Chương 33: Chapter 23:"Stardust Festival Day 3: The Great Escape — Yu Flees, Vester Pursues"

I don't know if it was because he was startled by my sudden change in appearance, but the enemy in front of me froze and took no action until I pointed my [Qi Sword] at him. The moment the blade was leveled at him, he seemed to snap back to reality and hurriedly began preparing his next attack spell. But he was too slow. I was already moving. With my body enhanced by Qi, my speed was far beyond what an average mage could react to. I slipped into his guard instantly.

Killing him outright felt wrong, so I intentionally dulled the edge of the Qi Sword. However, I poured all my anger into the strike and smashed the blunt blade into him with full force. With a dull thud, the sword connected cleanly with his torso. The enemy was sent flying spectacularly. He didn't twitch after landing. It seemed he was knocked unconscious. Good. In that state, the Magic Corps or someone else can capture him later.

Having eliminated the immediate threat, I scanned the surroundings to grasp the situation. Most people were fleeing in a panic, and some were heading toward the few available exits. But the largest group of attackers had gathered there, blocking the escape routes. Near one exit, I could see Argus fighting while surrounded by numerous enemies. The man using explosion magic seemed to be enjoying his cruel slaughter as much as ever. From what I could see, no one seemed to have noticed my transformation.

Amidst the chaos and the poor visibility caused by the dust clouds, it was fortunate that few people were paying attention to me. Well, that's fine. Soon, squads from the Magic Corps and Sword Corps would storm in to suppress the attack. It would turn into a chaotic melee with the enemy group. If we stayed here, we'd be dragged into a fierce battle. I might be fine, but I couldn't say the same for Alice, who was currently defenseless. Fortunately, aside from the one I just took down, there were no enemies nearby.

I should take her and escape while I can. Deciding this, I turned to Alice and said:"Alice. We're escaping."

"Ah, yeah." She seemed a bit absentminded, perhaps deep in thought.

"So... you might not like this, but could you get on my back?"

"Eh!?" Alice showed confusion at my sudden proposal. Naturally. Even if we knew each other, having a member of the opposite sex carry her on his back would be quite resistant. Of course, I didn't really want to do this either, but this wasn't the time to be picky.

"As you can see, it's dangerous here. We don't have time to hesitate. I can enhance my physical abilities with Qi, so I can move very fast even with you on my back. It's safer than running together." Hearing my explanation, she showed a moment of hesitation before nodding resolutely.

"I understand." Then, she laughed lightly and said jokingly.

"But don't touch any weird places, okay?" I smiled back.

"I wouldn't do that." I approached Alice, turned my back, and crouched down. I felt her softness and weight press against me as her arms wrapped around my shoulders. I grabbed her shins and stood up, supporting her firmly.

"Here we go. I'm going to move fast, so hold on tight."

"Okay." Just as I was about to move, Alice raised her voice as if she realized something.

"Ah!"

"What's wrong?"

"Has Milia not come yet?" Milia, huh. She said she couldn't come for a while because she had something to investigate, but she also said she'd come when she was done.

"Wait a second. I'll search for her Qi." I hurriedly searched the Qi of the people around us, but I couldn't feel anything that resembled Milia's. I felt relieved for the time being.

"I don't think she's here."

"I see. That's good. Then it's just us." But my relief was momentary; I realized a certain possibility and shuddered. If she had come to this place and was already dead, naturally, I wouldn't be able to feel her Qi. But either way, the living Milia didn't seem to be here. In this desperate situation, I couldn't choose to search for her aimlessly. I could only pray for her safety. Let's go.

Instead of heading for any of the exits or the player entrances to the east and west, I sprinted toward the edge of the arena where there were fewest enemies.

"Where are you going!? The exit isn't that way. How are you planning to escape?" Alice asked worriedly from my back. It was a natural question. Of course, I had a reason.

"Near the exits is dangerous because there are too many enemies. We're going to cut through the spectator seats and escape from the top."

"How? It's really high." The edge of the Coliseum wasn't walled off, so physically, it was possible to get out from there. However, as Alice said, it was quite high—probably over ten meters. Normally, jumping down from there would be reckless, no different from suicide. But that was only if an ordinary person tried it. For me, with my high Qi, it was manageable.

"It's simple. We just jump down. With my legs reinforced, I'll be fine."

"Hmm. I see. So Qi can do things like that. Certainly, that would be impossible unless you were carrying me. If I tried that with you, I'd die."

"Exactly—I'm jumping!" Reaching the edge of the arena, I easily leaped over the outer wall with a single step. I jumped from below the spectator seats all the way to the third tier in one go and landed without issue. In my male form, I didn't need to borrow the power of the wind to scale the wall like in the match. Well, I couldn't even if I wanted to. Glancing at the attackers who couldn't react to my speed at all, I dashed up the stairs furiously.

