#147

Skull of the Incubus (5)

The sword flew into the hand of the knight clad in violet armor. Though the armor was nothing more than a shell filled with smoke, the oppressive weight in the air was palpable, as if gravity itself pressed down. Leana gulped nervously, her heart skipping a beat.

"...What is that thing?"

To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure myself. All we had were vague theories, suggesting it was some kind of training dummy used by a powerful warrior of the past. Irte had at least put a great deal of effort into its recreation.

"No idea. But it's definitely showing aggressive tendencies."

So the real question was, can we defeat it when we're still in the early part of the scenario? The answer was: hardly. No matter how advanced our equipment, and even though Leana had bathed in essence-filled waters, the gap between us and this high-level foe was almost insurmountable.

But that was assuming we were in the real world, not this dreamscape. Here, there were plenty of ways to bring it down.

"Leana, don't focus on defeating it. Just focus on holding out."

"Huh?"

"We only need to buy time."

This was Irte's illusion. Maintaining such a world of dreams required an enormous amount of energy. The price for the captain of the Nightmare Knights to exhibit such high power was naturally an equally massive consumption of energy, like a power-hungry machine.

"If you hang on, there will come a moment when it weakens. For now, let me show you what kind of power we're up against."

The turning point would be when the captain's energy was more than half drained. I wiped my hand over my armor and advanced toward the knight. In response, the captain's blue eyes flared within the helmet, and it charged at me.

Ping!

Its strike was so swift that I couldn't even meet its blade with mine. My chestplate, despite being maxed out in durability, was sliced through like paper. I had no choice but to watch in dismay. Fortunately, my armor absorbed all the damage, so the ‘1-second invulnerability’ didn't need to trigger.

‘Donatan, can't you read its movements?’

The moment I asked, the knight's sword stabbed into my shoulder. The seams of my armor split apart, and my pauldron went flying.

‘It’s strange. It’s using an ancient swordsmanship long out of practice. I can read the attack trajectories, but they're too fast for your body to react to.’

While Donatan rambled, I gripped my sword with both hands, angling it to protect my chest and shoulder. The knight aimed for my gauntlet next, shattering it upon impact and sending it flying off my arm.

Clang!

I didn’t waste the opportunity and quickly wrapped my body in my swift defensive enchantment.

‘Fine, I'll increase the speed a bit.’

As I spoke, Donatan crackled with static energy.

I could move at maximum speed within the limit of not triggering '1-second invulnerability'—two steps with my footwork, two strikes with each arm. That should buy me some more time.

!!!!!

With a twist of my body, I barely evaded the captain’s vertical slash. The blade passed so close to my nose that I almost felt it brush against me. If I hadn't reacted in time based on my prediction, I would have been cut for sure.

‘…That was just sheer luck. You should retreat now, Hersel.’

Donatan suggested retreat. I was more than a little shaken. This kind of opponent was new to me.

I swiftly wrapped my legs in the defensive enchantment and leapt backward.

Paht!

But the captain, as if anticipating my move, instantly closed the gap again.

Tat-tat-tat!

I was still mid-air, having leapt backward, while the knight's speed overtook even that. After using two steps of my footwork in that backstep, I found myself in a dire situation.

Should I activate '1-second invulnerability' now? But if I used it before the knight had unleashed its ultimate attack, I’d be dead for sure when the cooldown kicked in.

Just as I was reconsidering my strategy, a gust of wind swept by, and red hair brushed against my face.

Clang!

Leana had intercepted the knight's diagonal slash.

However, it seemed that Leana struggled to block the heavy strike, as her left wrist twisted in an unnatural direction. While she wouldn’t feel pain due to her being in a hypnotic state, perhaps the gruesome visual triggered a sense of phantom pain. She let out a small groan.

“Ugh.”

The knight captain’s sword made a screeching sound as it collided with Leana’s sword, the Sword of Alkin, King of Fire Spirits, which carried the effect: “This sword will never be scratched.” Thanks to this, the cracks faded, and fragments fell off the enemy’s weapon, forcing it to retreat. Leana’s wrist was already healing on its own, thanks to the armor with its legendary abilities.

[The Armor of the Phoenix’s Breath]  

Attribute: Flame  

Armor that only those with extreme flame resistance can wear.  

Greatly increases health recovery.  

Greatly increases defense.  

Repairs itself when damaged.  

Revives the wearer in perfect condition upon death.  

The armor is permanently destroyed upon resurrection.

