Rei’s words rang out within the waiting room, but no answer came.
To any bystander, the exchange might have seemed like a piece of amateur theater.
And yet, Rei sensed that someone was still lurking in the room. He made no move to relax his guard or lower the Death Scythe.
Several minutes passed in silence, but Rei remained in his combat stance.
"What's the matter? You aren't planning to just stay hidden and wait for me to leave, are you? If that’s the case, I might as well just burn this room to the ground. It’s already been trashed this much; it’s going to need a total overhaul regardless."
Rei spoke with a degree of genuine intent.
It was true that the waiting room had sustained significant damage during his battle with the men-turned-puppets. Repairing it would be an immense chore. Normally, arson wouldn't be the first solution to come to mind, but fortunately or unfortunately, Sistoi—who was hiding in the room—understood Rei’s abnormality all too well.
He might actually do it, Sistoi realized. He couldn't afford to stay hidden forever. Finally, he revealed himself near the wall—the very spot Rei had been staring at.
He hadn't tampered with the wall, nor had he been hiding inside a crate. He had simply been standing there the entire time, unnoticed.
"Heh..." Rei murmured, sounding impressed.
There were several layers to that murmur. One was the way the cloak covering the man's body changed colors subtly with every movement. More importantly, Rei recognized the man’s face.
(A magic item with an effect like a chameleon’s protective coloration...?)
Rei mused internally while observing the cloak. Even the slightest movement caused it to shift hues, blending into the surrounding scenery.
In truth, operatives of the Holy Light Religion had used a similar magic item in the labyrinth city of Exil, though Rei had never personally encountered it there. If he had known about it, he would have desperately wanted such a practical magic item for himself.
However, while the version held by the Holy Light Religion offered superior stealth, the concealment effect would break if the user moved, making them easy to detect. In contrast, the cloak Sistoi wore maintained its concealment effect even in motion, even if its base level of hiding was slightly lower.
A few seconds after Sistoi appeared, the protective coloration faded, and the garment returned to the appearance of an ordinary cloak.
(In the hands of an average person, it would be a mere nuisance. But for someone as skilled as him to use something like optical camouflage... that’s a real pain.)
Suppressing his inner thoughts, Rei addressed the cloaked figure.
"It’s been a few days. You ran away last time, but are you planning to stay today?"
It was a blatant provocation, but Sistoi simply gave a small shrug through the cloak, as if well-accustomed to such barbs.
"The situation is quite different now. ...Still, you killed them quite easily. For your information, those were innocent civilians."
"That’s a hell of a thing to say after you brainwashed them to this extent. None of this would have happened if you lot hadn't pulled these stunts in the first place, right? Besides..."
Rei glanced at the bifurcated corpses littering the floor.
"Even if I had taken them alive, do you think they could have been saved? These things had no emotions, no memories—not even thoughts left in them."
Sistoi nodded readily, his daggers held ready as he watched Rei for any opening.
"Of course. It might have taken some effort, but they would have returned to normal if the proper measures were taken."
"That’s a lie," Rei stated flatly, without a moment's hesitation. "Tampering with someone that thoroughly must take a considerable amount of time. If it didn't, you would have sent these kinds of people after me the moment I entered the Empire."
Rei spoke based on mere assumption, lacking any concrete proof. However, he judged that his opponent was setting a psychological trap to shake him, and so he followed his instincts in making the declaration.
Whether Sistoi realized this or not, a faint smile played across his lips.
"If you want to believe that so you don't feel regret, then so be it."
Even as they spoke, the two were engaged in a highly sophisticated psychological duel—observing, searching for gaps, baiting, and reacting.
To an ordinary observer, it would have looked like two people simply talking while holding weapons. Only a warrior of the highest caliber would have understood the intensity of the exchange. Every micro-movement of an arm, the positioning of a foot, and even the frequency of a blink was a calculated maneuver.
(Tch, I can’t find a single opening. He’s as monstrous as ever. His skill has actually improved since our last encounter. ...How is that even possible?)
Every opening Rei showed was clearly bait; a true gap in his defense simply didn't exist. For Sistoi, this made him an incredibly difficult opponent.
(But I can’t back down now. ...I guess it's time to bet my life.)
Muttering to himself, Sistoi channeled magic power into his cloak once again. The garment’s ability to blend into the surroundings reactivated. While moving still caused a visible distortion, it was undeniably an advantage.
However, Sistoi was unaware of one other factor working in Rei's favor.
(That cloak is a real masterpiece. I have to get my hands on it.)
