Illusion Sword Master

＜ Inspector-nim’s Magic Swordsmanship (3) ﹥

“Cowardly─bastard! You’re calling in reinforcements for a duel!”

Buhsak burst out in anger. The ones who had intervened first were his subordinates, the Orc dark magic users, but it didn’t matter anyway.

“How dare you, a lowly Orc, call someone your subordinate?”

Se-ra, whose pride had been wounded in a strange way, retorted to Buhsak’s words.

Do I want to get into a verbal fight with that monster in this situation?

I used my magic to retrieve the scattered swords on the ground and got on the horse Se-ra was riding.

“Se-ra Yang, this isn’t the time for that! We need to get out of here first!”

“Just wait a minute. That crazy Orc is calling me his subordinate…”

I didn’t listen anymore and hit the horse’s rear.

Hee-yah!

“Ki-yah!”

The startled horse galloped away, and Se-ra, who had been holding the reins, let go. I grabbed the reins instead and rode the horse.

We were now in a position where I was half-hugging Se-ra from behind, but this wasn’t the time to worry about that.

“Magic troops, gather around! Defend──!”

Buhsak’s battle cry was followed by the Orc army chasing after us.

Being chased by an overwhelming force that could easily crush a single regiment, a ridiculous scene that would only appear in a dream was unfolding before my eyes.

“…What do we do now?”

Se-ra asked in a cautious tone.

I wanted to escape the battlefield right away, but…

“There’s no way to do things as I please.”

There were only thirty minutes left until the magic troops’ bombing.

We had to hold off the enemies until then.

“I’ll create a barrier around us to prevent them from escaping the bombing range. If you want to leave, you can do so now. It’s a crazy thing to do, anyway.”

“What are you saying? You came to rescue me, and now you’re saying this? I’ve been watching you for three years. I expected this much.”

Se-ra replied with a hint of annoyance.

“It’s okay, right? We might die. No, the probability of death is higher.”

“Hmph. I’m the eldest daughter of the great Zefer Duke family. I won’t die at the hands of an Orc while trying to help an unmarried man.”

Her body was trembling slightly, despite her confident tone.

I liked her bravado.

At least I had the leeway to feign bravery without being consumed by fear.

I changed the direction of my horse at the edge of the expected bombardment range.

Over 1,000 green monsters, like a net, closed in on us.

“Hmm. Earlier, I made a slip of the tongue.”

Sera suddenly spoke up.

“What did you say?”

“I said I was watching you. Not that I really was watching you, but just that I saw you. Don’t get me wrong.”

What on earth did that have to do with the current situation?

“Got it. More importantly, prepare your magic. I’ll break through the path, so Sera, please prioritize taking out the dark magicians.”

I said, deploying my swordsmanship towards the obstructing orcs.

─ Whoosh!

Although I had consumed a lot of stamina and my vigor was weaker than before, killing a dozen orcs wasn’t a difficult task.

“Get out of the way─!”

As I jumped over the corpses of my comrades, the ones who had approached the stronghold started to appear. I took out the short sword hidden in my coat to deal with them.

Swoosh. Thud!

The short sword imbued with brain-bashing magic pierced through an orc’s head and even severed the windpipe of the one behind it.

“■■■! ■■■!”

A dark magician at the rear was chanting a spell to attack us.

“Sera, now!”

─ Boom!

Sera activated her prepared magic. The falling thunderbolt turned the orcs into a pile of ashes before they could finish their spellcasting.

As we broke through the encirclement and circled within the bombardment range, dark clouds gathered in the sky.

‘I think we can retreat now.’

By this time, even if we retreated, we could trap over 70% of the enemies within the range.

We might not be able to annihilate them, but if we could inflict that much damage, we could handle the rest somehow.

Of course, retreating wasn’t an easy task either.

“Get out of the way─bones! Let me─!”

There was still a perverted orc who was more interested in my skull than the outcome of the battle.

─ Boom!

Bushek’s massive body fell before us.

Although we had almost eliminated the dark magicians supporting him, he still didn’t show any signs of fatigue.

Bushek wielded two large axes imbued with crimson energy.

I crossed my four swords to cast a defense magic.

“Ugh… ···.”

I gritted my teeth and endured, but the defense barrier was quickly breached. If only Roem were here, it would be great. Unfortunately, my friend, the genius of defense magic, was on the other side of the continent.

While I was holding out, Sera launched a counterattack.

─ Rumble!

Lightning struck Bushek’s head.

He swung his axe with one hand to deflect the lightning.

“Kuaa!”

