"Ahh, can't relax..."
Currently, I'm walking through the hallways of the convent that lead to Raspberry Bell's room.
Why I'm restless, you ask? The reason is simple: I am dressed as a woman. Or rather, it's because I myself look like a woman.
First, I was moved into the convent so that the gatekeeper would not notice me, then I found a suitable nun, blindfolded her from behind, and sent her some distance away from the city using Anko's "Darkness Transfer" and "Darkness Summon" and left her there, then came back while using a wraith that had morphed into her exact same appearance. It was a somewhat aggressive method, and it took a bit of time, but I was able to infiltrate this place with no difficulty.
The interesting thing about wraiths is that not only your appearance but also your voice changes. In my opinion, it's not "mimicry" but more like "duplication". Perhaps it's like a direct copy of a character's data. Kind of like in a game. It's quite convenient, but you only really understand it once you use it.
I walked proudly down the hallways of the convent, aiming for the saint's room. The location of said room had already been identified by Luna, who had infiltrated the convent beforehand, or should I say Codename: Consade.
"Here?"
Perhaps because it was early morning, I reached the front of the room without running into anyone. It was a little eerie as if I was being lured in.
When I put my hand on the doorknob, it clicked open without any resistance. It was unlocked.
"...Yup, not here."
Sure enough, Raspberry Bell was not in there.
The attempted assassination of the Pope by Renko, the Saint's caretaker, might've put the other side on high alert. I should assume that for this reason, they moved the saint to a safer place. Or, maybe they are even suspicious of the saint.
Uhmm, what was I supposed to do if she wasn't here? ...Ahh, right, contact Luna.
As I left the convent, I got in contact with Luna telling her "she's not here". After a few seconds, I got a reply: "Please wait a moment".
Then, about ten minutes later, I got a message saying, "We've found her". Yeah... Isn't she a bit too capable?
She then added, "After transferring to point D northeast of Old Joh, go south along the river." Since we shared the general transfer points in a meeting the previous day, she now told me the nearest transfer point that's safe and without anyone noticing it.
D point, northeast of Old Joh. It was on the bank of a river, a little far from the canyon that was expected to become a fierce battlefield. When I transferred as she instructed, my leg got stuck in the snow. Seems like the snow has piled up a lot in just one night.
"Are you cold, My Lord?"
"I'm fine, I'll warm up as I move more."
Anko said worryingly as she patted down my body. Unfortunately, I don't have time to slowly warm up.
The sun was about to rise. I searched for shadows in the direction I was going to get into shades, but the visibility was poor and I couldn't see much further ahead.
It would be faster to run than to shift from shadow to shadow. So I told Anko to take some rest for now and thanked her before sending her back with "Unsummon".
Well then, let's run.
Still, I wonder if my feet won't get stuck in the snow...
"Ah, shit, it's really hard to run!"
As I ran with difficulty while cursing, I somehow came to the side of the canyon.
It was the middle of a fierce battle. The white cloaks probably belong to Dizart. Ohh, cool, even though they are a small group, they are moving around quickly and overwhelming the enemy. Excellent teamwork. On the other hand, the ones wearing ridiculously heavy armor in the snow are probably the army of the Sacred Country. That's why they are being pushed back, they have no mobility like that.
I disguised myself as a soldier of Kamel with a pretty common face so as to not be noticed by the Sacred Country's army and stealthily followed the army, which was following Dizart, who had rushed into the main camp.
I'm sure that the Pope is at the end of where Dizart is moving towards. And Raspberry Bell too.
I wonder what happened to Renko...Wondering this in the back of my mind, I continued walking the snow-covered road.
＊ ＊ ＊
The surprise attack was quite successful.
Dizart approached under the cover of snow and darkness and shot a large number of fire arrows. The flames spread in the dry winter air, and Old Joh descended into chaos at dawn.
However, the difference in numbers was huge, to begin with. The army of the Sacred Country of Kamel deployed troops in the blink of an eye, paying no heed to the slight confusion.
But, Dizart was strong from that point on.
Operation White Silver, a well-devised plan, had begun. They divided into dozens of units and, taking full advantage of the terrain of canyons and forests, divided the Sacred Country's forces one by one, destroying the scattered soldiers one after the other.
Crush it with sheer numbers and the battle would be settled in a matter of hours. At first, Pope Black thought so, but he felt troubled to see his army being cut down rapidly by the white silver warriors, who could attack from any place, in a terrain where numbers made no difference.
The current Old Joh was stretched more thinly than the Pope had expected. This was the effect of sending troops to the border in fear of the Castall Kingdom.
