After leaving his holand,
Kureha traveled throughout the continent, teaching Kuilan everything he knew.
The warmth of freshly baked bread.
The softness of a feather-filled pillow.
The beauty of the four seasons...
And the martial arts passed down in his clan.
Kureha seed to want to give Kuilan everything, even what Kuilan was denied because he was used as a vessel for a curse. As if trying to make up for what was taken from Kuilan in his life, he gave generously.
However, there were two things he did not pass on.
The final secret technique of the clans martial arts.
And... the curse.
Whenever Kureha used his powers, the affected area would beco mummified, a curse that he bore.
Kuilan persistently questioned his brother about these two things. Kureha would answer with a bitter smile, evading the question.
Yet, Kuilan had a faint suspicion.
That Kureha knew both the secret technique and a way to transfer the curse.
He just wouldnt tell him.
***
At the northern wall,
"Kuilan! Are you even paying attention?!"
Startled by Evangelines sharp yell, Kuilan snapped back to reality.
The Wolf King, Lunared, was charging right at him. Ten sharp claws from the monstrous commander sliced through the air.
"Ugh!"
Kuilan barely deflected the attack with [Leaf Drift].
Shreeek!
Lunareds own claw attack was deflected back to him.
Lunared stopped his forceful swing, preventing his attack from slashing himself.
"Seems you havent forgotten the intricacies of the martial arts I created, descendant!"
Lunareds red eyes sparkled with satisfaction.
"But if you keep getting distracted, youll die!"
"!"
As Lunared charged once again, Kuilan tried to evade the onslaught, but the Wolf Kings claws were already descending upon him.
Suddenly, Evangeline intervened.
Zing!
Evangelines shield shone brightly, absorbing Lunareds attack. It was her 1st skill, [Damage Save].
Imdiately after, she thrust her lance forward powerfully, releasing the absorbed damage in a counter-attack called [Damage Payback].
"Haha!"
Lunared laughed, deflecting the attack with his claws, and quickly created distance between them.
"Heh, heh!"
Exhausted from the rapid exchange with the enemy leader, Evangeline gasped for breath.
"What are you doing, Kuilan? Were facing the enemy boss! Get it together!"
"Im sorry, Lady Knight."
Kuilan apologized, but he kept staring at his hand. The hand clenched and unclenched repeatedly.
I feel so close.
To so epiphany.
It felt like the next step in the martial arts he had honed his entire life was just within reach.
Yet, its out of touch.
As if sothing was obstructing him...
"Hes coming again! Everyone, get in formation!"
Evangeline shouted sharply. The rest of the party imdiately took their battle stances, and, a beat late, Kuilan clenched his fist in preparation.
Whooosh!
Lunared leaped into the air, gathering his strength.
Under the dazzling moonlight, a crimson aura gathered around the silver wolf-man. Lunared roared, thrusting his arms forward.
"Unleash it all at once!"
A massive blade of red magic power was ford and shot forward.
It was a wide-area skill from Lunared called "Red Moonlight Slash."
Evangeline narrowed her eyes. She had already received information about the Wolf Kings attack patterns from Ash.
And so, she waited.
She waited for this very mont when the Wolf King used its wide-area attack skill!
"Ugh!"
Drawing a deep breath, Evangelines body surged with a blinding white magic power.
Taking a knee to the ground, Evangeline slamd the shield in her left hand onto the ground.
Flash!
Imdiately after, the white magic from Evangeline dispersed above the ten allies, forming into rectangular shields.
All ten mbers of the party appeared to have a magic shield attached to them.
[Final Fortress].
It was an ultimate skill acquired by Evangeline.
Its first effect grants the [Damage Save] buff to ally party mbers.
Zing!
Lunareds red magic blade struck all the party mbers.
However, it shattered against the magical shields that Evangeline had provided.
And then, the second effect.
Roar!
The skill protected the ally party mbers with [Damage Save] while accumulating the damage - concentrating it into her lance.
An overwhelming torrent of light gathered on the cavalry lance in Evangelines right hand.
The swirling energy resembled a massive lance blade in and of itself.
A defensive skill that protected the entire party by absorbing the damage, and an offensive skill that returned the damage to the enemy in full force.
An ultimate skill that achieved the dual objectives of protecting allies and striking the main enemy!
"Take this!"
Evangeline, holding the massive lance of light, charged alone at Lunared. She looked as if a massive fortress was hurtling towards the enemy.
Boom!
The lance of light pierced Lunared, causing the ground to rupture and explode in a massive detonation.
Its power was several tis greater than the standard "Damage Payback."
With her lance thrust forward, Evangeline gasped for breath.
It was her first ti using this skill in actual combat, so she couldnt estimate its power.
Did it land?
However.
"Well done, Lancer."
From amidst the smoke that enveloped the burning earth, the chilling laughter of the Wolf King echoed.
"But, your lance... it doesnt seem to keep up with the brilliance of your skill."
"...!"
Evangeline flinched and gazed at her cavalry lance.
The shaft and tip of the lance were slightly bent from the battle.
This caused the point of impact to be dispersed, preventing the damage from being focused on one spot.
And so - he endured.
Roar!
Lunared burst through the smoke and charged. Though his claws were broken and his body was drenched in blood, he was still grinning.
"Gah?!"
Evangeline swung her lance in desperation, but...
Clang!
Lunared parried with his claws and lunged at her.
