Chapter 357: Isolation (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 357: Isolation (4)
Even among Orcules, the most wicked criminal organization in this world, these four people had quite a reputation. Maybe that was why I felt so strange in that moment, because the difference was starker than ever.
"Schuitz, what do you want to do?"
What else was there to do? In the battle in the Goblin Forest on the second floor, there had only been three of them. To fight those three people, over a thousand adventurers had sacrificed their lives.
"We have to fight. At least until the spell is complete."
The situation now wasn't as hopeless as it had been back then, though. No, with this team, my first thought was that this was doable.
"Is that so? Okay." Judging by Amelia's reaction, it seemed I wasn't the only one who thought it was worth a shot.
Erwen looked like she hadn't even considered running away in the first place. "...Abed Necrapeto."
The moment Corpse Collector appeared in the distance, murderous intent began to radiate from Erwen's body. I considered warning her to rein herself in, but there was no need. This was better than her being scared. Besides, seeing as she hadn't run at him immediately, it didn't look like she'd lost her senses yet, either.
"What are you doing? You stopped casting." She had the presence of mind to tell Raven, who was frozen in a daze, to continue casting the teleportation spell. She seemed to remember what I said earlier about survival coming first. I was oddly proud of her.
"Oh... O-Okay." Raven had been unresponsive since she saw my back but she came to her senses and carried on with her work. I guessed she concluded this was not the time to sate her curiosity about me.
Welp, I'm sure she noticed, right?
While I was worried about how this would play out in the future, on the other hand, I was still hopeful. Even Corpse Collector had called me Mr. Fake.
"Pshehe, aren't you staring a little too hard, Miss Elf? Even I feel uncomfortable. Hmm, anyway, I'm surprised! I heard you borrowed a large sum from your clan, but... I didn't know you used it to make a counterfeit like that!"
Even after seeing Giantization, he didn't make the connection that I was Bjorn Yandel. True, he was probably convinced I was dead. Since Erwen's eccentric nature was so widely known, it probably made more sense to think she created a knock-off.
I wish Raven thought that way, too... Ugh, whatever. If I'm caught, I'm caught.
I was sure she wouldn't tattle because she 'couldn't betray the palace' or whatever now that I'd sacrificed this body to save her. I decided to stop worrying about this starting now. I didn't think the enemy was going to give me more time to think, anyway.
The dark wizard on the other side noticed our insurance plan. "Necrapeto, the spell that woman is casting over there, I think it's Mass Teleport."
"Pshehe, then we should hurry. A dance of blood, bones, and despair—"
"Ah, can you quit talking like that? Why did you develop that strange habit all of a sudden? Not to mention that mask you started wearing whenever we go on expeditions..."
"Um... Miss Vivian, there are people watching..."
"That's why I'm telling you not to do that stuff! Ugh, honestly, why does he get so weird whenever he comes outside?"
"...It's a hobby. A hobby."
There was a brief delay as the Wailing Witch scolded Corpse Collector, but it didn't last long. "Both of you, stop it and do your job." The large man in the robe, Lighthouse Keeper, stopped their conversation, and their banter naturally dried up.
I guessed our attempt to fill the teleport gauge would have to stop here. "How long until you can use the teleportation spell?"
"...It will take ten minutes. When the spell was canceled earlier, the mana dispersed."
"Then what about using another spell while you cast it?"
"It's possible. High-level magic would be pushing it but I should be able to help when needed."
Okay, that took a weight off my shoulders. "Focus on finishing the spell for now, but support us when you see fit."
"Okay—wait, why are you in charge?"
That was nothing new. "What a foolish question. Is that important right now?" I quickly steamrolled past that and continued giving orders. "Erwen, Emily. You two focus on protecting her for now. That spell has to be completed as soon as possible."
"Okay." Surprisingly, Erwen agreed without a moment's hesitation.
Amelia had a question, though. "Isn't it better to give up on the spell entirely and work together to fight them?"
That wouldn't be a bad plan, honestly, but I couldn't ignore the possibility of reinforcements. "We don't know when another one of them will show up." Also, even if support didn't come, I was reluctant to see this match through to the end. The odds were good enough, but it would be a tough fight. There was a high chance one of us would get hurt or die in the process.
"...That's true. Okay. I'll do as you say." I guessed that was enough explanation because Amelia didn't say any more. Hmm, or should I say we no longer had the luxury for chitchat?
"Gruhhh!" The battle began when the legion of corpses surrounding us charged at us all at once.
On paper, the situation was simple. The corpse legion was running in from all sides and we took up a defensive formation to stop them. The problem here was that the corpses, which used to explode with just one hit, were now much more of a threat.