Also, the soldiers' training in snow combat was poor, and the morale was at an all-time low. This was an obvious consequence of the fact that they had been treated like slaves, taking advantage of their faith.
...There was no way they'd lose, this much was obvious, but it was possible this battle would be prolonged for a long time. And the only element in this that could lead to the possibility of losing was...
"Please be careful, Your Holiness."
That's right, assassination. Even though he had gotten away with it once, it didn't mean there wouldn't be a second time.
In response to the advice of his guard, Nex, Pope Black nodded deeply and opened his mouth.
"Depending on the case, Nex, I may have to ask you to do something."
"Please leave it to me."
Nex bowed his head, a blank expression on his face.
It was not the usual request for an escort. It was a request too horrifying and terrible to be easily put into words.
"Black, don't tell me that you intend to use that thing...?"
"You've been speaking more commandingly lately, Raspberry Bell."
The main camp in the eastern part of Old Joh. In this place, Pope Black had taken command, and there was also the saintly figure of Raspberry Bell.
Nex had brought her here. He was suspicious of Raspberry Bell, He suspected that Renko's assassination of the body double had been ordered by her. He also assumed that she was connected to Dizart and that they would come to take her back. Hence, she was taken to this place where Nex could monitor her personally.
The presence of both the saint and the Pope meant that this place was namely the safest in Old Joh. It was the most protected place, where all troops were concentrated.
If you think you can assassinate the Pope, try it, if you think you can get back the Saint, try it, that's just what Nex wanted. And if there was an overwhelmingly strong person who could reach this place, then....
"Take this――!!"
Some of the soldiers in the formation were blown back as if by an explosion.
"As expected, the information was correct! The Pope is here! All member charge!!"
Brighton, the leader of the anti-church forces, Dizart. shouted. This was the main body of the Revolutionary Army, led by Brighton, launching a desperate assault on the main camp.
Just before, he had been contacted by a certain person. And she had told him "The Pope is here".
Once the Pope's whereabouts were known, the rest was simple. All they had to do was focus all of Dizart's forces and launch a decisive assault.
"How did you know I was here !?"
"Today was the conclave, right!? We've already killed several cardinals! You're next, Black!"
"How did you know!?"
"You should ask that to your own heart!"
In a situation where the conclave was exposed, one would think that there is a traitor on the Pope's side. The truth, however, was that it was the work of a completely unrelated spirit. Obviously, there's no way these two could take notice of this fact.
"Uraaaaaaah!"
Brighton help up a large shield, and using "Rook Shield Arts" he rushed knocking up several soldiers.
When the rush stopped, he switched to his great sword and mowed down the soldiers blocking his path.
He was really strong. Both his [Swordsmanship] and [Shield Arts] were at a high rank. He had acquired this strength through sheer desperation for revenge.
Thus, with Brighton as the main force, Dizart's warriors broke through the main camp and finally reached the Pope's sight.
"W-Why? How did you make it out...!?"
Too strong. Even though the Sacred Country's army had the advantage in numbers, the difference in strength was clearly tipped in favor of Dizart. The Pope was intimidated by that strength and took a step back.
Among them was another warrior that was as ferocious as Brighton. And that was――
"――You mean me!!?"
Renko.
She incapacitated one soldier after another, moving as quickly as lightning with her high-level [Martial Arts].
She was one of the main reasons why Dizart was able to break through the main camp with only a few hundred men. She was also the one who gave them the Pope's location. She chose to cooperate with Dizart because she thought it would be reckless to attack this place alone.
The incredible strength of Renko and Brighton, plus the miraculous combination of terrain, weather, information, the difference in experience in combat in the snow, and differences in morale, all helped in this crazy turnout.
Originally, most of the people with high ranks in certain skills were something like a "mutation". From the general population's point of view, they were as strong as monsters. It was a strength that everyone felt was "obviously strange".
A man who risked everything to become strong in order to get his revenge, and a woman who became strong by being taught by 『Framboise I』, the world's 128th rank player. The Pope had been driven to a corner all at once only because of the combination of these two monsters.
...However. There was yet another monster in this place.
"Sheik, take care of His Holiness and Raspberry Bell-sama."
"Yes, sir."
The guard, Nex. The most powerful swordsman in the Sacred Country of Kamel. And also one of said mutations.
Telling his subordinate Sheik to guard the Pope and the saint, he leaped forward.
"I will fully take responsibility for underestimating your strength and for letting you escape."
Brighton and Renko are too dangerous for Pope Brighton. That's why I need to crush them right here...Nex thought so.
