Chapter 235
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 235
On the outskirts of the city, at the borderlands adjacent to the Sea of Trees...
Grrrr—.
Kiriel’s party was in dire straits, besieged by a relentless horde of werewolves. No matter how many they cut down, more surged forward to take their place, slowly tightening the noose around the group.
Even as the student council presidents of the Union's Four Great Academies, the sheer weight of numbers was becoming overwhelming.
“Damn it, there’s no end to them!”
Growl!
The werewolves charged without a shred of fear for their own lives, gradually chipping away at the four girls' stamina and mana.
“Huu, huu...”
The burden was heaviest on Freya and Elena, who stood on the front lines. They were holding the line thanks to Freya’s brilliant swordsmanship and Elena’s overwhelming martial talent, but there was no telling how much longer they could endure.
Beatrice, providing magical support from the rear, called out to them. “Miss Freya, Miss Elena, are you all right?”
“...To be honest, it’s getting difficult,” Freya replied. Catching her breath for a fleeting second, she readjusted her grip on her sword. “We have no chance of winning if we just stay on the defensive. We need a breakthrough.”
“I agree. But where is this breakthrough supposed to come from? Toward the burning city? Or toward Roen, who’s currently fighting that giant wolf?”
At Elena’s words, the faces of the other three hardened. Just as she said, there was no safe harbor left. Fleeing toward the airship might be safer, but the other four Venerables were already stationed there.
Elena added one more thing. “Besides, even if there were a way out, we can’t just leave Roen behind.”
“……”
None of them denied it. They had just learned a shocking truth, but that didn't mean they could abandon Roen. Regardless of the secret he had been hiding, he was already someone precious to them.
Elena looked at her. “Freya, you already knew, didn't you? About Roen's true identity.”
After a moment's hesitation, Freya nodded. “...I did.”
She had discovered it during the practical combat class when they first encountered Gillean. Back then, Freya had been struck down by the demonkin Demer's attack. Though she had been unable to move, she hadn't completely lost consciousness. She had witnessed firsthand the strange power and demonic energy Roen possessed.
She hadn't told a soul until now, but that was the moment Freya realized the secret Roen was harboring.
“I feel a little betrayed, but I won't say anything for now. Instead, you have to help me fight to the end. You too, Beatrice, and Kiriel.”
Elena closed her eyes for a moment and offered a short prayer.
Vwoom—.
A pure white magic circle manifested in midair, and from its center, a large sword slowly emerged.
“We’re not the kind of people who settle for being baggage, are we?” Elena said, her voice firm. “Let’s do something.”
Elena took the sword and handed it to Freya.
“Th-this is...?”
“It's the holy sword, Ascalon. Take it.”
It was a greatsword of pure white divine power, boasting an elegant, lethal form. This was the ultimate holy relic of the Lu Cult—the holy sword Ascalon, which had famously slain an evil dragon in the distant past.
Elena added, “I'm not technically supposed to summon it since I'm not an official saintess yet, but given the circumstances…”
Freya stared blankly at Elena for a moment before gripping the hilt tightly.
“Alright. We will cut down the werewolves before us, and we will kill the Venerable named Girena as well... and then, let's save this city.”
*
CRUNCH—.
“Kugh!”
Girena's powerful jaws snapped shut, trying to crush the nape of my neck. I immediately invoked my Authority to distort space, forcibly shifting the coordinates of his attack.
Shwooo—.
Space warped into a violent vortex.
Chomp!
Because the space itself had bent, his teeth bit down on empty air instead of my throat.
Spatial distortion is both the ultimate defense and the perfect offense.
Even Amur had been helpless against my Authority. Girena quickly pulled his head back before he could be caught in the distorted spatial coordinates.
[Hoh, so this is His power?]
While Girena briefly recoiled, I broke free and scrambled back to catch my breath. “Huu, huu...”
Girena looked down at his own silver fur, which had been mangled where it was caught in the spatial distortion.
[A power that pierces even the boundaries of dimensions. A fitting ability to achieve the Great Cause. However... the one using it is far too weak!]
Shwaaack—!
As he swung his massive claws, a silver aura tore through the air, rushing toward me. At a glance, that silver energy looked even more dangerous than a Sword Master's blade qi.
I stretched out my hand and manifested a shield of demonic energy.
Shwaa—.
The energy gathered at my fingertips, expanding rapidly. But the shield was shattered effortlessly by the aura Girena had unleashed.
“...!”
I quickly used my Authority to twist the trajectory of the aura just as it reached my face.
KABOOM—!
Diverted by the spatial distortion, the aura veered sideways and crashed into the distant forest, triggering a massive explosion. However, while I had successfully dodged, the four girls fighting the werewolf horde were nearly caught in the blast radius.
I glanced back to check on them. They were holding out much better than I had expected. Moreover, Freya was now wielding the holy sword Ascalon. That blade could inflict devastating damage on an enemy with demonic properties.
I don't know how Freya got her hands on that, but if things go well, we might actually have a shot at this.
Seeing a glimmer of victory, I clenched my fist and released a surge of demonic energy.
Shwaaa—.
The energy spread out from me like a thick, suffocating fog. It soon began to distort the surrounding space. As the power of my Authority took hold, the boundaries of the world began to melt away like a mirage.
This dragged Girena and me into another world, entirely separate from reality. The landscape looked similar to the Sea of Trees, but its fundamental nature was completely different.
