Chapter 132
The path leading to the valley floor was a gentle slope . The carved walls were conveniently lined with magic lanterns that illuminated the dark tunnels .
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I sheathed the Glampanzer and held my wound shut with my right hand as I moved along .
If I glanced down, I would see my red blood dripping . The drops were vivid over the trail of blue blood that led down the tunnel . This blood was from Mordred . I knew he had come down here . Our blood was still wet, yet they did not turn purple when mixed .
“Ahhh . . hahhh…”
My breathing was rough as I shivered from the pain . It always feels like this when I am stabbed…even if I can think calmly, my body does not offer me full control . It made me wonder if it was some kind of trauma from that time . Something in me had not quite healed .
Still, I couldn’t stop walking . If I let him be, some other village would get attacked . That was something that had to be avoided at all cost . And I did want to retrieve Arthur’s sword .
Several minutes passed since I went down the tunnel . Presence Detection catches something . I couldn’t miss it . It was Mordred . He had stopped a short distance from here . It was probably because of the wounds I had inflicted on him . Those wounds that had affected his mobility were showing their true value here .
I let go of my own wound and wiped my bloody hand on my clothes before unsheathing my sword . My left arm was useless, but I could still fight . I still had magic in me . I create a Frost Sword in the air and have it follow me .
And then, finally, I saw him . Mordred was leaning against a wall and glaring at the ceiling while he rested . There was nowhere to run . I wouldn’t allow it .
I summoned wind of silver and green to envelop my legs as I dashed forward . For now, I force myself to forget the pain in my left arm . The Glampanzer is held behind me, the Frost Sword levitates in front .
Of course, Mordred was quick to notice as I ran like this, and he turned his eyes towards me . They were full of murderous rage .
“BOOOORGRH!!!”
“Haaahh!!”
I launch the Frost Sword towards Mordred as he roars . A corner of my brain is thinking, ‘Frost Sword: Straight Shot,’ and other meaningless things as I bridge the gap between us .
Mordred blocks the Frost Sword with Excalibur . I see my chance and swing the Glampanzer down on him . However, Mordred quickly steps out of the way .
“BGRRROGH!!”
“Tsk…!”
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Mordred now goes on the attack . His toughened body attempts to tackle me . I block it with the flat of my blade, but the impact throws me into the air . I am barely able to regain my balance by manipulating the silver and green wind . I land on my feet but as soon as I raise my face; all I can see is Mordred raising his sword above me . In a flash, I jump forward and evade his attack by going under his legs . Behind me, I can hear the deafening clang of metal against stone .
I turn around and raise my sword . Mordred spins around and raises his . I pull my right arm back, while Mordred grips his sword with both hands . We glare at each other, searching for an opening . To be honest, there was nothing but openings . Same for me . We were riddled with wounds . But these were the bodies we had .
The room was so silent that our breathing seemed loud . We looked at each, full of openings as we held our blades . As we stared, small fragments of stone began to fall from the ceiling .
Clink .
With that sound, I dashed forward as if I were a released spring . I gripped the sword tightly and looked forward as I ran . Mordred began to run as well . It was as if he had forgotten the pain in his blood-drenched legs . He was faster than ever .
Both of our swords are raised in the air . They were raised for the sole intent of killing the other, and so they fell quickly .
“Hahh!”
“Bmorghh!”
However, the swords did not connect . It was as if we had passed each other while avoiding the others swing .
Silence fell over the tunnel again . However, the result of the duel became immediately apparent .
There was a loud clang…as a sword fell . It was followed by the sound of something collapsing with a wet thud . I turned around . And there was Mordred . On his knees with both arms severed .
In this state, the fight was over for him . He could no longer fight . However, I no longer had control over my right hand . I looked at it and saw that there was a shallow cut on it from Mordred’s sword . At the very end, Mordred had cut me just above my gauntlet, where I was unprotected . But it wasn’t as bad as my left arm . Though painful, I moved my arm in order to sheath my sword . And then I generated a new Frost Sword . I would use it to deal the finishing blow .
“Now, it is finished . ”
“…”
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I approach him from behind and raise the Frost Sword .
Just as the sword swings down, Mordred jumps forward and evades the attack .
“Damn it!”
“BBgggooorrh!! Bbbmoorrgh!!”
I frantically chase after Mordred as he howls and screams . I didn’t think he could last long in this state, but I didn’t want to take any chances . I couldn’t let him get away .
