Black Badger

Magic had concealed their presence.

Two of my own kind were dealing with Kai’s and Sophia’s attacks.

We were on the mountain’s slope. Heavy snow covered the trees, filling our vision. They stood among those trees.

Green hair fluttering in the winter wind.

Valdez’s silver glasses.

I tore my gaze away from Hekate—who was deflecting bullets with her blade—and from the mage beside her, projected shield shimmering as he supported her.

And then I saw that Yun’s wound still wasn’t stopping.

Ah?

“This is weird.”

Ami muttered in a pale, trembling voice.

“Why isn’t he healing?”

“Green Dream.”

Ricardo said curtly.

A curse slipped out.

“I have the antidote!”

But the seniors didn’t waste time swearing. Ami pulled out a syringe. Ricardo ripped open the fabric around the wound.

Blood kept pouring from his abdomen.

Yun had actually sensed the attack first.

But instead of dodging, he shoved me out of the strike zone — assuming he’d heal like always.

It was his attempt to push me clear, when my attention was locked on that unknown presence, that turned out to be the problem.

That presence still hadn’t disappeared and scraped at the edges of my nerves.

But I couldn’t afford to pay attention to it now.

I tightened my grip on the sword hard enough to crush the hilt.

He needed emergency treatment now.

During battle, suppressing the enemy’s firepower was crucial for treating the wounded.

Following that rule, Kai and Sophia were unloading attacks, but I could see the teleportation array blooming beneath Valdez’s feet. He’d relocate and strike the moment he activated it.

I looked toward Yun after preparing to draw.

“I’ll finish this quickly.”

Yun rolled his eyes up toward me.

A rasping voice.

“Make sure... to kill them.”

“Yes.”

With things as they were, useless thoughts had no room to interfere.

My senses sharpened. Adrenaline surged. Ami’s grim realization that the fragments carried Green Dream cooled my mind even further.

Neutralizing Valdez took priority.

Exceptional battlefield analysis, mastery in support and offensive magic — the one who always fought at Kyle’s side through countless wars.

Spatial magic renders cover meaningless.

And the Green Dream had been his attack.

He would strike from behind Kai and Sophia.

The teleportation array began blooming on the ground nearby.

The enemy would arrive in three seconds.

I rose and leapt toward the array.

KANG!

「You bastard!」

「I told you already!」

Hekate’s blade blocked mine.

If they hadn’t teleported together, I would’ve taken Valdez’s head already.

Clenching my teeth, I met her sword head-on.

Metal screeched as our blades locked.

「Don’t even think about fighting alone!」

I shoved her blade down with force.

KAGAANG!

The locked swords were flung downward.

In that instant—her posture broke. The moment was brief enough that Valdez didn’t notice.

But it was enough for me.

Lowering my body, I thrust.

「Kh—!」

“Tch.”

Blood burst out.

Feeling the sensation travel up my hand, I clicked my tongue.

With my former skill, I would’ve pierced her heart.

The dulled strike speared Hekate’s side instead. It pierced a part of the armor-like combat suit she wore.

But a side wound wouldn’t kill her.

I’d need to slice across.

Cut her cleanly in half.

「Deployment!」

WUUUNG—

Valdez was faster.

Any other mage wouldn’t have been able to respond this quickly. They might have chosen to retreat — or foolishly chosen offense.

But he wasn’t an ordinary mage, nor one limited to long-range combat.

The moment I twisted my vertically-thrust sword horizontally, the teleportation array swallowed both him and Hekate.

Vwoom!

I yanked my sword back before it could be dragged along.

“Enemy at 2 o’clock!”

「You should have attacked!」

Kai and Hekate both shouted.

Two enemies at 2 o’clock.

Angle impossible for the wounded to strike. Angle viable only for supporting fire.

It would take me about six seconds to reach them by jumping in.

「I held her so she couldn’t move!」

「Are you crazy? If you’d attacked, she wouldn’t have dodged — she would’ve cut you in half!」

I twisted my body and prepared to leap.

「If you were one second slower, it would've been over!」

KWA-KWAGWAANG! 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Hekate sent a sword strike flying at me as I closed distance.

I swung my sword, redirecting the path of her attack. The wind pressure scratched sharply across my cheek.

THUD, KU-UUNG!

Trees collapsed in the redirected path.

Judging from the sound, the strike had flown exactly where I needed it. The falling trees would serve as temporary cover for the seniors.

Through the fluttering strands of my white hair, I saw familiar faces — my own kind.

I didn’t stop. Crushed the fallen branches beneath my feet as I ran.

I didn’t bother brushing aside the brittle branches blocking the way. Whether they cut my skin or not, I kept accelerating.

Distance closed again.

I raised my sword.

KAAANG!

「Captain.」

Hekate grit her teeth and gave a bitter laugh.

「Your attitude is completely different from last time.」

“Hekate.”

Our swords pressed together as I answered emotionlessly.

「What were you expecting?」

KAGANG!

I shoved her sword aside.

She always created an opening every time she was pushed back. A bad habit. I’d use it.

I thrust.

PSSHK!

A miss.

Surprisingly, she must’ve learned something from the previous exchange — she barely managed to dodge by yanking her body back.

I swallowed the urge to click my tongue.

A bit deeper and I would’ve sliced the artery in her neck.

Valdez shouted:

「Take cover!」

KWA-AANG!

I pulled back the thrust and swung when the spell exploded.

Without stopping, I cut through it — the blast clashed with my sword strike and sent a roar ripping through the trees.

