A Desperate Ten Minutes

It hadn't been long since everyone started running together when Shurika's figure came into clear view. Damn it! She had left the fallen troupe members behind and was now grabbing the arcane mage by the throat, trying to snap his neck.

“Stoppp!!!”

A gray wolf silhouette appeared behind the barbarian—no, behind Verdolf. He broke formation and kicked off the ground with terrifying force.

—Awooooo!!

It was merely the howl of an illusion made of mana. I thought it was just a flashy visual effect, but—

“⋯!”

Surprisingly, that massive howl made Shurika hesitate for a moment.

Thud!!!

Thanks to that split-second opening, Verdolf didn't miss his chance. He slammed into her with everything he had and sent her flying. Her body was hurled away helplessly from the surprise attack.

“Hurk… Hah.”

The arcane mage, whose neck had been nearly crushed, gasped for air with a flushed face as he collapsed to the ground.

I'd read about it in a book once. Not all barbarians were the same. There were many tribes in the northern continent—some that worshipped beast gods or ancestral spirits, some that believed only in physical strength and trained their bodies like muscle-brains, and others that valued communion with spiritual beings. The book had left a strong impression on me with its descriptions of all those varied tribes.

So he's from the beast-god tribe? Either way, we're lucky. If Verdolf had been even a little later, that mage and all the troupe members would have burned to death.

“Are you all right? Can you move?”

“Cough! Ahem. Thanks. I barely survived thanks to you. Guess it wasn't my time to die yet.”

Following after Verdolf, we reached the area where the troupe members were scattered. The paladin checked on the arcane mage, who was clutching his neck marked with black handprints and coughing violently. Other adventurers tended to the rest of the members in the same way.

“Over here! The monk isn't regaining consciousness! At this rate, isn't he basically dead…?”

“The troupe leader's unconscious too. She isn't moving ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at all! We might need a few people to carry them out. We're out of potions, and the only priest here can't use healing spells because of the wide-area buff. Who should go?”

That was true. We'd used up all our potions treating the injured earlier, so we had none left. To make matters worse, the only priest nearby couldn't use holy spells because of the wide-area buff.

“What are you hesitating for? If you think you're one of the weaker ones here, just get out quickly! I won't blame anyone for evacuating the injured to safety, so don't feel ashamed!”

Had he gotten burned while we were arguing? Verdolf shouted while brushing off his singed skin, and several adventurers glanced at him before raising their hands.

“I'll go. Compared to the others, I'm nothing special anyway.”

“Me too. I followed because it looked like there weren't enough people earlier, but thinking about it, I really belong back there.”

I'm weak. Now that I think ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠about it, this isn't where I should be. I'll go take care of the others.

With those words, about ten people with average stats in the early-to-mid D-Rank carried or supported the troupe members and retreated to the rear.

It'll be fine. The people left here should be enough—

BOOOOOOM!!!

“S-Someone stop me. No, just kill me! Please, I'm begging you!!!”

Shurika, who had been sent flying far away, now had flames blazing from her body—so intense that a massive pillar of fire erupted upward.

Wait, she was an elf? A half-elf? I had no idea.

…Anyway, that wasn't important right now. Her stats were solid, and her foundation was firmly established by passives. She had no active traits, so she must have replaced techniques with spirit arts. Spirit fusion or unity was probably included in that. Looking at the status window made it even clearer.

This was an opponent worth risking our lives against.

Thud. Thud.

She approached. The spirit mage drowning in despair. The spirits consumed by their contractor's emotions.

“They're coming! All vanguards, forward!”

Someone shouted and raised their shield, signaling the start of the battle.

BOOM!!!

Shurika, flames pouring from her entire body, charged ferociously.

Bang!!

The first one she targeted was the shield-bearer who had shouted. She rushed forward as if ready for close combat, but her attack turned out to be a whip strike. The problem was that even a normal iron shield would melt instantly upon contact with her special flame-imbued whip.

“Graaah!!!”

His shield crumpled and melted. After enduring a few lashes, he retreated, only to take a finishing blow, drop his shield, and collapse.

“I-If you try to stop me, you'll all die… If you can't kill me, then run away!!”

While one shield-bearer was forced to retire, the other adventurers hadn't been idle.

“You tell us to run while standing in our way? What the hell are you saying, you crazy bitch!!!”

Led by Verdolf, who spat out curses, multiple adventurers activated skills and chanted spells.

Lightning!

“⋯Fly forth. Spear of Frost!”

“Kyaaaaah!!!”

After being scorched by lightning, one leg froze from an ice spear. Arrows grazed her cheek, boiling blood dripping down, as she was struck by all kinds of attacks. Then—

Thud!!!

She was slashed by a holy sword, stabbed by flying daggers, and sent flying by a heavy two-handed mace to the stomach.

“What? This is easier than I thought?”

Who the hell just said that?

Maybe because of that idiot's reckless remark, the tide turned before we could land a follow-up attack on the airborne Shurika.

—Neigh!

—Trumpet!!

“Save me!!!”

“Kuh! D-Damn it.”

Crack—!

Several bodies burst from a horse's rear kick and an elephant's stomp. And it wasn't just those two—

Whoosh!!!

There was a monkey throwing small fireballs, a dog breathing fire, and even a cat tearing people apart with heated claws.

Damn it. When we first formed ranks and charged, we'd been full of hope, but who knew fighting a spirit mage would be this troublesome? We'd dealt massive damage to Shurika at the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cost of one vanguard, but the spirits beside her hadn't just watched her get beaten and thrown around. The cat, dog, monkey, horse, and elephant—excluding the fused lion—unleashed merciless retribution on the adventurers who had made their contractor bleed.

