"You're slowing down, Dwarf!"
Singrev's attacks were growing farther apart as he was forced from the offensive onto the defensive.
Leopold, however, had entered an unnatural frenzy. He swung his saber with such force that it whistled through the air, completely heedless of the damage to his weapon. He hacked and stabbed with wild abandon, forcing the Dwarf to scramble just to parry, leaving him no opportunity to trigger another explosion.
Knowing his limits, Mr. Ah Le stayed out of the fight. Hill, having dealt with her own opponent, did not remount her horse. Instead, she took the crossbow from her back, planted her foot on its stock, and drew the string. The Ranger then leveled the crossbow. Although the Dwarf and Leopold were locked in a desperate struggle, the difference in their height gave her an opening. Hill boldly and precisely squeezed the trigger.
The crossbow arrow shot forward with immense force, but Leopold somehow caught the movement in his peripheral vision. With reflexes far beyond those of a normal person, he executed an effortless flourish of his sword to cover his chest, deftly deflecting the Ranger's surprise attack.
"Not enough! It's not enough! I am Leopold, a Knight of the Empire! Do you think scum like you can defeat me? All of you together aren't enough!"
Leopold seemed unable to control himself. The force of his blows intensified as he hacked down viciously. The impact sent a numbing jolt through the parrying Dwarf's hand, and Singrev was inwardly alarmed.
The other Knight, who had initially been fighting Singrev, righted himself and was about to aid Leopold when he was suddenly torn from his horse and slammed to the ground.
A giant, invisible hand pinned him down, pressing him into the soft earth of the riverbank. The air was forced from his lungs, and he found he couldn't draw a breath.
'My ribs... they're breaking...'
Soon, a new sensation followed. The massive hand burst into flames, enveloping him completely.
"Everyone else, get back!" Rorschach roared. The Dwarf, the Ranger, and Mr. Ah Le looked over. The young Mage's eyes and the veins on his exposed skin were now glowing with a blue radiance. The three of them immediately fell back.
Leopold also sensed the danger. Snapping out of his frenzy, he cautiously disengaged from the Dwarf. He quickly pulled out some kind of unguent, haphazardly smeared it on his face, and then coated his longsword with it before charging at the Mage.
"Begone!"
"Magic Concentration" plus "Repulsive Force" plus "Projectile." This time, it wasn't a rabbit sent flying, but a knight and his heavy-armored warhorse, weighing hundreds of pounds. Leopold flew backward as if he'd hit a wall and crashed into the water, only to be lifted out by an invisible, immense force that gripped him tight.
'Is this the power of a Mage?' Leopold wasn't panicked, merely musing as he hung in mid-air. His years of combat experience, his Martial Arts, the Blessing and enhancements he'd received from Mother Earth—all of it was utterly suppressed by the Mage.
Just as with the previous Knight, the Mage's Hand gripping him transformed into a Burning Hand. In a matter of seconds, Leopold's skin would be carbonized.
The flare of fire illuminated the shimmering surface of the river and a face covered in old scars and fresh wounds. The man didn't tense his powerful muscles to resist, nor did he pray to Mother Earth. He simply stared at the frenzied Mage, looking preternaturally calm.
Then, the unexpected happened.
A thick, yellow-green smoke erupted from Leopold's body, spewing and spreading with explosive speed.
"Fall back! Fall back!"
It was too late. The thick smoke billowed close to the ground, instantly enveloping the entire caravan. For both horse and human, vision blurred rapidly before they collapsed into unconsciousness. It wasn't so much that the smoke knocked them out; it was as if it invaded their bodies and simply severed their consciousness.
When the thick smoke dissipated, Leopold stood completely unaffected. He had fallen back into the water but now struggled ashore and walked over to the unconscious Rorschach.
The man stripped off his tattered outer clothes and scorched inner armor. The last sliver of the sun dipped below the horizon, as if announcing the end of the battle.
The normally stern-faced man broke into a smile. He had sustained many new injuries, but thanks to the Mother Earth Anointing Oil, all he could feel now was the joy of victory.
"Some herbs only release their properties when burned."
He kicked the boy. The Mage didn't respond.
"Ha! Haha... HAHAHA!"
On the riverbank, where only one man remained standing, a wild, bestial laugh echoed.
BANG.
The man who had been victorious just a moment before lost a part of his head—to be precise, his right sphenoid bone, a portion of his left parietal bone, and other tissues.
Two men stood up from a nearby hill, one of them holding a rifle. It wasn't a gunpowder weapon; it was propelled by Magic Power and fired an Alchemy Bullet capable of piercing a Low Level Defense Spell.
"After watching that show for so long, I'm tired of lying prone."
"I'm gonna take a piss. You go see if that kid's still breathing." One of them ran over to the riverbank and began.
The other man tiptoed over to Rorschach, crouched down, and held a finger under his nostrils.
"He's breathing, alright. That smoke at the end must've just been a potent inhaled anesthetic."
"Interesting."
"What's so interesting? Ugh, I gotta take a leak too. I'm bursting..."
"The Knight's last move was interesting, and the kid's interesting too when he's fighting for his life. Guess the boss's judgment was sound."
Rorschach's exposed skin was still tinged with a blue glow. If a nurse tried to draw his blood right now, she'd find a vein instantly—it was lit up!
"Alright, stop messing around. Come on, let's deal with this body and cover our tracks. Let me think... we'll finish off all those Knights, then take the stuff from their packs."
...
The first to wake was Hill. She had been pinned under her horse and had to struggle for a moment before she could get to her feet.
The scene under the moonlight was one of utter chaos.
There was no sign of Leopold, only a pool of congealed blood next to where Rorschach lay. Hill moved closer to inspect it; the trail of blood vanished at the river's edge.
'Is he gone? Did he accomplish his goal?'
At that thought, Hill quickly checked if Rorschach was breathing. It was faint, but it was there. She let out a sigh of relief.
One by one, the others, people and horses alike, began to stir. Horrifyingly, the enemy's Heavy Armor Warhorses had been reduced to pools of ooze, which had then half-dissolved the unconscious Knights.
They had suffered no losses, and the cargo was untouched. But Rorschach still hadn't woken up.
"His breathing is steady enough, so let's not try to force Master Mage awake. The state Rorschach Mage was in at the end... it wasn't normal. The toll must have been immense." Ah Le gathered the others to plan their next move.
"We'll soon be out of the area where the Sect is active, so we can head for a town. The next one is about five days from here. We'll have Rorschach Mage rest in the supply wagon, and we'll tether his horse to the second cart. Everyone, we withstood this trial, and it was truly thanks to our Master Mage. If he still hasn't woken by the time we reach town, we'll look for the Magic Guild."
Once the drivers were back at their posts, Mr. Ah Le turned to the two Adventurers with a worried expression. "Did either of you see Leopold at the end? None of the other Knights survived, but he vanished."
"The pool of blood next to Rorschach must be Leopold's," Hill said. "He must have left. The blood trail goes to the river's edge and then just stops."
"We beat that bastard half to death, and his horse is gone. He won't be causing us any more trouble!"
"Let's hope so... Thank you, everyone. We're down one fighter, so please be extra vigilant."
"Right."
"Don't worry, boss. If that guy who challenged me shows his face again, I'll give him a few more good whacks!"