C123: Night of the Hunt (2)
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In the fiery shadow Rudger stared at Casey while Casey stared at Rudger and asked in a clear tone.
"We've met before, haven't we? Do you even remember who I am?"
"……Casey Selmore."
How could he forget? She is by far one of the strongest villains in his memory.
"You remember it well. Then you know why I called you?"
"Are you going to arrest me right now?"
Rudger smiled silently at those words. It's been a long time since he met her, and she's going to arrest him. Come to think of it, however, the two were not even close enough to say hello to each other.
No matter what anyone says, in the Kingdom of Delica, he was chased by her. Of course, Casey was more of a one-sided antagonist to Rudger.
"I knew it, Moriarty. That you didn't die that day at the waterfall."
"Why didn't you just live without knowing? It would have been good for each other."
"You want me to bury the shame of the day? No way."
"So you followed me all the way here? With the idea of fleetingly losing your life?"
"You made a fool of me and you thought I'd give up on that much? I'm not what I was then."
Their eyes clashed violently in the air. Since they have no concessions to each other, it was natural for them to become like this the moment they met.
Water droplets began to float around Casey and Rudger clicked his tongue at the sight.
"Should I see blood here or are you going to go easy on me?"
"No way."
"Then there's nothing we can do about it."
He had to use force.
With that thought in mind, when she tried to use her magical powers, Rudger also raised his shadow as if to respond.
The space between the two was filled with tension and Rudger's men also stared at Casey.
"What?"
Erendir was bewildered by what had happened so suddenly.
In such a sudden situation, Casey opened her mouth.
"James Moriarty. No, Abraham Van Helsing."
"……."
Rudger shuddered as he didn't know she would bring up the name but Casey didn't miss the minute response and a smile formed on her face.
"Well, to be honest, I was surprised, too. I didn't know you were doing activities while hiding your identity."
"……Nonsense."
"Is this nonsense? Van Helsing, James Moriarty. The civil war in the Northern Kingdom of Utah that ended a while ago, that's your work, right?"
Casey found some of the trails Rudger's been trying to hide and his eyes in his beak mask narrowed. He didn't expect his past identity to be exposed.
"Under what kind of identity are you hiding in this city? Do you think I won't be able to find you if you run away from here?"
"……."
"I'm sure I'll find you. And I'll chase you to the end. To the end."
At the near-unilateral declaration, Rudger remained silent for a moment, and then nodded.
"Well, I think I made a fool of you."
On the day of the showdown in the Kingdom of Delica Casey Selmore could not defeat Rudger even though he had used all his mana and as a last resort he threw himself off a waterfall but she jumped with him. Her behavior was almost madness and she didn't even care about her own death.
Rudger thought that she would pursue her own path after that but she still came after him and she was much stronger than in the past.
Rudger acknowledged that this was his fault.
The title [Colour] means that although only one element can be used, it is therefore more absolutely powerful than anyone else.
'My opponent, who was already crazy, has become so strong that I can't touch her recklessly has now returned.'
But Casey Selmore's biggest weapon is not her magic skills but her reasoning ability. Even her tenacity and perseverance beyond that reasoning was her real weapon.
Even if he runs away from this spot safely, Casey Selmore will not give up and try to find him.
Tracing traces, narrowing distances and collecting evidence, she'll do it one step at a time.
'If that happens.'
She might discover his Rudger Chelici identity and if that happens he would be checkmate.
If it was in the past, he could abandon his fake identity and leave again, but the situation was different this time because he used his real face when he pretended to be Rudger Chelici.
'It's going to be troublesome.'
In the future, it was highly likely that even the recovery of the remaining pieces of the relic, which he targeted, would be hindered.
Then what should he do?
Rudger narrowed his eyes.
'Should I remove her?'
The first sure thing that came to mind was the destruction of evidence. It was an idea that could not be dared to come up with against a wizard with the title [Colour], but this was also not without a way.
Casey's body trembled involuntarily when his hidden murderous intent arose. Swallowing her dry saliva, she felt the spirit flowing from Rudger changed.
'It's the same as back then.'
A sense of intimidation that makes you lose your fighting spirit just by feeling it. Even though she became strong enough to go anywhere, the villain she faced in the past still felt like a high mountain but she didn't back down.
