Vol 5 Chapter 2.2 (2/2)

Though it was different if one person fought against weak opponents, at least the equipment couldnt be used in the situation where one joined a party.

s.h.i.+n wouldnt use it if the opponent was a divine beast and a strong boss. It was effective simply because the enemies were small fry for s.h.i.+n.

For the time being, Ill go wild with this guy.

Kakura, huh? It seems you had used it when you escaped from Kalkia with the princess, but will everything be alright?

Hibineko asked, after s.h.i.+n materialized Kakura from a card.

Hmm? What do you mean?

s.h.i.+n was puzzled. He didnt understand the point of the question.

That kind of equipment is very rare now. I think the princess may have her eyes on it.

Yeah, its already too late though. I had said I had found it in the ruins but, other than that, I think she was somewhat interested in me.

I thought of it by chance when I heard that both of you had worked together, but as Id expected, she had her eyes on you, huh? Its probably a good idea to have many connections that can collect information for you for the sake of returning to the original world. But you have to use it depending on the other party. Thats something you need to be careful of.

I know. I dont intend to seek a.s.sistance from the royal family, not yet anyway. I dont know what kind of collateral they will demand in return.

Setting Rionnes interest aside, he was already marked as an individual with powerful war potential, so he didnt want to incur any debts.

Shadow checked his watch as he walked up to them.

Sorry to be in the way of your talk, but its about time.

He informed the two that the fight was about to begin. Right at that moment, monster hordes began invading s.h.i.+ns perception range.

Im sorry. Well then, shall we go?

Thats right. Let them clear up the very front first.

The preparations were already complete. Schnee and Guiles magic attacks were the signal for the planned a.s.sault.

Here it comes!

When the incoming monsters were close enough to see without even using Far Sight, s.h.i.+n felt two magic power sources rise behind the military unit. Schnees power had noticeably larger presence, so the smaller one was probably Guiles. Schnees presence was so large that it overshadowed Guiles.

In a short amount of time, their magic power ascended and ran through the air. Guiles magic impacted the front of the monster hordes, while Schnees magic kept rising high in the sky.

The first one to show effect was Guiles magic. From the height about 20 mels in mid-air, fireb.a.l.l.s of approximately 5 mels in diameter poured down like rain. Each fireball crushed several of the goblins. Furthermore, nearby monsters were blown away due to the resulting explosion. The many fireb.a.l.l.s and their explosive aftermaths, poured down constantly. The ones exposed to the attacks were helpless to escape.

What Guile used was the flame technique system magic skillMeteor Fall. It was a highly useful magic that was relatively popular in the flame technique system magic because it caused area damage. There were also many countermeasures for it because it was famous. But, it wasnt a concern when used against low level monsters.

So, here comes the real deal.

As if answering s.h.i.+ns muttering, a jet black cloud appeared in the clear sky. It had strange motion like a recorded video being fast-forwarded.

Then, bolts of blue lightning struck the ground as the cloud began to expand.

!? !!!

The deafening roar, loud enough to drown out the explosive sounds of Meteor Fall, reverberated through the surroundings. The monsters, who seemed somewhat able to react to the fireb.a.l.l.s, were dumbfounded by this and couldnt grasp what was happening. The attacked hordes quickly fell into a state of chaos.

However, their nightmare had just begun. That was only the initial salvo from Schnees large-scale magic skill.

As the afterglow of the initial blue lightning bolts had faded, dozens of additional lightning strikes pierced the monster hordes. The lightning itself started 10 mels above the ground. When it struck the ground, it spread and became snake-like chains of lightning that devoured everything within a radius of 3 mels.

Unlike the explosion of the fireb.a.l.l.s which could be defended against with a s.h.i.+eld, the lightning was impossible to block with simple protective gear. The monsters couldnt evade properly because it was too crowded. They didnt have any choice but to wait for their bodies to be burnt alive.

Blue Judgehuh? In any case, this is again

Schnee seemed to have chosen the magic skill that she was familiar with to deal with the monsters.

