Chapter 419 - An Unexpected Ambush
A torrent of iron thorns spreads out, decimating the skeletal horde. They tear through the bones, which should be fairly sturdy, as if they were paper, intertwining to fill the space.
Debris from countless shattered bones must be scattered across the Great Underground Passage.
"...Damn it," I mutter, feeling nauseous and dizzy from the intense exertion. Involuntarily, I kneel down.
Still, not all the skeletons have been annihilated. I can sense that many more are still around, but my condition is so poor that my usually reliable magic perception isn't working well. I can't tell how many are left. Still in the middle of battle, and this isn't good.
To make matters worse, Valeria has moved behind me and is now engaged with new enemies.
The remaining skeletons in front will take some time to reach us, so I can afford to ignore them for now. I abandon my weak magic perception and entrust my back to Valeria. Kneeling, I close my eyes and focus on recovering.
Still, who’s attacking from behind?
The passage was a straight path. I thought it would be our team members if anyone was following us. Have Roberta and the others not caught up yet?
But it’s a relief to have a reliable teammate. Thanks to her, I could focus on the thorn magic and can take a break now.
I close my eyes and swallow a healing potion, suppressing the urge to lie down. Taking deep breaths, I try to overcome my dizziness and nausea. This should help gradually ease the discomfort.
Valeria is fulfilling her role as Head of Presidential Security admirably, even though it’s not a common task for her.
I can tell from the sounds and movements that Valeria is using her short daggers and magic to fend off the attack from a distance, prioritizing my safety over neutralizing the enemy.
It’s strange, though. Given Valeria’s skill, she should be able to quickly dispatch the enemy instead of merely holding a defensive stance.
I’m curious. Even though I should focus on recovering, I use my magic perception to check the enemy behind me.
"—Strong," I say to myself. I must be more exhausted than I thought. Not noticing an enemy with such powerful magic nearby is a significant oversight. There are five of them, and three are engaging Valeria while two provide magical support from a distance.
These enemies, clearly first-rate, are surrounding Valeria, who is standing her ground despite the odds. Their frustration must be mounting as they can’t bring her down, even with a surprise attack and five against one.
The mysterious enemies, likely Gulgandi’s elite, are recognized as first-rate warriors by their magic and combat skills.
However, there’s a vast gap between top-tier and elite. Even with five elite warriors, it’s difficult to overcome the superiority of an overtop-tier warrior like Valeria.
She’s equipped with top-tier magic potions and tools. To defeat her, a group of lower-tier fighters would need to outnumber her and have superior equipment.
This battle, left alone, will inevitably end in Valeria’s victory. She can win without using Combat Body Transformation Magic, and she’s not fully focused on the fight. I can tell she’s keeping an eye on me, too, despite the battle.
That’s why we can coordinate so well.
Finally, I raise my head and open my right eye. Just by looking back, I can communicate my intention to Valeria.
I’ve recovered enough to function at a basic level. Let’s do it.
From the scattered remains of the skeletons, I draw a black magic sword while crouching, testing its weight and balance as I wait for the right moment.
Valeria’s combat is breathtaking. Despite keeping an eye on me, she swiftly dodges enemy attacks, deflecting them with her dagger while casting wind spells to disorient them.
She handles the relentless onslaught with ease, a stark demonstration of her superiority. Yet, the enemies continue to fight with their lives on the line, having no other choice.
I’ll end this. From my perspective, they’re riddled with openings.
I casually toss the black greatsword.
Spinning horizontally at high speed, the black greatsword flies toward Valeria and the three enemies surrounding her. At the perfect moment, Valeria jumps up, drawing their attention away from the sword.
The razor-sharp greatsword attacks with terrifying speed from an unexpected direction. Even a prepared opponent would find it difficult to dodge or block such a powerful and swift attack. For the enemy, who had no awareness of the threat, the outcome is inevitable.
Two men, their torsos cut in half, crumple to the ground with expressions of shock. The remaining one, trying to suppress his panic, glances at me for a moment.
Fool. Valeria doesn’t miss such an opportunity. She throws her dagger in mid-air, striking the slow-reacting enemy’s temple.
That’s how you execute a sneak attack. A valuable lesson, though they’ll never have the chance to apply it.
Only the two providing magical support from a distance are left. Without numerical advantage and morale, they have no real chance.
"Onee-sama, I’ll capture them alive," Valeria says.
"Yes, we need information," I reply.
Hearing this tense exchange and witnessing the overwhelming skill gap that brought down three elite fighters, the remaining two have no courage to face us head-on. They bolt, fleeing like rabbits. Their decision to run is too late, though. They’re far from our level.
Valeria won’t lose in a race. She starts running without urgency but soon stops.
Of course, because new figures have appeared from the other end of the passage.
"Yukari-san, Valeria! You were ahead of us. Pretty fast, huh!"
