BOOM!
A deafening explosion tore through the air.
The shockwave kicked up dust from the shattered alley, forcing Rasen to stumble backward. The long spear in his hand, reinforced with multiple layers of magic, actually caved in at the middle.
The force of that punch directly blasted the road behind him apart, even causing the buildings at the end of the alley to crumble and collapse.
His eyes tightened slightly, yet without hesitation he pushed off with borrowed momentum. Amid the flying rubble, he shot backward and leapt more than ten meters into the air, intending to use the smoke to escape from an unexpected angle and pass the information to his teammates.
But Ash's figure appeared before him again like a ghost, before he could even widen his eyes in shock.
"Too slow, at least, as you are now."
Floating midair, Ash expressionlessly lifted his leg and, catching him completely off guard, brought it crashing down onto the crown of his head. The blow bent the enchanted spear Rasen had instinctively raised, and landed squarely on his skull.
With an impact strong enough to burst his brain and even blow his entire body apart, his speed broke past the speed of sound again, yet he had no control over himself at all. Like a cannonball, he slammed into the ground.
With a loud crash, the earth formed a crater like a meteor impact. But… from within the rising dust, a figure suddenly shot out at high speed.
Rasen, his head covered in blood, lunged forward as if nothing had happened, targeting Ubel, who stood frozen in place, too stunned to react, unable to even cast a spell.
Yet in the next instant, another figure dropped from above like a meteor, striking the back of the dwarf's head with a precise slap and smashing his face straight into the ground.
Moments later, a violent gust exploded.
With another thunderous boom, a powerful shockwave erupted from the point of Rasen's face.
The ground caved in and shattered. The surrounding stone pavement cracked like glass, then was flung outward like shells, smashing into everything nearby.
Even the buildings at the edges collapsed under the shockwave. Ubel activated her defensive magic a moment too late, barely avoiding being blown away, but still getting her thigh sliced open deeply by flying debris.
Originally, he had planned to escape, or even take a mage hostage.
But… everything had completely exceeded Rasen's expectations.
The boy who had aged alongside him wasn't just stronger than before, he was even stronger than Rasen had been in his prime.
This bizarre situation completely threw off Rasen's calculations.
After having his head smashed twice in succession, even with his strength and toughness, he was dizzy, his consciousness hazy.
"Looks like you're really done for. I gave you a chance, but you couldn't make use of it. Can't blame me then."
As he spoke, Ash took advantage of the moment before his opponent recovered from the daze and began a mental intrusion to read his memories.
"You bas—UGH!"
Sensing the intrusion, Rasen tried to raise his hand to resist, but Ash stepped down on his left hand. With his other hand, he pulled out a dagger from his waist and drove it straight through the back of his hand, while another hand firmly pinned his head, preventing any interference.
After a quick look, Ash understood.
The Empire's greatest asset against Serie wasn't the aging Rasen, but a human, a middle-aged man named Lowe. His strength far exceeded Rasen's… at least, far stronger than Rasen was now.
It was hard to estimate his exact level, since even Rasen didn't know clearly. But that man... had once killed a Great Mage, and it was a direct frontal kill at that.
Ash showed no courtesy to a former hero.
After all, he wasn't a hero on his side, so why should he care?
He subdued him in the most brutal way possible and forcefully read his memories.
As a warrior, Rasen found it nearly impossible to resist. His once resilient mind collapsed instantly, and his memories were easily extracted.
"So twenty years ago, the one who killed the Great Mage who had obtained the Holy Wand certification, the rebellious witch Minus, was also a Shadow Warrior. And it was a direct kill, not an ambush. But because of that, Lowe had half his face burned off and lost an eye. After all these years, as a human already in his forties or fifties, his strength should have declined quite a bit," While reading, Ash muttered about the Empire's trump card against Serie.
But just one powerful human shouldn't be enough to deal with her.
After all, a Great Mage is roughly on Frieren's level, maybe slightly stronger, maybe slightly weaker, but not by much.
And Serie… was far beyond that. She had existed long before the institution that certified Great Mages even appeared.
However, although Rasen had once been a great hero, he was now just a drifter.
