“Huh? I saw that kid from somewhere.”

“A boy that you’re familiar with? Even I will get angry if you say something like that in this situation.”

“What’s with you, Succulent? There’s no way that that’s what I’m talking about. No doubt, he’s a subordinate of that female I hate the most in the world.”

“You’re saying that he’s a subordinate of that princess?”

Succulent looked over Climb from top to bottom like he was licking him all over.

Although the eyes of the man behind him, frighteningly enough, were filling with lust, his eyes seemed to be trying to gauge Climb’s abilities as a warrior. They were like the eyes of a snake trying to determine if the prey would fit inside his mouth.

The man behind him licked his lips with his tongue and asked Succulent.

“I want to take him with me, can I?”

A shiver ran down Climb’s back and he felt an itch in his butt..

That bastard, he swings that way!

“I will require additional fees.”

Succulent ignored the screams of Climb’s mind and turned to face him. Although Climb could not spot any openings in the first place, he was ensnared by the feeling that he was facing off against a strong citadel.

Succulent abruptly moved a step forward.

The pressure forced Climb to retreat a step back.

Without a doubt, it would not take long for a fight where the difference in skill was clear to finish. However, Climb had to overcome that difficult crisis.

If I maintain my defenses and focus on blocking, then I will be able to buy time until either Brain-sama or Sebas-sama arrives.

But there was something that he had to do before that.

Climb drew in a big breath.

“Please help me—!!”

He shouted in a voice loud enough to force all the air out of his lungs.

Winning the individual battle was not victory. They would only be victorious if they tied up the men here so that they could not run away. Another way to put it would be that if they let a man of his skill— and by extension, a man who seemed to possess a lot of information get away, then that would mean their defeat. If so, there would be no reason for him to hesitate to shout for help.

Succulent’s face turned savage.

The other side was now pressured by the need to finish this fight as quickly as possible. In other words, there was a considerably higher chance that he would mainly use bigger skills.

Climb did not let his guard down and observed them.

“Cocco Doll-sama, it’s become a bit more difficult to take this guy with us. It looks like I have to finish this fight before his reinforcements come.”

“What the hell! Didn’t you say that you’re a member of the Six Arms? You can’t knock out a kid like him? You’re making your name cry, Devil of Illusions!”

“If you say it like that, then you’re putting me in a difficult position. Well, I’ll do my best but don’t forget that our victory lies in Cocco Doll-sama getting out of here safely.”

Climb maintained vigilance and glared at Succulent as he tried to figure out why he was called the Devil of Illusions. He wouldn’t get a nickname if it was completely at odds with his abilities. As such, if he could find its origin, then he could read at least a sliver of his opponent’s abilities. But unfortunately, he couldn’t tell anything from the man’s appearance or his equipment.

Even though he knew that he was at a disadvantage, Climb yelled to encourage himself.

“I am guarding this door. While I still stand, I will not allow you to escape!”

“We’ll know if that’s possible soon enough. When you fall pathetically to the floor, that is.”

Succulent slowly raised his sword.

Hmm?!

Climb doubted his eyes.

The sword was swaying. His eyes were not mistaken. Although that strange phenomenon quickly subsided, he had seen it clearly.

Some martial art—?

It probably had something to do with the reason he was called the Devil of Illusions. If so, it meant that his opponent had activated some power. Although he hadn’t let down his guard, he now had to be even more cautious.

Succulent closed in on him while raising his sword.

It could not be said to be the movements of someone who rivaled adamantium ranked adventurers. Rather, looking at his movements alone, it fell slightly short to Climb. He raised his sword to match the path of the swing and— felt a shiver that caused him to quickly retreat back.

At that instant, he felt a sharp pain in his side and was almost knocked away.

“Ugh!”

He staggered back just like that against the wall. He did not have the luxury to think about what just happened. Succulent was already in front of him.

His sword was raised like before. Climb raised his sword to protect his head and leapt towards his left side as if he was rolling headfirst.

Pain ran down his upper right arm.

He rolled using the momentum and as soon as he stood up, swung his sword without even looking.

The sword cut through air.

He realized that his opponent had no intention of giving chase and looked around while pressing down on his right arm. He saw Succulent run towards the door leading to the stairs while being wary of him.

Climb ignored Succulent who was about to open the door and directed his gaze at Cocco Doll. He deemed that if Succulent was in charge of Cocco Doll’s protection, this would be enough to keep him in check. His prediction was correct.

Succulent’s hand stopped abruptly. He then placed himself between Climb and Cocco Doll and clicked his tongue. His eyes moved to the door, Climb, and Cocco Doll in that order and his face grew twisted.

“He got me! I apologize but I’ll have to kill this brat right here.”

“What~? If we keep him alive then he’ll be a good card to use against that bitch.”

“I was mistaken because of him. I focused on the fact that he was guarding the door and… that was the reason why he babbled about guarding the door. This bastard… toying with me.”

…Alright, he fell for it! As I thought, they don’t seem to have any information about what’s happening outside. Now they won’t be able to run.