Chapter 369 |
From the throat, now pierced by a white light, several thin fountains of blood gushed forth.
"Ah...?"
The male User let out a bewildered sound, but only for a moment. He then vomited a torrent of blood as his neck was cleanly severed, his head tumbling to the ground.
Thud! Tumble, tumble...
Soon, as nine heads rolled across the floor, empty spaces appeared where the men had been standing.
"Watch out!"
"Is a Monster! Monster!"
For a brief moment, I could feel a faint sense of chaos ripple through the enemy ranks again. It seemed seeing nine heads fly at once was quite a shock. But there was no room for hesitation, no time to be considerate of my opponents. The instant they fell, I charged forward, savagely stabbing and swinging my sword whenever my path was blocked.
Stab! Slash!
I was carving a path, but my heart was growing more and more frantic.
By now, the Spirit Summoner must have sensed something was wrong. If they detected the danger and retreated to the rear, my chances of killing them would plummet to zero.
I have to move as fast as possible...
As if reflecting my urgency, the movements of the hands gripping my two swords began to change. I dedicated less to defense and focused more on the attack. It was a choice to increase destructive power, even if it meant sacrificing some precision.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
The once fluid, flowing path of my sword began to trace a twisted trajectory, howling like a fierce wind. I leaped into the fray, planted my left foot, and spun a full half-circle. The moment my right foot landed forward, I tensed my arms and swung them up violently.
Swoosh!
With the sound of something being sharply cut, the afterimages left by my blade's complex path transformed into vicious sword auras, spreading out in all directions. The quicker ones seemed
to try dodging or raising their shields to defend themselves. But the instant the sword auras reached them, fountains of blood erupted from all sides, completely obscuring my vision.
Plunging into the blood-soaked space I had just cleared, I relentlessly crossed the swords in my hands with all my might. The targeted enemy raised his sword in a daze, but he and his shattered weapon were sent tumbling to the ground.
"Back off! Back off!"
"Stay away from Monster!"
Just as I was managing to continue my breakthrough, incomprehensible shouts mixed with the surrounding clamor grew particularly loud. At the same time, a change began to occur in the movements around me. A change centered on my position. The enemies had started to create distance between us. Where I had been tightly surrounded on all sides, they were now stepping back wherever I went, practically clearing a path for me.
Huh?
For a moment, I felt a sense of bewilderment at their inexplicable actions. At the same time, I felt a strange killing intent prickle the back of my neck.
It was then.
Fwoosh!
Hearing a chilling sound cut through the air behind me, I reflexively snapped my head to the side.
Whirl!
Oh?
The object that had grazed my neck was a small, spinning handaxe. I had been fully prepared for an attack from the rear, so dodging it wasn't difficult. Still, the power contained within that axe was formidable enough to make me take notice. Feeling a slight chill, I quickly assessed the situation.
Even now, the enemies were diligently widening the distance from me. A circular space was gradually forming around where I stood.
I tilted my head for a moment but quickly dismissed the thought. Sharpening all my senses in preparation for anything, I raised my swords and charged forward again. It had been suspicious how few arrows and magic spells had been coming my way, but having already plunged into the heart of the enemy camp. I couldn't stop until I achieved my goal.
I immediately raised both swords and, as I charged, sent out a wave of magical power.
Clang! Cla-clang!
This time, however, they were prepared. The powerful wave was instantly blocked by layers of defensive barriers. As I frowned slightly at the sight, I suddenly sensed eight presences approaching from all directions.
Their approach formed a perfect encirclement around me. Moreover, their movements were so smooth and swift that it was clear they were highly skilled.
It took only an instant for them to close in. Soon, exactly eight figures appeared before the chaotically retreating enemies.
Three, three, and two. Half of them appeared to be melee-type Users, while the other half looked like assassins. I unknowingly took a sharp breath, the air tinged with a subtle killing intent making the tip of my nose tingle.
I can't just ignore them.
Though I had barely managed to create some chaos, every eye was now fixed on me. The area was already packed tight with enemies. The spatial conditions severely limited my ability to use Phase Shift for movement. I had been struggling to break through when these eight suddenly appeared.
Their intention was obvious. They were likely trying to tie me down, even for a moment, to stop my indiscriminate rampage.
Are they trying to reform their ranks?
"You shall die..."
The momentary standoff was broken the instant a low voice echoed. As the man in front of me spoke, all eight of them lunged at me at once. Feeling the killing intent from head to toe, I calmly activated Phase Shift.
Whip!
Glancing back, I saw them all converge almost simultaneously on the spot where I had just been. Their coordination was astonishingly good.
I spun around, swinging Caligo Abraxas horizontally while adjusting Victoria's Glory to unleash one of its two remaining uses of 'Sword Light'.
Ching-ching-ching-ching-ching-ching-ching!
A moment later, long, straight sword wounds appeared on the backs of those who had their backs to me, while a white light flashed across the necks of those facing me. The man who had declared my death, along with three or four other Users, let out faint groans and collapsed.
Now, only three remained. I inwardly clicked my tongue.
