"I warned you didn't I?"
Honestly, though I expected something to happen I didn't expect it to happen right after I returned from my toilet trip.
It felt as if I missed out on all of the fun.
"it's you?"
Releasing Amanda, Elijah stood up and looked at me who had just come back from the bathroom.
"kuhh...huff...huff!"
Looking at Amanda who was gripping her neck heavily gulping for air I pretty much got the gist of what was happening.
The event had already started.
"Rank 1750 Ren Dover"
"...hm? Yes?"
Turning my attention back to Elijah who had just called me, I instantly noticed his relaxed attitude.
The way he was looking at me irked me, but I didn't say anything. Judging from the pressure he was releasing he was at least <D-> rank if not <D> rank.
But fortunately for me, thanks to all the training I did, the pressure wasn't weighing down on me much. The fact that he was primarily focused on Amanda also helped me.
Judging from how relaxed he seemed, it looked like he didn't see me as a threat.
'Perfect'
Smirking to myself, I started to devise a plan.
well...since he was looking down on me, I may as well capitalize on his carelessness.
You see...one of the greatest things about keeping a low profile was that no one knew what you were truly capable of.
This especially worked in my favor as the [Keiki style] was primarily a one hit one kill sword art.
All I needed was one clean hit and he was done for.
The fact that I kept a low profile and chose not to expose my strength helped me buy an opening.
In fact, even though I said all of this, I wasn't really confident even if I caught him by surprise.
Although there was a chance I could kill him if I was really lucky, those chances were slim.
It just wasn't easy to bridge the gap between F and D ranks. Though I practiced a peerless five-star manual technique, I would at most be able to graze him if I confronted him directly. He was just that much better than me...
Each rank was fundamentally different from the other. Each rank increase was like an increase in strength by a factor greater than 2.
Bridging one rank was already hard for me, two? Almost impossible.
If not for his arrogance, those chances would've never been higher than zero.
Knowing this, I had prepared beforehand.
Having learned my lesson since the dungeon incident, I devised a little safe plan for me in case the situation turned serious.
Before coming to the party, I messaged Thomas and asked him for a favor.
Since I more or less knew something was going to happen at the party, I predicted that Elijah was going to install some sort of dimensional space which prevented any outside interference.
A dimensional space was a pocket dimension separate from the outside world. Everything that happened inside of the dimension was separate from the real world preventing anyone from noticing that something was wrong. It created an illusion to people making it seem that everything was normal, when in fact something else was going on inside. No sound or transmissions could be leaked preventing people from calling for backup. It was the perfect device to hide a crime.
Knowing this, when I messaged Thomas, I specifically told him that if by chance in the next four hours my phone suddenly lost signal, he was to send an encrypted message to Alexander Stern, Amanda's father as well as the authorities.
In the message, I directly wrote that a villain was attacking this specific location and many students were in danger, I also emphasized that Amanda was one of the said students.
Though the plan was not foolproof, because I had asked Thomas, who was a high ranking member of the black market to send the message. Chances were that Alexander Stern and the authorities would receive it.
...now all I had to do was stall for time.
Looking around and seeing that everyone was on the floor passed out, I knew that I didn't have much time. Though this may have been a sleeping drug, it could've also been an extremely strong poison.
Though I didn't know what was in their system, I knew it wasn't good for them.
Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, I knew I had to do something.
Looking at my skill bar, I instantly used my new and only skill.
[Monarch's indifference]
Soon, everything around me started to change. The hall, the people, the furniture, everything in my eyes slowly changed. Everything no longer looked like what it was before. Slowly, everything around me started resembling chess pieces. The hall turned into a three-dimensional space with pawns all over the floor.
My heartbeat which was beating unevenly calmed down. Following my heartbeat, my breathing became even and I felt all my emotions leaving my body.
I no longer cared for Amanda. I no longer cared for everyone in the hall. I no longer cared about Elijah. I only had one goal.
Move the chess pieces accordingly.
...
"w-what's happening?"
Wobbling around the hall, Ren's legs staggered. Leaning against the wall, Ren heavily panted for air.
"hee...and here I was wondering why you weren't affected by the drug"
Smirking, Elijah amusingly looked at Ren who was staggering all over the place like a drunk person.
"It seems like you're somewhat immune to the drug...pity that in the end because you are so weak the drug still affected you"
Looking at Elijah with wide eyes, Ren dumbly said
"D-drug?"
"Ahh, sorry but I don't have much time to talk with someone as insignificant as you."
Walking towards Ren's direction, Elijah's eyes were full of malice.
"You see...I have bone to pick with you"
"khh"
Grabbing Ren by the hair, Elijah coldly looked at him
"Multiple times in my class you repeatedly yawned and acted bored...was it fun?"
-Slap!
Slapping Ren in the face until a red mark appeared on his face, Elijah raised his hand again
-Slap!
"Someone who is ranked 1750 should sit quietly and listen to the lecture obediently..."
-Slap!
"Yet...you actually dared to provoke me!"
-Slap!
"Even now...just as I was about to have my fun with Amanda you came in and ruined the mood"
-Slap!
"Blame your lack of tact for the fact that you will die after being tortured..."
Slapping Ren's face continuously, his pale face slowly turned purple as his lips started to become swollen.
