Sorry for the two weeks without a chapter, the truth is that last week was my exam week and I forgot to mention at the beginning of the last chapter that I wouldn't be writing. Anyway, here it is. The plan for this chapter was to end with him finally reaching Lili after outsmarting the others, but you know me...
//
The four reached for their weapons and prepared for the inevitable confrontation, all of them silent, though none of them stopped moving.
There seemed to be a slight tension in the air; glances were exchanged between the three women, not out of nervousness per se, as their individual and combined power overshadowed any risk, but this was a very delicate situation, and none of them knew exactly how to act.
So Luki decided to make that choice for them. Suddenly, he stopped, planting his right foot forward and sliding a few meters while simultaneously delivering a spinning slash toward the three.
Their eyes widened, and they promptly jumped back.
— Let me handle this. — Tione said as she approached, both knives raised in front of her.
Ais and Tiona didn't comment, simply agreeing and stepping back.
— Alright, blondie, we tried to be nice, but you didn't give us a choice, so don't come crying when this is over. — Tione seemed to relax as she approached confidently.
When she reached the range of her opponent, Luki took a step back and attacked vertically. Tione stepped into the strike while turning sideways, letting the blade pass by her and hit the ground, then delivered a quick slash with her left.
Luki recoiled and avoided the hit. Tione pressed on with two more slashes, which were also dodged, then he raised his sword between them with the flat side and pushed toward her.
Instead of backing away, Tione let herself be hit, absorbing the push with her left arm and, without hesitation, grabbed Luki by the shoulder with her right hand.
— This is over. — She said as she threw him to the ground.
But to her surprise, Luki followed through, throwing himself down and rolling along the ground with his sword, quickly getting back up and pointing it at her as if nothing had happened.
— Wow, he's actually good. I guess he must have received some training, — Tiona commented from the side with a slight smile on her face. — Oh, but what nonsense am I saying? Obviously someone that strong would know a thing or two.
Ais didn't say anything, as usual, but watched him intently.
— Yes, maybe you're not so weak, but that doesn't mean you can defeat me. Give up. — Tione warned once more, still trying to follow her captain's orders, but it was no use. Luki just remained silent, staring intently at her with his bright blue eyes.
He advanced again, and Tione moved to meet him; the two began exchanging blows so swiftly that their arms became mere blurs in the air.
Luki, with his longsword, controlled the distance perfectly, almost like a grandmaster of swordsmanship; his footwork was exceptional, and no one could deny that, although his lack of experience was still noticeable compared to his opponent.
Tione, although stronger, had a shorter reach and had to get in close to attack, something Luki wasn't allowing. She dodged, parried, or clashed against his sword with one of her knives, and with the other she went for the strike, but no blow landed, not even the slightest superficial cut.
She began to feel frustrated because, although she knew she was stronger, she had to hold back to avoid seriously hurting her target; this was a "rescue" mission, not a kill.
After another clash of blades that led nowhere, Luki's eyes widened slightly. He lost focus on the fight and turned his head to the side, as if looking at something else.
Tione, who hadn't taken her eyes off him for even a moment, immediately noticed the opening and, with a burst of strength, lunged at him.
Boom!
Before he could even react, Tione's fist sank into his chest, sending Luki flying before he crashed into the wall, debris falling over his body.
— Tione! What do you think you're doing?! — Tiona shouted, rushing forward, panic clear in her voice.
— What was I supposed to do? He wouldn't stop moving.
— You didn't have to hit him like that! What if he's seriously hurt? We don't even have any potions! — Tiona shot back, her gaze darting between her sister and the rubble, torn between scolding her and going to help.
— Relax, I know how to hold back, — Tione replied, brushing it off, completely ignoring the fact that she had just sent someone flying into a wall hard enough to crack it, debris collapsing over his entire body. — He's probably just unconsci-
Before she could finish speaking, Tiona suddenly threw herself in front of her sister and swung one of her twin-blade.
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing against metal echoed; Tiona recoiled slightly, having lost her balance. Before she could regain her composure, Luki was already airborne in front of her.
