The Second Strongest Has Returned

Chapter 55

The Frenzy of Derailment

[I don’t quite understand right now, but that monster… no, who was that freak? There were no such monsters in my time.]

Leo, who was frantically searching for his lady despite his body being in tatters, cut down yet another freak instead of answering.

“It’s only natural that they didn’t exist. These freaks were originally unrelated people.”

Most of these modified humans were probably victims caught up in this terror incident, or people who had been killed and gone missing.

[…Could they have been modified? Who would do something like this…]

“We need to reach the lady before that bastard does.”

Leo spoke as he severed the freak’s neck.

“They were all transformed by Polymorph.”

[…Polymorph?]

To be precise, it was a form of black magic Polymorph, modified by unique magic.

“They completely overhauled disguise magic into transformation magic.”

Commonly known as the Clay Shaper.

A black mage with unique magic capable of transforming not just people, but any living creature.

This also explained why the appearance of the demonic Jehad seemed so natural.

[Then, those terrorists back then… that guy…]

This was a strategy frequently employed by the Clay Shaper.

They would intentionally cast a basic Polymorph, and if the client paid extra and succeeded in their mission, they would kill additional people to use as materials.

Even if the client failed, suspicions about the mage would diminish, making it easier for them to move to another region more safely.

[But even Ariasphil knows how to identify Polymorph. Then…]

The Clay Shaper’s Polymorph didn’t just change appearances.

It was a full-on transformation that altered skeletal structure, muscles, and blood vessels, which is why ordinary people or low-level mages could become such superhumans and freaks.

[Then, their own faces…]

Polymorph, as a power of disguise, could be identified in such a manner.

However, since the Clay Shaper’s Polymorph transformed the body itself, it was impossible to distinguish it using the method Leo mentioned.

“I need to get there first…!”

Despite being so close, he couldn’t just do nothing.

Every movement caused his cracked ribs to spread further, stabbing into his lungs, but his legs did not stop.

He could never lose Ariasphil again.

He kept running.

* * *

A few hours before the incident unfolded.

In a situation where Leo and Irina were pretending to be on a date, a girl and a graduate student were behind them.

“Um… Miss Ariasphil, this seems like a personal matter…”

“Could you please be quiet?”

At that moment, Ameri saw it.

The eyes of a killer, eyes shadowed with a cold resolve, capable of abandoning even their humanity.

And Ameri herself realized that if she tried to stop it any further, she could end up dead as well.

“Y-Yes…”

Ameeri meekly complied with Ariasphil.

‘…Still, if it’s Leonardo-kun, he’ll probably just play along and leave.’

Thinking this, Ameeri felt a bit relieved. It had long been rumored that Leo had turned down the Tempeius family’s proposal, in addition to the incident in the library.

Would someone like Leo give in so easily…

—”You’re trembling so much. Irina, are you very cold?”

That relief crumbled like a sandcastle at Leo’s direct attempt at skinship.

Leo had no other intention; he merely used aura as a means of communication.

“His hand… Leo’s hand is holding mine directly…”

Neither Ariasphil nor Ameeri noticed. Since the conversation was meant to be inaudible to outsiders, there was no way they could have known.

“Ariasphil… Miss…?”

Swish

Ariasphil drew her sword from its sheath.

“P-Please calm down…!! Miss Ariasphil…!?”

“It’s fine. I’ll just cut off that filthy wrist that Leo’s sacred hand touched. There’s no problem at all.”

It was nothing but problems. Ameeri panicked and tried to stop the impending slaughter.

“For now…! Please calm down!! Leonardo-kun didn’t have any such intention…!”

Meanwhile…

—”Shall I cover you with my coat? Your hands seemed very cold.”

By covering her with his coat, Leo further amplified Ariasphil’s murderous intent.

“…Ariasphil… Miss…? Please spare me…”

“Ameeri.”

Unexpectedly, Ariasphil’s expression was calm. Seeing that serene face, Ameeri felt somewhat reassured.

“Would you mind moving aside? I can’t kill that woman with you standing there.”

She wasn’t calm at all. Only now did Ameeri realize that sometimes when a person’s anger reaches a tipping point, they experience a kind of mental transcendence.

