Chapter 179: For the Stories We Don't Know Yet (10)
Chapter 179: For the Stories We Don't Know Yet (10)
"Now! Cast binding magic toward the bottom left!"
"Huh? Oh, okay!"
Wilfried, who had been charging in blindly during our conversation, was suddenly met with a shower of blood-red chains from above.
Clatter!
"Gah?!"
Wilfried was pinned mid-air. Taking that as a signal, the other Archbishops who had been in a standoff began to move all at once.
"Detonate the chains and launch any mass-based attack straight ahead! And watch out for a surprise attack from behind!"
As Wilfried plummeted, engulfed in a fiery explosion, a Void Feast flying from the front was neutralized by a clump of blood that had hardened like stone.
Finally, as for the Archbishop of Boiling Silence, who was creeping up for a sneak attack...
"Force Grab!"
While Iona dodged, I counterattacked by throwing a dagger with telekinesis magic.
Even though my body was weak from the aftereffects, it seemed I could still manage simple spells.
Unfortunately, I missed.
I curled my lips into a smirk at the featureless face of the Archbishop of Boiling Silence, who was glaring at me in silence.
A dangerous fellow who usually played the spy but could mimic an assassin when the situation called for it.
However, as long as I knew he existed, there was no need to be afraid.
Surprise attacks from Boiling Silence were a daily occurrence in the latter half of H&A. I had a rough idea of when and where he would pop out.
"You...!"
Belatedly realizing the assassin's presence, Iona swung her hand wide.
A crescent-shaped blade of wind shot out along the arc of her movement. Perhaps because she had fired it in haste, it only managed to leave a long gash across his flank.
As he clutched his waist and dissolved into the air, Iona fumed with frustration.
"It’s beyond annoying how they keep popping up! You be careful too, Student Yandel!"
"Ah, I'll warn you before they can properly ambush us, so it's fine. More importantly, how have you been dealing with them until now?"
"I just took the hits."
"...There's poison on that blade, you know?"
"My recovery is faster!"
"......"
Vampire allies are freaking amazing.
While I was admiring her internally, Ayla, who had been watching us fight in sync, began to grind her teeth with a murderous intensity.
Grit. Grind.
"You two look so close... My future should have been like that too! If only it weren't for you, Sister...!"
Ayla stared this way with her countless eyes, finding the most unexpected things to complain about.
Several of the eyes serving as her arms began to glow simultaneously. Seeing the Magic Eyes flashing in different colors, I tugged firmly on Iona’s arm.
"You said you'd handle your sister yourself, right?! I don't know the first thing about her powers!"
"Don't worry! I've cast Blood Shift on you, so you won't die even if you get hit a few times by mistake! ...And stop fiddling with the soft part of my arm!"
"Oops."
But there was nowhere else to hold onto. If not the arm, the only other option was her chest.
...By the way, despite being in the middle of a battle, I felt an unusually low sense of crisis.
Either my senses, which had been overworked all day, had gone numb, or the sense of security Iona’s embrace provided was incredible. It was one of the two.
However, it seemed I wouldn't be given time to ponder which it was. The sinister light emanating from Ayla’s eyes increased explosively and swept toward us.
"———!"
Lights of various colors lunged at us in various forms.
Iona muttered something and twisted her body to the limit. The scenery where we had been standing just a moment ago became heavily distorted.
Was that the Distortion Demon Eye?
It was an attack that distorted space itself; if hit, one's insides would be turned into a jumbled mess.
No matter how great one's regeneration was, it would take a long time to recover from being turned into dough, so she must have dodged it.
Especially since she was holding me.
Even with her waist slightly bent, Iona faithfully recited the activation words.
"Embrace us! Crimson Fog!"
A dark red mist, saturated with blood, surrounded Iona.
It consumed both mana and vitality, but it was a versatile spell.
In this case, it was likely meant to take the hits from the Magic Eyes. Since it possessed considerable vitality, it was a perfect substitute.
Indeed, the Crimson Fog was instantly scattered after being subjected to various attacks and status effects like freezing, explosion, and petrification.
Cardinal-level threats are certainly impressive. If she hadn't blocked them with Crimson Fog, each of those Magic Eye attacks would have led to a fatal wound.
The only silver lining was that she couldn't use the same Magic Eye in succession; for now, her other eyes were flickering.
If we took our time, we could probably figure out a strategy through various restrictions, but... we didn't have that kind of time right now.
As discussed beforehand, I left Ayla entirely to Iona and scanned the surroundings for what I could do.
"Wrap your lower body in thorn bushes and drop vertically! Then, use Blood Manipulation Technique to create a weapon and swing it just below heart level!"
"These aren't spells I can just toss around like that!"
Despite her words, Iona did as she was told, wrapping sharp thorn bushes around both her legs and letting herself fall.
Perhaps she was able to cast it quickly because she limited the range to her own legs.
By the time I began to understand Iona’s blood magic a little better, she seemed to have grasped the reason for my order and grit her teeth.
"This! This! This hurts me too, Student Yandel!"
"You said you were used to pain! And don't worry! I'm planning to take a hit myself!"
"That's not comforting at all!"
Iona accelerated while rebuking me. Her falling speed was much faster than expected.
It was possible because Iona’s own strength was combined with the gravity manipulation of the Archbishop of Noble Reign, who was looking on with a flustered expression from afar.
The enemy likely intended to make Iona flinch for a moment with the sudden gravity.
All to support the giant who was charging in tirelessly from right below.
