Rei didn't simply stand by and watch as Daub approached.
He readied Death Scythe and the Twilight Spear, prepared to counterattack.
Unlike during their battle in the city streets, Daub held a cane instead of a short sword.
Naturally, that cane was no ordinary cane; it was likely a weapon.
As if to confirm Rei's suspicion, Daub aimed the tip of the cane at him and thrust it sharply forward. From the tip, a sharp needle had sprung forth at some point.
A cane sword.
Normally, when one heard "cane sword," they would picture a blade concealed inside the cane. But Daub's cane sword appeared to be the type that extended a sharp needle from its tip.
(Though of course, the cane itself probably isn't just plain wood either!)
A strike launched from the needle extending from the tip of the cane, aiming to pierce Rei's face. It was swift and powerful—undoubtedly the work of a top-class fighter within the Clown organization.
"Ho, ho, ho."
Daub's grating laugh rang out as always. It was quite effective at eroding an opponent's concentration.
"Annoying!"
With a sharp shout, Rei deflected the cane sword with the Twilight Spear and unleashed a counterattack with Death Scythe—a feat possible only because Rei used the Twin Spear Style.
However, Daub, who should have taken a hit from Death Scythe, evaded the blade with a movement unimaginable from his appearance. His instantaneous leap behind Rei was enough to create the illusion that Daub's body was made not of a balloon, but of a rubber ball or something similar.
"Annoying!"
Rei spat out the exact same words he had just moments before.
But if Daub had moved away, all Rei needed to do was attack toward him.
"Flying Slash!"
Death Scythe sliced through the air rather than Daub. Rei forced out a Flying Slash by aggressively swinging upward using only the flick of his wrist—a strike possible only because Death Scythe possessed the ability to feel weightless, but only for Rei and Set.
Well, under different circumstances, it might have been possible even with the weight, but in that case, he wouldn't have been able to unleash a follow-up attack so quickly.
The flying slash released from Death Scythe flew straight toward Daub, who had put distance between them.
"Ho ho ho ho."
While letting out that laugh, Daub evaded Rei's Flying Slash. His bouncing movement strongly reinforced the impression of a rubber ball rather than a balloon.
"But that doesn't mean I'm going to let you do as you please so easily!"
Rei shouted as he threw the Twilight Spear. He didn't entirely dismiss the thought of piercing a balloon with a needle, but Daub effortlessly evaded the throw.
The speed of Rei's thrown spear was not something that could be dodged so easily. The fact that Daub had managed it was a testament to his skill.
Rei recalled the Twilight Spear, which had smashed through the wall and plunged into the next room.
To Rei, Daub was an extremely difficult opponent to fight. His personal skill was certainly very high, but more than anything, what made him troublesome was his exceedingly tricky movements, typical of someone belonging to the Clown.
If Daub attacked straight on or simply evaded, Rei could read his movements. But when those tricky movements were thrown into the mix, the enemy's attacks naturally became laced with feints.
Of course, it wasn't as though Rei had never fought opponents who frequently used feints before. If anything, once an opponent reached a certain level of skill, using feints was only natural. But Daub's feints, while still feints, came with highly irregular movements that left Rei bewildered.
(He's worthy of being chosen as an assassination specialist from within the Clown. ...Though he doesn't seem to have much regard for his comrades.)
Daub had made his entrance by crushing the spine of the woman Rei was interrogating for information. Naturally, that was to prevent her from leaking information... or rather, to stop her from surrendering.
Daub, who had robbed Rei of the opportunity to obtain valuable information, was a source of irritation. Even if Rei defeated him here, he probably wouldn't get the information he wanted. Judging by Daub's demeanor, it didn't seem likely at all that he would leak anything.
(If it's come to this, I seriously need to go through with burning this entire building to the ground and destroying it. ...Though even if I do that, it'll have to be after I take down Daub.)
Daub was bouncing off the walls like a rubber ball, but even while doing so, he never took his eyes off Rei, always ready to react instantly to whatever Rei might do.
Even under that gaze, Rei kicked off the floor and closed the distance between himself and Daub in one burst.
Throwing the Twilight Spear was a point attack. If that was evaded, then a line attack—a slash from Death Scythe—was the intent.
Daub aimed the tip of his cane sword, the sharp, long needle, at the approaching Rei. But Rei paid no mind to Daub's actions and swung Death Scythe.
The blade struck the cane... and the next moment, the needle at the tip was effortlessly severed.
Normally, it wouldn't be strange for someone to be shaken by their weapon being destroyed. Despite that, Daub showed no signs of distress and pulled back the hand holding the cane.
"I thought so!"
Seeing a blade where the handle of the cane sword had been pulled away, Rei shouted as he unleashed the Twilight Spear. What was housed inside the handle was not a katana, but a rapier-like weapon designed for thrusting.
"Ho!"
That he was able to deflect the Twilight Spear's strike using that rapier was likely because Daub had been aiming for this development all along.
Right after deflecting the Twilight Spear, he immediately thrust toward Rei's face with a sharp pierce.
"Tch!"
With a click of his tongue, Rei tilted his head. The rapier pierced through the space where his face had been just a moment before.