I asked Leana, “Can you react to its attacks?”

“No. Just now, I only managed to charge because you had leapt back first.”

“Still, good decision.”

The knight captain had launched a total of five strikes so far. Since each of those replicated a strong warrior’s attack, it must have drained quite a bit of energy. However, the next attack seemed to require even more energy.

Clank!

The knight captain raised its right hand, and a new sword flew into its grasp. A cutting wind swept the area, and its sword began to vibrate.

Screech—

A horrid sound, like nails on a chalkboard, filled the air. I hurriedly pulled Leana behind me and threw myself outside the training ground. A blue energy slash grazed my back.

Clang!

My armor shattered instantly, and a long horizontal line was carved into the cave wall. It was undoubtedly a released sword aura.

Boom!

Leana hit the ground with a thud. She gasped in shock as I, awkwardly crouched over her, gave orders without hesitation.

“With a strike like that, it’s probably getting tired. I’ll block one more attack, then it’s your turn to handle the rest.”

“...You’ll block that? Without armor?”

Leana’s gaze lifted upward. I quickly stood up and followed her eyes. The knight captain had already leaped so high that its head nearly touched the ceiling.

Screech—

The discordant sword swung toward us. I stood tall, casting a shadow over Leana. The slash aimed to split me in half like an apple.

[Impact detected.]  

[Activating ability.]  

[1-second invincibility cooldown: 59 seconds]

The knight captain, leaving a trail of blue light behind, descended. Its glowing eyes were noticeably dimmer now. After expending two energy slashes, it was a challenge Leana could handle.

“Blocking that... with your bare body?”

“No time for idle talk.”

As I spoke, Leana shot up to her feet. She leaped swiftly onto the training ground, fixing her stance as she locked eyes on the knight captain.

Tat-tat-tat!

The knight captain charged, gripping its sword as if ready to skewer. Its speed had noticeably slowed, even to my eyes. Leana deftly parried the thrust, allowing it to glide past her blade. The knight captain tried to continue with a fluid chain of attacks, but the flames surrounding Leana’s armor quickly restored any damage she had sustained. 

As they exchanged blows several more times, the knight captain’s movements gradually slowed. Leana seized the opportunity and launched a relentless barrage of attacks, burning through her boundless stamina.

Clang, clang, clang!

It was safe to say we had the upper hand now. The final ability of the Armor of the Phoenix’s Breath—resurrection—hadn’t even triggered. It seemed this battle was nearly over.

Clang!

The knight captain’s armor dented. Starting from one point, it caved in further and further. Finally, its sword slipped from its grasp, and Leana, gripping her own sword tightly with both hands, brought it down with all her might.

Crash!

With a sharp sound, the knight captain’s helmet was severed from its body. The headless armor dropped to its knees, and with a thud, it crumbled into pieces. Leana, panting heavily, turned her gaze toward me.

Since it was all just a dream anyway, I figured a little praise wouldn’t hurt.

“You’ve worked really hard to become a knight. There’s no need to worry about your future.”

Leana lowered her sword, her expression conflicted.

“I’m not sure what to say... Hearing those words from you feels... strange, even in a dream.”

Perhaps my words coming from my mouth, even in a dream, had caught her off guard.

It might have been a bit of a slip of the tongue. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, I approached the broken knight captain's armor to change the subject and achieve my original goal. From the chest plate, purple mist puffed out, slowly gathering into a glass vial filled with blue liquid.

[Elixir of Dreams]

Attribute: Illusion  

A potion meticulously crafted by Irte, Lord of Dreams.  

Duration: 3 minutes  

When consumed, all negative statuses within the duration become illusions.  

Even cooldown times are constantly reset.  

If the drinker dies, death itself becomes an illusion once the duration ends.  

This is one of the top three most broken items in Asareth.  

For three minutes, any ability can be used without limit, and even death grants a second chance—there’s no question it’s a ridiculously overpowered item.

I carefully placed the potion into my inventory as if it were a sacred relic. I hoped to save it for a critical moment...

“Hersel? Is that a keepsake? Let me see.”

“Keepsake? What are you talking about?”

“We came here to recover the stolen keepsake, didn’t we...”

“Oh, that? The thieves already sold it all.”

Having gotten everything I needed, it was time for this farce to end.

  *

The first place Rockefeller led the Adele Magic Department was to the Schlaphe Hall. Among the students he cleansed with purification magic, only Ricks was deemed worthy. To him, the rest of Schlaphe’s students were nothing but vermin.