It seemed like we could escape successfully at this rate—until that moment. I felt the presence of the guy who used explosion magic approaching rapidly. It seemed he was chasing after us. I was desperate to look ahead and didn't have the leeway to check behind. So I asked Alice.

"Can you look behind us? Is a strange man approaching!?" She turned around as instructed and immediately whispered loudly in my ear.

"He's coming! The man with orange hair! And he's moving as fast as us!"

"Dammit! I knew it! Of all people, the most dangerous one! If he pins us down, we're finished! We're breaking through!" Feeling panicked, I ran up the stairs at full speed. The top was just there.

"Be careful! He looks like he's going to use some magic!"

"Got it!" Unlike when I was a woman, I couldn't sense Magic Power at all. Unless I looked directly at the opponent's behavior, I wouldn't know the type of magic, or even if he was using it. In this crisis, information from Alice was literally worth our lives. Now that she mentioned it, the air ahead felt strangely stagnant. No way, is it coming there? With a bad premonition, I instantly changed course. Instead of jumping straight out of the Coliseum, I leaped diagonally forward to the left.

Immediately after, a massive explosion roared at the position where we would have been. If we had kept going—we both would have been instantly killed.

"Whoa!"

"Kyaa!" Although we avoided a direct hit, the blast wave from close range knocked us off balance. I tried to recover, but ended up landing on the ground far below while pitching slightly forward. Thud! A loud landing sound was accompanied by a sharp pain. The impact was significant because I landed in a somewhat unreasonable posture.

"Guh... ouch..."

"Are you okay?" Alice on my back rubbed my cheek with a worried voice.

"Manageable. More importantly—" I glared backward. There stood the figure of that guy, who had jumped from the top of the Coliseum just like us and landed without issue. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

"He got us. He caught up."

"Ah...!" The man approached us with bloodshot eyes. Just from his appearance, it was clear he was quite insane. I directed maximum vigilance toward him. While backing away slowly to keep distance as he approached, I glanced around to check the situation just in case. Perhaps because a high alert had already been issued, people were sparse. The Magic Corps and Sword Corps seemed to be gathered at the entrance, so they weren't here on the opposite side. It meant we couldn't expect reinforcements.

And the fact that few people were escaping from the Coliseum—meaning most were still trapped inside and being attacked—spoke of the premeditated cruelty of this crime. This was a main street, but small streets connected nearby. If we escaped into the intricate alleys from there, could we shake him off? While I was thinking, he stopped slightly ahead of us and shouted, visibly annoyed.

"Don't run when someone has business with ya! Hey!"

"Who cares about the business of a guy who tries to kill us out of nowhere!" I said, feigning calmness as much as possible to not show an opening. Alice agreed,"That's right!" The man clicked his tongue in displeasure.

"Tch. So, you... you were a woman earlier, but became a man, right!?" Although his words were a question, his demeanor suggested he was certain. Shit. I was prepared for it, but it seemed there was someone who saw the transformation after all. And it had to be the most troublesome one.

"So what?" The man suddenly burst into loud laughter.

"Hah-ha! Interesting! Since that shitty woman said you were a person of interest, I chased you—and you're a weird one! This is something even she doesn't know!" That woman? Does he have other comrades?

"If I make you Master's experiment subject, it might be fun, huh?" Experiment subject. Hearing the very thing I feared as a possibility if my secret was exposed sent a chill down my spine. A person named 'Master' came up. Was there a mastermind behind this? It was hard to believe this violent man in front of me could draw up the plan for this organized attack.

"Who is this Master?" Then, the man flew into a rage.

"Don't you know!? The famous Master Megil, who gave me the power to rampage!" Saying that far, the man made a face like 'oops'.

"Oops, I wasn't supposed to say that right now!"

"Master Megil! I see. You guys are the Masked Group!" Alice asserted accusingly in a strong tone.

"The Masked Group!?" But this guy and the attackers weren't wearing masks at all, unlike what I heard.

"Tch. Can't help it since I slipped. This is like a disguise to hide our true objective."

"True objective!?" For that, you did such terrible things!?

"Who knows. I wasn't told that far." The man said so without hiding his irritation, floating an extremely cruel face.

"So. Since you bastards learned the secret, die!" I shuddered at the overwhelming killing intent released. This guy intends to eliminate us no matter what. —Fight or flee? I hesitated for a moment, but I couldn't fight while carrying Alice. If she was targeted, she had no means to defend against attacks nor the speed to dodge. It was too dangerous. We have to run. Judging so, I used full-power [Physical Enhancement], turned my back to the man, and sprinted like a bullet.

