The ceiling collapsed as if the entire structure were imploding.
It happened as suddenly as a bolt of ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) lightning from a clear sky, yet none of those present seemed surprised.
Cravat raised a surge of black energy around himself, blocking the falling debris.
Though the rubble was a mix of steel and concrete, the black smoke supported it effortlessly, as if it possessed immense physical power of its own.
The steel it touched began to corrode rapidly, disintegrating into dust as though centuries had passed in an instant.
It was the power of an ancient curse—one that held both form and force.
The next to react was Gariel.
It took less than three seconds for the collapsing ceiling to crush the room beneath it.
Gariel’s mana flared around his body.
He required no incantation for his magic—his mana itself was the formula that embodied it.
A translucent white clock appeared above his head.
Tick.
The second hand stopped moving.
[Time Stop]
In the frozen world, Gariel moved.
To others, only three seconds would pass. To Gariel, that time could stretch as long as his lifespan allowed.
He extended those three seconds into thirty minutes. When time resumed its flow, the room had already been cleared—every valuable, every material, even the bed where Rine lay had been moved outside.
Only Ludger remained.
In truth, among the three, Ludger bore the greatest burden.
From the cracks formed by the collapsing ceiling came a surge of crimson-black slashes, tearing through the gaps like an invading storm.
In a single instant, Ludger constructed, executed, and completed a spell to block the oncoming strike.
The collision of the two forces sent shockwaves bursting outward.
Gas lamps along the street flickered violently before going out, glass windows of nearby buildings shattered, and the lights trembled in chaos.
Marks like claw gouges of a massive beast carved across the ceiling and walls—and beyond those gashes stood a figure clad in black armor.
“Hm? Ho. That strike was meant to finish this in one blow, and yet you blocked it?”
The First Order of the Black Dawn Society—Black Knight Verom.
He spoke quietly, impressed, as he looked at Ludger’s group, miraculously unharmed within the half-destroyed building.
“Knight Verom.”
“Sir John Doe.”
“I’m curious about your motive for this sudden attack. Were our relations ever so bad as to warrant killing each other?”
“My apologies. I assure you, no malice was intended.”
“You knew I was here and attacked anyway. That means you’ve already accepted the consequences.”
“I made a deal.”
“A deal, is it. It seems Nicolai made you quite the tempting offer.”
“That he did. One too irresistible to refuse.”
There was clear discontent in Verom’s tone.
He didn’t like taking orders from Nicolai, yet for him to draw his sword against a fellow First Order meant the deal held great importance.
“What, you two know each other?” Gariel asked, startled.
“Well, you could call us coworkers.”
“Then why are you trying to kill each other?”
“That’s just the kind of job it is.”
“You said everyone on this island knew everyone else!”
“I didn’t know he was here. I’d heard rumors, but I didn’t expect him to come looking for me.”
“Judging by that sneak attack, I’d say he’s pretty damn serious.”
“Yeah. Looks like we won’t be avoiding this fight.”
Ludger stepped forward through the debris, his path illuminated by the fractured wall.
Across from him, on the opposite rooftop, Verom’s helm gleamed—red light seeping from within.
“A shame it had to come to this.”
“Indeed. A pity.”
There was no need for further words.
Now that things had gone this far, only one of them would leave alive.
Zero Order never interfered when the First Orders fought among themselves.
That level of indifference raised doubts about whether the organization even functioned properly—but for now, Ludger was grateful. It meant he could fight freely.
Just as Verom raised his sword, the shadows behind him stirred.
They were joint experimental creatures created by Nicolai and Victor.
“Tch. Bloodthirsty beasts, aren’t they?”
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Verom lowered his sword.
He wanted to wipe out everything in one sweep, but...
“That vile Nicolai is probably watching somewhere. Best not to do anything he could use against me later.”
The experimental creatures crawled forward on all fours, charging at Ludger.
Some climbed the walls, others leapt through the air, and a few burst up through the ground itself.
Their movements and attack angles defied common sense.
Humanoid yet grotesquely wrong, they evoked instinctive fear and pressure in anyone who faced them.
One creature’s mouth split wide open, exposing rows of jagged fangs—teeth sharp enough to bite through steel.
Just as it lunged to tear Ludger apart, his prepared magic activated.
Crackle—!
An intense electric field erupted around him.
Those too close were instantly carbonized, bursting apart as charred fragments.
The quicker creatures immediately scattered, keeping their distance after witnessing the spell.
The way they darted and vanished reminded Ludger of cockroaches hiding in a closet—utterly repulsive.
“To use humans as test subjects... you’ve gone too far.”
Ludger lifted his hand.
The electric field expanded, exerting magnetic force throughout the area.
Metal fragments gathered, forming metallic cubes in midair.
Verom’s eyes widened at the sight.
“That’s... Lesley’s magic?”
How could John Doe wield the spell of the dead Lesley?
Before Verom could react further, the assembled metals twisted, bent, and sharpened into countless spearheads.
In an instant, a storm of steel lances rained toward the experimental creatures like rays of light.
They tried to evade, but these spears did not miss.