"We’re late, President. We captured some men who looked like Gulgandi. Good timing!"
"What’s going on here? I didn’t know this passage existed so deep underground."
"We didn’t have this information beforehand, but it’s quite a sight, isn’t it?"
Roberta, Violante, and Gradena’s subordinates, Emary and Jinna, have arrived. Even the remaining members, who had been split off, are here, riding in a vehicle.
Except for Gradena and Layla, who are on a separate mission, the team is now complete.
I stand up and approach them.
"Wow, there are so many bones scattered around. They’re black skeletons, right? We battled them in the warehouse upstairs. Did you do this, Yukari-san?"
"Roberta, be quiet. Onee-sama is tired."
"Hehe, I’m fine. But let’s get to the point. We need information, so let’s conduct a quick debrief and interrogation."
The arrival of reinforcements makes me feel more at ease. Even Roberta’s lighthearted mood is oddly comforting.
First, we share information. The black skeletons we couldn’t magic away are still advancing in large numbers. There are Undead Dromariuses that self-destruct and spread curses. The number of enemies is higher than expected. We also freed hostages from a hideout before entering the passage.
"Oh, Onee-sama, do these men look familiar?"
The two captured men are unconscious and lying still.
"Eh, not really."
"Ah, I think they were among the hostages."
Valeria seems to remember, but I don’t. There were five hostages, and the enemies we faced totaled five. They could be Cleados House affiliates. I recognize the face of the young knight among the hostages, but these two aren’t him. Maybe seeing the faces of the three I killed will clarify things.
We check the two men’s faces. One is indeed the young knight we rescued.
"The hostages we saved were actually enemies in disguise."
"They seem to be spies. A dirty trick."
"Well, it was effective. We were completely fooled. I’ll give them credit for their acting skills."
We had been informed by Gradena that there were hostages, but we didn’t suspect a ruse. Gulgandi’s tactics are quite elaborate.
Even without a significant struggle, our resistance to a large undead ambush was successful. Normally, being attacked by rescued hostages would cause confusion, but we didn’t recognize the faces, so it had no effect.
On second thought, they’re rather pitiable.
"Let’s take care of the skeletons. President and Valeria, rest up."
"We’ll handle it quickly. Everyone, let’s go!"
Roberta and the others, a group of six, head off to deal with the remaining skeletons. I estimate there are over a hundred within my magic perception range. Realistically, there could be many more. But leaving it to them is safe.
"We’ll interrogate them, then. Let’s bind and restrain them first."
The unconscious men lie helplessly on the ground. Valeria and I take knives, strip them of their gear and clothes, and bind their limbs with wire. We also use a powerful paralyzing poison to reduce their mobility. Magic suppression isn’t in place, so that’s something to watch.
"These are likely elite fighters. They might not give up information easily."
We don’t have the time or equipment for a thorough interrogation. They’re elite operatives, so it won’t be easy.
"If it doesn’t work, we can hand them over to the Intelligence Department."
"Since we caught them, might as well. If they’re useless, we’ll dispose of them."
We can hear the sounds of battle from afar. Roberta and the others are efficiently eliminating the skeletons.
Fine, let’s get to it. It’s time for the interrogation. First, let’s wake them up.
I hesitate between using a stimulant potion or kicking them awake—
Suddenly, something strange happens.
"Onee-sama—"
"Valeria, don’t move. I’ll use my magic perception and senses to check the situation."
The lights go out with a faint sound. The magical lighting devices lining the passage have all gone dark, intentionally, not due to malfunction. The darkness engulfs us completely.
Using light magic would make us easy targets, so we should rely on our senses.
Roberta and the others, sensing the sudden change, pause their fight, moving slightly back before stopping.
Something is happening in this dark, enclosed passage.
It can’t be just the lights being turned off. A chill runs down my spine, signaling an impending attack.
Then, a slight vibration in the throat, and the magic presence of the two captured men vanishes. They must have been killed silently.
"Poison gas," I hypothesize. It must be a powerful, fast-acting poison. Our cloaks’ engraving magic automatically neutralize such toxins, making us less likely to notice gas attacks.
But using gas in such a confined space seems aimed more at eliminating captured allies than defeating us. Even with anti-toxin devices, captured enemies would have their gear taken away. This is a pre-emptive measure to silence them.
"...Onee-sama!"
Valeria calls out, confused, just as I silently catch my breath.
Tension fills my body, questions swarm my mind. Are my senses malfunctioning?
In the dark, I can usually pinpoint anyone using magic. Even if they conceal their magic, it’s hard to move without leaving a trace. More so when there are two of us with heightened perception. It’s nearly impossible for anyone to evade both our magic and physical senses completely.
But as Valeria senses, something is off with the magic and presence.
Because—suddenly, there’s someone right behind me.