NOVEL WEB Ch. 53
Chapter 53 - The Road to Midnight (5)
Naturally, I had no intention of thoughtlessly ramming my head into Gabriel and fighting him one-on-one.
The difference in our power was absolute. With such a direct approach, it would be difficult even if I regressed a hundred times.
The First Astros, including Gabriel, possessed enough power to overwhelm the other main characters at this point, with the exception of Serene.
That's why I had to create a pincer attack formation. A formation where I would attack Gabriel together with Serene.
Since Serene had fought on equal footing with Salvatio on her own, it would be even easier to corner Gabriel, an assassin who was relatively weak in direct combat.
'If anything, I'd have to be careful not to hold her back.'
I would support Serene by covering the gaps as she pressed him, and I would look for an opportune moment to finish Gabriel off.
And for such a plan, there was one condition that was more important than anything else.
'No other First Astro can intervene during the fight.'
Realistically, this was the part I had to be most careful about. If it became a 2 vs 2, the balance of power would be completely overturned.
No matter how strong Serene was, it would be impossible for her to face two First Astros alone.
The recent encounter with Salvatio that turned into a 2 vs 2 situation was a prime example.
So, what should I do to avoid such a situation? I had a plan for that as well.
'I'll entrust Salvatio and Grændal to the other two pairs—Arien and Yuna, and Elwin and Khan.'
That was why I had brought the other main characters of
The prerequisite for this plan was to identify the enemy's location.
After all, I needed to know their location to send the others to induce a fight.
And the most intuitive and certain way to identify their location was to find it myself.
“Miss Serene and I will search the first floor.”
For this reason, I decided to use 『Overcoming Ten Thousand Deaths』 to thoroughly search every floor.
Well, since I was with Serene, I didn't end up being killed, but... I couldn't just let the story pass by ambiguously.
Bang-!!
[System: You have overcome death times.]
I had no choice but to take my own life in that way. It felt very strange, but thanks to the unique power of the 『Outlaw』, there was no pain.
Anyway, in that manner, I began to identify the locations of the First Astros appearing in 『Prelude to Ruin』.
***
Actually, the original plan was to just get a rough idea of the enemy's location and then assign the patrol of that floor to another team.
If I just set up the conditions roughly, they would encounter them one way or another. After all, both enemies and allies had good intuition.
However, there was a problem. I became aware of that problem during my 226th regression.
“...This, is...”
While searching the second floor with Serene, we found other people.
They weren't major characters from
“...They're corpses.”
Though they were now cold, lifeless bodies.
“...”
The horror they felt at the moment of death was still etched on their faces.
Their eyes, not even properly closed, seemed to convey that horror to us even more vividly.
Serene knelt with a sad look in her eyes and closed the corpse's eyes.
'I didn't think of this.'
Of course, I knew there were nameless side characters who were sacrificed in 『Prelude to Ruin』. Mathieu was a case in point.
I had the will to stop it. But I had been somewhat vague about how specifically I should protect them.
I had thought that if I stopped the enemy, other people wouldn't even have a chance to get involved.
'But that wasn't it.'
My plan until now had been to release the other main characters into an area where they were likely to encounter the enemy and have them run into the wandering foe.
But looking back now, I realized I hadn't thought deeply about what would happen in the process leading up to that encounter.
My mind became complicated. Not about how to solve it. The solution was actually quite simple.
'After identifying the exact location where the enemy appears, dispatch the other teams to that spot precisely before the enemy can harm any civilians.'
I wouldn't be able to save people who were already dead before the regression point, like the guards at the south gate.
But there was a problem. Pinpointing the enemy's exact location would ultimately require a greater number of regressions.
'In the end, it means I have to find out where they were initially positioned, which drastically shortens the golden time for a valid search.'
If the valid search time is reduced, it naturally requires more attempts. Unless I get lucky and it clicks right away.
“...Haa.”
I let out a deep sigh. I was neither a hero nor a saint who could throw everything I had to save someone.
However, I was also not heartless enough to turn away from people I could save by extending a hand with some effort.
'Well, shall I give a little extra service?'
I felt I could have been a bit colder, but there was also the question of why I was able to make this decision so readily... The answer was actually not difficult.
-D-don't... don't you dare lay a hand... on my, on my student-!!
A phrase like Mathieu's.
Rustle.
The sadness that tinged Serene's face as she covered the faces of the corpses with a handkerchief.
“...”
Maybe things like that got stuck in my head, and I just couldn't pass them by.
“...Thank you for waiting, Mister Rain.”
As Serene stood up, her eyes were still tinged with sadness, but that did not mean she was powerless.
“Don't mention it.”
To be able to grieve like this for someone she'd never met was something I found hard to empathize with.
That's why she was a hero, and I, pushed by circumstances beyond my control, could never be one.
Well, enough with the sentiments. I needed to focus on the task at hand.
With that thought, the regressions continued.
'It seems Grændal appears on the second floor, but each floor is so wide I can't get a proper grasp. Should I try to narrow down the range a bit more?'
