"I'll say it once more. I absolutely refuse to be at anyone's beck and call."
Serving under the True King Julian would probably be no different from the exploitative company I worked at in my past life.
They're trying to build a grand pyramid in a short period of time, after all.
"Is that so? Then die with that stubbornness of yours. Once you're done, you'll tell me where Lady Katarina is. [Afterimage Shadow Magic] 'Midnight Shuffle'!"
The surroundings suddenly grow dark.
It instantly becomes the dead of night.
I can no longer sense anyone's presence except the man standing before me.
And then my [Goddess's Shield] activates, deflecting attacks from three directions—the left, the right, and above.
It's not that I'd let my guard down, but my mind still hasn't caught up to the fact that I'm finally in what feels like a proper fight.
Then [Goddess's Shield] activates yet again, deflecting attacks from three different directions.
It feels like I'm facing an upgraded version of Mist.
"Oh my—you have a shield worthy of a divine artifact. All the more reason it's a shame to lose you here. But it can't stay active forever, can it?"
The man before me holds his short sword at the ready, watching me without dropping his guard.
Changing it to the dead of night had to mean something.
[Reverse]—reverse the dead of night!
Now it's broad daylight, and I can once again sense the presence of those hiding in the shadows.
"N-How did you—!? [Afterimage Shadow Magic] 'Midnight…'"
"I won't let you. [Snatch Skill]!"
Using [Sword God]'s high-speed movement technique [Flash Step] to close the distance, I snatch the [Afterimage Shadow Magic] away and kick him flying.
Then the three hidden figures became clearly visible, not just as faint presences but as actual sightable bodies.
What those three carried were [Dark Stalker]s.
It seemed that with [Afterimage Shadow Magic]'s "Midnight Shuffle," once it turned the dead of night, near-perfect invisibility could be achieved.
Realizing their concealment had been broken, the three hurled mana-forged knives one after another, but I dodged every single one or let [Goddess's Shield] handle the defense.
I closed the distance on the nearest one with [Flash Step], claimed his [Dark Stalker] as well, and pierced his chest with my black-steel blade.
Farewell, worthy foe.
I'd make sure the remaining two joined him shortly.
"Guh… but I've got you now."
The man whose chest I'd just run through clamped his hand firmly around the blade-holding arm of mine.
"Well done, NO.6! Your death won't be in vain. This one is dangerous! We'll trade our lives right here and now to make absolutely sure we finish him off!"
With those words, the remaining "Kings Shadows" threw themselves at me, clinging to both my legs and my back.
The man who'd had [Afterimage Shadow Magic] was apparently NO.12, and the other two were NO.3 and NO.9 respectively.
Those were the names I'd seen through [God's Eye], so they weren't code names or anything like that.
No.6's body, still gripping my hand even as he was on the verge of death, began to glow a brilliant white.
That's bad — that's the light of [Self-Destruct].
And the other men who'd latched onto me to keep me from escaping began glowing just the same.
"If we die, we take you with us — let us depart together! [Chain Self-Destruct]!"
The run-down café that Sharl ran out of front, along with the nearby dark guild "Skyview" building, crumbled without a trace in a blinding flash of pure white light.
◇◇◇◇◇◇
Skills: [Reverse], [God's Eye], [Sword God], [Fist God], [Spear God], [Blazing Magic], [Freezing Magic], [Clear Gale Magic], [Rock Iron Magic], [Sacred Magic], [Dark Magic], [Spacetime Magic], [Thunder God Blade], [Phantom Thief Gentleman], [Ninja Master], [Seeker of Truth], [Monstrous Strength], [Idaten], [Pain Dampening], [Complete Status Abnormality Resistance], [Dark Spirit's Protection], [Super Intuition], [Heaven's Gate], [Abyssal Contractor], [Magic Hand], [Treasure Search], [Seduction], [Incitement], [Telemesmerism], [Eloquence], [Luck Boost], [Growth Speed x10], [Growth Limit Break], [Afterimage Shadow Magic], [Dark Stalker]
Rank: Orichalcum
Thank you for reading!