Chapter 296: The Real Manhunt Begins at Night (2)
[Ruvian’s POV]
[...Are you... trying to kill that person?]
Morvayne was utterly dumbfounded.
Flabbergasted was perhaps the only word that could describe her as she watched the man soar through the air from that single kick.
She almost felt sorry for him.
’No, I wasn’t... that... wasn’t my intention. But don’t worry, he should be fine... I hope.’
Ruvian couldn’t dwell on the matter for too long. He was still in the middle of a fight.
"Hey! What’s going on!?"
The remaining scholar was still trying to make sense of the absolute darkness. The only thing he had seen was the notification announcing that his teammate had already been eliminated.
Before either of them had the chance to understand what was happening, Ruvian was already upon them.
Slash!
Slash!
The black blade of [The Endseeker] swept toward their vital points.
Since neither of them had managed to raise their guard, and both strikes were unquestionably fatal, the protective enchantment within their bracelets activated at the last possible moment.
A translucent barrier erupted into existence, intercepting the death blows before they could land.
[You have eliminated ’Sharadro Ilage’!]
[You have eliminated ’Katen LilRevan’!]
[You have earned 325 Pts!]
[You have earned 300 Pts!]
Turning his head, Ruvian charged toward the remaining two. Judging from the flow of their mana, one of them belonged to Class A.
’Huh?’
As he closed the distance, he suddenly realized the girl standing beside her was...
’Noelle? She’s here?’
That brief moment of distraction was all it took. Before Ruvian could react, Emily lunged straight at him. Their weapons collided with a sharp metallic screech, sparks scattering between them.
"I have to give you credit, though..." Emily said through gritted teeth. "Ambushing us in the dead of night, just before dawn... that was nothing short of brilliant."
"Save the compliment. I ain’t taking it from the losing side."
Emily clicked her tongue before the two of them forcefully disengaged, both sliding several steps apart across the ground.
Without wasting a single heartbeat, Ruvian immediately conjured three [Magic Missiles] at once.
The three projectiles tore through the darkness like rockets, screaming toward Emily at terrifying speed.
But just before they could reach her...
"Don’t tank it!"
Noelle suddenly rushed in and shoved Emily out of the missiles’ path.
[An opening!]
’I know.’
Immediately, Ruvian seized the opening, attacking before either of them could regain their footing.
However, Emily reacted quickly, casting [Tempest Rampart] as a violent whirlwind surged between them, forming a spinning wall of wind to buy herself enough time to spring back to her feet.
’A clever trick... but it won’t be enough to stop me.’
Ruvian cast [Magic Distortion].
In a second, the raging whirlwind abruptly twisted and warped, its currents bending before parting to carve a narrow passage straight through the rampaging wind.
Seeing that, Emily’s eyes widened in shock.
’H-how?’
Noelle suddenly cried out, "Emily... I can’t hold it any longer! You have to end this qui—"
Suddenly, Noelle abruptly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
A searing agony erupted throughout her entire body, forcing her to stagger as every muscle trembled uncontrollably.
Because of that, her [Sharing Shadow Sense] was disrupted.
In an instant, both she and Emily were plunged back into complete darkness, unable to see Ruvian’s movements any longer.
Before long, Emily too began suffering the same fate as Noelle. Her body suddenly gave out as an excruciating pain erupted from deep within her, spreading through every inch of her being.
That was when she realized...
The powder they had inhaled was poison.
She blanched.
Blood slowly trickled from her nose as her pupils quivered violently.
A wave of horror washed over her while she stared at Ruvian’s silhouette, calmly walking toward her through the darkness.
"Y-you... you’re a monst—"
But before she could finish the word, something slammed violently into her face.
Emily barely had time to register the impact before her vision spun uncontrollably, and an overwhelming burst of white swallowed everything.
Then, her consciousness fully abandoned her.
[You have eliminated ’Emily Greysha’!]
[You have earned 450 Pts!]
Finally, only Noelle remained.
Ruvian slowly began walking toward her.
Almost instinctively, Noelle took a step back, her body flinched. She didn’t know why she reacted that way.
But at this moment...
She could no longer recognize the Ruvian she knew.
He was... terrifying.
"I know it’s you, Noelle," Ruvian said calmly. "So just surrender," he gripped his katana. "Hand me your bracelet, and I’ll break it without hurting you."
Slowly, almost absentmindedly, she extended her trembling hand toward him.
Ruvian accepted it without another word.
With a single clean slash...
Crack.
The bracelet shattered into countless fragments.
[You have eliminated ’Noelle Sorcalor’!]
[You have earned 375 Pts!]
"...Sorry."
That was the only word Ruvian left behind.
He sheathed his katana, turned around, and disappeared into the darkness without looking back.
Left sitting alone, Noelle lowered her gaze to the broken bracelet around her wrist. Her fingers unconsciously curled around the shattered remains as the silence of the night settled over her.
*****
[You have received +1,500 Plot Points!]
[You have eliminated ’Squad 51’!]
The forest blurred past him.
Ruvian weaved between the towering trees without slowing down. Even after eliminating an entire squad, his breathing remained calm.
For a while, only the rustling leaves accompanied him.
Then, Morvayne finally spoke.
[...Child.]
"Hm?"
[Why did you apologize to that girl?]
Ruvian continued moving.
’I wonder why...’
Honestly, he just had not expected that squad to belong to Noelle.
If he had known beforehand, he still would have attacked them. There was simply no other choice for him. Yet that did not change the small sense of guilt quietly festering inside him.
After all, Noelle had never done anything wrong to him, and besides, they were also from the same Polaris Circles.
"She’s... my classmate," Ruvian finally answered. "You could say she’s one of the few friends from Class E, so yeah, I just felt bad about it."
Morvayne fell silent.
[...]
A few seconds later, her gentle voice echoed again.
[Then if she’s a friend you should have been more gentle with her.]
Hearing that, Ruvian blinked.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
[You were far too rough, child... and too cold.]
Ruvian scratched the back of his head.
"I... well..."
He searched for the right words before letting out a quiet sigh.
"I thought, since it had already come to this, I should at least leave her with something she needed."
Morvayne tilted her head.
[And what would that be?]
"Fear."
His answer came without hesitation.
"You might not know this but tbat girl has a strange habit whenever she fights. She always pushes forward without caring about herself."
He recalled the training session they both usually had.
"She always chooses offense while throwing defense away. That isn’t always a bad thing. But if she turns it into a habit... it would become a damn problem."
His gaze quietly lowered.
"I’d rather she learn that lesson today than lose her life because of it someday."
Silence returned. The only sound was the wind rushing past the trees as Ruvian continued moving deeper into the forest.
After a long pause, Morvayne finally spoke again.
[...]
[Child—]
But then, she suddenly stopped halfway through her sentence.
Ruvian raised an eyebrow.
"Hm? What is it?"
[...Never mind.]
Then, a thought silently crossed his mind.
’...Was I being too sentimental?’
Almost at that same moment, Morvayne’s expression subtly changed.
[Child... it’s here.]
Ruvian’s eyes immediately sharpened. They both understood that the conversation would have to wait.
His footsteps slowed as he quietly slipped deeper into the shadows.
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[Chapter 296: The Real Manhunt Begins at Night (2)]
Plot Points= 34,500 PP