As I tore my gaze away from the ssage of the useless deity and focused ahead, a giant made of fire raised its hand.
“Alsetin!”
“Information Dealer!”
“Understood!”
Just as I shouted Alsetin’s na, he pulled back his bowstring.
The arrow he launched had the Eternal Winter gemstone as its tip.
That gemstone normally spread the chill it contained, but in the face of extre flas, it exhibited entirely different effects.
When the barrier that kept the cold from escaping shattered, the gemstone would explode!
As the gemstone detonated, ice ford over the giant made of fire. In the ga, a single explosion would have caused the fiery giant to vanish, but what about now?
As I waited with the holy energy wrapped around my shield, the ice that had halted the giant began to lt.
So it is happening like this?!
I raised my shield and examined the giant.
The gemstone had clearly dealt significant damage to it.
I could tell by the noticeably reduced flas.
At this level...
I should be able to block it now.
I concentrated the holy energy on my shield.
The light gathered in the center, spreading out to form a new shield in front of my own.
This was the reward for the grueling week of training with the old man after entering the nesteil Dungeon.
A defensive technique that didn’t even exist in the ga.
Boom!
As the giant’s fist struck the shield, I put more strength into my legs.
My arms trembled uncontrollably.
Blood oozed from my tightly clenched lips.
Every muscle in my body scread in agony.
My feet gradually slid backward, leaving debris of stone on the ground.
Cracks began to appear in the holy barrier that was blocking the front of the shield.
However, the first to vanish was the fire giant itself.
The once ferociously burning giant dissipated as quickly as it had appeared.
I had successfully blocked its attack.
As the holy energy that had remained in front of my shield scattered, I felt my strength leaving , and I stumbled back.
Haaah. This is really exhausting. I’m glad I learned a new technique from the old man.
If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have even dared to block that.
“Turns out you’re not all talk, you arrogant little brat.”
As I cald my heavy breathing, I heard a voice coming from afar and forced myself to look up.
Karia stood atop the altar, gazing down at as if judging my worth.
Isn’t this a bit too much?
When the pattern of the fire giant ends, it should enter a groggy state.
Has that weakness vanished because of its enhancent?
Ha. Damn it. If this kind of content exists, why didn’t they throw it at while I was still in the ga? Why is it causing chaos now that it’s reality?
Having restored her health using Armadi’s power, I forced myself to rise.
If I lay here foolishly, I’d soon find my neck and body bidding farewell to each other.
Before long, Karia’s new form vanished again.
We weren’t given a mont to rest.
Karia continually attempted to engage in close combat.
The fact that my provocations had limited her target to was the only silver lining.
If it weren’t for that, both Alsetin and I would have likely crumbled under the consecutive ambushes without even realizing who Karia was aiming for.
Listening intently to the sound of the looming threat, I focused on keeping up with Karia.
I did my best to catch any signs of her movents.
Upon hearing the old man’s voice, I pulled out the potion I had prepared from my inventory.
Purifying Holy Water. Its effect is to block negative effects from approaching.
This would be effective even against the poison Karia had used.
“How interesting. How did you know this?”
Just as I felt a sense of relief, I heard a voice behind , but I didn’t turn my head.
The barrier didn’t signal danger.
I could hear Karl catching Karia’s dagger behind .
Monts like these demanded my full focus.
Dozens of daggers made of fire shot from afar.
Alsetin ripped apart a scroll of storms, scattering them.
Karia’s flurry of strikes penetrated through the storm.
As I received the blows with my shield, I heard Karl and Alsetin joining forces to launch a counterattack, but Karia vanished in the blink of an eye.
Attacks.
Attacks.
Another attack followed.
This wasn’t a battle.
It was Karia’s hunting ga.
She was toying with us, gradually tightening the leash around us like prey.
In a way, I should be grateful.
If she had truly intended to kill us, we would have been shattered long ago.
Then, when I checked the ti, I realized only a minute had passed.
In this ridiculous situation, a laugh escaped .
I’m growing to resent that useless deity.
As I endured another minute, Karia’s movents began to feel familiar.
Even though it was still impossible to keep up with her when she chose to dash, the small signs of her movents beca distinguishable.
With the current strength I possessed, I could see it.
I gripped a dagger in my right hand and eyed the enemy.
She was attempting a close-range attack.
I waited with the holy energy surrounding .
With a dagger in my left hand, I concealed my right behind .
Dagger throw.
I instructed Alsetin to take out the scroll in advance.
A fist clenched tightly without a dagger.
A close-range pattern that would erupt in flas.
I ordered Karl to push forward so that magic could not be used against her.
In the end, Karia had beco much stronger than I knew, but she was still rely a boss of this place.
A puppet controlled by the Evil God.
A doll that had no judgnt of its own and couldn’t possess one.
Therefore, her movents must also be limited.
Just as they had been in the ga.
I hadn’t anticipated that the research I had conducted on capturing her barehanded would beco useful now.