The reason 'Sword Light' was so overpowered was its ability to carry my own User information in addition to its inherent power. Just now, I had imbued it with my authority as a 'Sword Expert', which meant that, depending on the situation, I could also imbue it with the power of 'EternalFire'. As such, I couldn't help but regret having hastily used the ability in my rush.
I have to save the last use.
My goal wasn't to have a duel with the Spirit Summoner; it was to kill them, take what I needed, and get out. Of course, I still had trump cards up my sleeve, but just in case, it was better to save the last use of Sword Light. Having decided, I faced the three remaining enemies charging at me.
"Kyaah!"
With a rather unique battle cry, the three spread out and rushed me from all sides.
Coincidentally, it seemed all the assassins had died in the previous exchange, as the ones charging now were all melee types wielding greatswords.
Calculating their trajectories, I calmly raised my swords to defend. The moment our blades met, I felt a heavy impact on my wrists, but as I redirected the force back at them, I saw them thrown backward. The true power of Yihwajeoqunok, the art of redirection, had been unleashed.
It was commendable that they managed to hold onto their weapons, but all three of them had their arms thrown wide open, exposing their chests. I raised my swords, intending to finish them off immediately.
It was then.
Splash!
For a split second, I felt a single, cold drop of water land on my cheek. My eyes widened, but I knew I had to finish the job first. I unleashed a rapid series of strikes, like a boxer throwing jabs. As I confirmed the streams of blood erupting from the necks of the staggering men, I immediately wiped my face.
What stained my wrist was unmistakably water.
For a moment, I was inwardly surprised by the appearance of water. But I quickly calmed myself, raised my swords, and began to coolly assess the situation.
Thinking back, it was a bit strange. Even though the fight with the eight had ended in an instant, it was hard to believe the other enemies had remained so quiet during that time. Moreover, they were blocking all sides but had also willingly backed away to give me space.
Perhaps that was why the atmosphere among the enemies watching me felt so peculiar. They seemed to be waiting for someone's command. If before they had been in a state of partial chaos, now they were filled with strange confidence.
That wasn't all. I could feel countless spells, their incantations complete, just waiting to be fired. I could also see innumerable bows and crossbows aimed at me, and in front of them, the melee types holding their ground.
The hundreds of Users surrounding me now displayed a much more organized formation than before. It felt as if I were facing a 'Concentrated Fire' formation.
Don't tell me...
A thought flashed through my mind. I quickly focused on Magic Detection and realized the scent of water was now thick in the air. It suggested that the Water Spirit Summoner was nearby.
Strange. They shouldn't be this close yet... Ah.
No. It was possible. On reflection, I had clearly miscalculated. The Water Spirit Summoner hadn't chosen to flee. Realizing I had charged in, they had instead come forward to deal with me themselves. In other words, we had both been closing the distance. Putting myself in their shoes, it made no sense to run away from a single enemy who had foolishly charged in alone.
"Fire!"
Fwoom-fwoom-fwoom-fwoom-fwoom!
Before I could even fully process this realization, a shout rang out, followed by the sound of countless prepared spells being unleashed. The spells shot up into the sky for a moment before drawing gentle arcs and descending upon me. I cursed inwardly. The bastards had cunningly erected defensive barriers around themselves while simultaneously pouring magic down on my position.
Deciding to deal with it as it came, I gripped both swords and began to parry the incoming spears of ice and blades of wind.
Boom-boom-boom-boom! Boom-boom-boom-boom!
The spells that met my swords' paths were cut down without fail, but the sheer volume was too much to block completely. I could feel my body tremble slightly from time to time. For now, my innate magic resistance could handle the spells I missed, but I couldn't guarantee what would happen if the damage kept accumulating.
"Fire!"
Shhk! Sh-sh-shhk!
While I was focused on defending myself in this predicament, a rain of countless arrows tore through the air, streaking down diagonally. I couldn't even think of parrying these. Gritting my teeth, I activated Phase Shift. Since I was surrounded, there was only one place to escape. I didn't like it, but it was into the air.
After moving into the air, I glanced down to watch for homing spells and saw an unexpected sight.
The ground I had just left was utterly devastated, with well over a hundred arrows sticking out of it like porcupine quills. They weren't returning to me.
And it was at that very moment.
Splash!
As if it had been waiting, a water attack came at the perfect time. A single stream of water cut sharply through the air.
A single, water-blue whip sliced through the air in a straight line, striking for the top of my head. I calmly raised my sword and parried it. It was then, as I looked around with a strange feeling, that I felt my eyes tense.
Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash!
Dozens of water streams had suddenly appeared in the air around me.
They knew... I would use Phase Shift.
That wasn't all. The water stream I had first parried, which had scattered into a spray, began to merge back into multiple tendrils, each forming a new stream. They then turned to aim at me again and whipped towards me, trying to coil around my body.
Swoosh!
In that fleeting moment.
I calmly lowered my head.
And what I saw were the Users clustered where the water streams originated, and standing in their center, a woman with blue hair. She was sending a cold smile in my direction.
"...Heh."
Seeing her, I returned a smile of my own. I gripped Caligo Abraxas in my right hand until my knuckles turned white.
Then, a message appeared in the air.
『Activating the potential ability of Caligo Abraxas: Broken Fragments.』