103 [2-37] Black muddled forest girl (1/2)

A wind of blood blew through the air as the people took a break after a day's march.

”What are you doing?　Stop!

”Help!

Coxon slashed the people he saw in turn.

The area was beginning to get noisy.

Those who came to see what was going on tried to run away when they saw the slaughtered bodies and Coxsone's figure, but they couldn't escape and were killed.

This area is where all the knights are staying, but even so, they can't deal with Coxsone properly. That's because most of them are not even wearing armor.

Generally speaking, there are few armies that march in full gear.

They may wear light armor to guard against demons, but armor is basically carried on horses or carts and worn on the battlefield.

Adventurers, on the other hand, usually traverse dangerous areas in small groups.

Some of their equipment was designed so that it would not interfere with their activities even if they wore it, and they were relatively lightly armed in the first place, so it was common for them to keep it on while traveling.

And Coxsone felt his hair stand on end like a wave coming from behind him.

--Magic ......!

A knight in a robe was pointing his staff at Coxsone at a distance of ten paces.

Blizzard Arrows!

I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it. He combined his baskets and raised them above his head to protect his head.

A life-freezing rain of ice rained down on Coxon.

His baskets bounced, his armor bounced, his thighs scratched, and spittle rained down. Behind Coxon's run, a path of piercing spines formed.

The sorcerer's face twisted in fear.

”Aah!　A ...... ”Icicle Arrow”!

I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not. I'm not sure what to make of that.

But Coxsone flashed his sword sideways. With a sound like shattering glass, Tsurara's arrow shattered.

And then the next blow.

”Haha. ......

The sorcerer's body was smashed with his staff.

”Oh, what the hell?

Just then, there was a scream from somewhere else.

Just then, another scream came from somewhere else, and there was a glimmer of light in the river.

--It's started.

Coxon cut the carnage and headed toward the river to see what was going on.

The river was brightly lit.

There were a number of supply boats floating in the river, now moored to the riverbank.

The boats were on fire.

They were on fire. Sparks of fire were flying up and illuminating the night sky.

Flitting about on the river were the spirits of little girls dressed in loose robes, pumpkin masks, and holding up canteras.

Jack-o-lanterns. A low-grade spirit system of the undead.

”d*mn it, stop it!

A soldier picks up a stone from the riverbank and throws it at the jack-o'-lantern, but of course the stone slips through the spirit and only ripples vainly on the surface of the river.

”That won't work, you idiot!

The girls breathed into the cantera, and the breath turned into flames like the breath of a dragon, setting the soldiers on fire.

”Hot d*mn!

In desperation, the soldiers jumped into the river.

The jack-o-lanterns spewed fire as they swept along the shore, burning the boats one by one.

”No!　Turn it off!　Turn it off!

Someone shouted.

And there was nothing they could do.

The flames spread like a leap across a string of anchored ships. It looked as if a fiery serpent was lying on its side.

As it should have been, the Transportation Corps soldiers who had received the princess's orders were coming from the rear, jumping onto the ships, and smashing the pots of oil that they had brought as supplies.

They fulfilled their duties and disappeared into the flames. Seeing their noble deaths, Coxon was inspired to do the same.

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.

The magic knight who rushed to the scene cast a spell.

And then the stream of water sickled from the surface of the river. Against gravity, the water flow rose to the sky and formed a huge ball of water in the air.

And when it became large enough, it poured down as a waterfall with several times the volume of water.

The water flow created by water elemental magic can extinguish fire, but it is not real water. Most elemental magic is just an imitation of a phenomenon, an illusion that disappears with it when the magic effect wears off. Just as jack-o'-lanterns now use fire spells to ignite oil and create real flames, it was necessary to devise a spell that would remain after the effect of the spell wore off.

This knight seems to be planning to boost the power of his magic by sucking up water from the river and mixing it with his magic, while wetting the ship to protect it from the flames.

As the ship catches the flowing water, it is extinguished and cannot burn as easily.

With the flames burning this large, anyone would notice. One by one, soldiers came to see the devastation of their precious supplies and began to put out the fire. They began to draw water from the river using their helmets, not to mention their masks, and drape water-soaked cloths over them.

The priest seems to have arrived, and the light of sacred magic flies, and the scattered jack-o-lanterns flutter away.

The fire that had been started was slowly being extinguished.

Water was poured down by magic, and the area that had once been as bright as noon was once again engulfed in the darkness of night.

The piles of goods had burned, but the lower parts of the piles were probably still intact. The surface of the ship was charred, but it appeared to be in a navigable condition.

But Coxsone kept his hands to himself, watching in the darkness, away from the flames.

There was no need to stop the firefighting. Coxon knew that this was a diversion.

It could be destroyed after its role as a diversion was over.

[Performance Deflection: Harness Custom] [Frosted Phalanx].

It was sudden.

The creaking sound of ice was coming faster than a horse.

The river had begun to freeze. The ice was eroding downstream and upstream. Thick spikes protruded from the frozen river like the shells of adamantine turtles.

The fast-moving ice swallowed the convoy in a flash.

The huge ice spikes skewered the ships, sending bits of wood flying.

And so did those who had stepped into the river to put out the fire.

Whoa!

What?

screamed those who had been launched when the spikes sprouted.

As they swooped through the air, they were knocked to the ice spikes, or to the hard stony riverbanks, or to some other unwelcome place, and became motionless.

Water elemental magic is very powerful when propagated through a water field. This is especially true if you've applied [Performance Deflection: Substantive Diversion (Harness Custom)].

Now, the river has turned into a sword mountain where everything is frozen.

The stabbed ship was thrust up and nearly collapsed, frozen in midair and standing still like a bad taste painting of a water disaster.

And yet, the hellish view of the unquenchable fire continues to burn.

Destruction by ice and fire. It was a devastating sight for all to behold.

For what seemed like an eternity, everyone watched, speechless, as the magic was cruel, beautiful, and overwhelming.

And then the spell was broken.

The ice created by the magic disappeared, leaving only the water of the river that had been caught and frozen. Of course, it's impossible to keep lifting the wreckage of the ship with such scant ice.

The spearhead of ice collapsed at once, and the wreckage of the ship was slammed into the surface of the river in a state of ice floe.

The river, which had swallowed up a large number of pieces of wood and material wreckage, sent up a huge splash, flooding even the riverbank.

The ship, still in shape, was already full of holes, and it tilted, spitting foam.

I'm not sure what to do.

「「「「 ohhh ohhh ohhh ohhh!!!」」」」

At the same time as the ice magic dissolved, a battle cry rose from behind the lines.

With bloodshot eyes and shouts, the army charged forward.

They were knights of the Transportation Corps, men with appropriate blunt instruments like hammers, and horses so excited that they blew bubbles.