When they arrived at the stronghold, Ricks, now mentally clear, asked, "Professor Rockefeller, wouldn’t it have been better to free Senior Makdal as well?”

“His limits are obvious. No point in teaching him further.”

Ricks wanted to say more, but Bellman placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head, as if to say, "Don't waste your breath."

Rockefeller glanced at the students in the stronghold with disdain. "Looks like they’re all under hypnosis here as well."

Bellman voiced his opinion, “Professor Rockefeller, the other professors would be of great help. Wouldn’t it be worth freeing them at least?”

Rockefeller instantly refuted, “We don’t even know what’s happening at the academy right now. Our priority is identifying the culprit behind all this. Wandering around searching for professors we can't locate could be dangerous and waste precious time.”

Bellman, sweating nervously, asked, “A culprit? Are you suggesting this isn’t just a supernatural phenomenon?”

“That’s correct.”

There was plenty of evidence. The transformation of the stronghold's interior into something out of a demon lord’s castle from literature was clearly deliberate.

“This doesn’t seem to be some mere hallucination affecting individuals' subconscious minds. You and the others who are still sane are seeing the same space, the same objects, as I am. It seems like someone has altered the stronghold itself.”

Rockefeller continued to scrutinize the surroundings with suspicious eyes. He used the opportunity to teach his selected students.

“The first priority is information gathering. In situations like this, you must understand the enemy’s purpose in orchestrating something on such a large scale. Delaying might lead to unforeseen consequences, so always think creatively and remain suspicious.”

Bellman swallowed hard. “That’s definitely the first step. With the information we gather, we can formulate a plan and brief the professors as soon as we reach the faculty building, saving time in the process.”

“Well, that’s one benefit.”

“So that’s why you only cast purification magic on a few of us? To save time?”

“No. I just didn’t want to waste my mana on those without value.”

Rockefeller turned to Ricks for more clues. “Ricks Don Orien, you said you thought everything was just a dream?”

“Yes. My mind was foggy, and if it hadn’t been for your purification spell, I never would have realized this was reality.”

“Hmm.”

Rockefeller waved his staff, summoning thirty crows into the air.

Ricks, eyes gleaming with curiosity, asked, “Is that spirit magic?”

“No, these are artificial lifeforms created through illusion and special-type magic. They don’t possess much intelligence and can only follow simple commands.”

The crows scattered widely, flying in all directions.

“If they spot something suspicious, they’ll caw. Keep your ears open.”

From the upper floors, the crows began to caw. It was the club room floor. When Rockefeller and the students arrived, they found an armored knight wandering aimlessly nearby.

"Hmm, it looks like it’s hollow inside."

Whether it was some form of magic or mysticism, it was clear that the entirety of Frost Heart had fallen under the influence of this knight’s domain.

Clang, clang.

The armored knight charged forward. However, even with just a telekinetic spell, the knight was easily dismantled, preventing its sword from reaching its target. Rockefeller surveyed the area.

Bellman pointed toward a woman. “Professor, there’s Silla over there.”

“Oh-ho.”

Silla En Lionheart was a promising talent. Taking her along to gain some practical experience wouldn't be a bad idea.

Bellman approached Silla. “Silla, are you under hypnosis too?”

“Huh? Bellman? What are you doing here? The professor’s here too? Rockefeller, that bastard—"

Bellman quickly covered Silla’s mouth. “Mmmph!”

“...It seems she’s mistaking this for a dream.”

Rockefeller, visibly irritated, approached her, his hand glowing with purification magic. He knocked her lightly on the head with a thunk.

“Ow!”

Silla grabbed her head, tears welling up in her eyes, while Bellman explained the situation.

“Snap out of it! This isn’t a dream, it’s real. You were just under hypnosis like everyone else. Right now, the entire academy is caught up in thinking all of this is just a dream.”

Perhaps because of the pain, she regained her senses faster than Ricks. Silla’s eyes widened.

“This isn’t a dream? Wait, if that’s the case…”

Her expression became more complex as memories of what had just happened started to resurface.

—You know what? If I could go back in time... well, I might consider dancing with you once.

‘Oh, no!!’

Rockefeller’s eyes gleamed as he noticed someone slumped in a chair—Limberton.

“Oh-ho, Limberton Bell Delsey is here too. He’s got sharp eyes, might be more useful than I thought.”

With a glowing hand, Rockefeller moved toward Limberton, ready to use the purification spell.

Silla’s face contorted in horror. “P-Professor!!”