A sharp flash.

Oricule’s rapier thrust was an attack that suited such a description.

Of course, part of the reason was because a rapier itself was a light weapon. However, even including that, Oricule’s rapid thrusts were so fast that even Rei’s eyes widened. More than 20 thrusts were sent out in the space of a few seconds.

Without giving Rei any time to breathe, the tip of the rapier danced through the air as it tried to pierce Rei over and over again.

However, Rei wasn’t to be outdone.

He swung the Death Scythe, an incomparably larger weapon than the rapier, as he blocked the rapier over and over again.

Deflecting the tip aimed at his chest with the shaft, Rei spun the Death Scythe around and blocked a thrust at his head with the blade. He then blocked another attack at his thigh with the shaft again before using the base of the shaft to knock away a thrust targeting his feet.

Rei and Oricule engaged in a dazzling series of attacks before they suddenly stepped away from each other.

「……That weapon, considering it has barely a scratch after hitting my Death Scythe so many times, it has to be a fairly high level magic weapon.」

「Yeah, of course. It’s one of the works of Esta Nord, the great alchemist of old.」

The name that Oricule mentioned surprised Rei.

He never thought that a work of the alchemist from Zepairu’s group would appear in a place like this.

However, after hearing that, he had no choice but to accept it.

(In a sense……can I say that these weapons have the same creator?)

Muttering to himself, Rei held up the Death Scythe.

Naturally, Esta had cooperated in the creation of the Magic Beast Art. However, Takumu was the one to incorporate the idea of creating a weapon from the excess magic power not used in creating a magic beast, so technically, they didn’t share the same creator.

Oricule had a similarly surprised expression on his face.

The rapier he owned was powerful enough to easily pierce even full plate armour made of magic metals empowered with magic power. Rei had easily blocked the consecutive thrusts he was proud of.

(As expected of someone with the title of Crimson. Even without the Griffon, he’s more than strong enough.)

As they analysed each other’s strengths and searched for gaps, a fierce battle was unfolding around them.

 

 

「What’s wrong? Is that all you have!?」

Easily slashing a spear tip with the claws that extended from her hands, Vihera leapt right up close before punching a man in the chest.

That said, it wasn’t just her fist. There were claws formed with magic power extending from the back of her hands.

Piercing the man’s body with claws that could easily cut through a spear tip, she then slashed out sideways.

The robes and leather armour the man wore was completely useless and their internal organs were torn apart like pieces of paper before they collapsed to the ground.

「What? You’re only this strong?」

She pointed the claws on her right hand at the remaining robed figures, but the sight must have been too shocking for them. Perhaps wary, none of them approached her.

In the first place, their purpose, including Oricule, was just to buy time.

However, such passive actions drastically reduced Vihera’s desire to fight.

What Vihera wanted was a bloody battle. For example, a fight like the one Rei and Oricule were currently having, which an ordinary person wouldn’t even be able to follow with their eyes.

(In that case, it might have been better to deal with the dolls.)

She let out a small sigh as she voiced her dissatisfaction in her heart. Turning to look over at Byune and Nakuto, who were fighting off the dolls, she looked back towards the robed figures standing in front of her.

The ones wearing the robes were those who worked behind the scenes for the Church of Holy Light, naturally their combat skills were of a high standard.

They could fight off a typical D rank adventurer on their own and a C rank adventurer if several of them worked together.

However, it was clear from the exchange with the man with the spear earlier that even such a group would find it difficult to handle Vihera, who boasted of fighting power worthy of the title Mad Beast.

In the end, instead of fighting head on, all they could do was to buy time by using multiple people to keep her in check without actually fighting.

「……So, if that’s what you want to do, I have some ideas as well, you know?」

Vihera glanced over towards Oricule for a moment.

Her meaning was clear. If they didn’t actively attack her, she would ignore them and go straight for Oricule.

Being told that implicitly, the robed figures had no choice but to go for Vihera.

Oricule was already fighting someone who he said he couldn’t defeat. If they let the beautiful but ominous person before them attack Oricule as well, the situation would quickly change.

From the sidelines it looked like Oricule was pushing Rei back. But, the robed figures knew it wasn’t what it looked like.

It was because they had that level of skill that they were dispatched to Exil as Oricule’s subordinates.

They had to prevent the situation from slipping out of their control. In other words, they had no choice but to somehow stop the person laughing fearlessly before them.

If they couldn’t win on their own, they had to work together. In a sense, that was a natural conclusion. However, the speed of their cooperation was far from natural.

Several of them attacked at the same time and Vihera tried to dodge them as she counter attacked.

Unfortunately, the man who took Vihera’s attack couldn’t bear the weight of the blow and was knocked away.

Several daggers were thrown towards Vihera from her blind spot while a spear thrust forward from another direction.

At the robed figures’ organic cooperation, Vihera’s bored expression turned back into a smile.

It was true that they weren’t strong individually, but if they worked together, their strength would double.