"If he looks like he's going to use magic, tell me immediately!"

"Roger!"

"Think I'll let you escape!" Naturally, the man chased after us. And he was fast, hard to shake off. He must be using acceleration magic like [Falspeed]. And the effect was superior. To keep up with my top speed reinforced in a male body... [Falspeed] wouldn't produce that much speed.

"Magic coming!" Alice announced. A sign of explosion near the street corner leading to a small alley. The enemy wouldn't let us escape easily. I gave up entering the alley and went straight down the main street. A loud explosion sounded right behind us.

"Again!" This time, the air right in front of us was strange. I decided to jump onto the roof of the buildings lining the side. Again, a huge explosion occurred. It easily blew away the magic lamp installed nearby. Terrifying power. I jumped from building to building along the roofs. The man chased us from behind in the same way. We gained a little distance for the time he spent using magic.

"This time, two shots!"

"What!?" I strained my eyes. The first one in front? But there was no time to confirm the second one's position. Right or left. Which one. I chose the right side on intuition and jumped off the roof. Immediately after, blasts occurred in front and to the left. It seemed we were saved, but we were still in a critical situation.

"Kuh!" Although I staggered from the blast, I managed to land without falling. Ignoring the surprised people, I ran down the street immediately. The man used explosion magic repeatedly while chasing us so as not to lose us. Although we dodged desperately, destruction occurred everywhere each time. Sometimes unrelated people got involved, making me feel unbearable. Using only explosion magic like an idiot! You're making a mess! It was simple, but frustratingly effective.

I couldn't find an effective countermeasure against that magic which was fast, wide-range, and powerful. I was desperate just dodging, and if even one hit, it was over. Moreover, we were barely managing with the two of us cooperating. And the fact that he could fire this repeatedly probably meant the Magic Power consumption was relatively low. What troublesome magic. A considerable amount of time had passed since we started fleeing.

The tension of possibly being killed at any moment wore down my spirit, and the fatigue accumulated since the match drained my stamina. If this continued, we'd be worn down. Getting caught by him was only a matter of time. So I decided to take a gamble. I called out to Alice who continued to watch him from my back.

"Alice. At this rate, we'll both be done for. I want to try something, sink or swim."

"What?"

"I'll put you down as soon as we turn the next corner, so stay a little away and close your eyes tight."

"Okay." Turning the corner and reaching a position where he couldn't see us, I lowered Alice from my back. Then, I immediately transformed into a woman. To use magic. My hair grew softly, and the familiar swell and weight returned to my chest. Alice, who saw my transformation up close, raised a voice of confusion.

"Yu... how does that work...?"

"Come on, hurry." Her surprise was justified, but I urged her without looking back as there was no time.

"Y-yeah." It seemed Alice did as I said. I waited for him at the very edge where he couldn't see me. If I missed, we'd be caught and it would be over. Failure was not an option. The tension next to death tightened my chest. It should be only a short time until he came. But while waiting, I felt the illusion that it was a torture lasting forever. Any moment now. Finally, he appeared chasing us.

"Ah!?" He must have thought we were still running away as before. The moment he turned the street, the man seemed confused for just a split second by my figure suddenly reflected in front of him. I didn't miss that slight opening. I closed my eyes too and released the aimed magic. Blind him! [Flash] With this, an intense light like a flashbang exploding should spread instantly in front of his eyes. Take this!

"Uoooooooh—!" When I opened my eyes, I saw him pressing his eyes and groaning in agony. Yes, it hit! Then, perhaps to protect himself while his eyes were useless, he began to deploy blasts blindly around himself. I jumped back quickly to avoid getting caught. Tch. It was a chance to attack, but can't be helped. But it bought us time. Let's hide with Alice while we can.

I transformed back into a man, re-reinforced my physical abilities, picked up Alice who still had her eyes closed in a princess carry, and left the place immediately. And finally, we came to a place where we wouldn't be found easily. We managed to escape to a back alley of intricate streets. Confirming his Qi wasn't approaching, I sighed in relief and put her down.

"Phew. We're safe now." Alice also looked relieved, though her face was still pale.

"That was scary. I thought we were done for. Thank you. You saved me."

"I'm glad we managed to escape." At that moment." WHEEEERE ARE YOOOOOOOU—! WHERE DID YOU GOOOOOOOOO—!" That man's scream was heard faintly from a distance. Furthermore, explosion sounds were heard. Again and again. It seemed he got irritated that we couldn't be found, and started using explosion magic at random, thinking he'd hit something eventually. It was nothing but the act of a brute and scum. Having secured Alice's safety gave my heart a little room, which was completely filled with anger. What a guy!

