Текст книги "Overlord - The Man in the Kingdom - Part 2"

Автор книги: Maruyama Kugane

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Текущая страница: 5 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

“Yes, as you command.”

Demiurge nodded satisfactorily.

The last part of the plan was linked to someone who would bring huge benefits to Nazarick. If there is a mistake, then there was a chance that the ultimate goal of world domination, which the Supreme Being Ainz Ooal Gown has not said aloud, could be delayed. The moment the master said “I entrust everything to you”, mistakes could no longer be tolerated.

Despite having received direct orders from Albedo; Shalltear, Cocytus and Sebas have made mistakes one after the other. If this continued, the very abilities of the Guardians and the other stronger members created by the supreme beings would be questioned. Of course, the master did not show displeasure at their failure, and Cocytus’ failure seemed to have been part of the plan, but they cannot keep relying on his goodwill.

We must prove how useful the Guardians are to Ainz-sama by succeeding with this plan.

Was there any use for foolish subordinates that cannot perform their duty in a satisfying way?

And if the final remaining being were to disappear due to disappointment...

The mere thought made Demiurge freeze in fear.

Failure is not an option. We must show a result that will wipe away all the previous failures.

With certainty in his heart, Demiurge looked around to everyone.

“And don’t forget, the people who brainwashed Shalltear may be waiting for an opportunity to strike. Nobody will desert their post without permission. If you’re deemed suspicious by myself or any other Guardians, raise your two arms or their equivalent as a proof of your loyalty. Do not act in a suspicious manner. If you do, we may kill you immediately for the safety of the plan. Any questions?”

“Uh, I just asked a question, but can I ask another one?”

Demiurge gave Mare a gentle smile and motioned him to go ahead.

“Ah, yea. S-Sebas doesn’t have a World-class item like us. Will he be alright?”

“As Ainz-sama foresaw, he is to be the bait. If the enemy falls for it, then it would be great. Albedo is watching from the Throne Room in case the enemy falls for the bait. Also, for those who cannot use ‘Message’, do not act independently. I will watch over the entire operation, so come to me instead. In case of an emergency or if for some reason you can’t contact me, I have already told Mare everything about the plan and he will act as the Second-in-Command.”

“Wha… What about myself…?”

“Sorry Shalltear, but like I said, I can’t trust you completely, so you’re in the reserve. Haaa... your uncontrollable bloodlust can be quite a concern.”

“I got it, I got it, alright!!!”

“As soon as stage one is finished, we will enter stage two immediately. I’ll explain it to you now. This is the real deal, so pay atten– …What is it?”

A Shadow Demon wiggled out of Demiurge’s shadow and whispered new information into his ears.

“Is that so? It’s certainly last minute, but can’t be helped.”

It was a truly annoying matter but something that could not be ignored.

“Mare, this is a new information. We have a new Eight Fingers hideout to attack. I’m sorry, but I will need you to head there instead. You might not have enough manpower, but I will send Entoma as support.”

“Y, yes, um, please leave it to me!”

“Good answer. We’ll talk about the details later, but for now let me explain Operation Gehenna while everybody is here. This is the most important plan we’ll execute in the Kingdom, so pay attention.”

Chapter 8. Six Arms

Translator: Rockgollem

Editors/Proofreaders: Ferro, TaintedDream, Namorax, Skythewood, SifaV6, JcqC, Sene9ty

 

Part 1

Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 4th, 21:51

In the Kingdom, it was normal to sleep when the sun went down, because keeping the lamp lit would cost money. In countrysides, where most were poor, such practice was the norm. However, cities were the polar opposite of the countryside. Especially around downtown, all sorts of stores and people were active like nocturnal animals. The place Climb was heading to was a little different. Instead of a brightly lit and bustling street, it was an alleyway swallowed in darkness.

Climb walked along the silent street without any lamps. The reason he could navigate the dark street was thanks to his ‘Helm of Dark Vision’. The maximum range was 15 meters, but the view beyond the slit of the helm was that of midday. Furthermore, unlike plate mails made of iron, mithril-made plate mails didn’t rattle as much. Unless someone with extremely good hearing or an extremely skilled rogue was paying attention, nobody could even guess that Climb was walking around fully armoured.

The scouts were ready.

