Chapter 461

Sariel VS Wing Road

 

When you look at her up close like this, she has a beautiful face that gives you the creeps. She looks like one of the antique dolls displayed in the Royal Palace of Avalon, or even more beautiful than that. And it’s more inorganic than the real thing, like a doll.

I’ve only seen someone like her once before. Their face and age must be completely different, but the way she looked at me is the same as hers – or whatever. It was many years ago.

“It’s no use. I’ll fight for you, even though we are in a disadvantage.”

“Hmmm, we’ll beat her and make the [Wing Road] the best party in Spada!”

The voices of Safi and Charlotte behind me reached me, and I changed my mind. Without getting caught up in the past, I just stared at the reality in front of me.

“Come on, let’s go– formation ‘Whirlwind’!”

The formation I’ve chosen is a speedy, anti-personnel type. The “Dragon Killer” is intended to deliver a large blow to a weak point in order to literally kill a Dragon or similar large monster.

In contrast, the ‘Whirlwind’ formation is used to defeat humanoid or small, fast monsters. But this is the first time we’ve used this formation against a single person. Most of the time, we wipe out multiple monsters at once using this formation.

“Haa!

With a blue aura overflowing, Kai began to Charlge again.

But I didn’t follow and instead took a step back. I stepped back because it was not my role to be the vanguard in this formation.

“Go on, Ta-chan.”

Passing by as if to replace me was Safi’s masterpiece, the Undead Knight. Dressed in white holy silver Mithril armor and equipped with a large flamberge and buckler, he would look like a magnificent knight if his helmet’s face guard hadn’t been opened to reveal a skull’s face.

Well, it’s ruined in many ways by the fact that Saffy always calls it “Ta-chan”. Its performance is impressive though.

The white knight, Ta-chan, was one step behind Kai. In ‘Whirlwind’ Kai and ‘Ta-chan’ are the vanguards.

It’s just that Safi even used her divine protection on it. It’s sword skills is so great that it can even take my place as the vanguard.

Before the storm of slashes from the two swords and Flamberges could hit Sariel, two streaks of lightning arrived first.

“[Red Thunder Lance]”

“[Thunderstorm – ‘Lightning Spears]”

Charl threw a red lightning at Sariel whereas I threw a purple one. Both of them were Intermediate-level attack magic with Lightning attribute, but both of them were out of the ordinary, with Charl’s divine protection [Red Thunder Lord Reinhardt] incorporated in her attack and me using my First Sword skill for irregular activation. And both of them pack quite a punch.

At the same time as the crackling thunder roared, two colored sparks, red and purple, burst out and blocked my vision. The two vanguards boldly jumped into the flashing light.

Because I don’t think I could have killed her with this.

“What the hell?”

After the light went by, I could see the three of them fiercely exchanging blades: Kai, who was shouting like a swordsman, Sariel, who looked somewhat cold, and the Undead Knight with the skull face, who had no expression to begin with.

It’s more about the number of moves you can make than the strength of your Martial Arts skills, so Kai unleashes a series of sharp blows, while Ta-chan moves around to the side or behind to attack the blind spots. A genius Swordsman and a genius Necromancer have created an ultra-high-performance Undead Knight, and not many people can survive being sandwiched between the two of them… but, if that were enough to kill Sariel, then [Iron Demon Brigade] would currently be celebrating their victory. After all, she was handling the two as if it were a simple, boring task, with a blank expression that showed no sense of danger.

“Hey!”

A moment before I was about to activate my Second Sword skill, a white arrow appeared in front of me. I quickly flicked it with my right hand, the spiritual sword “White King Cherry Blossom”, but it was very close.

Not only did she defend herself, but she also attacked me, the middle guard, at the same time. No, it seems that even Charl was shot a white arrow at the same time.

“Watch out! That was dangerous! Oh, no, Nell! Heal!”

“Calm down, Charl, Nell’s not here!”

I’m not sure if the surprise attack scared her so much, but she was a little teary-eyed. This girl is really  vulnerable to minor accidents.