"Gruhhh!"
[Lyranne Vivian has cast the rank-five black magic spell Rage of the Dead.]
[Lyranne Vivian has cast the rank-four black magic spell Dark Baptism.]
Dark wizard and necromancer was a powerful combination that was once my favorite too. Black magic was filled with highly efficient buffs for undead. They had good synergy.
[Lyranne Vivian has cast the rank-four black magic spell Lamp of the Underworld.]
Whew, so you're using that one too. Well, you can't go without that spell in this combo.
Whooom!
The moment a black flame appeared in the sky, the corpses we'd worked so hard to beat up to this point regenerated and came back to life.
[Lyranne Vivian has summoned Erimian, Queen of Pain.]
A vengeful spirit studded with thousands of thorns soared through the sky with a shriek. It was the signature summon that had earned the dark wizard Lyranne Vivian the nickname of Wailing Witch.
[Your Pain Resistance has decreased by -200.]
[When any target who hears the scream takes damage, a fixed amount of the summoner's dark magic is restored.]
Mana was a wizard's most important resource.
Well, we just have to be careful not to get hurt.
As long as we were fighting in small, elite teams, this wasn't such a tough summoned beast to deal with.
[Lyranne Vivian has cast the rank-three black magic spell Voodoo Doll. The accuracy rate of curses targeting you increases to 100%, and their strength significantly increases.]
I guessed our attempt to fill the teleport gauge would have to stop here. "How long until you can use the teleportation spell?"
"...It will take ten minutes. When the spell was canceled earlier, the mana dispersed."
"Then what about using another spell while you cast it?"
"It's possible. High-level magic would be pushing it but I should be able to help when needed."
Okay, that took a weight off my shoulders. "Focus on finishing the spell for now, but support us when you see fit."
"Okay—wait, why are you in charge?"
That was nothing new. "What a foolish question. Is that important right now?" I quickly steamrolled past that and continued giving orders. "Erwen, Emily. You two focus on protecting her for now. That spell has to be completed as soon as possible."
"Okay." Surprisingly, Erwen agreed without a moment's hesitation.
Amelia had a question, though. "Isn't it better to give up on the spell entirely and work together to fight them?"
That wouldn't be a bad plan, honestly, but I couldn't ignore the possibility of reinforcements. "We don't know when another one of them will show up." Also, even if support didn't come, I was reluctant to see this match through to the end. The odds were good enough, but it would be a tough fight. There was a high chance one of us would get hurt or die in the process.
"...That's true. Okay. I'll do as you say." I guessed that was enough explanation because Amelia didn't say any more. Hmm, or should I say we no longer had the luxury for chitchat?
"Gruhhh!" The battle began when the legion of corpses surrounding us charged at us all at once.
On paper, the situation was simple. The corpse legion was running in from all sides and we took up a defensive formation to stop them. The problem here was that the corpses, which used to explode with just one hit, were now much more of a threat.
"Gruhhh!"
[Lyranne Vivian has cast the rank-five black magic spell Rage of the Dead.]
[Lyranne Vivian has cast the rank-four black magic spell Dark Baptism.]
Dark wizard and necromancer was a powerful combination that was once my favorite too. Black magic was filled with highly efficient buffs for undead. They had good synergy.
[Lyranne Vivian has cast the rank-four black magic spell Lamp of the Underworld.]
Whew, so you're using that one too. Well, you can't go without that spell in this combo.
Whooom!
The moment a black flame appeared in the sky, the corpses we'd worked so hard to beat up to this point regenerated and came back to life.
[Lyranne Vivian has summoned Erimian, Queen of Pain.]
A vengeful spirit studded with thousands of thorns soared through the sky with a shriek. It was the signature summon that had earned the dark wizard Lyranne Vivian the nickname of Wailing Witch.
[Your Pain Resistance has decreased by -200.]
[When any target who hears the scream takes damage, a fixed amount of the summoner's dark magic is restored.]
Mana was a wizard's most important resource.
Well, we just have to be careful not to get hurt.
As long as we were fighting in small, elite teams, this wasn't such a tough summoned beast to deal with.
[Lyranne Vivian has cast the rank-three black magic spell Voodoo Doll. The accuracy rate of curses targeting you increases to 100%, and their strength significantly increases.]
After completing her basic preparations, from buffing the corpse legion and pulling out her signature summoned beast, the Wailing Witch officially began casting spells.
[High-Level Decay remains in effect. The speed at which your wounds are healed is significantly reduced.]
[Lethargy remains in effect. Your Strength is significantly reduced.]
[Invisible Threat remains in effect. The chances of you missing an enemy attack have increased.]
