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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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‘It’s already attracting too much attention.’
Indeed, he had grown at an exceptionally fast pace.
They must have thought his future potential was too high and decided to nip him in the bud, even if it meant resorting to slightly underhanded tactics…
‘But this won’t be enough.’
“…He can’t be left alive.”
“I thought you were going to try and recruit the others?”
“Forget it. The bishop wouldn’t be pleased if I brought back the warlock’s former companions.”
It seemed they weren’t even trying to hide their intentions anymore.
“Just… get rid of them.”
“Listen to you, talking as if you’ve already won.”
At that moment, Athena interjected.
“You’re going to die by my hand, you arrogant bastard.”
“Is that so?”
Athena ignored Perseus and asked me, and I responded with a faint smile.
“As you wish.”
Perseus’s face contorted at my answer, and a bright smile spread across Athena’s face.
“…Kill them!”
At Perseus’s shout, the enemies began to move.
The mercenaries from Jutus were the first to charge.
Judging by their equipment and movements, they were all experienced mercenaries, at least mid-level.
The Bone Golem, which I had preemptively buffed, swung its fist at them.
The Bone Golem’s attack was blocked by a white barrier.
‘A high-level spell…’
They weren’t ordinary priests.
Individually, their abilities didn’t reach the high-level.
However…
‘Priests can combine their powers much easier than mages.’
By chanting the same spell together, they could share the burden and complete spells that would normally be impossible for them to cast alone.
Of course, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows.
Because they were doing something that should have been impossible, the power was amplified, but the consumption of divine power increased exponentially.
Therefore…
Crack!
Cracks appeared on the Protection barrier.
No matter how strong the Bone Golem was, and even with my enhancements, it shouldn’t have been able to inflict that much damage to Protection with a single blow.
It meant that the Protection barrier’s defensive power had been significantly reduced.
Still, the fact that they were able to complete the spell with just two priests meant that they were quite talented and devout.
‘Future high-level priests.’
However, they had chosen the wrong opponents.
The two priests staggered from the backlash of the weakened Protection barrier.
“…How?!”
“Now!”
The paladin was caught off guard, but Perseus didn’t hesitate and quickly gave the order.
“Aim for the legs! He won’t be able to regenerate them instantly! The barrier will hold for one more hit!”
Of course, we weren’t just going to stand there and watch.
No. 1, No. 2, and even Cereo.
My undead charged forward, intercepting the approaching mercenaries.
‘There are about fifty of them…’
Most were mid-level mercenaries, with a few who seemed to be high-level.
And they didn’t seem weak either. It was as if they had brought all their elites.
With so many enemies, I had no choice but to leave three Living Armors around me and Annelise for protection.
I used [Swamp Mist] to drain the stamina of the mid-level mercenaries, who lacked mana awakening and therefore had low magic resistance. The priests, who had regained their composure, immediately responded.
They reduced the curse’s effects and blessed their allies.
They were mid-level priests, so they were struggling against me, but then the paladin joined in.
Just as the priests were extraordinary, the paladin was no ordinary knight.
The mercenaries, who had been momentarily intimidated after realizing the mist was a curse, regained their courage at the paladin’s radiant light and charged towards the undead with a roar.
He was definitely stronger than the two priests.
“We, the Goddess Religion, will deal with the warlock! You focus on eliminating those abominations!”
“Thank you!”
Perseus thanked the paladin for his support.
“Surround them!”
“Aim for the joints!”
“Damn it! It’s a Skeleton Knight!”
“That armor… it’s using unholy Aura! Everyone, be careful!”
“An Expert-level undead? He’s only 5th class, but he’s already controlling high-level undead…?”
As expected of experienced mercenaries, they didn’t go down easily.
“Stay calm! Don’t let anyone die! He’s a necromancer!”
They were being extra careful not to let anyone die, even if they were injured.
Fortunately for us, the priests and the paladin were preoccupied with me, so they didn’t have time to heal their injured comrades.
But that didn’t mean the Bone Golem had free reign.
The two mages had finally recovered enough mana.
They began to focus their attacks on the Bone Golem, limiting its movements.
And the two priests, who had finally recovered, were pouring their divine power into the Protection barrier, desperately trying to restore it. If this continued, it would only be a matter of time before they overwhelmed us.