As I smiled at the fact that all those hours of effort were being rewarded, I steadied my shield.
I was getting quicker at responding to Karia’s movents.
The speed at which I gave commands increased as well.
So did the speed at which Karl and Alsetin reacted.
As a result, within the tension that felt like walking on thin ice, a small sense of composure and trust began to take root.
The fact that a single mistake would bring great danger remained unchanged.
The fact that we were still at a disadvantage was the sa.
We still hadn’t inflicted a single wound on Karia.
But it didn’t matter at all.
Our goal wasn’t victory, but delay.
[Preparation ti has ended.]
[Using the Dungeon Escape Ticket.]
As the ssage appeared before my eyes, a circle of light ford around us.
The light etched with the holy energy of the useless deity was different from an ordinary magic circle, causing a hollow laugh to escape .
Is this how you want to show that you helped ?!
“Armadi?”
Look! Now that I’m teabagging, she’s getting angry!
In any case, since I’ll be going outside, it doesn’t matter, but when that person glares at seriously, my skin tingles!
Hey! Don’t hesitate, just get out of here!
I don’t want to be near her anymore!
[Escaping from the dungeon... #%#%#%#@@#]
...Huh? What’s going on?
Are you ssing with ?
Why are the strings breaking, as if there’s a sudden error?
Useless deity?
Now’s not the ti to play around just because you’re sulking! The mont of your apostle’s life is at stake!
Hurry!...
[Aghra is watching you.]
Ah.
So it’s you?
Haa. No wonder you’ve been so quiet during the dungeon raid.
You were waiting for the perfect mont, weren’t you?
Little brat. Still, it’s typical of an Evil God to show up at the worst timing.
...Is this it?
If I can’t escape the dungeon, I’ll have to face Karia.
But right now, we can’t defeat Karia.
We’re managing to hold on for now, but it’s only a matter of ti before we crumble.
Am I really going to die like this?
So easily?
The realization hit , and I found myself staring blankly at the ssage window as the strings began to glitch again.
[Aghra #%#%#%]
[Reusing the Dungeon Escape Ticket #@#!#%#)#@]
[Aghra #@#$$!]
[Reusing the Dungeon Escape Ticket #!#!#@#]
I could tell from the ssages appearing and disappearing repeatedly.
The useless deity was bickering with the petty Evil God over who had control.
Seriously, whether it’s the useless deity or the petty Evil God, they’re all perverted bastards.
Pretty people end up in trouble like this, huh?
When they have no thoughts of their own, others start obsessing over them.
I chuckled softly and steadied my shield.
Hope hasn’t vanished.
That’s enough.
That’ll do.
I might not be pleased that our useless deity is our last hope, but what can I do?
I have to trust.
I steadied my shield.
I drew the holy energy within .
After taking a deep breath.
I spoke.
“Pathetic fools♡ Hold on♡”
As soon as I said that, Karl let out a hearty laugh.
“Understood. Let’s do our best.”
Alsetin sighed.
“If that’s the way to survive, then we have to.”
While we were getting ready, Karia was staring blankly at the ceiling.
What was she doing?
This wasn’t a pattern I recognized; it was sothing new.
I hoped it was a glitch caused by the battle between the deity and the Evil God.
Then I could take advantage of it.
Of course, that hope was in vain.
As Karia lowered her head, she glared at us.
The emotional expression that had been there just a mont ago vanished from her eyes, turning them expressionless.
The mont I faced those chanical-like eyes, fear coursed down my spine.
Emotions flickered in and out.
The emotion of fear was etched in my mind, leaving traces that couldn’t be erased no matter how hard I tried.
Goosebumps rose on my skin.
My teeth trembled.
My muscles stiffened.
Just as I struggled to move my frozen head, Karia’s new form disappeared.
Clang!
I heard a sound like sothing hitting glass, and only then could I see Karia’s dagger approaching .
The Guardian’s Brooch.
That item I had received as a reward during the last field trip saved my life.
What?
The barrier didn’t respond.
No, I didn’t even have ti to move the shield.
If it hadn’t been for the Guardian’s Brooch, I would have had to watch my body with my head severed.
The mont I realized that, fear surged through like a dam bursting...
“Protect!”
Clang!
A woman’s voice rang in my ears, and imdiately after, a loud sound echoed as if sothing was hitting glass again.
As I tore my gaze away from Karia’s scornful face and turned my head slightly to the side, I saw the face of a bewildered fox that had taken on a human form.
“You have no sense of aesthetics, you foolish child! How dare you try to mar this beautiful face!”
“Shut up.”
While I was having this exchange, Karia swung her dagger with an unseeable speed, while the bewildered fox continuously moved her fingers, persistently performing so kind of action.
So did I.
So did Alsetin.
So did Karl.
In the midst of this awe-inspiring battle where we could do nothing but stare blankly, a new ssage window appeared before .
It was a ssage window that had no distortion, one I often saw.
[Using the Dungeon Escape Ticket.]
The holy energy of Armadi enveloped us.
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