They pursued relentlessly until they struck their targets.
One by one, the creatures were pierced, scattering blood across the street.
Some tried to escape into the open roads, but Ludger would not allow it.
“Where do you think you’re running?”
The electromagnetic field enveloping the district shut down every light source, while simultaneously seizing control of nearby metal.
Screeeech—
Streetlamps twisted and wrenched from the ground.
Not only lamps—rebar, building fragments, every trace of metal in the area moved according to Ludger’s will.
The metals bound the fleeing creatures, restraining them completely.
The captives struggled violently, breaking free through sheer strength—monstrous strength beyond human limits.
But the momentary opening that created was enough for the steel lances to strike.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Impaled corpses filled the street.
In a single spell, more than half the experimental creatures were subdued.
Yet Ludger’s expression remained grim.
‘Even after being skewered, they’re still alive.’
One creature, impaled through the chest, gripped the spear and tried desperately to pull it out.
It didn’t seem to feel pain at all.
Its grip was so strong that the specially forged metal shaft began to creak and dent.
‘Incredible regeneration and physical strength... no pain, no fear of death. They must have built an entire facility to mass-produce these things.’
These were worse than the chimeras he’d faced beneath the Imperial capital.
In fact, they might have been new models—built from Victor Dreadpool’s data on those chimeras.
‘Leaving them alive is too dangerous.’
At that moment, several creatures changed targets.
Instead of attacking Ludger, they veered toward Cravat, Gariel, and the sleeping Rine.
“Hmph! Over my dead body!”
Cravat released his signature black mist.
The creatures that touched it writhed and rolled on the ground, shrieking.
“Graaaah! Ghhhrrk!”
Their skin turned pitch black before their bodies went limp.
Even if they couldn’t feel pain, the sheer curse force embedded in the mist was unbearable.
Still, one creature managed to break through Cravat’s defense and lunged toward Rine.
At that instant, Gariel’s household automaton—silent until now—moved.
Slash—!
A silver line flashed through the air.
Three creatures fell apart, torsos and legs severed cleanly.
The automaton, wearing a maid’s uniform, folded its legs gracefully into a poised stance.
One leg raised and folded, the other pressing against the ground—a ballet-like pose.
Beneath its skirt, its legs gleamed like enormous scissor blades.
“Haha! You see that? That’s the power of a special automaton!” Gariel shouted, pumping his fist.
Ludger could only stare in disbelief.
So that’s where his money had gone—to buy an advanced humanoid combat automaton.
‘No wonder it had no presence and moved so smoothly. I suspected something, but still...’
To think it even possessed combat functions.
The automaton moved under its master’s command to protect Rine.
Each step it took resembled a dance—and in its wake, the creatures were sliced apart, painting the air with crimson arcs.
Even as its legs became drenched in blood, its dance did not stop.
It was like watching a fairy tale of a girl in red shoes doomed to dance forever.
‘Whatever the case, it’s one less thing to worry about.’
Ludger turned his attention back to Verom.
For now, the knight was a greater threat than any experiment.
He extended his hand toward Verom.
Armor and sword—against his magnetism, that should have given him an advantage.
But he realized immediately he was mistaken.
Verom’s body didn’t react to his magnetic field at all.
Ludger frowned.
“That armor... is it really armor?”
“In a sense. It’s a cursed relic wearing the shape of armor.”
Verom smiled bitterly and raised his sword again.
If the experiments couldn’t finish it, then he would.
Perhaps it was better this way—he trusted his own hand more than any abomination’s.
“Let me send you off without pain.”
Flash—
Verom swung his sword, and almost simultaneously, a crimson slash tore through the air.
The crescent-shaped strike seemed capable of splitting the world in half as it hurtled toward Ludger.
Ludger gathered the steel cubes around him into a shield, but the strike pierced it with ease.
‘It pierced a special-alloy shield that easily?’
Only after creating several more barriers did Ludger finally stop the attack.
‘So that first ambush really was just a light strike. He’s stronger than before.’
The last time they clashed had been during the destruction of Victor’s secret laboratory.
Even then, Verom’s strength was unreal—but now it had grown beyond that.
He truly lived up to his title as a First Order; his might had reached the level of a Master.
‘He’s the opposite of Alex. Alex reached mastery through talent and technique; Verom through sheer power and physique.’
Simple, one-directional attacks—yet “simple” did not mean weak.
Each slash followed the arc of his sword, unleashing crescent blades that made him feel less like a knight and more like a mage, casting 4th-circle spells with every swing.
More than a knight—he was a true magic swordsman.
‘Even if that power comes from a relic, can it really sustain that output for long?’
To maintain that kind of force should’ve consumed his very life force, yet Verom looked completely fine.
It felt less like his own will and more like the cursed relic itself was manifesting its power to protect its host.
Or was that just his imagination?
‘Whatever the case...’
If the fight couldn’t be avoided, he would face it head-on.
[Ater Nocturnus]
Ludger summoned the shadow magic around him.
His entire body was cloaked in blackness, a raven mask forming over his face.
Verom’s crimson eyes widened behind the helm.
“That form... no, it can’t be—?”