Not giving the Neoris a chance to throw an elf.
My urgent leap continued. The distance between the mage and me had become significant enough to measure.
The mage faced me with a calm expression.
In his hand, he held another elf.
My body trembled with chills as I faced the lifeless eyes that had lost even a hint of vitality.
It was the worst battle.
To prepare for any unexpected situation, I threw my hatchet. The blade struck, shattering the skull of the elf the mage was holding.
The mage almost looked like he didn’t even have the will to dodge.
The body of the elf twisted into a strange shape and then spilled out as a handful of blood and water.
The blood splashed on the mage’s eyes, igniting them in a fierce crimson.
Grrr!
And then, he leaped, charging at me with a speed that was incomparable to before.
I allowed a single blow to land on my shoulder. An involuntary gasp escaped my lips.
Is that a berserk spell?
The mage’s muscles were swollen to the point of discomfort. It seemed as if he couldn’t control his own strength. I nearly cursed within the stopped time.
I had already taken a hit.
With a bang, my body was hurled backward, rolling several times across the ground. I gasped and tried to rise, but my vision was still hazy.
And then, claws tore through the blur of my eyes.
“I-an!”
With a snap, a sword flew through the air, piercing the back of the mage’s hand.
But the berserk state takes away even pain.
The mage’s claws were still aimed at me. Yet, Yulen’s efforts were not entirely in vain.
No matter how numb he was, he couldn’t overcome physical force.
In a fleeting moment, I rolled backward with all my might.
With a thud, the claws penetrated the frozen ground. The mage tried to pressure me, but a dagger flew in from somewhere, thwarting his intent.
With a series of stabs, the weapons pierced the place where the mage had been.
It was Neoris’s handiwork.
She had returned to the battlefield, having jumped over the icy stakes. Though she was somewhat exhausted, her gaze remained sharp.
She was the only one among the vanguards who hadn’t sustained any injuries.
Naturally, it was only normal for her to be the most intact among us.
Of course, Abiyang was included in the vanguard, but in reality, he was just quivering from a distance with no role to play.
And Yulen was still struggling to get out of the puddle.
The mage had now nimbly retreated, avoiding Neoris’s dagger. Even with his hand pierced, the monster did not evade.
As he retreated, he merely discarded the dagger that had penetrated his hand as if it were a nuisance.
There was only one reason he would retreat in such a rough state.
The elves dangling from his shoulder.
There were still about three left.
Neoris subtly targeted those elves, and despite being out of his mind, the mage cared deeply for his kin.
Probably to use them as a trump card.
It was undoubtedly an unpleasant battle in many respects.
However, there was one fact the mage had overlooked.
Whether it was due to the berserk state or not, there were not merely three enemies he had to face.
“……Judgment of Light!”
With a clear shout, light began to gather in the sky.
The mage tried to escape with a surprised expression. But Neoris and I had already completed our preparations.
I grasped Yulen’s sword that had fallen to the ground, while Neoris scattered her daggers.
As the mage dodged the daggers, my sword pierced his foot. The blade was lodged firmly in the frozen ground, accompanied by the natural contraction of muscles due to injury.
There was no way he could escape.
The Judgment of Light fell upon the ground.
With a bang, the divine force descended upon the earth. It was an utterly terrifying power, enough to shake the very ground, a spell completed by a 5th-circle mage.
It had to hit.
Yes, it had to.
After causing an explosion, the arc of power did not advance any further. Around the elf who was killed with a broken neck, a translucent barrier formed.
I couldn’t even understand the principle behind it.
The only thing that became clear was the result manifesting in front of me.
The spear of divine power that had been descending suddenly shot upwards, aiming in a specific direction. Its target was where Senior Elsi was.
I screamed.
“Senior Elsi!”
A scream echoed from behind. At the last moment, it seemed the Lady Virgin Saint had managed to cast a spell, as a burst of pure white light erupted.
But the spell had backfired.
There was no way Senior Elsi’s blood vessels would be intact. I bit my lip and glared at the mage.
It was a high-level magic of the 5th circle. It didn’t reach the level known as “Great Magic,” but its power was indeed fearsome.
