Volume 7 Chapter 4 Part 2 (1/2)
Wilhelm's change was first noticed by Milt, who was crossing blades with him.
”Hey, that weapon is Vakira, right? Since when did it have effects like those?”
She did not expect a reply. But she couldn't help trying to speak with him.
The dark purple aura enveloping Vakira had already turned mostly red.
Milt didn't know what it could mean, but her intuition told her that it wasn't something to fear.
While twisting her body to avoid the incoming thrusts, she parried with a sweep.
Her hands gripped her subweapons, fit to fight in such a narrow environment: the Mythology-grade twin blades Mirbal.
In the dim darkness of the room, Vakiraand Mirbal clashed and generated sparks.
”It's been a long time since I last felt such a burning hot blade. I see, you're resisting, aren't you.”
His burning willpower was transmitted through the blade. His spear technique grew sharper with every blow.
That was not something a controlled puppet could accomplish; it was the expression of a powerful self-consciousness.
Fighting, nothing more, nothing lessMilt, who fought to the death for no other goal than the fight itself, could feel it.
”Hey, tell me your name.”
””
Vakira, once again aimed to pierce Miltstopped in mid thrust.
The violet aura enveloping Vakirawas now no more; a red aura had burned to cinders not only the weapon's aura, but also the one surrounding Wilhelm.
”WilhelmAvis.”
In stark contrast with the searing hot aura, the answer came from a rather calm voice.
Wilhelm's eyes, hollow and staring into nothingness just moments ago, now hosted a clear willpower.
”Shht”
With a faint whisper, Wilhelm swung Vakira so as not to hit Milt.
This strike dispelled the remaining aura, which dissipated in midair.
”Maybe I didn't even need to face you?”
”No, I have to thank you. Sorry to end this halfway, but there's something I have to do first. If you want to continue, let's do it another time.”
While answering Milt's question, Wilhelm readied Vakira into a stance.
”I'll be glad to, if we have the chance..what?”
Milt had but an instant to savor the antic.i.p.ation for another battle. It felt as if a question mark appeared above her head.
The reason was that Wilhelm's stance was not in preparation for thrusting, but for throwing his spear.
”You will pay”
The instant his stance was completed, a sharp glint sparked in Wilhelm's eyes.
The placid atmosphere of moments ago vanished into thin air, subst.i.tuted by an eruption of rage.
It was intense enough for Milt to feel gooseb.u.mps.
Wilhelm's eyes were directed beyond Milt, towards s.h.i.+n and the others.
”for s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g with me!!!”
”Waah!! s.h.i.+n, dodge!!”
Milt caught on what Wilhelm was trying to do and immediately shouted.
At the same time as Milt's warning, Wilhelm's hand blurred and Vakira flew through the air, leaving afterimages trailing in its wake.
As if answering its wielder's will, Vakiracharged forward towards its target, without the slightest bend in its course.
”Gwoooohhh!!!”
Vakirahad turned into a black flash, piercing Adara, who had been locking swords with Schnee; he was blown away.
Vakira stood straight through his stomach, its red glow burning brighter and brighter.
”What the h.e.l.l!? My strength's leaving me!”
Possibly because he had been taken by surprise, Adara's face was a mask of pain, as he tried to pull Vakiraout.
”Ggh, d.a.m.nit!!”
The pain coming from the hand grabbing Vakiracontorted Adara's expression even more.
Milt's eyes and ears felt the sound of the red aura eroding Adara's hand, a sound as if something was burning.
”Transforming my spear was a big mistake.”
After throwing Vakira, Wilhelm walked closer to s.h.i.+n and the others.
At the same time Vakira glowed even brighter, enveloping Wilhelm's body with a crimson aura.
”Ggh, gwaaahhhh!!”
Adara understood that wasting more time would be dangerous and forcefully extracted Vakirafrom his body, attempting to destroy it with his blades still floating in midair.
But before he could, Wilhelm said just one word.
”Return.”
”What!?”
That very instant, Vakiravanished from midair, as if made of mist. The next instant, it was safely in Wilhelm's hands.
Thanks to Adara being blown away, Schnee could rescue Hermie.
Holding his hands over Hermie's collar, s.h.i.+n inquired to Wilhelm.
”Wait a second now, I don't remember ever adding a function like that?”