Bang-!!
[System: You have overcome death times.]
'So the overall pattern is that they're all gathering at the third-floor artifact storage room.
Given their objective, it makes sense.'
Bang-!!
[System: You have overcome death times.]
'Gabriel always bursts in through a window from outside whenever I encounter him. I should focus on identifying the locations of the other two.'
Bang-!!
[System: You have overcome death times.]
[...]
In that way, all the groundwork was finished. The task of accurately identifying all the enemy locations.
'I didn't expect the groundwork alone to take over twenty tries.'
Well, it wasn't that painful of a loss. There was no particular pain, and the only inconvenience was the boredom of repeating what I'd already done.
'Grændal in the easternmost classroom on the second floor, Salvatio at the west gate on the first floor. Gabriel is outside and will burst through a third-floor window to aim for the artifact storage.'
Once I had pinpointed the enemies' exact locations, there was only one thing left to do.
To personally put an end to Gabriel.
'It's going to be a struggle that can't even compare to the effort I put into the groundwork.'
Yes, what more was there to say? The real show was about to begin now.
***
I had entrusted Grændal, who appeared on the second floor, to Khan and Elwin, and Salvatio, who appeared at the first-floor west gate, to Yuna and Arien.
With the possibility of enemy reinforcements eliminated, it was a setup where Serene and I would pincer Gabriel on the third floor.
This was what I had planned, and I had achieved it perfectly.
But the real challenge of twisting the 『Prelude to Ruin』 was just beginning.
Since our overall combat power was clearly superior, it might seem like it could be resolved easily... but in reality, that wasn't the case.
To explain this, it would be good to talk about the time I clashed with Gabriel during the 246th regression.
On the third floor of Ailton Hall. After sending Mathieu elsewhere, Serene and I were facing Gabriel.
Whoosh-.
Aiming for the opening Serene created, I swung my sword. I didn't use 『Moment of Decisive Battle』. The purpose of this sword strike was to seize the tempo.
A strike that wasn't threatening, but couldn't be ignored.
And the result.
Clang!
Gabriel casually parried my strike with his dagger.
Yes, I had no intention of killing him with my swordsmanship while not even using 『Moment of Decisive Battle』 in the first place.
What would truly drive him into a corner was-.
Fwaat-!
Serene's 『Gungnir』, that threatening strike, aimed at Gabriel from behind.
Fssst-.
He parried my attack with his dagger, but it seemed he couldn't parry Serene's spear from his collapsed stance, so he used his illusion magic once.
'And, now.'
[System: Skill, 『Moment of Decisive Battle[A]』 has been used!]
[ Strength: D > B ]
[ Agility: C+ > A ]
[ Stamina: D > B ]
[ Intelligence: B > A ]
[ Mana: F+ > C ]
[ Dexterity: B+ > A+ ]
Aiming for the moment he dodged an attack with illusion magic, I used 『Moment of Decisive Battle』 and rushed towards him.
There was a reason for pressing him like this, timed with his use of illusion magic.
'If it were a magic he could use endlessly without any limit, he wouldn't have needed to parry my attack with his dagger. Even if it wasn't a threat, it was still an act of creating an opening.'
To grasp the limits of his illusion magic evasion... and, if the chance arose, to kill him.
That was my aim.
“Haha, this is a pinch...!”
“Hup!”
Clang-!
When I unleashed a sword strike enhanced by 『Moment of Decisive Battle』, he barely managed to block it again with his dagger.
He wore his characteristic detestable smile, but a sense of bewilderment was clearly visible on his face.
'With his original skill, he could have blocked it easily, but it seems he was caught off guard by me using it so suddenly.'
But, it wasn't over yet.
“Miss Serene!”
“Yes!”
Pow-!
Even though it was just a spear thrust, a brutal sound, as if tearing through the air, could be heard.
And the result.
Fssst-.
'Twice. In that case....'
Confirming that he had used illusion magic a second time, I put the hand not holding the sword into my coat.
Click.
I would press him even further here. With that decision, I pulled the 『Outlaw』 from my coat. And.
Sssss-.
Aiming the muzzle at the point where the scattered mist was gathering-.
Baaang-!!
I fired.
“...Haha, this isn't worth it.”
After that gunshot rang out, what remained after Gabriel's last words was-.
“...”
“He's gone...?”
Yes, just as Serene said, there was nothing, absolutely nothing.
The bullet from the 『Outlaw』, which had flown so boldly and powerfully, was simply lodged in the wall of Ailton Hall...
Caw, caw.
All that could be heard was the cawing of crows from beyond the silent Ailton Hall.
“I don't... feel any presence.”
As Serene, who was on guard with her spear, said, no killing intent or presence could be felt in the vicinity.
He had vanished from this place. That was the only conclusion that remained.
“Did he... run away.”
Yes, the 'problem' I mentioned earlier was just that.
This guy Gabriel was the type of villain who would flee when the battle turned disadvantageous.
The greater misfortune was that he was the best at running away among all the villains in