I Blue : Reincarnated as a Cursed Crit-Based Swordwoman-Chapter 19: Steps of Death

At their core, butlers and maids were adventurers. They were trained not only to handle regular house chores but also to explore special dungeons known as hunting grounds. Fighting was second nature to them—an expectation and a necessity in their line of work.

Yet, no amount of training had prepared them for this.

"H-Here!!! She's there!!! Come—Argh!!!"

The panicked voice of a maid cut through the dimly lit hall, only to be silenced by a sickening crunch.

"What... What is going on?! How can she move so quickly?! How can she use Steps without talking?!"

"Help! Help!!! ARGHhh!!!"

The shouts were drowned out by the sound of hurried footsteps and the agonized screams of the fallen. Servants who had once faced down beasts from the darkest dungeons now trembled as they realized the difference. Monsters were predictable. But fighting a human—especially one like her—was something else entirely.

"Just you wait! I'll burn you to a crisp! BriaX!!! BriaX!!! BriaX!!! BriaX!!!"

A flurry of fiery orbs illuminated the hallway, their glow casting flickering shadows across the walls. But the young mistress was gone before a single flame could touch her. The only sound was the faint rustle of her clothes and the soft click of her boots against the floor.

"Argh!!!"

Another scream. The servants turned to see one of their comrades crumple to the floor, clutching at his face. Blood streamed from his eye where the dagger had struck.

"She—Argh! AAARRRGH!!!"

Was it even correct to call that their young mistress? The figure that danced through their ranks was no longer the child they once knew.

"Gather around her! Reduce the space available!"

Weapons were raised, forming a crude but desperate perimeter. They herded her like hunters cornering a beast, their hands trembling despite their battle-hardened resolve.

"JuSol!!!"

A high-pressure blast of water shot through the air, aimed directly at her. For a split second, they believed they had succeeded. But then—

"W-Why?"

The bullet tore through one of their own, sending the man sprawling to the ground. Vasilisa had vanished again.

"She's gone! Where is she?! Where is she?!!"

"Above!!!"

A butler's panicked shout came too late. Vasilisa descended from the shadows like a bird of prey, her bloodied dagger gleaming. She drove it into the shoulder of an unsuspecting maid, who shrieked in agony before collapsing.

"Argh!!!"

The wounded man swatted at her like a desperate animal, managing to throw her to the ground.

"There!!! She's here!!!"

"BriaX!!! BriaX!!! BriaX!!!"

Another barrage of fireballs lit up the hall, but the girl darted between them with inhuman speed. Her movements were fluid, almost hypnotic—an erratic blur of crimson and shadow that made her impossible to pin down.

"What the hell?! Argh!!!"

"How?! How can she do that?!"

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Her footsteps echoed unnervingly in the silence between attacks, as if mocking them.

On paper, a human should have been simpler to subdue than a monster. Humans had less HP, felt pain, and weakened as they neared death. Monsters, in contrast, grew fiercer the closer they were pushed to their limits.

But Vasilisa didn't fight like a human.

"Shit!!! Shit!!! Shitshitshitshit!!!"

The servants' composure cracked, panic seeping into their voices.

"Stop!!! Don't come closer!!!"

"How can she use Steps without a word?!!"

The Art she wielded—Steps, a technique of rapid footwork used for repositioning—was common among adventurers. It was one of the few Arts that were known to be usable without a word should one wish to use a watered down version of them.

But the way she used it—silently, seamlessly, and with such precision—was beyond comprehension. It was something they had never been in their whole life.

"She's... No..."

In their minds, Vasilisa became an apparition, a thing beyond understanding. Her youth, her frail frame—all of it was a façade. She was everywhere and nowhere, appearing and vanishing in an instant.

A cold chill swept through the hall as her voice finally broke the silence, soft yet cutting:

"He... Heal... her..."

The words were simple, yet they carried a weight that crushed any remaining courage the servants had. She stepped forward, her dagger dripping red, and the servants recoiled as if her very presence was poisonous.

