“The expression’s changed a bit. You used to look like a frozen statue, but now you seem more like a living creature.”
Irina smirked.
As she spat her raw hostility and drew her sword, she mocked me.
“You’re still just a mayfly, anyway.”
With that, she swung her left arm back and drew the bow that was strapped across her back.
The bowstring, tangled with her platinum hair like a spider’s web, resembled the special bow described in the novel.
Its name was probably Rameld’s special bow?
In the original work, it was just a starting weapon that became obsolete halfway through due to performance issues…
“Do you really think you can only take corpses?”
Her confidence was overflowing.
That was only true after I had become strong enough to slice demons with my eyes closed. Right now, it was a more threatening weapon than Belita’s explosive spear.
“You really think you can die? That woman is right next to me.”
Irina grinned as she rested an arrow on the bowstring, implying that with Imelia by my side, dying would be that easy.
…She had a point, so I couldn’t argue back.
“You’re talkative. Is it because you’re getting old?”
If that’s the case, I could only retaliate with insults.
What did Mr. Volter say? When you have no retort, just insult them.
“What?”
“Was your age eighty-one or eighty-two…? Anyway, isn’t it about time your joints stopped working?”
With a sharp jab, I pulled the blade near my cheek and kicked off the ground, dashing toward the enemy.
“Isn’t that right, Grandma Irina?”
Firmly gripping the hilt with both hands, I recalled the sensation of activating my technique that I had practiced countless times.
Fwoosh!
The cold chill surging from my heart spread through my veins, granting immense power to my arms.
“Ha, you’re just like that! A short-lived mayfly!”
Irina stretched the bowstring back and leaped back powerfully. As an elf, her movements were as light and quick as a rabbit.
The arrow that followed was like a bolt of lightning.
Thwack!
The explosive sound that erupted as she released the bowstring showcased the magical effect of Rameld’s special bow, unleashing its engraved powers.
Blast shot!
The arrow grazed the bowstring, splitting into dozens of strands, showering like a rain of needles in a storm.
“Damn…!”
Bracing myself, I stomped my foot to halt and spun, changing direction.
Deflecting Blast shot completely was impossible for me at this point. The momentum was too overwhelming to face head-on with just armor.
Crash!
Sure enough, the ground where I had been standing just a moment ago shattered like it had been tossed in a blender.
The power was enough to pierce through steel plates. If I had blocked it with my body, I would have turned into a human sponge by now.
But hey, I dodged it, so it’s fine. For now—
“Starting with you!”
I pivoted and leaped toward the priestess with the sky-blue hair clasped around her neck.
Imelia. I had to deal with her first. It was a rule to take out the priests before engaging in battle with enemies that included them.
Isn’t it the same in games? You gotta take out the support before you go for the damage dealer. Reality’s the same.
Though, it wasn’t an easy task.
“Hah!”
“My dear Elianel!”
The moment my sword lunged for her head like a spear, she clutched her necklace and emitted a pure white light.
Crack!
A sound like nails being forcefully driven into rock resonated.
“…Tsk.”
The intense backlash coursed through my arm. I grimaced at the power I had just encountered.
“…So you really intended to kill me? Ms. Brunhilde?”
Imelia shot back coldly, glaring at the tip of my black steel sword that had halted right in front of her face.
The holy protective miracle of the Goddess Order, the divine barrier.
The white barrier cracked under the shock but held firm against my sword’s tip, freezing me in place.
“Ha…”
Instead of a reply, I took a deep breath, filling my limbs with vitality as I pulled my sword from the divine barrier.
“It’s sturdy. More than I expected.”
Even the same technique varies in power depending on who uses it.
The barrier cast by Priest Bolton could barely hold up against a White’s strike, while Imelia’s divine barrier was tough enough to withstand even a blow from Kang-Wan.
“Of course. I wasn’t just idling around.”
Imelia, clutching her necklace with her left hand, faced me with her right hand outstretched in response. Her voice had grown colder, with obvious murderous intent.
“Unlike you.”
“You’re going for her first? You think I’m that easy?”
A retaliation came in faster than I could respond.
Five spheres of light appeared above Imelia’s right arm and shot toward me, while a strong presence vibrated behind me, charging at me.
“Roarrrr…!”
With that roar and vibration, I could guess without turning around what it was.
A spirit of earth. An elemental spirit made of rock, capable of serving as a temporary shield.
“Ugh…!”
I ducked low and rolled to dodge the ‘Arrow of Retribution’ shot by Imelia, springing up to widen the distance from the rock spirit.
The spirit’s fist swung as it could just barely graze me. The left arm of the rock monster, resembling a gorilla, smashed into the ground, sending tremors through the earth.
Boom!
