Chapter 157
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 157
I vaulted over the battlements, plunging straight into the fray to rescue Ciel.
Whoosh—!
Between my base physical stats—now comparable to a world-class athlete—and the cocktail of buff potions and artifacts I’d activated, I was more than capable of absorbing the impact.
...At least, that was the theory. In practice, the drop was staggering, and the ground rushed up with terrifying speed.
‘Aegis.’
I deployed the Aegis Shield and aimed my descent. I slammed directly onto the head of a fishman swarming at the base of the wall.
CRUNCH—!
[Kr...]
Its neck snapped instantly, crushed under the combined weight of my body and the momentum of the fall. The gruesome vibration traveled clearly through the soles of my boots.
‘One down.’
[Krrr!!]
The moment I landed, the fishmen lunged at me like a pack of starving zombies. They were already whipped into a frenzy; seeing fresh prey deliver itself right into their midst must have been a dream come true.
Of course, I had no intention of being their next meal.
I set my specialized attribute to Earth, drove the Azoth Sword deep into the ground, and triggered a mass transmutation of the beach sand.
Fwoosh—!
Pillars of sand erupted from the earth, violently shoving back the charging monsters.
[Kr!]
It didn't do much damage, but it bought me space. Killing these things wasn't the priority—getting to Ciel was.
Shwaaa—!
I continued to manifest sand pillars on either side of me, forging a narrow corridor through the infested shoreline.
From atop the wall, Elena’s voice rang out, frantic.
“I’m coming down too!”
She looked ready to leap after me at any second. I didn't stop transmuting as I roared back at her.
“Don’t you dare! Focus on keeping them off the wall! Remember your priorities!”
I appreciated the sentiment, but I couldn't allow it.
‘Jumping down here was my personal choice.’
A commander who abandons his post and dives into enemy territory to save a single person... regardless of whether Ciel’s life was worth more than the students on the wall, as a tactical leader, I’d just earned a failing grade.
If Elena followed me, it wouldn't just burden the other students; it would leave a massive hole in the fortress's defenses—especially now that a high-level monster like Gon had appeared.
Elena needed to stay put and rain down divine magic to hold the line.
Fsh—.
I sprinted through the corridor of sand, tracking Ciel’s mana signature. I closed my eyes for a fraction of a second, reading the flow of magic. Amidst the thick, cloying stench of the fishmen’s mana that saturated the beach, I felt a flare of fierce, defiant fighting spirit.
‘There.’
[Krrr!]
When I opened my eyes, I saw the fishmen clambering over my sand walls, pouring in like a black tide. The path I’d cleared was already being swallowed up.
I’d made the path to get Ciel back to safety, but at this rate, it was useless.
‘In that case...’
I channeled mana into the Azoth Sword once more.
Crackle—!
Sand surged beneath my feet, accompanied by a sharp flash of blue lightning.
Shwaaa—!
The sand solidified into a sleek, pointed platform, lifting me off the ground. It looked remarkably like a surfboard.
‘Trying to maintain a path is a losing game.’
I’d never actually ridden a board before, so I was a bit tense, but this was the most efficient way to break through the horde.
Shhhhrrr—!
I transmuted the sand beneath the platform into a continuous, rolling wave, surfing through the sea of monsters.
[Krrr!]
[Kr!]
They threw themselves at me, trying to drag me down from my makeshift vessel.
Thud-thud-thud—!
Their claws and limbs bounced harmlessly off the translucent shield surrounding me. Moving at high speed, I finally reached the epicenter of Ciel’s mana.
[Krrr!]
[Krr!!]
The fishmen had formed a wide circle, shrieking and dancing in a bizarre, mocking ritual. They were watching a spectacle.
In the center of the ring, I saw Ciel. She was battered and facing off against Gon.
“Hah... hah...”
Her once-neat hair was a tangled mess, and her uniform was shredded in several places. She was in terrible shape, her skin covered in dark bruises from the impact of the creature's tentacles. She had clearly been pushed to her limit just deflecting and blocking.
The only silver lining was that she hadn't been impaled yet.
To think they’d reduced Ciel to this state in just a few minutes... No, it was worse than that. They were toying with her. If Gon had been serious about the kill, she’d be dead already. The other fishmen were simply acting as a cage, making sure she couldn't escape.
[Krrr!!]
I gritted my teeth at the sight of the monsters cheering as they watched her struggle.
“Move.”
[Kr?]
Thwack—!
A spear of sand erupted from the ground, skewering a fishman through the jaw.
[Krr...]
The creature collapsed, spraying black ichor. I carved a path through the remaining spectators and stepped into the clearing.
Step.
As I revealed myself, Ciel’s eyes went wide with shock.
“Roen... sir?”
She looked like I was the last person she expected to see.
I shrugged.
“What’s with that look? I’m here to rescue you.”
Ciel clutched the necklace around her neck and shouted, “Who’s rescuing whom?! Why would you do something so reckless...?”
Scolded by the person I came to save. How cold.
Of course, I understood her anger. She had been captured because she was busy saving Charlotte. Now, the person she was sworn to protect had dived into the heart of the enemy camp for her sake. It was a tactically disastrous move that could easily result in both of us dying for nothing.
Still.
Judging by the slight tremor in her voice, she seemed secretly relieved I’d come. Not that this was the time for sentimentality.
I forced a relaxed smirk. “Why? It’s only natural for a master to save his maid when she’s in trouble.”
