A long spear was ant to be wielded with both hands, unlike its short counterpart, which could be wielded with just one. Whether accelerating, braking, or changing direction, handling a spear over two ters long left no alternative.
To master a polearm, one needed to use not only its blade but also its shaft to perfection. Cutting, thrusting, striking, pushing, and spinning—these were the techniques of spearplay. Berger was a master ranked among the very best A-rank rcenaries in both experience and skill.
Parrying a thrust aid at his temple with a clang, Leon found himself impressed anew by the flawless technique. Even wielding the spear with one arm, Berger maintained a sharp, relentless offense.
This wasn’t so sloppy imitation by a monster. It was the distilled essence of a spear that Berger, the veteran, had mastered through countless battlefields.
Still, Leon could tell the strength was lacking compared to when it was used with both hands. With his concentration honed over the dozens of exchanges, he was able to pick out that flaw.
The reason a spear was so fearso in close combat was simple. It could unleash several powerful attacks in quick succession with minimal movent, all without giving the opponent a chance to respond.
Even if a swordsman blocked or dodged, they couldn’t close the distance in just one or two tries. At least three or four, sotis six or seven exchanges, even risking their lives, were needed to even the odds.
“Hup!”
On his fifth step forward, Leon exhaled sharply. One more step to go. At last, spear and sword were on equal terms. Soon, the balance would tip.
The monster in Berger’s form realized it was at a disadvantage and began to backpedal. That was a fatal mistake, one the real Berger would never have made.
In martial arts, advancing was always faster than retreating. If montum was overwheld, one should press forward, not fall back.
End it!
Leon slipped into the creature’s left side, exploiting the blind spot born of its missing arm. If both arms were intact, he would have suffered a lethal counter the mont he moved in, but with one arm, the monster was far too slow.
Deflecting the belated thrust, Leon swung in a horizontal cut. It was a checkmate that could neither be blocked nor avoided.
With a slash, a head wearing Berger’s face went flying. The sensation was unpleasant.
Leon frowned at the feeling. Just as when he had cut the arm, it was nothing like cutting a living being. It felt like slicing through tough strands of thread, not flesh, muscle, and bone, and indeed, it was. Peering at the collapsing body, he saw that the severed neck was filled with spider silk.
Ugh, that’s disgusting.
Soone with a weak stomach would have easily retched. It was a sight that provoked visceral revulsion.
That was when El-Cid chid in.
—Looks like it can use the original’s power perfectly. That’s not good.
Yeah, Leon agreed.
They had gone for exactly fifty-seven exchanges. From the mont he cut off its right arm to when he finally felled the Berger-copy, it had taken fifty-seven blows.
And that was starting with one arm already gone—aning, in terms of combat power, there was little difference from the real thing.
If they’d fought at full strength, even if Leon had won, he would have burned through a great deal of Aura. Inside the mine, without the ability to use the Stigma of the Guardian, that kind of drain could have proved fatal later. Striking first had been the best possible choice in a lot of ways.
“Brother Leon,” Geoff called.
“Ah, Sir Geoff.”
“Well fought. Thanks to you, we’ve overco a great danger.”
Geoff approached, offering sincere thanks for Leon’s actions. Seeing through the monsters disguised as Unit 14 alone ant Unit 11 owed Leon their lives. No matter how strong they were, it was hard to block or dodge a blade coming from behind.
“I’d like nothing better than to turn back right now and report this, but...” Geoff muttered, then gave a wry shake of his head. “If we returned now, the expedition would almost certainly be wiped out. Wouldn’t you agree, Brother Leon?”
“I do.”
Leon didn’t deny it. Units 8 and 11 had only been able to eliminate the monsters so easily because they’d seen through the disguises and crippled the most dangerous copy—Berger’s—with a surprise attack.
If a unit that hadn’t realized the truth were attacked, almost all of them would be killed or captured, and then their copies would appear in turn. In the worst case, the entire expedition could be replaced by monsters, escape the Great Vein, and go on a killing spree outside.
Leon shuddered at the thought. The imitation exolaw’s danger lay in the fact that one couldn’t grasp it until they’d suffered it themselves.
“We should get to the operation zone as quickly as possible,” Leon suggested. “If we get close enough for the comms to reach, we can warn anyone who hasn’t been attacked yet.”
“But couldn’t the monsters pretend to be them?” Geoff asked.
“A shallow wound would be enough to confirm it. The monsters’ bodies are made of spider silk—there’s no blood anywhere on them.”
“I see. You’re right, Brother Leon. Let’s hurry. Every second could count.”
“Yes, of course.”
The two moved at once. Under the direction of the two leaders, Units 8 and 11 departed swiftly. The bodies of the monsters that had taken Unit 14’s shape unraveled like spiderwebs, soon dissolving into nothing.
As beings not permitted to exist in this world, they vanished the mont their strength failed. With a short, shrill cry, the last of the copies disappeared.
All that remained was the aftermath of a fierce battle.
***
For the next hour, the two units worked together, cutting down every monster blocking their way. Their destination was now in sight. The eight mbers of Units 8 and 11 stopped briefly at the edge.
“This is Geoff of Unit 11. We’ve arrived at the operation zone,” Geoff said, pressing the comm device at his ear.
Ranked fifth among the Holy Iron Inquisitors, he was a veteran even within the Church’s ranks and the most senior Inquisitor active in Jugend. As expected, the mont they heard Geoff’s na, nearly ten units responded at once.
Geoff’s words carried more weight than those of any ordinary adventurer or rcenary. He was exactly the right person to issue this warning.
“Listen closely. There are monsters inside the Great Vein capable of disguising themselves as humans. When you encounter another unit, verify whether they can bleed or not. Their appearance, behavior, even their combat ability will be identical to the real thing, so it’s nearly impossible to detect them otherwise...”