“Please calm down!! I beg you!! If you kill her, there’s no turning back…!!”

It was a situation that could not be undone, neither as an act of love nor as a crime.

Knowing this, Ameeri clung to Ariasphil with her frail arms. In response, Ariasphil flashed a bright smile and spoke.

“Come to think of it, Ameeri, you were with Leo in the women’s restroom at night, weren’t you?”

“Huh…? That was…?”

Ameeri had already explained that. Logically speaking, Ariasphil also knew that ‘such a thing’ hadn’t happened.

But now, Ariasphil was in a state of transcendent fury, rampaging without any regard for logic.

“…Ah…! I just received a sudden call from the Magic Tower…! I must go…!!”

To escape this slaughter, Ameeri quickly opened her teleportation map and fled. Stopping the current situation was important, but her own life was something she couldn’t trade for anything.

“Where is that wretch I need to kill…!”

With the obstacle gone, Ariasphil brandished her sword without hesitation. Fortunately, Leo’s group had already taken off, hiding in a nearby alley.

Distracted by Ameeri, Ariasphil didn’t notice where Leo’s group had gone.

“Spirits.”

However, for Ariasphil, who had mastered spirit summoning, this wasn’t a problem. Just like before, she could simply track them down using the spirits’ vision and power.

[You must flee…]

[People are in danger…]

[You will be in danger too…]

But the spirits around her seemed off. Whether gripped by fear or overwhelmed by confusion, the spirits trembled in unstable forms.

“…In danger? What do you mean…?”

BOOM!!

At that moment, a deafening explosion echoed.

“Kyahhh!!”

Screams of terror followed like a dissonant harmony.

Startled by the sound, Ariasphil turned toward the source.

“Kieeeek!!”

A mysterious monster charged toward her, its grotesque jaws wide open, ready to devour her.

Swish Thud

For the enraged Ariasphil, this was merely a convenient outlet for her fury. In an instant, the monster’s head was severed and fell to the ground.

“…What is this? I’ve never seen such a creature…”

“Help me…!!”

The voice of a person calling desperately for help reached her ears again. Suppressing her anger, Ariasphil rushed toward the one crying out.

The blood of her family and the chivalry she had learned could temporarily quell her wrath. Of course, she’d definitely have to give Leo a proper lesson later for betraying her trust.

“Brother…! Brother…!!”

The one under attack was a young girl.

The attacker was a monster similar to the one from earlier.

Judging by the situation, it seemed that the person she called “brother” had already fallen victim to the monster, and now it was trying to attack the younger sister.

The monster had already pinned down the girl’s arms, ready to bite off her head. Even the slightest delay or misstep would surely lead to her death.

Shing

Ariasphil unleashed a precise strike, considering both the angle and power in her attack.

The monster’s head was severed in a single swing, and Ariasphil was careful to ensure her sword strike didn’t harm the girl.

[Did I do well?]

And just in case, she surrounded the girl with a protective barrier created by a wind spirit, preventing the worst from happening.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt…?”

“Brother…!!”

Ariasphil looked at the girl with a slightly puzzled expression. Through her mastery of spirit summoning, Ariasphil had become adept at sensing the emotions of others.

She could feel the girl’s emotions clearly, without any filter.

Confusion, despair, pain, fear.

And even hatred directed toward herself.

Just as Ariasphil was taken aback by that hatred, the girl clung to the monster’s severed head and began to wail.

“Brother…! Please wake up…!! Brother…!”

Ariasphil couldn’t help but entertain a disturbing thought. She speculated about the origin of the monster and how the girl’s brother might have died.

The revulsion was so strong it made her feel like she might vomit. A burning nausea welled up inside her, and her thoughts grew increasingly clear as she began to lose her composure.

She realized what her sword had cut down and whom she had killed.

[Ariasphil! It’s dangerous!]

At the words of the surrounding spirits, Ariasphil quickly regained her composure. She knew she couldn’t afford to lose her calm over uncertain facts.

Like Leonardo, she had to always stay composed and assess the next situation coolly.

“Kreeeek!!”

Another monster emerged without fail, springing from an alley and slashing with its claws.

‘I can counter it.’

Ariasphil prepared to strike back, gripping her sword to swing.

