Chapter 47: Red Wolf Row (2)

Crazy, really, Lowne.

It was the first thought that entered my mind as soon as I reached the 5th basement floor.

I had suspected that he would be here ever since Sophia collapsed, but I didn’t want to face him for real.

‘No, wait, it’s a good thing it’s Low. If it were someone else, that would mean there’s someone even stronger than Sophia here.’

But no matter how positive I tried to be, seeing Low shamelessly standing next to the Elder of the Snowflower Tower, pretending to be an ally, was beyond ridiculous.

The hero party, except for Aran, were all villains and scum of the earth in Brave Lord.

However, their surface image was that of heroes who saved the world.

Because of this, the protagonist Aran, until episode 3, bore the stigma of being a villain, walking the path of a dark hero, and his image slowly shifted as he began to dismantle criminal organizations.

The criminal organization was, in fact, Low’s Black Crow.

It seemed that Low had approached the Elder using his mask and was planning to destroy the Ice Crystal.

To use one of his techniques that had the destructive power to break the Ice Crystal, he would need some preparation time, so he must have been stalling for that.

That’s why I immediately rushed at him and struck a blow.

There was no time to waste trying to remove Low’s mask. It may have seemed like a rash decision, but I had to move my body before he gathered his energy.

Given who my opponent was, I didn’t only move my limbs.

The brain is part of the body too.

First, I needed to make the wizards who were deceived by his mask turn around, so I used Sophia’s name.

Although Sophia had fainted and couldn’t speak to me, since I was the one closest to her, who would doubt my words?

Besides, I knew Low had a very short temper and a low boiling point.

I had already planned to lie, so I just went ahead with it, not properly checking the scars and whatever, and I threw in the possibility that the assassins’ clothes might have had crow symbols on them too.

As expected, when ridiculous things were said, an angry Low confessed himself.

Idiot.

I don’t like it when the loudest one wins, but when fighting a bad guy, you set morals aside for a bit.

What was surprising, though, was that Elaine, who also thought Low was a hero, didn’t hesitate and attacked him as soon as he was confused, playing a decisive role in removing his mask.

Was this the judgment of the Captain of the Guard?

In any case, by exposing Low’s true identity, we succeeded in turning everyone around us to our side.

‘The method I had hoped for is actually working.’

Back when I was having mana detection lessons with Sophia, she had advised me that recalling the sensation of heat manipulation would help me learn mana detection, and thanks to that advice, I learned it.

But then, I had a thought.

Couldn’t I reverse that application?

Low’s technique, Shadow Tread, is the best stealth technique in Brave Lord, one that even avoids mana detection. However, stealth is just a way to hide the body from view, not make it disappear entirely.

If I could detect the heat in the body, just like with mana, maybe I could pinpoint Low’s exact location.

Whoosh!

With my body now acting like a human infrared camera, the best stealth technique in the world became useless.

However, there was one problem, even after sealing Low’s specialty in stealth.

“Ugh!”

I gritted my teeth as I was sent flying by Low’s kick.

‘The difference in fighting ability is just too big.’

I too had passed the knight exam all the way to the third review without issue, and I’m an ace soldier.

But after confirming his position and attacking, Low just shook me off, making it impossible to land a solid hit.

Every time he tossed me away, Low hid again in the shadows.

I exposed his identity, turned everyone against him, and even countered his stealth using heat detection, but still, it didn’t give me the upper hand.

Is this the boss from episode 3, the night when the crow flies? The Red Wolf, Low?

He’s disgustingly strong.

‘If Sophia were here, she would have shared her expertise with me, but she’s not. Then, I have no choice but to land a decisive blow that prevents Low from using stealth.’

The reason Low couldn’t defeat me, despite exposing his true form, was that every time he revealed himself, the wizards around would attack him with everything they had.

So, he had been dealing with the wizards in stealth, and once their numbers thinned enough, he’d come after me.

If that happened, we’d be trapped in Low’s prison, and we’d be wiped out on this 5th basement floor.

I had to end it before that happened.

‘The only thing I lack is fighting ability… then!’

Even as Low disappeared with Shadow Tread again, I focused on someone else instead.

“Captain!”

They were not far away.

“I need your help to expose the enemy and cut off his ankles.”

Even now, the wizards were using defensive spells, like cold walls or wide-area magic to attack while minimizing damage to our side, but wizards were still falling one by one, their faces filled with fear, losing their morale.

Even among the guards, some had already been injured.

“I think the same. Luke, you and I will stop his speed together.”

“Yes!”

Elaine immediately responded to my assistance.

And then…

“Captain!”

Scott, the Elder of Enchanting at the Snowflower Tower, called out to us.

“I’ll enchant your sword with electricity and paralysis.”

As Scott cast his magic, Elaine’s sword glowed with a soft yellow light.

“Be sure to capture that thief. Until then, we’ll hold our positions here.”

Scott’s voice, full of anger, urged me to begin heat detection immediately.

