A calm atmosphere surrounded the white-haired man as he quietly revealed himself within the cave.
There was no need for anyone else to explain who he was.
Kron Illusion.
One of the executives of Avatarara who appeared in the final battle of the original story.
What I could say for sure about him was this:
“First of all, standing here might tire you out, so how about we go inside and talk?”
He had the most peculiar personality among all the characters in the original story.
“You are….”
“Oh, I didn’t introduce myself. My name is Kron Illusion. I’m an executive in Avatarara. Nice to meet you.”
With an aura as fragile as someone who couldn’t even kill an ant, he always spoke in polite terms, even when he recognized his opponent as a threat.
Sofia and Leon had initially held hopes that perhaps they could end things amicably upon meeting him.
Yet, his words and actions were purely superficial.
All to thoroughly conceal his true nature.
“Why do we have to talk to you?”
Kron pondered for a moment at Helen’s logical question before opening his mouth.
“…It’s true that I’m from Avatarara. And you are with Astria, so I understand why you’d be hesitant to converse. To put it simply, we are in an antagonistic relationship.”
Kron began methodically explaining his thoughts.
“But could that be a reason not to talk? No matter how much we may be enemies, having a conversation could help us find some common ground.”
His words were undoubtedly sound logic.
That is, until that statement was made.
“If we play our cards right, perhaps we can create a result where everyone can smile?”
“With what face are you saying that…!”
It was Reina who shouted at those words, not me.
The emotion reflected in Reina’s purple eyes, biting her lip, was undoubtedly fury.
Yet, even as Kron noticed that gaze, he simply smiled.
“Did I say something wrong?”
He wore a smile as if nothing was amiss.
“How can you say that…!”
“Calm down, Reina.”
“But Aike, right now that guy…!”
“We mustn’t get worked up. That’s exactly what he wants.”
Kron Illusion.
His fragile presence and gentle smile were all just a façade to hide his true self.
“Kron Illusion. There’s no need to hide any further.”
And his true nature was clear.
“Excuse me?”
“Even if you manage to resolve this through conversation, you won’t be satisfied, will you? No matter what happens, you want to fight us and kill us with genuine intentions.”
A murderer who finds pleasure in killing an enemy after a fierce battle.
“…Heh. So Dait’s words were true after all.”
Unlike Helen, who thrived in the thrill of battle, he took joy in the very act of ending someone’s life.
He even welcomed death, relishing the thought of possibly dying at the end of a fierce struggle, unlike other executives who cursed the Empire till the very end.
“Well then, I guess since we’ve met like this, let me introduce myself again.”
Kron lowered his head with a smirk.
At that moment, a chilling aura began to ooz out.
“I am from Avatarara. My name is Kron Illusion. I’m curious to see how much fun you can provide me.”
“Reina, the Sealing Stone!”
“I’ve already prepared it.”
Before we knew it, Reina was holding the Sealing Stone.
A transparent curtain rapidly unfolded, and we arranged our formation as we had discussed before heading to Ethiopia.
Although we lacked Charlotte, making our setup somewhat flawed, we didn’t have time to complain about that fact.
We had no choice but to make swift judgments and act at every moment.
“Hmm?”
Kron Illusion possessed the ability of physical mutation as a Demon.
His entire body could freely transform into that of a magical beast.
The combined attack of a beast’s body with human technique was indeed a lethal strike.
Of course, we absolutely must not allow him to use that ability.
“…It really doesn’t work, does it?”
The Sealing Stone appeared to be operating normally.
That alone boosted our hopes of survival, and I felt truly relieved.
“The king mentioned there would surely be a countermeasure, and it seems he was right.”
However, Kron simply smiled as if nothing happened.
In fact, he appeared to be pleased.
“Do you know? I don’t mind how I defeat my opponent as long as I can kill them.”
Those words were undoubtedly reminiscent of something I had seen before.
Naturally.
What he was saying now was the exact line used when facing Sofia and Leon back in the original story.
This was after his abilities as a demon had been sealed by the Holy Sword.
