Legion Commander Subjugation (2)
Eris glanced up at the sky. Gergius, who had clearly taken flight to provide support, showed no intention of helping her side whatsoever. Instead, he had begun locking horns with the young dragon right in front of him.
The battle between dragons was a true spectacle. Overwhelming magical power combined with a profound understanding of magic produced large-scale magical combat. It was as if entire companies of mages were dueling one another, all of it pouring out from single individuals.
Of course, putting on such a magnificent show was one thing. For Eris, it was hardly a welcome sign.
“What the hell is he doing…?!”
Eris found it absurd, yet Gergius’s sudden antics left her in an extremely awkward position.
Divine Archer Ser-Aria activates [Gale Arrow]
Saintess Freya activates [Blade of Purification]
KWAANG!! KWAAAAAANG!!!
“Kh….”
She had thought only the Hero was strong. That wasn’t the case. Erinn’s magic was almost completely spent, while Eris herself still had plenty left, so she had believed she held the advantage….
Thief Clara activates [Cursed Art: Presence Erasure]
Even the party members, though weaker than the Hero, were each far stronger than any human hero rampaging across the front lines. Even the thief, who should have been the least of her worries, could not be ignored—she made use of curse arts.
Even now she had completely erased her presence with a curse. Her main attacks were simple thrusts powered by magic, so they were largely offset by Eris’s sturdy durability, yet the fact that damage kept accumulating was hardly welcome.
What concerned her most were the Saintess over there—who needlessly exposed her entire chest, shoulders, and back—and the red-haired spirit mage.
“Elysia.”
“Yes. It seems you’ve recovered a little.”
Spirit King Elysia activates [Wrath of Nature]
Both of them wielded powers that rendered Eris’s massive durability almost meaningless. Particularly dangerous was the Spirit King the spirit mage commanded. A contractor of the Spirit King—that had to be regarded as a special force of humanity on the same level as the Hero herself.
Had she known earlier, Eris would have discarded the entire plan of sealing the Hero’s party by herself. That assessment was no exaggeration.
The Spirit King was literally the king of all spirits—an existence akin to a god within the spirit realm. That was why even Letisia, whose magic was as vast as Erinn’s merely by existing, was said to be insufficient, and why using that power just once or twice left Letisia exhausted.
The power she displayed was less than a quarter of her true strength, yet it was still fatal to Legion Commander Eris. Eris wrung out every drop of remaining magic to try to block the Spirit King’s assault.
“Will that even work?”
Yet she had spent far too much magic blocking Erinn’s earlier strike. It was not enough to nullify everything. Flames hot as the sun, cold that approached absolute zero, and a storm of wind sharp as blades pressed Eris hard.
“Khuh…!”
Eris abandoned defense, took the attack with her body, and gathered her magic. Harming the Spirit King was impossible, but dealing with her contractor was not.
Especially dealing with a spirit mage whose magic had been depleted from wielding the Spirit King’s power was not that difficult.
Oblivion Legion Commander Eris activates [Blade of Absolute Death]
An ominous light bloomed within Eris’s magic, and a blade took shape. In an instant it left her grasp and shot toward Letisia.
It flashed past Elysia. The blade, carrying power that seemed ready to sever everything, reached right before Letisia’s eyes.
“!”
But—
“Letisia, duck!”
[Magic Condensation] activates
Albrecht swung his wand, snatching and sealing a portion of the blade’s magic. The blade, its base snapped clean off, passed harmlessly over the ducking Letisia.
And Erinn, who had recovered a sliver of magic for a moment, did not miss the opening created by the Spirit King’s assault and the forced counter.
Hero Erinn activates [Gale Blade]
Seogeok!!!
Erinn shot forward like a gale itself and, in a single instant, sliced through Eris’s forearm. Damage had already been piling up heavily even against Eris’s tough durability, and this was a strike from the Holy Sword—absolute opposing power against monsters.
The result was fatal.
“Kyaaaak!!!”
With Eris’s scream, her left arm was torn clean off. Erinn exhaled deeply and immediately fell back. She no longer had the strength left to block a counterattack.
Yet her retreat did not grant Eris any breathing room. Clara and Ser-Aria immediately poured out threatening attacks of their own.
“Get the hell out of my way…!?”
