VI
Get in first.
Johann struck first. He ran at Felix, who held his sword pointed directly at Johann. Enhanced by Adamantine Wind, he could run as fast as a tempest and strike like levin. But Felix showed no sign of alarm. Instead, he stepped forwards as if to offer himself up to Johann’s blade.
“Agh...!” Johann was suddenly seized by the sensation that a great wall had sprung up before him, blocking his way. In a split second, he dug his feet into the ground then dove to one side just as, with a howling roar of wind, Felix’s blade slashed down where he’d been standing.
He hasn’t used magecraft to strengthen himself, yet the speed with which he swings that sword... He’s going to be one hell of an opponent, though I suppose I knew that from the start. This isn’t the time to be stingy with mana.
Felix held out his sword again, perfectly composed, while Johann recognized that, once again, he was up against a monster. In truth, he felt a kind of force coming off of Felix that was almost identical to what he had felt when he’d fought against Olivia. He was gripped by a sudden intense curiosity as to the outcome of a battle between himself and Olivia, then caught himself. Right now, focus on your own battle. He raised his left hand straight up, then released four balls of blue fire. Each slowly morphed into the shape of a bird, before coming to hover around Johann at his front, back, and sides.
“Birds clad in flames...?” Felix said under his breath, looking dubiously at the little birds.
“Don’t think I’m going to attack you with them,” Johann told him. “They’re a precautionary measure. Just in case.” He kicked off the ground and ran at Felix again, materializing a fireball even greater than the first in the palm of his hand. This time, he released it at the ground in front of him. Roiling flames reared up on impact. The moment he confirmed that Felix’s field of vision was obscured, Johann leapt, spinning through the air to land behind Felix. He was in his opponent’s blind spot. He had the overwhelming advantage. But Felix was still no ordinary opponent. He thrust his blade at the man’s back with breathtaking speed, but before it hit, Felix vanished from before Johann’s eyes. In the same instant, he heard the bird behind him let out a piercing cry. Johann spun around, his blade flashing. Sparks exploded.
“I thought you’d move like Olivia,” he remarked. “Good thing I took precautions.” Felix’s face colored with astonishment. A grating sound came from their swords as the blades dug into each other. If he had been an ordinary swordsman, Johann felt sure that this one blow would have dropped him before he’d even had time to react. He understood how Amelia had mistaken Felix for a mage. He could have been badly hurt if he hadn’t known what she’d told him.
When he’d fought Olivia himself, her seemingly instantaneous movement had kept him at her mercy for the duration of the battle. If he hadn’t cast the tracing spell Flare, he wouldn’t have been able to immediately counter.
That battle really was worthwhile. I’ll have to thank Olivia... Though to her, it probably felt like brushing aside a frisky kitten. He saw her innocent smile in his mind’s eye.
He exchanged a few more blows with Felix; then both of them drew back to a safe distance to observe the other. Johann kept his eyes on Felix and didn’t lower his blade. Felix looked at him with intent interest.
“Just now, you said that I moved like Olivia, did you not?” he asked.
“I suppose I did,” Johann said, after a pause.
“Do you mean she is able to use Swift Step like me?”
“Oh, so it’s called Swift Step, is it? I see. What an apt name,” Johann said, making his admiration apparent.
“I would appreciate it if you’d answer the question,” Felix said, exasperated.
“It looked the same to my eyes, at least.”
“Indeed...” Felix looked like he was considering something. Then, he slowly returned his sword to its scabbard.
Did he get cold feet?
As if in mockery of this thought that flicked across Johann’s mind, Felix took a great step forward, then lowered himself down and leaned forwards slightly. The azure of his eyes grew even more intense, and his breathing came shallow with the occasional deep exhale. He had shifted from motion to stillness. His aura was in all respects different from before.
What’s he doing? Johann thought. In response to this change within Felix, he immediately cast Adamantine Wind. Scarlet light wrapped around him once more as his every bone and sinew gave off a grating noise, almost like a scream.
