Let’s quickly summarize the current situation before we get into it.
He seems to be primarily a close-range fighter. He’s holding a sword, so he would naturally be on the frontline…. My deduction wasn't as simple as that, though. I based it on the muscles I saw under his tailcoat and his way of walking.
I didn’t see any throwable weapons. If he had a long-range attack, it would probably be Magic or a Mana Projectile.
The speed at which he was charging towards me was faster than anyone else I’ve ever faced. It felt as if the moment I blinked, the rapier’s tip would pierce my body.
First, I needed to stop his approach. He seemed to be the type to have high pride, so I cast Illusion Magic aimed at his ego.
"『Induce Jealousy』."
“Hmph!”
He scoffed. Yes, go ahead and lower your guard. If you think that my Illusion Magic is the same as the other Wizards’, you’ve miscalculated….
Clang!
He deflected the magic with the rapier. What the fuck?Now, even I had a rough understanding about these things. If something that defies common sense occurred, it meant that the opponent used Metamorphosis. But, what exactly was his ability?
He slowed down a bit when he deflected the Magic, but he hadn’t stopped running. I had one turn left until he completely caught up to me.
If I used this turn trying to increase the distance between us, I would get caught after stalling for a bit of time. The difference of mobility between him and I was beyond my expectations.
I recalled various creative works from my past life. In almost all cases, the one who figures out their opponent’s ability first usually has a higher chance of winning. I decided to use my turn trying to understand his Metamorphosis.
“『Crippling Depression』, 『Heidenmark’s Seagull』.”
I cast different types of Illusion Magic. One that sends mental waves, and another that creates illusions of light. Then, I observed without even blinking once.
Once it entered a 5-meter radius of him, it solidified.
Illusion Magic that shouldn’t have physical properties, gained substance. It’s as if an air cannon became an ice cannon.
The opponent is capable of parrying magic. Check.
Clang!
He once again deflected the magic. Closing the distance completely, we stood face-to-face, our reflections visible in each other's eyes. A smile spread across his face as he launched his rapier towards me.
His eyes gleamed with certainty of his victory. He must have thought he had won since a wizard had let him come so close.
…..If only I didn’t have an AI!
Instructions flashed across my retina: Move right foot forward slightly, stomp down, block the rapier with the back of my hand to parry, then strike the center of his body with the other hand.
I focused my Mana and pushed as if to repel him.
Boom-!
“.....Kuk!”
Accompanied by a resounding boom, he was hurled into the air, thrown back three meters. I caught my breath and quietly uttered the words I had been wanting to say.
“Tai Chi.”
“A wizard using their fists…?”
He quickly shook it off and recovered, showing no signs of injury.
As expected, my strike wasn't effective. Had I been a warrior and not a wizard, then a single move might have incapacitated him. But what choice did I have? I had to pick Wizard so that I could do TRPG.
He looked surprised, but regained his composure and approached. Messages displaying various trajectories appeared over my retina. Each showed success rates and projected damage.
The AI that went through countless battle simulations, codename 『Heavenly Demon』, the battle support system.
I goaded him,
“Did you think a wizard would let you win just by closing the distance?”
“Running around with such weird movements…!!!”
The core strategy was to strike first while planning for later attacks.
Tap, tat. Pat! Papat!
Locking wrist-to-wrist, I used his momentum against him to flip him. I targeted his vulnerabilities, maximizing damage with minimal movement. No matter how strong you are, you cannot beat something that offers no resistance. I’m using your own strength against you, you bastard.
Bam!
I landed a solid blow to his jaw. His head snapped back, a brief flash of anger crossing his eyes before they turned cold in an instant—a clear sign of danger.
Bam-! SWOOOSH!
I triggered a Mana Explosion beneath my feet, propelling myself backwards. A rapid five-hit combo rained down on the spot where I had just been.
If I hadn't retreated, I would have been torn to shreds.
“Haah….”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
He sighed, brushing his disheveled hair aside, then grinned as if he had noticed something.
“I will admit. I do not know why a wizard has learned martial arts, but you are quite skilled for a peasant.”