Staring at the scene in the distance, Amanda barely managed to sit up straight.
...was he all talk?
Though she knew he was ranked 1750, ever since he had warned her, Amanda thought that maybe he was hiding his strength. Moreover, the way he showed up looking all fine told her that he was hiding his strength, but it seems like it was all her misconception.
Just as she was about to gather all her remaining energy to shoot Elijah, she felt two cold emotionless eyes staring at her.
Looking up, she could see Ren's eyes emotionlessly looking at her. Though he was being slapped continuously by Elijah, his eyes never wavered. They were the eyes of a predator that was looking for the right time to strike.
Stopping whatever she was doing, Amanda looked back at him.
...how could he still be so calm?
Though he was being tortured by Elijah, and his expression twisted in pain, his eyes which were devoid of any emotion were staring at her almost as if telling her 'not yet'
Staring into his eyes, Amanda clenched her teeth and quietly gathered all the mana in the surroundings.
...though she didn't know what he was planning, she had this inexplicable feeling that only if she listened to him would she be able to get out of this predicament.
Seeing that Amanda was slowly accumulating the mana into her bow, Ren smirked at Elijah who was smacking him
"Oh? you're being slapped senseless and yet you still have the guts to smile?"
-Slap!
As soon as the slap landed on Ren's face, his head twisted to the side due to the enormous force of the slap.
-Slap!
Slapping the other side, Ren's face twisted to the other side doing a complete 180.
"Since you asked for it, I will gladly pick up the pace!"
-Slap! -Slap! -Slap!
For the next five minutes, the loud sounds of slaps reverberated across the hall. Soon, Elijah stopped as he looked down. Beneath him, Ren's battered face could be seen bleeding all over the floor. His face was so swollen that his eyes were barely visible.
"Let's end this"
Seeing that Ren was no longer responsive, Elijah prepared to go for the kill. Though he was sure that no one was going to interfere for the next two hours, he still needed to finish the mission. Toying with the prey should come later.
Raising his hand, his nails increased in length becoming extremely sharp at the tips.
"Goodbye"
-Wooosh!
Just as he was about pierce Ren in the neck, he heard a whistling sound coming from behind him.
Turning his head abruptly, he saw a large silver light quickly heading in his direction. It was so fast that the air around it split apart.
Staring at the incoming arrow, Elijah's pupils dilated and he gathered all of the mana he had in the form of a shield.
This all happened in a matter of seconds
-BOOOM!
Soon, a large explosion reverberated across the hall as dust and debris swept the place. The windows around the hall completely shattered and cracks could vividly be seen around the walls of the hall.
As soon as the dust cleared, the tattered figure of Elijah could be seen. His elegant figure from before was no longer seen, as his hair and clothes were a mess.
Black veins slowly started appearing on his face as they wiggled constantly. His muscled spasmed continuously and his body enlarged into a hideous looking creature.
"Khuaa!"
Hastily touching his face, Elijah screamed. His eyes which were now a deep shade of red stared at Amanda who was helplessly lying down on the floor.
"H-how ddare you!!!!!"
Screaming at the top of his lungs, Elijah moved towards Amanda. He was in a state of pure rage.
Completely forgetting about his mission he headed towards Amanda preparing to kill her.
However, before he could do that, his body stopped moving. No, it refused to move.
-Shuuaaa!
-Spurt!
Spitting a large amount of blood, Elijah looked below him where a black sword pierced his heart.
It all happened so fast that he had no time to react.
Turning around, he could see two emotionless eyes staring at him. He who sould've been battered to the point of being unable to move was looking at him with eyes that seemed to look straight into his soul.
"Y-kh-ou? H-ow?"
"Checkmate"
-Thud!
Those were the last words Elijah heard before his body slumped on the ground lifeless.
-Gulp!
Taking out a potion, Ren instantly drank it. Soon at a speed visible to the naked eye, all the bruises on his face disappeared.
Stabbing Elijah's corpse a couple of times, Ren slowly walked in Amanda's direction.
Right now she was looking at Ren in shock. Though she didn't see clearly, she managed to see the moment when he pierced Elijah in the hearth. Fast...too fast. All she saw was Elijah's eyes staring at the sword stabbed in his body in disbelief.
Looking at Ren who was walking in her direction, Amanda instinctively moved back, but as soon as she tried to lift her body she fell to the ground. She had no more energy left.
Soon he was in front of her.
His emotionless eyes looked down on her. She looked back, and the hall soon enveloped in silence.
"...forget what you saw"
Those were the last words she heard before she felt a tap on the back of her neck. Soon darkness enveloped her mind as she passed out on the ground.
After making sure Amanda was knocked unconscious, Ren took four arrows from her quiver and walked back to where Elijah's corpse was.
-spurt! -spurt! -spurt! -spurt!
Stabbing each arrow in his body, Ren made sure they each stabbed exactly where his sword stabbed Elijah.
After making sure there were no traces of what he had done left, Ren walked a bit further away from where Elijah's corpse was, fixed his clothes and hair, and forcefully knocked himself unconscious.
-Thud!
As his eyes slowly lost consciousness and the effects of [Monarch's indifference] wore off, a small smile appeared on his face.
'Not bad...'