Rei wanted that cloak. A garment that could blend into the scenery would be incredibly useful for solo operations. More importantly, it would be a massive asset when fighting Noise. He was determined to obtain it.
Because of that, he had to defeat Sistoi without damaging the cloak. Rei didn't think this would be particularly difficult. Based on their previous brief clash, he had already judged his own combat technique to be superior.
"Now then... here I come."
With a short mutter, Rei closed the distance, Death Scythe in hand. He had already decided that the state of the waiting room was a lost cause; there was no longer any need for restraint.
"Tch!"
Sistoi leapt back, dodging the blade of the great scythe as it swung down toward him without hesitation.
At this point, their positions were completely reversed. Normally, wielding a long-reach weapon in a confined space would put a fighter at an overwhelming disadvantage, but Rei was different.
Though the furniture and debris in the waiting room were somewhat in the way, for Rei, who wielded the magic-infused Death Scythe, they weren't even recognized as obstacles.
Rei pursued Sistoi as the man leapt backward to avoid the first strike. The Death Scythe’s blade swung in a horizontal slash, slicing through a nearby chair as it sought Sistoi’s neck. In these cramped quarters, Sistoi was the one being cornered.
"You're a persistent one!"
Sistoi managed to dodge the life-reaping blade by fluttering his cloak. He tried to find a gap to counter with his daggers, but for some reason, he always aborted his attack at the last second to focus on evasion.
(Damn it, what’s going on?!) Rei cursed internally.
He was intentionally showing openings. From the perspective of an evading opponent, these were gaps they should have been desperate to exploit. Rei planned to deliver a fatal counter the moment Sistoi committed to an attack, yet the man refused to take the bait.
More accurately, Sistoi would start to take it. He would find an opening and move to strike, but at the final moment, he would stop and return to dodging. This half-committed motion was incredibly frustrating for Rei.
And the anomalies didn't stop there.
"Hah!"
With a sharp exhale, Rei swung the scythe again. The blade sliced through the walls as it bore down on Sistoi. Based on their previous exchanges, Rei expected Sistoi to crouch to avoid the blow. He had already prepared to catch him with an upward sweep using the butt end part of the scythe the moment he ducked.
But at that exact second, Sistoi didn't crouch. He leapt backward instead, putting more distance between them.
(Is he reading my mind?!)
Rei spun his body along with the scythe to absorb the momentum of the strike that had carved the wall, then assumed his stance again, fuming inwardly.
He had felt this same irritation countless times since the fight began. Every time he tried to lure Sistoi or create an intentional gap, the man avoided it as if he were psychic. It was only natural for Rei to suspect a magic item was at work—perhaps one that could read minds or predict the future.
But Sistoi possessed no such item. He had never even heard of one.
The reason Sistoi could avoid Rei’s traps was pure intuition. Years of professional assassination and a childhood spent on the edge of life and death in the slums had honed a sixth sense that was currently screaming at him. He was walking a razor-thin wire between life and death.
"You won't get away!"
Rei launched a low strike that seemed to crawl across the floor. As he anticipated Sistoi's jump, he drew a dagger from his Misty Ring with his right hand and threw it.
He controlled the low sweep of the scythe with his left hand while simultaneously launching a projectile with his right. This was the technique he had seen Noise use against Ruzy—a method Rei was attempting for the very first time.
The thrown dagger didn't find its mark, however. Sistoi jumped to the side, and the blade embedded itself in the wall where he had been a split-second before.
"Again?"
The unnatural evasions continued. Rei knew he was overwhelmingly superior in physical ability and combat technique. For his attacks to keep missing was no longer just a coincidence.
(There’s clearly something happening. And it’s probably not a magic item...?)
He had initially suspected mind-reading or future prediction, but as the combat stretched on, he began to understand it was something else. It wasn't a calculated certainty, but an understanding born from the sheer density of combat Rei had experienced since coming to Elgin.
(Fine then... if that's how it is, I'll just overwhelm him so fast he won't have time to react!)
Encouraging himself, Rei further increased the speed of his strikes.
A downward slash transitioned into an upward slash, followed by a leg sweep using the butt end, a horizontal slash, and a series of punches and kicks.
Against this sudden, explosive density of attacks, Sistoi—who had managed to hold on until now—finally reached his limit.
His intuition was sharp, certainly. It was what had made him a legend in the underground world. But he had never encountered anyone who could unleash attacks with the sheer velocity and volume that Rei now demonstrated.
"Well, this is the end."
Sistoi’s evasion failed him at last. He froze as the blade of the Death Scythe was pressed firmly against his throat.