Chapter 172
Chapter 172
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 172
Chapter Title: Volteric of Lightning
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In that brief instant before I landed, I saw it clearly.
The Wind Blast being sucked into the surface of the translucent buckler.
*Thwack! Whoosh!*
I snatched the shield out of the air with my left hand and swung it.
It was to deal with the incoming magic.
To do that, I had to move with incredible speed.
If I missed even one spell while under such a concentrated assault, I'd be blown to bits.
*Fizzle! Psssh—!*
‘Oh! It works. So this was what canceled the magic.’
With a rather anticlimactic sound, the spells that had been rushing toward me with tremendous force vanished in an instant.
Just as I'd expected, the shield provided a perfect defense.
“Gasp!”
“How is this even possible…!”
The Everfilt mages stood with their mouths agape.
Not even a master of Dispel could nullify so many spells at once.
Yet, some reckless upstart who dropped from the ceiling had just pulled off such an insane feat.
Even for Everfilt, the continent's greatest collective of mages, it was an impossible situation not to be shocked by.
“Th-That bastard has Volteric?”
Elysia ground her teeth, her face filled with indignation.
She was apparently annoyed at the sight of me wielding the final reward of the sacred dungeon.
Well, this thing was their objective, after all.
Having what they thought was theirs snatched away right before their eyes—it was no wonder she was furious.
‘Still, I've stumbled upon something incredible.’
Volteric of Lightning was a famous artifact, renowned enough that even I, who was only interested in worldly pleasures, had heard of it.
It was said to be comparable to Calipe, the legendary sword used by the first emperor.
No, in some ways, it could be considered even greater.
Volteric was the shield used by Kahal, the one true god of the Kraus faith.
‘I thought it was just a symbolic ritual vessel…’
Honestly, I couldn't help but be surprised.
To think it could completely nullify magic.
It was so bizarre that I could hardly believe it, even after experiencing it myself.
“What are you all doing? Take Volteric from him, now!”
While I was momentarily stunned, Elysia’s shrill voice cut through the air.
As if on cue, a barrage of spells flew my way.
They had already overcome their bewilderment and prepared their next attack.
It was the kind of swift reaction I’d expect from Everfilt’s elite.
“Foolish, to keep trying when you know it's useless…”
I scoffed lightly and thrust my left hand out in various directions.
Each time, the magic that flew like lightning shattered instantly.
I pushed forward, slashing with the Black Dragon Sword.
*Slice! Crack!*
“Kugh!”
My first victim was a guard who threw himself forward to protect a mage.
He seemed to have a decent handle on his aura, but these guys were mercenaries, not proper knights.
He was nowhere near the level required to block my strike.
After slicing through the man and his shield, I immediately swung the Black Dragon Sword in a wide arc.
*Swish!*
The heads of two mages promptly fell from their shoulders.
They didn't even have time to scream.
I was like a wolf that had leaped into a flock of sheep.
I stabbed and cleaved madly, completely shattering their encirclement.
But the Everfilt bastards didn't just stand by.
“Aim for his back. And… seize them.”
“Yes!”
The moment Elysia’s command fell, something incredibly fast shot toward my rear.
Judging by the sharp angle of its approach, this was no ordinary attack.
“Hup!”
I quickly twisted my body and swung Volteric.
*Thwip! Tiiing—!*
A heavy impact traveled up my arm.
What had struck the shield was a yellowish-brown spike that had shot up from the ground.
‘Earth Spike?’
Volteric’s magic nullification wasn’t omnipotent.
The front of the shield had to be facing the direction of the incoming spell, and it took time to dissipate the magic.
That made it somewhat vulnerable to spells that produced a physical effect like this one.
Of course, that didn't diminish Volteric's value.
I could just block things like this without relying on its nullification ability.
“The problem is that there isn't just one or two.”
*Swish-swish-swish!*
The sound of countless projectiles slicing through the air grazed my ears.
Amazingly, Elysia had figured out how to counter Volteric after observing just a brief exchange.
But a meaningful smile crept onto my lips.
‘Right. You have to be extraordinary.’
It wasn't because I was some pervert who felt pleasure the stronger my opponent was.
It was because the secrets of Everfilt I learned from Ris Ganiol were gradually taking shape.
*Rumble-rumble-rumble!*
I wanted to grab Elysia and confirm the truth, but I didn't have the chance.
Everfilt's forces were still intact.
To get to that woman, I first had to break through this human wall.
“Get away!”
“Back off, you bastards!”
*Clang! Cla-clang!*
Just then, the sharp clash of steel rang out from a distance.
I turned my head to see Sophia and Diego, surrounded and fighting back.
They looked to be on the verge of collapsing at any moment.
Seeing Elysia’s sinister smile, it seemed her plan was to take them hostage and force me to submit.
‘That’s a bit of a problem.’
I didn't care what happened to the old knight, but I had to get Sophia out of here alive.
She was very precious to me…
as my recommendation letter-maker.
“Hahaha! It's only a matter of time before you're finished. Don't waste your energy and surrender. I’ll spare your lives if you do.”
As I tried to untangle the knotted threads in my mind, Elysia's voice reached me.
It sounded like the laugh of a wicked witch.
I secretly wiggled the fingers of my left hand and played along.
“Oh? Really?”
“Of course, I never said I'd return you unharmed. I’ll be considerate enough to let you end your days in the family’s bio-experimentation lab. Oh-hohoho!”
“Wow… You’re even more of a scumbag than I am. That’s not easy to achieve.”