They saw their target when they came out of the alley. Tall walls surrounded the perimeter as if to separate the inside from the outside. It resembled a fortress or a prison. What kind of illegal activities might be going in there? He thought of all the dark activities that might be going on inside. The magical light placed on either side of the door failed to drive away the darkness that seemed be seeping out from the building. He could not see the building that was described in the plan from the outside.

“That’s it. There’s no doubt.”

Climb murmured while crouching down to hide himself, and a voice replied from beside him.

“It seems so, leader. The atmosphere fits as well. I’ll go scout it out.”

It was the voice of one of the former orichalcum ranked adventurers who had rogue class skills. Brain spoke instead of Climb.

“Be careful. There are warriors that can detect invisibility.”

“Of course, they are the Eight Fingers after all. I plan on acting as if there’s a rogue or magic caster of my level. Well, wish me luck, both of you.”

With that, the presence beside him faded. He could not hear anything, but a rogue of similar caliber might have heard the footsteps headed towards the mansion.

The only ones left were Climb and Brain.

The reason they left everybody else behind was because they weren’t used to acting stealthily. Full plate armours were loud and would have tipped off their location. Since a battle could occur any minute, they couldn’t take off the armour to approach either.

So those two came instead.

Both were warriors, so they couldn’t imitate a rogue. However, for Climb, thanks to the magic imbued in his armour and for Brain who could use martial arts in the dark, it was possible to act in darkness. From here on, it was up to the professionals. There was a reason the two of them got this close despite the danger: If the rogue was detected, they had to decide quickly if their group would attack or retreat. Now it was time for them to wait and see. Still, they had no idea what was unfolding inside. As time passed, only negative thoughts plagued them.

“Will he be alright?”

Brain replied to Climb’s concern.

“I don’t know... but we can only trust him. He is a former orichalcum ranked adventurer after all.”

“I suppose. He’s quite experienced, I guess.”

They lost track of how long they were waiting. Then suddenly, Brain reached for his katana. Following Brain’s example, Climb reached for his sword as well and heard the panicked voice of a man from beside him.

“Wait, wait. It’s me, I’m back.”

It was the rogue who went out as scout.

“Ah, it’s you. You came close but didn’t do anything... Were you testing whether I could really sense you with my martial arts or not?”

“Yea, I’m sorry about that. To test the renowned Brain Unglaus, it’s my fault.”

“It’s ok. If our situations were reversed, I might have done the same. Either way, can you tell us what’s inside?”

Climb could feel the rush of air and felt someone sitting down beside him. He looked to his side and saw nobody, but could feel the strange sensation of a faint presence being there.

“It seems like that place was set up as some sort of training ground. The courtyard was set up just like one. I had a brief look through the building and there were a lot of rooms. I think we can safely say that this is a building owned by the Security Branch of the Eight Fingers. There were couple of areas with security so heavy that I couldn’t risk approaching. Also, there’s some bad news, leader.”

The tone of his words changed the mood to a very tense atmosphere.

“These are the important points. There are prison cells in the building and a woman’s imprisoned in there. Also, there are people who match the description of the Six Arms in the compound as well.”

Even if the woman was unforeseen, they already calculated for the presence of Six Arms. So what was the problem? Brain’s question cleared Climb’s curiosity.

“How many? Considering you said ‘people’, there must be more than one.”

“Five of them. Since we already have ‘Devil of Illusions’, it probably means everyone else is gathered there.”

In another word, this was an impregnable fortress. The worst possible location. But—

“This may be bad for us, but better for the others. If they’re all gathered here, that means the other locations will be that much easier.”

It was the silver lining in this worst situation.

“Then what will we do leader?”

“There is nothing to do. This place will be impossible to take down. We will retreat.”

“Will that be alright, Climb?”

“No, not really, but do we have a choice? If all of the Six Arms are gathered here, then this must be one of the two important places and we can’t even check if it is. But considering the difference in strength, it’s inevitable.”

“That is true.”

“Then should I go in again to see if I can grab any documents before we withdraw?”

“No, it’s too dangerous. It would be best to retreat while they still don’t know we’re here. What do you think?”

“Yea, I agree. Then what will we do now? Go to the other locations and help them out?”

“That would be the best choice. Can you inform the others who’re waiting then? We’ll wait here and see if anybody comes after us.”

“I guess there is no harm in being careful. I’ll leave it to you then.”

