Chapter 118: And I Fought Them All~
Cillian pushed the blade deeper into the shepherd, not giving her any chance to make a move while his sword kept her restrained.
"Bleurgh..."
Blood started to seep from the mouth of the spear-user shepherd as she found herself unable to escape, the spear in her hand falling from her grasp.
"No!"
Cillian heard a shout coming from behind him that seemed to be Troy’s voice. He immediately pulled the sword from the shepherd’s chest and stepped away, still feeling the negative effects of using the Artifact, You’re Blind So What?
’So this is what it feels like to have negative effects? Damn, I just have to be thankful that I’m not speaking that much or hearing the ravings of something from excessively using Mouthful Eye. As long as I’m not using the Artifact’s ability most of the time, I should be just fine.’
Worried that he was focusing too much on killing the spear-user shepherd that might cause him to be complacent, Cillian tried to keep his attention forward while keeping the residual negative effects in check.
’Two more.’
[Death Flags x3]
He wielded the sword in his hand while watching Troy, a user adept in swordsmanship. He already felt like his head was about to burst if he pushed his Faceless any further, and doing so would likely cause him to instantly lose control.
No more mimics for at least an hour.
Three more Sleight of Hand.
’They keep throwing abilities earlier, are those items like the smoke screens I used? Hah! Not only are they ancient, but they are also filthy rich! Abundance of Ruiners, skilled people at their own weapons, items, and artifacts...’
A small smirk plastered on Cillian’s face.
’And I fought them all~’
Even though these Black Shepherds are not close to the group that attacked the Academy, led by Captain, they are still a skilled group of people.
’I am so fucking good~’
Even though he was joking to himself, Cillian remained vigilant amidst the intense thrill he was feeling.
He wanted to buy as much time as possible while thinking of an effective way to use some of his reserved arsenal, allowing his vision to stabilize as he analyzed his opponent through the Death Flag above his head.
’I wonder why that other Black Shepherd is not moving. Maybe that person is confident he can solo me? Or maybe his role is really that of a defender?’
As long as the other shepherd from the entrance is still defending the way out, Cillian can not worry about the future one versus two.
Cillian would’ve definitely dashed out of here if not for the fact that Troy was out for blood and would definitely chase him. He also had to worry about potentially fighting that defender if he forced his way out.
This was the best possible outcome Cillian could get by fighting Troy alone, who somehow still wasn’t moving.
’Hold up. I have been talking to myself for seconds now. Why hasn’t he moved?’
It didn’t take long for Cillian’s vision to return to normal after Troy unintentionally gave him time by standing still for a moment.
Had his luck finally turned out for the better?
It might have been because the smoke screen was nearing its time limit, but Cillian could finally see the face Troy had taken, even from a distance between them.
’Where are they? We have eight people who can attack Cillian. You’re telling me he killed six people within the smoke screen before meeting us?! A fucking kid who was recently attacked from the Academy?!’
Did they underestimate Cillian while they were inside Hensel? As far as Troy knew, both he and his group members had tried their best to capture him.
Cillian just managed to sneakily and calmly destroy them.
After all, just like them, he was also desperate.
A hint of terror flashed across Troy’s face as he looked toward Cillian, whose face resembled his own yet was covered in bloodstains and injuries throughout his body, particularly on his shoulder and along the sides of his abdomen.
’Is he really afraid of me? That look on his face... heh, I like it. Yes, keep looking at me like that so you can make mistakes.’
Cillian mused with a smirk, still feeling the sting of the major injuries he had sustained throughout his body.
Suddenly, Cillian saw Troy on his knees, causing a confused expression to appear on his face.
"?"
He thought Troy would attack, especially when he was at an advantage. Or maybe Cillian was overthinking things, and Troy had simply chosen to give up?
’Did he already see that he couldn’t win against me?’
Should he be disappointed that Troy was acting this way, or should he be relieved that this would end sooner rather than later, considering he was also on the verge of running out of cards to play?
"Hmm..."
Cillian could still feel that he had enough strength to cast several more spells, so he immediately dashed away from where Troy was kneeling, as if he had given up. He needed to be sure.
Then, Cillian conjured his Fireball, aiming it towards Troy.
If Troy was truly giving up, Cillian didn’t need to get close to finish him off. Troy could stay there for as long as he wanted and let the ball of fire hit him.
Cillian then released it, only to see Troy stand up from the ground as if he had sensed the Fireball was about to hit him, allowing him to avoid the damage.
Then Troy revealed his face, not out of fear of Cillian, but because he was definitely not giving up after coming this far today. He was eager to finish this fight as well.
"Hah!"
For some reason, Cillian felt glad that he wasn’t disappointed. Even so, there was no way Troy would give up once he processed everything in his head, which Cillian believed was exactly what happened.
That was why Cillian never dared approach Troy or try to reason with him.
Well, Cillian might try to gather information about the last shepherd at the entrance and more regarding the events outside, but he would have to kill Troy to do that.
There was just no way he would leave loose ends now that Cillian had the perfect chance to conceal what happened inside Hensel.
But none of it was happening.
Cillian readied himself for the clash against Troy by conjuring a Fireball, pointing his fingertip toward him before releasing it.
"Fireball."