Chapter 67: Anomaly (9)
Chapter 67: Anomaly (9)
“Whew…”
I exhaled deeply, forcing my trembling limbs to steady themselves.
Right now, I was in a situation that could only be described as the opening of a famous novel: I was well and truly fucked.
This was fundamentally different from the situations I’d safely navigated until now using my knowledge of H&A and my overflowing gold.
If I couldn't resolve this safely anyway, I had no choice but to take a risk.
I had to put as much on the line as my opponent was.
I abandoned the plan to buy time by running away.
I will take Edmerec down.
With that vow, I gripped my dagger and staff tightly in each hand.
I tensed my muscles, ready to spring forward at any moment.
Ready to drive my magic and my blade into that bastard’s throat.
.
.
.
.
.
Shatter!
It didn't take long for the barrier of water to break. Using that sound as my signal, I kicked off the ground.
Not to the side, but straight forward.
“Do you think recovering will change anything? I’ll just chew you up again!”
As if he’d been waiting, Edmerec unleashed his Void Feast. Translucent jaws gaped open, lined with jagged teeth.
Staring straight into them, I shouted the activation word for the spell I’d prepared in that brief window.
“Shield!”
Normally, a Shield is a transparent barrier that surrounds the user on all sides. It’s only natural, as it’s meant to protect the body automatically in an emergency.
But ultimately, magic is based on imagination.
This principle applied even to me, despite the System Correction that naturally manifested spells at their standard values.
Driven by a powerful mental image, the Shield changed its form.
It took a shape like the letter ‘H’ turned on its side.
The force field, designed solely to prevent that translucent beast from closing its mouth, began to do its job.
Creeeeak.
An ominous sound echoed as the Shield began to crush under the pressure. Still, it didn't shatter instantly like before.
That was enough.
I poured mana into a basic spell.
“Terra!”
A large mound of earth erupted beneath my feet. Using it as a springboard, I leaped high into the air.
The moment I escaped the range of the Void Feast, I began chanting the next spell and lunged at Edmerec again.
For some reason, this seemed to infuriate Edmerec. His eyes, bloodshot and wild, glared at me as he screamed.
“Even knights cannot escape His maw! Do you think a mere mage can?!”
Then came the Chain Predation.
Even though the jaws behind me were still occupied, new sets of teeth lunged at me from both sides.
A Shield could only block one of them, and even if I created another platform, jumping wouldn't be faster than running; I’d just be caught in mid-air.
But it didn't matter. Neither of those was the spell I was actually chanting.
“…Become the invisible hand! Force Grab!”
Force Grab—one of the telekinesis-type spells.
Usually, it was used to pull enemies closer or bind them… but I used it differently this time.
Crack.
“Gah!”
The joints across my entire body let out a sickening pop, and a sharp cry escaped my lips.
It was because the transparent hand, manifested far ahead of me, had violently yanked my body forward.
The wind was knocked out of me, but the effect was certain.
My body, suspended in the air, accelerated rapidly and escaped Edmerec’s reach.
“What…?”
Edmerec looked bewildered. I was no longer the annoying pest buzzing around and running away; I was charging at him with a recklessness that bordered on suicidal.
But it was too early to be surprised.
I still had the next spell, which I’d stubbornly finished chanting even through the shock of the Force Grab.
“Scorching flames. Sharp arrows. Be the flash that pierces my enemy.”
Whoosh.
Three long, skewer-like fire arrows materialized above my head.
“Fire Arrow!”
With the activation word, the arrows shot forward.
Their power was somewhat weak for fire-type magic, but in exchange, I could fire three at once and their projectile speed was high.
Plus, they had the property of clinging to the body to deal continuous damage.
Simply put, they were a nuisance to get hit by and difficult to dodge.
Normally, he would have to block them… but Edmerec, having just used Chain Predation, had no clear means of defense.
Or so I thought.
“O Confused Unity! I offer my body! In exchange, grant me Your breath!”
Pop!
With a short prayer, one of Edmerec’s eyes burst.
A self-sacrifice spell?
Right. I suppose a priest of an evil god is still a priest.
