Each team had taken a different route at the crossroads, and among them Eruya Uzruth had simply charged straight ahead, driven by the baseless assumption that a strong enemy awaited him in the tomb's depths. He encountered stone doors and countless turns along the way. Picking each one at random, his route was peaceful and boring, devoid of any traps or monsters.
'Perhaps I picked the wrong route,' Eruya thought, clicking his tongue.
"Hurry up already, slowpoke," Eruya barked at the House Elf walking ten metres ahead of him as she was about to stop.
The Elf slave quivered for just a second before walking tiredly on. Exhausted from continuous marching since entering the tomb, she had not been permitted to slacken her pace at all.
Fortunately, nothing had happened so far, but if there had been traps, she could very well have died. The way he was using his slaves was not so much trap finding as having her serve as a canary in a mine. Eruya's team was composed of himself and three of his House Elves.
Giving such an order to someone like her, who possessed irreplaceable searching skills, was too much of a waste. However, he had his reasons. Simply put, he was tired of the Elf in front of him. Surely anyone would be shocked when they heard that answer. Their shock would not stem from ethics but from economics. House Elves were not cheap. This was particularly true of House Elves nurtured by Uzruth Family, who were trained in their secret arts.
In most cases, no household would ever consider selling their elves due to pride. Consequently, elves were shockingly expensive merchandise and not something an average citizen could afford. Even someone like Eruya, who worked in the ministry, couldn't simply purchase one on a whim.
However, Eruya had inherited the entire Uzruth household fortune. Therefore, once he grew tired of a slave, he didn't particularly mind if she died. Additionally, there was one other reason he only acquired a new elf after one of the existing ones perished: he could only create and control three slave seals at a time.
If he wanted a new house-elf, he had to either let go of or sell one of his current ones. He could also choose not to place a slave mark on them. House-elves were highly sought after for their absolute loyalty to their house, but given what happened with his family, Eruya didn't trust anyone he couldn't control.
Lost in thought, Eruya was a second late in noticing the Elf had stopped moving.
"Why did you stop? Keep going."
"Aiieee... ah, I, I felt strong magic."
"Magic?"
Eruya furrowed his brows as the Elf plucked up the courage to reply. He concentrated but felt nothing. The surroundings were silent, so quiet, in fact, that it made his head hurt. Though a genius swordsman, his magical abilities were mediocre.
"...I don't feel anything."
Normally, he would have simply punched her right in the face, but Elves had keener senses than wizards. She might have perceived something he hadn't. To verify, he asked the two beside him:
"How about you lot?"
"Y-yes, I can feel it. There is also a sound coming from ahead."
"It... it sounds like metal clashing against metal."
"...Is that so."
There was no way a strong magic signature along with metal clashing against eachother could occur naturally. In that case, it must surely have been made by someone. In other words, this might be the first fight since entering the tomb. As he thought of that, Eruya's heart filled with excitement.
"We're going to check it out."
"Y... yes."
He let the Elf lead the way as they followed the magic signature. Soon, Eruya heard the intense clanging of metal, accompanied by roars and shouts.
"Is that the sound of another team fighting? I didn't think we crossed their path when we went forward, but it seems we've run into another team."
What had been something like joy dampened in an instant, and Eruya sighed dejectedly.
"Oh well, forget it. We might be able to back them up and kill some monsters."
Perhaps they were battling a formidable creature, and he could save them with his exceptional swordsmanship. This way, they would owe him a favor, and he could also spread his name to the other departments of the ministry. Eruya thought as he continued toward the source of the sounds.
When he turned the corner, Eruya saw a wide, spacious room, large enough for several dozen people to run around. Inside were ten lizard-like beings clad in exquisitely crafted armour, each wearing collars with broken chains dangling from them.
They swung their swords with mighty hacks, each met by an unhesitating parry. This scene repeated throughout the room. Upon Eruya and his team's arrival, the lizardmen ceased their fighting, seemingly laying their conflict to rest upon seeing outsiders.
