Almost Hit

Don't worry!" Wein shouted back, taking a stance to leap.

Grinning and opening his mouth, "Because I'm The Fallen One!" Wein dropped himself, diving freely before his feet became wrapped in wind in preparation for landing.

"What? 'The Fallen One'?"

Wein stretched out his arms, coating his legs with a swirl of wind to cushion the impact. Finally, it happened—he hit the floor, causing the mist to slightly disperse from the landing site before it filled back in again.

At last, the king had entered the battlefield, and now was not the time to use his golden and silver revolvers. This was the moment Wein would use something he truly adored.

Wein brushed off the dust that had landed on his uniform and then spread his arms to the side, opening his palms wide.

A flash of purple lightning appeared, accompanied by black and purple smoke that swirled around Wein's hands as the hilt of a sword slowly began to emerge.

Elegant—that was the first word to describe the sword, gradually appearing in full from the storage realm.

The sword had a sleek yet sturdy design, with a wide blade tapering to a sharp point. Its entire surface was coated in a deep black, glistening smoothly like polished obsidian, exuding an aura both graceful and intimidating.

Along the blade's edge, silver accents flowed subtly, forming fine patterns resembling ancient engravings—as if concealing magical power beneath its cold gleam. The sword's hilt was made of a dark, robust material, fitted with a handguard shaped like spread wings, also adorned with silver ornaments at its center.

The weapon radiated a calm yet lethal aura, like a relic from an ancient era passed down to chosen warriors. It wasn't just a tool for battle—this sword seemed to resonate with the soul of its wielder—a reflection of unwavering resolve, courage, and strength.

Now, as he stepped into the mist, his vision matched that of everyone else—unlike before when he was above.

"Die, you bastard!" A loud scream came from behind, followed by the sound of footsteps quickly approaching Wein. Half-aware, Wein glanced back before raising his sword.

Seconds before the weapons clashed, Wein blocked the spear strike, pushing it upward and taking a few steps back.

The spear's tip was deflected upward by Wein's sword. Wein, locking onto his target, swiftly lunged forward.

But things shifted as Wein misstepped, causing him to fall to the ground. "Damn, I'm really not used to this body yet," he muttered while adjusting his slightly dislodged mask.

His opponent tried hard to hold back laughter, then focused and raised his spear's tip, thrusting forward.

Wein chuckled slightly as he stood up, gripping his sword in a stance to parry. He ran as well, realizing he was up against a spear.

He closed the distance, keeping his sword low. As he ran, the spear drew closer, but the wielder was still just far enough.

"This is slippery," Wein grumbled, complaining that his body still hadn't adapted to Wein Arcveil's taller frame compared to Leon's.

The spear's tip came dangerously close, thrusting toward Wein, who dodged the attack. His balance faltered, but he planted his foot to regain stability.

Wein raised his sword, and at the right range, he swung—but the spearman anticipated the move.

"That's too predictable."

Wein smiled behind his mask, channeling mana quickly into his right leg before leaping over the spearman.

The man was caught off guard, too late to react defensively. While midair, Wein swung his sword and used wind element to propel himself.

The sword slashed past the man's body. There was no blood, but the opponent collapsed in pain before eventually going still.

Wein landed in an empty spot and stared blankly at the body—though not quite a corpse, as the man was still breathing.

Those in this condition would reappear in their dorm and lose points. Some Monarchs could only live once, some twice—if all chances were lost, they'd be transferred to a regular dorm until the game ended and couldn't participate again.

Wein didn't know how many times the man had died—what mattered was that he gained points. The mist started to fade, the veil thinning. Wein intended to go back up, but heavy footsteps echoed behind him.

A large axe swung in the air. Reflexively, Wein jumped and looked back to see who it was—a large man ready to strike with his massive axe.

He used his foot to step on the axe's surface and pushed himself off, causing the axe to fall from the momentum.

The wielder was shocked and tried to lift his weapon again, but Wein Arcveil was already airborne, preparing to kick his head.

A loud thud followed as Wein's kick landed on the man's head, and he landed behind him. The man stood still, dazed.

Wein noticed the mist had fully cleared, and the veil had crumbled into fragments on the ground. He touched his mask to ensure it was still in place.

He took a moment to look around, but it proved a waste of time as he heard the furious roar of a monster in front of him.

He raised his sword, preparing to strike with his razor-sharp weapon before the enemy could move, having just been stunned by a shock of lightning from Wein's element.

Oh, he's fast. No—Wein was faster. He quickly slashed the monster-like human's back, and as the electric effect wore off, the enemy suddenly collapsed.

"The bigger your body, the more weak points you have," he muttered, storing his sword back into the storage realm and immediately leaving the area once he realized what had happened.

But as he turned around, Wein Arcveil saw his friends standing in a line, watching him fight the monster alone.

He initially thought they wouldn't notice if he didn't take off his mask, but Sherlyn spoke with a flat expression. "No matter how long you wear that, you'll never be able to disguise yourself."

The others chuckled, and the previously calm Wein looked surprised. He searched for Aria, the only one who knew—but she wasn't there.

"Well, this was just to hide my identity from the enemy," Wein explained, although part of the reason was indeed to disguise himself.

Loraine giggled, and so did the rest of them.

"Still, you're strong enough to take down a monster-like opponent in an instant," Glen shifted the topic.

"So..." Wein looked slightly confused.

"Wein, did you realize there was a veil and mist during the battle?" Glen stepped closer and asked seriously, while the others listened from behind.

Wein, realizing it was his doing, raised his hand and scratched the back of his head before answering honestly, "Uhh... yeah, that was my doing."