Chapter 268: Flash (2)
Chapter 268: Flash (2)
Translation: Godtl
Minotaurs.
If Etius were an ordinary fantasy game world, that name would be insignificant.
In most games, minotaurs rarely appear, and even when they do, they're nothing more than slightly stronger mooks with grotesque appearances.
But in this world where gods exist, the minotaur—whose name is clearly etched in mythology—holds a completely different status.
Born from the cursed union between cattle and humans created by the gods, their accursed bodies may not reach the level of demigods, but they come close.
A single one is already overwhelmingly formidable, and yet here they come in numbers. A quantity perfectly suited to bring despair to humanity.
"Aster!! Fall back to the barrier!"
Hector's voice rang out from atop the barrier.
"Those things are too dangerous! We need to hold our ground behind the barrier!"
Hearing Hector's words, Aster narrowed his eyes and watched the minotaurs slowly advancing.
'......No.'
Having descended to the base of the barrier, Aster could feel the minotaur's power acutely with his entire body.
The moment he took shelter behind the barrier, the minotaurs would breach it.
He didn't know the exact method.
But whatever it was, those bulls would tear through the barrier with terrifying ease.
Aster didn't move from his spot. The moment Hector realized his intent, he shouted to the left flank.
"Mages!! Move! Erect a magical barrier and prepare to fire!!"
The mages, who had been conserving their strength, began chanting in unison. They had been waiting for monsters like these. Now it was their turn.
Yet, cold sweat streamed down the faces of those chanting.
'Against those things.......'
It was true they had been waiting for powerful monsters, but they hadn't anticipated such absurd abominations.
These were abyssal monsters—things only seen in textbooks. And not just one, but many. They had heard rumors of a cyclops appearing in Yeranhes last winter, but this was beyond excessive.
"Fire!"
At Hector's command, a barrage of spells rained down. The most effective single-target offensive magic was unleashed upon the minotaurs.
The cascading spells kicked up a thick cloud of dust. An assault that would leave no trace of lesser monsters.
"......Hah."
Aster let out a long sigh as he watched.
He glanced once at his sword and checked his equipment. His sunken eyes assessed his own condition.
Soldiers, knights, mages.
Not a single one among them held any hope for what lay beyond the rising dust cloud.
Swish—
The dust cleared, revealing the bulls.
Perhaps slightly singed, the minotaurs remained overwhelmingly unharmed.
And yet, their leisurely pace never faltered.
Neither faster nor slower.
The mages' concentrated volley hadn't even managed to scratch the minotaurs—let alone provoke even a moment of irritation.
"......."
Everyone silently watched the bulls advance.
No shouts, no screams, no cries of despair.
Even Hector's lips were sealed, unable to speak.
What could they do against them?
How could they stop them for even a single step?
"......Ah."
But the bulls didn't even grant them time to despair.
Just as they seemed to be advancing leisurely, their eyes flicked downward.
To the winged corpses Aster had scattered to halt the monsters' advance.
One of the bulls glanced at them briefly before—
Wham!
With a light flick of its hoof—
Screeeeech!!
The pile of corpses tore through the air with a sonic boom.
"Guh—!"
Craaash!!
The corpses collided with something in front of the barrier before falling.
The magical barrier the mages had prepared in advance.
But a single attack had shattered it entirely. There would be no blocking the next.
The bulls continued their advance.
Before them lay the next pile of monster corpses.
A single attack from just one of them had shattered the entire magical barrier.
And now, that same attack was unleashed in unison—
Whoooosh!
—toward the barrier.
Monster corpses rained down upon the barrier in an instant. The soldiers atop the wall stared blankly at the approaching wave of carcasses.
This time, Aster's sword lashed out.
Swish— Most of the airborne corpses were silently bisected without a sound. Using his aura, Aster cleanly severed every last monster that had been hurled at them.
However—
Boom! Craaash!
A few, their momentum unchecked, crashed into the barrier or swept over the soldiers atop it.
"Gyaaah!"
"Aaah!!"
Screams erupted from the barrier, and at last—far too late—the soldiers truly understood despair. Even those who hadn't been hit by the attack began shrieking in terror.
"Snap out of it! Hold your positions!"
