Acting as a Slit-Eyed Villain Perfectly

Chapter 266

Chapter 266. There's Space Behind the Pillar (1)

"...... Hmm."

What is this guy up to?

While I was waiting for Uruhar to come out of Fulcurn's mansion, I let out a sigh because there was still no sign of him emerging.

'Did something happen?'

It didn't seem like there were any signs of life inside.

Of course, I was outside the mansion, even watching from beyond the wall, so I couldn't perfectly gauge what was happening inside.

'If it were simply about confirming the horn, it wouldn't take so long.'

I didn't expect him to bring the 'Demon God's Horn'. I just wanted to confirm with my own eyes to ask the 'Black Knight'.

'Once the location is confirmed, I can use Kaldrach's Wedge Knights.'

That's what I thought.

'Why isn't he coming out?'

Tap, tap, tap.

Feeling unnecessarily anxious, I kept shifting my feet back and forth.

'Tsk.'

In the end, clicking my tongue once, I began to awaken 'Angelica' from within.

- 'Grr'

Angelica's voice sounded slightly discontent, as if she had been sleeping.

'With your master working hard, how can you sleep right now?'

I joked internally to the sulking Angelica while opening my hand, and naturally, Angelica began to form the mask of the 'Black Knight'.

After putting it on my face, I also jumped over the wall and entered Fulcurn's mansion.

'...... Hmm.'

Inside, something peculiar greeted me.

An inhuman, stark atmosphere.

Though it looked like no one lived there, the furniture was arranged to give the impression of a 'lived-in' space.

'A trap....'

It doesn't seem like one.

It appears to be a place that has been prepared to either hide something or to arrange the 'Demon God's Horn'.

'Is it below?'

According to the blueprint given by Uruhar, there's a basement below.

Although it wasn't clearly marked on the blueprint, the pillars established to bear the weight were confirmed.

'I should check, just in case.'

Before finding the path leading down, I started spreading 'Angelica' around to scout the surroundings for anything useful.

Using 'mana detection' would have alerted Uruhar and possibly others to my presence here.

'Alright then.'

While Angelica was scouting the surroundings, I began to search the room.

Before long, I found a stairway leading downwards.

Uruhar might have gone down through here.

'Is this the only entrance and exit?'

If so, it means that if the enemy blocks this place while I'm down, there's no way out.

'...... That's terrifying.'

People naturally tend to be cautious in the face of unknown danger.

'What if Uruhar didn't intend to cooperate?'

The moment I take the stairs down, it could be the end for me.

'Perhaps.'

Is retreating without any more thought the best answer now?

***

Uruhar pulled his hood down tightly and lifted his head to look at the man in front of him.

A profusion of white hair. Yet, his physique bore a violent form that could rival any youthful knight.

A formidable opponent. No, a swordsman who undoubtedly surpassed him.

All his peripheral nerves screamed that the current situation was unfavorable, but Uruhar tightened his grip on the handle.

"The wound on your shoulder is deep. It's not shameful to escape an unfavorable situation."

Said Kikubad, glancing at the only exit behind him in the room that housed the 'Demon God's Horn'.

"Of course, I won't let you escape either."

Kikubad swung the sword he held once, spraying the blood that had been on its blade all around.

"You surely live up to your reputation as a man of few words."

As Kikubad showed signs of charging again, Uruhar calmed his pounding heart.

Here he comes.

The thought flashed through his mind as Kikubad dashed towards him.

His speed wasn't blinding like a bolt of lightning but rather smooth as flowing water, which caught Uruhar off guard.

In a blink of an eye, Kikubad closed in, poised to strike Uruhar with his sword.

Clang!

Forcing himself to endure the shoulder pain, Uruhar barely managed to react.

As the swords clashed, the sparks faintly illuminated the dim underground, and through them, Kikubad's smiling face appeared vaguely.

"You reacted, despite it being an attack I was quite confident in."

Although part of the Imperial Knights, Uruhar had little experience going on missions with Kikubad.

However, if anything left a strong impression during those few encounters, it was his distinctive footwork.

"Seems like you know me. If that's the case...."

His footsteps, both approaching and retreating, felt like a mysterious art, always sticking close like drifting wind.

Thunk!

'Grr...!'

Feeling sharp pain once more, Uruhar realized Kikubad's short one-handed sword was stuck in his knee.

"Looks like you probably know me well."

Kikubad laughed sinisterly, causing a shiver to run down Uruhar's spine as he endured the pain and swung his sword to shake off Kikubad.

A downward slash from the left lower side to the upper right.

However, Kikubad foresaw it and effortlessly parried the strike with a cross guard of his two-handed sword.

Swish!

Blood splattered from Uruhar's side during the clash.

'...... What on Earth is this!?'

Even though the blade didn't touch him, sword scars mysteriously appeared on Uruhar's body.

With a shocked gaze, Uruhar stared at the elderly swordsman before him. That was when he noticed the mana coursing through Kikubad's body.

'Aura...?'

