Chapter 348: Bread and Dagger (46)
Chapter 348: Bread and Dagger (46)
The goal was simple: don't give the Snow Leopard Fiend a chance to throw the Elf.
I made a desperate leap. The distance between the Fiend and me had narrowed to the point where we were measuring our strikes.
The Snow Leopard Fiend faced me with a stoic expression.
In his hand, he held another Elf.
My body shuddered as I met eyes that had lost every last grain of life.
This was the worst kind of battle.
Preparing for any contingency, I hurled my hand axe. The blade buried itself in the skull of the Elf the Fiend was holding, crushing it.
The Fiend didn't even seem to have the will to avoid it.
The Elf’s body twisted in a grotesque fashion before dissolving into a handful of blood that poured down.
Drenched in that blood, the Snow Leopard Fiend’s eyes ignited with a ferocious crimson light.
Roar!
Then came the leap—a body slam launched at a speed incomparable to before.
I took the blow right on my shoulder. A stifled gasp escaped my lips involuntarily.
Is this a Berserk spell?
The Fiend’s muscles were bulging to an oppressive degree. He seemed unable to control his own strength. In the midst of the frozen time, I almost let out a curse.
I’d already been hit once.
Thud! My body was sent flying like a projectile, rolling several times across the ground. I gasped for air, trying to push myself up, but my vision was still blurry.
Then, a set of claws tore through my hazy focus.
“Ian!”
Clang! A sword flew through the air and pierced the back of the Snow Leopard Fiend’s hand.
However, the Berserk state strips away even the sensation of pain.
The Fiend’s claws continued their trajectory toward me. Nevertheless, Yuren’s effort wasn't entirely meaningless.
No matter how much pain is ignored, physical force cannot be overcome.
In that split second of hesitation, I performed a full-power backroll.
Crack! The claws pierced the frozen ground. The Snow Leopard Fiend tried to press his advantage, but a flurry of daggers flew in from somewhere, thwarting his intent.
Thwack, thwack, thwack! The blades struck the spot where the Fiend had just been standing.
It was Senior Neris’s handiwork.
Having leaped across the ice spikes, she had returned to the battlefield. Though she was panting, likely exhausted, her eyes remained sharp and piercing.
She was the only one among the three front-liners who hadn't been injured.
Naturally, she should have been the most intact of us all.
Of course, Avian was technically part of the vanguard as well, but in reality, her role consisted of nothing more than shivering in the distance.
Meanwhile, Yuren was in the middle of struggling to climb out of a puddle.
The Fiend had already leaped back to avoid Senior Neris’s daggers. This was a monster that hadn't even flinched when his hand was impaled.
As he retreated, he simply shook off the sword stuck in his hand as if it were a mere nuisance.
There was only one reason for such a savage creature to back away.
The Elves dangling from his shoulders.
There were about three left.
Senior Neris had shrewdly targeted those Elves, and despite being out of his mind, the Snow Leopard Fiend cherished his kin—or rather, his sacrifices—dearly.
Likely because he intended to use them as his trump cards.
In every way, this was a truly unpleasant battle.
However, there was one fact the Snow Leopard Fiend was overlooking.
Whether it was because of his Berserk state or not, the enemies he had to face weren't just the three of us.
“...Judgment of Light!”
With a clear, ringing shout, light began to gather in the sky.
The Snow Leopard Fiend looked panicked and tried to flee. But Senior Neris and I were already prepared.
I grabbed Yuren’s sword from the ground, and Senior Neris scattered her daggers.
While the Fiend was busy dodging the daggers, my sword pierced through his foot. The blade sank deep into the frozen ground, and the injury naturally caused his muscles to contract.
There was no way he could escape.
The Judgment of Light plummeted toward the earth.
Boom! Divine violence descended upon the world. It was a terrifying power that felt as if it would shake the very axis of the earth—a spell meticulously completed by a 5th Circle mage.
It had to work.
Yes, it should have worked, but...
After the initial explosion, the crackling electrical discharge failed to advance any further. A translucent barrier had formed, centered around an Elf whose neck had been snapped.
I couldn't even begin to fathom the principle behind it.
Only the resulting phenomenon manifested before us.
The descending spear of lightning suddenly surged upward, then shot off in a specific direction. Its target was where Senior Elsie stood.
I screamed.
“Senior Elsie!”
A scream echoed from the rear. At the final moment, a burst of pure white light erupted, suggesting the Saintess had intervened.
Even so, the spell had rebounded.
Senior Elsie’s meridian points couldn't possibly be intact. I bit my lip and glared at the Snow Leopard Fiend.