Lightning technique system magic skill Blue Judge was a skill which was difficult to fend off, just like light technique system magic skills. In addition, when the enemy wore metal-based protective gear, it had an increased damage effect. This damage included the monsters that had simple equipment, like most goblins and orcs.

s.h.i.+n and his group, who knew the power and the attack range of the magic skill, were unfazed by this display of Schnees power. However, the soldiers who watching this scene at the rear grew pale.

The soldiers gazed in awe as the blue snakes devoured the black waves of monsters. The sight had shocked them beyond their expectations. Even Elgin, the leader of the knight squadron, was shocked by this display.

No one made a sound as they waited for the magic to end. Because the skill itself didnt continue for a long time, it wouldnt take long before the attack stopped.

As the last bolt of lightning struck the ground, the cloud which covered the sky cleared up and the afterglow disappeared.

As the sun came back out, countless craters and the charred remains of what once were monsters became visible.

There were no survivors within the range of effect, too.

Total devastation.

Those were the only words that could describe the result.

There was a different kind of silence coming from the soldiers than during the time the magic skill had been invoked.

Was it awe or fear?

It was unknown how much magic power Schnee used. But judging from the soldiers reaction, it was clear that using large scale magic for anti-guild wars should be avoided unless it was against a large army. That power was tremendous, s.h.i.+n thought.

Wow! Its hard to believe Im the same kind of High Elf.

Shes powerful, but that magic really makes an impact, too.

s.h.i.+n replied to Holly, who was amazed.

However, it was still a tense situation.

Because

After having killed so many, there are still this many left?

Outside of the area of the magic skills effect, the number of monsters still exceeded the number that had been incinerated. They were still heading toward Balmel.

There had been a gap after the first wave, could this possibly be the second wave?

Schnee had killed well over 5000 monsters with her magic. To have reduced their number that much and still leave an equal or more amount of monsters than that, there was only one doc.u.mented event that matched this.

Hibineko-san, isnt this the Large Flood?

It looks like it. I heard the probability of it happening was only about once in every 100 years. I guess this is it.

The Large Flood was a higher version of the Flood which was said to have happened no more than 3 times in Balmels history.

Though the quality of the monster didnt change, it was not unusual for their numbers to reach 10 times more than normal. The conditions for the outbreak were unclear, but when it had happened before, Balmel had been forced to keep fighting for several days, and only were able to pull through because their neighboring countries had provided them with reinforcements.

(Schnee, can you make another shot?)

(No, it appears that I cant use that magic again. Even if I try to invoke it, theres no response.)

As expected, it was not the situation to hold back; s.h.i.+n had wanted her to attack again, but it didnt seem that it was possible.

Then, when s.h.i.+n tried to invoke large-scale magic, his magic power kept flowing out but theres no change in his surroundings.

(What is this? My mana is flowing out, but the magic skill isnt activating.)

He didnt know why, but it had taken time to reuse a large-scale magic during the game as well.

As they charged forward, the surviving monsters trampled over the incinerated remains of their fellow monsters. They were undaunted by the destructive magic that had been unleashed. Unlike normal monsters, the monsters that sp.a.w.ned from the Flood had almost no rationality or emotions. It was as if they were only programmed to attack.

For this reason, they didnt react to the magic exploding in front of them.

It appears that they will keep fighting to the last monster.

Its because they wont withdraw even if they cant win. A Flood is basically a war of extermination.

The monsters would kill until the last one of them was defeated. According to Shadow, that seems to be how the monsters fought in the Flood. As Rionne had said as she wielded her sword earnestly, s.h.i.+n was able to understand that too.

If it doesnt remain one sided, well get our turn soon.

So a power like that wasnt able to make the battle one-sided, right?

Shadow was right, the amount of monsters seen were equal everywhere. To begin with, the magic that Schnee shot almost annihilated the first wave of the monsters, unlike the moments earlier the present state didnt stay one-sided against the monsters. Even if you were to a.s.sess the calculation error, given that only the number that did not remain was from the Second Wave, it was not possible to say that it was very noticeable even if they were to be collectively joined.

