The world, including me, began to move in slow motion.
The people fleeing from Envy appeared to crawl like slugs.
Whoosh.
Envy's fist and spear were inches from my face, but their speed was yawn-inducingly slow.
My thoughts remained sharp, and with time slowed, I had countless ways to dodge her attack.
I ducked under the incoming fist and rolled to avoid the spear.
Boom!
Envy's fist hit the ground instead of my face, sounding like a cannon blast. The pavement cratered as if a bomb had exploded.
"Grrr!"
A glint flickered in Envy's frenzied eyes, bewildered at how I dodged.
"Hahaha!"
Crash!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
When Envy stomped, stone spears shot up from eight directions, and she descended from above.
Normally, this would've been an unavoidable, lethal attack. But with her movements visible and time slowed, it was riddled with openings.
Kaboom!
I slipped out before she landed, and dust billowed from her impact point. With Creator's Eye active, her every move was crystal clear.
Buzz!
Infusing Agnes with inner energy, a white haze rose from the sword, coalescing into a single line.
Whoosh!
Light burst from the blade, as if another sword overlaid it.
Sword aura? Sword energy? No idea, but here goes!
Splatter!
Gripping the glowing sword, I charged Envy. The radiant blade pierced her black armor like tofu.
"Argh! This pathetic attack—!"
"I know."
With a curt reply, I transformed the embedded Agnes into a throwing weapon, released it, and stepped back.
"See ya."
Click!
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rang out, even through my inner-energy-protected ears.
"Success…"
I'd turned Agnes into a Black Iron Bomb and detonated it inside her. With more inner energy than usual, the noise and power were over twice as strong.
"Urgh…"
As the dust cleared, Envy's form appeared. A car-tire-sized hole gaped in her right abdomen, oozing black liquid instead of blood.
"You… human… I'll kill…"
Her words slurred as her body melted like liquid, sinking to the ground.
"Grrk…"
She looked like she was dying, but I knew better. Killing Envy wasn't an option.
She only appeared to be weakening—her power was actually gathering.
Phase 3?!
I hadn't anticipated this. My original plan was to survive Phase 1 until knights and guards arrived, letting Envy escape while I slipped away. This nightmare scenario was beyond my imagination.
"Kihik! I'll kill everyone! All will die!"
As Envy muttered, confirming Phase 3's activation, I prepared to flee. But a black cloth shot toward her.
Swish!
"Argh! You filthy wench! Don't interfere! I'll kill all humans!"
The cloth wrapped around Envy dozens of times, sealing her like a cocoon.
"No way!"
I looked up to where the cloth came from. On a towering spire, a beautiful woman with flowing black hair wielded the fabric.
I had no idea why she was here, but it was the same woman I met descending from the Dragon God Cave.
"Over here!"
"Hurry!"
"Set up a perimeter!"
"Understood!"
As I watched her, the sounds of knights and guards approaching reached me.
The woman showed no intent to fight, only pulling Envy toward her.
"Damn it."
After meeting her eyes once, I fled in the opposite direction of the knights' voices. Staying here risked being labeled a terrorist.
"Argh!"
"Aaah!"
"What are these threads?!"
"She's escaping! Catch her!"
The woman was killing knights, their screams echoing behind me.
[Corresponding Realm deactivated.]
"Urk!"
As I ran, the realm deactivated, and I nearly stumbled. A crushing headache hit me all at once.
"Gah!"
Biting my lip to dull the pain, I kept running. With my inner energy depleted, stamina was all I had left.
Feeling I'd escaped far enough, I removed Agnes from my face, reverted to my original appearance, changed into clean clothes from my pouch, and stepped onto the main street.
"Phew, I survived…"
Still shaken, I shook my head.
"Gotta rest."
I asked a passerby for directions to the Tear of the Dragon inn and headed there.
"Young Master!"
Only Giranox was at the inn; the others were gone.
"Where are they?"
"They went to catch the terrorist."
"What? Ugh, idiots…"
Catch what? They'd get crushed in one hit.
"Exit permits?"
"I don't know. Lord Colin handled it."
"I see."
Seeing Giranox, the reality of surviving hit me, and I felt drained.
"Ugh, what a shame. If I'd met that guy, I'd have killed him in one strike."
"Judging by the destroyed building, that's not someone we could handle."
"Pfft, I could do that much."
Colin and Laon entered the Tear of the Dragon, chatting.
"Where were you?"
"Just sightseeing. Exit permits done?"
"That's not important now. The assassin who killed the Crown Prince appeared."
I know, kid. I was just fighting her.
"They say the assassin's a monster beyond human ability, summoning stone pillars and turning into a beast, smashing everything."