Girena, observing the shift, murmured quietly. [A Mindscape Barrier?]
“That's right.”
It was the same kind of Mindscape Barrier Carmilla had created in the past. It was a hasty construction, so it wasn't as refined as hers, but it would serve its purpose.
I looked up at the cloud-covered sky. “The moonlight doesn't reach here.”
Girena's infinite regeneration, his 'Blessing of Moonlight' that nullified all attacks, and his multiple layers of protection—all of it was gone. Furthermore, there was no longer any risk of Freya and the others getting caught in the crossfire. It was the perfect arena.
If you were to ask how I could suddenly manifest such a Mindscape Barrier, I wouldn't be able to explain it. Can a baby explain how it learns to take its first steps? I can only say I did it instinctively. As I nurtured the Dark Spirit Kabeltar, I had grown far more adept at wielding the demonic energy latent within my soul.
Girena glanced around the barrier for a moment, then turned back to me. [A clever strategy. But how long can you possibly maintain this Mindscape Barrier?]
He had a point. Just as Girena said, maintaining a Mindscape Barrier consumed an astronomical amount of mana. It was no different from temporarily creating an entire world.
But I didn't have that restriction. A slight smile touched my lips as I said confidently, “For as long as I want.”
If I ran out of mana, I just needed to replenish it. After all, right in front of me was a living, breathing crystallization of ancient mana in the form of a wolf.
*
CRUNCH—.
Girena’s teeth sank into my arm. With a violent twist of his head, my left arm was torn clean off.
Rrrrip—.
My arm was gone, replaced by a white-hot flash of excruciating pain. But this was inside the Mindscape Barrier. In here, I was effectively invincible.
Shhhk—.
In an instant, the surrounding mana particles swarmed the wound, regenerating bone and flesh in seconds. I clenched and unclenched my new fist, testing the movement, then wrapped my hand in the Authority of spatial distortion and plunged it into Girena's neck.
With a sickening squelch, the power of distortion pierced through his thick fur and dug deep into his hide. I shoved my hand in further, grabbed a handful of muscle, and ripped it out.
Krrrrk—.
The wet, pulpy sensation in my hand was followed by a geyser of blood from his wound.
[Graaah!]
The blood and flesh of an ancient species are essentially solidified mana.
I absorbed his blood and flesh directly, converting it into the mana required to power the Mindscape Barrier. It also served as the life force needed to restore my broken body.
It became a horrific cycle: he would tear at my body, and I would rip him apart to fuel the barrier and heal my wounds. Covered in blood, I stood my ground and fought him head-on.
The desperate, visceral close-quarters battle continued.
Chomp—.
He tore chunks out of me with his claws and teeth.
Shhhk—.
My mangled body regenerated using the mana I stole from him.
At the same time, I used every opening to stack damage on him with the Authority of distortion.
The neck.
Shunk—.
My hand-blade dug into his tough hide and corded muscle. I relentlessly targeted that single wound, waiting for the moment his regeneration would fail and he would collapse.
Girena's infinite regeneration was gone, severed from the moonlight, while my own regeneration was vastly enhanced by the nature of the Mindscape Barrier. The barrier had completely flipped the script on our combat advantage.
Normally, maintaining this would be impossible, but the demonic energy pouring from Girena's wounds provided a constant battery. As long as I could endure the horrific cycle of pain—of being torn apart and stitched back together—victory was inevitable.
“Huu, huu...”
I lost track of how much time passed as we traded blows. I was a wreck, panting heavily. My limbs had been torn off and regenerated several times over, and I barely had the strength to stand.
But the smile never left my face.
Splat—.
I threw a chunk of muscle and viscera I'd torn from his body onto the ground.
[How dare you!]
The repetitive brutality of our battle had finally paid off. The damage had accumulated to a critical point; Girena roared in agony and opened his massive maw wide.
Flash—!
A powerful beam of demonic energy erupted from his throat. The beam wasn't aimed at me, but at the Mindscape Barrier itself, striking its boundary. He had realized he couldn't win inside this space. Destroying the barrier was his only way out.
I can't let that happen.
Vwoom—.
I distorted the path of the beam, reflecting it right back at him.
BOOM—!
The beam, twisted in a bizarre arc, slammed directly into Girena.
[Kraaaah!]
The blast struck him squarely in the wound I had been widening. His durability was high, but without the Blessing of Moonlight, he had limits. Because I had focused all my attacks on that one spot, his bones were now clearly visible through the gore.
“Transmutation.”
POW—!
[Krooooar!]
I used transmutation magic to make Girena's wound burst open even further, then reached my blood-soaked hand through the boundary of the Mindscape Barrier.
Shwaaack—.
And then...
I distorted space and snatched Ascalon right out of Freya's hands.
“Huh?”
Sliiiide—.
The holy sword Ascalon slipped from Freya's grasp and vanished into a rift, landing firmly in my hand.
Grip.
“Kugh...!”
As I gripped the hilt, an intense, searing pain shot through me, as if my hand were being thrust into a furnace. The divine power within Ascalon was violently rejecting my demonic nature.
But I never intended to be "chosen" by the holy sword. To me, it was just a tool—a finishing weapon to sever Girena's tenacious life force once and for all.
[Th-that sword...!]
“Die.”
Shunk—.
I plunged Ascalon deep into Girena's gaping wound.