The sword truly seemed to have something enshrined within it, as there wasn’t a single scratch on it, but it was evident that cracks had formed in various parts of the armor. It was miraculous that I managed to block an attack of this magnitude without any mana… However, in other words, this must be my limit without mana.
Most of the impact was absorbed by the armor, so no major wounds formed on my body, but there was nothing I could do about the pain emanating from various parts of my body. Even though my internal organs were intact, my ears were still ringing.
Just before what seemed like an explosion that would shake the heavens and earth, I closed my eyes, so at least my vision remained clear, but all my other senses had gone haywire. I couldn’t even smell that pungent fishy odor. Something kept leaking out of my nose, which seemed to be the reason.
Was this their plan? To tie me down and land this blow? Other than Myungho, I hadn’t told anyone that I’m weak against water, so they shouldn’t know. My thoughts kept going back and forth but didn’t connect properly.
First, I need to get out of here. I managed to block this first strike by sacrificing the armor, but I don’t know how it will go with the second one. The armor will surely turn to dust, and whatever impact remains will be fully on me.
Right now, I can fight somehow, but… what if this isn’t the end? What if they just sent one shot to test us?
I’ll d*e. Definitely. Maybe being captured and dying might even be better. If they’re engineers and scholars, they’d likely show great interest in my body.
After receiving an attack that rivaled a Dragon’s strike, my mind suddenly became clear. I underestimated them too much. Now that I think about it, it was a simple matter how they could remain unscathed despite aligning with the Demon Tribe.
It’s because they had the power to protect themselves. Even ignoring the special nature of the ley lines, they were prepared to face whatever monstrous beings came their way.
The shattered pieces of armor stabbed into my flesh. The Demon responsible for this is clearly the culprit, but there’s no way to retaliate. My sense of manipulating the earth is completely off, and even if I ignore that and try, the oppressive force pinning me down prevents proper movement.
They really intended to k*ll me. With great difficulty, I forcibly lifted the ground that wouldn’t move well and surrounded myself with a wall.
I don’t know if it can block the beam that reduced my armor to half, but it’s better than nothing.
I thought about throwing rocks at them, but my body’s condition doesn’t allow it, and with the oppressive force, I doubt I could hit accurately.
Bullets curve, so how could something flying slower fare any better?
After setting up the barrier, I used my sword as a cane and slowly moved backward. It made me chuckle seeing myself walk like an elderly person in a rehabilitation ward, but the sharp pain forced me to suppress my laughter.
So, they had this planned all along. From now on, I need to take Myungho’s words much more seriously. There’s no harm in being cautious.
This situation… even Myungho probably didn’t predict it. So what? Then I’ll reprimand him later when the time comes.
My body feels too heavy; I considered discarding the armor, but decided against it. It saved my life after all, and it feels wrong to let it fall into their hands.
If they melt it down and forge bullets that can pierce even this armor, we’ll really be in trouble. Pushing my legs forward with great effort, I moved backward. Meanwhile, Myungho stood pale and said something.
I waved my hand to signal that I’m fine. It’s not painful enough to d*e from. This level is… right. It’s like getting hit directly by a large monster.
It’s painful, but I can still fight. If it weren’t for this oppressive force, I would’ve leaped over the trench long ago and slaughtered them all. I need to find a way to counteract this force pressing down on my body.
“Behind! Behind! Be careful!!!”
However, Yuna’s shout, loud enough to tear her throat, reached me clearly. Watch your back. Is there something behind me?
It was a blue light. Did they see it too? It seems they thought the chase was almost over and fired another shot. Things are escalating. Should I block it? It’s too late. If I just take it, I’ll collapse.
Even though I said I wouldn’t look, showing my back like this shows how much I underestimated them. Realizing this anew, I used all my remaining strength and mana to leap.
Though I didn’t gather enough mana to jump satisfactorily, it’s better than standing still and taking the hit. I closed my eyes again. Isn’t it important to at least protect my sight?
No explosion sound was heard. Rather, I should say I couldn’t hear anything. All I felt was the ringing in my ears and the sensation of floating in the air. I could feel the broken armor piercing my skin and the hot wind seeping through the cracks in the armor.
As my body started to lose strength, I still clutched the greatsword. It wasn’t because it was precious, but rather due to the excruciating pain.
In such unbearable agony, I involuntarily gasped for breath. The brief sensation of floating was short-lived, and soon I was pinned down by the oppressive force.
Fortunately, I didn’t hit headfirst. Judging by the lack of strength in my shoulders, I fell at a speed that might’ve broken my neck.
Where am I? I opened my eyes and quickly checked my surroundings and myself. As expected, the armor was shattered like broken glass and no longer functioned as protection. Black shards were embedded in the exposed parts of my skin.
Though the bl**d wasn’t flowing excessively, it seems none of the shards pierced deeply. But in this state, even a b*llet grazing me could lead to unknown consequences.