Even so, she succeeded in defending herself with the [Red Lightning Shield] just in time.

While Charl’s divine protection [Red Thunder Lord Reinhardtis active, all of her Lightning-attribute magic changes to a stronger Red Thunder. Therefore, even without a chant, she can use defensive magic with a certain level of strength.

If Charl hadn’t activated her divine protection, she would have been pierced by Sariel’s arrow even if she had deployed [Lightning Shield].

She’s really a ridiculous monster that we can’t even fight properly without activating our divine protection.

“I’m closing in on the front! Get your guard up Charl!”

In the original arrangement, I would be in the middle guard, like Charl, and my main role would be to strike with magic. However, I can only do that satisfactorily if the vanguard can keep the enemy’s attention completely. If Sariel can afford to attack me and Charl at the same time, I have to say that the ‘Whirlwind’ is as good as broken.

Unfortunately, the most effective anti-personnel formation we have right now is the ‘Whirlwind’, so I have no choice but to push a little harder to make it work.

Therefore, I’ll join the vanguard to block Sariel’s mid- and rear-guard attacks this time. I’ll also make sure that Charl is safe just in case. There’s only one person I can ask for help here.

“My guard’s gonna be thin.”

As I listened to Safi’s cold reply, I felt a déjà vu of frustration, wishing Nell were here now. After all, it is only with her that [Wing Road] can be completed as a perfect party.

Well, now is not the time for regrets.

“If one of us is missing, we’re all dead!”

“That’s true, too.”

This joke from Safi, which was not appropriate in the middle of a fight to the death, but she understood my intentions by the end of the exchange, so she’s not to be underestimated in any way.

The rearguard, Safi, now has two heavily armed Minotaur-based monsters on either side of her as guards. Their name is Mino-kun. Both of them are Mino-kun.

One of them, which was 3 meters tall and covered with purple full-body armor, rushed towards Charl. At the same time Safi summoned another 3 meters tall undead to fill in the defensive hole. This undead was covered in heavy armor.

One of the things that makes Safi a great Necromancer is this simultaneous summoning ability. She can summon dozens of her powerful servants instantaneously.

In fact, Safi had summoned two Mino-kuns for defense at the same time as Ta-chan, the vanguard. If she wanted to, she could have summoned more of them, but the number of summons that might be useful in this fight was limited, even for her.

I’m sure that no matter how many skeletal soldiers Safi throws at Sariel, it won’t be enough. Even though I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the fact that I was dealing with such a powerful person, I closed in on Sariel with one of the three most serious stances I’ve ever taken in my life.

“Oh, Nero, honestly, that helps!”

The fact that he could honestly say that to me meant that Kai was under a lot of pressure against this battle with Sariel.

“–Bloom, “Snow Moon Flower” ”

Sariel, on the other hand, had a cool face. Even when I intervened with my two swords, the substantive sword “White King Cherry Blossom” and the magical sword “Snow Moon Flower”, she successfully intercepted my first sword and avoided my second sword with such grace and beauty that caught my eye.

Oh, no.

If I, Kai, and Ta-chan continue like this, we’ll surely end up like the [Iron Demon Brigade]. Sariel can and will to do just that.

If we don’t do something, we’ll be wiped out without even a scratch on her. And that time is fast approaching.

I didn’t have time to think long and hard while fighting. I’ll just have to do whatever comes to mind.

“Kai, stop the spear!”

“Yes!”

I started to give easy to understand instructions to Kai in front of Sariel. It would be great if Sariel would hesitate even for a moment, but I don’t think psychological warfare or any other small skill will work on her at all.

So my instructions meant what they say. And Kai’s comprehension in these situations was outstanding.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah!”

With a flash of energy, Kai launched a kick.

The target was not Sariel – but Ta-chan’s back.

“Aaah! My Ta-chan!”

By the time Safi’s unusually sorrowful cry sounded, Ta-chan had been pierced head-on by Sariel’s spear.

Kai kicked Ta-chan in a way that pushed him right in front of Sariel. In the end, it was a matter of time before he was able to do anything about it.

