In the unique sound of flesh and blood being sliced,
the sharp blade of a sword pierced through a chest.
The intruder lowered their head to look at the protruding sword blade, then twisted to glance at Bore, who stood sword in hand behind them. Even with their expression concealed under a helmet, Tel could feel the other's bewilderment.
"I told you, there are two of us,"
Tel said with a shrug of his shoulders.
His face full of the helplessness that comes from facing an intruder who wouldn't believe him and ignored his warnings, as if they refused to listen.
However, this kind of helplessness, no matter how you look at it, was sly and smug.
Seeing Tel's sly and smug expression, an indescribable rage began to rise in the heart of the intruder.
The intruder suddenly roared and charged at Tel without any heed for their own safety.
The body slipped off the blade, blood spraying.
But this did not hinder the intruder's actions in the slightest.
Their sword aimed straight at Tel and thrust forward.
Tel stepped back to dodge, a trace of confusion flashing in his eyes.
He had seen Bore's sword strike firsthand,—a normal person would have died from such a blow, yet the intruder acted as if nothing had happened.
While doubts filled his mind, the words from Tel's mouth showed no sign of stopping.
"It was that guy who gave you the sword wound; why are you chasing after me?"
"Do you think I'm easy to bully?"
"Is it my outfit that's giving you the wrong impression?"
"You should know, I'm an official member of the 'Clock Tower'!"
Tel's mouth was like a machine gun, spewing a stream of words non-stop. His hands were just as fast, throwing out a succession of Dharma Seals and small gadgets one after another.
A sword grazed by Tel's neck.
As the intruder was about to sweep with their sword again, suddenly a patch of butter appeared under their feet.
Caught off guard, the intruder staggered.
Tel casually threw a lit matchstick.
The butter, made more slippery and flammable by Tel's concoction, instantly caught fire.
The flames leaped onto the intruder's cloak.
Tel then threw out a few more chunks of butter, intensifying the blaze.
The intruder who had been pierced by a sword through the chest remained unaffected by the flames. After staggering a couple of times, they steadied themselves and seemed to remember their mission.
Turning around, they charged at Jason once again.
Tel shouted, hurling an item from his hand that hit the back of the intruder's head.
An egg, doctored with an extra ingredient.
The egg was 'cultivated' from fresh eggs bought at the market by Tel.
The added ingredient was Daisy's excrement.
It had a foul smell and lingered for a long time.
And it, tested the limits of a person's sanity.
In fact, the doctored stink egg was even more effective than expected.
"How dare you throw a stink egg and dog shit at the great..."
In almost a roar, the intruder turned and continued charging toward Tel.
As an official member of the 'Clock Tower,' Tel used his unique fighting style to cope with the opponent.
Illusions, visual displacements.
The stink eggs occasionally mixed with a grenade among them.
His agile movements were nothing like the wizards people imagined.
And his proficient use of grenades was more befitting of a battle-hardened warrior.
With ease and proficiency!
Telly, who Tel had signaled to hide behind him, whispered something as she watched him fight, but ultimately, she never spoke the words aloud.
The one who had been saved remembered the life-saving grace.
Coming from the streets, she might have had a temper, but she wouldn't forget a life saved.
With her thoughts at heart, Telly reloaded her magazine.
But afar, Bolun was shouting—
"Stay with Kemi and Emily."
This young man, who had just thrust a sword, was now observing the surroundings with a solemn face.
A lethal sword strike, yet no death followed.
This caused him much speculation.
He was astonished by the intruder's undying nature.
But seeing the heavy bomb, disrupted by the 'ritual' and now stagnant in mid-air, he felt a sense of relief.
If it really were a normal person, how could they risk death entering such a place?
Only an Undying would!
Bolun lowered his head to sniff the smell on the sword, blood-like yet fouler, his mind recalling certain records from the 'Leviah Notes,' looking toward the ongoing battle, his expression grew even more stern.
A general term for beings converted from living humans into something akin to the 'Undying.'
Depending on the strength of the living before their conversion and the value of the materials used for the transformation, the strength of the Half-Deaders also varied.
The weak ones could be dealt with by an adult wielding a knife or sword.
They were figures that even notable persons from the 'Mystical Side' would regard with caution.
Of course, what's more important is that the appearance of a single Half-Deader often signifies the presence of a group nearby.
After all, the necromancers who create Half-Deaders wouldn't just make one of them.
"Half-Deader, be careful,"
What a Half-Deader was, as an official member of the 'Clock Tower,' he knew.
More importantly, he also knew of someone in Cherry City who was very skilled in creating the Undying.
A person referred to as a mentor by many who studied Black Witchcraft.
Could it be that individual had also been bought over by the traitor?
This thought made Tel's heart sink.