Level up with swords (28)
Slum.
That does not simply mean a residential area for the poor. An area where people who have been excluded or isolated from society gather and become difficult for the government to control. Among them, only places with extremely poor quality are given the name ‘slum’.
In that sense, the slums formed in Blaine were quite outside that mold.
“It’s a much busier area than I thought… .”
[surely. This would be more suitable for a red-light district than a slum, right? You seem to be making quite a lot of money.]
El Cid agreed with Leon’s words and chewed.
The sun hasn’t even set yet, but red lanterns are hung and children running around soliciting customers. Women in outrageous outfits were tempting customers on several terraces, and the air mixed with the smell of alcohol was sticky with a sweet smell.
I had no intention of fundamentally denying nightlife, but it was not a good sight to see.
‘El Cid.’
[hmm?]
Leon, who felt a strange feeling, spoke in his thoughts.
‘I’ve been feeling unpleasant since entering this street. Are there any people following me?’
[does not exist. If there were people like that, I would have told you about them a long time ago. Well, there is one part that I can guess.]
‘what is that?’
El Cid said as if it was no big deal.
[Aura sense, it’s because of energy. Due to their nature, solar aurors are sensitive to malice coming from outside. Because you look young, there were a lot of people looking at you and looking at you. The malice they harbored stimulated your Auror.]
‘Ah, I see.’
Leon was convinced by those words.
According to common sense, it made no sense.
A person who has been an Auror for less than a week can read the will of others and distinguish their intentions? It was a sensation that even an Auror user who had reached the level of typification could not dare to touch.
This was possible because it was the highest attribute, ‘sun’.
‘It’s even more unpleasant now that I know the reason. This tingling feeling is that they are all trying to harm me.’
[I understand that, but be careful.]
El Cid saw the reaction and gave advice.
[Even if you can use Aurors, there are many people who can threaten you. Most of the malice I feel now is nothing special, but some of them are dangerous.]
‘… okay.’
[Whether it’s a slum or a red-light district, you’re bound to be wary of strangers. For the time being, focus on that request and show your face often.]
Leon turned around on the outskirts of the slum.
I never thought I could achieve my goal from my first visit. As El Cid said, it was wiser for her to take some time to find a detour than to be on guard for no reason.
And the destination was not far.
<Stomp down the living armor of an abandoned house>, the abandoned house written on the request soon appeared before his eyes.
“… … .”
[Huh, I think there might be a ghost?]
“Who said it wasn’t?”
It was literally an abandoned house.
The yellow, dried grass has rotted into a dark state, and weeds are tangled on top of it in disgusting shapes. The pond, which had turned into a swamp, had dark green, dirty water lapping.
What about the walls that have become dry and crumbly due to wind and rain? The area around the rusted iron bars and broken windows was full of spider webs.
“It won’t sell even if Living Armor isn’t available.”
Leon clicked his tongue and pushed the iron bars.
The lock had also rusted and broken off a long time ago. The iron bars opened with the sound of ‘kkigkkkkkkkkkk’. It’s very unsettling that it creaks as if it will break if you kick it once.
But I couldn’t come this far and not go in.
[Okay, is it my turn?]
As we reached the door, a holy sword popped out.
According to the description in the request, the inside of the mansion was practically dark. It was only natural that it had been abandoned for several years with no one staying there and no one managing it.
The adventurers who came earlier used torches.
“I heard it’s really comfortable thanks to El Cid.”
[Carry a few torches with you, just in case. You can’t do this when other people see you.]
“I’ll do that next time.”
Leon opened the door, scattering the light from the holy sword. Darkness where you can’t even see an inch ahead. It’s still twilight, so even though there’s sunlight, it’s like this. If it were night, it would be really dark.
The inside of the mansion was quiet.
There was only eerie silence roaming the ruins, not even a sign of presence or a sound of the wind. Still, no one lives around here. Even if someone screams loudly, no one will hear it.
‘… there is.’
How many steps did it take?
Because of the darkness, my sense of distance was a mess.
Leon found a rough shape in the corner of his vision. Only the helmet with dangling decorations, the pauldrons trimmed into an ineffective shape, and the halberd held in the hand seemed like items that could be used in combat.
