The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Recalling a bit more of my past life, I remembered a condition similar to the foolish prince’s current state.

It’s called The Absolute Coma.

A state where one’s mind is siphoned by a bizarre entity, causing them to move not of their own will but by the will of another.

The bizarre entities mentioned here refer to beings superior to humans.

They are best suited to the epithet of the Absolute.

Eyes that have lost their liveliness but still focus sharply, filled with immense murderous intent, and an alien energy that a mere human could not possess.

This is undoubtedly a state of The Absolute Coma.

[Seems like things are getting interesting, Master.]

Kaeram, slightly frowning, scoffed with a sneer.

I really wanted to question what exactly should be found amusing here, from one to ten.

But for now, I quietly opened my mouth as if talking to myself.

“What’s causing this?”

[It seems that the owner of this territory is angry about someone dirtying their villa.]

Whoever it is, they seem to be a very petty owner.

Honestly, there is one being that comes to mind, but I prefer to leave it as speculation for now.

Further thought seems like it would only bring irritation.

“……”

He closely examined the wall of resistance created by Luna.

Considering it was made by someone who had just woken up from fainting, it was unbelievably sturdy and solid.

Certainly, it couldn’t be broken by mere physical force.

However,

-Whoosh

As if such things didn’t matter, he once again lifted one fist.

The moment a brownish aura began to swirl around his fist, I quickly embraced Luna and threw ourselves to a corner.

-Crash!

The wall, as sturdy as a fortress, shattered into pieces with a loud noise, just like a glass window breaking.

That was dangerously close.

The impact was so great that, three seconds after he threw his punch, a rough sandstorm grazed our skins.

“It seems even Senior doesn’t want me to die by someone else’s hand, huh?”

“This is no time for such frivolous jokes, Junior.”

“I know. But it’s a bit ridiculous, isn’t it? What’s with that absurd strength? It doesn’t seem like magic at all; could it actually be the strength of his body?”

To explain, it seemed like the physical strength he possessed was slightly augmented by the power of some Absolute.

To counter this, I also had to draw upon a similar level of power.

-Creak

With a menacing sound of bones, he clenched his fist once again.

This time, a power twice as strong as before gathered in his fist.

“Step back! As far away as possible!”

This time, simply dodging wouldn’t solve the problem.

After sending Luna back, I stepped forward and clenched my fist as well.

A black mist drawn from within me gathered around my right fist, flickering with a dark aura.

The moment the intended power amassed, I didn’t hesitate and thrust forward.

-Bang!

As the two fists, cutting through space, collided, fierce waves surged out on both sides.

At the point of contact, a fine tremor occurred, and as time passed, a stronger force gathered to overpower each other.

“You’ve fed on the blood of a demon beast.”

A voice that rippled like gentle waves stimulated the eardrums.

Of course, it wasn’t the voice of the foolish prince.

“Not just the demon beast. You’ve also consumed dragon blood. You’re not merely possessed by the power of the black mist; your body has already surpassed the human level.”

“If you’re going to talk to yourself, maybe do it in your head?”

The owner of the voice snorted dismissively.

“Where did a creature like you come from?”

“That’s my line. Where have you been hiding, popping out of nowhere?”

“Hmph! Explaining to someone about to die is meaningless. In the name of the god of sand, Sabulrom, I shall bury you, the successor of Aer, in this land.”

“……!”

There was no time to be startled by the sudden introduction.

A bitter smile formed on his lips, and simultaneously, the sand wrapping his fist created a huge whirlwind.

“You are an unnecessary existence in this world. Blame your master who tried to lead you out of it!”

-Kugugung

With a tremendous roar, the interior of the ruins vibrated wildly, and small cracks began to spread like branches on the walls.

Was he so angered by the defilement of the villa that he intended to destroy it entirely?

“Hey! Are you planning to bury even your minion along with you?”

If a collapse occurred, it wouldn’t just be Luna and me caught in it.

This foolish prince would surely be buried with us too.

“It’s a sacred sacrifice as part of the tribe that worships me and guards this land. For him, it would be a very honorable thing.”

“Ha! You really have a way with words.”

So, he intended to use and discard us like disposable tools?

Well, compared to the lofty beings they are, such character is just a quirk.

Sorry, but I’m someone who’s already sick of that kind of thing.

I dare say, whether you’re human or a god, your pathetic face will be thoroughly crushed today.

-Sswaeek!

With my still free right hand, I drew Kaeram and sliced directly in front of me.

Stepping back, Set immediately spread his fist, generating a magic circle.

“Desert Blade…”

Soon, a brownish blade that seemed to be made of sand appeared from the magic circle.

The problem was that it wasn’t just one, but many.

I immediately took a defensive stance.

-Chang

Feeling as if I had struck hard metal, a considerable shock was transmitted to my arm.