Involving unrelated people again...! Of course, he was the bad one, but because I ran around, further damage occurred as a result. Actually, it was occurring even now. I felt responsible for that. That bastard...! Unforgivable. I won't let him rampage anymore. I'll stop him somehow! Having made up my mind, I transformed into a woman. I knew his location by Qi. In contrast, he didn't know our location. Utilizing this advantage, I'll launch a surprise attack with magic from a distance.

And when I turned to Alice to tell her this. Alice—. She hugged me tightly.

"Yu... is really Yu, right?" She looked at my face with an anxious expression. I finally realized that her suppressed emotions had overflowed. That's right. No wonder she's anxious. Suddenly getting into this situation, and my appearance changing constantly. I hugged her back tightly to reassure her.

"Yeah. It's the Yu that Alice knows well."

"Thank goodness... Yu is Yu."

"That's right. So, please be relieved."

"Yeah..." I held her for a while until she calmed down. Alice, who seemed somewhat refreshed, released the embrace and threw a question.

"You said the male one is also the same Yu, right? What does that mean?" I decided to explain briefly.

"I have a male body and this female body, two bodies. And I can transform into either whenever I want. Only the appearance is different, but both are me myself." Hearing that, Alice nodded as if it finally made some sense.

"I see... so that's it. I saw Yu change with my own eyes, so I kinda understand. In short, both are Yu. I'm still a bit confused though..."

"Can't be helped. It was sudden. There's more, but I'll explain that later."

"Not now?" Alice tilted her head in wonder.

"Yeah. Because I'm going to stop that man now."

"Eh..." Perhaps it was too unexpected for her, she was dumbfounded at first. Then, she seemed to understand what the words meant a little late. With an expression on the verge of tears, she questioned me.

"Why!? You went through such a scary experience! So why are you going back!?" I understood her worry, but I couldn't back down here. I answered resolutely.

"Because he's killing people to find us. I can't leave something like that alone."

"So what! Yu did nothing wrong! He is the bad one! Leave him alone! There's no reason for you to go! You might die!" What she said wasn't wrong. I had no obligation to stop him, and there would be no problem leaving the faceless victims to the appropriate people—the Magic Corps or Sword Corps. Alice telling me to abandon people I might be able to save wasn't because she was cold. It was just because she was worried about me too much. Even I thought that was fine in my head.

If there were a hundred strangers and one close friend, I would choose the latter. In fact, I ignored others to let Alice escape, and I didn't regret that at all. And for Alice, that one person just happened to be me. Still, I didn't obey her.

"This is my Pride (Kejime)." Knowing everyone might die, having power that might be able to do something about it. And yet, why don't you try to do anything!? I looked back on the feelings I held toward Thomas, who called himself a bystander. I still didn't have absolute power like other FabLs. And the enemy was a user of powerful explosion magic. If I took a direct hit, I would lose my life. I absolutely must not get hit cleanly. It would be a very tough fight. Female me alone is impossible.

Can't dodge the explosion magic. Male me alone is impossible. No means of restraint to approach him. But, if I combine the power of 'her' and 'him'. It might work out. If I utilize the power dwelling in these two bodies to the maximum, I might be able to reach him. Then I should fight, so as not to lie to my own feelings. If it's a life that revives even if I die anyway, I should hesitate even less. —Pride, huh. In the end, I'm the same as Argus. Maybe I'm acting out of stubbornness.

"Pride, you say! Are you an idiot! Yu, you idiot! I absolutely won't let you go alone!" Alice said lines like I said to Argus a while ago. While feeling empathy for her, I faced her firmly and said.

"Of course, I don't intend to do it alone forever. I want Alice to call for reinforcements."

"Still, you'll be alone for a while! It's dangerous!"

"It's okay. I—" I tried to say 'won't die', but stopped. Although not a complete death, if I was killed by him, it seemed I wouldn't be able to stay in this world anymore. I didn't wish for that either. So, I rephrased.

"I will absolutely come back alive." Witnessing my firm determination, Alice held her head as if exasperated and resigned. She knew I wouldn't budge once I got like this.

"Ah geez! Okay. Okay! I'll hurry and call for help, so manage to hold out until then!"

"Yeah. Then, I'm going."

"Take care. You really are an idiot. Geez." Confirming Alice ran away in a hurry, I faced forward. Since it took longer than expected, I transformed into a man for a moment to reconfirm his exact location. Then returned to a woman and got ready to fire magic. Let's do this. I was chased around a lot, but now it's time for the counterattack.