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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuzio
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The demons didn’t flee, even though their comrade had unilaterally declared his intentions without any discussion.
My chest swelled with a strange, ironic sense of awe at their noble sense of duty.
Right, they wouldn’t turn back from a special mission in the Empire, especially after coming all this way from Itisiel.
As I observed them closing in, their stances firm as if their resolve had been forged long ago, I assessed my own condition, which was still close to its worst.
My limbs were heavy, the magic power I’d forced myself to use showed no signs of recovery, and contrary to my hopes that sleep would improve things, my body was burning with fever.
Still, I couldn’t just stand here and die.
I feigned composure as best I could, gripping my scabbard and observing them.
Five people together could produce one idiot, so it was absurd that there wasn’t a single idiot among these six.
Moreover, their leader had just declared his intention to fight to the death, so they clearly didn’t think they could easily defeat me.
Whether that was due to their own weakness, or the strength of the demon I’d killed, I didn’t know, but it presented an opportunity.
Just one.
Please, let just one of them hesitate.
Praying for that, I reinforced my body with what little magic power I’d recovered and deliberately drew my sword with a flourish.
When surrounded by multiple opponents perceived as stronger, and that opponent makes a sudden move, those trained to act in unison under command will react in one of three ways: the psychopathic killer who remains motionless, awaiting orders; the warrior who shifts their weight forward, ready to charge; and the coward who flinches, their stance momentarily disrupted.
Even the simple act of drawing a sword demands vigilance from those surrounding the opponent, as striking preemptively is always the best strategy.
And if the sword is drawn too quickly to react to, the tension only intensifies.
Fortunately, my prediction proved correct.
A coward flinched at the far left of their formation.
Unfortunately, the rest remained motionless, like psychopathic killers awaiting orders.
But I pushed that worry aside and charged towards the coward.
“Ugh!”
He clearly hesitated, stumbling back as I rushed towards him, his movements visible even in the darkness.
Their leader signaled with a sharp whistle, and they reacted instantly, but I was still faster.
Even with my battered body reinforced with magic power, my charge wouldn’t last, but the fact that they couldn’t even keep up with me in this state was encouraging.
Of course, I couldn’t maintain this state and fight them all, so it wasn’t entirely hopeful!
“Haaap!”
At their leader’s whistle, the coward reacted instinctively, swinging his sword to cleave my head in two, a movement ingrained through countless training sessions.
Demon swordsmanship wasn’t that different from human swordsmanship.
No matter how physically superior they were, their techniques were limited by their humanoid form.
Those who transcended ordinary limitations were a different story, but these guys were regular soldiers because they were weaker than the captain I’d killed, right?
In other words, the moment I parried his blow with a cross-guard, the outcome was already decided.
I deflected his attack, preventing him from retreating, and with a swift flick of my wrist, I sliced through his skull.
It was an attack that would normally only inflict a minor wound, but with my magically reinforced body, it was lethal.
The others might have countered with technique, but the panicked demon had no such luxury.
As he collapsed, his eyes rolled back, the other demons, already aware of the situation, charged almost simultaneously.
The fact that they didn’t even curse as their comrade died before their eyes was chilling.
Not because of their ruthlessness, but because it meant they were skilled enough to fight without being swayed by emotion.
Even at full strength, I would have needed to take out at least two with a surprise attack to avoid a tedious fight.
Facing them in my current state was a nightmare.
Rumble!
Another bolt of lightning struck nearby, illuminating the world, but unfortunately, it wasn’t behind me.
If it had been, at least a few of them would have closed their eyes.
Instead, it only gave us a moment to assess each other.
And that wasn’t good for me.
“He’s injured!”
“Both arms and right leg!”
They assessed my condition with impressive accuracy in that brief flash, shouting out their observations as they pressed their attack.
While I’d been busy trying to assess the surrounding terrain, they had been focused solely on me.
I wanted to curse, but I had no time.
“Press the attack! The captain’s death will not be in vain! We will slay the hero here!”
Damn it.
I’d never claimed to be the hero, yet they’d already decided.
I was exhausted, and their increasing confidence made it all I could do to block and dodge.
Then, one of them, perhaps emboldened by a surge of courage, broke through their coordinated attack.
“Die!”
What was he thinking?
Was he digging his own grave?
I wasn’t so exhausted that I couldn’t dodge his thrust.
I parried his blow, lowered my stance, and decapitated him.
However, their leader’s sword also reached me.
A searing pain shot up my right forearm, jolting me awake as I barely managed to retreat, creating distance once more.
Even I was surprised by my speed, considering my condition.
They gritted their teeth in frustration.
“Damn it, he’s still moving!”
“Don’t engage! Wear him down!”
Their leader remained calm, shouting orders.
I should have taken out their leader first.
My decision to conserve my strength and forgo a surprise attack was a grave mistake.
The wound on my right arm was deep, though thankfully, the tendons were intact.
I wanted to be grateful that my left hand was unharmed, but the increasingly desperate situation made that difficult.
Their leader continued shouting, perhaps to maintain their morale.
“Four of us are enough! He can’t even escape properly in this darkness! Don’t aim for a finishing blow…?”
I glared at him, wishing I could kill with a stare.
I wanted him to shut up.
Then, an arrow sprouted from his neck.
Both he and I were stunned by the sudden, unexpected development.
An arrow?
Out of nowhere?
“Khack! Haack!”
“C-Captain?!”
“An ambush! There’s someone hid…urk!”
No, there wasn’t.
If there had been, I wouldn’t be in this mess.
Before I could even process the situation, another arrow struck another demon squarely in the chest.
The remaining two demons panicked, frozen in place, and two more arrows found their marks, piercing their skulls.
In this absurd situation, where a skilled archer capable of picking off demons in complete darkness had suddenly appeared amidst the downpour, I tightened my grip on my sword, my senses on high alert.
There was no guarantee that the arrows were only targeting demons.
The idea of a psychopath saving the most delicious morsel for last, venturing out in the downpour to hunt their prey, seemed more plausible.
“Eldi!”
Then, shattering all possibilities, a figure I never expected appeared.
“Sis…?”
For a moment, I wondered if I was hallucinating, seeing visions before death.
But the relentless downpour was too real, and the platinum blonde hair, shining even in the darkness, was too vivid to dismiss as a fantasy.
Asirye rushed towards me, her embrace knocking the air from my lungs, but I couldn’t help but smile.
“Haha. How…how did you…?”
“That’s not important right now!”
It was definitely Asirye, skillfully manipulating the spirits to create light and diverting the rain to create a dry space around us as she cupped my face in her hands, examining me.
“Why would you go through a gate you knew nothing about?! Good heavens, your arms and legs are a mess!”
I didn’t know how she knew, but seeing her face filled me with an overwhelming sense of relief.
She helped me sit down beneath the cliff and retrieved herbs and bandages from her pouch, tending to my wounds.
“Who did you fight to end up like this? Are those demons all there are? Is there another pursuit party?”
“No, I don’t think so. I already killed the most dangerous one, and the others seemed hesitant, like they weren’t sure about chasing me.”
The sudden release of tension made the pain from my wounds even more acute, but strangely, I didn’t flinch.
“By the way, Sis, you seem to have a knack for showing up at my life-or-death moments.”
“You’re in no condition to joke!”
She instinctively smacked my shoulder, but I could only laugh.
Thank you, God.
You’re still here, you bastard.
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[Love to be back from my break! New chapter was worth the wait!]
Eldmia should stop doubting God