“Stop!”
I take aim and launch the Frost Sword . It catches him straight in the center of his back; and yet he continues to run . I prepare a second sword, but the tunnel suddenly starts to twist and wind, and I can no longer take proper aim . If I tried to use Legs of the Forest Wolf here, I would just crash into the wall and it would all be over . And so I run desperately with my original speed . Modred should be on the cusp of death . And yet I cannot catch him . Finally, the tunnel becomes straight again . I take aim and I’m about to shoot, when I see a light in front of Mordred . It was the tunnel’s exit .
“Ahh…”
I remember now . The exit of this tunnel…
“BMMORRGGH!!”
Mordred raises his severed arms as if reaching towards the light as he runs . Just as he gets close to the exit, I hear a ‘click . ’
In a flash, the exit erupts with an explosion of flames . I drop to the ground, as there was nowhere to hide from the wind and impact . Thankfully, I was far enough to not be thrown into the air once again .
I stayed on the ground for some time, keeping my hood down as I waited for the dust to settle . The ringing in my ears finally subsides and I open my eyes and squint . There was still dust floating in the air . I stand up…or try to, but my foot gets caught on something .
“Hmm?”
I pick it up . It was a sheath . Excalibur’s sheath had been blown towards me in the blast .
“Pretty lucky…glad I wasn’t any closer to it . ”
I attached the dusty sheath to my belt . And this time, started to walk forward .
The exit was now hidden in rubble . It would be difficult to open the passage up again without a hole mole . And I saw now that there was blue blood dripping from the cracks between the boulders .
Mordred was dead .
“I’ll have to thank Angelica for this later…”
I muttered as I looked at what remained of him . …I was so tired . I wanted to go back .
I turned on my heels and began to walk . The return trip was an upward slope, which was quite harsh .
On the way, I found Excalibur . It was still connected to Mordred’s severed arms . I crouched slowly and picked it up . The Excalibur was stained with blue and red blood . I had no idea if this was a holy sword, but there was something of an honest, incorruptible air that seemed to come off the otherwise filthy blade . Who knows? Maybe it was the real thing . Well, it was probably just Arthur slapping a name on it . But maybe with that name, it would one day reach the heights of the real sword . It was Arthur’s job to see that it happened . I swore to clean it when I got back, and then I put it in its sheath .
When I returned to the orc room, I was greeted by a mass of corpses . The extermination was completed . Even the grey orcs who had given up the fight now lay dead .
I saw that the Adventurers were all resting against the wall, and so I decided to search for Virgil first . I made my way through the corpses, searching desperately until Ness found me and called me over .
“Asagi!”
“Ah . Ness… Where’s Virgil?”
“You’re horribly wounded! You better rest!”
“No, I’m still fine . I have to tell Virgil…”
I felt like I would no longer be able to move if I stopped, and so I continued to walk while talking with Ness .
“You really are…fine then . He’s over here!”
“Sorry…”
I apologized, but Ness just scratched his cheek and told me to follow him . I did so on my unstable legs . We came out to the entrance of the orc building . Here the wounded were lined up on the floor . Virgil was there too . But he was talking to some Adventurers, and seemed to be unhurt .
“Virgil . ”
“Ah, Asagi . Glad to see you… you’re not exactly fine . Rest right there . ”
“No, I have to tell you…”
“You’re here and alive . I presume that means it’s finished?”
“Well, yeah… Thanks to Angelica . ”
I wanted to make a detailed report, but Virgil wouldn’t listen . Damn it, Ness . He must have known this would happen when he brought me up here… I turned around to see him chuckling .
With no other choice, I collapsed on a blanket that had been placed on the floor and then sighed while staring at the ceiling . Suddenly, I turned to my side and saw Daniela sleeping next to me . Thank god . She didn’t appear to have any heavy wounds . Thank Virgil, really…
I think back on this battle, which was the longest I’ve ever experienced .
I never would have thought a mere valley investigation would turn into this… Now that I think of it, it had always just been me and Daniela . And here we had fought alongside so many others . It really was unexpected . Well, I feel as if I thought about this before . Maybe it’s just me . My head doesn’t seem to be functioning right .
Thankfully, while there had been plenty of pain, there were also good things . I think, anyway . No, I can’t think properly right now .
I sigh once again . My eyelids feel heavy . In the end, I was just so very tired . At the same time that I realized this, my consciousness faded into the shadows . I didn’t dream .