Even though he had been recruited by the Shadow Warriors behind the scenes… he was only at the lowest level, not even a squad leader.
Limited by his status, there wasn't much he could know.
After all, in the Empire, and even in this world, strength and rank often didn't match. So this was most likely just one side of the Shadow Warriors' plan.
After reading through his memories, although Ash gained some information, he couldn't help but sigh, "Finally run into someone from the past, and we end up fighting. You really know how to ruin my mood, Rasen. I didn't even want to gang up on an old man like you."
"This is the Shadow Warriors'… backyard. Do you really think you can escape after attacking me and reading my memories?", Rasen, restrained and unable to move, still spoke stubbornly.
"Are you doing this just to make a living, or for some worthless sense of loyalty? Becoming a Shadow Warrior… you've really gone downhill. Let me see… most of your time is spent wandering, occasionally stealing from churches just to survive winter… where does your funding even go?"
"Enough nonsense!", Being read like this while unable to move filled Rasen with humiliation, "You'd better kill me now! Otherwise… one day I will definitely!"
"Alright, I'll do as you say."
Before he could finish, Ash cut him off. His five fingers sank into the back of Rasen's head. Even his body, once tougher than steel, couldn't withstand that crushing force. With a dull "bang," his head burst open like a watermelon crushed by hand.
Blood and brain matter splattered across Ash's face, but he simply reached out silently and touched the headless corpse.
A faint glow appeared, and Rasen's body crumbled, dissolving into sand and scattering with the wind.
Even the blood and gore on Ash's face, hands, and body faded away within the light.
Normally, he might have tried to persuade him to surrender. After all, someone that strong was rare.
But if Rasen could be swayed by money or status, he wouldn't be begging on the streets or working as a Shadow Warrior. He could just rob nobles and wealthy merchants, hardly anyone could stop him.
From start to finish, the entire clash took less than ten seconds without counting dialogue, and only about two minutes including it.
Without any magic to disperse it, the dust in the air still hadn't settled.
Ash tossed aside the blood-stained cloak of the Magic Special Forces and looked through the haze, locking onto the bleeding wound on Ubel's thigh as she walked over, covering her eyes.
After a brief pause, he tore off the hem of his shirt and quickly bandaged her wound to stop the bleeding. Then he reached under her knees and lifted her up before she could react, activating high-speed movement magic and silently leaving the scene with her.
Ubel, carried in his arms, was unusually quiet. She leaned against him, watching him with a strange look in her eyes, even reaching up to wipe away the disguise on his face before nodding in satisfaction.
———
By the time the Magic Special Forces arrived, followed later by the Imperial Capital Guard, the former hero had already vanished without a trace, and even the culprit disguised as one of them had disappeared into the dust.
The alley now looked like it had been hit by both a missile strike and a meteor. Total devastation.
The original road was gone. Nearby buildings had collapsed into ruins, while those farther away suffered varying degrees of damage.
Yet there was no crucial evidence. Not even a body remained, only some unidentified blood, and a uniform of the Magic Special Forces, as if mocking them.
"Who would dare do something like this in the Imperial Capital?"
Frase, the current main force of the unit and one of the Empire's trump cards, scanned the surroundings. Even the elderly woman couldn't hide her anger.
She gazed toward the direction of the residual magic trail left by high-speed movement, but made no move to pursue.
"Lady Frase, shouldn't we follow?", the vice-captain asked softly.
"Too late."
"We might still find the direction they fled?"
"Someone capable of this, do you think they'd run in the direction they actually intend to go?"
"My apologies."
"…."
Frase ignored the apology, continuing to search for clues with a grim expression, silently vowing to make the culprit pay.
As the captain of the Imperial Capital's Magic Special Forces, she couldn't escape responsibility for something like this happening.
Fifty years ago, as an ordinary member, she had been full of spirit and sent to the fortress city of Weise. She had the power to destroy the entire city alone and had even been ordered to do so if necessary.
Of course, she was still far from the Great Demons. One of the Three Great Knights back then had been sent to eliminate Macht… only to be toyed with and killed instantly.
But even as an ordinary member, she had already been powerful.
Now, half a century later, as a mage, her strength hadn't declined, instead, it had grown tremendously.