All his remaining claws shattered, but Lunared didnt even blink.
Grab!
The Wolf Kings massive hand seized Evangelines shield, forcibly breaking her guard.
Subsequently, a fist imbued with red magic, from his other hand, struck Evangelines abdon.
Boom!
"Gh...?!"
Her armored parts had already been blown away.
The golem armor, stripped down to its skeleton, didnt offer proper protection.
With a ferocity that seed to tear apart the breastplate, the Wolf Kings fist lodged itself into Evangelines abdon, causing her to bend over like a shrimp, coughing up blood.
Ugh... khack!
As blood and bile poured from her mouth and nose, Evangeline, shaking uncontrollably, attempted a counter with her lance, but...
Wham!
Lunareds fist struck her once more in the abdon.
Oh.
Darkness flooded her vision.
Not just from her nose and mouth, but blood poured from her eyes and ears too. Evangeline slumped over. Her lance rolled out of her grasp, and the once vivid green eyes of the young knight went dim, losing their sparkle.
"When youre responsible for the defense line, you cant stand out alone. For the sake of your allies and for yourself."
Lunared chuckled, raising his fist to deliver the finishing blow.
"The mont you charged at trying to counter, Lance Knight, your defeat was sealed."
Clang-!
Broken nails flew from Lunareds fingertips, and new ones, sharp as blades, erged. Without hesitation, he aid straight for Evangelines throat.
Sshhhk-!
But Godhand lunged forward desperately, crossing his two iron lances to block the strike.
Lunareds claws easily shattered Godhands lances, but Godhand quickly reassembled them, continuing to defend.
Whizz! Whizz!
Hold him off!
Protect the knight!
With Burnouts sniping shots, the Penal Squad attacked Lunared with their respective weapons.
Lunared retreated, laughing under his breath.
Bodybag! Move Evangeline to the rear! Saintess! Heal her now!
Following Godhands orders, Bodybag urgently used telekinesis magic to transport Evangeline to the rear, and Saintess Margarita, with a pale face, started pouring healing magic.
Evangelines injuries were severe, and she had lost consciousness due to shock.
Saintess Margarita was pouring all her divine power, but the situation wasnt improving.
And for the rest of the party facing Lunared...
Thud! Whack!
Cough!
Argh!
They were faltering.
The reason these ten could face Lunared until now was entirely because of Evangeline.
A standout tanker among the renowned SSR grade heroes in this world.
So, to put it another way - with Evangeline down, the frontline couldnt hold any longer.
The tide of the battle, which was barely held at bay, began to quickly turn against them.
The Wolf King howled, and the heroes defending were gradually being cornered.
What should I do? How?
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Watching the approaching giant foe, Kuilan clenched his fists tight.
How can I defeat this monster?
***
In front of the southern wall.
...
Hsss...
Lucass ultimate skill [Divine Descent] had ended.
Most of the magic power Lucas had was depleted, and the golden aura surrounding him faded away like a snuffed out fla. Letting out a deep sigh, Lucas rolled his stiff neck.
His entire body was covered in the blood and flesh of the beasts.
All around, a mountain of corpses.
The bodies of werewolves slain by Lucass blade ford small hills. Easily numbering in the hundreds.
But.
...
There were still more left.
Growl...
Growl!
Most of the southern wall was overwheld by the Werewolf Legion, wiping out more than 80% of them. Yet, around 20% remained, encircling Lucas.
There were easily well over a hundred.
Moreover, the White Werewolves.
From the Werewolf Legion, two elite monsters appeared.
They had waited for Lucass strength to wane and deliberately showed themselves on the battlefield a beat later.
This is bad.
Pulling out a magic potion, Lucas quickly gulped it down, clicking his tongue.
Its harder than I thought.
It was, of course, the first ti he used [Divine Descent] in real combat.
He had anticipated so after-effects, but he hadnt imagined his entire body would feel like it was being wrung out.
Muscle pain spread throughout his body, and even after consuming the potion, his drained magic power showed no signs of recovering.
With things like this, he couldnt use [Strike of Will], let alone [Step of Persistence].
...Is there no other way?
As the wolves steadily closed the distance, Lucas sheathed his [Holy Silver Longsword] and drew another sword from his waist.
[Karma Eater].
A weapon that converts affinity points into sword energy.
"Haaa..."
A sigh escaped Lucass lips, bending forward slightly. Steam began to seep out from between his lips.
Between the strands of disheveled blonde hair, his blue eyes shone with a wild light, reminiscent of a beasts, and a faint mist drifted from his back.
Beast Transformation.
Becoming closer to a monster in order to kill a monster.
- Seriously, dont use the beast transformation. Its scary, thinking you might turn into a werewolf.
He suddenly rembered what his lord had once said to him out of concern.
A bitter smile flickered across Lucass face.
He knew the risks.
But what could he do if it was for the sake of protecting?
Even if it ant stepping halfway into the monsters realm...!
Vroom-
Flas of sword energy began to burn from the blade of [Karma Eater].
Clutching his sword and baring his fangs, Lucas let out a fierce grin.
"Lets start round two, friends."
Boom! Kaboom!
Supportive magic and bombardnt rained down from the walls at the monsters.
As if on cue, the remaining werewolf packs rushed in from all directions.
Kicking off the ground, Lucas charged forward like a wild beast.
Reviews
All reviews (0)