Chapter 109: A Subtle Crisis
“Dangerous…!”
Using the spell High Accelerator, I narrowly dodged an attack from Subnock’s massive tongue. If I had been even a moment slower, that gigantic appendage would have crushed me.
(This isn’t an attack that can be completely blocked by a magical barrier. I could absorb it with Dark Star, but the size and force of that tongue would have killed me before I could fully draw it in…!)
“Healing!”
I restored my eardrum, which had been ruptured by the roar. The sounds of the world around me returned, banishing the silence that had enveloped me.
“Alright… but this is seriously troublesome…”
I thought I might lose consciousness just from the sheer force of that roar. As expected of the Master of the Demon Realm; I never thought he would be easy to defeat… but he truly is strong.
“GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
“GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
Several Corrupted Beasts unleashed streams of corrosive saliva aimed at me. I defended against the onslaught with an earthen wall. The saliva began to dissolve the wall, but I quickly retaliated with magic.
“Thunderbolt!”
“GYAO!”
The advanced lightning magic erupted, striking down the Corrupted Beasts. However, they quickly rose again, growling menacingly.
“Regular advanced magic won’t deal a fatal blow, huh…”
“GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
“Damn…!”
The Corrupted Beasts launched their tongues and streams of corrosive saliva at me. I activated High Accelerator to evade, then dove into their midst… unleashing Star Eater at point-blank range. The Corrupted Beast was drawn into the Dark Star, vanishing without leaving a single hair behind.
“GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
“GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
But then, a barrage of attacks came from all directions. The Corrupted Beasts didn’t cluster together; instead, they spread out, maintaining their distance while attacking. If they had grouped up, I could have wiped them out in one go… but their scattering made that impossible.
“…They’re trying to corner me in close combat. They want to cut off my escape!”
I gritted my teeth, my expression twisting in frustration. I used Dark Star to absorb the corrosive saliva, but an attack from another direction grazed my arm.
“Ow…!”
Corrosive saliva seeped into my body. In a panic, I used Wind Blade to sever my arm. Accelerating my body, I fled the area and activated my healing magic to treat the injury.
“This is troublesome…”
Severing my arm was a desperate measure. If I hadn’t done that, the corrosive saliva would have traveled through my bloodstream to my heart and brain, and I would have lost my life. As I focused on healing while dodging enemy attacks, my severed arm slowly began to regenerate.
“I was really worried it wouldn’t heal… I was genuinely panicking.”
Regenerating a lost limb is considered a profound technique in healing magic, but I can do it. That’s because both healing injuries and regenerating lost parts can be accomplished through Healing. I learned this in class at the academy… The key issue in restoring lost limbs is the amount of magical power required, and as long as I increase the magical power I dedicate to Healing, I can meet the conditions.
(If I didn’t have Infinite Magic Power, this would have been impossible… If I hadn’t become a court magician, should I have lived as a priest or healer instead?)
As I mused jokingly, my severed arm fully regenerated. I waved it lightly to check for any abnormalities, but everything seemed fine. The damage was gone, but… the fact remained that I was still in a pinch. The Corrupted Beasts were obstructing my focus on Subnock. There were at least twenty of them in this area.
“GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
“…………!”
To make matters worse… Subnock roared again, taking advantage of the situation. Drawing from my earlier experience, I conjured a wall of air, Wind Shield, to block the sonic cannon. This time, I managed to endure without rupturing my eardrum.
“Smoke Screen, Amplify, Wind Manipulation!”
I activated a trio of spells. A thick white smoke enveloped the area, and I controlled it with wind magic to prevent it from being blown away. My vision was completely obscured, but I activated another spell simultaneously, using Life Search to pinpoint the enemies’ locations.
“Accelerate!”
“GYA…!”
Then, I closed the distance and unleashed Star Eater, reducing the number of enemies. I aimed to literally wrap them in smoke and diminish their numbers without revealing my position… but…
“GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
“Just as I thought…!”
As expected, Subnock roared, dispersing the smoke screen. I manipulated the smoke with Wind Manipulation, but the sonic cannon ruthlessly scattered the white mist.
“Even when I try to devise a strategy, they keep breaking through one after another…!”
I unleashed every spell I had, but they countered each one. The sheer size of their bodies and the danger of their corrosive saliva were threats, but their cunning was equally troublesome. In fact, that might be the more significant issue.
(Humans are supposed to triumph over beasts through wisdom and unity, but… if the monsters are outsmarting us in a battle of wits and teamwork, isn’t that unfair?)
I was fighting alone. If only I had a reliable team to fight alongside me, it might have been easier, but there was no one around to support me. Bringing along someone like Daniya would only be a hindrance, so I hadn’t bothered.
“GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
“GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
“GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
“GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
“Ugh… this is seriously annoying…”
I realized the situation was gradually worsening, but I struggled to think of a way out. I needed to devise a strategy to turn the tide, but of course, the enemies weren’t going to wait for me.
“Almacain Sword Dance Technique… ‘Danjou’!”
“…………!”
But then, an unexpected turn of events occurred. A shadow darted through the air, slicing through one of the Corrupted Beasts. The figure wielded a white blade—long and curved, resembling a Japanese sword.
“Well, well, it seems there’s quite a challenge gathered here.”
The figure was well-groomed but wore a gloomy expression. His eyes were obscured by his hair, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.
“Lübesse…?”
The top first-year student of the Department of Knights. The sword saint who despises women. Wilhelm Lübesse stood before me.