Apart from the Lizardmen, there was a gigantic fellow. He wielded a huge tower shield and wore black plate armour etched with blood vessel-like tracery, and one more person — or rather, one more creature. It was a massive magical beast with a coat of silver-white fur accentuated with a bulky dark armour, and intelligent-looking eyes hidden beneath a horned helmet, giving it an otherworldly appearance.
"So, thou hast come at last, intruder-dono."
Talking magical beasts were often difficult opponents. While most relied on their physical strength, some intelligent ones could also wield magic.
"And you are?"
There was no need to bother. Its presence here implied it was the guardian of these ruins. The question now was how powerful this guardian was.
By the looks, it might even be the overseer of these ruins. In that case, killing this magical beast would be a great accomplishment, marking his team as the most outstanding among all other Departments. Since Tenbu was a one-man team consisting solely of Eruya, it would cement his status as the strongest wizard of all the ministry members gathered this time. Of course, luck played a crucial role in a wizard's success as well.
"Someone hath appointed me to face thee, and perform several tests at the same time... but given thy strength, I fear it is somewhat insufficient."
Disappointment and frustration surged through his heart. The former was because the magical beast was simply a watchman, and the latter was because it had scorned him.
"You're already looking down on me without even crossing blades with me? Oi!"
"Y-yes."
The Elf shuddered as her master addressed her. Doing so filled Eruya with satisfaction. This was the sort of attitude that he was entitled to. Spending the past few days around Momon, a filthy half-breed who acted superior with just a bit more strength, had deeply displeased him. This eased the annoyance a little.
"What kind of creature is that?"
"I... I'm very, very sorry. I... haven't heard of a magical beast like that before."
"Cheh, you're useless."
He smashed the useless elf's face with the hilt of his sword. The house-elf collapsed to the ground, shielding her face while frantically apologizing, but Eruya paid her no heed; instead, he examined the magical beast's body.
The magical beast was quite large; fighting it head-on would be very unfavourable. However, magical beasts were generally very big, and Eruya had killed several before. The main issue was the mysterious armour this beast was donning.
The dark, intricately designed full-body armour gave this mythical creature the presence of an imposing warrior. Large, curved shoulder guards with spiked edges, added to that a helmet featuring horn-like protrusions, gave the onlookers a visual marvel of hulking strength and majesty. The silver and azure accents highlighted the detailed engravings and patterns, each inscribed with ancient runes that amplified its magical abilities and provided further defense.
As the mystical beast moved, the ancient runes on the brobdingnagian armour glowed faintly, a testament to the powerful magic they held, further enhancing its innate abilities. In this armour, it was not just a legendary beast but a nearly invincible force, ready to face any challenge that came its way.
An ordinary wizard would not have so readily recognized those mysterious symbols. However, Erya Uzruth was not an ordinary wizard. Hailing from an ancient wizarding family, Eruya had some knowledge of Ancient Magic. Mainly, that it could only be seen by those who had affinity for it, and dragons among other magical creatures could also wield it. Unfortunately, Eruya had no talent for it. At one point, he did try to research more about it when he was creating his Slave Mark, but it led to no fruition.
Nonetheless, the knowledge gained is still coming in handy that this beast is an ancient creature, if its ability to speak is not an indication or its wisdom filled eyes…
Eruya was on his guard, but if he was too cautious and shrank from his foe, then he would be a coward.
"I have a question; what makes you think you can beat me?" Eruya sneered.
"Well, it's obvious at a glance that you're very weak..."
Eruya's face twisted in anger, his grip on his sword tightening.
"...It seems those eyes of yours can't see anything. How about I help you cut those useless eyes out of your head?"
"I pray thee spare me. Very well, my master hath ordered this one to slay thee here... so let us begin forthwith."
The casualness of those words only fueled Eruya's fury. He wanted to dispense with the pleasantries and start swinging, but if this was the beast's ploy to provoke him into a reckless charge, then he might get the better of himself. Therefore, he swallowed his anger and snorted.
"Let's do it, beast. You and me, one on one."
"Not do battle alongside thee, will those Elves?"
"There's no need. You should be having those Lizardmen behind..."
"Ah, they are not involved in this. The Lizardmen behind this one are merely to spectate the fight. Fret not about them."