“Please save me…”

In that instant, she heard a voice. It wasn’t from the girl or the spirits.

She didn’t want to imagine who had spoken. But her keen hearing had already identified the speaker.

“You mustn’t kill it…”

[Understood, Ariasphil.]

At that moment, a surge of water pressure shot toward the nearby monster, instantly freezing it. The water and ice spirits, sensing Ariasphil’s intentions, had subdued the monster on their own.

“…Grrrrr…”

Despite most of its body being frozen, the monster let out a low growl. Ariasphil wanted to believe that the growl was merely an attempt to intimidate.

Anything more than that would be too much for even Ariasphil to bear.

“My lady!!”

At that moment, she heard a familiar voice.

As long as that boy was there, she could endure this situation.

“Are you alright? What in the world…?”

“Leonardo!”

It was Leonardo. Thankfully, he seemed to have made it through safely.

“Did you freeze this monster… My lady?”

Leonardo asked with a concerned expression as he looked at the frozen monster.

“…These things… It seems like…”

Just as she was about to express her thoughts and worries, another voice interrupted.

[It’s dangerous… That person…]

[It looks like Leo, but something’s off…]

It was the spirits of water and ice, who had helped her earlier. Their words made Ariasphil start to assess the situation with renewed caution.

“…Leo.”

“My lady, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere…?”

Ariasphil took a small step back, scrutinizing the figure that resembled Leo.

“Leo, I’m sorry for doubting you, but could you roll up your sleeve and make a small cut on your arm?”

“Ah… Ah, of course. It’s understandable to be suspicious. After all, the same situation could happen again.”

He agreed to the request and rolled up his sleeve. As he made a light cut on his scarred arm with a knife, blood began to flow.

“You know, right? Polymorphs don’t bleed even if their skin is cut…”

Shing

Ariasphil charged forward, executing her sword-drawing technique. The arm with the wound was severed cleanly by her blade.

“Argh…! What the hell…!”

“Who are you? Where is the real Leo?”

“What are you talking about…!!”

Ariasphil continued her assault, this time slashing at the imposter’s abdomen. Although the figure dodged, the attack landed sufficiently.

“The blood on your clothes is strange.”

There was quite a bit of blood on the clothes, but the pattern was off. It didn’t look like the natural splatter from a wound; it seemed more like someone had deliberately smeared the blood there.

At that moment, she recalled something Leo had told her before.

—”When tracking or hunting, bloodstains are a good clue. You can deduce a lot from their shape.”

“And the reason I asked to see your arm wasn’t to check the blood from the wound.”

What Ariasphil wanted to see were the scars on the arm. Although the scars were numerous and haphazard, she knew them well.

“The scars on your arm are different. Both the shape and the position.”

Even upon reexamining the severed arm, it was clear the scars didn’t match.

“You remembered that?”

Of course, she remembered. It was Leo.

“More importantly.”

She readied herself to deliver the finishing blow.

“If you were Leo, you would have dodged that attack easily.”

Because it was her Leonardo.

“…I don’t know if I should call you cold or heartless.”

The imposter’s tone had already changed.

The shift was as drastic as an actor who, having just finished a play, lights a cigarette and curses out the theater staff—so sharp it felt almost like a betrayal.

The fake raised its remaining arm, surrendering. The bleeding from the wound had already stopped, and a new arm began to sprout.

“I thought you were a bit of a fool, but maybe the rumors of your brilliance weren’t exaggerated.”

The same was true of the abdomen. It wasn’t healing so much as it was being restored.

“I’ve already dealt with something like this before.”

The experience she had gained in her dreams had become a significant stepping stone for Ariasphil’s growth.

“Is that so? Then I wonder if you’ve experienced this as well.”

The Clay Shaper lunged at the panicked girl.

“Huh…? Aah…!! Save… me…!”

“It’s quite poetic, don’t you think? Siblings dying in the same way.”

The girl’s body began to melt like clay saturated with water. In a matter of moments, her screams ceased, and her skin, muscles, and bones reformed into a grotesque new doll.

The gruesome fusion of slaughter and twisted rebirth had taken hold of the girl’s corpse.

“In art, the audience’s reaction is what matters most. What do you think, my lady?”

It had all happened in just three seconds.