Chapter 446

Chapter 453: Encore Performance～(Please Subscribe!)

An Amazonian warrior, who hadn’t participated in the ambush and was hiding on the rooftop, as if everything had been pre-calculated, pointed her staff at Ais and began chanting something.

“～～～～～～～!”

In an instant, a sharp high-frequency wave surged towards her.

It was an annoying noise that caused discomfort and ringing in the ears but didn’t seem to have any real lethal power. At least, Ais detected no physical injury to her body.

With ease, she deflected Fulini’s and another opponent’s attacks, noticing nothing unusual about their strength or enhancement.

The persistent ringing in her ears made Ais frown, while Fulini and the other took advantage of this moment to press their assault.

“Hahahaha～, you’ve tasted that attack, [Sword Maiden]!? That was just step one!!”

What had she tasted?

Ais continued deflecting and countering their attacks without noticing any abnormalities in her own condition.

From then until now, the only change seemed to be their more aggressive offense.

But even this level of intensity was still negligible; she could handle it effortlessly even without using magic…?

(Magic!?)

Suddenly, inspired by a fleeting insight or guess, Ais noticed this point.

Driven by this realization, the young girl softly chanted: “[Tempest].”

—No response.

The spirit wind that should have been triggered by the ultra-short incantation failed to answer her call this time.

“Was that earlier… a curse?”

It was vastly different from pure “magic,” as its name suggested, a force that cursed its target.

The caster must pay a certain price, and there are various restrictions, but it can achieve many effects of “magic.” Development abilities like “Anomaly Resistance” become meaningless, leaving only limited methods for defense or removal.

Judging from the situation on herself, Ais deduced that the earlier curse effect might be “Magic Suppression.”

A spell that disables or seals the magic of those affected.

“You figured it out, huh? Hahahaha, but it doesn’t matter! You’re not getting away!!”

The frog-like laugh grew louder than before, further accelerating their attacks. They didn’t care if they were blocked or their armor was torn; holding her off was their victory!

The Amazonian warrior seemed to understand this too. Even entering a state where she would trade injuries with Ais, but this plan died prematurely when her gauntlet was slashed open.

Though not wielding the Sword of Despair, this time Ais used Izay’s prepared backup weapon, top-tier enchanted, capable of slicing through regular armor with a single swipe. If they attempted to trade injuries, they’d likely end up missing limbs.

Both of them were already doing their utmost just to barely hold Ais back.

“Ah—! I’ve finally finished over here too!!!”

However, the current situation didn’t last long. In an instant, during the melee among the three, a voice filled with relief suddenly interjected.

“!?”

Pulling her silver blade fully back and unleashing a slash, Ais instantly crushed the third person’s approaching attack and simultaneously kicked Fulini and the other two away with a spinning kick.

Taking advantage of this moment, she noticed something that wasn’t there in this area before.

The floor around them was covered with eerie geometric patterns glowing with a purplish-red light.

Unfamiliar magical symbols illuminated the dark area, circular in shape, exuding ominous magical energy.

“Hehe, the hunt has finally begun!!!”

After only a second of observation, the mysterious figure wouldn’t allow Ais any rest, leading the charge.

In terms of strength, this person might possibly be the strongest of the three.

All were Level 5s, but while Fulini attacked with great force and vigor, albeit monotonously, the Amazonian warrior from the fighting nation fought fiercely, her combat techniques honed day after day.

As for the mysterious figure, their fighting style seemed forged through countless battles, every strike vicious, with estimated ability values being the highest.

But… still within manageable limits.

Swinging her longsword, Ais judged as she fought against all three.

Even one-on-three, Ais still held an absolute advantage, unable to be touched by the opponents, while gradually adding sword wounds to their bodies.

Facing a highly battle-adapted Level 6, let alone three Level 5s… adding three more wouldn’t make a difference!

Moreover, Ais had been taught human combat techniques by Finn and others, and constant sparring with Izay had honed these skills to an extremely strong level.

Around ten Level 5s, grouped reasonably, might have a slim chance of seizing victory against her.

Of course, that’s assuming both sides went all out.

If dirty tricks like curses were used, none of the above statements apply～

(I need to finish this fight quickly… then go help Alisia and the others…)

As the battle progressed, Ais noticed her opponents’ fatigue, realizing the opportunity had arrived. The girl wanted to end the fight decisively.

But—just as she prepared to accelerate her sword movements again, she felt something was off.

This sudden sensation stemmed from changes in the surroundings.

The figures of the three opponents appeared to speed up in her eyes.

The enemies’ speed increased!?

No, it wasn’t such a simple situation.

“Hehe!”

The mysterious figure’s laughter rang out at this moment, easily guessing the radiant expression beneath their veil.

That thing initially worked so slowly that it almost escaped Ais’ notice.

However, with the increasing number of exchanges, Ais repeatedly retaliated, counterattacked, and pursued, and the effect finally revealed its sinister nature.

“Hehehehehe!!”

The mysterious figure seemed to revel in the pleasure during this period, their voice clearly becoming more joyful.

(It’s me… slowing down!?)

The girl realized the abnormality affecting her speed.

“It finally worked! Your curse is too slow!!”

Not only did she realize this, but Fulini did as well.

With her full-body armor cut and bleeding, the frog tightened her grip and swung a powerful blow!

“Clang—!!”

A move she could have dodged, but due to her slowed speed, Ais couldn’t avoid it and instead blocked with her sword, sliding back quite a distance.

“How’s it going? [Sword Maiden]? Weren’t you enjoying pressing us earlier!?”

Fueled by frustration from being dominated throughout, the mysterious figure lunged forward, daggers concealed in their palms dancing in arcs.

Another… curse?

The clash between the longsword and daggers produced a shower of sparks as Ais barely pushed the opponent back, furrowing her eyebrows visibly showing confusion.

Encore performance!?

The girl recalled this phrase Izay had once mentioned, fitting perfectly to describe the current situation.

“Hahahahaha! Confused now, [Sword Maiden]? This is a carefully prepared curse for you all! Originally meant for [Brave One] Ota… hahahahaha, perfect for testing on you!”

Sealing magic and reducing ability values, two extremely insidious curses were combined by these people!

The latter causes the base ability values to continuously decrease with each additional action.

Apparently feeling confident in their impending victory, Fulini meticulously explained the effects of the curse to Ais.

The nearby mysterious figure also seemed eager to boast about their current upper hand, so they didn’t stop her behavior.

Anyway, this was an extremely rare opportunity; whether Loki Familia could leave here alive was uncertain, so there was no harm in letting them know.

As for the last Amazonian warrior, it was purely to catch her breath. Her weapons were her fists and gauntlets, making her the most exhausted during combat, fearing even a minor graze could result in second-degree disability.