"So you're throwing away your only chance of victory for nothing? How brave."
"I thank thee for thy praise."
Taunting the beast had proven futile; though it could speak, it seemed lacking in intelligence. Anticipating the battle ahead, Eruya had already ordered his elves to cast his family's secret art on him. Various spells to enhance his physical abilities, sharpen his blade, harden his skin, and heighten his senses had already been cast on him beforehand.
This allowed him to enter the battle appearing as if he was relying solely on his own strength. There was no need for the elves to directly participate; maintaining the enchantments from a distance was sufficient. No one would notice unless they specifically probed for the hidden magic.
As Eruya pondered this, the creature's whiskers quivered as it addressed him:
"That said, this one must slay thee without mercy, so this one desires that thou assault me with all thy might. After all, as this one hath said before, this is also a test for this one."
"A test? For a watchdog?"
"Mm~ a test to see if this one's warrior prowess hath improved. Alright, let us commence. This one shall not strike at the elves behind thee, but only at thy person."
"Do what you want."
"This one is known as Hamsuke! Remember the name of the one who claims thy life upon thy voyage to the next world! State thy name as well!"
"...Unfortunately, a mere beast like you doesn't deserve to know my name."
"Then this one shall erase you from my memory as a nameless fool, I shall!"
The massive beast charged at him with startling speed. Eruya could scarcely believe that something so large could move so fast. A less talented warrior might have been paralyzed by the sheer force bearing down on him, unable to avoid being crushed and suffering grievous wounds.
'I'm not like those mooks,' Eruya thought.
He waited until Hamsuke drew near, then in a split second, his body became enveloped in a translucent, ethereal aura.
{Swift Dash}
His robe billowed dramatically, as if caught in a sudden gust of wind. He performed a swift, graceful sidestep, his movements almost too fast for the eye to follow. The ground beneath him blurred, leaving behind a faint trail of magical energy that dissipated like mist. This trail, a mix of vibrant colours — primarily blues and purples, with occasional sparks of white light — added to the mystical effect.
As the dodge concluded, he reappeared a few feet away from his original position, the ethereal aura fading away. Eruya landed lightly on his feet, poised to counter. The entire motion was seamless, with no wasted effort, showcasing his mastery of this evasive manoeuvre.
This technique resembled {Apparate} but differed in that it activated more quickly, though it was only usable for teleporting for a short distance.
"Yeeart!" he jabbed his sword —
"—Guuwaaargh!"
But Hamsuke's body caught up, his massive form suddenly crashed into him, shattering Eruya's stab and sending him flying. It felt incredibly hard. What looked like soft fur from the gaps between the armour was as hard as metal; to Eruya, it was like being struck by a wrecking ball. The impact blanked his mind out for a moment.
He crashed heavily to the ground, instinctively checking if he could still move. Although bruised and battered, his bones remained intact. He could still fight. However, the twin facts that he was rolling around on the ground and that he had disgracefully taken an attack from the enemy almost made him go berserk.
However, Eruya reprimanded himself; now was not the time to be thinking of that. As Eruya rose to his feet, he had already grasped Hamsuke's position, and this time he pointed his sword forward, bracing himself to take his opponent's charge. A slick fluid trickled from his nose — he wiped it with one hand, as expected, it was blood.
"Damn piece of shit..."
Hamsuke watched Eruya rise with calm eyes. The word "observing" would best describe the expression on its face. Those were not a wild beast's eyes which said, "Can I eat this? Can I beat this?", but a warrior's eyes, attempting to determine the best tactics from their brief clash just now.
'You're using me as a touchstone for a magical beast's growth as a warrior?!'
While it upset him, the sequence of events just now had forced him to acknowledge that his opponent was no mere beast. The attack just now had been a snap reaction to realizing that Eruya had circled around itself, a leaping tackle that had struck home. While the attack itself had not been that strong, the fact that it could respond immediately was surely due to training.
"I see... so if I keep fighting at a slow pace like this, I ought to be able to win… Ah, I pray thee pay it no heed. This one hath never before seen a human being who could overcome this one."
