"..."
In the constantly echoing explosions within the Frenzel residence, the corridor where Riezel stood remained eerily silent, creating an atmosphere of utter stillness.
Riezel sensed a faint fluctuation of magical energy, causing an abnormal stagnation in the surrounding air. It felt as if this area was isolated from the outside world, and whatever happened in this corridor would go unnoticed beyond its confines.
'Barrier magic, huh?'
Riezel shifted his gaze toward the group of people that had suddenly appeared in front of him.
This group was small, consisting of about four people, each masked and dressed in a uniform resembling that of swordsmen. From their body build, they were undoubtedly males and seemed like trained assassins. Weirdly, they exuded a strange aura that didn't quite fit in with their surroundings.
Among the four, three had swords at their waists, while the remaining one wore a magician's robe over his swordsman attire. Clearly, three were swordsmen and one was a magician.
Riezel sensed a faint magical energy emanating from the magician, indicating that he was responsible for the barrier magic isolating this corridor from the outside.
The next moment, one of four, seemingly in a leadership position, spoke.
"Riezel Brynhart."
He spoke in a cold and mechanical tone.
"Someone wishes to meet you."
In a single sentence, their objective became clear.
"Me?" Riezel furrowed his brow, speaking as if thinking aloud. "Your target is me and not Yuri?"
No, it couldn't be.
Causing such a commotion and attacking the residence of a marquis who was also a Strategic-Class Magician just for him? Impossible.
"I see, am I something like a side task?" Riezel grasped the situation.
Indeed, that was the case.
"As a mere commoner, you stubbornly refuse to leave Marquis Frenzel, shamelessly getting close to her, even deceiving her to befriend you. All of this is your sin."
He spoke again in an ice-cold, mechanical tone.
"Consider yourself lucky. Since our young master wants to deal with you personally, you won't be executed by us on the spot. Surrender willingly and you might live a little longer."
As soon as those words were spoken, the other three chimed in.
"Surrender willingly."
"Surrender willingly."
"Surrender willingly."
They spoke as if chanting a mournful song at a funeral, their voices equally mechanical and chilling, sending shivers down the spine. If it were anyone else, no matter how strong their mental fortitude, they would likely feel uncomfortable witnessing this display.
Unfortunately, Riezel was built differently.
"Ahh, I see..." Riezel released his tightly furrowed brow and responded indifferently. "Considering the deeds your Basolo family has been up to in this mansion—buying people left and right and taking advantage of the situation to set us up—how could you not know about my relationship with Yuri?"
Someone like Archie might not be aware of the extent of the relationship between Riezel and Yuri, but the Basolo family had made their presence known, frequently visiting the Frenzel residence more than once.
Undoubtedly, every time they visited, their steward was busy buying off the servants in the Frenzel residence left and right to gather information.
The interactions between Riezel and Yuri might be unknown to outsiders, but anyone in this residence was certainly well aware of them.
During the month Riezel was recuperating, Yuri made no effort to hide her actions. She visited his room daily, and once he was back on his feet, they had more than one afternoon tea session in the pavilion in the courtyard.
All of that obviously couldn't escape the eyes of various servants.
From what Riezel had learned, it seemed that the eldest son of the Basolo family intended to marry Yuri by bypassing her and arranging a marriage directly through her father.
The recent attack upon his return from the Royal Market might be related to this, and it wouldn't be surprising if they wanted to eliminate him, who was too close to Yuri, in the process.
Riezel estimated it was likely a misunderstanding.
However—
"I'm sorry but... I'm not interested in playing house with your young master."
Ignoring the eerie atmosphere of the four masked men, Riezel wasn't intimidated at all. Instead, he calmly walked toward them.
"Step aside." Riezel warned in a calm voice.
The four masked men fell silent, and in the next moment, the strange aura emanating from them turned into a murderous aura.
*Whoosh—!*
The next moment, the three masked swordsmen, like wound-up machines, suddenly accelerated, rushing forward and creating a gust of wind. At the same time, the masked magician began chanting magic, intensifying the fluctuations of his magical energy.
The four of them attacked Riezel without hesitation or mercy.
Judging by their swiftness, it seemed they had no intention of capturing him alive.
In response, Riezel's footsteps remained steady, maintaining his pace, still walking calmly toward the front.
As both sides advanced, they quickly collided.
The three masked swordsmen quickly drew their swords, creating three sword lights as they stabbed toward Riezel.
In that split second, Riezel's footsteps swayed slightly, his figure blurred, passing through the three incoming sword lights.
One of the three masked swordsmen abruptly felt his vision blur as Riezel suddenly appeared in front of him.
