Chapter 454: The Only Chance ~ (Please Subscribe!)
At any given time, going up against an opponent far stronger than oneself without any confidence is an extremely foolish act.
Thus, among adventurers, the saying “Do your best with all that you have” has been passed down.
This holds true for law-abiding adventurers and equally so for the villains lurking in the shadows.
Even Ishtar, who harbors immense jealousy and animosity towards the goddess Freya, clearly recognizes the gap between herself and her rival. To bridge this gap, she gathers allies and collects various trump cards.
One of these mysterious and unpredictable rare curses was part of her prepared strategy.
Whether used on members of the Loki Familia or the Freya Familia, as long as it targets either faction, it’s being used correctly!
Thanks to the rare curses of “Magic Nullification” and “Ability Reduction,” the three Level 5s, who had been consistently on the defensive, finally gained the confidence to face Ais directly.
Without taking much time to catch their breath, the trio swiftly launched a counterattack against Ais, unleashing a storm of relentless attacks.
Although the young girl could deflect their combined assaults… her movements were sluggish.
It was as if her strength wasn’t enough; her reactions were too slow, not matching the perception speed expected of a top-tier adventurer.
Her body couldn’t keep up.
She couldn’t evade in time, and the frequency of her defenses gradually increased.
“Ais!?”
Seeing Ais slowly being overwhelmed, the situation becoming precarious, the other girls fighting the Amazons couldn’t help but cry out in alarm.
This distraction only allowed the numerically superior enemies to gain further advantage.
The current situation left no doubt: the enemy held all the cards!
The two solitary first-class adventurers, Ais and Alisia, were tied up by opponents of equal rank.
Everyone else was battling three or more foes.
And some had gone off chasing the fox-girl.
As former teammates who had “worked together” with Haruhi, the members of the Ishtar Familia knew all too well the power of this girl’s magic.
Even if they themselves were replaced, they absolutely couldn’t let her unleash it!
Haruhi was already struggling just to deal with her pursuers.
“Hah hah hah hah hah—! What’s wrong, [Sword Maiden]～～? Where did your earlier spirit go!?”
Fulini, now gaining the upper hand in combat, laughed gleefully.
In this moment, she could match the young girl in both strength and speed, even suppressing her!
The intensity of the battle here didn’t wane, blades clashing repeatedly. Sparks flew endlessly, outshining the glow of the cursed staff, making everyone tense.
However, Fulini and her companions carefully maintained a certain “degree.”
They wouldn’t drive Ais beyond the radius of dozens of meters.
Because the “Ability Reduction” curse was a boundary enchantment, leaving this range would nullify its effects.
“Clang!”
Another full-force clash sent the giant axe flying away, the silver blade repelling the female giant once again.
But correspondingly, the continuously diminishing ability values weren’t enough to support Ais pulling her sword back, leaving her wide open.
“Hee~! There’s an opening☆! Gotcha!! Officer of the Loki Familia! Watch me take you down!!”
In the next instant, the hooded figure lunged forward, the blue-purple dagger in hand glinting ominously.
“——————!”
But at the same moment, something arrived before them.
If one had to describe it, it was like a meteor streaking across the sky.
However, instead of landing at the distant edge of the horizon, this meteor struck close by, right on the ground.
Instantly, a thunderous sound akin to a massive boulder hitting the ground resounded.
There was no explosive shockwave upon impact; instead, there was an earthquake-like tremor as all the force seemed to be channeled into the earth, causing the entire harbor area to shake violently.
“What… what is this thing!?!”
Fulini was utterly shocked.
What just happened?
What fell onto the battlefield?!
Not just her, but the surrounding combatants and Amazon warriors also stopped their fights momentarily, bewildered and staring at this scene.
Before everyone’s eyes stood the image of a magical spear planted firmly into the ground.
Emitting a unique azure light, surrounded by arcs of magical energy, the spear was deeply embedded in the stone surface of the dock. Beneath it lay the hooded figure, coughing blood and screaming in agony. Around the point of impact, countless cracks spread outward.
Under the influence of this overwhelming magical power, the previously dominant barrier curse was instantly shattered, the purple-red light vanishing completely.
“Though I don’t know who you are, one thing you said was correct… gotcha～!”
Silently, a hand suddenly gripped the spear, and then, as if coming alive, the mysterious runes on the silver spear spread throughout its length.
Izay stepped on the hooded figure, pulled the spear free with ease, unfazed by their screams, and casually flicked off the blood.
“You alright? Ais.”
“Izay…!”
At first, the young girl looked somewhat surprised at Izay’s sudden appearance.
But soon after, her surprise melted away, replaced by a note of joy in her tone.
“Looks like you’re unharmed～”
Izay gave her a quick once-over, patting her head.
Other than her disheveled appearance and slightly rapid breathing, the girl was fine.
That might’ve been the only chance since the start of the battle where someone could’ve possibly harmed Ais.
Yet, Izay had ruthlessly cut off that opportunity.
Three heroes versus Lu Bu…
Ah, no!
It was three ugly losers bullying our own Ais!
Izay saw this scene as soon as he arrived at the harbor.
And they wanted to push their luck further? Not a chance!
I’ll chop off those dog paws!
“[Silver Star]…! You actually managed to get here so quickly??”
Seeing the imposing figure who had abruptly entered the battlefield, Fulini instinctively took two steps back, memories of being brutally beaten still fresh in her mind.
Perhaps trying to steady her own nerves, she shouted loudly, attempting to boost morale.
Unfortunately, this had no effect on boosting morale. Instead, the Amazon warrior beside her grew even more hesitant.
“Monst… monster…”
From the beginning of the battle until now, this Level 5 from the Fighting Nation spoke for the first time.
No warning signs, no traceable movement trajectory.
This man appeared like a ghost.
Unlike the spear, which was clearly thrown, incapacitating their strongest hooded figure with a single throw,
the man himself arrived at the battlefield a step later.
This incomprehensible way of moving was truly terrifying!
Precisely because of extensive combat experience and honing, the Amazon warrior understood even better.
Had Izay wanted to kill her just now, she would’ve been utterly powerless to resist!
She wouldn’t even know when she’d die!
Facing such a monstrous enemy, it’s normal not to have the courage to fight back, right?!