Jeez, why is she only placing curses on me?
It reminded me of that priest of Karui, Elisa, and almost triggered my PTSD from that incident. But what could I do? I had to buck up.
Deciding to scream at the top of my lungs since I couldn't scream for my ancestral god, I roared and swung my hammer. That was the only thing a warrior could do in a situation like this. "Aghhhhhh!"
Crunch!
Dedicating my every movement to protecting my allies, I left the long-range attacks to Erwen. Thankfully, Erwen offered a great return on investment.
[Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has cast Element Synthesis.]
She fired off an attack of pure, concentrated power to keep the enemy in check.
[Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has cast High-Speed Fire.]
Fire poured down from the sky like rain.
[Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has summoned Dicloe, the Elemental Ruler of Darkness.]
Even the Elemental Ruler of Darkness, the summon that had earned Erwen the nickname Blood Spirit, joined the team.
K-K-Kablam!
The Elemental Ruler was only summoned for about five seconds, but in that short period, half of the enemy's large legion were despawned—literally despawned. Even the Lamp of the Underworld couldn't revive corpses that had disappeared without a trace.
"N-No! Do you know how long it took me to collect those?!"
Even Corpse Collector had some high praise for that overwhelming show of brutality. However, in return for summoning the Elemental Ruler, Erwen's Soul Power was depleted. She was still able to use various skills that used Soul Power as a resource, but she would not be able to use elementals from now on.
"You did well."
"It's... nothing."
Erwen's secret weapon had disappeared, but the situation wasn't looking too bad. This was thanks to the respite we were given as a result of the large gap in the corpse legion that had been flocking in. Unfortunately, that respite didn't last long.
"Schuitz, he's coming."
"I'll take care of that guy, so you step back."
Blood Knight, who had been sticking to the rear even as the battle kicked off again, got healed by Lighthouse Keeper and rejoined the fight.
I guess a support-type special ability user would also have a heal skill.
That was frustrating. It wasn't long ago that his entire left arm got blown off by Erwen's Rupture, but it was already better? Even an advanced potion would have side effects that lasted for a long while after the fact.
Slice!
Huh?
"Ugh." The bastard was aiming for the seams of my armor again, and I was about to counterattack when I suddenly froze in place. Since my Pain Resistance had dropped by two hundred, it was only natural I would feel pain for even a small wound, but this one was much deeper than before.
"Now I can cut you."
The bleeding was relatively minor and a burnt smell filled the air. What was the cause of it? It wasn't hard to piece together.
It's not an aura.
My opponent's sword was still covered in red energy, but it was different from the aura he was using before. The heat radiating from it was so powerful that it warmed the air around it.
Ha, you enchanted it with fire in that time?
This had to be the Lighthouse Keeper's doing. With the intel that I had been annihilated by magic just a few minutes ago, Blood Knight's normal attack was exchanged for something that would deal magical damage.
That clever bastard.
Of course, even if he changed his weapon to fire, the buffs I had against swords and slash attacks didn't change. This wasn't too difficult to deal with, it was only that the battle had gotten a little harder.
I can withstand this much.
As expected, a power struggle ensued from there. It wasn't without its close calls, but speaking in terms of results alone, time passed without either team racking up any significant wins.
"I-It's done!" Finally, Raven completed the Mass Teleportation spell. We could now run from this battle any time we wanted to.
Okay, we're officially subscribed to the insurance plan.
"Don't use it yet. Just wait."
"Sorry?"
What do you mean, sorry? You think I'll be able to sleep at night after that beating I just took? If I have to leave, I'm taking at least one of them with me. So who should I choose?
Without needing to think for long, I decided on my first target.
"Hey! They finished their spell!" The dark wizard was flying on a broomstick, so pass.
"Vivian! Do something! If we let them go like this, my losses will be too big!" The Corpse Collector prick had high Agility stats and even a skill that made him virtually invincible, so he'd be tough to kill.
Whip!
The same went for Blood Knight, who was swinging his sword at close range. How could I take down a guy who dodged like an eel even during four-on-one? Unless I fought him solo in a closed room, that would be difficult.
"I'll see you again someday."
I smiled at Blood Knight, who spoke as if our escape was already a sure thing.
Jeez, who said we're leaving like this? Yeah, he would be best.
Lighthouse Keeper, name unknown. His defining trait was that he was one of the few support-type special ability users in the city.
And trinkets are usually pricey.
He was also wearing rings on all ten fingers.
After completing her basic preparations, from buffing the corpse legion and pulling out her signature summoned beast, the Wailing Witch officially began casting spells.