Leon let him handle the explanation and turned his attention elsewhere. He felt it. It was close now. That unpleasant, prickling sensation at the nape of his neck was sothing he had experienced once before.
It’s similar to what I felt back in Blaine.
Exolaw wielders handled powers forbidden in this world, and their very existence was the polar opposite of a Hero, an agent of the world’s natural order. In a way, it was a kind of magnetism.
Like opposite poles snapping together, a Hero could instinctively sense the presence of sothing from another dinsion.
—And since you’ve got the Stigma of the Observer, you can feel them even more acutely. Don’t let your eyes slack for a second in the operation zone.
Got it.
Nodding to El-Cid’s advice, Leon caught Geoff’s shorthand signal to advance. He, however, hesitated briefly. They could wait here for the other units to arrive and strengthen their numbers, but in that ti, soone else might be captured, and the enemy’s forces would grow.
No one knew which side ti would favor. In a situation like this, it was better to trust his own strength than gamble on luck. Leon nodded once to Geoff and gave the sa hand signal to the teammates behind him. With that, the eight mbers of the expedition finally set foot inside the operation zone.
“Ah...!”
“Whoa...”
“What is this?!”
All of them, Leon and Geoff included, froze in shock.
“A mirror...?” soone murmured without realizing it.
That’s exactly what it was. The mont they entered, they were greeted by mirrors everywhere. Walls, pillars, even the floor and ceiling had transford into flawless reflective surfaces. Their movents were reflected dozens, hundreds of tis over, enough to make one dizzy.
“It’s definitely sothing from the Mirror Canyon,” Geoff said bitterly, scanning their surroundings.
Exodinsional creatures couldn’t blend into an existing ecosystem of this dinsion, so they reshaped their dwellings to their own liking. Why did the Mirror Canyon have such a na? Because one of the common traits of the creatures that dwelled there was a preference for environnts made entirely of reflective surfaces.
And these mirrors weren’t like anything made by humans. The light they emitted refracted strangely, disorienting the minds of those who looked into them, sapping focus. Their hardness, too, far exceeded ordinary glass, making them extrely difficult to destroy.
El-Cid’s voice called to Leon.
—Leon. There’s an update on this quest. Take a look.
Out of nowhere?
—It’s not out of nowhere. The Goddess doesn’t know everything about the other dinsion, either. As you gather clues, she consolidates them and supplies you with useful info.
Leon’s hand went to his sword hilt as he pulled up the information only he could see. Then, a few lines of text appeared before his eyes.
Great Vein Invader → Spider of Kaleidoscope
Difficulty: Hard
Scale: 1
Threat: Kaleido-Spider
Overseer: Leon the Hero
Eliminate the Kaleido-Spider, the exodinsional creature that escaped from the monster zone, Mirror Canyon. Also known as Kaleider for short, its body contains embedded mirrors—once it captures prey, it spins a duplicate from spider silk, using it both as bait and as an additional combat unit. It can also travel through reflective surfaces and frequently uses illusions that manipulate light and mirrors.
Leon read quickly and muttered, “Kaleider the kaleidoscope spider, huh.”
True to its exodinsional nature, it had a na he’d never heard before and abilities as troubleso as they ca.
Just the copy-making power alone was dangerous, but it had two more: the ability to move through mirrors and the power to create illusions. In a place like this, coated entirely in reflective surfaces, those abilities could easily be multiplied severalfold—perhaps even dozens of tis over.
Leon sharpened his vigilance and considered his next move. The question now was how to explain this to the others. The difference between fighting it blind and knowing even a little was enormous.
Their enemy used illusions with light and mirrors and had the ability to travel through reflective surfaces. Without that knowledge, soone was bound to get caught off guard.
He could present it as a theory and then have Sir Geoff add weight to it. Whichever way he would choose, given the possibility of the Evil Order’s involvent, revealing his true identity was already off the table. All that remained was the support of Geoff and the other Holy Iron Inquisitors.
Leon decided on his approach and opened his mouth. No, he was just about to, when, by coincidence or fate, Irexana and Bishop Cordia clashed at that exact mont, and the shockwave swept across several kiloters.
The bedrock of the mine—despite being several tis heavier and denser than normal ground—shook, and dozens of tunnels trembled as if struck by an earthquake. The spot where Leon’s group stood was no exception.
“W-woah?!”
“A-an earthquake? Now of all ti?!”
“No way that’s natural!”
Even so, not a single one of them fell over. True to their A-rank skill, they kept their balance—so even anchoring themselves in place with magic or elental spirits.
Leon used footwork to pin his center of gravity to the ground. The words on his tongue stayed there; they wouldn’t have been heard in this noise anyway.
Cardinal Irexana...?
Thanks to his mastery of Wave-Reverberation, Leon could tell that this shock wasn’t natural but a byproduct of two beings of overwhelming power colliding head-on, the rest overflow of their clash. And in the expedition, there was only one person he could think of who fit that description: Irexana.
As for who could be standing against him... Leon looked up at the ceiling, his mind chasing an unanswerable question.
“Hm...?”
It was a pure coincidence. Glancing upward without thinking, Leon saw it.
In the mirrored ceiling, through a crack from the shockwave, a spider was staring down at them. Eight pairs of eyes glinting, fangs bared, abdon aid—the gaze of a predator from another world.
“Above! The monster’s on the ceiling!” he shouted it twice as he drew the Holy Sword.
With Aura behind his voice, it tore through the din, making all seven others snap their heads upward. Eight eyes to eight eyes. The number of eyes matched, but the number of heads did not.
Realizing it had been spotted, the Kaleider hidden in the mirrored ceiling let out a vicious screech. The kaleidoscopic spider from the mirrored dinsion unleashed a silver-gray flash from beyond the glass.
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