*BANG!*
A swift kick landed heavily on his chest, causing a burst of impact and a muffled sound.
*Cough!*
The masked swordsman expelled air from his lungs, thrown back by the forceful blow, crashing into the wall, creating ripples in the barrier that precisely separated this corridor. Without it, he would have surely broken through the mansion wall and flown outside.
Riezel's thunderous kick was indeed powerful and merciless.
"—?!"
The other two masked swordsmen immediately halted their steps, seemingly stunned by the sudden turn of events.
Only the masked magician's magic chanting continued, and after a moment, the magical energy fluctuations from his body echoed out.
"Blindness."
"Confusion."
"Paralysis."
In one breath, the masked magician chanted three types of magic, each capable of inflicting negative statuses on enemies.
'Blindness' deprived enemies of their sight, rendering everything invisible.
'Confusion' stripped enemies of their reason, making rational thought and calm combat impossible.
'Paralysis' caused enemies' movements to become sluggish, as if struck by an electric shock, hindering smooth actions.
These three magics were combat-class magic, not overly advanced, but when used against swordsmen lacking the ability to cure negative statuses, they were enough to disgust any swordsmen.
In a state of blindness, confusion, and paralysis, plus an additional three swordsmen attacking from the sides, anyone in this kind of situation would undoubtedly feel hopeless and despair.
The two stunned masked swordsmen who had not yet been attacked by Riezel quickly regained their composure. They suppressed their surprise, intensified their murderous auras, and thrust their swords toward his arms.
They planned to pierce through Riezel's arms from left to right, disabling his hands first before gradually overpowering him.
While they claimed to capture him alive, their actions revealed that capturing him unscathed was not their intention.
If he resisted, they would sever both arms.
If he did not yield, they would then sever both legs.
This ruthless approach would continue until Riezel completely lost his ability to resist, allowing him to be brought back for questioning.
This was the approach of those who lived in the darkness, devoid of any trace of humanity.
Unfortunately for them, they had targeted the wrong person.
*Clang!* *Cling!*
A bright silver short sword silently appeared in Riezel's hand, effortlessly blocking the two incoming swords with an indifferent expression.
Riezel's expression, eyes, and movements—there was no sign of someone who had lost their sight, reason, and suffered paralysis at all.
""What?!""
Including the masked magician, all of them were utterly stunned upon watching this absurd scene.
Little did they know, Riezel possessed a skill called 'Endless', and within its effects, there was an effect providing him with the highest-ranked 'Abnormal Resistance' development ability.
*BANG!*
As Riezel swung another kick, it landed square on the face of one of the masked swordsmen, sending him sprawling backward, blood streaming down his face.
"H-Huh?"
The remaining masked swordsman, devoid of the earlier mechanical and cold demeanor, now resembled a frustrated brute, stunned and speechless. Instinctively, he distanced himself from Riezel, preparing to retreat. However, a silver flash rendered all his movements meaningless.
*Pu-chi!*
As an extremely fast strike transformed into a silver flash, it slashed through the retreating masked swordsman's body accompanied by the tearing sound of flesh and a splatter of blood.
"AGHHH—!"
The masked swordsman let out a scream, a straight line of blood appearing at the center of his body, splattering large amounts of blood everywhere.
Riezel maintained the posture of swinging his sword, tilting his head slightly to avoid the blood splattering onto his face.
Three masked swordsmen lay defeated—two kicked away and one cut down, all incapacitated and unable to rise again.
"How can this be?!"
The lone masked magician, now the sole survivor, retreated a step while shouting in disbelief.
According to the Basolo family's intelligence, Riezel was supposed to be a cripple, with his Gate damaged. Even if there were rumors of him practicing swordsmanship, how could he have become so powerful in just a few days?
From the Basolo family's perspective, capturing Riezel should have been an easy task. Little did they expect that the supposed cripple would transform into such a powerful monster.
"Dammit!"
The masked magician, now fearful and intimidated, watched as Riezel shifted his gaze toward him.
Without hesitation, the masked magician turned and fled with all his might.
Just as Riezel was about to pursue, he halted. He sensed that the barrier enveloping the corridor was being rapidly broken down.
*Crack!*
Before long, the barrier shattered, reconnecting this corridor with the outside.
*BANG!*
Meanwhile, the masked magician, who fled in panic, soon collided with the one who broke the barrier, only to be kicked back by a maid accompanying them.
"Are you okay?"
Upon hearing that question, Riezel saw Yuri accompanied by Marilyn approaching him.
"Yuri?"
Riezel raised his eyebrows, expressing his surprise.