The still invisible rogue intentionally made walking sound to reassure Climb that he was headed to where rest of the group was waiting.

“...Nobody seems to be chasing him, Climb.”

“Then shall we join up with the rest and move on to the next location?”

“Yea– huh? Look over there, Climb.”

When he turned around, he could see the person he met yesterday approaching the building they were surveying.

“That’s Sebas-sama? Why is he...”

“...It’s hard to think this is a coincidence... What is going on? Is he one of them?”

“I don’t think that’s the case. I doubt you really think that either.”

“That is true. Maybe if he was someone who’s really good at acting, but I doubt he’s someone like that.”

“We should call him—”

As soon as he said that, Sebas looked directly at the two of them. Climb and Brain were hidden in the shadows quite some distance away to survey the building. They wouldn’t be easy to spot. It could have been a coincidence that he looked in their direction, but Climb didn’t think that was the case.

Sebas came walking at brisk pace.

It was at an incredible speed. Whenever they blinked, he had closed an incredible distance as if he was teleporting. Even though he was just walking normally, he moved at a speed that the brain refused to register. Then he came into the alleyway. To be more precise, he nearly flew over the heads of the two men hiding by the alleyway entrance.

“My. To see both of you here, what a coincidence. So what is your business here?”

“No, that’s something we should be asking you. We were planning on launching an assault on that building, which is owned by Eight Fingers.”

“...Are there only two of you?”

“No, there are more behind us.”

Climb asked Sebas who was murmuring.

“What are you doing here, Sebas-sama? Do you have business in that building...?”

“Yes, to be honest, the woman I told you about yesterday was kidnapped and is being held in that building. They called me out, so here I am.”

“Is that so?! Speaking of which, our comrade who scouted ahead said there is a woman in there as well.”

“...Where is he?”

“He should be coming back soon... Ah, just in time.”

The former adventurer returned with his invisibility worn off. He was wary of the old man with a gentlemanly aura which did not fit the situation.

“This is Sebas-sama. He helped us capture ‘Devil of Illusions’ yesterday. He seems to be acquainted with the woman you spoke of earlier. He’s someone we can trust, don’t worry too much.”

The rogue nodded as sign of understanding and talked extensively about the information he had gathered, starting with the woman. Sebas spoke with a grateful voice after listening to everything.

“Is that so, I understand. Thank you, it will be easier to rescue her now.”

“Don’t worry about it, old man. By the way, everybody is ready to withdraw...”

The rogue glanced at Sebas as if feeling sorry for having to retreat and leaving him alone despite knowing that someone Sebas knew was being held hostage.

“Sebas-sama. The strongest of Eight Fingers, called the Six Arms are gathered here... Can you take care of them all?”

The rogue frowned at Climb’s question. Climb also understood what the rogue might be thinking. The Six Arms were foes matching adamantium ranked adventurers in strength. It would be impossible to win against five of them. However, ignoring such doubts, Sebas replied lightly.

“If it’s five people like that Succulent fellow yesterday, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

The rogue blinked for a moment before taking Brain and Climb aside and asked them while looking at Sebas with pitiful eyes.

“...Leader, is that man crazy?”

Anyone who listened to Sebas just now would agree. Especially if they knew about the abilities of an adamantium ranked adventurer. But Climb, who had witnessed Sebas’ abilities, knew there was no overconfidence in that statement.

“No, he is that strong.”

The rogue looked at Climb as if he were looking at a madman.

“Brain thinks so as well.”

“What?! Unglaus, you as well?”

Brain smiled bitterly as he nodded at the rogue.

“That’s right. Even if Gazef and I fight against him at the same time, we wouldn’t be able to win.”

“I, is that... No, if it’s true, that’s incredible...”

The rogue still looked at Sebas with disbelief, but could only trust what they were saying.

“If we are requesting help from Sebas-sama... It might be inconvenient, but can you tell Sebas-sama about the Six Arms?”

The only time Sebas broke his gentlemanly aura was when he heard one of the Six Arms’ nickname.

“Did you say ‘Undying King’ Deibanock... It’s an unduly nickname for a foolish creature.”

Besides that murmur, the information exchange finished without a hitch. Climb asked then.

“So, Sebas-sama... Is it possible for you to help us out?”

“Of course. I came to rescue Tsuare anyways. I shall take care of the Six Arms.”

