The Most Likely Path III — Ambrosya

With the [ Equalizer Card ], I could further adjust my plans.

I moved towards Camellia, grinning from ear to ear. In my eyes was a sinister gleam filled with greed and desire. "Give me the card."

"W-Why?" Startled, Camellia covered the card with her hands. Han leered at me from the side, gripping his scimitar and exuding a faint amount of hostility.

"So that I can help you guys fight. If we're all at E rank, then wouldn't I be able to help?"

Camellia glanced at her sister. Rose looked back at her and let out a resigned sigh, "Although he looks very suspicious, Caelum is trustworthy. You can leave the card with him."

"But before that... who's that?" Rose asked, pointing at the fresh face they hadn't met before.

I looked towards where she was pointing and spotted my living reflection. I was once again at a loss for words. I had totally forgotten about his existence.

What was worse was the fact that he hadn't put on his hood. My face was displayed for the world to see.

'Damn, had I been too lost in my thoughts? Or is it the fact that his footsteps exactly matched mine that I failed to sense his presence?' I silently cursed myself for such a careless error.

He was still carrying the two items I needed to escape the tower, and since he was something created by a resident of the tower itself, he wasn't triggering the surrounding dangers even if he held the weapons.

Not yet, at least.

He would only start calling upon the dangers of the tower if I commanded him to steal a new treasure.

Reflection Ambrosya tilted his head at me, and seeing that I did not reply, he opened his mouth to speak.

"I'm Ambrosya Black. Caelum and I met while I was being pursued by fairies."

Excellent redirection of the topic, my living reflection.

"Fairies?" King asked, "What kind of monster is that?"

"They're not a type of monster, King. They're an intelligent race just like us humans." I answered, "They're powerful, and on their own continent, they have humans as slaves."

"Yes..." Reflection Ambrosya then began painting them a picture of such a continent, making it look like he came from there himself.

And when Han eventually asked the question everybody wanted to answer, Reflection Ambrosya went with the lie that the two of us have been spouting and living in since earlier.

"I actually come from a different continent, called Hadra. I am from an organisation called the Order of the Crimson Phoenix and I specialize in information."

"Information?" King was the first to leap at the opportunity. His personality required it. "Then, can you tell me more about these continents and the intelligent races within them?"

"Of course," Reflection Ambrosya smiled, "I can answer your question as we walk and fight."

Thus, Camellia gave me the Equalizer Card and we began to walk through the corridors of the tower. I decided to make full use of Reflection Ambrosya now that I had made the mistake of forgetting his existence. He was the one who was going to supply everyone with information while we fought.

For the first time ever, I came across beasts and monsters, as well as traps.

...

The first monster we encountered was another armoured phantom. It charged towards us at the speed of sound, indicative of its rank B abilities. The moment it approached me, however, its speed was drastically reduced.

A simple tap on the Equalizer Card and the armoured phantom fell to the ranks of E, looking like a slug in comparison to its previous powers.

'Thankfully, it doesn't have any ranged attacks, otherwise, we would be obliterated the moment it catches sight of us.'

In the first place, the tower lacked large spaces to fight in. Setting aside the corridors, the Equalizer Card could encompass the entirety of any room inside the tower as well.

After all, its range had a radius of a hundred metres.

My eyes flashed white from the depths of my irises. I watched as the suit of armour slashed towards me, mercilessly. Its aim was to cut through my abdomen, spilling my innards and sending me to my doom.

I took note of the way it wielded its sword.

I shifted my stance and summoned Aventine. The image of the future then changed as the suit of armour reacted to the change in advance. Its sword was now aimed at my wrist, wishing to overpower me with the weight of its weapon.

I changed my position once more just as the suit of armour arrived in front of me. This time, I did not see any vision appear.

A smile appeared across my lips. A lack of visions meant that there was no threat to my life.

So, I stabbed forward, piercing straight through the core of the armour's figure.

Clang—!

Aventine bounced off of its steel body, but the force knocked it backwards.

[ Explosion (Conical) ].

Boom—!

Flames erupted from the tip of my dagger, blasting the suit of armour into several pieces. Pieces of hot metal scattered throughout the area in front of me, allowing me to continue my advance.

Simple and efficient.

To any onlookers, I had won by a hair's breadth. In reality, however, it was all perfectly calculated. I had avoided all threats to my life, moving just beyond the range of the armoured phantom's sword.

It had slashed a bit of my hair in the process, but other than that, it was all air.

"A fearless fighter," Han applauded my abilities. I could hear respect developing in his tone.

"Mm," I nodded, caring not for any elaboration, "Now if any of you have mana potions, I'd like to have them."

There were now a few treasures I wanted to nab on our way to the last required treasure.