After ordering Nainiae to watch the bastard to make sure he does not escape, Riley made the flame on his sword to burn more intensely and said,
“Wow… Your rejuvenated self looks great?”
As the Archbishop of the Holy Temple, Rebethra had eye catching white beard in the past. Remembering this, Riley observed Rebethra who hadn’t just gotten a little younger but had completely reverted to being a child. Riley asked him,
“What’s your secret?”
“It’s thanks to the great one. I was reborn.”
It seemed that he was trying to pay respect to the one he served. He lowered his head a little and praised the being he served. Noticing his response, Riley’s eyebrows flinched.
“Wow… I never knew.”
Rebethra walked toward Riley. Riley was facing him. While suppressing his anger, Riley asked as if he was patronizing Rebethra,
“I never knew that the bitch was… also an expert in plastic surgery.”
“Plastic… surgery?”
It seemed Rebethra didn’t know what that was. He tilted his head to the side. As if he was trying to say never mind, Riley shook his head and said,
“It’s nothing. Even if you knew what it meant, you will just yell at me saying I spoke ill of your great one or whatever. It would be better for you to not know what it means.”
“…”
Rebethra narrowed his eyes to say that he did not like what Riley just said. Of the two arms he had open wide, he lightly closed his right hand.
“… No. Wait.”
Kwang!
It sounded like something had been shot.
Phang!
Sounds of explosions in the air repeated.
“Did you think I was just sitting around because I didn’t expect you to try pulling off a sneak attack?”
Kwang!
Again, it sounded like something was launched from behind Rebethra.
Phang!
Again, from the sword that Riley swung, what sounded like a balloon pop could be heard repeatedly.
“Tsk…”
Having realized that his surprise attack had failed, Rebethra clicked his tongue. Instead of using one at a time, this time, he used the ability to generate multiple of them to pour down at Riley.
To draw comparison to the magic of this world, it was like a magic arrow, which was a basic magic. However…There were a lot of them and one thing unique was that they were invisible.
“You think increasing the number a bit is going to make a difference?”
Riley asked lightly. Surrounding Riley, the sounds of things being shot and popping explosions continued.
‘How did he figure it out? Is it not some ordinary senses?’
Rebethra could not understand how Riley noticed his ability, which is supposed to be invisible to naked eyes. Rebethra looked at the sword with white flame that was on Riley’s hand.
‘Is it because of the sword?’
In the past, Inaril, the Right Hand, had this bandage wrapped sword hidden. Now… in Riley’s hand, it was exuding white flame for some reason and showing off how majestic and brilliant the sword looked.
‘When the great one asked me to bring that sword, I wondered why she was so interested in that sword that didn’t seemed to have any significance, but… I see. It was a weapon that was worth worrying about.’
His black spaces and hands… They were things that should have been impossible to cut. However, the sword did. Remembering these, Rebethra glared at the sword and prepared his next ability.
‘Should I try that? Or this?’
Rebethra was rolling his eyes around. Looking at his face, Riley seemed amused. Riley said,
“You seem to have a lot of margins to spare? Are you considering your options?”
“…?!”
“Everything you can do, everything you can use… It would be best for you to try them all.”
Before Rebethra realized, Riley’s voice was coming from his back. Rebethra gasped for air. He saturated his hand with purple light and swung it.
“I might made a mistake, controlling my power, and…”
“Kuk!”
Rebethra’s eyes were opened wide.
“… if you died, then that would be bad for me!”
As he finished speaking, Riley swung his sword. Riley cleanly avoided Rebethra’s purple light hand, and at the same time, he cross cut Rebethra’s shoulder in a long diagonal line.
“Uuuugk?!”
In an instant, his shoulder was cut off clean. Rebethra’s face filled with pain.
‘When did he move to the back?’
He gritted his teeth due to pain. To retrieve the right hand that was cut off, Rebethra quickly extended his left hand.
‘First, I must retrieve the arm! As long as I have it, I can always attach it back and handle the rest!’