“If you're dismissing it like that, does your jaw hurt any less from that 'Peasant Punch’?”
“....Ha, Haha. Even if you run your tongue like that, you can’t hide your breathing. You haven’t been breathing for a few seconds, and you're shaking all over. How much longer can you keep up this cute, little trick?”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
Fuck, he caught on to me.
A wizard obviously can't match the physical prowess of someone who fights on the frontline. So, you need to think three steps ahead and act preemptively to keep up with him.
I don't have the luxury of a simulation facility here; I have to run the 『Heavenly Demon』 battle support system from within my own mind. Moving my body has to be done by my brain as well. To be honest, I think my head is going to cramp up.
The fact that my body couldn’t keep up either was a huge problem. Trying to be a character in a murim novel with a body that doesn’t exercise was obviously bound to have consequences—my breathing was a mess, and my lungs felt like they were shriveling up.
And yet, he didn't seem fazed in the slightest. To be fair, if you think that a magician's punches would actually hurt, then you’re the weird one.
Let’s buy time to catch my breath, at the very least.
I opened my mouth and spoke using magic. I pretended to speak normally, and took small breaths so he wouldn’t notice. Was air always this sweet?
“Did you use Metamorphosis?”
“Metamorphosis (羽化) - 『Mana Hardening (魔力硬化)』. Magic near me gains a physical form. Curses, blessings, everything.”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
“You must want to give up. Try a little harder! peasant, I will clap for your tricks.”
That meant my magic would transform into something like arrows and rocks.
Illusion Magic has its pros and cons, but in battle, its biggest advantage was its near certainty of hitting. So there was no need to aim. You just had to breach the opponent's mental defenses, and once through, it worked 99% of the time.
But once it became physical, that advantage disappeared. Did he feel good about stripping away that one merit?
Giving it physical form?
Then I just have to use it like a Magic Missile. I prepared dozens of simple spells, from foot tickling to phantom pain.
His Metamorphosis didn’t block magic; rather, it deflected it away after turning it physical. If he couldn’t hit it with his rapier, then it would reach him.
If firing one by one allowed him to deflect them, then I would overwhelm him with so many that he couldn’t block them all. Try parrying over twenty different spells at once!
“Sword Curtain.”
SWOOSH~!
The sound of thin paper being sliced echoed through the air multiple times, tearing apart all my magic. It was the omnidirectional defensive move that Bennet used.
“...... He actually defended against that.”
“My Metamorphosis compels us, wizard and knight, to duel within a confined space. This isn’t a battle exploiting each other’s weaknesses; it's a fair test of our skills, peasant.”
“Is it fair to pit a wizard against a knight in close combat?”
“Why are you looking for fairness in a battle?”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
This fucker.
He got me.
His eyes remained cold, but just now, he calculated that comment to unsettle me—and it worked.
If he blocked it because the trajectory was too obvious, then I would calculate trajectories so complex that only a genius of my caliber could understand.
I fired off magic, adjusting trajectories to intercept other spells' paths simultaneously. Like billiard balls, magic collided and deflected, disrupting each other's courses.
Ting, Tingtingtingting!
“....Cheap tricks!”
Try calculating and blocking ricocheting trajectories, you motherfucker!
Shhhhhhek!
The rapier once again lashed out in a dazzling, multi-directional arc. However, you cannot block a tidal wave with one hand. A single spell, bouncing off the ground, slipped past his guard and struck his chest.
It landed….!
Ting!
His necklace gleamed brightly, and blocked the magic. I sighed.
“.... An artifact?”
“Just because I can deflect magic, there is no reason to not have a safety device. Have you not thought that far ahead? Peasant.”
I assumed since you were a tail coat wearing, rapier wielding, magic hater, you would stick to your concept!
You’re telling me now that you’re decked out in magic defense items. It's enough to break a wizard's heart.
If I don't use trick shots, he'll just deflect them. Even if I manage to land a hit, it seemed like his artifact blocked weaker spells. While I’m trying to do all this, he’s thrusting his rapier at me with extreme speed.