Bam!
Luki delivered a spinning kick that landed squarely on Tione's cheek, sending her flying and revealing her older sister.
Without hesitation, Luki reached for her sword, spinning it in mid-air, and brought it down in a overhead slash on Tione, who barely managed to defend herself.
Jumping back, the two separated, but Luki didn't give up and ran after her, though halfway there he dove to the side.
Crack!
Suddenly, Tiona appeared with her blade raised and struck the ground where Luki was.
— Didn't anyone ever teach you not to hit women? — she said, somewhat irritated, rubbing one of her hands on the cheek she had hit.
— How can he still be okay after taking a punch from me? That should have broken a bone.
— Huh? Didn't you say you held back?
— No time for that, Tiona, I know what I punched and I clearly felt his chest sinking with my hand.
While the two were arguing, Luki didn't try to take the opportunity to attack, ignoring them both and simply trying to run back to where he was going before, but Tione interrupted and the two began to fight.
Now Luki was being pushed back, Tione fought more fiercely as she realized he could take the blows.
Luki adopted a more defensive stance, avoiding most strikes and defending some others to create an opening for a single strike, never trying to follow up with a combo.
While exchanging blows, Tione noticed how Luki always tried to get past her, even subtly, almost guiding the fight at his pace so they would go where he wanted, or simply trying to get past her whenever he saw the slightest chance.
And look how good he is at finding openings; if they were on the same level, things might be different.
The two reached a stalemate, but not for long.
After dodging a cut to his stomach, Luki ducked quickly, and Tiona's sword passed over him. Before it could be struck, Tione jumped over the blade and, still in the air, attacked Luki with her knives, who defended himself by placing his sword in the way.
He quickly rolled away before Tiona could land a kick on him. Luki barely had time to get up before Tione appeared behind him and Tiona in front of him.
Now the sisters were fighting together, and Luki was under even more pressure.
...
This was just another day in the long series of strange days that Ais Wallenstein had recently experienced.
For the most part, nothing had changed for her; all she had to do was follow her captain's orders, go where he told her to, protect certain people, and kill monsters along the way.
The only difference was that the people had changed, from members of her own Familia to a mixed group, and their movements were now limited to the upper floors. Oh, and the reason behind all of this was different as well.
She stared straight ahead, as impassive as ever, her flat expression revealing nothing of her inner turmoil, watching intently the confrontation between her two sisters in Familia and the target of their rescue mission.
It was quite a spectacle, like one of the staged fights that often took place in the Colosseum. While the two amazoness fought in perfect sync, timing their attacks, covering each other's openings, and creating opportunities in seamless coordination, the man simply ignored all of it, slipping through their offense like a leaf carried by the wind. He avoided every strike with the slightest tilt or a single step back, yet still managed to land a hit here and there.
Of course… Tione and Tiona weren't using their full strength. Several times, they struck with the blunt side of their weapons or relied on simple punches to avoid seriously injuring him. But even so, that didn't take away from the fact that he was holding his own against what could only be described as a pair of walking meat grinders.
To be honest… he even seemed to have a slight advantage.
'How is he doing this? What did he do to move like that? Does he have eyes on the back of his head? What's his level? How strong is he? How long has he been an adventurer? Where did he get that sword? What is that blue light around him? Who is he?'
For a moment, Ais felt a faint sense of shame. They were on a rescue mission, yet she didn't even know the name of the person they had come to save. But in her defense… he hardly seemed to need saving.
But that wasn't what mattered.
How was he doing it? How was he managing to land blows that forced even Tiona to recoil and dodge Tione's strikes?
It was no secret that Ais was obsessed with becoming stronger. With her talent and relentless effort, she had reached Level 2 in just one year, a feat once thought impossible to surpass.
Her talent had been compared to that of the heroes of old. She had trained in swordsmanship for years, earning the title of "Sword Princess." She had been personally taught magic by Riveria, even if just the bare minimum. She had slain countless monsters stronger than herself, all in pursuit of greater strength, all to kill even more monsters.