Ugh... You really feel the strain the second time. But I know he’s plotting something. It’s vital that I make a preemptive blow before he can try anything.
He exhaled deeply to distract from the pain throughout his body, then filled his lungs with air and, releasing the power built up in his legs, kicked hard away from the ground. He’d enhanced his body to its limits, and all of his five senses—sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell—were sharpened to the utmost extreme.
It was one of those senses—sight—that perceived the slight opening of Felix’s mouth and another—sound—that picked up his whispered words.
“Ultimate Swift Step.”
There was a dramatic crack like something splitting apart, and Felix vanished. All that remained was a large, circular depression in the ground.
He disappeared?! Are you serious?! Johann’s eyes right now could perceive all phenomena. This wasn’t like his confrontation with Olivia. Yet, even with these eyes, he had lost sight of Felix. Just as panic seized him, he felt an impact in his right side, along with pain. Thrown off to one side, Johann found himself looking at Felix, right fist outstretched and surrounded by a churning cloud of dirt. A few seconds later, the little birds, flying above Johann where he lay on the ground, seemed to remember their job, and began to chirp the alarm.
Johann chuckled to himself. I never thought he’d be too fast for Flare to detect him. What a marvel. He sprang up and was on his feet in a moment, brushing the mud off of his uniform. Despite the dramatic fashion in which he’d been sent flying, he hadn’t sustained much damage. Adamantine Wind strengthened his body’s resistance to blows, but he thought it more likely that Felix had not put his full strength into the strike. Johann suspected that Felix, wanting to question him for everything he knew about Olivia, had unconsciously pulled his punch.
“Do you want to keep going?” Felix asked.
“Of course.”
“You do...” Felix said thoughtfully. “The thing is, it would appear my task here is complete, so if you would only be so kind as to tell me what you know of Olivia Valedstorm, we could leave it there.” He spared a glance over at where the Azure Knights were battling, then immediately looked back at Johann, who guessed from his words that his object had been to delay them. By pinning down Johann’s middle guard, the Azure Knights had given more than ample reprieve to the Stonian Army so that they might withdraw. There was truth to their reputation as the most elite in all the imperial army, then.
“So Olivia is proving a bad headache even for the empire, I suppose,” he said.
“Yes. I couldn’t deny that even if I wanted to,” Felix admitted at length. “If not for her, this war with the Kingdom of Fernest would likely already be over.” Putting his hands on his hips, he gave a twisted smile. What he said was no exaggeration—Johann thought the same. If, hypothetically, there were no Olivia, the Holy Land of Mekia might now be engaged in all-out war with the Asvelt Empire. Such was the weight of the influence Olivia exerted upon her surroundings, and so thus did she shine brighter and more dazzling than any star.
“Well, first of all, no ordinary fighter is going to stop her. You’ve got some monstrous power in you too, but I expect even then, you’ll have a hell of a time with her.”
“I am aware of that, of course. That’s why I want to know more about her.”
“Yes, I’m sure you do, but I hope you don’t think I’m going to blurt it out to an enemy. If you want to change sides, I’ll tell you whatever you like,” he added with a grin.
Felix responded by sighing heavily. Then, he put his hand on his sword and began to draw it once more, muttering, “I should have known there was no chance. I just so hate relying on brute force.”
“That sounds like you think there is a chance with brute force,” Johann said. “Just so you know, I won’t crack, even under torture.” Johann had risked his life for the precious knowledge he had acquired about Olivia. How much the empire knew about her at this time, he didn’t know, but he was sure they didn’t know about magic. That alone was a secret worth more than a mountain of gold, and he had neither reason nor obligation to share it readily.
“I know that,” Felix said. “Though we have not known one another long, I think I have a grasp of your character. But it is possible to draw the information I want from you regardless of whether you will it.”
