Chapter 153
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 153
I ordered our forces out of the cube and reconfigured the structure once more.
Zzzzap—!
With a brilliant flash of lightning, the cube’s form shifted. I reshaped the elongated corridor into a hemisphere, completely isolating Elena and her immediate surroundings from her main army.
Kwoong—!
The interior and exterior were now utterly severed, as if a giant helmet had been slammed down over them. Elena scanned the pitch-black interior, where not a single ray of sunlight could penetrate, and spoke.
“So this was your plan, Roen.”
“Exactly. Inside this space, the numerical advantage is ours.”
Fwoosh—.
I lit a torch, the flickering flame illuminating the darkness as I reviewed the operation.
Trying to overpower Elena’s forces in a head-on battle was a long shot from the start.
Not only did they have more than twice our numbers, but the quality of our troops wasn't superior enough to bridge that gap. Furthermore, our opponents were the Holy Knights of Seintea, a force renowned for large-scale combat. The odds of winning a direct confrontation were abysmal.
Thus, the path I chose was a gamble.
“You must have known we were short-handed, right?”
“Of course. I was on guard the entire time.”
The thirty mages I had withdrawn from the front lines at the very beginning of the battle had served their purpose. By openly pulling them back, I had deliberately planted the idea that I was scheming, inducing a sense of caution in her.
“But I never imagined it was a ploy to lure my personal guard away.”
By revealing the hidden mages with a magical bombardment, I had momentarily scattered the elite guards protecting Elena. Since the threat they had been so wary of had finally revealed itself, they must have concluded there was nothing else to worry about.
“By any chance, did you fire that barrage at me just to bait out my magic?”
“I did.”
I used the bombardment to force Elena to cast her unique spell, [Severance]. If Elena had used [Severance] on herself to buy time and wait the situation out, this surprise attack would have been for nothing.
Elena’s [Severance] is an exceptional spell, but that also means it has a massive cooldown.
Worse for her, she had deployed it over a wide area to block the large-scale magical bombardment, meaning its cooldown would be at least ten minutes. The only window of opportunity was the period where she couldn't use [Severance]. My plan was to subdue her during that gap.
With the preparations complete, I had used my [Enchantment] magic to modify the cube’s form. From a massive fortress, it had become a long corridor, convenient for transporting people. It served as both a direct passage from my main camp to Elena’s and as a means of attack.
And now, it had been reconfigured into a hemisphere, serving as a wall to isolate Elena from her main army.
Having grasped the general situation, Elena spoke.
“...That’s an incredibly risky plan. What would you have done if my elite guard had been more cautious?”
“What could I do? I would have fought under even more disadvantageous conditions. But it succeeded, so that’s all that matters, isn’t it?”
I shrugged and pointed my Azoth Sword at Elena.
“Now, what will you do?”
This was no longer the heart of Elena’s main camp. Inside this hemispherical cube, our forces held the majority. All of our commander-level personnel, including Ciel, Chepesi, and Hildegard, were gathered here.
The situation outside the cube would likely deteriorate rapidly with our commanders gone, but it didn't matter. As long as we captured Elena’s cube, we would win this battle.
In contrast, Elena’s forces inside the cube consisted of only five or six people who had been guarding her, including Adler. Most of the elite guard that had been protecting her main camp had gone to deal with our group of mages.
I watched Elena, who was fiddling with the cube in her pocket, and said, “Don’t even think about deploying that to escape. It’s impossible to deploy a cube from within another cube.”
I tapped the wall of the cube separating the space and explained, “And this isn’t my cube. It’s Ciel’s. There’s no point in destroying or taking it.”
I had lowered my own cube’s base level and stored it away, instead raising Ciel’s cube level to reconfigure it. It was a precaution against any unforeseen circumstances. Even if she destroyed or captured this cube, I wouldn't be defeated.
Elena clicked her tongue, seemingly annoyed that I had read her intentions.
“Tsk, I suppose I have no choice then.”
She obediently took out her cube and held it out to me.
“Here you go.”
Adler cried out in surprise at her action.
“Lady Elena! You don't have to do this! I’ll take them all down!”
However, Elena shook her head.
“No, what’s done is done. When you’re this thoroughly outplayed, it just breaks your spirit.”
Elena extended the cube toward me as if giving up.
“Come and take my cube, Roen. If you can.”
In the darkness, Elena’s eyes quietly gleamed.
“...”
I motioned for my companions to halt, then slowly walked toward her.
“Are you really giving it to me?”
“Yes, though I might resist a little. After being beaten this badly, I should… pay you back a bit, don’t you think?”
Elena tilted her head slightly, smiling at me. It wasn’t the bright, radiant smile she usually showed the public. It was the pure, mischievous smile of a child who had found an interesting new toy.
That was it. Her hand was offering the cube obediently, but her eyes said she had no intention of handing it over easily.
She’s having the time of her life.
Just by looking at her eyes, I could feel how much she was looking forward to this fight. I sighed inwardly and said to Ciel, “Ciel, you and the others subdue everyone except Elena.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll take care of Elena!”
Shing—!
The moment I swung my Azoth Sword, Elena threw a punch.
“Hah!”
Whoosh—!
A powerful punch, wreathed in divine power, tore through the air. Her fist seemed to crumple space itself as it instantly appeared right before my nose. I gulped, staring at the fist of pure white light shimmering before my eyes.
…If that hits me, I’m dead.
A chill ran down my spine, and I quickly leaned back to dodge.
Fwump—!
As I dodged, Elena’s divine punch shot past me, tearing through the air and slamming into the cube’s wall.
KRAANG—!