[High-Level Decay remains in effect. The speed at which your wounds are healed is significantly reduced.]
[Lethargy remains in effect. Your Strength is significantly reduced.]
[Invisible Threat remains in effect. The chances of you missing an enemy attack have increased.]
Jeez, why is she only placing curses on me?
It reminded me of that priest of Karui, Elisa, and almost triggered my PTSD from that incident. But what could I do? I had to buck up.
Deciding to scream at the top of my lungs since I couldn't scream for my ancestral god, I roared and swung my hammer. That was the only thing a warrior could do in a situation like this. "Aghhhhhh!"
Crunch!
Dedicating my every movement to protecting my allies, I left the long-range attacks to Erwen. Thankfully, Erwen offered a great return on investment.
[Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has cast Element Synthesis.]
She fired off an attack of pure, concentrated power to keep the enemy in check.
[Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has cast High-Speed Fire.]
Fire poured down from the sky like rain.
[Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has summoned Dicloe, the Elemental Ruler of Darkness.]
Even the Elemental Ruler of Darkness, the summon that had earned Erwen the nickname Blood Spirit, joined the team.
K-K-Kablam!
The Elemental Ruler was only summoned for about five seconds, but in that short period, half of the enemy's large legion were despawned—literally despawned. Even the Lamp of the Underworld couldn't revive corpses that had disappeared without a trace.
"N-No! Do you know how long it took me to collect those?!"
Even Corpse Collector had some high praise for that overwhelming show of brutality. However, in return for summoning the Elemental Ruler, Erwen's Soul Power was depleted. She was still able to use various skills that used Soul Power as a resource, but she would not be able to use elementals from now on.
"You did well."
"It's... nothing."
Erwen's secret weapon had disappeared, but the situation wasn't looking too bad. This was thanks to the respite we were given as a result of the large gap in the corpse legion that had been flocking in. Unfortunately, that respite didn't last long.
"Schuitz, he's coming."
"I'll take care of that guy, so you step back."
Blood Knight, who had been sticking to the rear even as the battle kicked off again, got healed by Lighthouse Keeper and rejoined the fight.
I guess a support-type special ability user would also have a heal skill.
That was frustrating. It wasn't long ago that his entire left arm got blown off by Erwen's Rupture, but it was already better? Even an advanced potion would have side effects that lasted for a long while after the fact.
Slice!
Huh?
"Ugh." The bastard was aiming for the seams of my armor again, and I was about to counterattack when I suddenly froze in place. Since my Pain Resistance had dropped by two hundred, it was only natural I would feel pain for even a small wound, but this one was much deeper than before.
"Now I can cut you."
The bleeding was relatively minor and a burnt smell filled the air. What was the cause of it? It wasn't hard to piece together.
It's not an aura.
My opponent's sword was still covered in red energy, but it was different from the aura he was using before. The heat radiating from it was so powerful that it warmed the air around it.
Ha, you enchanted it with fire in that time?
This had to be the Lighthouse Keeper's doing. With the intel that I had been annihilated by magic just a few minutes ago, Blood Knight's normal attack was exchanged for something that would deal magical damage.
That clever bastard.
Of course, even if he changed his weapon to fire, the buffs I had against swords and slash attacks didn't change. This wasn't too difficult to deal with, it was only that the battle had gotten a little harder.
I can withstand this much.
As expected, a power struggle ensued from there. It wasn't without its close calls, but speaking in terms of results alone, time passed without either team racking up any significant wins.
"I-It's done!" Finally, Raven completed the Mass Teleportation spell. We could now run from this battle any time we wanted to.
Okay, we're officially subscribed to the insurance plan.
"Don't use it yet. Just wait."
"Sorry?"
What do you mean, sorry? You think I'll be able to sleep at night after that beating I just took? If I have to leave, I'm taking at least one of them with me. So who should I choose?
Without needing to think for long, I decided on my first target.
"Hey! They finished their spell!" The dark wizard was flying on a broomstick, so pass.
"Vivian! Do something! If we let them go like this, my losses will be too big!" The Corpse Collector prick had high Agility stats and even a skill that made him virtually invincible, so he'd be tough to kill.
Whip!
The same went for Blood Knight, who was swinging his sword at close range. How could I take down a guy who dodged like an eel even during four-on-one? Unless I fought him solo in a closed room, that would be difficult.
"I'll see you again someday."
I smiled at Blood Knight, who spoke as if our escape was already a sure thing.
Jeez, who said we're leaving like this? Yeah, he would be best.
Lighthouse Keeper, name unknown. His defining trait was that he was one of the few support-type special ability users in the city.
And trinkets are usually pricey.
He was also wearing rings on all ten fingers.