The moment I closed in on the "Hero," I activated the [Space Leap] spell I’d painstakingly constructed and teleported us to a grove near the border.
Just as Old Man Eddington had described, the trees here were spaced at moderate intervals, leaving me more than enough room to swing a sword. If anything, I might be able to use the terrain to my advantage.
A split second before the jump, my blade had been blocked by that same invisible force. Worse, the strain of teleporting over such a vast distance had left me wide open for several heartbeats. Fortunately, the "Hero" was too stunned by the sudden change in scenery to exploit the opening.
I immediately leapt backward to put some distance between us.
"The Cryo Mountains?" the "Hero" muttered, surveying his surroundings and catching sight of the peaks looming nearby.
The Cryo Mountains marked the border between the Nohitant Kingdom and the Saubel Empire. Just as he’d guessed, we were now in a thicket at the northernmost tip of the kingdom.
"That’s right," I said, facing him. "I’d like you to keep going and head straight back to the Empire."
He turned toward me, his expression unreadable. "I can't do that. My job is to seize the Regrif Territory. I'm not leaving until the work is done."
If he called it a "job," then this invasion wasn't just some personal whim. For all his power, this man was still a Crown Prince. The list of people who could give orders to someone of his stature was very short indeed.
"Personally, I don't care if the Empire takes this land. You can do whatever you want," I told him. "But only if you don't involve my comrades—the members of the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky. We’re leaving this territory. Promise me you won't lay a hand on us, and we're gone."
"I already made that promise to the gray-haired man," he replied. "Your side was the one that broke it. But fine. I’ll give you my word again. If you don't get in our way, we won't touch you."
So, the reason the two A-Rank party members were taken down was that they’d struck first and been met with a counterattack. If that was true, then our side was technically at fault.
"I understand. I’ll make sure the others know not to interfere with you anymore. We’re leaving, so the rest is up to—"
"No," he interrupted. "That won't do. I need you to stay here."
I’d thought we might actually be able to walk away and return to Tsutrail without a fight, but he’d shot down the idea of us leaving the territory instantly.
"Why?" I demanded.
"There’s something we need you to do after we’ve secured this region. It would be a problem if you left."
Something they need us to do?
The old man had said the Empire's goal was to secure the Labyrinth. If they were that desperate for territory, it was only natural to assume the Labyrinths within the Empire were failing. Fewer Labyrinths meant a critical shortage of Magic Stones.
The logical conclusion was that they needed to press-gang as many capable people as possible into Labyrinth exploration. But if that were the case, the "Hero" could just bring in Imperial Explorers after the conquest. Did that mean the shortage was so severe they couldn't even wait for reinforcements?
If the Empire was truly running out of Magic Stones, they’d be desperate to hide it, as it would cripple them diplomatically. The fact that the Eddington House's spies had uncovered the truth suggested the situation was so dire it could no longer be kept secret.
If that was the case, there was no way the "Hero" would back down.
"I see. Then negotiations are officially over. I’ll have to neutralize you here."
While talking, I’d been preparing the magic weapon. I triggered it now. The massive amount of mana stored in the Magic Stone Old Man Eddington had given me vanished in a flash. The stone turned into a dull, colorless glass bead before shattering into dust.
In the same instant, the trees surrounding the "Hero" began to glow. They weren't trees at all, but magic tools disguised as timber. The four glowing devices connected to one another with beams of light, forming a translucent cube that caged the "Hero" inside.
He threw a punch at the wall to test it, but the moment his fist connected, he was repelled with enough force to send him flying backward. The interior of the box was lined entirely with [Reflective Wall], making physical destruction nearly impossible.
While he was still reeling from the recoil, flames erupted within the sealed mana prison. In a heartbeat, the cube became a solid block of fire, engulfing the "Hero" completely.
This was the anti-Hero magic weapon.
Of course, it wasn't just a simple incinerator. It required a spell formula inscribed on the ground and specifically placed magic tools, meaning it could only be used in a prepared location after significant setup. But if those conditions were met, it was devastating.
And there was no doubt in my mind: Grandpa had built this thing.
The spell formula I’d read while activating it was far beyond the skill of any ordinary magic artificer. But the smoking gun was the [Reflective Wall].
I had developed that magic myself. However, I’d only been able to finish it because of the numerous hints and advice Grandpa had given me during its development. That meant Grandpa knew the formula for [Reflective Wall]. In fact, as far as I knew, we were the only two people in the world who did.