They had faced monsters before, but nothing like her. They weren't fighting a human. They were fighting death itself.

.

.

.

"Heal... her..."

Noah repeated his sentence but nobody reacted at first. He could tell that they mostly wished to run away in front of the massacre he was responsible for.

"(Now, I have done it...)"

He was trying to kill them at first, but when his wooden sword broke, he had no choice but to use everything that he could put his hands on. The result was this bloodied hall full of injured and dead people.

"(No... This is fine... They tried to kill me first after all. Also, now that they are dead, the ones able to use resurrection spells are forced to act, aren't they?)"

But nobody was stepping forth. He was not aware of this because of his fatigue but the wild and bloodied appearance he had taken would have prevented anyone from daring to approach him..

It would have been easy to kill him though. He used so many Steps that he only had 6 HP left. Another flurry of spells or group attack, and they would have won.

But nobody had the courage to step towards him. Nobody, but a young white-haired maid.

"Ah... Ah, young mistress..." she called, timidly.

Noah glared at the maid, making her shudder.

"I... My name is... Ah, no, I mean... I can... I can use resurrection spells, mistress. Allow me to... respond to your request... Yes?"

The white-haired maid's voice quivered, her eyes darting nervously between Noah and the bloodied corpses around him. She bowed stiffly, her hands trembling as they clenched the hem of her apron.

Noah stared at her, his expression unreadable. For a long, excruciating moment, he said nothing. The weight of his gaze made the maid's knees threaten to buckle.

"What... What are you doing, newbie?" a wounded maid croaked from the corner, clutching her bloodied side as she tried to prop herself against the wall. "Run! Call the—Argh!!!"

The sound of the knife slicing through flesh was wet and sharp.

"Oh..." Noah muttered absently, pulling his dagger free from the fallen maid's skull.

A dull thud echoed as her lifeless body crumpled to the floor. He glanced down at the corpse, almost surprised at what he'd done. It seemed he had forgotten about her entirely.

The white-haired maid's breath hitched, her pale skin cheeks flushing pink. She stepped back instinctively but froze as Noah turned his bloodstained dagger toward her. He didn't speak; instead, he raised a hand and motioned for her to approach.

Her body felt leaden, every step toward him a battle against a primal urge. When she reached him, Noah pointed wordlessly to the corpse at his feet.

The realization struck her like a blow.

"You want me... to test it on her?" she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper.

Noah nodded. His silence was suffocating, his crimson-streaked face devoid of sympathy. The maid realized there was no room for error. If she failed, she would join the rest of the bodies littering the hallway.

"Heh... F-Fine..."

Noah's eyes narrowed as she moved. His muscles tensed, ready to react to any sign of treachery. But instead of attacking, the maid dropped to her knees beside the corpse.

"Ecclesia," she whispered.

The word carried a strange resonance, and a brilliant white light erupted from her hands. The glow expanded into a pillar, enveloping the body of the fallen maid.

A string of letters appeared in the air above the corpse:

[Bring back [Vera] in exchange for [10] years of life?]

Noah's eyes widened. "(Huh?)"

"Yes," the white-haired maid replied, her voice soft but unwavering. A faint, almost eerie smile crossed her face as she looked at the shimmering letters.

[Processing...]

[Processing...]

The seconds stretched into eternity, the sound of Noah's shallow breathing the only thing breaking the silence.

[Your request has been successfully processed.]

[Engaging [Vera]'s revival procedure.]

The light intensified, growing blindingly bright. Noah shielded his eyes as the corridor filled with the hum of raw energy. When the light finally faded, the lifeless body of the fallen maid was gone. In its place lay Vera, her wounds healed and her chest rising and falling with shallow breaths.

The revived maid stirred weakly, her eyes fluttering open. Her HP bar, though not full, was no longer empty.

"Heh... heh..."

The white-haired maid laughed slightly, blood running down her nose.

"N-Now, mistress. Shall I do the next one too?"