༺ Eyes of a Dragon and the Human Heart (52) ༻
The world shook as the tunnel cried out.
Dust cascaded as the sturdy earthen walls began to fracture, prompting a hollow laugh to escape my lips.
“…What have you done?”
The question emerged as a menacing growl as my voice scraped against my vocal cords. Yet, Mitram responded with delighted giggles.
“A good hunter always lays two traps. Shouldn’t there be a backup plan to reset the game if things go awry?”
As she spoke, the tendrils of mana in Mitram’s grasp writhed before lunging forward.
Their target was the princess.
Reacting swiftly, I intercepted the advancing tendrils, but instead of dispersing, they coiled around my arm and climbed up.
Observing the knight and the princess still rooted in bewilderment behind me, I urgently bellowed out.
“I told you to run!”
“That’s right, it would be wise to flee…”
Mitram’s tone remained unnervingly calm, yet beneath the facade lurked an unmistakable thrill and madness, manifesting in an unnaturally wide grin.
“After all, this tunnel is on the brink of collapse.”
At her words, the knight’s complexion drained of color. It was all too clear what ending awaited those stuck within a collapsing tunnel.
Death.
Scrambling to her feet, the knight cast a hesitant glance backward as she turned to flee.
She seemed to have something to ask, but it was instead voiced by the breathless princess.
“S-Sir Ian…”
Her quavering voice betrayed remnants of her turmoil.
“What, What about you…? It’s dangerous. You-“
“Your Imperial Highness.”
For the first time, I met the princess’s gaze directly, offering a faint smile.
“…I’m glad you’re alive.”
Her vertically split eyes widened as tears began welling up, a testament to her humanity.
Before the princess could respond, I spoke firmly.
“Go.”
The command wasn’t intended for the princess. Had it been so, I wouldn’t have used such an authoritative tone.
With a sorrowful glance, the female knight nodded before swiftly retreating toward the passageway entrance.
The echoes of her footsteps faded into the distance, yet Mitram remained motionless until the end, whistling as she observed their retreating figures.
Noticing my puzzled gaze, Mitram chuckled softly.
“The plan has already gone awry, and since securing the princess’ eyes seems unlikely at this point, I’m simply adapting to the next best alternative.”
“Alternative?”
“You.”
Mitram’s gaze bore into me with a hint of intensity, as if attempting to pierce me with her stare.
Her lips curled into a sneer.
“You’re a nuisance. And I suspect you’ll continue to obstruct our plans in the future… So for now, I’ll content myself with eliminating you here.”
A bitter smile played on my lips.
She was overestimating my significance. I found it ironic to receive such a high evaluation from a dark priest who had infiltrated test subjects close to the imperial family.
However, in the present circumstances, where I had to ensure the princess’ safety, focusing her attention on me was beneficial.
Yet, her arrogant demeanor irked me, making me bluff until the end.
“Think you can kill me?”
The tunnel trembled once more with a deafening roar.
As this was the second tremor, I maintained my balance with clenched teeth as I glared at Mitram, who murmured vaguely with a distant gaze.
“…Not much time left.”
“Just what exactly have you done?”
Instead of responding, she covered her smile with her hand and chuckled softly.
“Don’t you find it odd? Why would there be a tunnel beneath the academy? Not to mention, they didn’t conduct a formal construction.”
With those words, dozens of blue mana strands scattered and surged forward.
It was an unmistakable display of aggression
Suppressing my groans, I adjusted my grip and posture.
My arm hadn’t fully healed, and injuries from the numerous explosions had accumulated on my body. Coupled with a dislocated ankle on top of all that, there was nothing in my favor, and running away was impossible.
The only option left was to fight and buy enough time for the princess to escape.
Regardless of my resolve, Mitram’s voice, tinged with madness, persisted.
“Ah, by the way… Do you like to dance?”
With a twirl, she manipulated the mana strands, causing them to writhe and rise like living snakes.
It appeared that today’s dance partner was an immortal monster who wouldn’t die even when reduced to ashes.
**
Dozens of mana strands surged forth like sharp awls, rendering it impossible to fend them off with a single sword.