At the same time, Living Armor reacted.
I don’t know how he knew, but his empty helmet was staring exactly in the direction where Leon was.
Keying.
A red glow burns in the eye sockets.
Obvious hostility.
When Living Armor discovered the intruder and took a step forward, broken tile pieces flew out in all directions.
As a rule of thumb, the spacing is about 12 meters.
Instead of charging in first, Leon put his right foot back and waited for his opponent’s preemptive attack.
‘Halberd, this is my first time dealing with him.’
The halberd, a long spear with an ax head, was a particularly powerful weapon in polearms. It can be slashed by swinging, pierced by stabbed, and shattered by slashing. If you are an expert, there are dozens of ways to use it.
Above all, what Living Armor was holding was over 2 meters long.
The distance that Leon would have to take one or two more steps, he can cover with just one length of his weapon.
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Kwasik!
As expected, Living Armor rushed forward.
Jumping several meters at once, an armored figure with a halberd raised above its head charges in.
It was a sight that seemed like a nightmare.
Whoops!
There was a loud noise as the weapons crossed.
The quiet interior of the mansion trembled, and the dust that had settled on the floor rose up and hovered in the air.
Sword and halberd.
From a common sense point of view, it was not a combination that would clash head-on. The weight of a halberd is more than twice that of a sword, and considering the centrifugal force using its length, its power is more than four times that of a sword.
‘but… … .’
Leon accepted it without being pushed back even one step.
‘The hierarchical relationship is not absolute.’
Living Armor is light.
The weight of hollow armor is 20kg to 30kg. No matter how powerful the halberd is, its weight cannot overwhelm Leon. Additionally, Leon twisted his sword at the moment the two weapons collided, and more than 80% of the impact was released.
The power and skills of the users are very different.
The blade of the halberd was broken when it collided with the holy sword, and the cost of narrowing the gap with one’s own feet was terrible.
Kwagak!
Slashing the wrist.
A short sword strike shattered Living Armor’s gauntlet. It hit exactly the wrist joint. Even though he lost one hand, he didn’t let go of his halberd, but his reaction was slow.
Leon’s movements accelerated explosively.
Blah blah blah!
I cut 7 times in one go.
The shattered Living Armor was scattered like torn paper. Fragments of armor rolled on the ground, and the helmet that had suddenly lost its body rolled around, making a pitiful metallic sound.
‘Accel’, which was first used against El Monte at the Academy, was fully unleashed.
“―Whew.”
He takes a deep breath and releases the ‘accelerator’.
Unlike back then, Leon was fine.
Now that I am an Auror user, I can use it without any problems. Even if it is not at the level of writing in minutes, it can be freely handled for a few seconds. His combat power had increased several times compared to a week ago.
[Not bad. Except for the fact that the sword was disturbed due to acceleration.]
“Ugh.”
El Cid’s bitter voice pierced my ears.
[A quick attack is shallow. If that Living Armor had been made of steel, your wrist would have been broken. If it’s going to be clumsy and fast, it’s better not to do it.]
“You mean the fourth?”
[It is the sixth degree. The momentum of the diagonal cut is so strong that if it is not properly controlled, the sword will shake.]
It was a harsh opinion.
The sword was misaligned due to the inertia of rapid acceleration. El Cid pointed out the mistake, which only lasted a moment, without missing a beat.
The same was true for Leon.
By repeating the wrong posture a few times, it becomes a habit to avoid making the same mistake in the future. Even though the enemy was completely defeated, the immaturity of victory is being whipped up.
“however… .”
Leon looked away with a suspicious look on his face.
This is because the fragments of the Living Armor that he shattered showed no signs of regenerating. Even though it was cut down seven times, the damage to the armor itself was not significant.
According to the report, it happened even when it was pulverized with a battle hammer, but its regenerative power did not appear at all.
“They say it has excellent regenerative power, but it’s not like that at all?”
[There is a possibility that they reported falsely.]
“It may not be possible, but write it down. False reporting is treated as a second-degree crime by the guild. “If there were any deaths as a result, there would be a bounty from guilds across the continent.”
