Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Black Whale (3)
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So, anyway.
Boldly declaring the rescue of the Black Whale was all well and good, but in the end, the problem boiled down to that.
Panhima summed it up perfectly in a single sentence.
“⋯⋯How the hell are we supposed to get close to that thing?”
It became even clearer once they were underneath the Black Whale.
The height at which that massive whale floated was downright terrifying.
Even craning their necks straight up to look, it felt impossibly distant.
“Well, yeah.”
“⋯⋯And even if we do get close, that’s gonna be a problem. There’s no way the three of us could handle something that size with our firepower—”
“How about we focus on getting up there first.”
Carlyle fiddled with the bracelet on his wrist.
The Eye of Quilia, acquired from the Mage Tower not long ago.
An item that dramatically amplified the user’s mana sensing.
It had a function that allowed learning spells through linkage with the Holy Sword and firing them instantly.
And just now.
The Holy Sword had fully absorbed the spell Vespa had fired.
A spell that caused a massive explosion at mid-range, obliterating everything in the vicinity.
But the key point to focus on.
Wasn’t the explosion itself, but the scale of a spell capable of projecting that much energy in a single shot.
And also, the ‘reaction force’ it generated.
‘How many shots do you think we’ll need, Hero?’
[Three.]
‘Mana-wise? We won’t run short?’
[We’ll be fine.]
Yeah, if you say so.
He let out a chuckle and kicked the underside of the motorwagen.
Ripping off the intact chassis felt a bit guilty, but it couldn’t be helped.
Thinking back to a game Carlyle played as a kid long ago.
There was this thing called rocket jumping back then.
Firing an explosive weapon at your feet to propel yourself higher. Utterly impossible in reality.
But right now, they had.
Someone who could turn even the wildest flights of fancy into reality with sheer overwhelming power.
“Panhima, count to three and then open the way.”
“?”
Panhima stared at Carlyle, wondering what nonsense he was spouting.
Not that she had any idea what ‘open the way’ even meant out of nowhere.
The phrasing itself.
“⋯⋯You’re talking like something’s actually going to happen when I count to three, compatriot.”
“Yeah. It will.”
Mana gathered in the Holy Sword.
It was such a terrifying concentration that even Panhima and Vespa instinctively looked at Carlyle with unease.
One bit of common sense.
In his past life, Vespa had the edge over the Hero in terms of spell power, variety, and application.
But the Hero’s mana reserves were like a deus ex machina, letting him unleash spells on a scale that far surpassed the original caster’s output.
The scene unfolding next would demonstrate that point without filter.
“First, one.”
The next instant.
With a burst of pure white light from the Holy Sword.
-!
-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A massive explosion rocked the ground below, and the motorwagen’s altitude shot up at a horrifying speed.
The Hero’s masterful control of mana ensured no damage to the chassis amid the chaos—truly impressive.
Vespa and Panhima’s faces turned ghostly pale at the overwhelming acceleration inside the vehicle.
“What the—!”
“KyaAAAAAAAAAA—!”
Amid their varied screams, Carlyle took a deep breath and aimed the Holy Sword at the detached underside again.
“Two.”
Unlike Vespa and Panhima, who looked half-dead, his voice was utterly calm.
The Holy Sword fired the spell once more.
The motorwagen, already soaring high, rocketed even higher.
“Whoa, I can see the clouds.”
“----!!!”
“----------!!!!”
Between Carlyle’s leisurely words, Panhima and Vespa’s voices crossed paths in meaningless shrieks.
If there was anything touching about it, it was that someone was still trying to follow his lead in this insane situation.
“Carlyle! Direction, direction—!”
Vespa pointed desperately at the Black Whale, tears streaming down his face.
⋯⋯Though it might’ve been less ‘following his lead’ and more sheer survival instinct. Anyway.
The two spells had adjusted their altitude somewhat, but at this rate, they’d miss the Black Whale entirely and plummet back to earth.
“Well, then we just need to get closer.”
With that, Carlyle casually extended the Holy Sword out the window.
Not downward, but backward.
Panhima, catching on, turned pale again.
“This—! It’s a steel carriage for land travel—not a flying machine—!”
Panhima screamed something, but.
“That’s just an excuse from people with poor imaginations.”