“Ahh, Alterra…! Just wait a moment, I’ll come get you soon! Akashi, please cast a protective barrier! For Myungho too!”
“I don’t think I can help much with that…?!”
“Since I’ll bear the weight, you focus on reducing the pain with your magic or something! Are you really that clingy despite claiming to be lovers?!”
Despite being thrown quite far by the blast, the oppressive force still lingered.
From afar, I saw Yuna running toward me while shouting something. Though I couldn’t hear her, she was probably saying she’d rescue me or telling me to hold on.
She might not emerge unscathed, but she won’t end up in a pool of bl**d.
Given my current inability to stabilize my own body, Yuna coming here would only endanger herself. I wanted to warn her not to come, but my voice wouldn’t cooperate.
I’m not sure what I’m saying either. Still moving my functioning arm to crawl toward them, I tried to tell her not to come. Did she hear me?
She definitely didn’t. If she had, Myungho and Yuna wouldn’t be rushing toward me under a translucent barrier.
This won’t do. While I might recover with some rest, they aren’t in such a condition. I was about to yell to warn them, gathering my last bit of energy.
Suddenly, my body was easily lifted. It wasn’t because sudden strength surged within me. The mysterious oppressive force that had been pinning me down disappeared.
I don’t know why it disappeared, but I immediately got up and sprinted. I stumbled twice due to my balance not fully returning, and the remnants of the armor fell off as I ran.
But my body moved. Despite numerous injuries and my inability to freely manipulate mana, I wasn’t wounded severely enough to be immobilized.
“Ahh, Alterra?! What’s going on? Can you move?! Ow, never mind, just run anyway!”
My hearing somewhat recovered, and I could hear Yuna’s urgent command to run. Myungho looked like he had much to say but chose to hold his tongue.
This… I resolved to properly apologize later as I ran toward Yuna and Myungho. Gunshots rang out immediately after the oppressive force disappeared, but at this distance, none of the bullets hit accurately.
Even if they did, the shattered armor gave its final breath to block them, and those that slipped through were stopped by the barriers erected by Yuna and Myungho.
“Altera! Are you alrigh…”
“Talk later, Myungho! I don’t know what you were thinking firing something like that, but can you run? Then run!”
Myungho’s sentence was forcefully cut off by Yuna, but strangely, no negative feelings arose. They felt more reliable than ever.
It feels good knowing someone will rush to save me when I’m in danger. I silently thought this as I ran with them toward the trench occupied by our allies.
At that moment, another flash of blue light appeared from behind.
“Altera, Yuna! Run─”
“It’s too la─”
There’s no way to block it. This, I can’t block. Even if I throw myself in front of it, these two won’t survive. They’ll definitely get caught in the blast. Both Myungho and Yuna.
But if I stay still, they will d*e.
That cannot happen. Why did I naively assume they wouldn’t fire again?
Exerting all my strength into my legs, I charged toward the trajectory of the blue light. Yet, why did I keep my eyes partially open? Was it to see the pitiful state of Myungho and Yuna?
Just as the blue light was about to hit—
A distant explosion sounded.
There was no pain. Puzzled, I opened my eyes to see Yuna and Myungho standing confused outside the trench, and Akashi lying collapsed nearby, bleeding from every orifice.
“d*mn worms… Jumping around like grasshoppers… Ugh, I’m dying… Bringing three of them… I’m dying…”
– – – –
“We missed. After overcharging the mana cannons and firing three shots, we still missed. It’ll take three weeks to repair those three cannons. Three out of twelve are now inoperable. Demon King, is this really part of your plan? Because of those three shots, the Exodus plan has been delayed by over a week. Do you realize that? Moreover, untwisted Dwarves haven’t even been born yet. And even if they are, it won’t be the end. We don’t even know how long it will take to mature them enough to activate the Great Teleportation Device.”
The woman tapped her glasses in apparent dissatisfaction as she scolded the Demon King. However, the Demon King answered her with an unperturbed expression.
“It’s unfortunate about the mana cannons. I never imagined they could withstand two hits and still be fine. I wonder what would’ve happened if the final shot had landed… Looks like Akashi intercepted it. Doesn’t matter. That Half-Dragon won’t be able to move for quite some time now. If they value their lives, that is. Also, there’s someone suitable for training the Dwarves.”
“…You mean the nanny doll. But…”
“Don’t worry about the time. I’ll make up for it by using my subordinates if necessary.”
Huh. The woman gave a hollow laugh, looking at the Demon King with disbelief.
“Is that the will of your subordinates?”
“Of course. When our predecessor died, they were as good as dead too. Dead souls. If they can be used nobly to save their kin, who would refuse?”
“You guys are hard to understand, even when trying.”
The Demon King responded while watching the footage projected by the crystal orb.
In the footage, Alterra retreated unharmed after taking two direct hits from the mana cannons.