While evading that strike, Rei swung Death Scythe in his right hand. The distance between them had closed, but right now he needed to prioritize landing a hit on the enemy.
In that sense, it was rather Daub who had been caught off guard this time. Both Death Scythe and the Twilight Spear were long weapons. Given that, Daub had judged that closing the distance would prevent effective counterattacks—yet when the distance was actually closed, Rei swung Death Scythe as if that meant absolutely nothing.
Of course, Rei hadn't done so without reason. In the case of Death Scythe, the blade possessed power befitting its vicious appearance. But while the handle didn't look particularly menacing at a glance, the actual force behind a strike from it was tremendous.
After all, he was hitting someone with the handle of a weapon that weighed about a hundred kilograms.
"Gubooh!"
Letting out such a cry, Daub was sent flying. Still, perhaps thanks to his balloon-like physique, the strike only managed to deal damage that couldn't be called a fatal blow.
...If anything, being struck by Rei with that resilient body allowed Daub to put distance between them, which was probably fortunate for him.
(He's hard. So his body isn't what it looks like.)
Rei, having struck Daub with Death Scythe, formed that impression. The sensation transmitted through the weapon was by no means the soft feeling of striking fat or excess flesh. It was the kind of sensation he felt when punching a tractor tire at his family home back in Japan.
In other words, Daub only looked fat from the outside, but in reality, his body was that of a thoroughly trained warrior—or perhaps "assassin" was the better term here.
Of course, Rei had expected as much. To begin with, a man who was simply fat couldn't move that agilely, nor could he fight evenly with Set, even if only barely.
There was also the possibility that he was wearing some kind of equipment beneath his clothes to make himself appear that way, but judging from the sensation of hitting him, that was probably not the case.
(Which means... with those movements too, there's no doubt it's better not to let him move freely. In that case...)
Rei hurriedly closed the distance toward Daub, who had been sent flying into the wall and lost his balance, while activating a skill.
"Magic Shield."
A shield of light was generated—one that could absolutely block any attack, but only once. In other words, he could withstand an enemy attack once without consequence.
With the shield of light generated, Rei brought Daub within Death Scythe's range and activated his next skill. Amidst all that, Daub's rapier strike was blocked by the shield of light...
"Multi Slash!"
Seeing the unleashed slashes, Daub must have sensed the danger. He tried to nimbly evade the attack with his balloon-like body, but...
"Guh!"
He managed to safely evade the blade of Death Scythe, but Multi Slash unleashed additional strikes beyond the original attack's slash. One of those slashes struck Daub directly in the abdomen.
Seeing the liquid spurting from the slashed abdomen, Rei initially thought it was blood. He thought so, but... the liquid that spurted out was black.
Blood does turn black over time. But fresh blood does not.
Suspicious of the black liquid, Rei prioritized taking distance rather than unleashing a follow-up strike.
The black liquid fell to the floor, but nothing in particular happened. He had wondered whether it might be the kind of liquid that could dissolve the floor, but fortunately, it possessed no such ability.
Relieved by that, Rei faced Daub, who was clutching his wound with an expression of fury.
Until now, Daub had behaved in a manner befitting a Pierrot, never once showing a serious expression. But now, even with his makeup on, Daub was glaring at Rei with a gaze filled with intense anger and killing intent.
(What is this?)
They were enemies, and Daub had been wounded by Rei's attack, so it was understandable that he would harbor hatred toward Rei. But considering Daub's personality from their brief interactions so far, Rei didn't think he would bare this much hatred simply because he had been injured.
(If I had to guess, it's that black liquid? ...For that matter, what exactly is that black liquid?)
Even while harboring those doubts, Rei prepared himself to respond to whatever Daub did.
But Daub was first treating the area that had been severed by Multi Slash. While he continued to glare at Rei, he showed no sign of taking action yet.
(No, treating? If that black liquid isn't blood, then isn't it more like a repair or something? ...Though from his perspective, it probably doesn't make much difference either way.)
For the time being, since he didn't know exactly what Daub was doing, Rei let provocations slip from his mouth.
"What's wrong? How long are you planning to cower in fear of me? You were so full of confidence before, but that composure is completely gone from your face now."
"...Fohofo. You're right. I can't keep this up forever, can I?"
Daub responded to Rei's words, but his laughter sounded strained compared to what he had heard before.
Hearing that, Rei opened his mouth again to gather even a little information.
"So, what was that black liquid earlier? Is your blood black?"
"Well now, I wonder. Perhaps the grudge of those who were killed took on that color. If so, it would be proof of how much hatred he had incurred."
"Is that so? If we're talking about being hated, wouldn't it make more sense for you Underground Organization types to be far more hated?"
Rei told him that, but considering the number of people Rei had killed so far, it wouldn't be strange for him to be the one who was hated. Rei knew that too, but right now he needed to obtain information from the other side, so he had said it deliberately.
Daub seemed to understand that as well. Without showing any particular sign of agitation, he even floated a smile before, in the next moment, leaping all at once—no, "bounding like a rubber ball" was the more fitting description—as he charged toward Rei with rapier in hand.