And that wouldn’t be good for us.
I used [Aura of Death] to further enhance the undead, and in response, the paladin unleashed another wave of light, bolstering his allies.
As the situation became unfavorable, Kayla joined the fray.
“Stop this!”
As if waiting for her, Perseus himself blocked her path.
“You’re Kayla, right? The high-ranking Expert?”
He took a stance, ready to strike at any moment.
“Armor and… an artifact, I see. Well-equipped… It’s a shame. How about it? Why don’t you join…”
Despite the urgency of the situation, Perseus tried to persuade Kayla, and seeing an opening, she dashed towards him.
Perseus’s eyes widened in shock.
Clang!
However, the surprise attack was unsuccessful.
Crack!
The necklace Perseus was wearing shattered into dust.
“…Crazy.”
“Magic? Or an artifact?”
It seemed he had a hidden card up his sleeve.
The problem was that his hidden card had been destroyed before the battle even began.
“Captain!”
“I lost track of her movements for a moment? What kind of monster…”
As Perseus barely escaped death, his subordinates immediately flocked to his side.
It seemed the backlash from the artifact’s destruction was no joke, as Kayla stumbled back, clutching her wrist.
A dozen mercenaries surrounded Perseus, and their levels seemed quite high.
‘Experts, at least.’
The mercenaries surrounding Perseus began to pressure Kayla.
“…Don’t let your guard down. Treat her as a high-level monster.”
“Yes, sir! And Captain, you should be more careful. That artifact was expensive.”
The mercenaries quickly spread out and took their positions.
‘A formation?’
As expected of a famous mercenary group, they seemed to have basic tactical training.
The problem was that it seemed more suited for hunting monsters than fighting humans.
Of course, Kayla was stronger than most high-level monsters.
“Go help the others! They need it more!”
As Baldur intervened, Kayla quickly responded.
She didn’t seem fazed at all, despite being surrounded by elite Experts.
Perhaps they felt insulted by her nonchalance.
Perseus frowned and said,
“How arrogant…”
“How foolish.”
“With skills like that, it’s understandable. But it will cost you your life.”
The mercenaries murmured amongst themselves.
However, Kayla responded to their words with actions, not words.
“Here she comes!”
Clang!
It was a swift attack, but unlike before, Perseus reacted.
The Aura surrounding his sword flickered.
He was a mid-level Expert, and judging by the density of his Aura, he had reached that level quite some time ago.
However, his body staggered from the force of blocking her attack.
Kayla immediately aimed for the opening, but his subordinates reacted swiftly.
Clang!
Clang!
One of them couldn’t even withstand a single blow.
However, Kayla couldn’t finish him off.
Clang! Crack!
The other mercenaries were aiming for her back.
They attacked in a seamless rotation, keeping Kayla in check and blocking her attacks.
They staggered and were pushed back every time they blocked her attacks, but they didn’t falter.
“Don’t give up! She’s still human! Her stamina and mana aren’t infinite!”
‘Well…’
They were mistaken.
The longer the battle dragged on, the more advantageous it would be for Kayla.
‘Every time she cuts an enemy with the Sword of Regeneration, her wounds heal, and with the Armor of Vitality activated, her stamina won’t run out easily.’
Moreover, Kayla wasn’t an ordinary high-ranking Expert.
She possessed a Mana Heart, which increased her mana efficiency and capacity compared to other high-ranking Experts.
Therefore, it was impossible for her to run out of stamina before them.
I didn’t need to worry about her anymore.
Crack!
“Damn it! An assassin!”
While Perseus was distracted, Athena broke through the defenses of the mage protecting him.
“Y-You…!”
The mage died without even putting up a fight.
As a mage, he should have had some way to protect himself.
The most common methods were to have a reliable escort or to prepare spells in advance.
Of course, the moment he allowed an assassin to get close, it was already over.
‘He’s probably 4th class.’
That was the only explanation.
Athena wasn’t satisfied with killing just one mage, and she lunged towards the other.
However, his escorts weren’t just going to stand there and watch.
Clang!
Athena ignored the escort’s attack.
It wasn’t Athena who blocked the attack.
“A, a ghost?”
The Specter.
I had assigned it to protect Athena.
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[we back bby]