The blow of the shining spear seemed to have a great effect on the undead, as an ugly, poisonous purple smoke began to spew furiously from the gaps in his armor. The true nature of the smoke was the dark magical power that drove the corpse. In less than three seconds, the magical power would be completely drained from his body.

“Sorry, Safi.”

That’s already the second time I’ve said that.

With a heartfelt apology, I thrust the icy tip of “Snow Moon Flower” into Ta-chan’s back.

“[Ice Seal Flash]”

The effect of the Sword Skill that I activated is to seal the target by freezing it. In other words, the entire Ta-chan will instantly freeze along with Sariel’s Cross Spear.

I knew how Kai was going to act from the moment I gave him the order. We’ve had similar experiences before. The fact that we can sacrifice Ta-chan without hesitation even though he is my ally is probably because of casual Necromancy.

So, almost at the same time as I was making my thrust, I succeeded in activating the [Ice Seal Flash].

Sariel seemed to be moving quickly to pull the spear out – just in time. The shimmering, crossed tips of the spears froze as they pierced Ta-chan’s chest.

“Now!”

Sariel’s reaction was quick. If it was a normal opponent, the cold air of the seal would have conducted from the spear to the handle in the blink of an eye, and the effect would have reached the enemy himself. But when the tip of the spear froze, Sariel let go of the spear as quickly as possible.

But now, just as I had planned, I had blocked her spear. Sariel would be unarmed at this moment.

“—[Red Thunder]”

The first thing that hit Sariel was not me or Kai, but Charl’s magic. Kai wasn’t the only one who understood my intentions. Rather, everyone in the party understood my intentions.

The [Red Thunder] released at the perfect time, is a red lightning version of Intermediate-range attack magic.

Dozens and hundreds of lightning bolts spewed into the air, striking like a tossing net. The range of the red lightning was wider than Sariel could take off in a single bound.

Of course, I and Kai were within the attack range, but the great thing about Charl’s divine protection is that it gives Charl, who has a rough personality, precise magic control.

In other words, not a single one of the countless red lightning strikes that were coming at us here was on a direct course to hit her allies, and on the contrary, they were placed in such a way that they not only hit the enemy, but also fill in the gaps in all directions to avoid them. This is a meticulous magic composition that is impossible for a normal Charl to perform.

“… [Guard]”

At that moment, Sariel took a defensive measure. The small murmur that was drowned out by the gentle breeze was the name of a basic defensive Martial Art, if I hadn’t misheard it.

If you can’t avoid it, use [Guard] to overcome it. This is a natural choice for a vanguard warrior, but Sariel’s stance even while defending was offensive.

The only thing that seemed to be under the effect of the Martial Arts was her right hand. A silvery white aura erupted from it, doubling in intensity and increasing its brilliance.

Her shining right hand shot up, and in the next instant, it cut off several red lightning bolts that rushed into her slender body.

With just one swing of her hand, all the lightning that struck her was cut away. In a trajectory that seemed to avoid Sariel herself, the red lightning passed by with a buzzing sound.

Could it be that the reason she used the [Guard] was simply to prevent electrocution? This is not a proper way to use a defensive Martial Art.

“–Spring Forth, ‘Ryusui Sen’ ”

But thanks to one action that could be found in the legends of Martial Arts masters: cutting off the lightning, there is enough time for me to launch a follow-up attack.

As I felt the red lightning flash by my ear, I converted my sword into Water-attribute “Ryusui Sen” using Sword skill. As a thin stream of water swirled, a single rapier was formed.

A single thrust with this sword will result in a sharp splash that pierces the rock like [Water Arrow], but what I want right now is not attack power, but binding power.

The “Ryusui Sen”, has the “intangible” characteristics of water, so I can change its shape will. So, for example, I can stretch it long and thin like a rope.

With a light snap of my wrist, the water rapier instantly transformed its blade into a whip that extended in a straight line towards Sariel.

“I got her!”

Sariel couldn’t avoid this attack so the water whip wrapped around her thin ankle from behind.

I pulled the water blade with force trying to drag her down, but she didn’t even budge!