The Archbishop of Reckless Roar. He was a tough bastard who kept getting back up to swing his fists even after being hit by Iona’s attacks multiple times... but this was the end for him.
"Kuaaaaaah!"
Letting out an incomprehensible, monstrous roar, the man reached out toward Iona.
Grip.
A massive gray palm instantly seized Iona’s slender legs. Naturally, he grabbed them along with the thorn bushes wrapped around them.
He must have done it knowing he wouldn't be injured by something like that.
In fact, Wilfried’s palm wasn't pierced by the thorns; he simply crushed Iona’s legs in his grip.
"Ugh..."
"Grrr."
The man smiled with satisfaction at the faint groan that escaped Iona’s lips. But it was too early to celebrate. The purpose of those thorn bushes was something else entirely.
Shhhhk!
The bushes extending from between his palms wove Iona’s legs and Wilfried’s arm together, binding them as one.
"Kuwoh?!"
The startled man tried to pull his arm away, but it was already too late.
My magic was slightly faster than the speed at which the bushes could be torn.
"Force Grab!"
It was weaker than Force Hand and harder to change direction, but... it was a telekinesis spell sufficient for stabbing someone.
Swish!
The Shining Lion Dagger, falling vertically, shot toward Wilfried’s defenseless eye.
Even though his eyelids were tough, a cultist was still a cultist. If a critical hit and an additional proc triggered, it would be enough to pierce through.
Thwack!
A brilliant flash followed, along with a scream filled with agony.
"Kuaaaaaaargh!"
Naturally, being as sturdy as he was large, he didn't die in one hit.
Then I just had to stab him multiple times.
I used Force Grab to lift the dagger and plunge it back down a couple more times. Sensing the time was right, I abruptly jerked my upper body up.
An ominous sound came from my waist as I forced my unresponsive body to move, but I had no leisure to worry about that pain.
That was because the sword aimed at Iona’s heart had pierced my lung instead.
"Guh...!"
To think it would shatter the shield magical tool and pierce so deeply in one go.
Thanks to Blood Shift, no actual wound remained, but the pain was vividly transmitted.
Well, I'd felt this level of pain multiple times during sparring with Iona, so it was bearable.
The Archbishop of Boiling Silence looked slightly appalled as I stood my ground without flinching, even as he twisted the sword inside me.
Over his face, a large and beautiful shadow loomed.
A blood-red axe of gruesome appearance, created by Iona through Blood Manipulation Technique. A mindless weapon that looked capable of cleaving both humans and non-humans alike was swung in the blink of an eye.
"Haaaaah!"
The body collapsed, cut in half before he could even leave a final word. And not long after, Wilfried’s side also met its end.
Flash!
Squelch!
The radiance erupted for what felt like the umpteenth time. Only this time, the dagger went in smoothly without any resistance.
The dagger was buried so deep the hilt was barely visible.
Wilfried, one of his eyes reduced to tatters, convulsed violently before his body began to shrink.
his gray skin turned back into ordinary flesh. The massive frame that felt like a giant’s transformed into that of a small adult male.
Naturally released from the binding of the thorn bushes, the corpse swayed weakly before falling to the ground.
That was it. Wilfried could no longer get up and fell into total silence.
All that remained was the blood-soaked dagger.
We finished them off faster than I thought. Normally, we would have had to go through several more rounds of this struggle.
It meant Iona wasn't the only one being depleted.
The other cultists stood with blank expressions, unable to understand how two Archbishops had been taken down in such a short time.
Even Ayla, who had been incessantly muttering words of resentment, looked stunned, which was quite amusing.
Perhaps feeling a similar sentiment, I poked the arm of Iona, who was staring blankly at the corpse face-down on the ground.
"Professor. Professor."
"Huh? Oh? What is it, Student Yandel?"
I offered my neck to her mouth, which was still letting out a dazed, surreal voice.
"Isn't it about time for a drink?"
"Ah, h-hik, ah... right. Yes, it is. Stay still for a moment."
"Hmm. That might be difficult. I don't think they're just going to watch."
Still, all that remained of the opposition were the Archbishops of Confused Unity, Noble Reign, and Meandering Leisure.
Their primary authorities were Void Feast, Gravity Manipulation, and Barrier Creation, respectively.
Those three wouldn't have much synergy, so they would be much easier to handle.
However, Ayla would still be dangerous, so the key here would be how well Iona could maintain her sanity.
"How about it? Do you think you can dodge while sucking my blood?"
"I wonder. If Student Yandel helps me, won't it work out somehow?"
"I'm talking about your sister."
"...If Student Yandel is here, I don't need to save mana or blood, right? Then couldn't I just put some strength into it and spread a curtain?"
"Oh. That sounded exactly like a wicked vampire from an old fairy tale."
"Rawr! Rawr! I'm going to drain everything!"
Perhaps the burden had lessened now that the enemy's strength was significantly reduced. Iona showed her usual playful attitude as she brought her lips to my neck.
At the same time I let out a small chuckle, I felt a slight sting on my neck. Following that, a pleasure so intense it made my mind hazy welled up.
"Haaaah..."
Before my mind could wander further, I hurriedly took a high-grade recovery potion out of my inventory and bit down on it.
Looking down slightly, I saw Iona’s legs, which had been twisted like pretzels, instantly returning to their original state.
Naturally, the enemy desperately attacked, aiming for this opening.
But.
"Barriers will be set up all around, so don't move unnecessarily. Instead, fire one massive attack toward the front."
Most of it wouldn't get through.
A few more steps and this long, long battle would be over.
Both Iona and I would be able to meet the end while still alive.
That was enough.