He reached for it, but his left hand didn’t reach the right arm.
“I’ll hold on to this.”
From the side, Nainiae was watching Riley and Rebethra’s duel. She moved her lips a few times to use telekinesis.
“Kuk. That lass…”
His cut off arm floated up in the air and was moved away to a distance by Nainiae’s telekinesis. Rebethra’s pain stricken face turned toward Nainiae.
“Well done.”
Riley would not have had any problems even if Nainiae hadn’t done this, but to maintain the mood, Riley praised Nainiae and proceeded to his next move.
“Your other arm. I’ll cut that one clean off from you as well.”
The voice was coming from right in front of his nose. Rebethra cringed and quickly used another ability. He managed to barely dodge the sword with white flame that came at him to cut off his left arm.
‘Is it a teleportation?’
It didn’t allow him to move long distance like Nainiae. However, regardless, Riley realized Rebethra could teleport a short distance. Finding it to be a bother, he clicked his tongue.
‘From the looks of it, this bastard doesn’t just have a few tricks?’
Rebethra was using the supernatural powers that were used by espers from Riley’s past life. Riley gave a look to Nainiae who was standing behind him. He then started to chase after Rebethra who drew a distance using teleportation.
‘First, there is the black space which can be used to hide or reveal one’s body. Second, there is the hand of black energy that could be drawn from the black space. Third, he can launch something invisible. The teleportation makes four…’
Thinking about the abilities Rebethra had demonstrated so far, he felt something flying at him again. Riley swung his sword.
Phang!
Phang!
Something invisible collided with Riley’s sword and popped with explosive sounds.
‘In addition, he probably still has the abilities he had as an old man. Back then, the abilities that he might have possessed are…’
Using the soul like thing of the dark mage who was killed at the Rainfield, Rebethra attached it to the corpse of Astroa. Remembering this, Riley swung his sword and moved in.
“Damn it. If I knew you were such a hindrance… I should have eliminated you back then.”
Watching Riley gradually closing the distance, Rebethra muttered quietly as he narrowed his eyes. Amused, Riley laughed through his nose and said,
“That’s my line. Why are you telling me that instead?”
Long ago, Riley had seen that Rebethra had placed Priesia, the Priestess of this world who lacked quick senses, in the front. Since then, Riley had guessed that the old man must have had some ulterior motive at least. However, it seemed the look on Riley’s face was saying that he had made a mistake. Riley said,
“Well, I enjoyed all of the expensive gifts you served up to me, but… As I thought, eliminating you would have been the right move. I have become quite complacent compared to the past. I was thinking about getting free gifts by keeping a rotten one alive.”
Something invisible came towards Riley again. He cut it and caused yet another explosive sound. Riley swung his sword at Rebethra who was just standing there.
“Hm. I’m sorry, Young Master, but a second time…”
Riley closed the distance in an instant and swung his sword. Rebethra laughed through his nose, formed a visible layer around himself and said that.
However,
“… Kuk?!”
Rebethra was not able to finish the sentence.
‘What the? Why is the barrier?!’
Along a diagonal line, Riley’s Holy Sword engulfed in flame cut through everything, including the barrier and his chest. Riley glanced at his Holy Sword.
‘This rascal… Although it was transported to this world, it is just like the old times?’
Riley was comparing how it was in the past life and this life, and… he concluded that it was the same. As if the sword was responding to his question, the sword expanded the white flame.
‘Unlike you, I… I am not sure if I changed or stayed the same.’
The Holy Sword’s name was Salvation.
‘If you are the same as before…’
In Riley’s past life, the Holy Sword existed to hunt down the espers who gave up on being humans and the demons who were called the mortal enemies of humanity. The Holy Sword had two distinct advantages.
‘… then you should be able to handle this!’
Riley injected the Salvation with his mana. He then swung the sword at Rebethra who was trying to form another barrier.
“Kuk. Huuurrrk?!”
