52. You are already surrounded by us!
Beneath the seemingly flashy maneuvers, the hilt of the dagger was tied to a chain that extended to the elf, and the blade shimmered with a dark purple aura, carrying an unmistakable air of foreboding! I had already witnessed the consequences of being pierced by such a weapon on those “human specimens” and “zombies.”
Yet, it was precisely because of this that I had harbored doubts since the moment I saw this elf’s “death script” appear: having already engaged in a brief skirmish with me, why did this elf still choose to “test” me upon our next encounter!? Was she not afraid of it backfiring?
Did she truly look down on me, or was it something else…?
Time did not allow me to ponder further!
The power conjured by the shape-shifting fairy, Zelus, was enough to tear apart even this mere chain! And just as I reached out, channeling the fairy’s power, a pair of claws indeed ripped the dagger that was flying toward me into shreds, but…
This force was clearly much greater than before, and even Zelus’s “claws” were shrouded in a layer of red mist!
[Crack, crack, crack]
At the moment I was “tearing apart” these chains like paper, I heard Rose’s voice beside me, as if boasting about something, speaking to me with a hint of arrogance.
“Country bumpkin, so inexperienced, that’s why you’re just a pretty boy. This is my power, you know~ I just told you, my power enhances the master’s strength. As long as the power you use is to my liking, I will naturally strengthen it a bit~”
“But, after all, it’s a gift from me, so your original ‘mediocre’ fairy power will become even more formidable. Therefore, to forever remember my usefulness to you, from now on, no matter what power you use, you must prefix it with ‘blood’ to highlight my importance~ What do you think?”
Blood hand, blood dagger, blood sword, blood… blood roar…
“Forget it, how tacky.”
Moreover, I was only just beginning to calm down from the earlier “bonding” incident. To put it simply: Rose was completely unnecessary! Because my plans could be accomplished regardless of whether she acknowledged me as her master.
In other words, this fairy was given to me for free; I had no idea what she was thinking at the time, just handing over the future to me.
“Ha!? You dare to call this noble lady’s attributes ‘earthy,’ you little pretty boy!?”
That’s because someone like you, an old midget who never leaves the house, has outdated aesthetic standards! Who still uses that kind of address nowadays? Besides, we’ve already acknowledged each other; at least say ‘master,’ right? Yet you still keep calling me little pretty boy, making it hard for me to muster any patience to play along with your rustic naming game.
More importantly: we don’t have time for this!
After all, even with the addition of the blood fairy, my ‘death script’ still exists! To put it simply: I’ve become stronger, but if we go all out, I still can’t defeat the elven sorcerer in front of me!
“Quiet! She’s coming!”
As my gaze fell, the failure of that chain attack didn’t seem to surprise the opponent. This white-haired elf might really just want to ‘test’ me!
But once the testing is over, it’s time to get serious!
“A plural fairy’s fairy master, hmm hmm~ Now I think I understand why I ‘overlooked’ it~”
While saying something that sounded quite serious, the white-haired elf plunged the dagger in her hand into the ground!
In the next moment, what flew toward me wasn’t just one chain, but ten, a hundred! They came at me in layers, not giving me a single chance to counterattack or even dodge! If it were Kephir or Nilu, perhaps they could rely on their absolute strength to forcefully break these chains, but for me, I simply didn’t have the power to dismantle the elven sorcerer’s saturated attack while trying to evade!
So, of course, I had to find another way. Although I still had some doubts in my heart, time and the script were urging me on; it was about time to start ‘planning.’
“[You are unafraid of the opponent’s attack.]”
“Hey? A fairy with such power. You… clearly a pretty boy, but some fairies are stronger than others~”
I planned to use the power of the light fairy Ikusis to ‘boost myself,’ and it was clear that Rose understood Ikusis’s abilities as well.
“By the way, you have another fairy, right? What kind of ability does that fairy have? Tell me in advance so I can prepare~”
Another one, huh? Probably… wealthy.
After all, that might be the queen’s most obvious ‘ability.’
“Hmph, if you won’t say, then forget it~ But with me here, you don’t need to fear this sorcerer at all! Go for it! We absolutely cannot let her escape!”
Rose’s voice rang in my ears; rather than helping me with her fairy’s abilities, it felt more like she was a ‘supervisor’ by my side.
So I…
Turn and run! With the strength of Zelus, I grabbed onto the surrounding buildings like Spider-Man, accelerating my escape!
“Very good~ It seems you have some merits beyond being a ‘pretty boy.’ Don’t hesitate, just use the weapon at hand and chop off that elf’s head… Huh!? Why are you running away!?”
Rosa, who was definitely urging me with her eyes closed, only realized what was happening after I had already fled quite a distance!
Of course I was running away because I couldn’t possibly defeat her! My death script from the story still existed up to this point!
But I didn’t have time to respond to Rosa, because if the “death script” wasn’t stopped, it would inevitably come to pass—just as I saw the elf sorceress “get serious” and turned to flee, that elf indeed chased after me!
Her chains moved like elastic ropes; all she had to do was pull, and her body transformed into a “bird” that could almost fly through the air. Ultimately, just as I was about to “escape to a populated area and avoid disaster,” I found myself in an open space still a distance away from any signs of life…
A chain flew in from behind me! As I dodged it in advance thanks to the script, the elf’s figure appeared alongside the chain.
“What’s wrong? Not running anymore?”
As she spoke, she drew the blade that was stuck in the ground. It was only then that I turned to look and realized: during the brief moment I had just fled, this elf had already caught up to me! At this moment, all around me, chains were densely woven between the buildings, blocking every possible escape route and thought like a spider’s web!
Seeing this, even Rosa, no matter how noble, should have realized: if the opponent used all her strength, unfortunately… I wouldn’t be able to become the “master” who helps Rosa deal with this white-haired elf.
“I told you, I’m very good with time. Rather than gamble on escaping, you might as well gamble on the fact that I can’t kill you; after that, I generally won’t pursue it anymore~”
With no way out, all the “escape” content in the script was blocked! So, I could only stand still, pause for a moment, and ask.
“It’s quite strange.”
“Hmm? The power of a sorceress is just like this~ What’s so strange about it?”
“Nothing.”
Faced with the elf’s ordinary response, I shook my head.
“Hmm~ So, can we continue now?”
The elf toyed with the blade in her hand, though… it soon slipped and fell to the ground.
This was to be expected, because… this was also what I found strange.
“Of course, we can ‘continue’ now.”
I took a step back, listening to the sound of chains being shattered behind me.
At the same time, the script appeared!
【Ogilid successfully lured the elven sorceress!】
【The elven sorceress is surrounded!】
“You… knowing my identity, how could you not realize this is a trap, elf?”
I truly could not be your enemy, but from the very beginning, I never intended to “deal with” you, because… this is indeed the trap prepared for you, white-haired elf!
I looked at the elven sorceress, who, after a moment of surprise, immediately broke into a bitter smile, and whispered.