Left with no other choice, I wielded the sword in one hand and the hatchet in the other, twirling them with deft precision and weaving through the threads of mana like a skilled artisan at a loom.
Despite my efforts, some strands managed to penetrate my defenses, eliciting faint groans as they pierced my flesh.
-Puk!
Staggering back a few steps, I grimaced as I heard my flesh being penetrated.
My vision blurred, yet my senses heightened. Perhaps due to experiencing so many injuries recently, even pain failed to evoke much of a reaction.
More threads of mana surged toward me, but this time, instead of blocking, I grabbed them out of the air, enduring the searing pain as they burrowed into my skin.
Gritting my teeth, I exerted every ounce of strength to launch a counterattack and yanked the strands over my shoulder.
A shockwave reverberated as Mitram’s body slammed into the ground, akin to a hooked fish being reeled in. Yet, instead of a pained cry, she erupted into laughter as the tunnel quaked once more.
The intervals between each tremor were getting shorter.
A mound of debris had already accumulated from the falling dirt, while the once-sturdy walls now crumbled bit by bit.
Both my instinct and reason were screaming at me that the tunnel’s collapse was imminent.
Yet, Mitram simply wore a leisurely smile after shaking off the impact of being slammed into the ground.
“Ian Percus, why do you deny it?”
“…Deny what?”
Panting, I retorted.
Though I had no particular interest in what she had to say, if it allowed me a moment to catch my breath, a brief exchange was tolerable.
However, her smile deepened, as though she had discerned my intentions.
“You’re seething with anger, aren’t you?”
Grotesque sounds echoed out as Mitram eerily straightened her contorted neck, exhaling with apparent relief before continuing.
“Nobles are so foolish. Despite being strictly bound by archaic rules and customs, they arrogantly rely on their outdated ideology to claim they understand the world better than anyone else… Yet, they remain blind to the greater purpose, their minds hardened by tradition.”
‘What bullshit.’
No longer willing to hear her out any longer, I tightened my grip on the hatchet, hurling it toward her with a supersonic velocity that left shockwaves in its wake.
A shining white trajectory aimed at her throat, yet she made no move to defend herself. Instead, she laughed, allowing the hatchet to cleave through her neck.
Blood sprayed as her head soared into the air, revealing a blue thread of mana connected to it, bringing her neck back to her decapitated body.
As the two pieces of flesh made contact, Mitram’s mouth stirred to life once more.
It appeared that my only path to victory was by severing that connecting thread. With my current aura, there was no other way to defeat her.
However, the dense mana thread looked tough, and it would likely require multiple attempts at slicing through it before being barely severed.
Panting, I reached out and caught the returning hatchet.
In contrast, Mitram displayed a composure befitting the strong.
She lightly chuckled before continuing.
“Isn’t that why you’re angry?”
Mitram took a step forward.
Gritting my teeth, I hurled the hatchet once more.
-Puk!
Again, blood splattered, but the result was the same.
The hatchet returned, and she simply advanced yet again.
“They’re all worthless, lacking any true skill! Without knowing their place, their reckless actions cause you to suffer every day. If only they-!”
Charging forward, I thrust the blade into her gaping mouth.
Blood flowed freely from her split lips, yet unsatisfied, I continued to rain down blows with the hatchet.
-Puk! Puk! Puk!
The sickening sounds of flesh and blood filled the air, drowning out all else.
First blood, then flesh, then marrow… Even her eye burst out from its socket.
But even amidst the relentless violence, her laughter persisted as she drew closer to me.
“Ku- kuk… kukuku! If-If they didn’t! Heh- Would you have needed to suffer? Pfft, keke– hahahaha!”
Before I had even realized it, she had dug close, seized my arm, and slammed me forcefully to the ground.
Blood gushed from my mouth.
I had thought that even the most resilient strand of mana wouldn’t be able to hold after being struck countless times, but it became clear that I was wrong.
She was practically immortal. The mana thread connecting her body was regenerating in real-time, and it was impossible to sever that thread unless it was done in a single stroke. However, to do so, one had to have at least reached the expert level.
As I struggled on the ground, she whispered as her mouth regenerated.
“…Do you want to win?”
Piercing my mind, her voice delved deep into the depths of my desire.
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