“Hmph! Enough with the chatter. Are you not done yet?”
Elysia shouted sharply, looking toward Sophia.
Her tone implied, *‘What are you doing, not capturing them already?’*
The mages’ heads naturally turned to where her gaze was directed.
It was in that very moment that I moved.
*Flash—!*
I stretched out my left hand and unleashed a condensed burst of mana, and a pure white flash erupted.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
A beam of white light shot out and struck Elysia square in the chest.
*Craaack!*
“Aargh!”
“M-My lady!”
Her body was thrown far back by the immense force.
No matter how powerful her defensive magic was, she couldn't have escaped unscathed.
What I had cast was Energy Burst, a 3rd-tier spell.
She never would have dreamed that a high-tier spell like this would erupt from a guy who was just swinging a sword.
That's why she couldn't react at all and took a direct hit.
“Here, a gift!”
*Fwoosh!*
I immediately swung my blade toward Sophia, unleashing the Heaven-Severing Demonic Moon.
A gray phantom rose at an odd angle and crashed into the guards’ flank.
*Thwack-thwack-thwack!*
“Kraaah!”
That should be enough help for them.
Sophia and Diego were skilled in their own right.
From now on, I had to do everything I could to finish off Elysia.
The moment I confirmed her presence in the secret passage, I knew I had to kill her.
*KABOOOM!*
“Tch!”
But getting close to Elysia was proving to be quite difficult.
The Everfilt mages were fighting back with desperate ferocity.
Likely conscious of Volteric’s magic nullification, they deliberately aimed their spells at odd places.
Places like the ground I was standing on, or the nearby walls.
That way, they could still inflict indirect damage.
*Rumble-rumble-rumble!*
Moreover, the barrage of physical magic continued unabated.
‘This isn’t easy. I should give up on trying to end this in one blow.’
I had intended to capture Elysia as a hostage to end the battle, just as she was trying to do.
But looking at the situation, that didn't seem possible.
I couldn't even pinpoint Elysia's location, as she had been blown back toward the shared entrance.
That area was already being layered with countless defensive barriers.
“I have no choice.”
I immediately changed direction and headed for Sophia.
Barriers could be broken later.
Right now, it was time to save Sophia from her predicament.
I immediately charged the remaining Everfilt forces.
Unlike the main force that had retreated to the entrance, slaughtering these guys wasn't so difficult.
After all, there were only a couple of mages and a dozen or so guards here.
*Crash! Splat! Crack!*
Shattering their defensive magic, I entered and swung the Black Dragon Sword lightly.
The heads of the two mages were cleanly severed.
No matter how elite the forces of Everfilt were, they were nothing but easy prey for me unless they worked together.
Naturally, cleaning up the guards was over in an instant.
“…That was really dangerous.”
“Phew! Thank you.”
Sophia and Diego let out sighs of relief and offered their brief thanks.
I nodded and looked at the completely sealed entrance.
“They've just plastered it with defensive barriers.”
“I see that.”
“How are we going to break through… Before that, let's grab what we can.”
“What?”
I walked past the bewildered Sophia and went behind the altar.
Near the sheer cliff, several ancient chests were neatly arranged.
It seemed they had deliberately chosen this location to protect the treasures.
One wrong step, and you'd fall into the bottomless pit below.
I kicked a few of them open, revealing chests filled to the brim with gold and jewels.
“Here, hurry up and pack. We won't be able to get anywhere near here later. And watch out for the cliff next to you.”
“Ugh! Yes.”
If the existence of this place became known, it would likely escalate into a political issue.
While the Empire and the Theocracy were in conflict, no one would be able to approach this sacred dungeon.
If we didn't grab what we could now, coming all this way would be a waste.
As if she understood my words, Sophia took out a deep blue pouch and began stuffing treasures into it.
It was only a small pouch, but it seemed to hold an endless amount of items.
“Spatial expansion magic? That's rare.”
“The Blue Tower lent it to me. The capacity isn't as large as you might think. About two or three chests?”
“That’s pretty good, considering it's portable.”
“That’s true. I’m done now.”
Sophia's pouch was full, and Diego had secured a rather sturdy-looking chest.
Now her gaze was fixed on my left arm.
Volteric of Lightning.
It was an item synonymous with the sacred dungeon itself.
With this alone, all the treasures we had gathered so far could be discarded without a second thought.
‘I can get this later. If I have to, I can just ambush the Blue Tower when they come to retrieve it and take it then.’
For now, I had to show some trust until I received the recommendation letter.
After quickly organizing my thoughts, I unstrapped the buckler.
“Here.”
“That’s surprising. You’re just giving it to me?”
“What do you take me for?”
“I thought you might pull some trick to take Volteric for yourself.”
“Whatever. The recommendation letter is more important to me.”
“Thank you. I’ll write it with the utmost sincerity.”
It was at that moment, as I was about to hand over Volteric.
*Zzzzzzing!*
A strange sound came from the entrance, and something crimson came flying through the air.
It was aimed straight at my chest.
“Hmph! A pathetic trick.”
I snorted and held up Volteric.
Whatever they had fired, if it was magic, I could definitely block it.
But the moment the red energy collided with the shield…
something incredible happened.
*Baaang!*
“Huh?”
“Noooooo!”
Knocked back by the strong impact, Volteric flew out of my hand and tumbled over the cliff.
Sophia’s scream echoed through the chamber.
But my eyes were fixed on the red shape that was rapidly returning to its source.
‘The magic nullification didn't work. Then what is this?’