Exploding needles spilled across the ground — the same attack that hit Yun. A metallic sphere filled with spikes.

If I hadn’t cut it down, it would’ve gone straight for the seniors.

「Your sword’s gotten rough.」

「Deployment!」

Valdez gritted his teeth and shouted.

The teleportation array flared and swallowed them.

I twisted and looked down the slope.

They had repositioned — gaining distance from me while taking an angle to attack the others. They stood above the seniors and looked down on them.

This was dragging on.

I couldn’t afford more wounded. I didn’t have time to drag this out.

And Hekate had even healed herself with magic.

“Rick.”

Turning my body, I called through the comms.

“Need support.”

[Yes.]

“If we cut off their hands, things will be easier.”

It was the most efficient way to overturn the battlefield.

I wasn’t arrogant enough not to use outstanding force when I had it.

Or rather — I had been that arrogant once. Now I was thinking properly.

“Watch out for the spikes.”

The enemies had moved to my 5 o’clock.

A tree trunk blocked the view — a tall, thick tree between me and them.

They must’ve chosen that spot intentionally.

Without hesitation, I sent a sword strike.

JJEO-JEOK...

The massive tree toppled slowly, clearing the view.

It was taller than the others, so even falling took time. I heard it crash onto the forest canopy as I gave the next command:

We needed the high ground.

“Ami. Airborne.”

[Okay.]

“Everyone — suppressive fire.”

As I gauged the distance—

(I heard Kai echo the order:)

“Fire!”

TATATATATANG!

Sophia’s and Kai’s bullets rained down.

Ami’s gunfire poured from above as well.

Valdez’s lemon-colored barrier caught the bullets.

But the barrier didn’t cover the ground beneath him — Ricardo’s shape-shifting weapon crawled through the snow. Silver spikes flowed along the ridge toward the enemies — just like on the illegal colosseum stage.

I didn’t bother checking if it hit.

Instead, I dropped to one knee and calculated their positioning.

Everyone except Ami was in a serious disadvantage in elevation.

Valdez was even creating spells outside his barrier.

Another iron sphere filled with needles.

“It’ll explode in three seconds.”

I murmured into the comm.

“Watch for fragments.”

KWA-AANG!

KUUUNG!

The spell exploded the moment I finished speaking.

Simultaneously, I swung my sword from a kneeling position.

As wide as possible — a sweeping arc larger than a half-circle — heavy, full force.

The sword strike tore through the trees in front of me. Branches snapped violently.

In that brief instant, Hekate shoved Valdez’s head down, bracing to take the blow.

Ricardo’s spike reached the mage’s hand — piercing through it.

「Aaagh!」

「Captain!」

And the sword strike I had launched hit them as well.

「You—!」

I wasn’t weaker than them.

KWA-AANG! Hekate swung, but it wasn’t enough. The blade of force that had cut down trees slammed into the Empire’s grandmaster.

THUD!

She crashed into the snow-covered ground.

Valdez lurched upright.

But spikes pierced the soles of his feet as he tried to run toward Hekate.

Still, the mage, bleeding heavily, reached the fallen swordswoman.

I couldn’t let them escape.

Following the path carved by my sword strike, °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° I sprinted toward them.

Adrenaline surged, slowing the world. I raced toward the mage summoning a new teleportation array in agony, and Hekate screaming something at him as she held him.

Gunfire thinned.

Ami’s voice burst through the comm:

[Humanoid Creatures sighted north of Zone C!]

What?

[About fifty!]

Ah.

I froze for a moment.

In that instant of hesitation, Hekate and Valdez teleported.

Wind whipped past as I skidded to a stop on the ridge, scanning the area.

Cold brushed against my skin.

Now I understood. Why we’d encountered them suddenly. Why Hekate and Valdez were together.

And the identity of that heavy presence that had prickled my nerves.

They were expanding territory.

They had come out of Zone S and pushed all the way down near Zone C. The reason fog often gathered around Zone C became clear — they needed a cover to conceal mage transport.

Hekate and Valdez had been leading them.

No idea where they got the Green Dream from, but—

[Fifty is way too many...]

Ricardo muttered.

Sophia’s low voice followed:

[We retreat?]

“No.”

[No.]

My emotionless answer overlapped with Yun’s voice.

Pained breathing.

A blood-choked voice.

[Make... sure... to kill her....]

“Yes. I’ll bring her head.”

Within one minute.

“It’ll be over soon.”

Because now only Hekate was left.

I turned to the last remaining grandmaster of old.

She stood in the crisp cold air. The injured mage was nowhere to be seen — Valdez must have gone back to join their forces.

He knew he had no chance.

But he hadn’t teleported with her. Someone had to hold me here. If they didn’t buy time, a resolved me would head straight for the fifty.

A mixed group of combatants and noncombatants.

Hekate knew well enough that we could cut them down.

“Quite the villain label I’m getting.”

I let out a laugh to myself.

Now that she was my enemy, her attitude was correct.

「You should’ve fled with him.」

She had chosen noble self-sacrifice. I had no intention of sparing her. I would not show mercy to a proud warrior ready for death.

The enemy I stupidly spared when I knew nothing — her head needed to fall.

Noel’s enemy.

「Hekate.」

Besides — hadn’t your people already embraced death when they chose to begin this war?

In the faded winter landscape, her green hair fluttered.

Her eyes burned with hatred as I stepped through gray snow.

Blood and dirt mixed into a slush beneath my feet.

I drew my sword.

「Let’s finish this.」