And yet… this man, this complete unknown, who should, by all logic, be a Level 1, was wielding a longsword with a skill that rivaled hers in rapier, and showing a level of strength that surpassed anything she had possessed at the same stage.
It wasn't a fair comparison, of course. Comparing the abilities of a seven-year-old child to a fully grown adult made no sense. But even so, by her estimate, he couldn't have been an adventurer for more than a year.
So how?
How did someone go from nothing to this level in less than a year?
Ais felt a rare sense of urgency rising within her. She needed to know the secret behind his strength. Perhaps afterward, she could speak to Finn and arrange a meeting. Could this be the effect of a Unique Skill that accelerated the growth of his Excelia? Or perhaps it was tied to some innate magic? Could such a thing even be shared?
— Ais, grab him! — Tiona's shout snapped her out of her thoughts.
Ais's eyes widened slightly as she returned to reality, only to see a blue blur dashing away after having just knocked the sisters into each other and sent them crashing to the ground.
'What? How? He defeated them? Wait… there's no blood. That means he took them down without lethal force? How?!'
There were too many questions and not enough time for answers.
Without hesitation, Ais burst forward at full speed, reappearing directly in front of him.
Clang!
Ais thrust forward, and Luki blocked it with his sword; the two collided, the sharp sound of metal ringing out as they clashed in a contest of strength.
In the end, Ais prevailed, forcing Luki to take a few steps back. The two faced each other, blades raised, but before anything could happen, Luki suddenly dodged to the side, and Tiona's strike hit the spot where he had been just moments before.
— Stay still, damn it! I'm starting to get pissed off. — she snapped through gritted teeth.
Swish!
Luki leapt into the air, narrowly avoiding a waist-level strike from Tione's knives.
— Damn you, you coward! I'll make you pay! — she shouted as she chased after him with a flurry of slashes, using the blunt side, of course.
Ais tilted her head slightly, a silly confused expression crossing her face as she looked at Tiona, silently asking for an explanation.
— That bastard slapped my butt and grabbed her chest. We were so stunned we didn't even react when he threw me on top of Tione. He even had the nerve to kick us away like we were a ball! The audacity of this guy… When I get my hands on him, I'll make him regret ever being born a man. — Tiona explained with a bright smile, though the veins bulging on her forehead told a very different story.
— NOT EVEN THE CAPTAIN HAS EVER TOUCHED ME LIKE THAT, YOU BASTARD!!! — Tione screamed, wildly swinging her knives; at that point, whether she was using the blunt side or not no longer mattered.
Ais looked at Tiona, then at Tione, and simply said:
— Oh.
— Sigh… You're lucky you're cute and strong, Ais. Otherwise, I'd be seriously worried about your future. — Tiona muttered, slapping her forehead.
Ais responded by puffing out her cheeks in annoyance; she didn't like being treated like a child.
— That's enough. Let's catch this guy before the captain arrives. I still have my revenge to settle.
Tiona raised her double swords and, with a war cry, returned to the fray.
Ais looked at this, finding the scene slightly comical, then shrugged and raised her rapier.
...
Luki was surrounded by all three at once, their attacks flowing in perfect synchrony. Tiona unleashed overwhelmingly powerful blows, Ais advanced with swift, precise thrusts, and Tione pressed with agile strikes, covering every possible opening.
With no gaps between them, Luki was forced to constantly dodge and retreat. Unlike before, he couldn't counterattack or dictate the pace of the fight, completely overwhelmed and trapped within their coordinated assault, fighting only to survive.
That was exactly the scene they found when they arrived.
— What?
— What the hell is this?
They reacted, caught completely off guard. Not in a million years had any of them expected to walk into something like this.
But while most had a more restrained, confused reaction, there was one who was anything but calm.
— WHAT ARE THEY DOING TO MY LUKI-KUN?! — Hestia screamed in panic. — Stop this right now! What do you think you're doing to my Luki-kun?! I'll kill them!
