158th Episode
The fight was increasingly turning into a chaotic brawl.
About ten odd thugs had surrounded me. I was fighting while protecting Knightrea and Ruci, who possessed little to no combat ability, and the rest of our forces were scattering about the garden, engaging the enemy sporadically.
I was using the techniques I had learned in my previous life very effectively.
“Stinger!”
A high-pitched hum filled the air as a bright blue magical energy condensed tightly within the Vestark. I swung it at the nearest thug.
Kwaang! It wasn’t a simple shockwave, nor was it purely a sword qi; the wave of force that surged forward was both sharp and ferocious as it shot towards the thug.
“Khhuck…!”
The thug hit by the wave let out a groan of pain. The others watching seemed to flinch slightly, now showing an increased level of caution towards me.
‘Reacting well.’
It might sound a bit odd, but their human reactions were surprisingly reassuring.
The members of the Resurrection Sect were more like killing machines that would utter absurd phrases like, “Are you insane, human?” as their comrades dropped around them. This was much better.
“Haaap!”
Moreover, the attackers let out battle cries as they fought. How human and satisfying.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I want them to hit me.
“Hmph!”
I quickly tossed the Espada at the charging thug.
Sshhhaiik! Flying with a sharp tearing sound through the air, the Espada managed to block the thug’s attack.
“What are you doing?”
The thug, who easily defended against my unusual attack, glared with a proud look. He immediately prepared to charge again, perhaps scoffing at me for throwing away my weapon in such a reckless manner.
‘Ergen术.’
The thrown Espada abruptly stopped mid-air then, like a ghost, sped rapidly towards the thug’s neck.
A skill called Ergen术, stolen from Gatrek Ronan, one of the knights of Geom Rim.
Because its mechanism worked the same as Seven Sword Pierce or Fatal Shot, Espada traced the attack path of a proficient master swordsman.
“… K, Aaaah!”
The thug reacted late. Unable to protect the vital point, he instead received a deep gash along his back. Thanks to the mark I had earlier placed on him, the damage was significant.
The thug was now unable to move. Through the Espada, which had landed at a distance, I could feel every detail of the technique, making it an oddly fascinating experience.
“You b*stard!”
Other thugs charged me simultaneously from all directions, forming an impeccable ambush attack with absolutely no gaps. They were clearly experienced in hunting humans. I clicked my tongue and propelled myself into the sky with a push from the ground.
‘Follows some risk…!’
I let go of the single Vestark I was holding, floating it mid-air, and hurled the two swords towards the thug horde.
“Ugyaaak! Yo, Hero! Oh, it’s dangerous here! Help!”
At that exact moment, Ruci’s ear-splitting scream echoed out.
I quickly turned my head. Some of the thugs had ignored me entirely and rushed towards Ruci and Knightrea.
“These bastards…!”
Gritting my teeth, I immediately redirected the dual swords’ trajectories.
If I had known this would happen, I should have picked up a few better swords from Geom Rim’s collection. Missing out having only two swords was regrettable.
‘Seven Sword Pierce!’
Ergen术 is Shinsenhabil (神剑合力). Literally, it’s a technique that allows one to move the sword freely as if it were an extension of their body.
Once activated, even when separated from the user, Seven Sword Pierce can be utilized through the sword.
Pipipip! A slight vertigo followed as streams of magical swords surged out.
One of the drawbacks is that it rapidly depletes mana and sharply drains focus, but now was not a moment to hesitate.
“Kruuk!”
“Ahhaaak!”
Moving in unpredictable trajectories, Espada and Vestark soared through the air. And from them erupted a dazzling array of eccentric magical swords, eliciting agonizing cries from the thugs.
I shifted my gaze to other battlefields nearby.
“Your bl**d is boiling, isn’t it!”
Kwaang, Kwagwang!
Through continuously firing energy projectiles from his gauntlets and charging like a wild beast, the presence of Adrang appeared.
“Kuhhaaak!”
Even in the brief moment I glanced, one of Cassas’ apostles had been decapitated. Adrang, wiping bl**d from his face, quickly ran towards other enemies.
How foolish of me. I didn’t need to look here anyway, so I turned my gaze elsewhere.
“Come here, you frail ones! You’re scrawny like mice!”
Repeatedly shouting “frail ones,” I spotted the Grenade taking on the young soldiers.
Slowly and clumsily approaching, it would wildly strike the ground or miss entirely with its attacks. Though its appearances might be comedic, the results were far from it.
“Oi, danger!”
“Stay balanced! You’ll fall into the fissure!”
“Aaaaah!”
Kvaang, Kwaang! The earth trembled.
