Chapter 63: Ressal Showdown – The Final Entrant

The swordsman was clad in a jet-black haori.

The outfit served multiple purposes: to conceal the movements of his hands, to vanish into the night, and to keep bloodstains from standing out.

“……”

The silent black swordsman stood surrounded by countless corpses, cradling his sister in his arms.

So that his most precious treasure would never be stolen by anyone.

『Don’t be mistaken, Rey. The Ryoga standing here has already joined us. Forget about the vigilante leader—your target is that swordsman Karl!』

“……”

At first, the boss believed Rey attacked him because he had taken Ryoga’s form.

The idea that the ancient magic of brainwashing had already worn off hadn’t even crossed his mind. Very few even knew of this brainwashing magic he wielded.

The presence of Sakura, a healer who had properly mastered ancient recovery magic at the academic city, was far beyond his calculations.

『Now go, Rey.』

“Silence.”

Rey’s heart was bound—by himself.

No matter what happened, he was supposed to believe the words spoken to him without question.

『It’s not a lie. It’s true. Just look into my eyes—』

“I told you to be silent.”

But Rey dismissed that pitiful excuse without hesitation and quietly raised his sword toward Ryoga.

“I have no ear for the words of one who pointed a blade at my sister.”

Upon seeing those resolute eyes, the boss finally realized the truth—Rey had broken free of the brainwashing.

---

Silent Blade Rey.

He was born as the only son of the nation’s most famous adventurers.

That adventurer was the legendary swordsman Glad, famed for his unmatched swordsmanship, and his wife Fiore.

Thieves would tremble at the mere mention of their names, soldiers would revere them, and those in power would grimace as if chewing bitter insects.

『Ah… the descendant of the Hero…』

『So gallant…』

There was another reason why this couple enjoyed such overwhelming support from the people.

Both of them were adventurers who carried the blood of the Hero from centuries past.

As commoners born with abilities reminiscent of the ancient Hero, as if by atavism, they were beacons of hope to the masses.

And the couple did not betray that hope. Even if the job paid poorly, they continued to aid those truly in need.

『Rey, I know you’ll grow to be a strong swordsman, just like us.』

『…Yeah. I will.』

『That’s the spirit.』

To young Rey, the figures of his parents had appeared so large and powerful.

『Then Rey—never forget how to wield that power properly.』

『Yeah… You don’t even have to say it.』

Rey had made a vow while receiving sword training from his father.

『…My blade exists to strike down evil.』

That vow—eventually faded into a memory of his childhood past.

---

“────”

Rey looked at the face of his sister Lev, asleep in his arms.

Her face was pale, a deep gash on her neck, her shoulders shivering with labored breaths.

『Tch… They did something to her, didn’t they? Fine, then…』

“────”

Rey glanced down at the dagger he held.

The sword, gifted by his father as proof of adulthood, was now stained a dark crimson with the blood of the people.

『All units, move in—time for re-education.』

““GRAAAHHH!!!!!!”"

The soldiers who had fallen now roared once more.

Just as they had done with Karl earlier, they intended to overwhelm Rey with sheer numbers.

“────So filthy.”

The black swordsman cursed his own body, his limbs.

His being had been struck with an inescapable, hideous wedge—he could no longer face his parents.

“Filthy, filthy… my arms feel like they’ll rot off. And yet here I am, holding my sister with these hands.”

Around him, the brigands swarmed.

Yet Rey remained still, his eyes fixed on his hands in dazed silence.

“…Forgive me, Father.”

With those words, Rey slipped through a gap between two charging brigands.

He used the fact that he was wearing the attire of the outlaws to blend into their ranks.

The brigands, having suddenly lost sight of their target, fell into confusion and began striking at one another.

『You fools! What are you doing!?』

The swordsman slipped unnoticed into the enemy lines.

Against a close-quarters combat specialist like him, once inside, they stood no chance.

『Where is he!? Where did Rey go────!?』

Before long, blood sprayed in all directions from within the brigand horde.

The swordsman’s suppression had begun.

“Hang in there, Lev…”

Rey knew it. The boss of the bandits must have done something to his sister.

