Chapter 10: Holy Knight vs Saintess, Sword Saint, and Mage III
The quintuple skill enhancement enveloping her provided a defense that boasted the strongest protection in the world at this very moment.
However, while Ashley deftly fended off the Sword Saint’s fierce attacks and the Mage’s powerful spells, an inexplicable anxiety gnawed at her due to the Saintess’s lack of movement.
This anxiety stemmed from fear—if that was the case, was she truly afraid of them?
In the midst of the rapidly shifting battlefield, Ashley found herself questioning her own feelings.
“Perhaps I do feel fear towards you all.”
The softly murmured words went unheard by anyone, but having voiced them allowed her to declare,
“—But it doesn’t matter. I will crush that fear along with you.”
In that extreme situation, Ashley completely disciplined herself.
It was a matter of five minutes until the effect of Fools Don’t Watch the Clock (Wise Clockwise) would wear off.
To ensure the success of her plan, Ashley needed to hold out and gather her strength until there were only about two minutes left. And that moment was drawing near.
“Seven Swirling Piercing Water Spears (Aqua Forces)!”
Angelica’s powerful voice resonated through the air. The formal name was Aqua Seven Spiral Spears—one of the trump cards possessed by Mage Angelica.
Seven twisted water spears floated in the air. With a thunderous roar reminiscent of a motor, they spun rapidly—then all at once, they were launched like missiles.
The deadly seven water spears—Ashley effortlessly deflected them upward with a swing of her shield—adding centrifugal force to the momentum of the shield—she then slammed it into the Sword Saint, who had charged in amidst the chaos of the water spear launch—sending the Sword Saint flying far behind her—just as Angelica unleashed her next spell without hesitation—”Serpent Chains (Chain Bind)“—the metallic chains infused with mana slithered toward Ashley with a grating sound, like a serpent ready to strike—yet her enhanced eyesight caught the high-speed chains—she immediately grasped them and yanked the Mage, who was holding one end of the chains, upward, sending her crashing away with a blow from her shield.
“Phew.”
In the dizzying exchange of offense and defense, Ashley let out a breath. Although the situation remained precarious, she felt a sense of accomplishment. The Mage lay still on the ground. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t frustrated with the complacency displayed by Angelica and the others in this dire moment. But if that was the case, she would simply defeat them while they were careless.
The Sword Saint Eris, having regained her footing, lunged at Ashley without a moment’s pause. Ashley defended against her flurry of strikes with her shield while guiding her into the desired trajectory.
Though only a few minutes had passed, it felt like an agonizing eternity for Ashley.
Just as she had maneuvered the Sword Saint into the target point, the effect of Fools Don’t Watch the Clock (Wise Clockwise) reached its final two minutes.
As a Holy Knight, Ashley wielded both the Sword of Banishment and the Holy Shield, both of legendary quality. Yet, in her battle against the three, she had hardly used her sword at all. She had dedicated most of her resources to defense. This was due to the nature of her most powerful skill.
She had successfully lured the Sword Saint to the intended point. It was the only checkmate she could derive from an impossible situation.
With a force that belied her earlier fall, Eris raised her blade to slash through the gaps in Ashley’s holy armor—aiming directly at the Saintess Mika who stood in line with her.
“Ashes to Ashes (Ash to Ash)!!”
Ashley activated her skill and swung down the Sword of Banishment with a fierce shout. Her strongest and most powerful strike engulfed both the Sword Saint and the Saintess in a brilliant light.
Ashley was now completely drained. The effect of Fools Don’t Watch the Clock (Wise Clockwise) would dissipate in less than a minute.
Her ultimate skill, Ashes to Ashes (Ash to Ash)—capable of defeating multiple hero-class opponents in a single blow—had the ability to unleash a strike with double the power of the attacks received from her opponents from the start of the battle until activation.
Facing three hero-class opponents was truly a nightmarish battle. The Mage had mentioned that the Hero had instructed them to hold back. Without that, she might have lost before activating her skill. The thought of what might have happened if they hadn’t been careless sent a chill down her spine.
“I-I can’t move anymore.”
Her body felt as heavy as lead, and the thought of what she still had to do filled Ashley with dread. She needed to strip the three of their equipment, bind them, neutralize them, and signal for rescue to take them back to the mansion. Even after the battle ended, it was clear that a lot of work lay ahead. Ah, once things settled down, she wanted to take a bath and relax.
