Chapter 105: Close-Quarters Combat

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As a homebody, Lanzar knew the importance of that phrase, but he didn’t realize that when a boy says it to a girl, it carries another layer of meaning.

“Um, um…” Liz, like the two others beside her, was blushing deeply but still mustered the courage to ask, “Really?”

“Huh? Yeah, of course.” Lanzar didn’t understand why she asked, but he simply replied, confident that having said this, she would listen to him. At least this time, he was determined not to let any of his friends get involved.

“Is that for all three of us?” Selika suddenly shouted after hearing Lanzar’s words, startling him with the sudden outburst.

“Yeah!” Lanzar nodded. In his eyes, if any one of them took part in this, it would only put them in danger.

Liz and Selika exchanged a glance before solemnly saying, “Alright then, since it’s just in the game, make sure you come back this time. It’s our promise.”

Though Lanzar didn’t quite understand why it had to be so solemn, he nodded and said, “Of course. I really like this game, and with all of you here, I wouldn’t want to leave.”

Though Asuna remained silent, Lanzar felt that since even Liz and Selika agreed, Asuna wouldn’t do anything foolish.

“Well, no time to waste. Let’s go.” Lanzar felt it was better to leave here, even if he wasn’t sure what was going on.

“No problem, the sooner we finish, the sooner the holiday.” Vlad replied, finishing the last drop of red wine from his glass.

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When Lanzar and Vlad reached the labyrinth, Lanzar felt a different aura. He keenly sensed the instability in his equipment.

“It seems it’s already spreading. We need to hurry.” Vlad noticed something was wrong as well, and Lanzar nodded.

The two silently recalled the map and cautiously advanced. Lanzar’s armor grew increasingly unstable.

“Looks like it’s almost time,” Lanzar thought quietly.

At that moment—

“Here it is. The target is inside. Switch out now; you’re almost there. I’ll send your gear to you.” Just after Lanzar turned a corner, he heard Renhua’s voice echo in his mind.

“Already?” Comparing it to the map in his head, he realized the area had expanded somewhat in just a day. What he thought was the contact point still had at least two more corners.

As the game equipment on his body vanished, the white samurai suit, which had accompanied him for a long time, reappeared.

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“Looks like it’s nearby.” Vlad tightened his grip on his spear silently.

“Exactly.” Upon entering this zone, Lanzar felt a faint oppressive pressure in the air, as if suppressing him.

“Looks like we’ve stepped into the enemy’s territory.” Vlad, who possessed similar abilities, quickly confirmed the situation.

“But I hate this place.” Vlad stabbed his spear into the ground and said to Lanzar, “Hold them off for a bit. I want to destroy this annoying formation.”

“Tch, do you think our opponents are mere grunts?” Though this almost impossible task frustrated Lanzar, he stepped in front of Vlad.

A white Eastern sword appeared in his left hand, and he seemed to grasp something in his right.

A visible but untouchable sword and a touchable but invisible sword appeared together.

“No matter who the opponent is, I’ll cut off their head. You better hold on, or you’ll just be a bystander.” As he spoke, Lanzar sensed movement in the grass nearby.

“Demacia!” With a roar familiar to Lanzar, a golden greatsword suddenly appeared before him.

“Going all out, huh?” was Lanzar’s only thought. His instinct told him one hand wouldn’t be enough to block it, so he decisively intercepted the attack by crossing his own blades in an X shape.

“Crrr—k!” After a sharp clash of metal, Lanzar retreated a step.

“What’s happening to my body?” Lanzar felt as if something inside him was sealed off, though he didn’t feel any pain. Fortunately, since Lanzar’s main attack method wasn’t magic, being silenced didn’t matter; all his skills required no mana.

“Who are you?” After exchanging blows, the two stood a few meters apart. Lanzar found the voice strange, but from the strike, he identified the opponent—though he didn’t want to reveal himself. His priority was to buy Vlad time, so he tried to disrupt the other with words.

“The power of Demacia—Garen!” Only then did Lanzar clearly see his opponent’s face, but…

“This height is clearly off, the armor looks one size too small, and the hair color is definitely wrong—who is this guy?” Lanzar’s inner comment. At least from the behavior and appearance, it was safe to say this wasn’t the man rumored to be able to take on five enemies alone in the bushes.

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“And who are you?” The other seemed to be trying to imitate the speech style, but Lanzar clearly heard heavy breathing after the words—

“I’m just a scavenger.” Lanzar replied coldly. “Tch, is this guy an idiot? Who tells their enemy their identity?” Though his face feigned calm, Lanzar was silently mocking his opponent. Judging by the fact that this person could even say the original owner’s name after gaining the power, it seemed they were from the same homeland as Lanzar.

“Scavenger?” To this guy, those with abilities were special and never hid their identities, so Lanzar’s obvious refusal provoked an extreme reaction. If it had been Gunner who got this answer after introducing himself, it would have surely led to a duel.

“Alright, whoever you are, since you’ve stepped here, don’t expect to leave.” Lanzar silently analyzed the situation. The opponent likely had some mission or purpose here, and there was no reason to waste words—so the only possibility was—

“An ambush?!” Just as Lanzar thought this, a battle flag fell from above.

“Looks like it’s Jarvan.” That was Lanzar’s only thought. He swiftly sidestepped the incoming weapon, while another man clad in golden armor appeared.

At first glance, Lanzar was right—at least the height was correct—but when he saw the man’s face—

“Pfft—” Lanzar almost spat out blood. This guy was another clown. The previous one at least tried to look serious, so a blur could be excused, but this one had a sleazy expression and dark skin. Lanzar wondered what that man who vowed “Those who offend Demacia will be punished, no matter how far” would say upon seeing this guy.

Though I’ve mentioned it in the reviews, I’ll say it again: I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m catching up on the previous chapter first. Since I don’t have the habit of saving what I write, the next chapter will have to wait. I’ll do my best, but honestly, I don’t know what’s going on—so helpless, sigh.

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