Oblivion Legion Commander Eris activates [Cruel Wave]
Eris’s magic surged outward in every direction like a tidal wave. Clara and Ser-Aria, who had charged in, hurriedly blocked and were forced to retreat.
“Kh!?”
“Clara, fall back!”
KWAANG!!!
The wave exploded a moment later. The shock sent Clara flying far backward. Ser-Aria took no less damage and tumbled across the ground. Colliding with the terrain left large and small wounds all over both their bodies.
Having not only withstood consecutive attacks from the two after losing an arm but even managed a counter, Eris finally caught her breath. That was not the end, however.
“O holy Father, send down the blade of the heavens upon this place now and purify all.”
Saintess Freya activates [Heavenly Sword]
The Heavenly Sword created by Freya—who had waited until the very end to expend her power—plunged straight down onto Eris’s head.
KWAAAAAANG!!!
Meanwhile, Letisia had a narrow escape thanks to Albrecht. She too had her magic rapidly depleted by Elysia’s second attack and no longer possessed the strength even to move her legs properly.
Letisia first offered her thanks to the man who had saved her life.
“Th-thank you, Albrecht……ah….”
Albrecht was already suppressing part of Eris’s magic and had no leeway to spare, yet he forced out more magic to save Letisia. Because of that, he began experiencing magic depletion much like Erinn.
Noticing his condition, Letisia spoke urgently.
“Release the magic for a moment now! Only then can you properly recover!”
“…No.”
Albrecht spoke while breathing hard.
“If I return the magic now… that thing will recover again.”
“….”
Letisia could not deny his words. Magic depletion hit those with less magic harder. Those with abundant reserves recovered faster and suffered less, but Albrecht was not yet at that level.
Watching him endure like that, she could not bring herself to tell him to stop.
To free Albrecht from that state, there was only one thing she had to do. Now, while he was still holding on—while the curse of oblivion was powerless—
“…Erinn, this is the last time!”
It was time to bring Eris down. Freya’s holy technique had landed cleanly and Eris’s feet were temporarily bound.
“Elysia!”
“Will you be all right?”
“It doesn’t matter…!”
“…I understand your will, Contractor.”
Wind rose.
It was a wind so fierce that Letisia’s hat was stripped clean off and sent flying into the sky.
Yet Letisia paid it no mind and focused solely on drawing out her magic. She was already completely spent, but even so she did not hesitate to push herself further.
“Hah… hah….”
Utterly drained, Letisia dropped to her knees on the ground—yet she achieved what she sought. A sphere of raging, gathered wind formed in Elysia’s grasp.
“Hero of the Holy Sword.”
“….”
“I’m sorry, but I cannot hold back. Please endure….”
Spirit King Elysia activates [Storm’s Wrath]
“And cut down the enemy.”
At the same moment it burst from Elysia’s grasp. She shot the wind that had begun rampaging once more straight forward, and Erinn spoke at the same time.
“…Because of someone, I won’t be able to move for a while~♡”
Of course, that didn’t matter. Erinn slowly lowered the corners of her mouth that she had raised so mischievously and concentrated every last scrap of magic into the Holy Sword.
“Still….”
It was insignificant compared to the magic she originally possessed, yet as a final strike it was more than enough to end Eris’s life.
“Since you believed in me, I’ll give it a shot.”
Extremely bright flames rose along the blade she gripped with both hands. Holding it parallel to the horizon, Erinn wrapped both arms around it and leaped straight into the storm.
Even with the triple blessings she possessed as a Hero, her skin tore open and capillaries burst until her eyes were bloodshot. Her twin-tails, once tied so cutely, came completely undone and began thrashing wildly.
Even the supports that firmly held her armor snapped under the force—so fierce was the storm. Because of that same storm, the exhausted Eris could not escape either and continued to take damage.
The problem was that the damage was transmitted to Erinn as well….
But—
The flame she gripped alone.
The flame of the heart kindled by the trust sent by the man who could be considered the weakest existence here did not go out.
“Transcendental Sword Art.”
Hwaaaaaak!!!
The Hero’s sword that pierced through the storm with a willpower stronger than anyone’s soon burned even redder.
“Sun Blade.”
Like a single sun.
Jjeoeok────────────────────────────!!