“I found him!”

It was a silhouette I had already detected multiple times.

I quickly spotted the heat signature of a person moving rapidly in the empty space and rushed towards it.

Low, apparently aware of my discovery, began to increase his speed.

I acknowledge it. I’m worse than Low in both fighting ability and speed.

From the start, Low, even without stealth skills, was the fastest among the Hero Party. Only Aran, giving it his all, could match his speed in the story.

But…

“Moving to the right from the front! Distance: 20 paces!”

As soon as I located Low, I relayed his position to Elaine.

Elaine, who was closely following behind me, heard my report and was aiming to strike at Low, who had revealed himself.

“Continuing eastward at a diagonal northeast direction! Distance: 25 paces! Passing through the ice wall!”

“Got it.”

As I reported Low’s location in real-time, Elaine seemed to have a rough sense of where he was, even though she couldn’t see him directly.

Once again, Low’s stealth was the technique of hiding his body.

Wherever he passed, there was inevitably a trace left behind.

Clang!

Elaine must have seen it too.

The ice wall broke, even though no one was there.

“That’s him.”

Elaine gauged his location based on the information I provided and the phenomenon in front of her.

Ta-at!

The Frozen Sword she created focused on speed-based swordsmanship.

How much effort and painful trial and error did it take for her to independently create and master such a technique?

This meant…

“1”

Chwaang!

With the quickest thrust of the Frozen Sword, First Snow exploded, and Low’s figure appeared in mid-air.

Sadly, though, he narrowly blocked it, but as his stealth was broken, his eyes widened.

“I found you. I won’t let you escape now.”

“Hmph, cocky b*tch.”

Low tried to shake Elaine off to conceal himself again, but…

“I’ve figured out your speed.”

Elaine didn’t fall behind Low’s pace. Using the Frozen Sword and Snowflakes, she relentlessly cornered him.

The greatest swordsman in the North would be Grace, but…

Elaine was the fastest swordswoman in the North.

Since the moment I first located Low, Elaine had already closed in, thrusting at him several times.

She could almost keep up with Low’s speed!

Low must have realized that too, as he clicked his tongue and moved his hands to cast a technique.

Spirit Magic, Palm Push.

Like the hand-shaped figures of a martial arts novel’s mythical gods, a shadow hand tried to push Elaine away.

But…

Frozen Sword, Snowstorm.

Before the shadow palm could expand, Elaine’s strike split it in half.

“What? You’re better than I thought. I didn’t know there was a swordswoman like this, other than Grace, in the North. Looks like you were overshadowed by your superior master.”

It seemed Low was genuinely impressed, as he complimented her.

“You took longer than expected, so I planned to deal with the little ones first. But now, I guess I’ll deal with you.”

The moment I saw his hand movement, I was taken aback and shouted.

“Get away! That’s dangerous!”

With his hands swirling and tracing circles, the technique was something I had seen described in the novel.

Spirit Magic, Spinning Top.

A black orb formed at the center of the circle, spinning rapidly, tearing apart everything around it and tracking its target as a combined attack and throwing technique.

Though its range was small, its destructive power was immense—so much so that even Aran, the Hero, had considered it troublesome.

Elaine didn’t dodge despite my warning and stood her ground.

She seemed unwilling to back off because of her sense of responsibility. I was about to offer support, but…

“!?”

At that moment, Elaine gestured at me from Low’s blind spot. Seeing the signal, I shut my mouth and withdrew.

I trusted Elaine.

“I heard you tell me to dodge just now, but you chose a direct confrontation. Figures—knights are such pathetic breeds.”

“……”

“Tch, I hate women who act so proudly. It’s much more appealing when a woman is breathless, pinned under a man.”

“Shut your mouth…!” She spat with disdain.

“Heh, must be hard for a virgin like you, who’s busy chasing Grace’s backside, to imagine what I’m talking about, huh? I bet you’d look so delicious when you’re ravished by a beast like me.”

“…”

Elaine glared at Low, then assumed a stance, responding sharply.

“But a man like you will never get to see my womanly side. Only the one who makes my heart flutter just by looking at him will get to see it.”

“……”

Low let out a chuckle at her declaration.

“Taking someone else’s lover by force is a fun little game too. Alright, I’ll make sure you’ll look worse than an animal in front of your man.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Low launched the orb.

The high-speed spinning black orb sliced through the air, tearing apart the wind around it as it relentlessly charged at Elaine.

‘It’s still hard to fight him head-on with a sword.’

I had tried to attack with a thrust while preparing my technique, but the rotation of the orb was intense, so I held back. That sharpness… if I collided with it, my sword might break first.

Tsk.

Elaine dodged with swift footwork, but the orb seemed to have a tracking feature as it curved elegantly and pursued her.

‘If I get too far, he’ll likely abandon the orb and retreat into stealth to target the magician. I need to keep it close.’

Fortunately, Low seemed to have decided to deal with Elaine first. He moved to chase her directly.