The fatal wound didn’t land, but Busaku’s movements slowed due to the numbness in his arm.

However, even with just one arm, he was still threatening enough.

Before Sara could cast her next spell, Busaku’s axe, swung repeatedly, broke through the defense barrier.

The condensed mana dispersed, and Busaku’s axe blade, still bearing residual power, approached Sara with the intention of crushing her in one blow.

I instantly activated my martial arts, throwing myself off the horse while embracing Sara, taking the fall to reduce the impact on her.

Since I couldn’t control my strength, I rolled on the ground several times. I had to absorb the shock of the fall with my body to prevent Sara from getting hurt.

It was a reflexive action, but the right one.

“Hiyiiing!”

Busaku’s axe, which Sara couldn’t dodge in time, struck the ground, creating a large crater.

If we had been a little slower, we would have suffered the same fate.

“Sara, are you okay?”

I quickly got up and checked on Sara’s condition.

“I-I’m fine!”

Sara, who had panicked, tried to hide her anxiety and replied.

But the situation was far from fine.

More orcs were closing in on us from all directions.

The only consolation was that Busaku was distracted, trying to pull out his axe stuck in the ground, and wouldn’t attack us immediately.

Time was running out.

We had to take advantage of this moment and get away from Busaku as quickly as possible.

“Damn it. It’s going to be tough to fly with Sara in this state.”

It was impossible to escape by flight with Sara in her current condition. If our enemies launched a simultaneous attack, we’d be done for.

“I’ll open up a path again.”

I condensed mana into my sword and struck down the approaching orcs.

─ Quaang!

The sword blade shattered, and the fragments covered the orcs.

“It’s a waste to use the Dwarf-made sword like this.”

I felt a pang of sadness, but the effect was certain. With minimal mana, I had managed to break through the encirclement.

However, the gap was soon filled by other orcs. They had already surrounded us from multiple layers.

I activated my martial arts again.

Sara also used all her remaining strength, unleashing a weaker but more concentrated electrical attack.

Even with the scattered sword fragments and electrical attacks, the situation didn’t improve.

I was left with only one longsword.

Sara’s electrical attacks had also become too weak, barely enough to kill one orc.

To make matters worse, Busaku joined the fray.

“I’ll kill the weaklings first, and then slowly extract the knight’s skull!”

He said, targeting Sara.

“Sara!”

She was on the verge of fainting, her eyes half-closed, and her hand feebly releasing a weak electrical current.

I focused my remaining mana into my last sword, aiming for Busaku’s hand.

The miracle of a single, decisive blow didn’t occur. However, I succeeded in piercing his palm and altering the trajectory of his axe.

The axe that was aiming for Sera slipped and hit the floor, sending shockwaves that caused Sera’s body to roll around.

“What the hell… Why did I do that?”

I threw away the last remaining sword and felt a sense of despair.

I don’t know what my actions meant.

I may have prolonged her life for a moment, but if things continue like this, we’ll both end up dead anyway.

“I don’t know, damn it. I’m exhausted now.”

There’s no hope for survival in sight. Even if I try to hold on with my mental strength, my body, which has already been pushed to the limit, can’t function properly.

My body lost control and collapsed.

The cold, rough floor somehow felt comforting.

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Busaku, who had already lost interest in Sera, approached me.

“It’s probably for the best, anyway.”

If I had seen her, who came to save me, die, the last emotion I would feel in my life would be guilt.

Is it too much to die with guilt, after living a miserable life like a dog for twenty-odd years, trapped in a fantasy world that’s like a bad dream?

As my vision blurred, I sensed a massive concentration of mana. Even from a distance, I could clearly observe the massive flow of mana.

“It looks like the Magical Division’s preparations are complete.”

This place will soon be engulfed in a magical bombardment.

People will mourn the young hero who didn’t even leave behind a corpse.

“What’s the point of all this, anyway?”

In the end, it’ll all come to this. Instead of trying to live comfortably, I should have just lived comfortably.

“Protect yourself, Inspector! We’ll hold them off here!”

“Inspector, snap out of it! If you stay there, you’ll get caught!”

A familiar voice echoed in my ears.

One of them belonged to Yelina.

The other was Bellam.

“Huh?”

Yelina and Bellam, who I thought had retreated, were leading a small group of soldiers to defeat the orcs that surrounded me.

“What are you doing here? What’s the point of coming here?”

I hate war.

War clouds people’s judgment.

“Don’t come! What are you going to do here?”

I shouted, spewing blood, but it was pointless.

“We’ll do anything!”