She had essentially reached the peak of a mage's life, becoming captain. Though the position wasn't high-ranking and she wasn't a noble, she held real authority, with strength comparable to a Great Mage, one of the strongest human mages.
Yet now this incident had occurred, right before the upcoming national celebration… punishment was inevitable.
"Find those rats causing trouble! Whether outsiders, merchants, or vagrants, round up every suspicious person! If they resist, execute them on the spot!"
In her fury, Frase mobilized the Magic Special Forces and the Guard, deploying everyone within her authority.
The Guard headquarters, fearing further incidents, joined forces with the unit, launching a massive manhunt and tightening security across the capital.
The entire city's atmosphere grew tense… if not for limited authority, Frase would have imposed a curfew.
———
With visible security forces mobilized and earlier disturbances, panic spread through the capital, at least among the common people.
Meanwhile, in a hotel room they had prepared earlier—
Ubel, still in her sailor outfit after changing, had been placed into the indoor bath by Ash.
Blood seeped through the makeshift bandage. Her fair thigh beneath the black uniform was still bleeding.
"When people fight, shouldn't you normally stay far away?", he said, taking out medicine from his storage space, shaking his head.
Ubel, as if the injury wasn't hers, rested her leg on his shoulder and smiled, "You said you'd protect me~ but I still got hurt. You have to take responsibility, right?"
"Wasn't it your fault for not dodging?"
"How could it be? I trusted you, so I left everything to you."
"Then please don't trust me that much."
"Nope~ Anyway, when you jumped down from the sky to save me and pinned that guy's head, you looked pretty cool!", She poked his chest with a teasing smile, "How should I put it~ back then, it felt like my heart jumped, y'know?"
"If I haven't jumped, you'd have diex."
"Don't be so stiff. I'm talking about romance~ it's like… whenever I think of you now, sweet ripples spread in my heart. Maybe… this is what falling for someone feels like?", Ubel, suddenly like a poet, pressed her hands to her chest, cheeks slightly flushed.
"This feeling is simple and pure, yet deep and unforgettable. Your steady gaze, your gentle smile, and the courage and resolve you showed to protect me… just like a hero straight out of a storybook!"
"Do you even have that kind of girly side? And this is way too literary. Doesn't sound like you at all. It feels… pieced together from somewhere."
"Oh? You noticed? I memorized it from a book, thinking it might come in handy someday. Though I forgot parts. But normally, shouldn't a gentleman pretend not to notice?"
"Whether I'm a gentleman or not aside, next time read something normal," He sighed, then casually patted her head, "Still, for an idiot like you to memorize that much isn't bad. I'll give you a compliment."
"Wow~ I got praised," Ubel grinned, not bothered at all by being called an idiot.
"By the way… I wanted to ask earlier. Why are you putting your leg on my shoulder?"
"So it's easier to check the wound~"
"Isn't it easy to accidentally expose your underwear?"
"Really?"
As if amused by his concern, Ubel lifted her skirt with both hands and swayed it teasingly, her full thighs appearing and disappearing, "Want to see? You do, right? If you beg me, I might let you have a special look~"
"No matter what I say, it'll be wrong. So I'm choosing not to answer."
"Look~ Look~ it's white!"
"Are you a pervert? You actually lifted it, no, it's black."
Watching her really lift it, Ash, in a critical spirit, glanced along her pale legs, and saw a large patch of black.
To be precise, black safety shorts.
His initial curiosity vanished instantly, replaced by an indescribable feeling.
'Why safety shorts? Why does this world even have them? It's just shorts under a skirt, but isn't this deception? This is an insult to youthful dreams, even if I'm not a youth!'
Feeling thoroughly cheated, Ash slowly raised his gaze, meeting Ubel's mischievous smile.
"What's with that face? So funny~"
"Keep messing around and I'll strip your skirt off, then take off your safety shorts too."
"Okay! Okay~ sorry~"
"Hah! Forget it," He ignored the insincere apology, silently unwrapping the blood-soaked bandage. Seeing the wound, he frowned slightly, "Are you really not going to a temple? For this kind of injury, wouldn't it be faster and better to have a priest or monk heal it?"
"I hate priests."
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