Light expanded his senses, hoping to detect any movement outside the room, but it was fruitless. With no other option, he opened the door and looked out. There was no one in the corridors of the luxurious mansion. Signaling to Lara, they moved down the hallways.
"May I ask where you're going?" A maid appeared behind them, her black hair and apathetic but curious blue eyes watching them.
"We're just taking a walk around the mansion. We were a bit drunk when we were shown around." Lara was quicker to respond this time, answering promptly. Both of them were extremely agitated, giving away that they had been caught doing something wrong.
'I need to evaluate her to decide how to proceed...'
Light turned without looking at her and continued down the corridor with Lara, not thinking too much, the maid following them.
"You're trying to escape, aren't you?"
"Yes" they agreed, barely noticing her presence.
"This route will take too long to reach the exit. Turn down that hallway..." she continued, giving them instructions for the quickest way out. A bit further on, two more servants of the mansion appeared, their heavy mana surrounding them, ready for combat.
Light and Lara quickly prepared, both with their blades drawn.
'When did she get a sword?'
He didn't bother with small details and tried to move his mana, which for some reason didn't respond to him.
'But what?'
Now he noticed that his mana sense had been cut off at some point. He had reverted to being a normal human, although he still retained his superhuman strength and speed.
"Lara, stay in the rear and try to use some magic!" He quickly formulated a plan: he would receive support while attacking. That's how he had defeated powerful enemies in the past. Though it carried some risks, it worked well. Even though she didn't know any skills, it was always possible to try something in the middle of combat, especially considering she didn't know how to use a sword.
She started trying to move her mana… Panic became evident on her face.
"My mana is gone!" They were in a bad situation; their mana was apparently sealed.
"Then come and fight with me" Light advanced against a summoned fireball, slicing it in half. The dissipating flames grazed the elf's face as she followed behind.
The advance was fast through the corridors. Both opponents remained stationary, casting spells at a slow cadence, making the approach swift. With a single thrust, Light cut one of them in half, while a trembling Lara drove her sword into the other's chest.
Without rest, two more servants appeared at the end of the corridor, this time armed with swords. Advancing in a breath's time, Light easily received the enemy's blow, letting the enemy sword slide along his own and returning a slash to the enemy's throat.
Lara was at an impasse. Despite being stronger and faster than her opponent, she didn't know how to handle a sword, causing only small wounds on him and finishing him off with great difficulty.
"Very well, let's move on." The sapphire-eyed maid behind them applauded their performance. Despite the coldness of her expression, her complacent attitude seemed somewhat disappointed but resigned.
"Enemies below their level don't seem to be a problem. At the very least, they have some decency." As they turned the corner, more enemies appeared, this time a mixed pair of a mage and a swordsman. While one attacked, the other provided support. Lara got injured, unable to keep up with the pace of the combat.
"She has trouble managing multiple distinct enemies at the same time."
They reached the main hall, and soon a small army of servants approached. Light was unable to protect her; the result could not be more obvious. Lara died, slashed from all sides, swords piercing her head, chest, and back.
Light seemed concerned for her until she died, his eyes seemingly unable to see her anymore. He continued fighting with the entire horde of enemies.
"We've found her limit… He doesn't care, regardless of the numbers… well, let's move on to the next step." Light stood atop a pile of corpses when new servants slowly appeared. They were all as strong as him, their skills and abilities mimicking his own.
He managed to hold on for a while, fighting them individually. However, without being able to eliminate any of them, there were over 10 with similar techniques targeting him at the same time. Light, already missing his left arm and with unyielding determination, remained standing, his posture firm and prepared to continue fighting until death, his end coming due to the wounds he could not manage.
"He doesn't care about his own injuries; this indulgence leads to his own death. Let's move on to the next stage."
The human and the elf woke up again in the bed, ready to escape the place. This time, however, they found no swords. The end was swift; Lara didn't even make it past the first barrier, her head exploded by a fireball.
Light couldn't manage his own mana well, which led to his death shortly after, split in half by a wind blade.
"She knows nothing about mana, and he doesn't have a very refined control or a variety to compensate."
This time, the pair woke up fully capable with both magic and swords. Lara met a fate similar to the first attempt; whether with or without magic, her result didn't change.
Light managed the situation better this time, able to face enemies of the same level as long as they didn't have both magic and sword skills.
"His biggest difficulty is dealing with versatile enemies. Whether they're mages or swordsmen, he can handle them, even in groups. But just add one who does both, and he resorts to indulgence." She commented on this while his head was separated from his body.
"Let's try again." He woke up alone, imagining Lara must have been kidnapped, but he ignored it immediately and continued alone. His fights were harder now that the pairs had only one target.
"The elf doesn't change the outcome of the fight much, but it gives him a chance to act instead of just defending."
After Light was once again brutally killed, Lara entered the same corridor, facing two weaker enemies alone.
"Even though she lost at the beginning, she still tried to confront them head-on and resisted well. It seems she has never handled a sword before..."
"It's time to see how they fare in the real world now…" She sighed.
"Dominic must have a small dick to want to teach them a lesson."