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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: selkie
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A being revealing sharp teeth right in front of her.
As she recognized who it was, Elisia, who had been relatively at ease until a moment ago, began to be overtaken by deep tension.
A distinct appearance that was hard to forget at a glance…
A beastwoman warrior with red hair and bronze skin.
From this, Elisia realized that the beastwoman in front of her was one of the warriors from the hero party who had succeeded in reaching the Demon King’s castle for the first time.
‘To think I would encounter a member of the hero party in a place like this… Does that mean there are others besides that girl still lingering here?’
Given the circumstances, the likelihood of that being true was quite high since they were comrades.
At that moment, for the first time since she started this mission, Elisia began to feel a shiver run down her spine.
As a member of the Demon King’s elite guard, Elisia possessed the strongest abilities among the demon kin, aside from the Demon King himself.
However, she was well aware that the warriors belonging to the hero party were formidable fighters as well.
In fact, when they had faced off before, the hero had collapsed before the real battle even started, so she hadn’t had a chance to properly engage with them, but their record up to that point had already proven that the warriors of the hero party were anything but ordinary.
Of course, while the hero bore the greatest significance among them, the other warriors were presumed to possess skills comparable to or perhaps even greater than those of the four elite officers of the Demon King’s guard, including her.
And that meant that the strength of the beastwoman warrior right before her was likely on par with her own.
The beastwoman warrior, wearing what looked like a green collar around his neck that she had never seen before, was looking at her with vacant eyes.
Observing this,
Elisia tightened her grip on her weapon and began calculating in her head as quickly as possible.
‘The enemy is a formidable foe who cannot easily guarantee victory… Moreover, it’s highly likely that his comrades are nearby as well. That means… running away is the best option here.’
Having already achieved her purpose for coming here, there was no reason for her to take unnecessary risks.
Furthermore, there was even a hero nearby who had openly declared himself to possess strength on par with the Demon King, regardless of the outcome of their previous battle.
Even if a fight became unavoidable, it would be wise to join forces with him before proceeding.
Just after making that judgment, Elisia tried to conceal herself in the shadows and escape the area.
However…
“I won’t let you go that easily!”
“!?”
In the next moment, a sudden bright light began to shine behind her.
Simultaneously, the magic that had been blending with the shadows was nullified, and a deep sense of confusion started to wash over Elisia’s face.
‘To forcefully cancel my magic… Could it be that another member of the hero party has arrived?’
Elisia turned her gaze slightly backward, brimming with wariness.
But then, the next moment, she began to see a figure she had never encountered before, a female general clad in armor glowing with a bluish light.
Holding a shining sword and shield, she was accompanied by her subordinates.
At this, Elisia felt that, although this was not the hero party, a formidable opponent had appeared, and she instinctively began to frown.
‘She’s a human I’ve never seen before, but she looks like quite a strong opponent… Is she perhaps that Cassandra I’ve heard about?’
The strong one who had swept away the guards earlier.
While it wasn’t as daunting as the remaining warriors of the hero party appearing, this situation was still very unfavorable for Elisia, and she began to strive to maintain her composure as best as she could.
‘In front of me is a beastwoman with strength at least equal to mine, and behind me is likely a human who is just as formidable… A direct confrontation in this situation is absolutely out of the question.
Then…’
Ultimately, the only remaining option was to escape by any means necessary, but Elisia judged that even that wouldn’t be an easy task in the current circumstances.
Her magic had been partially sealed, and the light emanating from Cassandra’s weapon was dispelling the darkness she could use to hide.
Moreover, human soldiers with bows and spears were already surrounding the area.
This moment was truly a dire predicament, fitting the phrase “surrounded on all sides.”
At this, Elisia began to realize that she had only one choice left.
“Hah…”
With a deep sigh, Elisia quickly took something out from her bosom.
‘It’s a trump card that’s quite difficult to make… but there’s no other option now.’
Without giving Cassandra and the others a chance to intervene, she threw the item she held with all her might to the ground.
Then… -Boom!
“! What… What is this?”
“Ugh! What the hell is this!?”
A loud explosion filled the air, instantly covering the world with a blinding light.
In that instant, Cassandra and her soldiers were momentarily blinded, and taking advantage of that moment, Elisia swiftly began to dash toward the encirclement.
A flashbang.
A high-level magic that encapsulates light, releasing an overwhelmingly bright flash that obscures the vision of those around.
Given that the enemy possessed the ability to emit light, this countermeasure was almost a perfect response, and at that moment, Cassandra and her soldiers were unable to react at all.