To save her, he had only one option—bring her to Sakura, the healer.

『Still no sign of Rey!? Useless fools!!』

The angry voice echoed behind him.

The voice of the woman he once believed had saved him—someone he had trusted, or at least thought he could trust.

“Left to rot in Ressal… used by criminals…”

There was no justice left in the blade of the Silent Sword.

Rey had fallen—become a disgrace, just another villain in the world.

“If Lev finds out what I’ve become… she’ll probably hate me…”

So what if she does? No matter how far he’s fallen, no matter how deep he sinks into darkness, Rey will save her. That alone is his truth.

Carving his way through enemy lines, the brother pressed forward, holding his sister close.

The bandits swung their swords with vacant eyes, no light behind them.

“…”

Dozens of heads flew from their shoulders—and eventually, Rey broke through the encirclement.

From here on, speed was everything. He ran, straight for Ressal.

『He broke through!? Damn you—ungrateful wretch!!』

Lev rasped for air, her hand weakly clawing at her throat.

If the wound was left untreated, infection could easily set in. It might become fatal.

Even if this town had forsaken him, this was still Rey’s homeland. Using his familiarity with the terrain, he raced through the forest, following the sun as his guide.

---

Eventually, the forest thinned—and the Silent Blade reached Ressal.

The city’s dilapidated gates loomed ahead, broken and worn down.

“Open the gate!”

“Gahhh! It’s the Silent Blade! He’s back!”

“Calm down! I’m not here to fight! I brought one of your allies!”

With that, Rey gently laid his sister down before the gate.

He knew full well that he wasn’t welcome in Ressal. And truth be told, he bore no affection for the people of the city either.

“She’s a comrade of a swordsman named Karl. Treat her with care.”

“Karl’s girl? …Yeah, I think I saw her with the guy.”

“She’s been brainwashed. Get her to one of Karl’s healers. Immediately.”

With those words, Rey stood up again.

“I have no more business here. I’m leaving her in your hands.”

“Wait, hey—hold on!”

His duty as her brother was done.

Lev had already found a place for herself. There was no room for someone like him—a fallen man, a criminal.

“…Now I’ll go settle things with her.”

Casting one final, lingering glance at his sister, Rey turned.

He gripped his bloodied sword tightly—and ran back into the forest.

---

『You were being controlled by a necromancer.』

Maika──the girl who was one of Lev’s companions──said so.

『I... I...! What have I done...』

『Regret can wait. Your little sister is still being held by the bandits.』

『...!』

Maika quickly relayed the situation to the now-clearheaded Rey.

『...I'll kill her. That woman will be rust on my blade!!』

『No. That sorcerer... even if you kill her, she won’t die. They say she can possess the one who kills her.』

『What!?』

Maika asked only one thing of Rey: to rescue Lev and bring her back.

Because Rey had originally been brainwashed by the bandits, they couldn’t risk him getting killed or—worse—falling under their control again now that he’d finally joined their side.

『As long as Lev comes back, we can deal with the rest somehow.』

『...Understood. Leave my sister to me.』

And Rey, true to his word, fulfilled that promise.

He charged into enemy territory alone, rescued Lev, and brought her safely back to Ressal.

---

With that, he had repaid his debt to his family.

All that remained was to『make the Boss pay』.

Rey concealed himself in the forest, holding his breath.

His goal was singular: the boss of the bandit tribe──currently,『Ryoga』.

────They say that when the Boss failed to possess Karl, she muttered, "At this rate, I’ll disappear."

So yes, there was a way to kill her.

It was to sever her head before she noticed, then escape before being pursued.

If no living beings were around her,『the Boss would die, unable to possess anyone else』.

"I’ll ambush her from the trees, kill her, and escape through the canopy."

But Rey’s plan meant killing an innocent girl—Identify as Ryoga.

Still, there was no other way to destroy the bandit tribe.

────The girl who called herself Ryoga was already broken.

Because it was Rey himself who had killed her brother.

"My blade is already drenched in sin."

There was no way he could force such a cruel task onto Karl and the others.

The burden of cutting down someone innocent was one Rey had to bear alone.