"If you want to talk big, how about waiting until after you've seen this, huh? Unlike a mere beast, warriors can use Secret Arts!"
Eruya subtly signalled his slaves, who immediately channelled in more magic power. Mystical beasts were said to be highly attuned to fluctuations in mana, but this one seems to be dull in this regard.
'Or— it might just be stupid.'
He thrust the sword in his hand. The blade felt light, and his movements were smooth, as though the weapon was an extension of his own will. Eruya smiled thinly; now it was his time to shine.
"Umu, this one remembers that one should keep a distance when one cannot gauge an opponent's strength, right? But this one must also face battle as a warrior... alas, it cannot be helped."
Hamsuke used two legs to walk over, step by step, until it was before Eruya's eyes.
"This one wishes to fight in close quarters; wilt thou accede to this one's request?"
"Don't look down on me, beast."
The moment it entered his attack radius, Eruya swung at his foe.
Hamsuke used its sharp claws to fend off the sword strikes that had been made with the aid of an augmented body. No, it tried to fend it off, but it had not succeeded completely. The blade had run over its arm. However, the force of the blow had been dissipated, and it could not tear through its sturdy armour and slice open the hide beneath.
Eruya did not pull his sword back but thrust at Hamsuke's eyes. The eyes were the weakest part for most magical beasts; even a dragon could not resist the {Conjunctivitis Curse}, which caused irritation in the eyes, much less this giant rodent whose only defensive ability was its ancient armour.
But Hamsuke wasn't about to let that strike land. The beast's body whirled, and as it evaded the thrusting blade, its tail ripped through the air and struck at Eruya. He managed to block the blow with his sword, but the impact numbed his arm.
"Gwaargh!"
Hamsuke's body once more became a spinning blur in his field of vision, signalling another tail strike. Anticipating the attack, Eruya leapt back. He had roughly grasped the length of the tail; after the tail passed by, he would use {Swift Dash} to charge back into close quarters with the enemy. Just as it was about to flash past his eyes, the tail suddenly stopped.
"Hnggg!"
It was a feint. Hamsuke used the moment to regain its balance, retracting its tail. Eruya frowned, realizing he had lost his chance to close the gap. The tail's movements were completely different from those of the body. It was not a rat's tail, but a serpentine tail like that of a Chimera; it could move independently.
"So its tail can move freely — is that it?"
Eruya altered the information on Hamsuke in his head as he rushed into its embrace. Hamsuke had been waiting for this, and it responded to the attack. Blade and claw crossed, sending droplets of blood flying through the air — Eruya's blood.
Hamsuke could attack with both sets of claws, and so he could strike more frequently than Eruya, who only had one sword. Close combat was not favourable to him. His bodily attributes might have been improved, but Hamsuke was still superior. In that case —
He used {Swift Dash} to retreat.
"Umu..."
Hamsuke didn't pursue, so Eruya took the opportunity to raise his sword and swing it down forcefully.
"{Diffindo}!!"
His slash ripped through the air towards Hamsuke. The beast braced itself, covering its face as the runecraft™ armour deflected the cutting strike.
Eruya's rapier was a family heirloom made of Goblin Metal. After his family fell to ruin, he fused it with his wand, which became the sword's hilt. This fusion allowed him to channel magic through the blade, enabling him to cast spells in situations like this.
The Severing Charm travelled a long distance, its power undiminished. Though, it would be very hard to strike a mortal blow. However—
"So you can't block this, can you? This is the difference between a man and a mere beast."
"What a headache this is..." Hamsuke muttered.
He kept on using {Diffindo}, but Hamsuke's armour was very hard, so breaking through its protection would surely be very difficult. That was why he had to keep casting spells on its face, which ought to be the least protected.
Hamsuke remained in place, shielding its face with its forelegs, and spoke through the small gaps between its fingers.
"Wait!"
"Begging for mercy? An animal is an animal, after all."
"No—advised my master never to let mine enemy take the upper hand. Keeping distance thou art, then in I charge and close the gap, that I shall!"
"[Enhanced Magic Resistance]!"
"[Greater Hide Reinforcement]!"
