Chapter 84

Rio looked down at the old man and observed him.

Clearly, he was no ordinary fighter. He was stronger than anyone Rio had ever seen.

During the match with Galdrat, he could at least find an opening, even if he couldn't win.

However, it was impossible to face this old man. He felt he would die the moment he got within range.

Moreover, the ability of the divine sword Obufus was a problem. If it could pass through matter, hiding behind a building would be futile.

Rio raised his voice to Shiraha.

"I'll run with all my might. Meet at the guild, and if you're outflanked, leave the town."

"Understood."

Shiraha stroked the sheath of the custom-made sword, infused it with magic, and turned to create a mist around her.

The old man glanced at Shiraha and then took a step toward Rio.

"If I catch you, that thing will come to me on its own. Besides, you seem weaker."

"Does it look that way?"

"I'm certain."

"I see."

Of course, Rio understood and jumped onto the roof from the windowsill he had been standing on.

The old man snorted and activated his body enhancement.

The sound of his step echoed on the main street.

The old man, who had charged straight into a house, thrust the divine sword Obufus, still in its sheath, into the wall and disappeared as if being sucked in.

That must be the penetration ability of the divine sword Obufus.

According to the book at the guild, it was written that the ground could be penetrated to bury a wide area.

Rio had jumped off the ground to guard against this use, but if he didn't charge directly, the speed of burying into the ground might not be that fast, or the effect might have a limited range.

Rio turned and started running on the roof. Since coming to this town, his experience of running on roofs had only increased.

The ominous presence of the old man followed him. The old man, who could pass through walls and ignore obstacles, was faster than Rio, who was running on the roof without obstacles.

Rio changed direction, slid down the roof's slope, and leaped to the opposite house across the alley.

Immediately, a vase flew through the wall.

"――!"

Without slowing his run, Rio crouched to pass under the vase.

Ignoring the high-pitched sound of the vase breaking on the roof, Rio stepped on the shards and continued running.

"……Huh?"

The moment he stepped on the vase, he felt a sense of wrongness and turned back.

There were no flowers or water around the remains of the vase.

"Is there a limit to what can be penetrated?"

If there were conditions such as number, mass, or volume, it was possible that the contents of the vase, the flowers and water, were left behind when thrown with the divine sword Obufus.

While running, Rio thought.

Since the old man could pass through walls, it seemed unlikely that he was limited by mass or volume.

If he couldn't penetrate liquids, perhaps he could be knocked down with oil.

"No, I can't get close."

He could only see a future where any thrown object would be easily avoided.

Even if he thought of a way to cover him, the damage would be too great.

The chilling presence was closing in. Overwhelmed by the pressure, Rio activated his body enhancement to the limit.

He instantly accelerated, pulling away from the pursuing presence.

The roof tiles cracked under Rio's steps. Apologizing to the homeowner in his mind, Rio leaped from one house to another and dropped into the alley.

"――What, this brat!?"

A low-ranking member of the underground organization, who was on patrol, got ready.

"Idiot, get out of the way!"

Rio closed the distance with the low-ranking member from the front, crouched to dodge the iron rod, and tackled him, sending him flying.

He reduced his speed to a minimum with a forward roll and started running again.

Immediately, a scream rose from behind.

Turning back, he saw the low-ranking members had lost their composure.

"Evil Man Conratts!?"

Understanding that it was indeed the Evil Man, Rio ran through the alley.

Conratts was chasing him with fierce momentum from behind.

Despite the limit activation, Rio couldn't be caught, and the distance remained the same. However, since the old man could ignore obstacles, Rio couldn't escape in this winding street.

He wanted to get back on the roof at some point, but he was about to enter the patrol route of the adventurers. If he was lucky, he could meet up with them.

However, he doubted how many adventurers could face a skilled Evil Man with a divine sword.

"You have a decent running speed."

Conratts called out from behind.

Without turning back, Rio replied.

"If I can't win, I run. That's the core of my self-taught swordsmanship."

"I thought your footwork was strange. Are you related to Rien Dior?"

"What's that? A person?"

While replying, Rio grabbed the iron bars protecting a window and leaped over a pile of garbage blocking the alley.

He grabbed a ceramic pot that caught his eye upon landing and threw it behind him. The pot scattered the collected rainwater as it collided with the garbage pile and rolled.

Conratts, who had leaped over the garbage pile, frowned at the rolling pot and swung the sheathed divine sword Obufus at it.

The pot shattered, and Conratts stepped on the shards and accelerated again.

It didn't stop him, but Rio gained something by checking Conratts' condition over his shoulder.

Conratts had slowed down when he shattered the pot, and the distance between him and Rio had widened. Additionally, his pants were wet. Wet fabric was heavy and made running difficult.

"Good trick, boy."

"Can't you just penetrate it?"

"Huh."

Conratts laughed, seemingly amused, but showed no signs of penetrating the wet pants. It seemed he couldn't penetrate the absorbed water.

Conratts called out.

"What's your relationship with the group of white-faced people who attacked the boys last night?"

"I saw them kill someone in broad daylight. The report is publicly available, so check it."

The main street, where the adventurers patrolled, came into view.

In contrast to Rio, who was making a final sprint, Conratts stopped.

"I understand the general situation. You're not in a position to actively confront us. The conversation is over. Go back to the guild and behave. We can't afford to increase the number of unknown factors."

Hearing the words from behind, Rio turned back over his shoulder with a question.

Conratts had already disappeared from the alley.