WHOOSH!!!

The rules of the battle are simple.

CLANG!

Get hit by the enemy once, and you lose. Land a blow on the enemy once, and you win.

Victory means living.

Losing means death.

This applies to both Kalakuta and I, and we swing our weapons with this thought prominent in our mind.

Although I am at a massive disadvantage in this fight, I can see myself slowly keeping up with him. This isn't due to his speed falling, but because I am already breaking down his technique.

Kalakuta isn't a complicated fighter.

He's big, strong, and fast, but he doesn't have a sophisticated Martial Technique, unlike me.

This is my only benefit.

'Although keeping up with him is nearly impossible, I can somehow predict his attacks thanks to the simplicity of it all.'

Having this in mind, I challenge myself to keep going despite already reaching my limit.

The moment I feel out of breath or overwhelmed, I increase the gap of teleportation to the extreme, which buys me time to reclaim my senses.

But this doesn't last very long.

If I stay away from him for too long, he'll use his long-range attack.

But short-range melee is just as deadly.

One hit is enough to shatter my bones and place me out of commission. In fact, I feel many deep aches in my body already.

But I have to continue.

Persevere!

I must persevere, no matter what!

'Guh! I'm reaching my limit with Tracing…'

In the first place, there's meant to be a one or two second break between every use of Tracing if I consider shifting my Second Layer with the Minute Layer.

Minute Layer to an Hour Layer requires at least a minute break.

Hour Layer to Day Layer requires at least several minutes to an hour as a cooldown before I can do so again.

I can bypass these breaks, but it wears down on my Existence and allows me to hit my limit much faster.

In the past, such extremes would have simply led to 'Failure,' which often gave me intense pains or even made me pass out. But after my experience with the Ciel's Cadre 5 Magivores, I have felt some rejuvenation that delays that moment of 'Failure.'

This further increased when I reached the peak of Rank 1.

But…

'I have been breaking the rules for too long. It's catching up to me. I am teleporting faster than I can recuperate.' I clench my teeth and glare at the opponent.

'It's now or never! I have to seize the window of opportunity that exists in his predictable style.' I hurriedly make my move. 'Only by exploiting this flaw can I make a comeback and shift the flow of the battle to my favor.'

The only reason I haven't tried this yet is the possibility that all his moves could be feints.

Normally, I'd take more time to analyze his patterns and ensure certainty.

But that isn't a luxury I can afford this time.

'Tyrrion and Enrydral are already on the shore, and if I don't end this quickly, they'll be taken away right under my nose.'

I have to do it!

I have to make my move…

'... NOW!'

I vanish from my position and appear right beneath him, utilizing a sweeping motion to target his exposed legs.

But he drops his club to the ground and blocks the attack immediately.

'I'm not done yet!'

I sharply dart backward, slashing behind him with all my might, but his skin easily deflects it.

Then, he swings his club at me with full strength.

I watch as it trails horizontally at me, reaching to crush my head with its might.

A broad smile forms on my face.

'Perfect!'

In a final burst of Conception, I use Tracing to appear away a few inches from my previous position.

A few inches away from the club.

Within the horizontal line which it has already traversed.

With inertia on my side, I already know Kalakuta's strike won't return to me, and since he is now in point-blank range, his body has been left wide open.

'This is the end!'

With a murderous gleam flashing in my eyes, I send my blade charging towards his eye once more.

However—

"Hehe…" A loud chuckle suddenly echoes amidst the silence, and I watch as Kalakuta's other fist strikes my Armament, shattering into pieces.

'W-what—?!'

He then grabs one in a flash and stabs me with it—right in my stomach.

'T-this guy…!'

I was wrong about him.

I thought I was reading his simple moves, and that he didn't have any sophisticated technique.

But I was wrong.

It was all his scheme to place me in this position.

He fooled me!

"Guh!"

I fall to my knees, paralyzed.

The spread of the poison is one thing, but my accumulated exhaustion and the pain of near-failure also amplifies my condition.

There is no doubt about it.

I am dying here.

'I was too hasty. If I had just held on for a little longer, I would have figured out he was trying to trick me. No, there's no use thinking that way. I couldn't have held on for that long anyway…' Numerous thoughts swirl within me as I slowly lose consciousness.

Once again, I hear Kalakuta's voice before I succumb to the darkness. It is soft and calm, almost distant.

"What a shame. We could have been comrades..."

Then, I awake once more.

Just as before, I regress and find myself on the same ship, basically a minute away from the shore.

At this moment, there is a lot to think about.

'I can't win against Kalakuta in a fight. I can't run. I can't hide.' A solemn expression remains on my face.

Throughout my previous Regressions, I discovered mistakes in my reasoning and action that allowed me to make more effective choices in the next turn.

But this time, I am simply shrouded with utter confusion.

