đźź Chapter 63:
I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing at that moment—Number Three was standing right in front of us, a smile stretched across his face. He looked at me and Elithius, tightening his fist with clear intent.
"Well, well… the little prince is here, and also the rat who humiliated me earlier. I didn't expect to meet you again too."
What a disaster. He must be furious with me, especially after I threw that bomb in his face earlier. Mirai let go of me and didn't even try to intervene, choosing instead to remain a spectator.
Number Three stepped toward me before even looking at Elithius. I asked the system for a pistol.
"System, hand me a pistol."
[Alright… pistol ready.]
The pistol materialized in my palm, but before I could aim, Number Three grabbed my hand, causing the pistol to fall to the floor. He squeezed my hand painfully.
"Not so fast, you little rat. How about I break your other arm?"
He looked around as if searching for someone else.
"By the way, where's your other companion? He was a decent fighter—unlike you, weakling."
"He's in the bathroom, doing his business."
"The bathroom, huh? Then before he returns, I'll turn you into paste—he'll be shocked for sure."
He grabbed me by the arm and flung me across the hallway.
"Ughhh…!"
I groaned from the pain. Elithius was so terrified he fell to the floor, whispering:
"Impossible… how did this happen? Didn't the army capture him?"
Number Three looked at Elithius mockingly.
"Your army is nothing but a bunch of fools. We're not the ones being wiped out—you are."
I didn't understand. How? Did the Prime Minister lie about the gang's locations? Even if he did, how could the army be the ones getting annihilated?
We suddenly heard noise coming from the stairs—it was Haizen, returning from the bathroom. He held his stomach carelessly and looked at us without fully grasping the situation.
"What's this? I go to take a dump and hear all this noise?"
But he finally recognized Number Three.
"What? You're that guy from the gang—what are you doing here?"
Umm… I think he forgot that our job as guards is protecting Elithius from the gang.
"Haizen, you do know we're guarding Elithius from the gang, right?"
"Of course I know, but with how boring things have been, I didn't expect an actual appearance from one of them."
Well… he's not wrong. Honestly, I would've preferred boredom over fighting one of the numbers. Number Three grinned when Haizen finally stood before him.
"Good. The fun opponent has arrived. I'd like to enjoy myself while crushing you."
Haizen unsheathed his sword to face him. Number Three charged with both fists, but Haizen leaped at the last moment, causing Number Three's fists to shatter the floor instead.
Mirai finally moved to help the prince, who was completely breaking down. I wasn't sure if his father was still here in the academy or had returned to the palace.
I tried using the pistol, but even my supposedly uninjured hand hurt because of what Number Three did to me earlier.
I can't believe this… If that doctor had healed me with magic, this would have been easier. Now I'm completely useless—even my good hand isn't good anymore.
The fight between the two seemed balanced at first, but things began shifting in Number Three's favor. He dodged one of Haizen's attacks, ducked low, and punched him in the gut, sending him flying a few meters away.
Before Haizen could steady his body, he found Number Three already in front of him, fist slamming into his face and knocking him to the ground. Number Three smirked:
"That's payback for doing the same thing to me earlier."
Haizen stood up, blood dripping from his forehead. His expression showed nothing but annoyance.
Even though my hand ached, I had to do something. I grabbed the pistol, moved closer, and fired directly at Number Three, but he noticed the bullet easily and dodged it.
He dashed toward me. I kept shooting but he effortlessly avoided every shot. Then he landed a kick to my stomach that made me spit blood. The pain was unbearable.
He grabbed me and dragged me toward the shattered window.
We were on the academy's third floor. He intended to throw me off. Haizen tried to stop him, but before he could reach us, Number Three used an ability we had never seen from him—only from Number One.
"Air Blades."
Sharp wind blades shot toward Haizen, wounding him. I tried to escape Number Three's grip, but it was useless.
There was no solution. I was going to hit the ground.
He tossed me out through the window with ease. Falling from this height would shatter my body completely—if it didn't kill me outright. I was plummeting toward the ground, students outside noticing me as I fell.
I didn't even have anything soft I could create with Factory to land on. But suddenly, a voice from above changed everything.
"Swap Ray."
In an instant, I found myself back on the third floor, while Number Three was the one falling. I couldn't comprehend what had happened. I looked at Haizen and saw him staring at Mirai in shock.
Was she the one who saved me?
I asked her to confirm:
"Was that you? Did you swap me with Number Three?"
She nodded calmly.
"Of course. Who else did you expect would do it?"
I can't believe it… I was saved from falling because of this annoying girl. Well, I should thank her anyway.
"Thank you for saving me."
"I didn't do it out of kindness. You still owe me, and I'm not letting you die before paying your debts. And by the way—you just added another one."
Maybe dying would've been better…
But before any of us could process the situation, Number Three returned. Despite falling from that height, his body was completely unharmed.
However, annoyance was clear on his face as he glared at Mirai.
"Well, well… got yourselves a new rat, huh?"
Mirai replied boldly:
"Who are you calling a rat, you oversized dimwit? Don't lump me in with these people—I have nothing to do with this mess."
Okay, two possibilities:
Either this girl is extremely insane and unaware of the consequences…
or she's actually very strong.
Number Three didn't like her tone, but he had no time to deal with her.
Haizen attacked him with Shadow Style. Number Three couldn't dodge the strike, leaving a clear gash across his chest. Normally, that attack should've cut him in half.
It seems this guy's durability is far higher than we expected. Even so, he looked irritated… but only for a moment. His wound healed instantly as if nothing had happened.
Number Three wasn't just physically strong—he clearly had excellent mana control. Healing that injury was undeniable proof.
Elithius, who had been hiding the whole time, finally stepped forward toward Number Three, asking the question that had been on my mind the entire time:
"How can you say our army is the one being wiped out? We captured Number One, and he told us your gang's locations."
Before Number Three gave the answer—a conclusion even someone like me should've reached—he spoke:
"You thought you captured the boss—or rather, Number One. But the one you caught… was someone else."