— Shut the hell up, you damn goddess! Are you trying to rupture my eardrums?! — Bete roared angrily as Hestia yanked on his head.
But she paid him no mind, struggling as if trying to break free, clearly intending to jump into the fight. Before she could do anything, however, Finn stepped in.
— Hestia-sama, please calm down. Everything is under control. — he said, attempting to soothe her, though it had little effect.
— Control?! You call this control?! They're ganging up on my weak and defenseless Luki-kun! Look at him, he can't even fight back, and you're telling me this is under control?!
Finn glanced toward the battlefield, and what he saw left him momentarily speechless.
'Weak and defenseless? That speed alone is already beyond what a Level 1 should be capable of, possibly a skill… but someone who can survive the combined assault of those three could never be called weak…'
— You little blond brat, I'll strangle you! — Hestia screamed as she broke free from Bete's grip and lunged forward like a rabid animal, Finn still in her arms.
Before she could get far, however, a hand reached out and caught her by the back of her outfit, lifting her effortlessly into the air like a kitten by the scruff.
— Hestia, calm down! — Hephaestus said, holding her firmly in place.
— Let me go, Hephaestus, let me go! I'm going to break his face! I'll shove that spear so far up his-!
— I said calm down!!! — Her voice sharpened, and she began shaking Hestia up and down with force.
— W-Wait- s-stop- gyah! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Hephaestus, just stop shaking me- my head's gonna fall off- ahh- ! I get it, I get it, I won't jump in- just put me down- please! — Hestia babbled between ragged breaths, her voice breaking into small, panicked squeaks as her body flailed helplessly in Hephaestus's grip.
Bam
Without ceremony, Hephaestus dropped her to the ground. Hestia groaned in pain, clutching her head.
— Okay, okay, I'm calm now. — she said as she got up. — But even so, I want an explanation as to why the three of them are attacking my Luki-kun. — she added indignantly, unsure whether to watch the fight or glare at Finn.
— …Right. — Finn nodded, then turned toward the battlefield. — Ais, Tione, Tiona! What exactly is going on? — he called out, a rare edge in his voice.
— That's what I want to know, Captain! Isn't this guy supposed to be Level 1?! He hits as hard as a Level 4! — Tiona shouted between attacks, trying to land a blow in any way she could.
— Sorry, Captain Finn, but this guy's as slippery as an eel! Even the three of us together can't pin him down! — Tione added, unleashing a flurry of slashes from every angle with her knives, yet still failing to so much as graze the fabric of his already torn pants.
As if to prove her point, Luki suddenly broke free, if only for a moment, before being intercepted again by Ais, a bead of sweat sliding down her forehead.
— See?! The moment we slip up, he just gets away like it's nothing! We can't use any more force without risking seriously injuring him!
— A little help would be nice!
— …Understood!
Finn watched in silence, rapidly piecing everything together.
— Riveria, what do you make of-
— I'm not sure. — she replied before he could finish. — It appears to be some kind of Skill. This strange power has been active for far too long without any signs of weakening; even Ais needs to chant her magic again after a certain period. It resembles something closer to Tione and Tiona's Berserker Skill, which increases their power in response to damage taken.
— A Skill capable of raising an adventurer's power by several levels…? That seems unlikely. — Finn muttered, his gaze fixed on the fight as he considered multiple possibilities at once.
— It could also be the result of multiple Skills acting together. Or perhaps it truly is a powerful spell. There's not enough information to draw a conclusion. — Her expression remained as composed as ever, though a hint of curiosity lingered beneath Riveria's calm exterior at the thought of an elf possessing such power.
— That's fair. I may be asking too much. Hestia-sama, by any chance-
— Don't look at me. The last time I updated his Falna, his stats were barely halfway to Level 1. It should've taken him at least four or five more months to reach his limit and maybe level up. I don't know how he got this strong without me. — she replied, her tone unexpectedly serious.
Despite everything she had done moments ago, Hestia now stood composed. Though her emotions still churned, and she clearly wanted nothing more than to run over and hug Luki, she understood the gravity of the situation.