Casey clenched her teeth and kept her eyes on Rudger. There was still something she needed to know.
"I heard the latest news. There have been countless incidents all over the continent, but there are disturbing movements, especially in the Exilion Empire and an organization that operates in the shadows."
"……."
At the mention of the organization, Rudger unwittingly strained himself.
'No way, the secret organization I created called "U.N. Owen" has already been discovered?'
With her ridiculous reasoning ability it was no wonder she already noticed so much. It was more of a superpower than just common sense but what came out of her mouth was a completely different name, contrary to his concerns.
"Tell me. What does Black Dawn have to do with you?"
"……."
Black Dawn? That name suddenly came up here?
Casey felt sure of her suspicions, because of his bewildered appearance.
"As expected, I must have hit the nail on the head."
"……."
A good idea flashed through Rudger's mind.
"……I don't understand what you're talking about."
To say yes outright would be a bad move so Rudger took his time and pretended not to know in order to turn her doubts into certainty. As if his action was correct, Casey looked confident that what she said was right.
"It's no use pretending not to know. Are all the recent events your fault? Then it is your fault that the auction house became like this today."
Auction house? Oh, she meant the Liberation Army that caused the terrorist attacks along with the other criminals and black wizards that have stepped in?
Casey seemed to think that even their movements were all done by him.
'That's not what I did.'
Even if he pointed out the wrong thing, she was right in a way since it is true that what he and his colleagues did was the trigger for this incident.
'This might be…….'
Rudger's idea, which initially leaned toward eliminating Casey, tilted the other way around. Casey Selmore is competent and even if he tried to remove her she would do a lot of damage.
If he did such a thing he might not be able to hide his identity.
'I changed my mind.'
At the moment, he should not be identified by both the powerful Theon Academy and the Black Dawn.
In this case the Black Dawn Society is a little more dangerous but what if he makes Casey Selmore go against them to divert their attention.
'She will be a great hound.'
Since Casey is convinced that he has some kind of connection to the Black Dawn it was an opportunity for him.
"Casey Selmore, my old enemy, you saw through my scheme but can you stay like this?"
"What?"
Casey, unable to grasp the intent of the question, asked stupidly and Rudger explained kindly.
"There are still terrorists inside that auction house that are searching for prey."
"Are you threatening me? You want me to let go of the big criminal in front of me and deal with the small fries?"
"If you feel that way, I can't help it but I won't be easily caught. My men will stand up to you with all our might."
"You…!"
"Will you be able to control me and my men? And in the meantime, what will happen to the citizens who have not yet evacuated?"
Rudger deliberately stabbed at her weakness.
"I am not responsible for that."
Casey glared at Rudger as if to kill him but Rudger saw through her weakness clearly.
Why is she catching her criminals? Isn't it to make the world in a better direction, as her grandfather said so that people do not suffer from crime? So that even one person can smile happily.
Casey has taken it as a belief, and she has solved countless cases to date and Rudger correctly pointed out Casey's weakness.
Would she let go of a big criminal instead of saving people? That man might be captured alive but at the expense of how many people?
Casey Selmore was at odds.
Looking at her swaying figure, Rudger was convinced that his judgment was correct.
'She's a nuisance, but she's got certain abilities. Casey Selmore, you must be the hound that will bite the Black Dawn, not me."
And the other task she will be entrusted with was the special bomb used by the Liberation Army.
'The special gunpowder that works even when [Silence of fire] is active it's something I definitely got rid of when I was in the Kingdom of Delica.'
How can the Liberation Army use that explosive? Maybe the manufacturing method that he thought would have been completely destroyed was left behind or maybe there was someone who had connections with the Liberation Army.
Whatever it was, there was nothing good about leaving it alone.
"Hugo, Melville, Dumas, we're leaving."
Now that Casey was faltering, it was their chance. He didn't expect her to make a decision right away anyway since his purpose was to confuse her mind.
As Rudger tried to take Hans away to a safe place, Casey exclaimed desperately.
"Stop!"
She aimed her stick at Rudger as if she wouldn't miss him. At the same time, a huge stream of water shot like a water cannon and headed for Rudger But it was so easily blocked by his shadow.
The scattered water immediately changed shape and the countless drops of water floating in the air turned into sharp needles.