“In that case, Sebas-sama will rush in from the front and we will infiltrate secretly in order to rescue Tsuare-san. I’m sorry to leave all the fighting to you, Sebas-sama...”

“That’s fine. It would be favourable for me too, since you would be able to rescue her while they’re distracted and they won’t be able to drag her off through a secret escape route.”

“I understand. I will rescue Tsuare-san no matter what. Then who would you like to be accompanied with? I don’t think it’ll be a good idea to go in with everyone like it was planned...”

“Hmm... If we need to infiltrate, it would be best to be as quiet as possible. Then after we rescue her, we might have to fight our way out. If that’s the case...”

The rogue looked at Climb and Brain.

“If he could use invisibility magic infinitely, it might be different story... but I think going with only the three of us would be the best.”

“Is it alright for me to go with you?”

“Of course, leader. My warrior comrades aren’t really fit for infiltration because they’re too stiff in their armour.”

“I understand, then we will infiltrate with the people here.”

“It’d be good if our magic caster could cast noise cancelling magic, too... Well, if it’s for 3 people, I’ll ask him to cast invisibility magic.”

“Invisibility...”

Climb spoke in worried tone.

“Even if everybody goes invisible, my helm can activate invisibility detection once per day... but what about everyone else? If everyone can’t see each other and gets lost, it will be a problem.”

“Don’t worry Climb, I have a magic item that can detect invisibility. Even though it’s a one use only, I’ll be fine.”

“No need to worry about me. There’s no way I can miss the leader and Unglaus’ footsteps.”

“Then we will be able to communicate fine. We will give Sebas-sama some time before infiltrating.”

“I’ll be in your care.”

Climb and Brain were flustered at Sebas, who lowered his head. They didn’t do anything to deserve a bow from someone like Sebas. They were basically using him like they did at the brothel yesterday.

“No, we are the ones who should be thanking you. Since we came to attack this place, we are very grateful that you are taking care of the Six Arms.”

“In that case I suppose we are even.”

They could not find any hint of negativeness in Sebas’ bright smile. Climb stood up feeling relieved.

“Then we will retreat and come back after magic is cast on us.”

 

Part 2

Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 4th, 22:15

Sebas gave himself a generous amount of time to arrive, so he was several minutes ahead of the instructed time on the parchment. Though he was early, he stood in front of the gate.

It was a fence styled gate so he could see inside, but because of the trees, his line of sight was obscured.

“Hmph, you came on time.”

With coarse voice, a man appeared from in between the trees. Of course Sebas knew that man was there the whole time because he had activated a skill that detected all life forms within a certain radius. He couldn’t physically see him, and since it would be dangerous to rely on this skill alone, he only used it under special circumstances.

“Over here. Follow me.”

Following the man’s guide through the door, Sebas walked on the little pathway through the garden. For a garden owned by an underground organization like Eight Fingers, it did not have gloomy feelings about it. The trees were trimmed cleanly and he could tell they must have a fairly talented gardener. Following the pathway, there was large clearing resembling a training ground. Numerous torches dotted the ground and red flames danced about everywhere. There were roughly 30 people, mostly men and a few women, who were all smiling. It was the smile given by those accustomed to violence who could never imagine themselves losing. Sebas looked around the clearing. He could not find anyone who could present a proper challenge but he found the Six Arms he heard about from Climb’s comrade.

One wore a hooded robe. It was dyed black and the edge was sewn with red thread as if it were imitating a flame. He could not see inside the hood, but the aura was not that of a living being. The nickname “Undying” was not a simple word play, but because it was an undead.

The lone woman among the Six Arms was dressed lightly in thin silk. She had countless golden bangles on her wrists and ankles and they made a metallic sound every time she moved. On her waist hung six scimitars. The man beside her was flashy. He was dressed like a matador and held a rapier whose blade looked as if it grew out of a rose. It even smelled like a rose.

The last man was covered in unremarkable full plate armour and kept his sword in the sheath. A total of four people – their leader, Zero, was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he was waiting his turn elsewhere. When the four of them stepped forward, their minions moved to surround Sebas.

“Old man, I heard you are quite strong. You defeated them all with just a single strike?”

“We had to secure our place within the Eight Fingers with our skills alone. It will be dangerous for us if we lose here. Succulent? He was an idiot to lose in front of the head of Slave Trade branch, even if that branch is now fallen.”