Compared to the corpse giant that looked about six or seven meters tall, it seemed a bit less impactful, but that would still easily burst a person’s skull like a watermelon.
“Think you’ve dodged me?”
Just as I raised my body to check on the rock spirit, the ‘Arrow of Retribution’ pierced through the air and redirected toward me.
“This little thing…!”
I dashed to create distance, slashing two of the light spheres with my sword and using the remaining two as shields behind the trees.
The last one I just received with my shoulder.
Thud!
“Oof…!”
The shock slammed into my shoulder as if I’d been hit by a hammer, but it was manageable.
The attack miracles only unleash overwhelming force when facing beings categorized as ‘evil’ by the Goddess.
Under normal circumstances, I could somewhat endure even typical attack miracles.
That divine barrier from earlier, too—if it didn’t break with one blow, I could just hit it again.
“What are you waiting for! Look this way, Brunhilde!”
But the real problem was over here.
Irina, perched high in the trees, unleashed arrows at me like a machine gun.
The arrows, exploding apart like shotguns, were raining down and scattering debris everywhere like a spousal quarrel.
As I dodged this hail of arrows, pure white spheres flew at me once again—meanwhile, the rock spirit guarding Imelia was picking up boulders to throw.
Had it gotten a buff from the enhancement miracle? Its rocky body glowed with a faint white light.
Seems like spirits get buffed, too. How ridiculous. That was impossible in the game.
“What’s up? You seem slower than before! Is your skill a bit rusty?”
“Did you enjoy your little adventure? I hope so.”
Despite pouring out relentless attacks, both women continued to taunt me without missing a beat. I was too busy dodging and swinging my sword to respond.
“Ha, ha…!”
Damn, I can’t stop moving.
Breathing heavily, without landing a single effective hit, I could only keep sprinting and dodging.
If I paused for even a moment, the barrage of light and metal would surely swallow me whole.
I expected to be pushed back, but to not even seize an opportunity to attack was beyond frustrating.
Both women had clearly gotten stronger after training under Gunther. They could confidently declare themselves a part of the Hero’s party anywhere they went.
“Ugh, haaaah!”
No matter how hard I tried to close the distance, each swing aiming for Imelia would get blocked by the rock spirit.
It was possible to split the rock spirit’s body, but that was just wasting stamina.
“Is that all you’ve got?”
“Damn…!”
In the midst of dodging the incoming retaliations from the two women, the rock spirit would rush back in as soon as it was repaired.
But if I went for Irina first…
“Slow, slow! You’re not gonna reach me, are you? Don’t even dream about it!”
Keeping pace with the elf leaping between trees and shooting arrows was impossible for me.
Overusing Kang-Wan would drain my stamina, and sprinting behind it would just widen the distance every time I dodged a Blast shot.
“Stupid long-range freaks…! Fight me head-on!”
One of the women hid behind the regenerating rocks, only shooting homing arrows of retribution, while the other maintained her distance, continuously unleashing precisely aimed arrows.
They say a gentle rain will eventually soak through the fabric.
Fatigue slowly accumulated, and my armor got scuffed, making me feel like I was being hunted down like a wild beast.
“What gives? If you’re so displeased, why don’t you pick up a bow?”
“I’m fighting head-on. You’re the one who can’t pierce through.”
Irina and Imelia laughed mockingly while continuing their onslaught.
Seriously, this is bullshit.
If only I had been a bit faster or stronger, I could have smacked that face of theirs once already.
…Really, just a little bit stronger.
I clenched my teeth until they hurt.
I hadn’t just been idling about while enjoying life, but I regretted being complacent with just knight-level skills.
I should have aimed to become stronger than Brunhilde during my possession, not just find her abilities.
“Ha, damn it.”
This regret was far too late now.
If I wanted to reflect, I should’ve done so long before meeting these two. What could change by regretting it now?
What I needed to do now was not regret, but—
“Yes, fighting like this, I can’t win.”
Resolve.
“I’ve been holding back too much. Here I am, yapping about living or dying.”
Even if it meant taking serious wounds, I was prepared to fight with everything I had.
So long as they had a healer, I should avoid long battles, right? I couldn’t lose stamina like this, or they’d just heal any damage I took.
That thinking was all wrong.
If I faced weaker enemies, that might work, but against clearly superior opponents, there was no way to gain an advantage like that.
Using a passive strategy just meant I’d slowly waste away my strength, leading to certain defeat.
So—
“Alright, from now on… let’s really fight for our lives, you whores of Gunther!”
I roared fiercely, changing directions and charging straight toward the enemy.
No more dodging, just a direct advance.
Dozens of arrows and beams of light targeted me, closing in with the power to break through armor.
“Haaargh!”
Could I block it? Could I evade? I pushed that aside,
Just straight ahead.
The sword swung with a lightness I had never felt before.
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