After sealing off her movements with close combat, he intended to strike with the shadow orb.

The situation had reversed, and now we were the ones on the defensive.

Cha-cha-cha-ching!

As Low approached and launched slashes at her, Elaine matched him with her swift swordsmanship. However, as the orb closed in, she had no choice but to swiftly move out of its path.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Low mocked as he continued his assault, using his technique.

Spirit Magic, Hide and Seek.

The shadow of Low, stretching from the ground, touched Elaine’s shadow, causing her body to freeze in mid-air.

“1”

Caught in mid-air, unable to move, Elaine squinted and twisted her body, but she couldn’t budge an inch.

“Now, the captain of the guard is taken care of.”

Low calmly declared his victory, and Elaine found herself in a crisis as the spherical shapes approached her.

However, there was no fear on her face.

“Snowflake Tower, protect the captain of the guard!”

At the command of Elder Scott, a massive wall of cold air rose in front of Elaine, protecting her.

A transparent ice wall, solidly built, glowed with a green hue. A nature magic enchantment.

Low’s spiritual art, the spinning strike, was a throwing technique with significant destructive power. However, even for a hero, it was still a technique used by one person.

If a wall of ice built by many mages and enhanced with an elder-level mage’s enchantment was erected, it could stop the attack, even once.

KWA-BOOM!

The sphere tried to break through the ice wall, but the solid barrier eventually overwhelmed it, and it disappeared.

“Phew.”

Despite the failure of his technique, Low merely whistled, showing an air of interest.

Still, the technique had failed, so he tried to retreat and hide by stomping his foot.

THWACK!

The ice wall disintegrated, and Elaine appeared from behind it, shooting towards him like an arrow.

The ice wall that had erupted likely severed the connection between their shadows, undoing the game of tag.

Moreover…

‘Enchanting my legs… Hah, damn it, I really don’t like non-lethal fights like this.’

His displeasure showed on his face, but he was a seasoned combatant.

He had already analyzed Elaine’s skills.

Her strength and speed were decent, and if she grew stronger, she might be able to compete at the hero level, but…

She was still lacking one step.

‘Fine, I’ll break you head-on. I’ll make sure your defeat in front of your lover is so pitiful that it breaks their spirit.’

Shadows twisted and spread across Low’s arms and legs.

WHAM!

Elaine’s Frostblade, First Snow, pierced Low’s arm, but it couldn’t break through the arm reinforced by shadows.

Instead, Low blocked the sword with his left arm and punched Elaine in the abdomen with his right hand.

Elaine was fast, but without a sword, she couldn’t keep up with Low’s punch.

Starting with her abdomen, in the brief moment of a blink, Elaine was struck in her left leg, left shoulder, and right thigh, making her stagger.

Finally, she tried to slash at his chest with her left arm while letting her sword slip.

“Oops.”

Elaine’s Frostblade, the rapid swordplay of Snowflakes, caused her to retreat.

“Well?”

Was it because of the excellent armor forging technique of the North or because of her tenacity?

Once Elaine regained her footing, she didn’t hesitate and charged forward, unleashing her sword techniques.

Frostblade, Snowstorm, swept through, trapping Low within the flurry of strikes.

‘Heh, she’s too good to kill. The show of a woman being toyed with in front of her lover is such a hit. If it’s her, I could make three times more than usual. Then…’

I’ll wear her down by playing along and then defeat her with a counterattack.

Having made a plan, Low focused on dodging or blocking the strikes from every direction, intending to drain Elaine’s energy.

‘Now!’

Elaine’s sword momentarily slowed.

Low, grinning with a confident smile, raised his right hand, ready to strike.

“Inspection!”

“???”

Elaine, gasping for breath, shouted. Low paused for a moment, trying to figure out what that meant.

“1”

Low felt a presence behind him and turned around.

Soldiers, aiming their weapons, were closing in from all directions.

So this is the Northern Duke’s guard?

From the sides, below, and above. There was no escape, a perfectly executed trap.

“Tsk, these bastards.”

Helpless, Low stopped focusing on Elaine and used his spiritual art, Water Sparrow, to shake off the attackers.

“Yo.”

“1”

A familiar male voice.

It was that annoying guy from earlier.

Now that he thought about it, this guy was someone worth knowing, so I can’t kill him just yet…

“Goodbye, King of Crime.”

“!!!”

At the mention of the name, Low froze in shock, his mouth hanging open.

What did he just say?

“Ah, crap!”

Surprised, he focused on that guy and missed the movement of the others.

SWISH-SWISH-SWISH!!

The inspection carried out by the soldiers surrounded Low, and soon…

Crimson blood splattered everywhere.

“Ugh!”

Low staggered back, but he didn’t fall, barely managing to hold his ground.

But the attack wasn’t over.

“Got you.”

Elaine, catching her breath, delivered a powerful strike.

SWOOSH!

The strong blow of her enchanted Frostblade, infused with electricity and paralysis, landed.