Hector shouted orders to the knights atop the barrier, and their voices echoed in all directions. Yet calming soldiers once panic had set in was no easy task.
Aster, standing below the barrier, furrowed his brow.
He was a swordsman. Even if he cut down every last one, if the barrier sustained damage, he had no further means to respond.
There was only one way.
"Stop."
His voice carried, reaching every corner.
Though he didn't seem to be channeling any significant aura, his words rang clearly across the entire barrier and into the minotaurs' ears.
"My name is Aster Evans."
Aster spoke with courtesy even to the monsters.
"Defeat me first."
The bulls' eyes turned toward him. Their pupils reflected sheer boredom.
Some insignificant human was spouting nonsense. They had come to smash the barrier. To break it down and unleash monsters to ravage all humans.
No matter how strong that lone human might be, what reason had they to accept such a petty duel? The bulls completely ignored Aster's words, scanning instead for another corpse. If no corpses remained, they'd simply hurl living monsters.
"......As expected."
Aster took his stance. Still the middle guard, both hands gripping his sword. A textbook form so orthodox it almost seemed crude.
"Perhaps cattle can't comprehend words."
Though they didn't hear his muttering, Hector noticed Aster's aura expanding further.
'He can wield even stronger aura than this!'
Hector watched Aster below the barrier. In this situation, Aster was the only one they could pin their hopes on.
The same Aster who had fought a Shepherd of Manggot to at least a standstill.
'Aster hasn't even used Divine Power yet! If he taps into Baldur's strength, he might be able to slay those monsters!'
It was a hope with some basis. Aster's greatest talent lay in being beloved by Baldur.
Yet.
"......Aster?"
While amplifying his aura's intensity, Aster showed no signs of invoking Divine Power.
He'd assumed his attack stance, every second critical—delay further and the minotaurs would hurl another pile of corpses.
Baldur gave no indication of appearing.
"Surely not... surely... Aster!"
A chilling suspicion flashed through Hector's mind, and he shouted before he could stop himself.
Aster briefly lowered his head. Looked at the sword gripped in both hands.
The vertically raised blade reflected sunlight.
"Lord Baldur."
Aster called his name.
The god who loved him.
The name representing ages of grace, who had aided him through every hardship and trial.
Upon uttering that name, Aster smirked.
"Abandon me."
The instant those words left his lips,
All aura surrounding Aster vanished completely.
Several days prior, when Frondier had gathered everyone in the classroom.
Edwin had been conversing with Elin. Their discussion concerned Edwin's security measures.
"Students will struggle to respond to this crisis. Couldn't we set up alarms to alert them when danger arises?"
"Creating such an Artifact isn't impossible, but mass production would be difficult. Given the time constraints, we'd have to prioritize key figures."
Elin was student council president. Thus, directing students during emergencies fell to her.
Of course, broader strategies would be discussed with faculty, but issuing detailed commands amid actual crises was Elin's duty.
"Frankly, I'd prefer not involving students in combat."
"I agree."
Most Constelle students wouldn't deploy to the barrier. They were assigned to cooperate with professionals and police, responding to internal Empire emergencies. A far safer position than barrier defenders.
Yet unease remained unavoidable. To Elin, the gap between how she perceived Frondier or Aster versus other students was as vast as heaven and earth.
"If Manggot truly launches a surprise attack, students could end up in greater danger."
They'd already heard Frondier's explanation of shadow transference. Hence Elin's current concern for other students.
Should those shadows envelop students from behind, no amount of combat training would fully prepare them for Manggot assassins' ambush.
"That won't happen, sis."
Aster approached, having finished speaking with Frondier.
"Aster."
"As long as Manggot employs simultaneous frontal assaults and sneak attacks, shadow transference can't be available to all their forces. If it were an easily usable technique for everyone, they wouldn't need diversionary tactics."
Had shadow transference been universally accessible to Manggot, the Empire would've fallen long ago.
Clearly, there were either user limits or stringent conditions.
"Therefore, if Manggot uses shadow transference, they'll target the Empire's most critical vulnerabilities. Randomly transferring to attack anyone would get them all killed on the spot. Constelle students won't be in danger."
"...Right."
Elin nodded her head.