This was another pattern that hadn't appeared in H&A, but at this point, it was hardly worth being surprised over.
A miracle performed by someone of Archbishop rank at the cost of a body part. The effect was simpler than expected.
A small hole suddenly appeared in the air. A powerful gravitational pull erupted from its center.
Vwooom—
It began to suck in and devour everything in the vicinity, excluding Edmerec himself.
It looked like a miniature black hole.
Even the Fire Arrows I’d thrown couldn't escape it.
The trajectory of the arrows flying toward Edmerec bent sharply before they were sucked into the hole entirely.
Likely, any other magic I used for a while would be sucked in as well.
But it didn't matter.
If he was willing to throw away an eye, I had to be prepared to match that resolve.
Instead of resisting the pull I felt even from a distance, I threw myself into it.
I moved at a speed incomparable to when I was running on my own strength.
Did he dislike the fact that I was exploiting the power of the Confused Unity? Edmerec’s face contorted as he unleashed his Authority.
“How dare you…!”
This time, as if determined not to give me any way out, translucent maws lunged at me from the front and both sides simultaneously.
The memory of the pain when my side was pierced flashed vividly, threatening to freeze my steps.
I shook my head lightly to clear the thought and cast Force Grab once more, timing it perfectly.
Crunch.
“Urgh….”
Perhaps because I’d cast it more powerfully than before due to the urgency of the situation.
The spell had only gripped my body, but several of my ribs began to scream in agony.
Yet, I pushed on.
Whoosh.
My body was practically hurled through the air. The recoil made every bone in my body creak and groan.
The ribs that had been in bad shape since earlier sent stabs of pain straight to my brain.
They were definitely broken.
“Cough.”
I involuntarily spat out blood.
It hurt. Had I ever experienced this level of pain in my life?
And this was only the beginning.
The Breath of the Evil God was still sucking in everything around it, and Edmerec was preparing his next Authority with blood-red eyes.
A single mistake would lead straight to death.
It was a terrifying sensation, like standing on tiptoe on the edge of a blade.
But all I had to do was not make a mistake.
I might have the System Correction to thank, but I was confident in my control over my body and mana.
At a height nearly touching the ceiling of the cavern, my eyes met Edmerec’s.
His expression was a mix of irritation, annoyance, and a hint of being fed up.
No matter if he was fighting on his god’s orders, it was bound to be infuriating to let a cornered rat slip away twice.
So, I gave him a smirk and threw the staff I was holding.
I needed a hand free to drink a potion while suspended in the air. Besides, I could use magic without a staff anyway.
Naturally, a staff without a single support spell cast on it wasn't much of a threat.
Knowing this, Edmerec didn't take any special measures; he simply reached out toward me with a hand that gaped like a mouth.
Thump.
Getting hit in the head with it must have felt unpleasant, though.
As I smirked while downing a healing potion with the hand that had held the staff, Edmerec growled like a cornered beast.
“…Enough. Become a meal for Him!”
Sharp teeth blanketed the entire area.
Unlike before, when he’d used several Void Feasts sequentially or simultaneously, this felt like he’d massively increased the size of a single one.
Had my provocation been useless after all?
He hadn't become an Archbishop for nothing; he was forcing me into the worst-case scenario I’d envisioned.
Right now, I hadn't been able to prepare my next spell because I was drinking the potion, and since I was in the air, I couldn't dodge by running.
Still, there was a way.
Mana Explosion.
By causing mana that hadn't yet formed a spell to go berserk and explode, it was faster than any magic.
However, because it wasn't a proper spell, it had no caster-protection features, and its efficiency was garbage—a technique for emergencies.
Was it not perfect for this exact moment?
Boom!
“Hup!”
A violent explosion erupted behind me, propelling my body forward.
My vision spun. Agony flared from my back where the explosion hit. But my direction was true.
Crunch. Thud!
Leaving behind the heavy sound of chewing and something breaking echoing from somewhere in the distance, my body shot toward Edmerec like a bullet.
“You…! Do you think that will allow you to pierce His miracle?!”
My body, which had been flying straight for Edmerec, began to be pulled toward the hole in the air.
So, I kept exploding my mana.