This was the moment to besiege Rudger and other U.N. Owen executives but the blue current from Rudger's shadow disintegrated all the surrounding water.
Even a wizard with the title [Colour] can't control electrolyzed water. At that time, Betty, who was looking for a gap, stepped out.
"Yap!"
She threw her fist at Rudger with a cute cry but Betty's surprise attack was unsuccessful because a masked man suddenly appeared and blocked her fist, with his bare body, too.
Beyond the harsh shock wave, Betty's eyes were full of disbelief.
"Did you block my fist?"
The eyes in the opponent's mask stared at Betty.
Betty clenched her teeth and kicked as if she was analyzing her opponent. The high kick that drew a splendid orbit and the masked man raised one arm to block it.
Even a well-trained person would have his arm crushed, but her opponent was not pushed aside an inch. Betty stared at the masked man with a look of disbelief.
"You……What are you?"
The man did not answer.
The moment Betty tried to ask more, the man stretched out his legs. Shortly after Betty reflexively crossed her arms, a strong shock struck her and Betty's body was pushed back.
"Betty!"
"Don't worry! It's just a scratch!"
Casey couldn't believe Betty had been pushed back.
"I'll join you."
Enya also stepped forward, thinking that it would not work like this. She jumped over the man she was dealing with Betty and swung her sword at Rudger.
Enya's eyebrows wriggled because another masked man blocked her attack. But instead of panicking, Enya immediately recovered the sword, turned her body around and aimed at his neck.
The man in the mask did not panic and calmly placed his sword vertically to block her attack.
Enya's offensive continued without hesitation and the two swords collided in succession. With the roar of iron and iron colliding, fireworks lit up the darkness.
Enya gritted her teeth as she watched an unidentified man dealing with her.
'He's strong. At least to the level of an elite knight.'
Those who handle swords and have superhuman bodies are called Knight, but they are also divided into several grades.
Most of the people called 'quasi-knights' are just learning the sword. After that are the apprentice knights which can be called knights in earnest.
Then there are the regular knights and Enya's rank was higher than that, she was an elite knight.
The fact that she can't easily overcome the enemy in front of her means that her opponent is on par with her but it didn't matter because she had her arcane swordsmanship.
Swinging the sword with her right hand, she pulls out a secret sword hidden in the waist of the banquet dress so that it's in the other person's blind spot.
She then pierced with her long sword while throwing her secret sword under the shadow of her sword. Unlike other knights who purely fight with swords, she uses a style that pierces the opponent's loopholes.
The dagger that stabbed at the opponent's gaps was the Sting Sword, the arcane swordsmanship of Enya Joynus' family. A technique in which the opponent does not notice another dagger hidden under the sword and suffers from it.
Chaeeng!
However, as if the opponent knew this, he naturally struck her down with his sword.
'He stopped it?!'
He blocked an attack that couldn't be seen.
'It's not just a coincidence. He knows my skills!'
Enya stared at her opponent with wide eyes.
"Who are you? How do you know this technique?"
"……."
There was no answer from the man in the mask.
Enya tried to ask again, but her wishes failed to come true because Rudger sprayed strong mana around her and pushed her back.
"We can`t take any more time. Here comes the Clockwork Knights."
"……Yes."
"All right."
Soon, the four people, except Hans, who fainted, floated in the air. A huge gale swirled and lifted their bodies and when they rose into the air there was a woman floating in the sky with a black parasol.
She was also covering her face with black cotton yarn, so she was hiding her identity, but it was clear that she was the one who caused the strong wind now.
Casey tried to stop her, but she was caught off guard by what Rudger said.
"Survivors haven't been evacuated from the auction house yet……!"
Rudger didn't miss the crack she revealed.
"Let's go."
Just before his body disappeared beyond the dark night sky he heard Casey Selmore cry.
"James Moriarty!"
Before leaving, Rudger turned his head slightly and looked back at her. Casey also stared at Rudger with unwavering blue eyes.
"I won't miss you next time! I'll uproot you and your organization, the Black Dawn from this world!"
It was quite provocative, but Rudger responded kindly.
"As you wish."
The words left by Rudger were delivered to her by the wind; however before Casey could get angry and shout again, Rudger and his men disappeared in the wind beyond the darkness of the night sky.