The garden’s terrain changed real-time. Grenade’s punches that barely missed the youngsters sent them flying into the air with wide eyes, and the areas struck looked as if they had been crushed by a grinder.
Thanks to such overwhelming force, Cassas’ followers dared not charge again.
“Exclude! Annihilate! Eliminate!”
Nearby, Seseona, bellowing terrifying battle cries while continuously swinging her chainsaw, could be seen. Despite having numerous large and small wounds, she still looked capable.
“Ah, these keep appearing endlessly, huh?”
Tutududu! Whenever it seemed they would be overwhelmed in numbers, launching missiles to divert the enemy’s attention proved extremely effective.
As expected, being robotic, her combat efficiency was maximized. Homage to AlphaGo!
“Haaek… Haa…”
On the other hand, Carhalas looked quite precarious.
Her battle dress was torn roughly, exposing her thigh deeply, and she was stained with bl**d all over. Her breaths were labored, and her face was soaked in sweat.
I’d need to head over and help Carhalas as soon as the current situation was handled. With that rough assessment complete, I slightly nodded.
“Why aren’t you doing anything…?”
Squinting my eyes, I focused on one of the thugs.
A man holding a staff high in the air was standing still. Hector Cassas. He had been observing from a distance, not participating in the battle so far.
“Social distancing, huh? Screw you.”
Occasionally, when Adrang noticed him and charged, he would throw a few restraint dark spheres before quietly retreating. That was it. No further attacks ensued.
His gaze was constantly scanning all directions. He seemed to be waiting for something.
“And…”
Another unsettling point since a while ago. Zenon is not here.
The time when we were ambushed in the previous life, all of Cassas’ apostles were already dead.
Only Zenon stood at the bl**d and flame-soaked center of the garden.
“Where the hell are you, Zenon…?”
Fighting the growing anxiety, I continuously manipulated the two swords, ravaging Hector’s underlings.
Fighting numerous foes was something we endlessly repeated at Kern. With the added new skills, this current fight seemed rather simple in comparison.
“Aaah!”
“Kraaah!”
With every scream of the thugs, my lips involuntarily quivered and twitched.
Suppressing the abnormal thrill that surged through me every time I killed someone was much harder.
*
Pusik. The thug in front of me was pierced through from behind by Vestark.
“Kraak!”
The thug let out a scream, spraying bl**d, before his staggering body fell to the ground.
That took care of all the thugs around me. I restrained my wildly beating heart and immediately looked back.
Ruci and Knightrea were hiding, avoiding the chaos.
“Perhaps we should’ve brought Jack despite the risk of information leakage. They were too defenseless.”
Knightrea muttered.
She was holding a revolver in one hand, but it seemed mostly useless. She displayed no strong emotions despite the tense situation.
In contrast, Ruci had popped her head out from behind a tree and was shouting incessantly.
“Hero! Uuh, come over here and protect me immediately! Since earlier, these guys have persistently been charging at me! What’s going on? Is there honey smeared all over my body?!”
She has been annoyingly noisy since before.
At least it’s good to know she’s healthy, but I intend to give her a piece of my mind once this is over.
“Just in case.”
I floated Espada around them in automatic guard mode. Then I quickly ran towards Carhalas.
It might slightly ruin the image of Ergen术 to call it “automatic guard mode,” but essentially, while floating infused with mana, it enters a state where it reacts automatically to hostility or killing intent.
In the past, Geom Rim was able to block my techniques due to this very reason.
“Carhalas! I’ve come to help!”
I roughly broke through one section surrounded by thugs. Standing in front of Carhalas, I loudly shouted.
“Ah… Jung Yong.”
Carhalas looked up at me with a weak voice.
Her condition was not good. Her whole body trembled, and her eyes flickered as if they would close at any moment. It was obvious she was barely maintaining consciousness.
“No way, my daughter has come to this state, and the so-called father…”
I suddenly looked towards Adrang. My eyes widened.
Cassas’ apostles that had densely filled the garden were already all cleaned up. But what shocked me was not that.
“Adrang…!”
Above the countless bodies of the fallen thugs,
Adrang’s gauntlet, and his arm, flew like a toy in the air.
“Kuuh… Kyhek…!”
Adrang let out his first groan of pain.
Even in my previous life when he fought me, he never groaned once. But now, sitting on the ground, he was panting heavily.
“Shuuh… Shuuh…”
In front of Adrang, a scarlet flame of a curved blade flickered. The familiar sound of metal grinding against metal filled my ears.
I spat out bitterly.
“… Finally shows up.”
The main event, finally making an entrance.
As we dealt with the thugs, Zenon finally appeared behind Hector Cassas.
