The Serpent's Time Attack
The executives of the Flame of Doom—the Snake Paladin and the Black Mage. The battle between these two factions, long-standing rivals in the Central region, was fierce.
"In the name of justice, I condemn you!"
"For the empire's downfall!"
Brilliant light and abyssal darkness erupted everywhere, and people shouting for order and chaos could be seen. Since everyone present held some influence within their respective factions, the fighting was intense. Yet at the center of the battlefield, the Snake and I simply stood facing each other without making a move.
Though the sight was clearly unusual, the paladins and black mages fighting around us only glanced our way without questioning it. That was only natural. The battles of those who stood at heights the others had yet to reach were decided in the briefest of openings. Everyone present was certain that the outcome of this fight would be decided by us.
Knowing this better than anyone, I studied the Snake standing across from me. Tsk. Her skill seemed a notch above mine. Just as Neon had said, the aura she gave off felt like she had crossed some kind of wall—it was on par with a Gold-class adventurer. She seemed aware of this fact as well, regarding me with a relaxed gaze.
"So you're the one who stole our boy?"
"Our boy? You mean Neon?"
"Of course. You've been putting that perfectly good black mage to work up in the North, haven't you?"
From the way she spoke, it seemed she still hadn't given up on Neon. Her obsession was surprisingly strong for someone who had merely lost a single research-oriented black mage. Thinking there might be some useful information to glean, I kept my sword-spear resting on my shoulder and listened to everything the Snake had to say.
"He'll certainly be useful. Neon's talent is quite exceptional. If that doctor from a different faction hadn't taken him away on a whim, none of this would have happened."
"That's rich, coming from someone who came here looking for materials."
"Well, I intend to retrieve both the materials and Neon."
At her words, I narrowed my eyes. Even with the mask covering her face, I could see her gaze fixed on Neon. It seemed her true objective wasn't stealing the materials after all, but taking Neon back with her.
"Neon, is that executive always this obsessive?"
"I-I don't know? She never seemed particularly interested back at the research institute."
Neon also looked bewildered, as if he hadn't expected the Snake to show such attachment. That meant it was either a sudden change of heart, or the other side knew some secret about Neon that we didn't. As I pondered what information they might possess that we didn't, the Snake, having overheard our conversation, asked in a dumbfounded voice.
"Are you two idiots? You don't know what kind of demon Neon contracted with?"
"Well, Krisnain... Ah."
Thanks to her kind explanation, I recalled the fact I'd forgotten. Come to think of it, the demon Neon had contracted with was an Archdevil. Maybe because our first meeting had ended on a good note, or perhaps because she'd shared a bit of my secret with me, I hadn't thought of her as a dangerous existence and had overlooked that detail. My gaze shifted to Neon.
"Now that you mention it, do you still keep in contact with Krisnain?"
"We meet in my dreams sometimes? She seemed to enjoy hearing about everything that's happened so far."
This guy was something else, wasn't he? He claimed he was treated more like a clown or a pet, but still—he had connections to an Archdevil. I stared at Neon, who had a far more impressive background than I'd realized, then turned my head.
"Thanks for the explanation. But is it really okay to tell the enemy all this?"
"Well, you're all going to die anyway, so I might as well explain. I really hate stupid people. It's disgusting to watch ignorant fools who know nothing make assumptions and act on them."
Some kind of compulsion or perfectionism, perhaps. After explaining so we wouldn't fall into any strange misunderstandings—for her own comfort—the Snake smiled seductively and began drawing up her mana.
"Now that the explanations are over, it's time for the extras to leave the stage."
With a light flick of her fingers, dozens of magic circles appeared in the air, and mana cannons fired through them. The attack—from the formation of the magic circles to the bombardment—took less than a second, yet its power was extraordinary. Every plant in its path withered and died, and one unfortunate black mage nearby perished without even a scream.
When dozens of such bombardments rained down, Shinshia and Neon stepped forward to intercept them.
"It's fine. I'll handle this."
However, I moved before either of them. With a light snap of my fingers, numerous summoning circles appeared in the air, and countless shards flew out, creating a massive barrier directly in the path of the mana cannons. When the bombardment was blocked and scattered in all directions, those fighting nearby recoiled in shock. The shards alone were powerful enough to sever limbs, so the paladins and black mages quickly put distance between themselves and the blasts to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
With the space now cleared, I stood grinning at the Snake.
"A Gold-class, huh. This should be a more entertaining fight than I thought."
"Hmm. From the mana I'm sensing, you haven't reached the same level as me yet. Are you sure you can afford to be so confident?"
"If I complained about this level of hardship, I wouldn't survive in the North."
After a lighthearted quip, I kicked off the ground. With vast amounts of mana circulating through my body and reinforcing it, the distance between us closed rapidly. Thanks to the elixir I'd obtained beyond the front lines, my mana had increased several times over. Using it to its fullest, I reached the Snake in an instant, planted my foot firmly, and thrust my sword-spear toward her neck.
However, the sword-spear imbued with clear aura only managed to scratch the protective barrier surrounding her.
"Tsk! Tougher than I expected."
Clicking my tongue at the unexpected situation, the Snake flashed a chilling smile and swung her arm. Black lines extending like rubber bands from her fingertips lashed out like whips. Sensing danger, I retreated, but the whips moved faster than I could back away. My spine tingled at the sight of them about to wrap around my arm, but I wasn't worried. This battle wasn't mine alone.