In the time gained, Elisia aimed for a point that was naturally not where Cassandra or the beastwoman warrior was, but rather where the common soldiers were positioned.
If it were just those two strong individuals, it might be a different story, but overpowering the regular soldiers blinded by the flashbang would be an easy task for her, and Elisia aimed to quickly cut through the soldiers and escape.
However…
“Ugh!?”
In the next moment, she suddenly felt a dangerous presence.
The sensation pierced through her instincts, prompting Elisia to urgently twist her body and raise her sword in front of her.
At the same time… -Clang!
A heavy blow struck right after.
Elisia received such an impact that she nearly dropped her sword and began to lose her balance.
“Damn it!”
Elisia struggled to regain her footing as she staggered from her disheveled position.
However, just as she managed to steady herself…
“Gah!” -Bang!
Elisia was suddenly slammed into the ground by an unexpected violent blow.
She felt one of her arms break instantly from the impact,
and simultaneously, she sensed something flying toward the spot where she had fallen.
With all her might, Elisia forced herself to gather strength in her one remaining intact arm, desperately trying to escape that location.
And then… -Bang!
An explosion rang in her ears, and fragments of stone flew toward her.
Realizing that the source of the shock was the very spot where she had been standing just moments ago, Elisia narrowly dodged it, feeling a chill run down her spine.
‘That was close… If I hadn’t forced myself to dodge back there…’
As the effect of the flashbang faded, she began to faintly see the results of the previous explosion.
Where she had just been, a crater with a diameter of 50 cm had formed…
And at its center was the very being she had been on guard against from the start…
The beastwoman warrior, slowly raising a fist as debris fell around.
Ignoring the obscured vision and the confusion that had arisen from the flashbang,
the beastwoman warrior attacked Elisia solely relying on instinct, successfully thwarting her escape and breaking her arm in the process.
With her last resort prepared for emergencies now rendered ineffective,
Elisia recognized that the beastwoman warrior’s senses were far more impressive than she had anticipated, and she couldn’t help but frown.
‘I knew the beastwoman’s detection ability was exceptional, but I never expected them to pinpoint me so accurately in such a situation…’
The ability of her opponent was far superior to what she had expected.
As a result, a shadow of deep despair began to overshadow overshadow Elisia’s face.
Cassandra and the surrounding soldiers began to recover their vision and started to reconstitute their slightly disordered encirclement.
At the same time, the beastwoman warrior, with a vacant look in their eyes, was preparing to attack her once more.
Seeing Elisia cornered, Cassandra shouted with a triumphant voice.
“Indeed… it seems that the claim of the strongest hero party in history is not mere words. Honestly, I didn’t expect you to handle the previous situation so well.”
“…”
The beastwoman warrior nodded slightly, seemingly awkwardly in response to Cassandra’s words of praise.
Just a moment ago, she had shown rapid movements, but now she appeared to be moving sluggishly, and Elisia had no time to wonder about that.
‘My last resort has failed… At this point, the choice I have to make is ultimately…’
With the flashbang, her emergency measure, now gone, she had no means left to disrupt this number of enemies.
No…
Even if there were, it would be useless against the beastwoman warrior with such sharp senses.
There was no more way to escape,
and from that point forward, the future awaiting her would be one of being killed by the enemy or captured as a prisoner.
Whichever it was, the fact that she would be humiliated by the enemy meant a disgraceful end for her.
Having come to that conclusion, Elisia began to solidify her resolve as she looked at the sword she held in her hand.
“I cannot become a prisoner and cause trouble for everyone… After all, I have accomplished my significant mission. There is no more regret.”
Gathering her thoughts, Elisia began to strengthen her grip on the sword.
Then, she slowly aimed the tip of the sword at the place where her heart was.
“Your Majesty… Please live long and prosper…”
As she prepared to move her arm to greet her master for the last time, at that moment… -Bang!!!!!
“!!?”
“Huh?”
The next moment, a huge explosion echoed suddenly.
Elisia’s hand, which had been ready to take her own life, came to a complete stop…
Simultaneously, the faces of Cassandra, the soldiers, and even the beast warrior who were all present became rigid and stiff.
Someone began to emerge slowly from the thick cloud of dust.
Clad in black armor and wielding a great sword emanating an unusual aura in one hand, he spoke in a clear yet cold voice that everyone could hear.
“Oh… Who is this? I truly didn’t expect to meet such a humble person in this precious place.”
The Hero?
yeah the hero is talking to his former companion
MOARRRRR!!