'I-Is this the person who killed Hasharna...?'
The thought surfaced in her mind, and Lulune instinctively took a step back.
Standing before her was someone who had brutally slaughtered a level 4 adventurer... someone an entire rank above her...with terrifying ease.
Her throat went dry.
'Don't tell me... I-I'm next?'
Color drained from her face as the realization settled in.
Her fingers trembled around the bag clutched to her chest, knuckles turning white from how tightly she held on.
This was the worst possible scenario she could have imagined... and it had come true.
'I didn't think... I didn't think the item Hasharna gave me would attract this much trouble.'
What was supposed to be a simple delivery mission... quick, clean, and uneventful... had spiraled into a nightmare where her death felt all but inevitable.
The armored figure said nothing.
Yet the gaze she felt bore down on her like a verdict already passed, as though she were nothing more than a corpse that simply hadn't fallen yet.
A cold, mechanical click echoed as the armored figure took a single step forward.
Lulune's breath hitched violently.
Every instinct screamed at her to run... to flee, to survive... but her legs refused to respond, rooted in place as if the ground itself had seized her ankles.
"T-take it..."
The words burst from her before she could stop them, her voice cracking as she thrust the bag forward with trembling hands.
"You were after this, right? I don't care anymore... j-just take it and let me go!"
Whatever the case, her life was more important than whatever monetary reward this mission had offered.
But the figure didn't answer.
That silence was worse than any threat.
Before Lulune even realized what was happening, the armored figure had already closed the distance... moving so fast that her vision could barely track it.
In the blink of an eye, the tip of a sword hovered mere inches from her head.
Her breath caught in her throat.
'This is it.'
『Earth Wall』
It was then that an unknown voice reached their ears.
One moment, Lulune was staring at a blade about to pierce her skull, and the next, a wall of earth erupted between her and the attacker.
"Eh?"
The sudden shift left her mind blank.
Her strength gave out, and she collapsed backward, landing hard on her butt.
Sweat drenched her body as her heart pounded so violently she thought it might burst from her chest.
Almost instinctively, both she and the armored figure turned their heads at the same time toward the source of the spell.
Black hair and purple eyes... there stood a figure clad in lightweight armor, whose metal gloves glowed faintly as dense magic power wrapped around them.
"J-Judas S-Spade?"
Lulune said with a stutter, her eyes wide in recognition.
The very person Hermes, her god, had been paying the most attention to recently.
Judas briefly glanced at Lulune, his eyes lingering on the bag she was clutching for dear life.
A faint crease formed between his brows.
'Why do I feel... uncomfortable?'
Something inside that bag radiated an unpleasant presence, subtle yet deeply wrong.
It wasn't evil in the usual sense... it felt distorted, almost hostile.
But he didn't have time to dwell on it.
Judas shifted his focus back to the armored figure.
'Above level 5... and somewhere just below level 6.'
The assessment came instantly.
The armored individual turned their head and stared straight into Judas' purple eyes through the slit in the helmet.
Several seconds of silence passed.
Judas could feel it... a dense concentration of malice, the unmistakable scent of death clinging to the person's aura.
This was the kind of aura only someone who had killed recently could possess.
'It will be dangerous.'
Despite having recently won his rematch against the executives of the Freya Familia, Judas didn't grow conceited.
He knew better than to overestimate himself.
That victory had only been possible because the circumstances had been overwhelmingly in his favor.
In a real fight... no restrictions, no advantages... in his current state, he still had a long way to go before he could truly face a level 6 head-on.
'If I fight directly... if I want to win... I'd have to sacrifice a limb or two.'
His body shifted into a stance just as the armored figure moved.
The enemy charged.
Despite wearing heavy armor that should have hindered their movements, the speed at which they closed the distance was monstrous... far beyond any level 5 Judas had ever encountered.
But he didn't panic.
Raising his index finger calmly, Judas formed a magic circle at the tip of his fingertip.
'Of course, that's only if I'm alone.'
A golden blur intercepted the sword just before it could reach his midsection.
Metal clashed violently as sparks flew.
At the same time, Judas fired his spell.
『Lightning Spear』
Blue lightning erupted with a deafening crack of thunder.
A massive bolt, shaped like a spear, tore through the air and slammed into the enemy, sending her flying.
"Ais... you think we can take her on?"
Judas asked as he glanced at the golden-haired girl, her sword already drawn.
"Mn... she's strong. It'll be hard... but I think we can take her."
Ais replied with a firm nod.
Hearing her answer, Judas turned his gaze to the beastkin girl, who was still too terrified to move.
『Barrier』
A circular barrier manifested instantly, surrounding Lulune.
"Huh? What is this? Barrier magic?"
Lulune asked, looking around in panic.
"Don't run away. We have questions for you after this is over."
Judas said before turning back to the enemy.
"Huh? Isn't it already over?"
Lulune asked, confused.
Judas didn't respond.
Seeing this, Lulune followed his gaze.
From within the lingering smoke, the armored enemy emerged.
Blue sparks still danced erratically around her arms as she grasped the massive lightning spear, its crackling form struggling violently against her grip.
For a brief moment, the spell screamed... then her fingers tightened.
The lightning shattered.
Magic dispersed into harmless motes of light, fading into the air as if it had never existed.
Seeing this, Judas and Ais' expressions hardened.
"Are you the one who killed Hasharna?"
Ais asked, pointing her sword forward.
"And if I was?"
The armored enemy finally spoke.
Her voice was unmistakably feminine as she began removing her armor piece by piece.
Heavy metallic thuds echoed as each piece hit the ground.
But the most disturbing sight came when she reached for her face.
She began peeling the skin away.
"Did you know? If you apply the fluids of a poison vermis to someone's skin, it stops decay."
She said calmly as she completely tore off the skin mask.
"T-Then that means... that face belonged to Hasharna."
Lulune whispered, her eyes widening in horror.
"Ah... shit. That was tight and uncomfortable."
Now fully revealed, Judas took in her appearance.
Blood-red hair. Green eyes. A cold, emotionless expression.
"My name is Revis."
She declared as an overwhelming wave of bloodlust flooded the area.
"All of you will die by my hands."
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