Because he no longer had pride or honor left to protect.

"Staining myself further won’t change anything now."

And so, Rey became an assassin hidden in the forest.

......

......

"......"

Hours passed in his search.

Still concealed among the trees, Rey finally spotted Ryoga without alerting the bandits.

『That ungrateful wretch. Absolutely insufferable.』

The Boss was in a foul mood.

She casually decapitated a nearby soldier, watched him regenerate, and reveled in the moment.

Looking closer, the bandit soldiers all had a dull, lifeless hue to their skin. It was a wonder they’d even been perceived as alive.

It was likely that even that perception had been warped by magic.

『Fine. We’ll all head to Ressal and crush them. I still have plenty of magic to spare. I’ll show those fools who mocked me what true hell looks like.』

The Boss's words were bloodthirsty and ominous.

If the bandit tribe attacked Ressal with full force, the damage would be catastrophic.

Even the swordsman Karl would be overrun in the end by sheer numbers.

So there was no choice. Ryoga had to die.

『Kihihihihihi!! Go on, all of you────』

Ryoga hadn’t noticed him.

This was the moment. Rey stayed low in the shadows, tightly gripping his sword.

"......Oraaa!!"

The moment Ryoga stepped into striking range, he launched forward, slashing his short sword with all his might.

『Kihi, I figured you’d be coming around now.』

"Wh—!?"

The instant he charged toward Ryoga, a horde of soldiers closed in, as if lying in wait.

He’d been outplayed.

『Didn’t you say it yourself before? That assassination is your strongest fighting style?』

"...Boss..."

『So I left just the kind of opening you’d want. I know everything about you, Rey.』

The sorceress sneered, a twisted grin on her face, as she looked down on Rey now surrounded by bandits.

『I already wrung everything out of you when I turned you into my puppet.』

"...You damn—!!"

Yes, during his brainwashing, all of Rey’s strategies had been exposed.

You had to hand it to her—this was the woman who’d grown the bandit tribe into what it was now. Her meticulousness was no joke.

"I’ve come to kill you, Boss."

『How sad. Just a while ago, you were so loyal.』

"I could tear myself apart just thinking how I let myself become your puppet."

『Such a waste. I still have plenty of use for you, you know.』

Even with the ambush failed, Rey remained calm.

After all, no matter how many of the bandit's goons came at him, they were no match for him.

『Come on, Rey. Let’s go back to how things were—kill people, trample over everything, and live freely. No rules, just pleasure.』

"Yeah, exactly. I’m going to kill you and trample you underfoot right here and now."

『Don’t be so cold. We were comrades, weren’t we?』

"Do you really still think I’m one of yours?"

Yes—his hand had been fully exposed.

But that wasn’t a reason to give up.

"I’ll say it again. I’m here to kill you and bring an end to the bandit tribe."

『Then let me declare this: in a few minutes, you’ll be kneeling before me again, begging to serve.』

---

And so, the man and the great evil faced off.

A clash of pride, a life-or-death duel, was about to—

"Can I take that as mutual consent?"

"...Huh?"

"The duel you’ve declared—allow me to act as your official referee!!"

Just as their fierce declarations were hurled, a bold, confident voice rang out across the battlefield.

Rey, confused by this unexpected intrusion, glanced around—

And there she was.

A single girl had appeared out of nowhere, dashing boldly into the middle of the fight.

『...Eh? Who even are you?』

"Uh... what the hell?"

"I am a wandering official referee of true duels! The one who presides over fair and honorable combat!!"

Rey recognized her.

She was the noblewoman who’d been captured by Lev and Karl’s party...

"I shall provide a battlefield worthy of this duel—a final clash befitting warriors of destiny!!"

"...What?"

"It shall be a contest born of ancient tradition. No uncouth magic—just your own bodies clashing in a trial of might! The festival of warriors!!"

With a proud flourish and a fearless smile, she raised her arms skyward—as if in prayer—and cried out:

"Ancient coliseum, ANTIQUE—bloom now and rise: COLOSSEUM!!!"

At that moment—

A shimmering blue barrier silently rose around her, beautiful and majestic.