Chapter 44: Self-Sacrifice
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 44: Self-Sacrifice
Rhode lunged through the air toward Diya, like a moth to a flame.
Time seemed to stretch into infinity. Eluka could clearly see their figures drawing closer, and she could see the lightning brewing on the Lake Lord’s single horn, growing more radiant by the second.
Under the approaching footsteps of the Grim Reaper, Rhode’s actions seemed so ridiculous, yet so lamentable.
Rhode, did you actually like Diya all along?
The thought flashed through Eluka’s mind, but she quickly shook it off.
As Rhode’s childhood sweetheart, she knew exactly what kind of person he was.
Brave, gentle, and kind—he had a smile for everyone.
He was like the rising sun in the early morning.
A person like that easily drew the gaze of others.
But when it came to romance, he was as dense as a block of wood.
So, no matter who had been flung out there, Rhode would have sacrificed himself to save them.
"This kind of kindness, radiating warmth to everyone... it’s enough to drive a person mad with jealousy."
And yet, she loved him all the same.
So...
Eluka suddenly gripped her magic wand. Ignoring the throbbing pain in her head, she poured the last of her mana into it.
"To think there would come a day where I’d save my own love rival... Oh well, I suppose it fits my 'kind and cute' persona."
"Luckily, I 'accidentally' learned this spell a while back."
"Using it now shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Charm Magic!"
Eluka pointed her wand at the Lake Lord. Accompanied by a shout that seemed to carry the echo of a soft moan, pink hearts erupted within her clear eyes.
This was the first spell Eluka had ever learned that required no chanting, and it was the one she had mastered the fastest. The talent she displayed for this specific magic was so great it actually frightened her.
However, her target wasn't human, so her heart hammered with uncertainty. She didn't know if the Lake Lord would fall for it.
Sizzle...
Under Eluka’s expectant gaze, the Lake Lord’s massive, tense body—poised to strike—suddenly relaxed visibly.
The lightning that had built to a crescendo on its horn actually began to dissipate.
The Lake Lord turned its head and looked at Eluka.
Within its hideous eyes, two pink hearts appeared as well!
"It worked!"
Eluka couldn't help but pump her fist in excitement.
As long as the Lake Lord was attracted to her, Rhode would be safe. He was a Third-Tier Martial artist; there was no way he would drown in the lake.
Except...
"ROAR!"
The Lake Lord let out a rasping roar. Its massive body writhed in the lake, displaying a level of agility and speed that defied its size.
It was charging straight for her.
With reckless abandon.
There were pink hearts in its eyes, but reflected behind those hearts... seemed to be its deceased mate!
In that moment, Eluka felt as if she were watching a lovestruck woman rushing toward the husband she thought was long dead, preparing to give him a loving embrace.
It was truly touching.
As long as that "lovestruck woman" wasn't thirty meters long and capable of smashing a boat to splinters with a single flick of her tail.
"Goddess of Ice and Snow, please..."
Eluka gritted her teeth and waved her wand again.
But before she could even finish the chant, the piercing pain in her brain nearly made her black out.
"It’s over..."
Eluka’s face went pale, her expression turning to one of despair.
Her mana was completely spent.
She couldn't squeeze out another drop.
She couldn't even maintain her Levitation Spell to dodge the rapidly approaching Lake Lord.
"I see. Is this where my luck runs out?"
With death imminent, Eluka surprisingly didn't feel much fear.
She lifted her eyes, looking into the distance, searching for something.
Unfortunately, everything was blocked by the massive waves churned up by the Lake Lord. She couldn't see a thing.
However...
Rhode should have saved Diya by now.
In that case, my death won't be entirely meaningless.
Eluka flashed a satisfied smile and slowly closed her eyes.
I hope Diya can actually succeed in winning Rhode over in the future and give him happiness.
If she does, I’ll be happy, even in the afterlife.
...
Psych.
I won't be happy at all.
...
"Govern."
A cold, clear command echoed in Eluka’s ears.
What followed was the screeching sound of countless pieces of metal twisting and grinding against each other—a sound that set one's teeth on edge—and the roar of the Lake Lord hidden behind that cacophony.
Death did not arrive as expected.
Eluka opened her eyes in confusion.
She saw a figure shrouded in a trench coat and a hood standing in front of her.
The figure was so slender that she looked like a frail young girl, yet when she stood before Eluka, it felt as if all the winds in the world had fallen silent.
The figure turned her head, revealing a dignified and beautiful face.
"Are you alright?" An asked.
"I... I’m okay." Eluka nodded gently, like a startled kitten.
"That is good."
An turned back around.
"I am going to kill it now. Protect yourself."
"O-Okay."
Eluka watched blankly.
Only now did she see the source of those piercing sounds.
It was metal.
Countless pieces of metal.
Metal that had come to life!
Silver-white, dark gold, reddish-copper, and even many rusted pieces that looked like blood-stained dark red—metals of various types and in vast quantities were intertwined like swimming snakes. Completely defying the laws of physics, they rubbed and combined, weaving together to form an impassable wall.
And when this wall stood before the Lake Lord, it regained the inherent hardness and tenacity of metal!
The Lake Lord, charging at full speed, had no possibility of braking. It collided inevitably with the wall.
And then...
Unsurprisingly, it began to shriek in agony.
Even its exoskeleton, which seemed incredibly hard and nearly impervious to magic, could not compare to a high wall made of stacked metal. At the moment of impact, Eluka saw the Lake Lord’s most prominent feature—its hideous single horn—snap right off.
"Honestly."
An rose into the air, slowly flying above the Lake Lord as it struggled violently in pain.
She looked down at the beast, her eyes filled with cold killing intent.
"If you keep acting up like this and scare away the fish I need to bring back for the Young Master, what am I supposed to do?"
An raised her hand.
The fingers of both hands curved slightly, then snapped together above her head!
"Imprison."
Her voice was cold and merciless.
Like a deity handing down a supreme decree.
The high wall of metal decomposed in an instant, turning into shards.
Under the influence of some powerful rule, those shards restructured themselves once more.
A jungle of metal thorns erupted from the ground in an instant!
It completely enveloped the Lake Lord!
"ROAR!"
The Lake Lord writhed its body, struggling frantically.
Its terrifying strength bent the steel, and its hard scales resisted the sharp metal, but even so, it could not stop its body from being gradually entangled by the "growing" thorn jungle, which sprouted new "branches" continuously, dragging it out of the water!
Without the water, the Lake Lord’s struggles became even more futile.
"Are you just a fish after all?"
A massive, hideous scythe appeared in An’s hand, reflecting a ghostly cold light. She stepped down a staircase of steel, one step at a time, until she stood before the Lake Lord.
"An Overlord-class magical beast is only at this level? It seems it won't take long to get a Dragon Whip for the Young Master after all."