Judging by the flow of the mana, it was evident that Kikubad utilized aura.

'Damn it.'

Uruhar had no knowledge of Kikubad's 'aura'.

Within the Imperial Knights, even members from the same unit were kept in the dark about each other's abilities.

This was a regulation set by the imperial family to ensure they could eliminate fellow Imperial Knights if needed.

'However, Kikubad knows my abilities.'

During the induction test to the Imperial Knights, it was none other than Kikubad who had evaluated him.

What is certain.

'It cut even without touching?'

Given the distance was beyond the reach of the blade, the only possible explanation lay in the conclusion that the aura could extend the attack range.

Watching the leftover traces of mana from the aura, Uruhar attempted to glean any hint from it but Kikubad gave him no time.

"Ugh!"

"The first words you uttered disappoint me a bit."

Kikubad's gap closed as he took one step forward, diminishing the distance once again.

The situation couldn't have been any more disadvantageous. Let alone the wounds, Uruhar was in no position to use 'aura' against Kikubad.

The specifications of the aura revealed during the test were fresh in Kikubad's mind.

If Kikubad remembered them, he could potentially unmask the 'Black Knight's' identity.

'Damn it!'

His life.

The identity of the 'Black Knight'.

Weighing these on the scale, Kikubad's sword approached Uruhar's front again.

He narrowly dodged moving his foot back.

Slit──!

Though he managed to avoid, the clothes on his chest were torn, blood splattering in the process.

Another relentless pursuit.

Despite not being physically hit, blood splattered anew from his legs.

'Wh-what on earth is going on...!?'

Thunk!

In his panic over the aura, Uruhar instinctively sought to create distance, leading Kikubad to take the opportunity and plunge the one-handed sword into his right shoulder yet again.

The pain that used to make his body flinch vanished. Rather, Uruhar knew that this signaled danger.

His body grew sluggish. His legs began to falter, and his sword-gripping right hand started to tremble involuntarily.

Removing the one-handed sword, Kikubad kicked Uruhar to the floor.

Once sprawled on the ground, an odd sense of relief began to wash over Uruhar's body.

"You noticed I'm using aura, but you don't seem to be using your aura."

A query of why he came to this place arose in his mind.

Indeed, it was to verify the location of the 'Demon God's Horn' and to see whether the imperial family was really concocting a heinous scheme with it.

'It's a futile death.'

Reflecting on his actions, Uruhar sneered at himself.

Ultimately, nothing from his life path could serve as evidence of any value. A hollow laugh stemmed from his powerlessness.

"I thought I'd find some amusement, but the Black Knight turned out to be a worthless piece of trash."

In the ears of Uruhar, who was riddled with shame, the insult against the 'Black Knight' was heard.

"Oh, you can stand up even with such wounds?"

Gaining back his consciousness, Uruhar found himself standing again.

When had he stood up? In the unconscious realm where his mind blanked out, Uruhar lingered.

Yet, one thought began to inflate in his mind.

Do not besmirch the name of the Black Knight.

With this thought solidifying, Uruhar started to draw out 'mana' from his dantian.

Even using aura wouldn't tip the scale against this disadvantage. Therefore.

"Are you planning to explode the mana vein in your dantian?"

Kikubad seemed to read Uruhar's mind, speaking up.

"Causing such an act in this confined space, a massive explosion is inevitable."

Kikubad erased the laughter he'd held until now, speaking with a serious expression.

"Moreover, destroying the 'resonance stone' guarding that horn would unleash demonic energy, amplifying the explosion. You'd definitely die."

Listening to Kikubad laying out the information, Uruhar continued to channel mana into the mana vein.

He knew.

Should the mana be expanded and triggered using 'aura', this confined space would be obliterated.

"Is it possible you're hoping for such a futile death?"

A futile death?

Rather, leaving a reason behind his death was all there was.

'Blowing my body away to conceal the Black Knight's identity.'

Simultaneously, to obliterate the 'Demon God's Horn', there's no other option.

Boom──!

At that moment, the ceiling began to collapse. As debris rained down, Kikubad reluctantly retreated from trying to close the distance with Uruhar.

What's going on?

Uruhar looked up at the ceiling to see a black figure falling from above, knocking Uruhar aside.

"Ugh!"

Due to that, Uruhar found himself falling on his behind. Amidst the storm of debris, Uruhar raised his head.

Despite the mana swelling through his 'mana vein', causing blood to gush from his body, he was unfazed, intently tracing the man who fell from the ceiling with his eyes.

"The Black Knight...."

The Black Knight.

Lost in a daze, Uruhar mumbled the name.

However, the 'Black Knight' remained silent, merely staring ahead.

"Oho."

His gaze was directed at Kikubad. The Black Knight instinctively recognized it.

This old figure was a swordsman as formidable as a 'Sword Saint'.

"Two Black Knights? That seems too many for mythical beings."

Chuckling, Kikubad tossed a joke before gripping his stance once more.

"With two, it won't be noticeable even if they die."