[50] Just something left III

As Billy felt the menacing aura intensify, his sharp instincts, honed through rigorous training and experience, warned him of the approaching threat with terrifying speed. In a split second, Billy dodged with remarkable agility, darting sideways with a velocity that seemed to defy the laws of physics. His movements resembled a perilous dance in the cramped space.

In the spot where he had been standing, the air was sliced open by an invisible attack—a slash from Raymod's divine sword technique known as Longsword Silence. The strike was like a shadow carving through space and time, leaving a trace of emptiness suspended in the air. Raymod's sword glinted with a cold light, a sign of his unparalleled power.

Raymod, a sinister smile creeping across his lips, laughed triumphantly. His voice echoed through the cave like thunder splitting the ominous night sky. "Haha! What is this!?" he murmured mockingly, his voice vibrating with a mix of astonishment and pride.

He stood there with an unwavering arrogance, his sword radiating dangerous power and aura. The smile on his face was the epitome of pride and death, as if the entire world had bowed before him. His recent attack seemed to reveal only a fraction of his capabilities, and his anger surged with each passing moment.

To Billy, time seemed to slow, every second stretching into what felt like an eternity. Each moment was a chance to dodge and counter. He stared at Raymod with determined eyes while his mind raced faster than light, meticulously planning his next move with impressive precision.

With an almost statue-like expression of arrogance, Raymod gazed down at Billy, who stood before him with resolute bravery. The dim torchlight cast shadows over Raymod's face, making his eyes glint with disdain, as if Billy were merely a pest unworthy of further attention.

"You—"

"Haaah!? A kid, are you mocking me?" Raymod cut off Billy's words with a tone of derision. His face was marked by disappointment and rage as he observed the audacity of the young boy standing before him.

Without allowing Billy to finish his sentence, Raymod growled in frustration. "Damn it! I was hoping—damn it. HEY, WAKE UP, YOU FOOLS! CAN'T YOU SEE THERE'S A BREACHER!"

His roar echoed like thunderclaps in the cave, disrupting the eerie silence of the night. Yet, his cries were in vain. There was no response, no reaction from the fallen followers. Silence swallowed all sounds, and chaos seeped into Raymod's heart. His face began to show signs of distortion, as if the world around him was collapsing into panic.

"What have you done to my men?" Raymod demanded, his voice trembling with disbelief, his eyes blazing with fury.

Billy met Raymod's gaze with a flat, unwavering stare that conveyed both certainty and courage. His cold and confident response seemed to say, "What you see is the result of calculation and strategy. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Hah," Raymod hissed, his voice laden with emphasis as he processed the unfolding situation. "It seems I underestimated my opponent."

With those words, Raymod attempted to calm himself, though his grip of rage and awe mixed within him. As a former knight with extraordinary skill and power, he faced the reality that a child with unexpected determination and ability had shaken his confidence.

Benedict, initially sitting near the bed with a resigned expression, now leaped to the corner of the room with wide eyes, watching with mounting tension. Amidst the chaos, Billy maintained an unshakable calm. With swift and skilled movements, he drew his artefact pistols from their holsters, aiming them at Raymod.

-Bang!

The sharp crack of the mana-infused bullets filled the room with a deafening noise. The bullets shot through the air at speeds exceeding human perception, and though Raymod tried desperately to react, they pierced the atmosphere with jarring force. In mere seconds, one bullet struck his shoulder with tremendous impact, leaving a burning wound that inflicted excruciating pain.

"Argh—Damn!" Raymod cried out in agony, but there was no time to dwell on it. Billy offered no chance for recovery, persistently pulling the trigger with unyielding precision and determination.

Raymod, realising the deadly light emanating from Billy's pistols, raised his sword in a desperate attempt to block the relentless assault. Yet, despite his skills as a Saint-ranked swordsman, not all the bullets could be deflected. Some penetrated his sword's defence and struck his body, leaving him with only moments to shield his head from the next barrage.

"Damn, damn, damn!" Raymod cursed in anger and frustration as he tried to manoeuvre to evade the continuous gunfire. Each shot from Billy forced him to retreat step by step, and the wounds he sustained only worsened his condition.

Billy, fully aware of his magical energy limitations, couldn't keep firing mana bullets indefinitely. Determined to conserve his energy, he devised an alternative strategy. Amid the cacophony of battle and rising tension, a brilliant idea sparked in his mind.

He remembered a special concoction that could create a highly sticky liquid, a substance he had kept in reserve. This liquid was known for its effectiveness in sticking and hindering movement. Knowing Raymod was a swordsman heavily reliant on close combat, Billy realised he could exploit this weakness for strategic advantage.

Billy ceased firing abruptly, momentarily halting Raymod, who was startled by the sudden change in battle tempo. As Raymod noticed the boy's silence, his eyes flashed with fierce resolve. Fully aware of the looming threat, Raymod dashed forward with lightning speed, employing his sword technique known as Longsword Light.

Longsword Light was an exceptionally lethal sword technique, combining the speed of sound with combat prowess. In the blink of an eye, Raymod unleashed a strike so swift and powerful it appeared as a streak of light. The slash was designed to finish off an opponent in an instant, leaving no chance for reaction.