“Regardless of whether I will it? You’re not really saying that’s possible...?!” Despite himself, Johann goggled at Felix. Compelling a person to speak against their will should have been utterly impossible, but it might not be for another mage. But Amelia had made it clear in her testimony that Felix was not a mage.
As Johann struggled to fathom Felix’s true meaning, the other man said, “The Holy Land of Mekia does not have a patent on mages. The empire, naturally, has its own. I admit she is a little eccentric, to be sure...” He grimaced. Johann remembered belatedly that Amelia’s report had touched on the matter of the empire’s mage, and he privately cursed his own carelessness.
From how he’s talking, this mage definitely sounds like she has an unorthodox style, he thought. Broadly speaking, mages were divided into four styles. Johann and Amelia were war-style mages. Then there were support-style mages, who imbued weapons and tools with magecraft. Mages like Lara, who used both war- and support-style magecraft, were generalist-style, and the rest were unorthodox-style. Mages were further broken down into various branches by their personalities and ways of thinking, like Johann with his flame magecraft, and Amelia with her binding magecraft. Unorthodox-style mages were not only rare among the already scanty number of mages, but much about them was still unknown. Judging not only from Felix’s words, but his character, Johann was utterly convinced that he was not a man who blustered.
“Well, that’s a complication,” he said.
“In that case, would you be open to reconsidering?” Felix asked as he ran at Johann again.
“Like I said, if you change sides, I’ll tell you whatever you want,” Johann said, reiterating his invitation through the earsplitting screech of metal and the shower of sparks. “The Seraph would welcome a man of your caliber with open arms. And you can be sure you’ll get a position to match the one you have now.”
It was not just through high-quality ore and sophisticated stoneworking techniques that the Holy Land of Mekia had built its prosperity. Another key factor was Sofitia’s willingness to appoint anyone with talent to a high-ranking position, regardless of social standing. Even Angelica, who guarded the First Gate of La Chaim Palace, had begun her life in an orphanage. When it came to the man they heralded as the strongest in the empire, Johann had no doubt Sofitia would treat him handsomely. But Felix’s eyes didn’t waver for a second. Instead, they began to burn with fury.
“I pledged my undying loyalty to the emperor,” he replied. “I would die before I turned traitor. The same is true for you, is it not?”
Johann snorted. “You’re not wrong. You’ll see me dead before you see me betray the Seraph. But then, we both live by our blades, in the end. It was clear from the start we were never going to resolve this through words.”
“Let us resolve it then,” Felix said. They both smiled fearlessly as their blades clashed, then they rebounded, putting distance between them once more. Johann immediately directed his mana into his mage circle until, when his left hand blazed white-hot, he swept it down. All around them, flames erupted out of the ground to surround Felix.
“This...isn’t ordinary fire,” Felix said quietly as he looked over the serpentine coils of flame. His imperturbable composure reminded Johann of Olivia.
“Very good,” Johann commended him. “You’ll have plenty of time to verify its effects in the next world.” He clenched his fist, and the ring of fire began to tighten. Felix sheathed his sword and lowered his weight as he had before. At first glance, it looked like Ultimate Swift Step. But unlike before, he had his right hand on the hilt of his sword.
Olivia used magic to repel the Blazelight Vortex. But he can’t use magecraft, let alone magic. Even if he used Swift Step, the flames of the vortex will still turn him to ash the moment he touches them. You could go so far as to say he’s in check. But then why do I feel all this unease bubbling up from the pit of my stomach?
After he’d been so careless with Olivia, Johann was determined not to make the same mistake twice. He kept a close eye on Felix’s movements when a piercing voice rang out in his ears.
“Glorious Asura Whirlwind!” Felix drew his sword fast as light, and from the blade came forth a raging wind like a tornado. The flames surrounding him were swept up and away by the spiral of air, until at last, they scattered in the sky over their heads.
What the hell... As Johann stared in slack-jawed horror, Felix’s face was cool.