I had my reservations about Grandpa developing such a vicious weapon or having secret ties to the Eddington House, but now wasn't the time to dwell on them.
Suddenly, the flames inside the cube died out.
The weapon was capable of killing, but it didn't have a lethal setting. It was designed to cut the flames before the target died. Even so, being roasted in high-temperature air should have left him with severe, full-body burns.
As cruel as that was, the real horror of the weapon came next.
The "Hero" stood in the center of the scorching vacuum, completely unharmed. Not a single burn marked his skin. I’d guessed the nature of his Ability from the legends surrounding him, and I’d thought this weapon might at least singe him, but I’d clearly underestimated him.
However, even if he wasn't burned, he was doubled over, gasping.
The reason was simple: he couldn't breathe.
Fire consumes oxygen. Since the cube of mana was a perfectly sealed environment, the air supply was finite. Most of it had been used up by the combustion, leaving the "Hero" in a near-total vacuum.
Roast them with heat, then strip away their consciousness through suffocation—that was the weapon's true purpose. I figured it was only a matter of time before he blacked out.
Then the ground began to warp.
"Dammit!"
I slammed my left hand onto the earth and forced mana into a spell to stabilize it. I tried to suppress the distortion, but the ground refused to settle. The warp eventually reached the spell formula inscribed beneath us. Unable to maintain its anchor, the mana box shattered.
A massive heatwave blasted outward.
"Cough... cough... haa... haa..."
Free from the vacuum, the "Hero" dropped to one knee, desperately sucking in the fresh air.
I can't let this chance slip away!
I activated [Sharpness Zero] on the Schwarzhase in my right hand and lunged, intent on knocking him out physically while he was vulnerable.
As I swung the blade down at his kneeling form, he looked up. His eyes were burning with pure, unadulterated rage and bloodlust.
Suddenly, I felt a bizarre sensation—like I was being shoved from the front and yanked from behind at the same time. The "Hero" began to shrink rapidly in my vision.
"—!?"
By the time I realized I’d been blown backward, a tree was already looming behind me. I instantly cast a [Triple] stack of [Vitality Up] and [Resist Up] to brace for impact.
My back slammed into the trunk. The tree snapped like a twig, but my momentum didn't stop. I threw out a [Mana Convergence] foothold and fought against the force, finally skidding to a halt.
"...The same trick as before..."
I immediately cast [Heal] on myself. Just as the aches faded, the sunlight above me vanished.
The "Hero" had appeared right in front of me. "I actually thought I might die for a second there," he said calmly. Then his right leg whipped out in a kick aimed at my neck.
I blocked with my left forearm. The impact was staggering, and I was sent flying again—or so I thought. After tumbling about two meters, I felt that same invisible force tether me. It jerked me to a violent halt with enough force to make me feel like I was being torn in half.
The "Hero" was already closing in, his fist pulled back.
Grimacing through the pain, I channeled mana into a pre-constructed formula and snapped a [Reflective Wall] into existence. The "Hero" hit the translucent barrier and was knocked back.
I immediately followed up with [Exheal] on my left arm.
I finally have a second to breathe. But still... even if he isn't burned, his body should have taken massive damage from that vacuum. To move like that immediately afterward... is he even human?
I’d been rattled by the sudden turn of events, but putting some distance between us allowed me to regain my composure. The "Hero" didn't give me long; he manifested a sword in his right hand and kicked off the ground, closing the gap once more.
Neutralizing him with the magic weapon had failed. Now, my only job was to stall him.
But the brief exchange had made one thing clear: in a raw test of strength, the gap between us was a chasm. I could close it by using Stacking, but I wouldn't be able to keep that up for a long fight. The old man and the army were likely pushing their horses to the limit to get here from Roils, but even in the best-case scenario, I’d collapse long before they arrived.
My Ki Activation was still unstable, and [Culmination] was out of the question. To hold him back for any meaningful amount of time, I’d have to maintain a baseline of buffs with Stacking and fill the gaps with Ki.
I’d hoped to waste time with conversation, but after hitting him with a weapon like that, I doubted he was in a talking mood.
It was going to be a hell of a fight. I steeled my resolve.
"...[Status Up]: [Triple]."
With my plan set, I enhanced my body with a cocktail of magic and Ki and moved to meet the approaching "Hero."