"N-No! Renko! You've got to run away!"
Raspberry Bell shouted. She was desperate, no longer trying to hide the fact that she was colluding with Raspberry Bell.
She sensed it. The thing that Nex was going to use.
Renko sent a gesture trying to convey "It's okay". This was the second time she would be fighting Nex, and she now had a firm grasp on his abilities. And with Brighton in addition to herself and the Transform skill, there was no way she could lose. This much was obvious.
"It's not that! It's him! He's carrying a...!"
And yet, Raspberry Bell kept on shouting.
There was something wrong. Renko tilted his head and suddenly noticed something in Nex's hand.
...A small, potion bottle. Renko's body shuddered when she saw it filled with a blue liquid.
"The heck, that thing...looks dangerous."
"Stop him!!"
Brighton shouted. And immediately after, Dizart's warriors attacked Nex all at once.
However...It was a little too late.
Nex's body glowed with a bluish-white light.
He drank the potion.
A terrifying buff potion called "Madness Agent".
"――eh!?"
Nex swung his sword at the Dizart warriors that were approaching him.
It was just a "Soldier Swordsmanship" attack.
But, in spite of that...they all died, with just a single blow.
"No...!"
Raspberry Bell knew the identity of the potion.
Madness Agent――The strongest and worst buff potion that increases all stats by 2,000% for 600 seconds.
But in exchange, after the 600 seconds passed, the user always died.
In Mobius Online, it was perceived as a very useless potion with a very limited timing for use. It was an item that high-level players in particular did not use because they didn't want to incur in the death penalty.
But now that this is the real world, it's become the ideal item for suicide attacks...Raspberry Bell never thought it would become such an item.
In exchange for your life, you get 20 times your stats for 10 minutes. A potion that was truly suitable for a "Last Stand".
...And, this wasn't all.
This had been made by Raspberry Bell by [Compounding] at the orders of Pope Black.
"What do you think? The sight of your comrades being tormented by the very thing you created."
"...I won't forgive you, Black. You better say your prayers while you still can."
"Haha. I'll even take the time to reveal the details to you now. Caramelia is not a painkiller or anything like that. It's just a drug. Thanks to your diligent preparation, the Sacred Country has been enriched. It was all thanks to you, Raspberry Bell."
"N-No...That cant! Even though I told you to treat that very carefully!"
"I was afraid of you, that you were a real saint. That's why I pretended to be obedient. But now, miracles are hard to come by, don't they? In other words, you're not a saint. I feel like I lost money just by flattering you."
"Y-You bastard!"
The guard, Sheik, kept the enraged Raspberry Bell away from the Pope.
"Hahahahaha". The Pope's laughter echoed. Beyond his gaze, the one-sided battle between the crazed Nex and the warriors of Dizart was already coming to an end.
"Gggghhh...!"
Brighton, who was reduced to a ragdoll, was hit by a blow from Nex and rolled on the ground.
"Da...mn...!"
Renko was in a state where she could just muster enough energy to just stand there.
"..."
All of Dizart's warriors were lying on the ground.
And Nex was――completely unharmed.
No matter how many fierce men joined forces, they couldn't even inflict a single scratch. An increase of 2,000% in stats was just that much.
"It's over."
Standing in front of Brighton, Nex ruthlessly swung down his sword using the "Soldier Swordsmanship" skill.
Is it over? Here?――The next moment, the exhausted Brighton saw the faces of his family flash before his eyes.
"!?"
Then, the sound of Nex's sword striking against something hard.
"――I'm sorry I am a little late, Brother."
Glittering mithril earrings.
With a small shield on his arm, the man parried a blow with 20 times increased strength.
Brighton remembered his appearance and the polite way he spoke.
"Ro...Rokun...chea...!?"
Kongou Rokunchea――Brighton's younger brother.
"I guess we'd better leave the details out for when we're done here. You stay there, Brother. I'll take care of the rest."
Rokunchea then followed with a Rush with "Rook Shield Arts", charging at Nex who had been blown away by the Parry.
Nex, who got up and regained his stance, responded with a "Silver Swordsmanship" strike.
Gachin! Resounded the clash, both moving some steps back.
"Certainly, your sword is heavy and fast. It also has great momentum. It might be close to Jerez-san's swordsmanship. But you're still far from Rothman-san's.
"I don't have time. 6 minutes left. I'll deal with you right away."
So, my provocation didn't work, huh? Rokunchea sighed.
"Fine then. Well then please watch carefully, this is how a title holder fights――"