Chapter 198: The End of Winter. (2)
[Self-Mastery Achievement: 「Metal Enhancement」 Completed]
◆Purifying the Quality of Mana
◆Attribute added
Purifying the quality of mana and an attribute was added. A magical aura. It meant that the mana now had a characteristic, and at the same time, it was an indicator that I had reached a certain level.
[Mana Purification: Metal · Abrasion]
In simpler terms, mana purification was when my mana was washed off of its original impurities and filled with a specific property.
“…Hmm, so there was a countermeasure.”
Ihelm nodded.
The barrier, which had been shaking like it was about to fall due to the constant firing of dark energy, was already repaired and held up now with firmer mana. It possessed the dual properties of metal and abrasion. Just as Julie’s mana was filled with ice, shadows permeated into Josephine’s mana, and the wind swirled around Syrio.
My mana had also reached that point. I looked behind to the group of knights and wizards, some Named, standing there.
“I’ll take care of the barrier. You prepare for war.”
“…Oh, okay.”
Delric and his knights moved first, followed soon by Julie and Raphael. But.
“Then, I…”
Epherene stealthily crept beside me. And with confidence, she shouted:
“I will protect the Professor!”
“Get lost.”
“What?”
Primienne, who was loitering around, cut in.
“It’s a waste for a wizard to protect another wizard. It’s not efficient.”
“…”
Epherene puffed her cheeks out.
“You go and help the knights above the barrier.”
That was more suitable for Epherene. The quality of her mana, her mana capacity, and her talent with destructive spells were all more powerful than mine.
“…Okay.”
Epherene turned around with a pout. She walked begrudgingly, but after the ninth shot, it turned into a dash.
“You’re good, right? Tell me what to do, as well.”
Primienne wanted me to relax. I wasn’t too comfortable knowing her origin and knowing that Demon Blood flowed in her, but at the very least, she wasn’t a death variable right now.
“Protect my back.”
Thud—!
I took a step with my cane to support my mana. In that state, I focused all my attention on the barrier.
—!
The tenth shot hit. But it didn’t even make a tiny scratch against my mana. At least, this dark energy wouldn’t be able to penetrate through this abrasive mana.
*****
…Beyond the wilderness, an army of ten thousand was gathering.
Lia flicked her forehead while watching them gather. If the barrier were broken, if their defenses fell, this would spell the collapse of the continent! In other words, it would also mean that the overall difficulty level of the main quest would suddenly increase!
“Lia, can you do this?”
Ganesha checked on Lia, who was biting her nails. They were now observing the turtles inside the dark energy forest.
“What? Oh, yes. Of course, I can. What about you, Leo?”
“Me too! Of course!”
Leo was his typical self, eager for a fight. His fist extended up.
“*whoosh* *whoosh* – I also learned boxing from Lia!”
“That’s right! Phew!”
Lia let out a big sigh. After calming down her body and mind, she turned to Ganesha.
“We are ready!”
“Good, good~”
Ganesha smiled brightly and picked up a branch. The twigs in this forest were full of dark energy that would burn human flesh, but Ganesha was unscathed.
“I’ll break the turtle first. Just follow me after that, understand? Trust your battle senses. It’s also important to develop your senses, so~.”
She stretched her hand backward like she was about to throw a spear. Then…
Shooooooooooooot—!
She threw it. It burst forward with a boom, embedding itself in the turtle’s cannon.
Guuuuuh—!
It probably hurt immensely.
The two characteristics of Ganesha, Diamond Transformation and Transference. Diamond Transformation hardened her body like a diamond, and Transference spread her body’s strength to everything she used. In other words, the ordinary branch that Ganesha had just thrown away became as hard as a diamond the moment she threw it.
“Humph!”
Ganesha threw one after another, but her location was soon revealed by her loud firing.
Sssssssss…!
The Altar’s wizards collected dark energy. At times like this, Ganesha was surprisingly useless. She lacked ways to effectively counter magic, other than beating the user to death.
“Lia?”
“Okay!”
Therefore, Lia came forward. She closed her eyes and focused her mind, a thin blue veil of mana leaking from her.
Kwaaaaaaaah—!
Right afterward, the dark energy came flooding in. But, it could not penetrate through her veil.
Schwaaaaaa—!
It sprayed harmlessly around them. This was the talent of the character named Lia: The Dismantler. Whether it was dark energy or mana or whatever, it was a high-level attribute that dismantled and consumed mana. This way, Lia could block the magical counterattacks while Ganesha threw branches to disable the cannons, and Leo was taking care of the monsters climbing up. It was a perfect combination and rhythm…
“Huh?”
But Lia felt something strange. There were only a few wizards, about ten, who were steering the turtles, yet they had no soldiers protecting them. There had been a few hundred of them when they first appeared.
“…Ah!”
Lia realized it too late.
“This… this is a diversion!”
“…An excursion? To where?”
Leo asked back while swinging his fists.
“No, a diversion!”
Lia shook her head in frustration and pointed over the barrier.
“The Altar’s troops right now are probably….”
At the back door of Reccordak. The Altar would storm into the place with the least knights and prisoners.
*****
Boom—! Boom—!
The sound of magic exploding.
Schwaaaaaaa—!
The sound of the crossbows firing.
Don’t run away and kill—! For Her Majesty, the Emperor—! Show your loyalty—!
The screams of the knights on the battlefield-
You fucks! Die—! Go ahead and die, you asshole—!
-and the cursing of prisoners with weapons.
“…Hmm.”
The war gruesomely continued as a long-haired man watched from afar.
“They seem to be holding out somehow.”
Zeit von Brugang Freyden. He was standing on a mountain ridge not too far away from the entrance to Reccordak.