— I understand… — he murmured, his mind already racing elsewhere.
After a moment, however, he accepted that he simply didn't have enough information to work with—something he hated. Finn always preferred to gather as much data as possible before devising a plan, a habit he had honed throughout his long career.
But as a pioneer of the deeper levels of the Dungeon, he also knew how to act when faced with uncertainty.
— Is this going to take much longer? My arm's starting to get tired. — Tiona complained, though there was little real weight behind her words.
— We're moving! — Finn answered sharply. — Gareth, Bete, with me. Be careful not to use too much force—we'll surround him and wear him down gradually. Riveria, protect Hestia-sama and Hephaestus-sama.
— These girls are getting sloppy, can't even handle a rookie anymore. — Gareth said, raising his battle axe.
— OI! I HEARD THAT! / OI! I HEARD THAT! — the sisters shouted in unison, though no one paid them any attention.
— Finally, something to do in this hellhole. I was starting to get bored. — Bete muttered in his usual gruff tone, walking forward with a hunched posture, hands in his pockets like a street thug.
— Be careful not to hurt him. — Riveria added, a faint hint of concern in her voice for her fellow elf.
— Hah! This won't even take a second. — Bete scoffed arrogantly.
Bete didn't wait for a second call.
He shot forward, his body blurring as he kicked off the ground with explosive force, his figure closing the distance in an instant.
— Oi! Don't go charging in on your own! — Gareth barked from behind.
— Then hurry up and keep up, old man! — Bete shot back over his shoulder with a grin, not slowing down in the slightest.
In the next moment, he was already there.
Bete leapt high into the air, twisting his body as his shadow fell over Luki. Without hesitation, he brought his leg down in a brutal axe kick, aiming straight for Luki's head—the force behind it enough to split stone.
Luki looked up, as if struck by a sudden moment of clarity.
The world seemed to slow. The blue glow around him intensified, if only for a fleeting instant. In one smooth, almost unnaturally controlled motion, Luki drew his arm back, his hand open—like a beggar reaching out to receive the alms he needed to survive another day.
Through his expanded awareness, he watched everything.
Bete's leg descended in what felt like slow motion, cutting through the air as it closed in. Every detail became clear, the tension in the muscles, the angle of the strike, the weight behind it. And then…
The fabric of Bete's pants brushed against his palm.
The world snapped back.
Sound rushed in all at once, warped and distant at first, then sharpening into clarity. At the same time, Luki's body moved, muscles, bones, and tendons aligning in a near-perfect sequence.
No wasted motion. No excess force. Everything flowed together, energy gathering, redirecting, building without resistance until...
BOOM!!
— Ugh! Hey! What was that?!
— Tch…!
— ...
They all watched in silence as the small cloud of dust rapidly diminished, revealing what had happened.
At the center, they remained frozen in their final stances, like statues caught mid-motion. Luki stood with his sword in one hand and Bete's leg in the other, a small crater spread beneath them. Bete's body lay slack, his expression distant and unfocused, eyes staring into nothingness as if his mind had yet to catch up.
— What the hell just happened? We were fighting non-stop and then BOOM! And where did Bete even come from?! — Tiona blurted out, clearly shaken.
Tione's eyes narrowed, her mind struggling to organize the facts and understand what happened in those few seconds
— In the middle of the fight, he intercepted Bete's blow with just one hand, then used him as a weapon to hit us.
— What? And you can do that? How did he have the composure and calmness to do something so precise in the heat of battle?
— I don't know... this guy, I think we underestimated him. — She said, looking at Luki with a certain caution.
She noticed how he looked a little different than the first time they had met him minutes before; now his hair was mostly blue with only the tips blond. Not to mention that the blade of his sword now had a faint, perpetual blue glow, as if it were made of diamond and not metal.
She was paying so much attention to him that she noticed exactly when his body seemed to shudder and react moments before Finn appeared with his spear.
Shrak! Clang! Clang! Boom! Clang!
Luki raised his sword to meet the tip of Finn's spear, which suddenly appeared beside him in mid-attack. The blades scraped against each other, the sharp sound of metal tearing through the air echoed as the two passed each other.