Kalaluta is simply too strong.

Not only does he have brute strength and nigh invulnerability, but he also has the advantage of numbers, a higher Grade Armament, strong intellect, and I am certain he is hiding his Martial Technique.

Rather than me unraveling his so-called simple style, it turns out he was unraveling my own.

I judged him too much based on his outward appearance and actions. But I will not be deceived any longer.

Kalakuta is no brute.

He must also be a Knight—a High Rank one, at the very least! He could even be on the level of a Royal Knight.

That means he is at least on the same level as me or even better at me in terms of combat.

If I had time to prepare and a sufficient opportunity to scheme, I could surely prevail, but the Regression keeps bringing me back to this point of no return.

It's so strange.

I normally have many options at my disposal.

But for the first time since this Trial Scenario began, it feels like I am truly trapped.

'Hmm…'

My eyes narrow as our ship finally reaches shore and I cast my gaze on the coastal rocks and cliff up ahead.

'Trapped, huh? What if that's the point?'

Just like clockwork, not too long after making our way to the shore, Kalakuta and his warriors appear, and they surround us.

"Greetings, everyone. We are the Freedom Fighters, here to liberate you from the tyranny of the corrupt government. My name is Kalaluta, and you have my word that if you surrender, no harm will come to you!"

My eyes immediately widen.

'Of course!'

So this was it all along!

'The checkpoint is this shore because this isn't a dead end or dangerous event, but the next phase of the Trial Scenario! I'm not supposed to fight, but follow this man.'

At first, I didn't believe in his words to spare us—or at least me—but after seeing his actions in the previous rounds, I am more inclined to trust them.

Besides, I've already tried to resist and it didn't end well for me.

There really is no point in fighting.

I'll lose.

'So instead of killing his warriors and ruining my chances at reconciliation, it's better that I surrender now and live to fight another day.'

I can scheme as much as I want after passing this hurdle.

"We… surrender."

*******

Just as I predicted, Kalakuta spares our lives and shows no animosity towards us after surrendering.

He doesn't even tie us up or treat us harshly.

He does confiscate my Armaments, which is completely understandable, but I find his amiable personality very disturbing. This isn't at all what I pictured this man to be like.

"We'll be returning to our current base; the place that used to be known as the Northern Empire. The three of you will be coming with us." Kalakuta tells us, and I solemnly agree.

Tyrrion and Enrydral are shocked by my meek attitude, and I don't blame them. Even Kalakuta must be stunned that I'm being so cooperative.

But this is all to preserve our lives.

'Even now, after observing him for so long, I see no opening…' I sigh to myself. 'Not only is this man very cautious, but he is also nigh invincible.'

What a conundrum.

Not too long after capture, we finally set sail to the seas. Just as I predicted, they took a route around No Man's Land, using the western bank.

Then, they cut into the Northern Empire's territory. After landing, we take the carriages awaiting us there.

Since the place we arrived at is a lush forest, the horses left behind have more than enough food to eat.

Thus, they remained healthy enough to ride to the Northern Empire's Capital.

Or rather, what it used to be.

On our way there, we pass by several towns and cities, with the people expressing great joy and even greeting Kalakuta with immense vigor when they see him passing.

They call his name like he is a hero.

A savior.

A champion of humanity.

His men also look at him warmly, their eyes filled with hidden praise and deep respect.

I can tell.

'They're grateful to him. I see…'

It seems the people of the Empire prefer Kalakuta's reign to the Emperor's rule. I am not too surprised about that, seeing as I already met the latter and it was an underwhelming experience.

We finally reach the Capital—The Imperial Palace more specifically—and all three of us are separated.

I don't even know where the others are kept, as I was never taken to their rooms.

I'm not sure that Kalakuta knows how my Tracing works, but he must have guessed that I wouldn't know which room to appear in if I didn't know where they were.

It relies on an incorrect basis, but it is effective nonetheless.

As for the quality of the room itself… It's good. It's simply one of the guest rooms in the Imperial Palace.

The bed is large and exquisite, with curtains and a canopy hanging above it. It is painted in deep blue and purple, with a carpet that seems to bustle with luxury.

Such an extravagant design for a guest room.

And such a room has been given to someone like me—a prisoner.

I was honestly expecting something like a jail cell, but seeing as Kalakuta did not treat us as prisoners, perhaps I should have expected this outcome.

I rest in my room while staring at the ceiling.

The room has an exquisite design on brand with the ancient royalty of ancient times.

I can even understand some of the murals.

But none of them draw my attention for long.

Not when I am in such deep thought.

'Just as I suspected, this is the correct route. I can only take my time and learn about my enemy as much as I can.'

As I would come to find out, this turned out to be the best decision I could have made.

Because after a week…

… Kalakuta invited me to a private discourse.

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