If Ichiro Yamada from Earth were here, he might have exclaimed, “That’s a flag!”
But it was already too late.
From the gap where the flames had cleared, a luxurious Sister’s robe emerged.
“You destroyed my barrier and pierced through my Sanctuary Garb (Sanctus Choir) to deal direct damage to me. Truly, you are the Holy Knight Ashley Noble.”
Though she bore some visible wounds, the Saintess was completely unharmed. She dusted off her Sister’s robe with her hands.
“Just as expected from the one who devours great beasts, Ashley.”
That was a title Ashley had held before becoming a Holy Knight. The fact that her exploits and title were known meant that, even without understanding the details of her skills, they had made some predictions.
“I won’t lose.”
Ashley could only utter those words. She could hardly lift her already heavy shield any longer.
“Healing Magic (Heal).”
As the Saintess spoke, the Sword Saint and the Mage, who lay incapacitated, began to awaken slowly, completely unharmed.
“Ha, ha.”
Ashley had underestimated the Saintess. The barrier she had erected was far too robust. How much mana must one pour in to create such a formidable barrier? Even after finally breaking through the Saintess’s barrier, she would still have to penetrate the automatic barrier provided by her ever-present Sanctuary Garb (Sanctus Choir).
The issues were not just the barriers and equipment. Who would believe that two individuals, rendered completely incapacitated by such a barrage of attacks, could suddenly awaken and be fully healed?
Fear. Despair. Regret. Resignation. All of these emotions swirled within Ashley.
“But I—”
She refused to acknowledge it. What drove her forward was the image of the smiling faces of those she cared for.
Her body was already battered and broken. If she used her skills in succession, she likely wouldn’t survive to return.
But—
“All Reinforce Plus!”
Ashley heard the sound of her muscles tearing from her own body.
“Again? The outcome is already clear, isn’t it?”
The Saintess Mika called out to her. Ignoring her, Ashley pressed on.
“Guardian’s Guard!”
Ashley’s heart raced at an abnormal speed.
“Angel! Eris! Stop her!”
Even while coughing up blood, the sight of the Holy Knight layering her skills, sacrificing her life force, instilled an unknown fear in Saintess Mika that threatened to shake her very core.
Eris, having risen, was still a considerable distance from Ashley. Sensing this, Mage Angelica lightly gestured and declared, “Release!”
The water spears embedded in the ceiling were dispelled, and a torrent of water cascaded down upon Ashley, attempting to crush her. Yet, even that she endured, and she continued.
“Shield is Mine!”
Ashley realized she was stepping into a realm from which she could not return.
Angelica poured her mana into a simplified incantation.
“Over Agony!”
An overwhelming pain seared through her brain.
At this point, Ashley had reached her second quadruple skill activation of the day. With vacant eyes, she was about to use her final enhancement skill when—
“Electricker!”
Before Ashley could activate her last enhancement skill, Angelica’s magic was unleashed.
The moment the spell “Water Spear” was released, a massive torrent of water cascaded down, threatening to crush Ashley beneath its weight. This water was infused with Angelica’s Mana, serving as a marker for the attack of “Purple Lightning.” Sparks shot forth at a speed that the eye could barely follow, hurtling straight toward Ashley.
“Graaaahhh—!”
A discharge phenomenon erupted. The sound of crackling electricity filled the air, accompanied by a blinding light that made it nearly impossible to keep one’s eyes open. Eventually, as the three of us managed to open our eyes, we found the Holy Knight standing firm, smoke billowing from his body, yet he was resolutely grounded on both feet.
“Huh!”
It was Mage Angelica who gasped in fear at the sight.
“I can’t lose… I must not lose!”
Those words spilled from him like blood, and the Sword Saint shook his head several times at the sight of the Mage.
“I can’t lose—”
With a thud, Holy Knight Ashley Noble finally collapsed before the usurpers.
○○○
“So, Row,” Anon called my name.
“I spoke with the Holy Knight and the Hero Party.”
I never imagined that our failure in the Labyrinth would lead to such a conversation.
“I wonder how you plan to move forward from here.”
How would I move forward? That was a question I wanted to know the answer to as well.
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This chapter ends here.
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