At least if they were just strong animals it'd be one thing, but they're all flame-wielding spirits. Without fire resistance or tolerance, just approaching them is hard!

Even though we'd started with dozens of people, multiple factors combined to make these spirits as strong as mid-tier adventurers. Our numbers were rapidly dwindling because of them.

“Aaaagh! My arm is melting—”

Thud.

“N-No… Kids, please… Don't do this. Just go back to the spirit realm…!”

Shurika cried out sorrowfully, but even as she spoke, she was swinging her whip—her words were meaningless.

“Ugh… We're really going to die. Damn it. The only one who can turn this around is me, the mage. I have to do it!”

Amid the chaos, the blue-robed mage in the rear gathered mana and shouted in a resounding voice that drew everyone's attention.

“Everyone, listen carefully—!”

“We're already dying here, what now?”

“Just ten minutes! Even if my insides get wrecked, I'll try to surpass my rank somehow. Protect me for ten minutes! A sixth-circle wide-area spell will definitely have power!”

The moment the mage finished speaking, Shurika—who had been marked by Verdolf and the paladin—snapped her head around. Her glowing eyes were filled only with the blue-robed mage.

“A-Ah, no! Stop me!!”

This goddamn situation. Seeing Shurika desperately scream for us to stop her while her body remained uncontrollable made me swear internally. I instinctively knew I could never get involved with anything related to evil gods again.

Clang! Clang!

While deflecting claws and hooves in the brief exchanges, I swung my sword without rest. How many minutes had passed? As I panted, I felt killing intent building up inside me.

Killing Intent Release!

Red killing intent writhed violently ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠along the blade. Just then, I spotted the spirit leaping on all fours with its claws raised, its belly completely exposed.

“Hraaah!”

BOOM!!!

I unleashed the accumulated killing intent, dealing massive damage that ground through the center of its body.

“Y-Yowng…”

After watching it writhe on the ground before being reverse-summoned, I pulled a scroll from my bag. To move forward, I needed to divert their attention.

Rip.

A scroll containing the 4th-circle Falling Boulder spell. I didn't expect it to have D-Rank or higher durability. My goal was to use the fragments to divert the spirits' attention!

When I tore the scroll in half, a boulder the size of several adult men appeared in the sky without warning.

BOOOOM!!!

The moment it fell and hit the ground, a deafening roar echoed as the boulder shattered. Large fragments flew in all directions, grazing bodies and drawing the spirits' gazes.

Thud—!

Seizing the opening, I filled my body with mana and leaped toward Shurika. Ten minutes? Aside from the monkey and dog that other adventurers had desperately reverse-summoned and the cat I'd finished off, only the horse and elephant remained. On our side, we had the chanting mage, one burden of a priest, two archers, one rogue, and four vanguards besides me. Without the barbarian and paladin, there was no way we could stop even the horse, let alone the house-sized elephant.

No matter how I think about it, we need to switch roles.

Clang!!

After joining the fight and barely deflecting the whip, I spoke to the two who were quickly regaining their stance.

“You heard what the mage said, right? I'll hold her here, so go back and deal with the spirits! If the two strongest keep getting tied up here, everyone else will get killed by the spirits!!”

If the two-handed mace barbarian and sword-and-shield paladin stayed here rotting, they wouldn't be able to stop even one flame-wrapped elephant and would all get trampled to death. Verdolf, his entire body covered in whip marks and flame-singed lines, glared at me as if he wanted to kill me.

“You little punk who doesn't know his place! The only reason we've held out this far is because of me and this guy. Get the hell back there already!”

Bang— Clang!

I gritted my teeth and deflected another whip strike aimed at me.

Yeah. Compared to these two mid-tier adventurers whose stats averaged B-Rank after buffs and who were also experienced, my C-Rank stats would definitely struggle.

But I had things they didn't. Strong fire resistance from the Highnax earrings. The Frost of the Bitter Cold that could continuously emit cold air, though still weak. Plus the defense boost and jungle resistance from doping, and of course, the Eye of Chaos. If it was about killing with overwhelming power, maybe not—but for blocking or dodging while buying time, I was definitely better than them.

What good is stopping Shurika if the rest all die and our rear gets breached? Especially when we don't even know when Sena will arrive!

“With the fire resistance on my equipment and my opposing trait—”

Just as I was about to calmly explain, flames erupted.

“Watch out!!!”

With Shurika's warning, her mane glowed red, and as she swung her arm, three streams of fire lashed toward me.

Whoosh. Thud!

Fortunately, I saw the trajectory in advance and dodged, but after surviving the crisis, anger surged through me.

“No, you idiot! The rear's about to get breached, so go help! I came because I can handle it alone. Do I really need to explain my traits and items in this situation just to say I'll last longer than you guys?!”

In the worst case, even if I held out and died, I'd still buy some time, right?

“Let's go. As he said, if everyone dies and only we remain, it won't mean anything. Didn't he ask us to hold out for ten minutes from the rear?”

“⋯Hah, arrogant punk. Don't die.”

After they ran toward the rear, I looked forward. Shurika's appearance came into view—her mind seemed hazy from the continued loss of bodily control, her eyes almost completely rolled back.

I don't know what spell the mage is chanting, but I just have to hold out until then. Let's do this.

Heinz's Falling Boulder was 4th circle, yet he was attempting a 6th-circle wide-area spell. It definitely wouldn't be ordinary.

────!

From the direction where Sena was, the sound of the earth shaking continued without pause. The opponent was an apostle of an evil god, after all—they were probably fighting a battle beyond our imagination. We really couldn't just wait for her to arrive.

I glanced at the watch on my wrist. The mage, full of self-confidence, had asked for exactly ten minutes. About five minutes remained.

I raised my sword.