's force as a counter—
It was Mason's ultimate technique, [Weapon Break].
A secret technique he'd never revealed during his time in the McGregor family, Lucas fell for it completely.
Creak-
[Karma Eater]'s durability diminished rapidly, making a dire noise until,
Clatter-!
It shattered into pieces.
From the moment he was snagged, Lucas had two options: either let go of the sword or hold on and have it break. Either way, the outcome was inevitable.
Mason had been waiting for the moment Lucas would make a thrust, and Lucas obligingly fell into the trap.
"..."
Having lost the golden aura as the duration of [Divine Descent] ended, Lucas stared down at his empty hands.
Broken shards of his blade were falling to the ground.
"So,"
Mason whispered softly into Lucas's ear with a growling voice.
"See what happens when you keep pretending to be human, sir?"
"..."
"A dog should live the life befitting a dog."
Next, Mason's greatsword pierced mercilessly.
Swoosh-!
Blood spouted like a fountain from Lucas's pierced chest.
***
"Huh?"
When I opened my eyes, it was somehow cold.
Strange. I had loaded up the fireplace with plenty of firewood before falling asleep. Did I sleep so long that the fire went out?
I tried to reach out to check the stove, but both of my arms felt as if they were tied up tight. They wouldn't budge.
My face was covered with something, too. I blinked but couldn't see anything in front of me. What's this, a bag?
As I woke up more, it became clear. My face was bagged, my arms were tied behind my back, and I was sitting in a cold room. What's going on?
'This feels too real to be a dream.'
I bit my cheek and felt a stinging pain. There was no way I could have such a realistic dream, so this had to be reality.
'I woke up to a kidnapping situation...'
I marveled at my own indifference, or perhaps my deep sleep. Just how soundly had I been sleeping?
"Hey~ kidnappers, I'm awake~?"
Only feeling jumpy for a moment, and unable to see anything anyway, I simply yelled out loud.
"Can you take off this suffocating bag? Also, it's cold, so wrap me in a blanket. How about turning on the heater? And could you explain why you're doing this? Hello? Can you hear me?"
I acted calmly because I suspected that the people who kidnapped me didn't intend to kill me.
If they wanted me dead, they wouldn't have bothered to bring me here and tie me up.
Thump. Thump.
Sure enough, someone approached, and a formal voice spoke.
"Prince Ash, please be patient for a while."
"Who are you?"
"...We are the Aegis Special Forces."
I inwardly cursed. These annoying jerks again?
Judging from the situation, it looked like they kidnapped me while all our forces were sent to the southern defense.
I hadn't considered this due to my headache...
"We are simply executing the mission we were assigned. If you cooperate, you won't be harmed."
"And why should I believe that?"
"...Our captain will return soon and explain everything."
The captain? Are they talking about Mason, the guy I had imprisoned a few days ago? Is he coming here? Did he break out?
I clicked my tongue. Somehow, I had nothing but bad feelings about this...
Footsteps receded again. I sighed and leaned back against the chair.
'Let's see, my condition is...'
Still not good. Drowsy and foggy. I couldn't even use my magic power; was it some special equipment restraining me?
'Any usable items or methods?'
My hands are tied, so my inventory is sealed. Since my magic is completely blocked, I can't summon captured monsters either.
Plus, these are trained agents. If I act recklessly, they'll subdue me in no time.
Things are really not in my favor. What now...?
"...Your Highness."
A quiet whisper came from behind me.
"Are you alright?"
The voice was familiar. I jerked and turned towards it.
"...Godhand?"
"Shh. You mustn't look this way."
Damn. I returned my gaze to the front.
Godhand spoke in a low voice.
"You won't be able to see what's ahead, so I'll brief you on the current situation."
"..."
"We're in a shack in the deserted village north of Crossroad. Your Highness, you are tied up in the room at the northern end of the first floor. I'm hiding outside the window and speaking to you through the gap."
The Shadow Squad trio were currently operating separately as part of the Penal Squad.
Therefore, they did not participate in this defense battle but were on standby in case the Aegis Special Forces goons made an additional push.
It seemed like their standby position allowed them to respond to my kidnapping.
"These people disguised themselves as merchants, citizens, or refugees and suddenly gathered to raid the mansion. They've kidnapped you and brought you here."
"..."
"There are too many of them, and we're only three, so we couldn't subdue them outright. We've just been assessing the situation. Please forgive us."
No, it's alright. You did well. Do you know how relieved I am that you're here at least?
"We've identified the location and confirmed their numbers, so we'll bring reinforcements soon. Please wait a bit more calmly..."
His voice suddenly cut off there.
"Urgh?!"
Thud! Crash!
With Godhand's brief cry of pain, the sound of weapons swinging, something breaking, and someone falling to the ground could be heard.
"...Godhand?"
I whispered softly, but there was no answer.
"Hey, Godhand. Are you okay?"
Still, no answer.
"Godhand...?"
You're alright, aren't you? Huh?