As expected of the Linglongguan Family. It really wasn't something that could be infiltrated so easily.
Jin'ga Sōsuke moved through the alleys with a grim expression, his cloak almost blending him into the surrounding darkness. Yet no matter how he disguised himself, the two guards behind him could always pinpoint his location.
Their identical female faces and equipment proved the identity of these pursuers—artificial lifeforms, or homunculi in common terms. Jin'ga Sōsuke had only seen vague descriptions of such advanced alchemical technology in the magecraft tomes collected by his family.
The heavy poleaxes were as light as feathers in the hands of these artificial lifeforms. Their shining silver blades carried the bleak moonlight, while faint anti-magic runes glimmered with magical energy. Their slim, fitted armor could ignore attacks from two-section magecraft, and their strength was monstrous, equivalent to several grown adults. To the Jin'ga Sōsuke of the past, they would have been utterly irresistible foes.
—Of course, that was only true of the Jin'ga Sōsuke from back then.
During the chase, they had already reached a place relatively far from the Linglongguan Family estate. Faced with a fork ahead, Jin'ga Sōsuke suddenly darted down the path to the right.
The two artificial lifeforms behind him pursued without hesitation. The instant they rounded the corner, a figure burst out from the blind spot beyond it and charged straight at them.
Faced with the sudden attack, the artificial lifeform's face and heart remained utterly unmoved. She merely raised her poleaxe high, then brought it down without hesitation.
The axe blade carved a graceful arc, like a crescent moon in the sky, and struck the concrete ground. Rubble scattered everywhere, leaving behind a deep slash.
At that distance, her attack had somehow struck empty air. Before she had time to react, the armor