“If not, we’ll die together, won’t we?”

These people, who trusted me and risked their lives to save me.

They’re trying to save me, but it’s just a futile effort.

I barely managed to get up.

It’s not that I suddenly gained the will to live.

I used my body as a medium to activate my magical powers, barely managing to lift myself up like a puppet on strings.

“It’s the commander’s orders. Take Sera and escape.”

“What are you talking about? Leave the Inspector behind?”

“This is just part of my plan. You’re all getting in the way. Did I look like I’d lose to someone like Bucharu?”

Every time I spoke, I forced myself to swallow the blood surging up and pretended to be strong. If I didn’t, they’d choose to die with me.

“Aaahhh!”

Bucharu, who had been stunned by Won Gun’s appearance, swung his axe at me again.

I manipulated my body with mana to dodge his axe and countered with a punch.

Somehow, I felt a strange sensation.

“I must become a sword myself.”

The hint I obtained from Roland’s advice and the duel with Deimbert.

Suddenly, I felt like I had reached a realization beyond that hint.

There was no strength left in my body.

I could only force my movements with mana, as if drawing a picture in my mind.

But ironically, this meant my body had finally become a sword that moved according to my will.

Puff!

My arm turned into a mangled mess with just one punch. It was a side effect of forcibly gathering mana in my fragile human bones and muscles.

“Aaahhh!”

At the same time, Bucharu also screamed. My arm had pierced his shoulder.

I wanted to scream too, but I had to pretend to be strong.

“Let’s go! It’s an order!”

Only then did Yelina and Bellam help Serena up and leave.

I watched their backs and thought.

“What the hell, why did I do that again?”

Maybe, while they were stalling, I could have found a way to escape.

I had given up on the last possibility and chosen to stay with the Orcs, pretending to be a hero.

“This is why war is so disgusting.”

Anyway, war was a way to cloud people’s judgment.

The raindrops falling from the sky soaked my body.

“What a perfect day to die. Isn’t it?”

Hmm, not a bad last words.

But there was no one to remember them.

“Aaahhh!”

Bucharu, writhing in pain, continued his attack, and I pulled back my last remaining arm like drawing a bowstring.

It was the moment to exchange our final blows.

Just then, someone holding a shield intervened between Bucharu and me, taking his attack instead.

The result was an anticlimactic entrance.

The shield was shattered, and the intruder was knocked back, taking me with them as we rolled on the ground together.

That’s why I could only confirm his face later.

“Olek?”

“For the glory of the Empire! I, Olek, have come to serve the Inspector General!”

Olek, who looked like he had been beaten up by the Orcs, saluted me with his body covered in wounds.

“Nice to see you.”

“Likewise, Inspector.”

“It’s nice to see you too, but that’s not what I’m talking about.”

I pointed to the black great sword on Olec’s back.

This loyal assistant had retrieved my beloved sword, which had flown somewhere during the fight against Bushaku.

“Put Black Thunder in my hand.”

Olec did as I instructed.

The heavy and cool sensation of Black Thunder revitalized me.

My mind cleared, and innovative ideas I had never thought of before began to flood my mind.

“As you can see, my body’s a bit uncomfortable. Help me out.”

I received Olec’s support and stood up, firing Black Thunder with lightning magic.

─ Zzuuung!

Bushaku effortlessly caught it.

“Is that all you’ve got─!”

The electric current flowing from Black Thunder’s blade didn’t have any effect on him.

It didn’t matter.

This wasn’t an attack.

─ Kkkuugukkuu!

A purple lightning bolt struck Bushaku’s head again.

The long-range magic attack from the Magic Division had begun.

The lightning magic enchanted on Black Thunder served as both a lightning rod and a coordinate transmitter to them.

─ Kkkuugukkuu!

And again.

─ Kkkuugukkuu!

The repeated lightning strikes forced Bushaku to his knees.

“Olec, do you trust me?”

I asked, confident that my loyal assistant would remain faithful from now on.

“I’ll risk my life to trust you, Inspector!”

I wanted to tease him about risking his life, but I really needed that level of trust.

“Thank you. Then I’ll trust you too.”

There were several craters on the ground, formed during the intense battle. I pushed my body into one of them and grabbed Olec’s ankle.

“What?”

Olec fell into the crater. The crater was just large enough for one person, so Olec’s body covered it like a lid.

The bombing began soon after.

Pppeeerrr!

A cluster of lightning bolts descended from the sky.

The world turned purple.

＜ Inspector’s Demon Swordsmanship (3) ﹥ End