"[Everlasting Fortress]!"
As Hamsuke chanted, its body began to glow with mystical lights. Removing its claws that were hiding its face, it now stood in full glory as the horned helmet gave it a majestic presence.
Eruya quickly fired a {Combat Bolt} at its face, but the spell bounced off an invisible barrier.
"Ahhhh, how annoying! This one shall come at thee!"
"Bring it."
Even though Eruya said that, beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He didn't understand what kind of power that beast had activated. Well, obviously humans wouldn't be able to understand a beast's mystical abilities… that said, Hamsuke was now able to defend against his spell barrage.
'It lacks ranged attacks, so its options are limited. It ought to be charging over now!'
Given Hamsuke's powerful armour, landing a fatal blow with {Diffindo} was already difficult. Now, Eruya had no choice but to rely on his Goblin Metal sword and face the beast in direct combat.
When Hamsuke charged, it did so like a beast, sticking out its face. Though that horned helmet was something to look out for, Eruya readied himself with a {Stesso Tempo}[1]. His plan was simple: keep attacking Hamsuke's face until victory was assured.
He swung his blade, which hummed through the air. The blade moved faster than usual. This time, he was certain that he was on an even footing with his opponent; perhaps even faster than it.
"Humans and beasts have always been separated by the difference in their physical attributes! I've made up for that difference!"
"This one originally intended to end this in melee combat, if thou canst fight on even terms, it would please this one."
"Bullshit!"
Eruya charged forward, intent on using the power suffusing his form to crush his foe in a single, decisive blow and keep the creature from spouting more nonsense. With {Swift Dash}, he closed the distance and used {Imbroccata}[2] to suppress his opponent.
"Take this!"
With a mighty cry, he plunged his sword down with all his might. If the creature's armour was thick, then he would simply have to thrust harder to pierce through it.
His blade, driven with all his might—
"[Slashing Strike]!"
A slashing attack from above connected with his arms. Something spun through the air, then landed heavily on the ground. He heard the ear-piercing sound of metal and a sound like a wet sack splattering on the ground. Eruya couldn't comprehend it. His arms—which had still been holding his sword just now—had vanished.
Even as blood spurted from the severed stumps in time with his heartbeat, he could not accept reality. Agony surged up from his mutilated arms. Some distance away, his arms fell to the ground, still clutching the sword. Only after seeing that fact did Eruya finally grasp what had just happened. He stumbled back from Hamsuke and screeched:
"My arms, my aaaarrrrmmmms! Heal... heal me, hurry up and heal me! Hurry!"
The Elves did not move.
The silent glee of the tormented lit up their clouded eyes.
"Marvelous! A resounding success! This one just learned a new martial art! Now Milord shall surely lavish praise upon this one!"
"Aiiiiiieeeee!" Eruya wailed hoarsely.
In this world filled with Dark Wizards and powerful mystical creatures, pain was a constant companion for those in the Ministry, especially those in the Improper Use of Magic Office.
Eruya had experienced many forms of pain. He had been struck by lightning, burned with fire, frozen by cold, his bones had been broken, he had been mauled, slashed, and bludgeoned, but through it all, he had never lost his weapon. That was only common sense; in this world, for a wizard, dropping one's wand equaled death. No, he was confident that as long as he held his sword, he could overcome any challenge.
And in this moment, his self-confidence was shattered. This was the first time in his life Eruya had taken such a devastating blow.
"My arms! Hurry!"
Fresh blood kept spraying, and his body started turning cold and heavy from the blood loss.
As they heard Eruya's pitiful screams, the Elves smiled.
Just as Eruya was at a loss to describe the emotions bursting in his heart, a voice bearing a hint of kindness reached his ears.
"My thanks to thee! This one does not delight in tormenting others, so I shall dispatch thee forthwith."
There was a whoosh. A moment later, something struck Eruya's face. The pain was so intense that he even forgot about his arms, as though his entire being had been shattered. That was the last burst of agony Eruya would ever experience.
[1] {Stesso Tempo} is a rapier technique.
[2] {Imbroccata} is another rapier technique.