That was a high-level 5th Circle spell. While it didn't quite reach the level of 'Great Magic,' its power was truly formidable.
And yet, he had reflected it.
I couldn't even guess what would happen if the remaining two Elves were sacrificed. Senior Neris and I had no choice but to be cautious.
That was the opening the Snow Leopard Fiend was waiting for.
He suddenly threw one of the Elves he had been protecting so dearly. It was aimed right at where Yuren was struggling to get out of the puddle.
With his limited range of movement, it was a blow Yuren couldn't avoid.
Boom! An explosion erupted, and Yuren’s body was sent flying through the air.
He collapsed onto the ground. Judging by his groans, it would take some time before Yuren could return to the fight.
If anything, it was a relief the explosive force was so strong.
It had successfully blown him clear of the puddle.
Otherwise, Yuren would have been slowly consumed by that black liquid and lost his life.
I should have kept the Fiend in check to prevent that.
Fueled by frustration, I recklessly kicked off the ground and lunged forward. Senior Neris followed immediately behind me.
What followed was a continuous exchange of blows.
When Senior Neris threw daggers to keep him at bay, I would dive into the Fiend’s reach.
I slashed, hacked, and stabbed with the sword.
Being repelled time and again, I took turns with Senior Neris to rush the Fiend. Even so, we couldn't overwhelm him in his Berserk state.
Above all, the last remaining Elf was a hindrance.
Since we didn't know what kind of magic that Elf held, our responses were forced to be passive. In the end, it was Senior Neris who solved the dilemma.
As I dove into his guard, another blade was launched.
As usual, the Fiend tried to twist his body slightly to dodge.
...If only that blade hadn't been in the shape of a crossed iron cross.
Thwack! The blade narrowly grazed and pinned the Elf’s skull.
I cheered inwardly.
Senior Neris’s blades were kept in an Expanded-Space Pocket. There was no rule saying she could only store daggers in there.
Senior Neris’s expression also brightened noticeably.
It seemed this long battle was finally coming to an end. The woman took a light step forward.
Or rather, she tried to.
That is, until a shadow suddenly reached out its arms. Those flickering limbs coiled around Senior Neris’s entire body, pinning her to the ground so firmly she couldn't move an inch.
At that exact moment, I was busy burying my blade into the panicked Snow Leopard Fiend’s abdomen.
I quickly retreated out of the Fiend’s attack range. The Snow Leopard Fiend, unable to ignore the piercing wound to his stomach, staggered back a few steps.
I shouted in a worried voice.
“Senior Neris, are you okay?!”
“I-I’m fine... Urgh, ack?!”
But the more Senior Neris struggled, the tighter the shadow constricted her.
When I turned my anxious gaze back to the Snow Leopard Fiend...
“Blessings reflect one's wishes.”
In a calm voice, the Snow Leopard Fiend gathered his now-cold breath. His muscles rapidly deflated, steam rising from his body.
The Berserk state had ended.
Blood pulsed and leaked endlessly from the puncture wound in his abdomen. The victor was clear.
It was a relief. Senior Neris’s final move had worked.
Still, one must never let their guard down until the battle is truly over.
I glared at the Snow Leopard Fiend with wary eyes.
“...What are you talking about?”
The Fiend let out a faint chuckle. His expression, facing his end, was nothing but peaceful.
It was irritatingly so.
“We were blessed by Lord Leoric... By offering our lives as the price, we turned our lifelong wishes into power. The one who shivered in the cold all his life burst into flames, and the one who suffered from hunger became a deadly poison that devours the world. How is it? The dagger we forged by sacrificing our lives?”
“It was the worst.”
It was a double-edged statement.
The Snow Leopard Fiend wore a bitter smile. He slowly crouched down.
The final exchange.
Sensing this, I looked behind me. The flow of mana was unusual. The Princess’s magic, having been stabilized, was on the verge of being cast.
Still, was this not a life-and-death struggle between martial artists?
I briefly considered facing him one-on-one in his final moment, but I quickly dismissed the thought.
There was nothing more foolish than looking for romance on a battlefield.
Above all, if the mana was strong enough for me to feel it, there was no way the Snow Leopard Fiend hadn't noticed.
He, too, had made his peace.
I quietly pointed the tip of my sword at him.
“Come. I’ll put an end to that life of yours, full of regrets.”
At those words, a great burst of laughter erupted.
“Pfft, hahahahaha!”
After laughing his fill, the Snow Leopard Fiend lowered his stance and glared at me.
Boom! The ground shook as his final charge began.
I silently adjusted my stance.