The operation to deceive the opponent failed, and the trick was easily seen through.
“What? Are they trying to manipulate me from a distance again? But that shouldn’t work on them.”
“Guh, is it that guy from before? I told you this is useless!”
Unlike before, Lucy was struggling to move her stiffened lower body. Veronica’s aura, clad around her wings, was being poured into Lauren’s hands. So, she was the one giving her power.
“D-damn it! Such a cheap trick!”
An aura of magic power burst from Lucy’s body. It was as if she was desperately trying to push back the power of the opponent who was binding her. In that case, I had only one course of action to take right now.
I gripped my sword and charged straight at the enemy. I’ll end this now!
“More stalling, that’s all you guys can do to win, isn’t it!”
She forced her stiffened lower body to move and charged towards me. Her free arm stretched out. Even bound, she had plenty of speed. Our reach was equal, but hers seemed longer. I couldn’t be overwhelmed by her ferocity. I had to imagine that my sword could cut people just as well. This sword is not a toy.
The battle would be decided in an instant. I would feel it without blinking. Their movements, the sound of their stomping feet, the sensation of iron claws cutting through the wind. The opponent wasn’t moving on the right side, so the attack would come from the left. I switched my sword to my left hand.
I inserted the blade between the two claws coming from the diagonal and pushed to the left. The opponent’s arm was inevitably pulled towards their immobile right hand. This sealed their counterattack. I then moved behind her. I heard Lucy gasp. I couldn’t afford to hold back now; this was a battle.
I thrust my sword into the opponent’s back.
“Guaaaaaah!!”
A jolt of electricity surged through Lucy’s body, causing her to convulse. When I pulled out the blade, she collapsed forward with a thud. I could hear her ragged breaths.
“Haa, haa, haa, G-g-g…”
She tried to stand up somehow. What incredible determination. But Veronica’s kick wouldn’t allow it. Lucy’s weakened body rolled across the ground.
“Gah, ugh…”
“Hey kid, is that it?”
“Damn you, if only… if only I wasn’t under orders… I’d kill you…!”
Veronica grabbed the downed Lucy and pulled her up, then threw her forward as if to show her to the other companions.
“Ugh! Just you wait, you damn hag.”
“Let me tell you something, kid. Everyone gets old.”
With that, she sat down under a nearby tree and lit a cigarette.
“You’ve gotten quite strong, brat. Go on, I’ll catch up later.”
“Yeah, thanks. You too, Lauren. Piyo must have used quite a bit of magic too. The enemy is also shaken, we’ll push them with this momentum.”
“Y-yes, good luck. I’ll be here.”
Piyo also headed towards Pauline after a short rest. Phew, it was tough, but we had managed to break down another of the enemy’s castle walls. What should we do next? Should we just go straight for the boss?
As I sighed and turned around, a sharp click echoed.
“What was that?! What’s that sound, Philiana?!”
Philiana was holding her hand in the distance. The sword she had been holding lay on the ground nearby. This made the members who were about to rest look up. Her opponent, the Hunter Harpy, should have taken a kick earlier. She seemed to have injured her wings from the impact.
Her opponent was holding a stance with a relaxed expression. It was as if the story of her injured wings was a lie.
“Eh, why? Was she enduring it? But she should have been evenly matched with Philiana.”
Philiana picked up her dropped sword. As she did, the Harpy’s blade swung down. The sound of metal clashing could be heard. The strength was evenly matched… no, the opponent was superior. Philiana couldn’t hold on and was deflected.
Then came a follow-up tackle. The Centaur’s huge body was blown away as if hit by a shockwave.
“What is this? Could she be using magic too?”
“No way, is that man casting reinforcement magic?”
Reinforcement magic?! What did he say? As I shifted my gaze, Nina and Sharin, who were fighting two-on-one, were struggling. Puuchi, the dog-like beastman, seemed full of energy.
“Woof, woof, I’m no match for my master. Easy peasy.”
“Honestly, this is all thanks to Lord Cedric’s power.”
“Hehehe, I know!”
Riana, a Servitaurus mage fighting Elana, also seemed to be at ease. Elana, on the other hand, was struggling. I see, perhaps this is why Cedric is so respected.