“So I have one question for you. Succulent said he lost to Brain Unglaus, but was he actually defeated by you and simply did not admit to it?

“Well, I never fought with him directly. I only exchanged greetings with him in the mansion and he was unconscious the next time I saw him.”

“Well, I guess it was only natural that he lost. If the opponent was the renowned Brain Unglaus, there’s no way he could have won.”

“Especially if he became stronger since the duel and is on same level as Gazef Stronoff, Succulent’s loss was a given.”

“But it’s not something that can be forgiven. We’ll take care of Unglaus and that shitty princess’ underling later. But you old man, who instigated this whole annoyance, you will die first.”

“We will break you. If we couldn’t, it would put us in a bad spot.”

“Look over there.”

The Six Arms spoke one by one and pointed to third floor of the building.

“There are several high-ranking people over there. They’ve gathered to see us kill you nice and slow.”

“Is someone called Zero there as well?”

“Well, maybe.”

The four smiled mockingly as if they were looking at a weakling. Sebas pointed towards the building and then lowered his hand. The Six Arms wondered what he was doing.

“What is that? You picking a fight?”

“Don’t worry about it. So, where is she?”

“Who are you talking about?”

The reply came with a smile that was clearly looking down at him. Sebas replied sternly.

“She’s the women you kidnapped from the mansion, Tsuare.”

“What if I say we killed her?”

“Are you guys truly that generous?”

“Hahaha! Correct answer. We’re not that generous. She’s going to be a gift for Cocco Doll. We have her wrapped up nice and tight.”

“I see...”

Sebas felt one of the four suddenly looking towards a specific place in the building. The only thing that mattered was that it wasn’t the place where he had been told Tsuare would be. Even so, he only needed to confirm it afterwards.

“Since everyone’s gathered here, come all at once. It’d be waste of time and bothersome if Zero escapes.”

“...This old man doesn’t mince words.”

“Are you that confident you’ll easily take out the underlings? It seems you’ve never met a truly strong opponent.”

“Those are indeed wise words. I wish to return those words back to you... but may I ask about something? Why do you think I am weaker than Brain?”

“Stupid question. When you become as strong as us, you’ll be able to sense how strong your opponent is. And you, old man, are nowhere near us.”

With the exception of Deibanock, the other two agreed.

“Is that so...”

Sebas could also approximately estimate the enemy’s strength by their Ki, but it was difficult to estimate one’s strength when it was hidden by skill or magic.

“So we’ll give you a chance. We’ll fight one at a time, so—”

“—I am strong.”

Sebas motioned for them to come at him.

“Like I said previously, don’t do something annoying like fighting me one at a time. If all of you come at once, you might last 10 seconds.”

“Don’t look down on us, human.”

Deibanock’s shoulders shook.

“Taking you easy? No, you are the ones who’re taking me easy. My name is Sebas. The one who gave me my name is the strongest warrior. The master I serve is a Supreme Being... but, I can see it’s no use talking about him to lower creatures such as yourselves. I grow tired of talking. Let’s finish this.”

Sebas took a step forward. It was towards the creature with the nickname that displeased Sebas the most.

‘Undying King’ Deibanock.

Its true identity was a naturally spawned elder lich. Undead normally spawned in places where many people died and they tended to hold a deep hatred towards living beings and focused on killing them. However, a few undead with sentience suppressed their hatred towards living beings and formed relations with them. Deibanock was one such undead. The objective of his unnatural life was to master magic he couldn’t use when he first spawned and to attain different skills beyond magic as well.

If there were similar undead, it might have been a different story. Actually, there was a secret society that only consisted of undead magic casters, but unfortunately, Deibanock never had the chance to meet any of them.

And so, he sought wealth in order to learn more magic.

In the beginning, he killed travelers on the road and took their money, but after losing to adventurers who were sent as a punitive force, he realized the foolishness of such actions and looked for new ways to acquire money. So he hid his true identity to join a mercenary company, but after it was noticed that he could cast ‘Fireball’ continuously, his identity as an undead was discovered and he had to run away.

It was Zero who approached him after he had just lost a way to make money.

