Antagonist Protection Service-Chapter 214 Escape Attempt

214: Escape Attempt

214: Escape Attempt

Before I had the chance to understand what happened, I was falling.

The ground was swiftly approaching, but as I hurriedly turned my head to look, I realised that wasn’t the only thing waiting for me at the end.

Two figures standing by, precisely where I was currently headed.

‘Fuck’s sake…!’

Rotating myself in the air to stabilise my position, I hastily dismissed the Villainous Blade and stretched my hand out at the same time to grab onto the side of the building I was falling from, barely managing to halt my rapid descent by clutching a gutter running down the wall, thankfully holding on enough to not break under my weight.

Of course, even though I stopped the fall, it didn’t mean I was any safer than before.

The only reason I had to find a way to get out of the fall was not to prevent myself from hitting the ground, but to prevent whoever was down there waiting for me to catch me as I fell right into their clutches.

However, even now that I had temporarily saved myself from whatever fate awaited me down there, I was even more stuck.

I obviously couldn’t go down because they were still waiting for me, but I couldn’t climb back up either, not with that guy still on the rooftop…

‘Damn it…

Quick, think…!’

It was at that moment that I wished I could do many things, but unfortunately, simply wishing would not change anything.

Of the two waiting on the ground for me, one looked particularly large with a seemingly clunky, full set of armour and a shield.

If it wasn’t for them standing in the way of the other, who evidently appeared like a frail mage-type at first glance, I would have wanted to use the Black Wisp to try and take one of them out.

Even if I wouldn’t have been able to hit the first guy, surely not all of them were that fast.

‘Tsk, no, I don’t think it’ll be useful here.

There’s nothing I can do, I just need to get out…’

Just as I thought that, I moved my body to swing from the gutter running down the side of the building to the nearby ridge of a window, and right at that moment―

“…!”

―Suddenly sensing a surge of magic energy behind me, I didn’t have anywhere else to move in time.

Instinctively twisting to avoid the attack, I let go of one arm and swung my body around, watching as a trio of azure, fiery lights rushed forward, crashing into the window where I had just been hanging and blasting a hole right through, causing a huge wave of dust to blow out.

‘Hey, get in!’

It was unfortunate for whoever owned the building, but for me right now, it was a stroke of incredible luck, and I wasted no time in taking advantage of the opportunity.

Climbing through the window, I found myself inside the building, finally away from their watchful gaze but still nowhere that could be considered completely safe.

Just after I did, I could hear a complaining voice outside, probably the tank talking to the mage about letting me escape such a free situation like that.

‘It’s definitely stupid, but I’m not complaining!’

Scrambling through the place that seemed like an apartment block, or more precisely, a large block of mediaeval-style tenement houses, I looked for any way out that had even a chance of leading me to safety.

The guy before had found me even through what I thought was an overpowered combination of the Draconic Shadow plus Sneak, and not only that, but he did it all without alerting me in the slightest, managing to appear right behind me without me noticing or sensing even a thing that was off.

‘Dangerous…

They’re too dangerous for me right now…

I need to get away.’

I had no idea that people that strong even existed in Drakon-Rasa, let alone thinking that they would all suddenly be hunting me down just for some cash, and as much as I would like to question it, there was no time to waste energy thinking about unnecessary things.

Seriously, just as I thought I had finally become strong…

Although, now that I was in here, it should have at least earned me a brief few moments of respite.

That’s why, even if it wasn’t good for anything against those guys, I still maintained Sneak.

‘Damn it, if only I still had the effects of that buff…

I should’ve taken the time to learn to use mana properly instead of rushing into things…’

If there was one saving grace about the current situation, it was that while I was in this building, the group that guy called the ‘Black Fang’ probably wouldn’t be so aggressive to get me.

I wasn’t sure if they could even find me within this large complex containing dozens of connected houses, but even if they somehow could, I doubted they would risk compromising the lives of countless civilians…

or maybe that was just me coping, but either way, I couldn’t let even a slight advantage escape me.

Turning my concentration to the max, I momentarily put all my focus into trying to detect if anyone was waiting for me outside, but it was no use.

I could detect everyone inside the building no problem, obviously because they were ordinary residents, but those guys outside, it was as if they didn’t even exist…

“Tch…

There’s no way that big motherfucker has better stealth skills than me…

It’s gotta be magic for group obfuscation, right…?”

Seeing how it was going to be, I thought I’d have to do something extreme to even have a chance of escaping.

“Eeeek…?!”

Breaking through a certain door in the building, it turned out to be an occupied bathing room, but there was no time to mind it.

Dashing through to the other side, I jumped and broke through the room’s window with my body, shattering the glass as I fell through to the other side―a lower-level rooftop connecting more same-design buildings.

Breaking into a sprint the instant I landed, I rushed across the roof until reaching the end, leaping off to land on the next block of buildings and continuing on, all without pause.

Fleeing like that, the fact I couldn’t sense anyone chasing me was simultaneously relieving and disconcerting. ƒreewebɳovel.com

Part of me still felt there was no way I was going to be able to get far enough away, but another part was convinced I had already made it far enough that I didn’t have to worry.

That they had stopped chasing me.

That I had escaped and survived.

‘No…

There’s no way they would’ve just let me go like th–‘

At that moment, I sensed something behind me.

“Where’d ya think you’re going, li’l buddy?”

An unfamiliar, somewhat feminine voice sounded, and in the following instant, as I turned my head ever so slowly in an attempt to see who it was, something heavy impacted my side, sending me flying as all the air in my lungs was knocked right out.

“…!!”

Inertia carrying me metres away, I landed, bounced and rolled across the rooftop until I hit the edge.

Thankfully, I was stopped from going any further by a small lip lining the periphery of the rooftop, otherwise I would have rolled straight off.

Sparing just a glance towards the formidable, looming figure, my dizzied vision quickly recovered as I hurriedly pushed myself up, a hand naturally drifting to the aching spot on the side of my torso, as if my rib cage had been partially shattered.

“Tch…!”

Not paying the bastard’s slow and menacing approach any heed, I turned to the edge of the building and was just about to jump to the next block of buildings when the same voice called out.

“Oh, I wouldn’t do that if I were you.

Things are gonna hurt a lot–”

Ignoring her, I stepped forward, putting one foot on the lip of the building’s edge.

However, perhaps just as she had warned me, I sensed something the moment I put any meaningful force into that leg.

‘Magi–‘

“Hk-!”

Again, something hit me with astonishing impact, this time square in the back.

Ultimately, that force was enough to knock me forward and off my feet, causing me to fall between the gap of the two buildings and into the dim alleyway below.

‘Fuck…

Ah…’

I don’t know what hit me, but my vision gradually darkened as I fell, my body and consciousness falling asleep.

Instinctively, I knew there was nothing I’d be able to do to escape once I inevitably crash landed.

The last thing I saw before my eyes closed was a glimpse of ice-blue hair.

‘Ah…?

Fucking bastards…

waiting…’

Leaving my body to fall on its own, I resigned myself to the fate of being captured, resolving that I would just have to let them take me to the Imperial Knights.

“Finally, you’ve come…”

A faint voice the last to enter my ears, I fell unconscious.