I glanced at her for a moment, then gestured to the wary fishmen closing in.
“Let’s get out of here. It’s getting crowded.”
I reached a hand out to her.
Swish—!
A sound like a whip cracking the air signaled Gon’s attack. I yanked my hand back, narrowly dodging a tentacle.
BOOM—!
The limb slammed into the sand, cratering the ground between Ciel and me. A few unlucky fishmen in the way were instantly reduced to paste.
I shrugged at the carnage.
“...Doesn't look like he’s going to let us walk away.”
On second thought, just escaping wasn't the answer. As long as that thing was alive, this would keep happening. Ciel had been dragged down because of those tentacles. If we didn't stop Gon here, it was only a matter of time before another student—or I—fell victim to it.
‘This might be the perfect opportunity to take out the enemy commander.’
If I killed it now, I could turn the tide of the entire battle.
Having made up my mind, I clenched my fist. “Alright. We’re taking him down right here.”
“What...?”
Ciel tilted her head, looking at me as if I’d finally lost my mind. I couldn't blame her. We should have been looking for a gap to bolt through, yet here I was, picking a fight.
“If we leave him be, the wall will fall eventually,” I explained. “Even if we escape now, the outcome remains the same. It’s better to settle this here and now.”
“But still!”
“If you’re not up for it, you can head back first. Take the sand platform—I’ll even give you a head start with the waves.”
I pointed to the 'surfboard,' but Ciel only let out a long, weary sigh and shifted into a fighting stance.
“...Forget it. How could I possibly leave you behind, sir? You’re far too unreliable on your own.”
“Not very honest, are you?”
Whatever. I knew by now that her sharp tongue was just her way of processing stress.
‘But... can I actually win?’
Swirl—.
I watched Gon as it leisurely coiled the tentacle attached to its tail. It was three or four times the size of a standard fishman. Its body was gaunt and amphibian-like, with jutting joints that gave it a truly grotesque silhouette. Unlike the others, it lacked legs, possessing only a long, serpentine tail.
It was a formidable opponent.
‘It’s a named field boss that usually appears in the late game.’
Normally, you’d need to be at least a Sword Master to handle it comfortably.
‘Well... if I unleash my full power, I can win.’
But there were fifteen hundred students on that wall. Elena was watching. Demonization was not an option. No matter how chaotic the beach was, I couldn't be careless. Someone would notice.
As I weighed my options, the creature blinked its hazy, milky eyes and opened its maw.
[Kr, k, kk, krr?]
“...?”
It seemed to be trying to communicate.
Zzzzing—!
[Are... you... the one... worthy?]
A sensation like radio static rattled my skull, and Gon’s intent flooded my mind. I winced, clutching my head as a sharp pain flared behind my eyes.
“...How the hell should I know, you bastard.”
Even I didn't know the full truth of who Roen was. All I knew was that he was deeply entangled with demons, and that the apostles of the Demon God were obsessed with him.
[K, kr, krr, kr, krkr, k, kr.]
Gon pointed a webbed finger at me and bared its needle-like teeth.
[You... threat... to our... candidate... Before coronation... must die.]
The tentacle lashed out instantly.
Whoosh—!
Ciel and I split in opposite directions, the limb whistling between us.
As I moved, I pulled the Subspace Pouch from my coat and tossed it to her.
“Use whatever you need! Potions, enhancement stones—don't hold back!”
Ciel caught the pouch mid-air. With practiced ease, she downed a recovery potion and crushed several enhancement stones. She didn't forget to trigger a Fierabras' Blessing to amplify the effects.
Crunch.
While keeping my eyes locked on Gon, I used my own items to boost my agility as high as possible.
‘Gon’s agility is around 70.’
To dodge its strikes and land my own, I needed at least 50.
Rip—!
I tore a magic scroll, feeling the mana wrap around my legs.
‘With Haste active, I’m just over 50.’
It was the bare minimum required to win, but I had to finish this before the spell wore off.
‘And there isn't just one Gon.’
Based on the number of tentacles that had hit the wall earlier, there were at least two of them out there. Taking out both would make the time limit even tighter.
“Ciel,” I called out, “can you follow my lead?”
Ciel moved until we were back-to-back, her eyes scanning the surrounding horde.
“Just give the word.”
“Create an opening for me. I need to get into close quarters with Gon. That’s all.”
“...You’re going to get that close?”
Ciel frowned. She was already terrified of the situation; hearing me say I was going to walk into the creature's reach must have sounded like a suicide mission.
“Half-assed attacks won't work,” I said quickly. “Its regeneration is too high; it’ll heal from surface wounds in seconds.”
Gon possessed several times the resilience of a normal fishman. Neither Ciel’s current strikes nor my basic transmutation would be enough to put it down. It would be like throwing eggs at a boulder.
“But I have a way to kill it. Just trust me.”
“...”
“Trust me, Ciel,” I repeated, my voice firm. “I have no intention of dying here. I’m going to kill that thing, win this battle, and we’re going home together. I’ve already decided.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. We’re taking it down and getting back alive. I plan on living long enough to get old and senile, so don't you worry.”
Ciel, who had been listening with grim determination, furrowed her brow at my last comment.
“Do you really have to put it like that? You could have said the same thing with a bit more... refinement.”
Whoosh—!
While Ciel was grumbling, Gon’s tentacle whipped toward us again.
I watched the trajectory and yelled, “Less talking! Here it comes!”