Yet it rebounded.
I couldn’t even imagine what kind of situation would arise if the remaining two elves were sacrificed. Neoris and I had no choice but to be cautious.
The mage sought an opportunity at that moment.
He suddenly threw away one of the cherished elves. It was in the direction where Yulen was desperately trying to escape from the puddle.
For him, with his limited movement radius, it was an unavoidable blow.
With a bang, an explosion erupted, sending Yulen’s body into the air.
His body crashed onto the ground. Seeing him groaning, it seemed it would take time for Yulen to return to the battlefield.
At least it was fortunate that the explosive force was strong enough.
He was surely propelled out of the puddle.
Otherwise, Yulen would have been eroded by that black liquid and would have gradually lost his life.
I should have preemptively controlled the situation to prevent that.
Filled with frustration, I leaped off the ground without any hesitation. Neoris quickly followed behind me.
After that was a series of exchanges.
As Neoris threw her daggers to keep the mage in check, I positioned myself to slip into the mage’s embrace.
I slashed, thrust, and stabbed with my sword.
During the fray, I was knocked back several times, but I continued to alternate charging at the mage alongside Neoris. Even so, we could not overwhelm the mage who had finished his berserk transformation.
Above all, it was because the last remaining elf was a nuisance.
I couldn’t know what kind of magic that elf might possess, so I had to be overly cautious. Ultimately, it was Neoris who resolved that troublesome issue.
While I dove into the mage’s embrace, another bladed weapon was shot forth.
As always, the mage attempted to twist his body to dodge.
If that weapon hadn’t taken the shape of a crossed iron cross.
With a thud, the weapon narrowly grazed the elf’s skull.
I silently cheered inwardly.
Neoris’s weapon had been in the spatial expansion pouch. It didn’t have to only store daggers.
Neoris’s expression also visibly brightened.
At last, it seemed the long battle was nearing its conclusion. The woman took a careful step forward.
Well, she was going to.
If it weren’t for the sudden shadow stretching out its arm. The flabby limbs and legs entwined around Neoris, pinning her helplessly to the ground.
Just then, I had been about to plunge my dagger into the mage’s abdomen.
My body quickly escaped the mage’s range of attack. The mage, unable to ignore the wound in his abdomen, stumbled back a couple of steps.
I called out with a worried tone.
“Senior Neoris, are you okay?!”
“I’m… fine… huh?!”
But the more Neoris struggled, the tighter the shadow constricted around her.
When I anxiously shifted my gaze back to the mage.
“Blessings reflect wishes.”
In a calm voice, the mage gathered his now chilled breath. His muscles were rapidly diminishing, steam rising.
The berserk state had ended.
Blood poured endlessly from the penetrating wound in his abdomen. The outcome was clear.
It was a relief. Neoris’s last move had landed successfully.
Still, I couldn’t let my guard down until the battle was truly over.
I glared at the mage with wary eyes.
“……What do you mean?”
The mage let out a chuckle, a faint smile gracing his face. He looked calm as he faced his final moments.
Frustratingly so.
“We have received blessings from Lord Leorick… We paid the price of our lives to turn our lifelong wishes into power. Those who trembled in the cold have burst into flames, and those who suffered from hunger have become the venom that devours the world. How is it? The dagger we forged with our lives?”
“It was the worst.”
It was a double-edged expression.
The mage wore a bitter smile. He gradually curled his body.
This was the final exchange.
Sensing it, I glanced behind me. The flow of magic was unusual. The princess was preparing to cast her magic after finishing her cleanup.
Still, wasn’t it a life-and-death contest with a martial artist?
I thought about facing off alone in that final moment but quickly abandoned the idea.
There was nothing more foolish than seeking romance on the battlefield.
Above all, I felt a surge of magic. The mage couldn’t have missed it.
He too had made up his mind.
I silently leveled my blade at him.
“Come at me; I’ll end that wretched life of yours.”
With that, the air erupted with laughter.
“Pff, hahahaha!”
The mage, who had laughed heartily, soon lowered his posture and glared at me.
With a bang, the ground shook as he charged.
I silently braced myself.