Dealing with their attacks one after another, Vihera’s skin started to grow red from the excitement of battle, her eyes went damp, and she surrendered herself to the pleasure of battle.

 

 

「Mm!」

Along with that cry, multiple needles shot out from Byune’s hand and flew towards an anthropomorphic rabbit doll that leapt towards them.

「KEKEKEKEKE」

The doll jumped into the air and swung the axe it was holding while giving a mechanical laugh.

While the doll was only 30cm tall, the axe it carried was something an ordinary human would use. In spite of that, the axe swung down sharply, as if smashing the air itself, knocking aside several needles flying towards it.

「Hah-!」

「What!?」

However, as the doll swung its axe down, it saw Nakuto swing a dagger from right beside it.

Just as the dagger tip sank into the rabbit doll’s ear and pierce into its head, Nakuto sensed something swinging towards him and immediately leapt back.

Right after, Nakuto saw a thick, hairy arm pass right through where his head had been earlier.

The owner of the arm was a stuffed bear doll.

However, even though it was a doll, it was over 2m tall and didn’t look very cute. Moreover, it roared as it swung its arms around.

「There are a lot of them. ……Byune, are you okay? Honestly, it’s hard for me to deal with theses guys on my own.」

「Mm.」

Byune nodded while throwing another needle at a doll that was attacking with a dagger.

From Nakuto’s point of view, just talking about skills a thief needed in a dungeon, the ability to find and disarm traps, create traps, scout ahead, and pick locks, he was definitely better than Byune. However, he was aware that his combat skills were inferior to hers.

(I just admitted that I am weaker than a 10 year old girl, huh? If Essestus found out, he’d probably have words for me.)

Even though he had those thoughts in his mind, Nakuto never stopped watching his surroundings.

(No, looking at it a different way, I don’t know how a 10 year old could be this strong……is it to protect the Fraut family?)

Naturally, Nakuto was familiar with Exil’s rumors and knew about the current situation of the Fraut family.

Although the Fraut family had already lost the right to rule Exil many years ago, they still lived in peace, albeit in a much simpler manner.

If their mansion had been sold off, their debt could have been paid off……or at the very least, it would have been a lot smaller.

However, Byune……the 10 year old girl, was reluctant to let go of the mansion, the place where her memories of her parents remained.

A girl who could only be described as very young acquired the skills of a thief and began to explore the dungeon to pay off her debt.

Naturally, there weren’t many people who wanted to invite such a young person into their party. There were also others who thought that they could trick her and, even worse, plot to sell her off as a slave.

……One could only say she was unlucky.

There were also parties that wanted to protect Byune until she grew up, but it was already too late. Byune’s emotions and expression had frozen by then.

Her combat strength was something absolutely necessary to explore the dungeon on her own.

She eventually met Vihera and her combat strength, which was already higher than that of ordinary thieves, increased further, resulting in the current Byune.

「Mmm-!」

Nakuto saw Byune reach into her waist pocket and pull out another needle, which she threw at a mouse doll that was scurrying across the ground towards them.

Being a mouse doll, its body was small and a single needle was enough to nail it to the floor and stop it.

「It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it huuuuuuuuurts,」

Ignoring the screams from the mouse doll, Byune closed the gap to the giant bear doll, which was the most threatening one.

「GURAAAAAA! Die.」

The bear doll swung a paw with a roar.

However, Byune used her small stature to avoid the attack by sticking close to the ground. After that, she stabbed her dagger into the bear doll’s right heel and used the momentum to swing around to its back.

「G-GURA?」

By the time the bear doll noticed, it was already too late. Byune quickly climbed up from behind and stabbed her dagger into its neck in one fell swoop.

If it was a living creature, blood would have spouted out. However, her opponent was a doll. Even if its neck was torn open, no blood spilled out.

Still, the fact that half it’s neck was sliced off seemed to have dealt considerable damage to the doll and it staggered before losing its balance and fell to the ground.

「Mm.」

Byune, who was still holding onto the back of the bear doll’s neck, made a sound before jumping off with all her strength to not get caught in the fall.

As for why she jumped off with all her strength, the answer was in Byune’s hands when she landed.

She was holding the head of the bear doll that she had sliced half the neck of a few seconds ago.

Using the momentum from her jump, she had forcibly torn the bear doll’s head off.

「You killed my friend, you killed my friend!」

When one of the dolls shouted out in condemnation, the other dolls also shouted in unison.

『You kill out friend, you killed our friend!』

「Mm.」

However, Byune ignore them and threw the bear doll’s head to the ground as she started walking towards the dolls again.

As if to protect her back, Nakuto followed after her.

 

 

At first glance, Rei appeared to be pushed back by Oricule.

Vihera was enjoying the well coordinated attacked from the robed figures belonging to the underground forces of the Church of Holy Light.

Byune and Nakuto were almost evenly matched against the group of dolls.

The battle, which could be called a three way fight, was more or less evenly matched across the board.

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