Leon, Natalia, and Eve.
The three went outside beyond the barrier for their mission, while the others began a full-on assault from the rear.
“We’re all dead if they fail anyway…! Don’t think about what comes next, give it everything you’ve got!!”
“Clear out the demonic beasts!!! We need to make it easier for the three to get close to the witch!!”
Countless heroes gathered what remained of their strength, launching a barrage of attacks with tears streaming down.
This was the utmost respect they could offer to the noble heroes who willingly sacrificed for them.
Like a volley for their farewell, the attacks shot up into the sky, creating a tremendous sound as they fell upon the dense horde of demonic beasts.
The beasts that had been lined up like a wall crumbled, opening a path for the three to advance.
However, despite the all-out assault, the fierce battle had already drained much of the heroes’ strength, and sadly they could only carve out about two-thirds of the necessary path.
The remaining demonic beasts still stood as a thick wall guarding the witch.
Yet, someone had made the decision to sacrifice their life to break through that wall.
“Astrape 3rd Squad Captain, Natalia Eloise. I will go ahead and clear the path. Please follow me.”
The moment the heroes’ projectiles fell upon the demonic beasts, Natalia was already dashing forward.
She knew that if she hesitated for even a moment, the path opened by the heroes would soon be blocked again by the reappearing beasts.
Moreover, she was certain that her daughter Marin was among those who just fired their own projectiles.
She wouldn’t let her daughter’s and everyone else’s efforts go to waste.
Muttering this in her mind, Natalia stepped into the territory of the miasma released by the witch.
Pachit—
Simultaneously, light began to crackle and burst around her like fireworks.
‘Ugh, I won’t last long like this… But, this is all I can do…’
The protective spells that Sylvia had cast around them, even while spitting blood, were holding back the miasma’s encroachment.
However, like potassium in water, the starlight began to react violently to the miasma.
Pazut—
True to Sylvia’s words, it couldn’t last long and soon began to be engulfed by the darkness of the miasma.
“…It’s really happening.”
Upon seeing this, Natalia smirked slightly, but it wasn’t due to disappointment over the spell not lasting longer.
She knew how hard Sylvia had worked today, how sincerely she had done her best for them.
The smirk came from the moment when the miasma touched her body, realizing, ‘Ah, I really won’t last much longer.’
“I won’t hold out for long…”
The miasma emitted by the Witch of Gluttony was intense.
Even top-tier hero Natalia sensed she wouldn’t be able to resist for long.
Her body, which was already starting to turn black, was telling her that.
Fear, despair, the terror of imminent death as it loomed close.
But still—
“Even so—”
The darkness that even devoured starlight couldn’t snatch away Natalia’s light.
That light was far more precious to her than her own life.
It was the light she set out to protect.
She had long left behind fear and tears at her daughter’s side.
“Did you really think this would stop me?”
As determination surged in Natalia’s eyes, droplets of water began to gather around her.
The amount that collected measured about the size of a large tank.
In perfect conditions, she could create a tsunami from nothing on the plain, but she was well past her prime, and the amount of water she could gather now was at its limit.
But she didn’t care.
In the first place, a water manipulator’s capability isn’t determined by the total amount of water they can handle.
With a chilling expression, Natalia spoke.
“How dare you make my daughter cry.”
As she murmured, the gathered water slowly split, taking on a specific form.
What emerged looked like thin blades made of water.
There were many, but they were merely blades of water.
It was hard to expect cutting power from something merely made of water.
“Unforgivable.”
Wiiing—
As Natalia murmured, buzzing sounds like angry bees started to echo around her.
The source of the sudden sound was the water blades she had created.
The reason for such sounds was the vibrations.
At that moment, a sound of slashing echoed.
It was the sound of demonic beasts being torn apart by the vibrating blades.
Similar to a water jet that can cut diamond by firing water at ultra-high pressure.
Natalia had endowed the fixed water blades with ultra-vibration, creating cutting power that rivaled any legendary sword.
The number of blades created was countless.
Of course, using such a level of ability placed a strain on Natalia, but—
Cough, ugh… I would have never attempted something like this unless I was dying… but here we are…
Having already been consumed by miasma and staring death in the face, the weight on her body didn’t matter.
Rather, she unleashed all the limits she had put up to protect herself.
Even if her brain screamed in agony and all her blood vessels threatened to burst.
She focused solely on creating blades to clear the path in front of her.
As Natalia created her best results in her life, she beamed with pride.
‘This is plenty for magic, right?’ she thought, showcasing it to the rival watching her from behind.
Right after that,
“In battle, I won’t back down either.”
The blades Natalia had created shot towards the front.
-■■■!!!
-■■■■■!!
The storm of blades that could tear through everything swept forward.
The storm charged towards the witch; the horde of beasts that blocked their path was simply crushed into a handful of flesh and blood before the fearsome storm.
Only after mercilessly grinding down all the beasts did the storm come to a halt upon touching the body of the Witch of Gluttony.
The water blades marched determinedly, aiming to strike the witch.
Yet—
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■!
The witch, sounding annoyed, let out a shriek, and in an instant, they lost their form, crumbling away.
This was because the spellcaster, Natalia, had hit her limit.
Cough…
No longer able to maintain her powers, Natalia collapsed and checked her body.
Upon a quick look, almost her entire body had turned black.
It was a natural result, having exhausted herself attacking without resisting the miasma.
Yet, just as her vision blurred in crimson, she captured the last extraordinary feat she had accomplished.
After all, it seemed she had indeed opened a path to face the witch directly.
Had she completed the given mission somehow?
That was a relief, but still, she had hoped to at least nick the witch before her time was up.
However, it was too much to ask.
The witch remained unfazed and unscathed.
Despite her desperate attack that put her life on the line, she didn’t leave as much as a scratch on the witch.
This felt a bit futile to Natalia.
All the training, all the effort.
The blood and sweat she had shed countless times felt meaningless in the face of the witch’s overwhelming power.
Even so, since she had fulfilled the mission of carving a path to the witch, she intended to close her eyes satisfied.
But just then—
“…Ah.”
Natalia couldn’t help but let out a sigh at the sight before her.
Around the witch of gluttony.
She could already see miasma coalescing in the air.
It was a sign that demonic beasts were about to appear.
Why? They had just dealt with them, how could they come back so quickly?
Is it because the miasma concentration is higher near the witch, making the beasts appear more rapidly?
At this rate, in ten seconds, no, in five, the demonic beasts would arise again and block the path.
If that happened, her sacrifice would—
It would all be rendered meaningless…
So, as the last moments of her life approached, Natalia was about to succumb to despair.
She was on the brink of breaking down, thinking everything she had sacrificed might have been for nothing.
But then,
“Thank you for your hard work. You’ve done well.”
A voice rang out.
Natalia turned her head toward where the voice came from.
In her blackening vision, she caught a fleeting glimpse of golden light, like a mirage.
No one was visible at the place the voice had come from, but Natalia found herself smiling instead.
Right, there was no need to despair.
Her sacrifice wasn’t meaningless.
It was just enough time for the owner of the voice to act.
With that thought, Natalia closed her eyes in relief.
The hero she entrusted her back to was the fastest hero in this world.
That was Leon Lionelle, after all.
As the storm passed, clearing the path,
A golden flash raced forth.
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