The massive, hemispherical cube shuddered violently from the powerful impact, as if it were about to shatter.
Wuuuung—.
As the cube trembled, Elena covered her mouth with her hand in mock surprise.
“Oh my, it’s been a while since I used my strength, so I’m having trouble controlling it. Shall we continue?”
Elena rolled her shoulders, loosening up. I watched her and wiped the sweat from my brow.
“...I don’t think you fought like this even during the competitive matches. Don’t go all out in a place like this.”
“Fufu, when else would I get to fight so freely? There aren’t many eyes on us here.”
Elena smiled, seemingly pleased with this space cut off from the outside world. She appeared genuinely delighted to be able to fight without worrying about her public image. There were only about a dozen people here, and even they were too busy fighting each other to pay attention.
Looking at the suddenly excited Elena, I felt like something had gone wrong.
Did I miscalculate?
It might have been better to deal with more of her elite guards if it meant preventing her from fighting with her true strength. After all, Elena rarely used her hidden power for the sake of managing her reputation.
I swallowed hard as I watched Elena take her stance.
Elena’s hidden power.
Divine Martial Arts: [Jacob’s Fist].
A half-human, half-demon like me could be killed instantly if struck by that fist brimming with divine power. And it wasn't just the divine power that was the problem; Elena’s raw physical strength was on par with Ciel’s, making her fists dangerous enough on their own.
Saints are monsters by nature, after all.
A body filled with divine power couldn't possibly be frail. In a way, it was an RPG stereotype, but such elements were strictly applied in Myrillin Saga.
“Well then, here comes the next attack.”
Elena warned me before stomping her foot.
POW—!
The sand beneath her feet surged up like a tidal wave, crashing down toward me. I immediately manipulated my Azoth Sword, using the sand at my feet to form a wall.
Zzzap—.
With a flash of blue lightning, a barrier of sand rose before me, blocking the wave Elena had created.
However—
Swoosh—!
Elena cut through that very wave of sand, appearing before me in an instant as she began to swing her fists again.
Whoosh—!
Her fists rained down menacingly, slicing through the air. I kicked off the ground and leaped backward, narrowly avoiding the barrage. As I continued to retreat without a proper counterattack, Elena shouted in an excited voice.
“Hmph. Are you just going to keep running? You’ve come this far, so fight me with dignity!”
Papabak—!
Unlike her usual self, Elena wore a look of pure exhilaration as she pursued me. This joyful, thrilled expression was much better than her usual fixed smile… but I didn’t have the luxury of playing along. If I took one wrong hit, I would actually die.
I shouted urgently, “Go ask that monster Leon to play with you! I’ll die if I get hit by that fist!”
“Die? You’re joking.”
Voom—!
Elena’s fist grazed past my hair. A few strands, touched by the pressure of her fist, scattered in the air as if they’d been sliced.
Whirl—!
Next, Elena executed a powerful kick with magnificent form.
“You’ll just be bedridden in the hospital for a few days!”
KRAANG—!
Crack—.
Elena’s kick cracked the outer wall of the cube—a structure said to be indestructible on Full Moon Island. Although it was quickly repaired by magic, it was a clear demonstration of her terrifying power.
Elena folded her outstretched leg and said, “Even if you get hurt, I’ll treat you and take good care of you, so try a little harder, Roen.”
Heal me? Bullshit.
If you heal me with that divine power, I’ll die faster.
I barely managed to swallow the words and fixed my posture.
“Hoo.”
I caught my breath and calmed my mind. There was no need to subdue Elena through force right now. Soon, Ciel and my other companions would defeat her elite guard and come to my aid.
I just have to stall for time.
As I took a defensive stance, Elena tilted her head slightly.
“Hmm? Trying to stall for time? I won’t let you.”
Pat—!
Thud-dud-dung—!
Elena extended her hand, and shields of divine power appeared one after another, blocking off all sides.
“...”
Just the divine power seeping from the shields was enough to make me feel drained. Elena placed her hands on her hips confidently.
“How about that? You can’t run away now, can you?”
She smiled innocently, like a child who had cornered a toy. I let out a deep sigh and shook my head.
“If you’re going to be like that, then I have no choice but to use the method that’s most like me.”
“Oh? You still have a hidden card to play?”
“Of course I do.”
Elena was completely thrilled by the prospect of fighting me. In her current state, the status effect resistance magic she usually kept active was surely down.
Flick—.
I pulled something from my pocket and threw it at her. Elena casually swatted it away with her hand, but—
POOF—!
The moment it touched her hand, it burst, scattering powder everywhere.
“Hup!”
Instantly realizing what the powder was, Elena covered her mouth and nose and quickly moved away, but it was too late.
“It’s too late. That’s a sleeping powder strong enough to put an elephant to sleep. Even you won’t be able to withstand it.”
Elena staggered, glaring at me with fading vision.
“Roen, you…”
“My apologies. I’ll play with you some other time. I’m not ready to handle you just yet.”
It was a good thing to see Elena, who was always weighed down by her role as a saint, fighting with such joy. But I couldn't keep playing along while risking my entire body being blown apart by her divine fists.
Without even a chance to cast a cure spell, Elena collapsed from the high-concentration sleeping powder.
“Hoo.”
Only then did I let out a sigh of relief. I walked over to Elena and took her cube.
Click—.
When I inserted my student ID, an announcement echoed from the device.
[The ruler of Jungle Island has been decided. Team Roen Devalis. Congratulations. Roen and his subordinates will be awarded points based on performance, time spent on the island, and other factors. 2nd place, Ciel Eurafia; 3rd place, Chepesi Jerome…]
And with that, the long Faction War finally came to an end.