With Riley’s mana, the Salvation exuded blue light. The sword was swung in diagonal direction while waving its white flame in the air.
“H… How?!”
Rebethra was shocked. Along with his barrier, his chest was torn apart.
‘… It is the same.’
The first advantage that the Salvation had was that it was an incredibly sturdy sword that could handle being swung while being endowed with Riley’s mana.
“How come… why isn’t the reflect working?”
The second advantage was that the sword could neutralize the powers of espers and demons from his past life.
“Reflect? Was there an ability like that?”
“…?”
Riley walked toward Rebethra, grabbed him by the collar, cringed one of his eyes and asked,
“Never mind that. Now, spill it out.”
“…”
“You lost, so act like a loser. Just answer the questions that the winner asks.”
Rebethra was glaring at Riley. Rebethra snorted.
“You are laughing?”
“You closed the distance between us. That’s a mistake, Young Master.”
“What?”
“Please go to hell first and wait there. That maid lass, that corpse bitch… I’ll send them all to your side soon, so…”
With those words, Rebethra’s body melted down as if it became molten rubber. After that, as if he was an egg on the verge of hatching, his skin started to protrude all over and shake.
‘Ugh, this bastard is really…’
Watching this, Riley crumpled his face.
“Is self-destruction… the final move that you chose?”
“…”
“Well, I thought you would use some other moves, but you are giving up pretty fast.”
Riley noticed that Rebethra was intending to self-destruct and sacrifice his body in the process. However, Riley didn’t let go of the collar. He merely stared at Rebethra with thinly opened eyes.
“This is it for me too.”
Holding Rebethra with his left hand, Riley lifted his right hand which wielded the Salvation.
“If you won’t spill out the answers willingly, then I have no choice but to force you to.”
‘… What?’
Rebethra was at the brink of explosion. His face was mashed up beyond recognition, but he floated a question mark on his face.
“… Khuuuuk?!”
Along with the sound of a sword piercing the flesh, Rebethra’s face turned back to its original handsome form. Rebethra’s face was filled in pain.
Tadac Tadac…
A sword had pierced his chest. Rebethra looked at the flame that was burning in full force on the sword. It seemed that he had finally realized it. Rebethra glared at Riley.
‘It cannot be?’
“You finally figured it out?”
Riley let go of him from his left hand. He raised up his right hand which wielded the Salvation. Looking at Rebethra who was in the air and had been pierced by the Salvation, Riley said,
“This is the Sword of the World Below that you bastards desperately searched for.”
Riley used his left hand to draw the spare sword he had on his waist. He then used the sword to brush the blade edge of the Salvation.
“I’ll give you a chance.”
The other sword caught white flames just like the Salvation. Riley used the other sword and poked at Rebethra’s chin as he muttered. Riley suddenly threw the sword to the front.
“Are you going to tell me yourself?”
The sword spun in the air as it flew through. Its handle struck the body of a tree, made a blunt noise and started to come back.
“Otherwise…”
The spare sword came flying toward Riley. It had pierced the black hand that was slowly approaching Riley from the back.
“Would you like to have all of your memories drawn and become a fool?”
The giant black hand that was formed from combining all other hands earlier… had been pierced by the spare sword which was burning in white flame. As if the hand had become just a stone, it became stiff. It was not moving as Rebethra wanted.
“…”
“What are you doing?”
Riley’s Salvation was piercing his chest as if Rebethra’s body was a part of kabab. Rebethra looked at the Salvation and his black hand had been immobilized due to being pierced by the spare sword. Rebethra started to grind his teeth.
“You bastard…”
“Ah, you are done. You are done, so…”
Riley waved his hand at Rebethra as if he was done with Rebethra. With his eyes saturated with murderous intent, Riley asked Rebethra,
“… Helena.”
“…”
Rebethra’s lips shook.
“Helena. Where is that woman now. What is she up to… What is she eating, who did she meet… Everything you know, everything you can guess, things you don’t know… You will have to tell me everything in detail.”