”That blonde guy there had the brilliant idea of messing with it. Now he knows how brilliant of an idea that was though.”
Wilhelm answered s.h.i.+n while readying Vakirain a stance again.
s.h.i.+n had already seen through that the weapon that stabbed Adara was Vakira. His surprise was due to the fact that instantly returning to the wielder's hands via vocal command was an ability that Beinotgained only through an event.
”So that's why it became Vakiraanyway, being able to use both abilities is pretty close to cheating, I say.”
Other than its own basic abilities,Beinotalso had increased damage against demons and undead. But it wasn't a significant increase.
On the other hand, Vakiracould absorb miasma to raise the user's stats. It was a weapon effective specifically towards miasma, so the increase was much higher than Beinot.
Vakirawas wrapped in miasma, but did not generate it. It only looked like it did, as it kept gathering nearby miasma.
Its ominous appearance and the fact that it requires miasma when forging it made its abilities not known; even some players would have the wrong idea about it.
It was clear to anybody that its abilities were best used with demons as opponents.
Demons, essentially a ma.s.s of miasma, were nothing more than easy prey for Vakira.
”Oh my, you look quite pathetic now.”
Scoruas spoke to the collapsed Adara. While he himself was unharmed, he had just witnessed an attack that blew his comrade away. Nevertheless, he had not lost his composure.
”What else could I have done? It was all timing. But hey, they're taking off your collar too, see?”
The tone of Adara's answer did not show signs of pain either, despite the wound he had just suffered.
”You're still pretty d.a.m.n confident, huh?”
”Oh, rest a.s.sured that I'm surprised. I went and turned it to the negative side, but I see it's totally on ”this” side, huh? The weapons humans make are always so interesting!”
Adara's stomach already lacked any trace of damage. Being a high-cla.s.s demon, his recovery speed was also off the charts.
”And now they got our hostagesacrifice too. They know of this place too. Guess it's time to end this, huh?”
”That's true. With all the people present here, we can make some very good soil.”
Adara proposed abandoning the cave in a casual tone, and Scoruas approved just as nonchalantly, apparently without giving it serious thought.
”Hey, s.h.i.+n. ”All the people present here”, he said.”
”Well, if they enter their complete form, we'll end up buried alive deep underground. They'll grow to considerable size so they won't die, but normally we'd be either crushed to death or suffocate, I guess.”
s.h.i.+n answered Filma's words and entrusted Hermie to Konig, who had come after defeating the guard.
Tiera, who had defeated the other guard, and Milt too were in a battle-ready stance.
They did not know the actual depth of their position, but it was surely deep enough that the 10-20 mels within the scope of a upper-cla.s.s chosen one's abilities wouldn't be enough.
s.h.i.+n never had the chance to try nor did he ever think to, but if they were buried under great quant.i.ties of soil, he was not sure he could survive.
There were skills to dive underground, but they were earth-type skills that only allowed digging 1 or 2 mels; it would have been nothing more than a gamble.
”Oh my, you saw through us already. We are roughly 100 mels underground, after all. Not even a chosen one couldgh!! I do not mind you resisting, but you should listen when someone speaks!”
Wilhelm's strike interrupted Scoruas' speech.
”I couldn't care less. Just looking at your faces makes me want to throw up.”
Scoruas had parried Vakira's thrust with his left arm, but Wilhelm continued to attack without giving him pause.
”s.h.i.+n!! You can cut them down like nothing, can't you!?”
”I'd prefer to give priority to healing Lady Hermie, though. This collar is much more dangerous than the one I saw before. I couldn't destroy it right away, so I have no idea how it's affecting her spiritually.”
s.h.i.+n did not mean to waste time talking either. The eerie miasma coming from Hermie's collar emanated much higher danger than the one he removed at the church.
At the church it only took him an instant to remove it, but now it was taking considerable time.
Even if temporarily, he had turned his back on the enemy. But between s.h.i.+n and the demons stood Filma and s.h.i.+baid, ready to battle and not leaving a single opening.
”What? All the more reason to finish off these b.a.s.t.a.r.ds and focus on the healing!”
After hearing s.h.i.+n's words Wilhelm spat out words seething with rage. As if agreeing with him, Vakiraburned brighter.
”Yeah, I just needed time to destroy Lady Hermie's collar. We don't need to listen to them anymore.”