Boom! Bang! Pop!
I corrected my flight path using the recoil of the Mana Explosions.
Each time I did, not just my back, but my shoulders and legs were torn to rags… but I swallowed the potion I’d kept in my mouth, slowly recovering.
It was a bizarre movement, as if I were playing ping-pong with my own body using mana.
By the time I passed the hole summoned by the Confused Unity, my body was already a wreck.
“…Did you think getting close would change anything? With a body like that? Fine! I’ll end you right here!”
Seeing me falling toward his head like a meteor, Edmerec gathered a dark red energy in his gaunt hand.
It wasn't even a proper technique. He had simply sharpened the divine power of the Confused Unity and wrapped it around his hand like a blade.
For me, already heavily wounded, that alone would be a fatal attack…
But because his physical body was so frail, his swinging speed was far too slow.
I forced my mind, clouded by excessive pain, to focus and clearly tracked the trajectory of his hand.
Then, putting all the speed of my fall and the weight of my body into it, I brought the Shining Lion Dagger I’d been gripping down upon him.
“Aaaaaaaah!!”
My strike, launched with a desperate scream, collided with Edmerec’s hand. And then.
KABOOM!
A white flash erupted blindingly, and Edmerec’s hand was sliced in half.
The divine power of the Confused Unity that had been shimmering threateningly just a moment ago vanished without a trace.
“What…?”
Edmerec wore an expression of utter incomprehension.
Yes. This was exactly what I’d been aiming for from the start.
Even though I was growing rapidly, my mediocre magic couldn't land a decisive blow on Edmerec no matter what I did.
But the Shining Lion Dagger, known as the 'one-shot spear' of the early-to-mid game, was different.
======================
【Shining Lion Dagger】
A pure white dagger with a roaring lion carved into the pommel.
The blade, with a texture closer to bone than metal, occasionally emits a warm light.
The dagger, wreathed in holy radiance, becomes sharper than usual.
…And the radiance shall shine brightest in the darkness.
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The dagger, which already had high critical stats, amplified the additional Light attribute damage—the weakness of the Evil God’s followers.
On top of that, the effect of the Sun God’s Blessing made it even stronger specifically for Light attribute damage.
Unless he was someone specialized in close combat, Edmerec, who was specialized in Authorities, wouldn't be able to withstand this.
As Edmerec desperately tried to strike my side with his other hand, I gave him a Mana Explosion.
Boom!
“Aaaagh!”
His arm, already like a dry twig, snapped with a loud crack and bent in an unnatural direction.
Since the explosion happened at point-blank range, a chunk of flesh was torn from my own side as well.
It was a wound similar to when I was first hit by Edmerec’s Void Feast.
But the situation now was the exact opposite.
Refusing to give up, Edmerec tried to offer another prayer.
“O Confused Unity, I—”
I muffled his mouth with one hand and shouted.
“Tinder!”
Whoosh.
“Mmmph?!”
He seemed to have no problem eating animals or monsters, but he didn't seem to like this very much, letting out a pained groan.
But it wouldn't be fair to stop at just one.
“Tinder. Tinder. Tinder. Tinder.”
I relentlessly scorched his face with flames while raising my dagger once more.
I watched with grim satisfaction as the light in his eyes turned to resentment upon seeing the shimmering blade.
Stab.
I drove the Shining Lion Dagger straight into Edmerec’s chest.
A brief flash. Then, his body went limp.
Seeing Edmerec’s remaining eye lose its focus, a laugh escaped me involuntarily.
“Heh… haha.”
My body hurt like hell, and my mind was hazy.
But I won.
Perhaps because the tension had snapped; the moment I realized it, my vision spun.
Even the loud notifications ringing late and the system windows cluttering my vision couldn't stop the dizziness.
Well, I suppose expecting to be fine after all this shit would be a luxury.
Squeezing out the last of my strength, I pulled a few potions from my inventory.
Clink.
I didn't even have the strength to drink them, but someone would probably treat me.
My eyes finally slid shut.
…Next time I go anywhere, I’m definitely taking Carla with me. For real.
That was the last thought I had in the darkness before I lost consciousness.