I can pull 10 two-meter tall Orcs at once, but by all means, the slender girl in front of me who weighed about 40kgs didn’t make a slight movement.

Sariel looked back at me quietly, with oddly relaxed movements. When I stared into those crimson eyes, I didn’t feel she was like living.

“Hey, Freeze!”

I immediately decided that there was no point in restraining her with the water whip any longer. So, I instantly converted it to the Ice-attribute.

Changing the attribute of the same magic is an Advanced technique, but since Water and Ice are essentially the same thing, the difficulty of changing them goes down a notch. My Sword skill allows me to quickly changing attributes of my sword even in battle, but the fastest change speed is still in both directions, Water and Ice.

Before Sariel, who had turned around, could do anything about it, “Ryusui Sen” transformed into “Snow Moon Flower”. In other words, the water that entangled her ankle instantly froze and froze her feet to the ground.

“[Polar Ultima–]”

When Sariel stopped, Kai took advantage of the opportunity and attacked from behind.

In the first place, the reason I used restraints instead of attacks is because Kai is the real deal. The first time he foolishly slashed into her, he was almost easily countered, but what about now?

A complete blind spot right behind her. In addition, her right ankle is frozen, which has blocked her mobility. She would not be able to take satisfactory evasive action. And above all, Sariel was still without her spear.

The spear that stabbed Ta-chan was frozen by the [Ice Seal Flash]. It is impossible to bring it back to hand by summoning it, as she did after she stabbed Gustav, under the circumstances of the Ice Seal.

“—[Slash]!”

And so, this time, Kai’s special Martial Art exploded on the defenseless Sariel – or it should have.

“Oh, come on. You’re kidding…”

As I had predicted, Sariel certainly did not evade, nor did she use her spear. However, what leaked out of her mouth were words that denied reality.

No, because of course not. Who could have predicted such an ending?

“Bare handed?”

Kai’s exclamation was the most accurate description of the situation.

Yes, Sariel had caught the blade that had been swung straight down from above her head with her bare hands. She clapped her small, white palms together on her head, without a scratch. With such a simple movement she stopped Kai’s Martial Art.

The big sword, which would have split open her beautiful head silver hair if it were only ten centimeters lower didn’t move as if it were frozen in place there.

“Damm! Guh! Ahhhhhhhhhh!”

If it’s just arm strength, there aren’t many people in Spada who can match Kai, the power fool. And he was currently pushing his sword with all his might, but it didn’t move even a millimeter from where Sariel has it between her hands.

It’s like a bad joke with Kai’s desperate expression as he put all his strength into his sword while it roared with the blue aura of his divine protection, but Sariel was as expressionless as ever, she didn’t even glanced at him.

But this was the reality. The truth that Sariel and Kai were so far apart in their abilities was clearer than ever.

“Whoa!”

Sariel moved. She caught the sword above her head and swung her arm as if to throw it straight forward.

The motion, which was not rational in terms of human movement and was released only with the power of her arm, was enough to throw Kai, who was holding the sword, forward.

As if this was the Will of a Swordsman, Kai continued to hold the hilt until the very end, even though he was thrown.

It may have been a noble gesture, but the result was an ignominious slam into the ground. Kai’s back was slammed hard without him being able to do anything.

“Oh, no!”

But that wasn’t the end.

The same scene repeated twice, no, three times, right there.

Sariel, holding the sword between her hands, buzzed up and down with a light swing. Kai’s body slammed into the ground as she did so.

What was frightening was the speed. No one, not me, not Charl, not Safi, not even me, could do anything in the middle of such a ridiculous attack that even comedy would not see. We didn’t even have time to make any kind of move to save Kai.

“Ka…ha…”

With a feeble grunt, Kai’s eyes turned white. Kai finally let go of his sword, where his superhuman arm strength was supposed to reside.

Kai’s beloved sword, Claymore, was now in Sariel’s hands.

“Stop–”

She then quickly returned the blade she had taken to its owner. The large, sharp, divine iron orichalcone alloy cutting edge was pointed at Kai’s chest.