He introduced someone who would teach Deibanock some magic and offered a reasonable amount of money in exchange for working under him. It was the kind of help Deibanock never expected. If he continued strengthening his magical power, there was a possibility that an immortal being like him would one day possess enough strength to destroy all life. Zero would have been sponsoring someone who posed threat to humanity in the future.

However—

Sebas approached him like a storm, curled his fingers into a fist and punched. Without giving him time to dodge or defend, Sebas smashed Deibanock’s head into pieces. His unnatural life was extinguished before he could understand what kind of wrath he had wrought. Sebas spat with spiteful effort that wasn’t like him.

“There is only one being who can use that title. The one who stands above all. How dare some lesser undead like you use it.”

While Sebas shook his right fist as if to dust off the bone pieces, Deibanock’s body disintegrated and the numerous magic items he had been wearing scattered in every direction. Amongst the crowd frozen with panic, only the Six Arms moved. Without experiencing a lot of carnage befitting for true veterans, they would not have been able to react. This was something praiseworthy as it proved that their reputation of being able to stand toe-to-toe with adamantium ranked adventurers was not just a baseless rumour.

Sebas’ next opponent was the woman.

“Dancing Scimitar” Edstrom.

The scimitars had ‘Dance’ magic imbued into them. Just like the name, the weapons moved as if they were dancing and attacked automatically, increasing the number of attacks several folds. But since the magic only allowed for simple patterns. It was not suitable to use as a main weapon. It was only useful for surprise attacks or support, and it would only annoy the opponent if she was fighting someone of equal skill. Because weapons could only be imbued with a single spell, it was common sense to use better magic than ‘Dance’. For example, Gagaran from Blue Rose only used magic that increased the attack power of her weapons.

However, for Edstrom, there was no magic more suitable than ‘Dance’. Usually, this spell was activated when the owner of the weapon used their mind to give it orders, but it was impossible to command a floating weapon to do anything other than simple movements if one was in the middle of a fight with their life on the line.

But she was different.

It was as if there was an invisible warrior there, one who could control the weapon with natural movements equal to her own. The reason for that was the strange way her brain was wired, she possessed two abilities instead of a talent.

One ability was an almost abnormal spatial awareness, and the other was to use her hands independently from each other to perform different actions at the same time. Some people were able to do this despite never having learnt to do so, but she was much more proficient at this and her brain was so much more flexible that it almost appeared as if she had two brains. If she only possessed one of these abilities, she wouldn’t be able to handle her swords as freely, so the fact that she possessed both of them could only be described as a miracle.

Amongst all the nine million citizens within the Kingdom, there was probably no other person who possessed both abilities. Carrying out her will, the swords left their sheaths and floated in the air. She only needed to focus on defending. The other five swords would be the ones attacking. This was the sword prison; a prison where death was certain.

But—

Even before the scimitars could attack, Sebas closed the distance and swiped with a chop at incredible speed. Sebas’ hand enhanced with Ki was sharper than any blade and her head flew instantaneously. Blood spurted from her neck and her body collapsed a moment later. However, the five scimitars were still floating in the air. Sebas’ chop had been so precise and quick, she did not feel her death. There probably wasn’t any pain either. Following her will, the five dancing scimitars thrust towards Sebas. Ignoring them, Sebas stood straight and spoke towards the detached head in a praiseful tone.

“To fight even after losing your head... I applaud your fighting spirit.”

Her lips opened and closed. What was he talking about? She couldn’t understand, but as if feeling something from his words, her eyes looked around and found her headless corpse. It’s a lie. It’s an illusion. There’s no way I can lose. I didn’t lose. The reason why I can’t move is probably because someone used magic. Someone say something. When she accepted the truth, her face contorted in despair. Her mouth opened and closed once more and the swords that were tracking Sebas fell to the ground. They showed no signs of ever moving again.

“Let’s go together. The two of us can take him!”

The scream came from the man wearing the full plate armour, who could barely suppress his panic. The armour couldn’t protect him from fear. He realized not just with his body, but also with all his heart, that everything Sebas had said had been the truth, and that this was someone he should have never turned into an enemy.

“T-t-take m-my ‘Dimensional Slash’!”

He intrinsically knew that he would die. He knew that he could never win against Sebas. The reason he didn’t try to run away was because he knew he would be dead within a few steps. If he fights, he will die, and if he runs, he will die. Since both were not an option, his attitude showed that he was a warrior nonetheless.