Without pausing, in a sequence of fluid, spinning movements, the two began exchanging dozens of blows. Finn with arcing cuts and piercing strikes with his spear, and Luki spinning, practically dancing, while deflecting the blows without lifting a foot from the ground.
Clang!
The two clashed, pushing weapons at each other in a power struggle.
— Hand him over. — Finn demanded, taking advantage of the small space to breathe and speak with his enemy.
Now so close, face to face, he was able to perceive the minute details in Luki that he hadn't seen before. Like the blank, almost machine-like expression of someone who wasn't nervous, nor was he bothered by being surrounded.
But he seemed to be able to understand his words, for Luki responded by raising his arm that was holding Bete's leg and-
BOOM!!
In quick succession, the two separated and Luki swung Bete behind him, hitting Gareth who was approaching.
— Hey, watch out! He might be dumb, but there's no need to be mean. — The old dwarf said as he stepped back a little.
Bete slowly came back to his senses, a low groan escaping his throat as he raised a hand to his head, pressing his fingers against his temple as if trying to steady the dizziness.
— Damn it… what the hell was that? Feels like my skull got split open… — He blinked a few times, vision still a bit unfocused, until it finally cleared.
That was when he noticed, his body wasn't on the ground. There was a strange tension pulling at him… holding him in place.
His ears twitched, and he looked down. His leg has being held. A vein pulsed on his forehead as irritation surged instantly while he remembered what happened.
— Oi… you've got some nerve, don't you? — he growled, lifting his gaze toward Luki with a sharp glare. — Let go of me right now, you damn rookie. Who the hell do you think you are, grabbing me like I'm some kind of toy?
Without waiting for a response, Bete twisted his body and lashed out with his free leg, delivering a fast, brutal kick aimed straight at Luki's head.
The strike cut through the air with force.
But Luki didn't flinch, at the last possible moment, he simply moved his head to the side and Bete's kick missed completely.
Bete's eyes narrowed, irritation growing.
— Don't mess with me…
Bete snapped into motion, twisting his body as he tried to rip his leg free while lashing out with rapid kicks toward Luki's head. One after another, his strikes came fast and precise.
But none of them landed, Luki barely moved, avoiding everything with the slightest shifts of his head and posture.
— Tch…! — Irritated, Bete changed tactics. He reached down, hands aimed straight at the hand gripping his leg, attacking at point-blank range.
He missed. How?
Again. What the hell?!
And again. Seriously?!!
— The hell is this…?! — He cursed, unable to comprehend how this weakling was dodging his blows even without letting go of his leg at any point.
Now fully struggling, Bete thrashed, striking and twisting with everything he had, trying to break free.
Luki's hair seemed to stand on end against gravity as, in his vision, he saw everything, or rather everyone, rapidly approaching with clear intentions to engage.
Luki moved first.
With a sharp twist, he swung Bete's body straight into Tiona just as she closed in.
— OI-WWWUUUAAAHHH?!
The impact broke her attack and forced her back.
Without stopping, he carried the momentum and slammed Bete toward Gareth, who barely held his ground, careful not to point the sharp side of the axe at his friend.
Ais struck next, her rapier flashing forward, while Tione cut in from the side with her kukri.
Luki stepped in, Ais's thrust missed by inches, and he pulled Bete across his body, forcing Tione to halt her blades before hitting her own ally.
— Stop using me, bastard! — Bete snarled.
Finn joined, spear darting toward an opening. Luki shifted slightly, letting it pass, then swung his sword, forcing Finn to retreat.
The formation tightened.
Ais pressed with rapid thrusts, Tione attacked from blind spots, Gareth advanced with heavy swings, and Tiona returned with raw power, while Finn circled for an opening.
At the center, Luki moved with minimal effort, using Bete as a shield and also a weapon, he disrupted every angle, forcing hesitation and breaking their rhythm.
Even surrounded, no one could land a clean hit.
'What the hell is this guy?!' They all thought.