Crack!
Umbra, rising from my shadow, severed the whip with his sword-spear. At the same time, Ruin and Luna shot past me in perfect sync, targeting the Snake. Even now that I'd obtained a Mystery, their talent was still difficult to match. The twins, blessed with innate skill, relentless effort, and training from Veronika—the legendary Gold-class adventurer—each swung swords wreathed in clear aura, aiming for her neck and ankle respectively.
Having successfully closed the distance by breaking through the interference with explosive leg strength, the twins swung their blades with the intent to shatter her barrier. No matter how skilled she was, the physical difference between a warrior and a mage was clear. Their speed was something an ordinary mage could never react to, so I was certain we'd land a hit—until two knights suddenly appeared beside the Snake and crossed blades with the twins.
Clang, clang, clang!
"It would be difficult for me to face all of you alone, so I brought some subordinates along as well."
"Death Knights?"
At the Snake's words, Ruin looked at the knights with a startled expression. Seeing the skulls with glowing blue eyes behind their visors, he clicked his tongue and took a step back. With space now between them, he sighed as countless undead appeared in real time around the Snake.
"Fighting with numbers like a coward."
"Argo, it seems like it's time for your summons to step in."
"Don't worry. At the very least, I have no intention of losing in terms of numbers."
The Ikelos had already transformed into humanoid forms and were standing ready. With my mana replenished thanks to the elixir, I summoned all my summons without hesitation. Cracks formed from summoning circles as the Rune Golem emerged, and through a passage connected to the Water Realm, the Irregular Laserdon appeared as well.
"Kwoooooooar!"
The Laserdon let out a majestic roar upon revealing itself, releasing the Fear ability unique to high-ranking monsters. While this was a basic passive for monsters that held some sway in the North, in the Central region only beings on the level of Ogres—the tyrants of the mountains—could manifest it, making its effect significant. As the black mages fighting nearby slowed their movements and the undead hesitated, the Snake's expression turned puzzled.
"You tamed a Northern monster?"
Her reaction, as if facing an unexpected truth, left me with questions, but this wasn't the time to leisurely resolve them. The real show was just beginning.
Countless footsteps echoed from behind the Laserdon. Along with the sound of what seemed like an army advancing, War Ants with pitch-black chitinous carapaces revealed themselves. With the construction of the mobile nest nearly complete, these were workers the two princesses had produced in advance for building the fortress. Though their combat capabilities had been minimized since they were meant for construction, their base was still their base—they would serve well enough as meat shields.
"Krik."
"Kiririk."
The ants, glaring at the undead with inorganic eyes, continued pouring through the cracks without end. The Snake's previously relaxed expression hardened slightly. At the sight of her, Adela and Beatrice—the owners of the ants—wore triumphant looks.
"We made them in a hurry, so the quality is a bit low, but I made sure to use only special variants."
"My specialty is artillery-type units, but in a chaotic melee like this, they'd only increase friendly fire, so I only brought out close-combat specialists."
Special variants like Blades, Hounds, and Bruisers exuded threatening auras. They might not match the physical prowess of higher variants that could display at least Silver-class strength, but they were still troublesome opponents. At the very least, they were enough to tie up the undead until we dealt with the Snake, so I smiled at her.
After confirming the unexpectedly large force, the Snake let out a hollow laugh.
"I heard you were a Summoner, but you're a walking army."
"I am pretty impressive, aren't I?"
"As expected, I can't afford to let you live."
The Snake's expression suddenly turned serious as she removed her mask with slender fingers, revealing vertically slit eyes that glared at me. Some of the ants, stimulated by her ominous aura, let out cries before one by one freezing in place. As the princesses tried to regain control with panicked expressions over the ants that had hardened like stone, it was already too late.
With a gesture from the Snake, the ants' vitality drained away and gathered above her hand.
"You're strong. In a few years, you'll become powerful enough to threaten our grand plan. Perhaps you'll even become far stronger than me."
After absorbing the gathered vitality into her palm, an enormous aura erupted from her. It seemed she'd used the vitality to temporarily enhance her power—the aura emanating from the Snake had changed on a fundamental level. Floating into the air, she looked down at me arrogantly and declared.
"But right now, I'm stronger. So you'll die here."
Perfectly embodying the presence of a seductive queen, she smiled coldly and delivered a grave revelation.
"It's a time attack, rookie. By now, my subordinates are probably ravaging the Blue Tower and the city. With that paltry sense of justice in your hearts, can you really defeat me like some fairy-tale hero and save the city too?"
"Damn it, you came in such a rush but still had time to scheme against the city?"
"Of course. I don't fight battles I can't win."
At the Snake's gesture, mana cannons fired from hundreds of magic circles that had appeared in the air. As Neon and Shinshia moved to intercept and Adela and Beatrice began pulling out acid artillery units from the crack connected to the Water Realm, I let out a sigh.
"Looks like I'll have to play my hidden card first."
It was supposed to be a trump card saved for a critical moment. But if that cunning woman definitely had a hidden card of her own, this was the move I'd prepared to counter it. Since we were at a disadvantage, I had no choice but to use it now. Though when had I ever fought without being at a disadvantage?
As the undead legion and ant legion began their full-scale battle, our fight with the Snake resumed as well.