Its slightly different from the plan, but Ill lead the monsters towards the front of the first layer of heavy knights. Both of you, please be careful not to lead too many to them, so they dont get overwhelmed.

s.h.i.+n and Shadow nodded at Hollys warning. Hibineko acknowledged her wordlessly by raising his chin while tossing small dried sardines into his mouth. Though it was an item with stats strengthening effect just in case, his had the impression that seemed to say he was probably acting playfully if he was not an upper cla.s.s Chosen One.

Lets go then!

As soon as s.h.i.+n finished commenting, four people kick the earth and began to mobilize. Though they had to match Hollys slower speed, with the aid of their equipment, they were still much faster than riding a horse.

At that speed, they approached the hordes of monsters in a flash. While moving, Holly buffed each party member.

From the start, their offensive, defensive, and even their magic defensive power were thoroughly reinforced. On top of that, their powers were further increased by the additional effect of the reinforcement of their weapons.

Ill attack first!

Of course.

Fumu, your blood rages, huh?

s.h.i.+n, Shadow, and Hibineko as the three vanguards, plunged into the hordes of monsters while smirking.

It was a battle formation with s.h.i.+n at the center, Hibineko on the left, Shadow on the right, and Holly in the back.

Of course, the first one to make a move was s.h.i.+n. WithKakura ready on his shoulder, he stepped on and crushed the ground. By invoking the skill of instantaneous acceleration he moved instantly to the front head of the pack.

Heres a greeting from me!!

While riding the force of the acceleration, s.h.i.+n swung down Kakura. His first victims were a group of orcs.

s.h.i.+n had invoked a weapon skill which included a mallet technique and wind technique combination skill called Amber Wave Strike. This caused a high-density wind to coil around Kakura. He swung it down while aiming at the orcs at the very front. A thick DOOM! sounded, and aided by the compressed wind, a single blow of Kakura crushed the orcs in front and the approaching group behind them. A radial crater appeared in the ground where Kakura struck. Small monsters like goblins vanished from just the shock wave of the blow.

Amber Wave Strike had the effect of strengthening the range and power of the strike of the wind technique; it was an effective skill to suppress the front of a pack.

More fissures in the ground that were about 10 mels wide and 50 mels long formed from the radial crater s.h.i.+n had created. All of the monsters within range had been reduced to nothing more than smears on the ground.

s.h.i.+n lifted Kakurafrom the crater, and took a stance. The wind technique from Amber Wave Strike no longer covered Kakura. The next skill he activated was a mallet technique and flame technique combination skill Scarlet Phoenix Wizard. A crimson light enveloped the surface of Kakurawith the flow of mana. When he waved it horizontally, the flame of the Crimson Lotus projected toward the monsters.

It was a skill with an orthodox effect that was said to increase attack range and bestow flame attribute. The only limitation was that the effect would disappear after the first long distance attack was performed.

Normally, the long range attack was saved till the skill was nearly exhausted. This time, because it was highly effective and there was plenty of time left, s.h.i.+n used the long distance attack immediately.

Following the trajectory of Kakura, a crescent shaped flame was formed. The flame, which rapidly increased in volume as it shot away from s.h.i.+n, charged forward and turned all the monsters in its way to ashes. In front of s.h.i.+n was a 30 mel wide corridor of flames, in which most of the monsters were roasted. Even if the crowd of monsters tried to close the gap, the remaining flames swelled up quickly and exploded. The individual monsters who were near that heat and shock burst open, turning their swords and armor into shrapnel which, pierced the monsters gathered near the explosion.

Here I am!!

s.h.i.+n activated the taunt skill Shura Rushto attract the the monsters attention. Among the provocation skills that attract the monsters attack target to the user, Shura Rush was known for its wide area of effect.

s.h.i.+n prepared Kakuraas he cast a sharp glance toward the incoming monsters.

If he listened closely, he could hear similar explosions from not too far away. It looked like Hibineko and Shadow had commenced battle too.