“Deculein is protecting the barrier, and Julie, that child… is engaged in battle.”
While he was watching their struggles, Zeit’s eyes opened wide.
Whiiiiiiiing—
A black wind blew, and a group of uninvited guests wearing robes appeared from behind the stronghold.
“Ehem…”
They were prepared to march towards Reccordak. Their thirst for blood was burning, and strange dark energy roiled above them.
“This world won’t leave me alone.”
He didn’t come here to help Reccordak in battle… but he couldn’t just sit still. Zeit, fiddling with his chin in contemplation, jumped off the ridge.
Bam—!
He narrowed the distance in a single jump and blocked the Altar wizards’ path with his body. Like a Great Tiger crossing a wall, or a flash of lightning in the blue sky, he proved an unexpected appearance for his foes.
“Who are you, people?”
Then, one of the uninvited guests who stopped moving, a priest from the Altar, solemnly called his name.
“…Zeit.”
Zeit’s influence was well known even to the Altar, who despised the barbarians of the continent enough to be afraid of him. He was one of the reasons why they had been hiding and trying to grow stronger.
“Yeah, that’s me.”
But, Zeit enjoyed the horror they felt.
“I listened to my old brother-in-law. He is going to be the most powerful on the continent… because of that, I made strong defensive preparations.”
Crack— craaaaack—
He loosened up his hands as he spoke.
“That is why.”
There were hundreds of the Altar wizards, and Zeit was by himself.
“I’m saying I have some time left.”
However, the ones taking a step back were those of the Altar.
“I came here to waste some time.”
Crack—
This time, the sound came from his neck. His normal movements and sounds weighed down heavily on the Altar.
“But I’m too shy to show my face.”
Thud—
Zeit took one step forward.
“I also feel sorry for my naive sister, who doesn’t know anything.”
His mana was burning, causing steam to rise off his body. His aura suffocated the Altar.
“…It’s even more so for Professor Deculein.”
Zeit, mumbling bitterly, let out a sigh and scratched his head.
“Anyhow, I’m not feeling so good these days.”
The air changed suddenly. He looked up straight at them. His carefree expression grew vicious like a tiger’s, and his hair swirled with mana behind him.
“I don’t know if I can release this frustration.”
This man was referred to as the strongest on the continent. The Altar, having not planned on facing him, hurriedly prepared a technique so they could retreat—
“…I should beat you all to death.”
Zeit rushed in.
Paaaaaaaaa—!
His speed created a sonic boom behind him, shaking the earth. The ground turned upside down under his feet. It was accompanied by-.
Shrrrrrrrrrrkkkkkk—!
The sound of tearing flesh, and-
Craaaaaack—!
The sound of bones breaking.
Gaaaaaaaaaah—!
Finally, the screams of those whose arms and legs were being pulled off.
Argh—! Aaaaaaaaahhh—!
Now, an unknown battle was happening in Reccordak.
“Welcome to winter. Know that it’s an honor that I’m your last….”
*****
The war continued, the battlefield filled with the scents of blood and death.
Craaaaaaack—!
A swarm of monsters ripped off a prisoner’s head, then cut off a knight’s arm and tore off their legs.
Kwak—!
A monster’s hand reached a knight’s heart. Julie cut down the beast and approached the fallen knight, but his eyes had already lost their light and vitality. Without having the time to pray for his soul, she closed her eyes and swung her blade again.
Kwaaaaaaa—!
The support of a wizard came just in time as a wind-bearing oil and flame passed overhead. The screams from the burning monsters were deafening.
“Humph!”
Epherene used intermediate fire-type destruction magic. Julie and the knights continued to battle with her support.
“…Haa.”
However, Julie’s breathing grew ragged. Her chest was gradually becoming heavier, and her heart was in pain. It felt like someone was carving out her insides with their fingernails. It was because of the dark energy worming its way inside her.
“…”
Julie’s eyes gradually grew blurry. Her body wasn’t listening to her.
—Julie! Are you okay?!
She came to her senses with Gwen’s shout, moving again.
Overcome.
There was only one word in her mind right now.
Overcome.
Overcome.
Overcome.
If she couldn’t overcome this dark energy herself in this place, if she collapsed like a sick person again…
— Don’t be cheeky. Someone injured like you will be no help at all.
Even with Deculein’s words.
— Know your place and get lost.
Even with those words.
—You’ll only be a burden.
Even with all of his contempt, it was impossible to retort. She would only prove it to be true.
“Ugh!”
Her body tumbled to the ground after being pushed by a monster’s attack. Her armor was already covered with blood and dirt, but Julie stood again.
…She knew this injury wasn’t something that could be overcome by force of will. She was diagnosed with a time limit when she was first injured in the dungeon. With only six months to live, she was told that she could never live as a knight.
But…
Deculein.
Rockfell. Veron. When she thought of those that he hurt…
She couldn’t lose to him, even if she died.
‘No, I won’t die; I will overcome this myself. I will win over him…!’
“—!”
She shouted and swung her sword.
Kwaaaaaaaa—!
Her mana froze the world around her.
“Oh, Julie!”
Syrio cheered for her.
“You’re okay now, right?!”
Gwen was worried.
…And.
“You seem to be working hard.”
Deculein…? Julie was greatly surprised as she glanced over.
“Ah…”
Was this a hallucination or reality? It was so unrealistic that she couldn’t tell. But Deculein was standing with a cane.
“Don’t look at me; look ahead.”
Julie, following his line of sight, prepared for battle again. Now she knew the reason why Deculein came here.
“…A demon.”
The tsunami of enemies that never seemed to end… behind that endless wave, a demon had appeared.