“If I had to choose my favorite, it would be this.”
As if responding to Kron’s words, the space began to distort.
And what revealed itself from that distortion was…
“Then let’s fight with all our might from now on.”
A spear that was ominously red.
★
I realized it the moment Neia’s lance clashed with Kron’s.
Even if it was 4:1, I absolutely could not afford to let my guard down.
“You all are quite impressive, more than I expected.”
What a ridiculous statement.
Rather than a compliment, it felt more like mockery.
I held the frontline while Helen maneuvered for openings, with Atal healing all the wounds Kron inflicted.
Even with Reina’s magic, which should have slowed his movements or made him dizzy, we couldn’t secure any real advantage over him.
“Especially you, Aike Akses. Your tactics are really amusing.”
“Guhh…!”
The red spear tried to exploit my openings.
But I managed to either just barely evade the attacks or deflect them.
“Hah!”
And while I was holding my ground, Helen tried to land a punch from the side, but Kron naturally swung his spear to knock her fist away.
“I guess trusting the people behind you allows you to move like that, doesn’t it?”
Damn.
A spear is fundamentally characterized by thrusting attacks.
Then, when a swordsman and a spear-wielder face off, who would have the advantage?
It was obvious that due to the difference in range, the spear-wielder would have the upper hand.
Moreover, just like a swordsman can thrust depending on the situation, a spear can also be used to slash.
In a sense, it could be called a superior weapon to a sword.
Of course, there are ways a swordsman could win.
If they can slip inside and evade the spear’s tip.
Since a spear lacks a blade, both attacking and defending become difficult.
But that’s only true if the swordsman is overwhelmingly more skilled than the spear-wielder.
If both are of equal skill, there’s no way the spear-wielder would let the distance close.
In other words, even in a situation of 4:1, our inability to exploit even Kron’s openings clearly indicated that our own skill level was lacking.
“Hah, hah.”
I could feel my breath starting to grow heavier.
No matter how much Healing Magic I had, it naturally wouldn’t completely restore my stamina.
“If I intentionally expose my openings to lure the opponent to strike at them, I’m aware beforehand that I can either avoid or minimize the damage allowed. If the opponent chooses another area to attack, I can defend against that as well. Some might call it foolish, but it’s a solid strategy.”
Kron was correct.
The kind of movements achievable only by a genius were impossible for me.
But the companions by my side, and the enemies we faced, were all geniuses.
To keep up with them, I had to carve out my own path, and what I had come up with was this method.
Never taking the initiative to attack first.
Instead, I purposely exposed openings to draw the opponent’s attacks, countering them based on the situation.
Had I already been figured out?
“Especially in a situation like this, honestly, it would be tough for anyone to break through.”
Yet while he said that, Kron toyed with his spear, appearing far more relaxed than us.
Damn.
Even without Charlotte here…
“Is the gap this wide…?”
I grit my teeth in frustration.
I definitely needed to obtain some support from the Empire.
Of course, that didn’t mean I thought we were bound to lose.
But that didn’t mean there was a clear path to victory.
If Charlotte arrives here first while we’re holding on, that would be fortunate, but if Rex showed up to help Kron?
That would be a situation I couldn’t even begin to imagine—truly the worst-case scenario.
“Well, setting that aside, Aike Akses. I have one thing I’m curious about regarding you.”
Kron deflected Helen’s punch, piercing through my shoulder as he began to speak.
How could he maintain such composure in this 4:1 situation, where, in any case, wounds were accumulating?
I couldn’t fathom it.
“As you are Aike Akses, but at the same time not Aike Akses, how does it feel pretending to fool everyone around you?”
…What?
“If what the king said is true, you’re Aike Akses, but not really, right?”
What does that even mean?
Dait must think I’m from the future.
From the look you’re giving me, it’s almost like…
“And now you’re kicking and screaming in a bid to save your precious person.”
It felt like he knew I had possessed Aike somehow.
“What should I say? What a comical story.”
As Kron said that, he was clearly mocking me.