“I assume that was what you were keeping in reserve,” he remarked. Behind his words, Johann could hear him asking, Are you finished yet?
The bastard’s right that the Blazelight Vortex was my last resort. And he just brushed it off... He is truly a monster, Johann thought, even as he pushed his own body to its breaking point with Adamantine Wind. He also accepted that he was never going to beat Felix like this.
All right, what’s the plan then? I could cast Adamantine Wind again—never mind, that would definitely kill me. He went through posing the question to himself as much to calm his nerves as anything else. His body would start to break down if he pushed it any further. Magecraft might have been divine power, but those who wielded it were in the end only frail humans. No matter how hard he trained, his body had its natural limit. Unable to work out his next move, Johann raised his rapier.
“I will not allow you to torment my Johann!” His eyes found Angelica, yelling in fury as she made for Felix.
“Angelica, stop! This isn’t an enemy you can beat!”
“But—!” Angelica whirled around, beginning a bitter retort, but then, a look of joy spread over her face.
“Dear me, a senior thousand-wing in such distress.” He heard another voice behind him, this one mocking. In the same instant, a multitude of thick vines burst out of the ground in front of Felix. He was unperturbed, backing away as he briskly sliced up all the vines that reached for him.
Johann turned and saw Amelia. Sword in one hand, she came over to him, sweeping back her pale blue hair. Behind her he saw Jean Alexia of the Twelve Angels and the vanguard with its banners bearing a bloody sword.
“Amelia, Amelia!” Angelica ran at Amelia at top speed and threw her arms enthusiastically around the other woman. Amelia pulled her off with a long-suffering air.
“We’re on the battlefield. Address me properly,” she said, then continued in a different tone, “We meet again, it seems. Your presence is a great honor, even if it comes unexpectedly.” Amelia smiled heartlessly at Felix. Felix’s face became harsh.
“Amelia Stolast...” he replied. “I have unfinished business with you after Fort Astora, but fighting two mages really doesn’t sound like a pleasant time.” Vines assaulted him from all directions, but he cut them all away. Looking from Johann to Amelia, he let out a deep sigh.
“In that case, you may retreat, if you like,” Amelia said.
“How unexpected. You’ll let me go?”
“I will. Killing you wasn’t on my agenda for this battle. I shall bestow death upon you at the proper time and place. So please, enjoy what brief time you have left.” Amelia spread her arms to him as her smile grew crueler still. Despite her perpetual air of mockery, you could rely on her at times like this, Johann thought.
“I shall take you up on that, then,” Felix said at length. “I confess I’m disappointed that I couldn’t hear more about Olivia Valedstorm, but this has been fruitful enough.” He turned on his heel and strode away. He was so totally open to attack from behind that Johann considered it for a moment, but he didn’t act on it in the end. So long as they were on the battlefield, he wouldn’t have thought it cowardice, but it offended his sense of aesthetics.
And even attacking him from behind would probably be a wasted effort... he thought.
Not long after, the Azure Knights followed their commander in an orderly retreat.
Johann exhaled with relief. “Honestly, dear Amelia, I’d be toast without you. Things were just going from bad to worse, you know. My mana is almost exhausted too.” He sat down heavily on the ground right there, filling his lungs with fresh air, then exhaling deeply. Partly due to the incredible strain he’d put on his own body, he wouldn’t be moving far for a while.
Amelia looked down at him smugly, then put a hand on his back. “You owe me one,” she said.
“Amelia, that was the coolest thing ever!”
“This girl...” Amelia stared peevishly at Angelica as the other girl entwined their arms together then bounced up and down, laughing giddily.
That smile really does suit Angelica, Johann thought as a smile of relief broke out across his own face. “All right, then,” he said. “I suppose we leave the rest up to Blessed Wing Lara, then.”
“Quite. When victory is ours, there’s no need for us to intrude any further.”
With that, the two of them looked out to where the main force came marching on.
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