Laon spoke with sparkling eyes, as if he'd seen it himself.
"When many were in danger, BAM!"
"Bam?"
"A knight appeared."
If they saw me as a knight, success. I used a sword instead of throwing weapons to avoid exposing myself.
"That knight saved people from the monster, fought it alone, and bought time for others to escape. Amazing! A true knight's exemplar!"
Laon's eyes gleamed like a kid's. He loved hero tales.
"That's not all. They say the knight's sword glowed, cutting the monster and causing an explosion."
"And that knight earned the honorable title 'Knight of Light.'"
Colin stole Laon's story to finish it. Even he, usually indifferent, seemed fond of this "Knight of Light."
"Man, I want a title like that. Knight of Light is so cool. I wanna meet him."
"Right? I'd love to cross swords with him!"
"Maybe he's among the knights on standby, dressed in casual clothes?"
"Could be."
Guys, that Knight of Light is right here, slumped in a chair from a headache. Look all you want.
The honorable title was nice, and warning them was good, but I nearly died multiple times today. Never again.
"Then what happened?"
"The monster's ally appeared, took the dying monster, and the Knight of Light vanished. But the monster's ally—a woman—killed thirty knights and guards while escaping."
"That's why the Knight of Light is praised more. He fought alone."
No, honestly, it was a string of luck that kept me alive. Without the Corresponding Realm at the end, I'd be long dead.
"So, the exit permits?"
"Done. The Rox name worked. But with this new incident, who knows."
"Let's go to the mage tower. We might get stuck if we delay."
"Got it."
We went to the mage tower and requested a warp to the Rox Marquisate. Verification took time, but no other orders came, and the wizards sent us through.
Emerging from the Rox Marquisate's mage tower, the sky was dark, the moon high.
"The cool breeze feels like home," Giranox said.
"Let's hurry. It's late."
The Empire's mage tower verification took so long that we headed straight to the Marquis's estate.
Three of the Marquis's sons returning at once would've caused a stir, but we entered quietly due to the late hour.
"We're back."
"Father, we're back."
"Your son has returned."
The Marquis waited in the lobby, and we each greeted him differently.
"Good to see you. I heard there was trouble in the Empire?"
"Yes, Father! Shall I tell you?"
"Sounds fun, but it's late. We'll talk tomorrow. I'll also explain why I called you then."
The Marquis ruffled Laon's hair with a chuckle.
"Rest well tonight. We'll meet tomorrow morning."
"Understood."
"Yes."
I had a servant prepare a place for Giranox and went to my room. Lying on the luxurious bed felt like floating.
"This is the life."
Reflecting on the trip, it was fun and rewarding, but today was way too much.
"Never doing that again."
Exhausted, I quickly fell asleep.
"Young Master."
"Huh?"
I opened my eyes to morning light.
"It's been a while, Young Master."
"Arin!"
Arin was drawing the curtains, smiling at me. Seeing her after so long felt great. Mornings are best with Arin.
"You've become incredible while you were away."
"What?"
"You earned the 'Iron Wizard' title in As Castle and the 'Rookie Slayer' title in the royal capital."
"Rookie Slayer?"
"Don't you know? You defeated four Master Class students at the Royal Knight Academy."
Right—Mellai, Lula, Carik, and Colin. Four.
"They were promising rookies, and you beat them all, earning the 'Rookie Slayer' title. His Lordship told me, laughing."
"Hahaha!"
The nickname was amusing. With the "Knight of Light" title, I'd gained three titles this trip.
"His Lordship wants to have breakfast with you all this morning."
"Got it."
"See you later."
"Come back this evening. I've got something for you."
"Understood."
I washed with the water Arin brought and dressed in clean clothes.
"Young Master."
Peru appeared shortly after.
"Wow, Peru, you look good. No dark circles."
"Thank you. You've caused quite a stir too. But no time for that—head to the dining hall. We need to be there before His Lordship."
"Alright."
Following Peru, I reached the grand dining hall, where the table was set, and Colin and Laon were already there.
"Hmph."
Colin's sour expression suggested he'd heard about my "Rookie Slayer" title. I smirked and sat down.
"Good to see you, Brother."
"Yeah. Sleep well?"
"Yes!"
Unlike his rough appearance, Laon was polite and sharp. I decided to look out for him.
The door opened, and the Marquis entered.
"Everyone sleep well?"
"Yes."
"Well, sir."
"My own bed felt great after so long."
"True. I've traveled a lot, but home's the best."
The Marquis nodded with a grin.
"Before the food comes, I'll tell you why I called you."
The sudden topic silenced everyone. Colin's nervous gulp echoed like thunder.
"I'm starting the trial to select my successor."