Even creating new magic won't work against him, so fleeing might be the best option if you can’t win. But even if I leave a clone and escape, I don’t think I would make it….
Either I survive until the Tower Master arrives or somehow defeat him.
The Stygian Arrow of Mind Destruction was made exactly for destroying artifacts. If I can buy enough time and land the hit, I could win.
So, this meant that while casting, I also had to execute a ricochet trick shot that he cannot block. It wasn’t not impossible. With a bit more time, I could manage it.
Wooosh!
“.....Keuk!”
“Can you try a bit harder? Hmm?”
But time was a luxury I didn’t have. I was straining my muscles to their limits, and using my brain to run simulations simultaneously was pushing it.
I blacked out for a moment. My sight started fading. I quickly used Mana to kickstart my metabolism and regain consciousness.
Shhut.
My shoulder was pierced.
A searing pain shot through my shoulder, as if I was being skewered by a red-hot poker. It was alright. I could handle pain. It fucking hurt though. The real problem was that I didn’t have any protection… Protection.
Could I buy time with a hologram? Unlikely. A hologram that could barely pick up a pebble wouldn’t be able to stop him.
While I was thinking, I noticed that he was also feeling anxious. Maybe he felt a creeping sense of danger, since a wizard who should have died long ago had managed to stall this long.
He opened his mouth.
“The Purple Tower Master’s disciple…. Maybe it’s because you learnt magic from a defective product, it’s a mess.”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
Provocation. It was primitive, and my mind was developed enough to not fall for it…
“Quickly die first and wait. The Purple Tower Master will follow you soon enough.”
This fucking bastard.
His words shook me. Normally, they wouldn’t have, but the image of the Tower Master asking me out for a date flashed through my mind, making me more emotional than expected.
The battle support system turned red and warned me.
His fist closed in.
His blow dug into my stomach, hurling me backwards.
===============================================================
I briefly lost consciousness again, then snapped awake.
I couldn’t move my body. Somehow, I managed to wiggle my fingers, feeling the sensation of movement.
As I was flung backward, something struck my back. It seemed I had crashed through a wall. How powerful was that blow to break through a wall with just my back?
If I hadn’t instinctively surrounded myself with Mana, I might have died.
Life threatening danger huh.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
Even though I was brought to the brink of death, I wasn’t afraid. In fact, I had one last ace up my sleeve.
I could force myself into Metamorphosis.
My brain was already struggling to hold 'That' back. I just needed to redirect resources from there.
Temporarily suppressing my emotions from 'That', I aimed the Stygian Arrow of Mind Destruction at my own head. I wasn't sure what would happen next... But theoretically, I should easily reach Metamorphosis.
If I used it for just a moment, 'That' wouldn’t take over my entire body. Quite a bit of it would be eaten away, and if I could suppress it again... It would require a bit more mental effort than before.
But I couldn’t die here out of fear for the future.
I got up, and started to undo the seal in my head. Then, something caught my eye on the ground—a piece of metal with a familiar design.
…..Armor?
It was the Capital Knight Order’s Power Armor. It looks like I had crashed through the wall into the Capital Knight Order’s headquarters.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
Power Armor, huh.
===============================================================
Meanwhile, Duke Redburn's assassin, Roderus, approached the dusty headquarters of the Capital Knight Order. He had to make sure the wizard was dead.
The opponent was strong.
Throughout the battle, he had maintained dominance, now moving in for the kill. Yet, this was because he had brought out all sorts of advantages into play.
Without the artifact, he would have been struck by that ricocheting magic. Without a Metamorphosis that countered wizards, he might already be dead.
It defied logic that a wizard could hold his own in close combat against him in the first place. Even though he was much faster, the wizard's hand seemed to always strike faster than anticipated.
The thought of losing to someone of comparable skill sent shivers down Roderus's spine.
The consequences for failure were severe. Roderus didn’t want to consider what would happen if he lost.
He had no idea what the opponent was going to do. Quickly and carefully, he will stab him in the head with the rapier. Stepping through the wreckage of the shattered wall, he went inside.
In that moment, as the dust settled, three shadows emerged.
Holograms wearing Power Armor.
***
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