He seemed interested in my appearance, showing a sickening smile.

“Indeed, as a successor of a god, dying in utter desperation would be a death of some worth to you. Do not hold back and pour all your power until you meet a glorious end. I, Sabulrom, will closely observe your last moments!”

Overwhelmed by such kind and merciful grace, I hardly knew what to do with myself.

Ignoring that, I gripped Kaeram tighter and quietly murmured.

“Shadowless Technique No. 9: Demon Sword Manifestation.”

* * *

Meanwhile, Luna, who had been watching the clash between Cyan and Set from behind, thought to herself.

It’s marvelous.

And yet so fascinating.

What could be the identity of that strange and mystical power?

If anything was certain, it was that the energy felt between the two was not based on mana.

It was as if she was observing two powers that, while fundamentally similar, had different attributes.

Set was one thing, but it was impossible not to be drawn to the black mist emanating from Cyan.

A black mist of ignorance that seemed to contain all the negativities of the world.

Within her knowledge, there was only one place that could be the source of this black mist.

“Is that the true face of my senior? Then, could it be…….”

Just as a rather unpleasant thought began to emerge, she hastily shook her head.

Now was the time to focus elsewhere.

At a glance, it didn’t seem like Cyan was struggling against Set.

On the contrary, as each second passed, he appeared to become more overwhelming, so there seemed no need for her to intervene just yet.

What she needed to pay attention to was not them, but this relic itself.

-Kugugung

Not only were small fragments falling from above, but the cracks in the walls were so severe that they seemed about to crumble upon touch.

She needed to leave this ruin as soon as possible, but the two were so focused on each other that they paid no attention to their surroundings.

Luna calmly closed her eyes and placed a hand on the ground.

The flow of mana from the sandstorm, the amount of air, the temperature of the ground, and so on.

All the natural elements necessary for casting magic needed to be calculated on the spot.

They were about 30 meters below ground level.

The pure distance to the exit leading outside was over 1km.

Considering the distance was not short and the fact that this was an underground relic required even more delicate and precise distance calculation.

The calculation itself wasn’t difficult.

She had done calculations much harder than this on a regular basis, so she had already completed over 95% of it in her mind, but the real problem was something else.

The amount of mana she had left was woefully insufficient.

The mana she had was nearly depleted when she created a wall of resistance earlier.

Even scraping everything together, it barely surpassed 5%.

It might be impossible to even attempt, but trying was better than giving up, so Luna drew upon her mana with a serene heart.

“Kuk!”

The strain was immediate upon starting.

To attempt such magic in the worst possible condition, when it wouldn’t be easy even in full condition.

But what could she do?

If she didn’t act, the precious person before her eyes would end up buried in the sand along with her.

In a place where no one else looks, the two of them were to be trapped forever.

“Actually, that might be better……”

A trace of serious contemplation appeared on her face as she hesitated for a moment.

-Woong

Suddenly, Luna felt a strange energy from behind and quickly turned her head.

“……!”

A mysterious shape that vanished like swirling smoke.

It disappeared too quickly to know exactly what it was.

However, it felt strangely familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before, and with that, she felt her mana, which had been depleted until just a moment ago, starting to replenish slowly.

“What- what is this?”

It wasn’t just her mana.

Something else was flowing rapidly around her heart, where the mana flowed.

She wasn’t sure what this energy was, but one thing was certain.

With her current state, she was confident that she could successfully cast the magic she intended to use.

Resolved, Luna began to chant her spell.

“To escape the crisis that defies the natural order of space……”

As she recited the spell, a small magic circle appeared under her feet.

The magic circle expanded rapidly, soon encompassing not only her but also Cyan and Set.

The two men, who were fiercely fighting, noticed the magic circle under their feet and turned their gazes.

“……?”

Both seemed to recognize the nature of the magic circle, their expressions noticeably changing.

“Spatial transition!”

Bright blue light emanated from the magic circle, enveloping the surroundings,

-Swhoosh!

Swallowed by the light, they disappeared without a chance to resist.

-Thud!

In the blink of an eye.

As soon as the magical light disappeared, they were greeted by the blinding light of the hot sun.

“Did- did it work?”

Unable to believe that her magic had actually succeeded, she was stunned for a moment.

Then, Cyan strode up to her.

“What did you do!”

His eyes showed an unusual hint of panic.

“I just did what I could.”

She replied with her usual indifferent expression.

“That’s not what I’m asking! Did you actually perform a Spatial Transition…!”

“Ow, my head!”

A voice light enough to dissolve any lingering tension made the two turn their heads.

Set was sprawled on the ground, clutching his head with one hand.

Gone were the eyes filled with murderous intent, replaced with the dull, unfocused look reminiscent of the foolish prince he was.

(To be continued)