“Compatriot, stop the madness—!”
“—Three.”
The third spell erupted from the rear of the chassis, launching the motorwagen toward the Black Whale at breakneck speed.
⋯⋯At this point, it wasn’t a car anymore—it was a fighter jet turned suicide bomber.
“Ugh, huuup—!”
“Hold it in, Vespa! If you puke in here, we’re in deep shit!”
“Carlyle, why, why—!”
“Isn’t it refreshing—!”
[⋯⋯You’re one seriously crazy bastard yourself.]
Well, who in the Hero Party isn’t?
[You could even compete with me for top spot.]
‘Don’t pick fights!’
Roaring engines, ear-shattering wind, skin-lashing gales, and human screams filled the sky in a twisted harmony.
And with all this racket, the Black Whale had no choice but to notice.
-⋯⋯
-⋯⋯!!
With the whale’s cry, black demonic energy billowed up around its body.
The same black tentacles from before, but denser and slimier now that they were closer. A natural escalation.
So.
“Panhima! Time to hold up your end!”
“I never agreed to this insanity—!”
For all her protests, Panhima swiftly drew the short sword from her waist.
‘Honestly, it’s absurd.’
For sweeping away wide-area threats like this, Vespa’s efficiency was unmatched.
Magic’s comparative advantage over other arts was always in area-of-effect firepower projection. Obvious.
But relying on Vespa for this was impossible.
No matter how often he shattered magical norms, magic fundamentally demanded high focus—a static discipline. Expecting full power in this five-minutes-to-midnight chaos was way off.
Carlyle himself had to conserve mana for what came ‘after,’ so no more spells from him.
Which meant overburdening Panhima, really.
But he didn’t doubt she could do it.
This woman.
Was Sword Saint material.
A once-in-a-generation prodigy even the Hero admitted he couldn’t beat in swordsmanship.
“-⋯⋯Suuuup⋯⋯-”
Next.
White breath misted from beneath Panhima’s lips.
A technique from the Far East’s top swordsmen: ‘Breathing.’
Aligning internal energy flow to unleash sect secret arts—a preparatory stance.
Panhima flicked the sword guard up with her finger and gripped the hilt.
A technique Carlyle remembered.
Haema-style Ancient Swordsmanship, Form 1.
Dragon Slayer.
“Haaa—”
As white breath spread outward.
Panhima’s short sword flashed out with a sharp hiss.
A deranged speed with only beginning and end—no in-between.
The blade arced in a semicircle, twisting space itself.
If this world were a painting, it was like a massive black brushstroke slashing through, severing every approaching tentacle in one go.
‘⋯⋯Seriously.’
Her swordsmanship was mind-bogglingly absurd every time he saw it.
If the Hero’s sword was fire, hers was water.
The Hero’s strikes brute-forced through everything with raw power, while hers seeped in precisely, infiltrating any gap.
Water, the sharpest element. Able to permeate anywhere.
It suited Panhima perfectly—always calm in battle, unlike the Hero—
“⋯⋯What the hell? Why’s it so strong?!”
“⋯⋯.”
“Letty the boss lady, what the heck did you add to this sword? The draw speed’s insane!”
“⋯⋯.”
⋯⋯Well, maybe not that calm.
Anyway, Panhima said the draw speed was way faster than usual.
Apparently, Letty had added a mana ignition device inside the sheath, firing the blade like a ‘gunshot.’
Simply put, it was like this.
‘Double attack power on the first strike?’
⋯⋯Yeah, that was one hell of a buff skill.
Letty, you’re a more capable engineer than you look.
Carlyle smirked and kicked open the battered door panel.
Even with careful control to minimize chassis damage, multiple high-powered spells had taken their toll—no expecting it to hold up.
“But, compatriot! How the hell do you plan to get down from this height after pulling this stunt—!”
He got Panhima’s shouting frustration.
At this altitude, even the Hero Party couldn’t descend barehanded.
Carlyle knew that full well.
But whatever.
No need for this anymore anyway.
“We’ll ride that down.”
His pointing finger indicated the Black Whale.
“⋯⋯?”
Panhima gaped at him, forgetting the situation entirely, as Carlyle flashed a grin.
Time to settle the grudge from his past life’s failed taming attempt, right here.
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