Is there anyone who would take that risk just to avoid a punishment mission? Although Living Armor is a nuisance, a properly assembled party can deal with it.
El Cid also seemed confused by those words.
[Nothing comes to mind. Is there a difference for each individual?]
“Maybe so. “I need to catch a few more guys.”
Leon took a step forward enthusiastically. It was my first battle after learning Auror. Even though it was just scrap metal, the feeling of cutting an entire piece of armor was truly pleasant to the swordsman.
But El Cid soon stopped him.
[There is no need to go. It looks like it came from over there.]
Sure enough, several pieces of Living Armor appeared on the other side of the hallway along with a clanking sound.
There are four figures moving in the dark.
Leon frowned when he saw the dim figure.
“I can’t see very well, can you make it a little brighter?”
[I don’t know if I am a holy sword or a portable lantern.]
El Cid grumbled at his handling, but radiated light. Then, the softly flowing light increased its brightness, completely eliminating the darkness in a 15 meter radius.
A gentle light that is bright but does not sting the eyes.
The light flowed softly and reached the living armors.
however.
Kyaaaaaaaaa!
A horrifying echo rang out.
A scream that sends shivers down your spine and tingles your eardrums! Surprisingly, that scream came from Living Armor.
These inanimate creatures, who have no sense, let alone self, are crying out in despair? Leon, frightened by the incomprehensible situation, stepped back and aimed his holy sword.
“W-what?! Why is this happening all of a sudden?”
Living Armor did not answer that question.
And without worrying about who was first, he attacked Leon. Unlike the guy I faced at first, the charge felt like it had murderous intent. The polearms in their hands attacked with a vicious force.
Halberd, Birdish Shoe, Glaive, Spatum.
The timing fits well with the subject matter, which is not a close-knit group.
‘danger!’
Leon, who felt a sense of crisis, immediately became cold.
He let go of unnecessary emotions and thoughts and changed his mindset solely for combat.
It was the result of learning properly from El Cid.
Kaga River!
Flip the halberd to the side and collide with the glaive. In either case, it was simple because the area was large. The bird shoe that was coming down was caught head-on and flown to the side, blocking the spatum that was stabbing from the side.
The four polearms are tangled and neutralized.
If it were a proper joint attack by soldiers, a linked attack made with obvious movements would collapse at the slightest shake. This was especially true if it was a living armor that was light and had a weak axis.
‘Until there’s room to counterattack… ‘There isn’t any.’
Living Armor’s movements are like a textbook.
It’s obvious and typical so you can read the flow, but the movement itself is perfect. If you are armed with not one, not two, but four polearms, it becomes very difficult to delve into them carelessly.
Leon made a quick decision and jumped back.
It was that moment.
[Leon.]
El Cid lowered his voice uncharacteristically.
Leon, who sensed an ominous omen in that tone, did not respond and only listened.
[These guys are not Living Armor.]
“then?”
[Look carefully. Because you can see it with your eyes now.]
Leon calmly focused on his eyes.
I used <Sight> to scan the entire bodies of the Living Armorers, to the point where I could even see the shadows twitching.
He said after seeing something.
“It’s acting, right? why?”
It was indeed as he said.
Black smoke was flowing through the gaps in Living Armor’s armor. It is blacker and more ominous than what comes from coal. I even got the feeling that the ‘living’ should not come in contact.
El Cid read his reluctance and agreed.
[You noticed well. That black smoke is a type of death energy, and when it touches the living, it eats away their vitality. A solar auror may be able to resist, but there is nothing good about touching it.]
“So you reacted to the light of the holy sword?”
[Half right, half wrong. If fraud had simply seeped in, it would have just been purified and that would have been the end.]
Living Armor has no vocal cords. There is no ego, no emotions. The act of screaming itself is impossible. There was no reason to shudder even when touched by the light of purification.
The only ones who feel disgusted by the light of purification are monsters.
The light of the Goddess, the power that symbolizes the purity of this world, denies the monsters that came from this dimension from their roots.
[Phantom-Armor.]
El Cid revealed their identity.
[They are monsters who have lost their rest and have inhabited the armor, transforming that emptiness into malice toward the living.]