Of course, there was always that one-in-a-million chance. The possibility that the Manggot could teleport near Constelle's students wasn't exactly zero.
But you couldn't fight while preparing for every single hypothetical scenario. That's just how war was.
"Senior Edwin."
"Hmm?"
This time, Aster turned to Edwin beside him.
"...Um, I heard that Lord Hephaestus—"
"Ah, that guy."
The moment Edwin referred to him as "that guy," both Elin and Aster tensed up simultaneously.
"He's gone. I don't have divine power anymore."
Edwin spread his hands and shrugged. His expression, if anything, looked relieved.
"Was it because of the golem incident before?"
"Well, that incident was definitely the catalyst. But looking back..."
Edwin placed his hands on his hips and tilted his head upward.
"I think that bastard's been doing whatever he wanted for a very long time."
"...You mean... Hephaestus?"
Aster still felt awkward speaking casually about a god. Edwin laughed at that.
"Haha, call him whatever you want. I'm the weird one here, not you."
"...Neither of you is weird."
"That's such an Aster-like answer. But when you realize Hephaestus was manipulating me—and that it was even possible—"
Edwin let out a sigh.
"You start wondering... just how long he'd been doing it."
"...!"
"During the golem incident, he revealed his power so blatantly that it was obvious. But think about it—he could've been subtly influencing me long before that, right? Small nudges, just enough not to feel unnatural or suspicious. As long as he's by my side, I'll never know when he started controlling me... or when he might do it again."
"...You're right."
Aster had no choice but to nod at Edwin's words.
Edwin's loss of trust in Hephaestus was an entirely rational judgment.
Then what about Aster?
The one blessed with Baldur's love.
"I have never feared such things."
That line Elodie had spoken—Aster knew full well those were originally Frondier's words.
Back during the fake Mistilteinn meeting, he'd said it like that.
At the time, everyone had dismissed it as bravado. But now, no one would think that.
"...Gods."
Aster murmured quietly.
"They scare me."
That small remark.
Elin and Edwin heard it without much thought.
But Frondier, standing a little further away, reacted differently.
He stood rigidly, staring at Aster. His pupils dilated, and his mouth—rarely ever—parted slightly in shock.
Frondier looked at Aster as if he couldn't believe those words had come from him.
His distant gaze seemed to ponder something, and when no one was watching, he gave a quiet nod.
It was at this moment, upon hearing Aster's murmur, that Frondier's plan for the Barrier's deployment was finalized.
Aster slowly raised his sword.
A simple motion—nothing more than a vertical slash through empty air.
'I spent my entire winter break just learning this one technique from Sis.'
It was a little embarrassing, so Aster hadn't told anyone.
The same guy who had proudly mastered aura completely over summer break had barely managed to learn a single technique by winter break.
'Well.'
It wasn't just learning, though.
Thud.
The bulls about to hurl corpses and those preparing to kick all froze simultaneously. In an instant, their attention snapped to Aster—the one they had completely ignored until now.
They couldn't even explain why. No overwhelming aura radiated from Aster. Not a trace of divine power.
But then again.
Aster had always been "a swordsman who doesn't emit aura."
"Here I go."
Evans Family Martial Arts
Elin Evans' Unique Sword Technique
Single Thread
Under normal circumstances, Aster would have lunged at the bull's head, empowered by Baldur's strength.
But instead, he simply raised his sword in a composed stance.
Aster Evans' Modified Version
——Single Flash.
The moment his blade descended,
his body was already behind the bulls.
"...?"
One bull, unable to track his speed at all, tried to turn its head—but its body only made it halfway.
KOOOOM!!
Aster's sword, which had barely managed to leave scratches even with Baldur's power before,
now split the Minotaur cleanly from crown to groin.
The bull only realized it afterward—one half of its body slammed into the ground while the other half remained standing for a brief moment.
"!!"
The remaining bulls finally turned their heads toward Aster, who had repositioned behind them.
Aster stood in the exact same stance as before.
Both hands gripping his sword.
Crude yet textbook mid-guard posture.
The archetype of a swordsman.
A light exhale—even that breath carried Aura, making the air tingle with its presence.
He spoke in a perfectly ordinary, utterly mundane tone.
"One."
The count was precise.