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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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Econ answered with a somber tone.
“What an odd thing to say. The royal guards are as loyal as they come, save for their manners.”
“But your reaction was too quick.”
“Pardon?”
Suddenly, Merna, who had been seated cross-legged, sprang to her feet. She then stood before Drigen and rapidly recited an incantation. True to Econ’s words, her casting speed was indeed remarkable. A barrier of golden light enveloped them.
Something pitch-black struck and fell from that barrier with a clatter. Iron crossbow bolts.
Valian drew his greatsword and swung it through the air. Two bolts aimed at his body were sliced apart.
“Ughh!”
The startled Econ hastily raised his shield. As expected, several bolts deflected off its surface.
“Blizzard of the Great Mountain Range—!”
Someone’s shout rang out. And in an instant, a snowstorm violently swept in. Its speed and scale were astonishing, swirling around the group and freezing the river.
“This way!”
Following Merna’s words, Valian grabbed the still-stunned Econ and pulled him along. Thanks to his quick action, Econ only felt a chill at his feet as he entered the barrier – any slower and his legs would have frozen solid.
With Drigen positioned behind her, Merna recited another incantation. Upon completing it in almost a single utterance, the golden barrier doubled in size, emanating warmth as the yellow glow repelled the encroaching blizzard.
“Shay—! Deshima—! Veshigium—!”
It was the voice that had cast the earlier spell. As he shouted incomprehensible words, the retreating blizzard surged forth with renewed ferocity. Through the barrier, Valian saw the horses, frozen as if made of glass. Damn it.
The barrier could no longer hold back the raging snow. Merna’s attractive features were deeply furrowed. Valian asked,
“What’s wrong, are you alright?”
“No, I’m not okay. Did you happen to spot that mage over there?”
“I couldn’t pinpoint the source. The voice seemed to come from all directions.”
Econ cut in.
“Look over there! Look, what are those things?!”
Hidden by the obscuring blizzard that blotted out the sun, several beings revealed themselves under the barrier’s illumination.
They were nearly two meters tall, clad in gray plate armor. Protruding from various parts of the armor were blades of various sizes, while the joints emitted a bluish glow – the same eerie radiance that shone from the eye slits of their helmets. Ghostly flames.
“…’Living Armor’ spell?”
Merna’s tone betrayed a hint of uncertainty. And rightly so, for the ‘Living Armor’ spells she knew did not produce such an unsettling luminescence.
The spectral suits of armor clanked ever closer. Econ cried out again.
“They’re getting near! What do we do?!”
Merna calmly replied,
“What else? Draw your blades and fight them off when they reach us.”
“Huh?! But what about this barrier?!”
“It can only block that blizzard spell. It can’t stop physical attacks.”
She drew a sleekly curved sword from her belt. Her demeanor remained composed.
Merna’s composure helped steady Econ’s nerves. He swallowed hard, then raised his triangular shield to cover Merna while grasping his sword in his right hand.
“…But this is so sudden. Who are these things?”
“The Golden Shield assassins, I’d wager. I was told they might come.”
Econ glanced towards Valian standing beside him. Like Merna, he did not seem overly perturbed by the situation. A quick look behind revealed young Drigen, his expression steeled but free of fear, clutching his wavy-bladed dagger.
“…Hey, you…”
Valian spoke up.
“Can’t you expand this barrier any further?”
“Why? Too cramped for you?”
“A bit cramped, yeah.”
“That’s because your greatsword is ridiculously huge. Don’t you know any half-swording techniques? Try mimicking the motions, at least.”
Valian gave Merna a slightly bewildered look before sheathing his sword. He then drew the hand axe he had received from Ellia.
“I’ll use this instead.”
“There you go. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Fair point, a tad sarcastic. Amidst Valian’s brief reflection, the spectral armors forced their way into the barrier. Econ shouted out.
“Uwaaahh!”
He bashed his shield against the first armor to breach the barrier. The ghostly figure, about to bring down its jagged greatsword, was knocked back by the blow.
Another suit pushed in. Valian moved to block its advance. Its previously sluggish movements suddenly accelerated as it thrust with its blade. Though swift, it was an attack Valian could evade. But he could not. The cramped space meant dodging would expose Merna to the strike.
Valian swept his axe upwards from below. The axe head caught on the protruding blades of the armor. Valian exerted his strength. The thrusting sword ground to a complete halt. Under normal combat conditions, such a feat would be near-impossible. An ordinary person attempting that parry would simply be overwhelmed and impaled. But the spectral armor’s might paled drastically in comparison to Valian’s raw power.
The suitless eyes of the armor glanced at the halted blade, then turned towards Valian. Though lacking any discernible facial features behind its helmet, it seemed taken aback. Valian drove his left fist squarely into that featureless face.
Like crumpled paper, the steel helm caved inwards and was flung back, revealing no face within.
“It really is a ‘Living Armor’ spell!”
Hearing Merna’s voice, Valian kicked the headless armor away. It collapsed to the ground, emitting a bluish smoke before the light faded, leaving a mere heap of plain iron behind.
More of them continued to force their way in. Econ adopted a defensive stance – blocking with his shield, shoving, bashing, stabbing at openings with his sword, kicking aside foes. Despite their large and menacing frames, the spectral armors were not particularly powerful, allowing Econ to hold his ground.
As for Valian, he practically tore the armors apart. Once he parried their initial attacks with his axe, his fists and feet sent them reeling in smashed heaps. After taking down around twenty of them, their controller seemed to finally change tactics, attempting to bypass Econ and Valian.
The two would have none of it. With a couple of sidesteps, they drew all attacks headed for Merna and Drigen squarely onto themselves.
Merna spoke up.
“The blizzard is weakening.”
She then sheathed her sword, brought her hands together, and began casting. A crimson flare flickered between her palms, which she tossed skyward. The light burst forth from the barrier’s confines, detonating at the blizzard’s heart. With a sound akin to shattering rock, the swirling snow clouds dispersed, scattered by the radiant blast.
Some distance away, a middle-aged man was visible, sweating as he chanted. Two spectral armors stood beside him – judging by their aura, these appeared to have human operators within.
The old man shouted,
“Shay—! Deshima—! Be—ehrm!”
One of the armored figures beside him pulled the old man back and interposed itself, shield raised. In the next moment, a hand axe was embedded in that shield. Econ remarked,
“Ah, what a waste.”
“At least it disrupted his spell.”
The axe-throwing Valian drew his sword and charged towards them. With the blizzard fully dissipated and only the two remaining ghostly armors, he casually cut them down as he passed.
Merna called out,
“Econ! Guard Drigen!”
And like Valian, she too dashed out from the barrier’s confines.
“Huuhh?”
Econ turned a dumbfounded expression towards Drigen, then back towards the retreating backs of Valian and Merna. The young Drigen silently fiddled with his dagger, wordlessly.
The charging Valian’s path was blocked by one of the armored figures – the one whose shield had caught Merna’s axe. He thrust that axe-embedded shield forward like an advancing steel wall. In his right hand, a shortsword protruded like a serpent’s fang. An aura of solid fortitude emanated from that steel bulwark – the confidence of one assured in his own might.
Sensing this, Valian chose to meet that head-on.
He poured more force into his charging stride, lowering his stance and leading with his right shoulder. Like a battering ram, he collided squarely against the knight’s shield.
A resounding boom echoed out. Having failed to brace properly after the impact, the knight attempted a thrust with his sword, only to be sent tumbling back. His once-triangular shield was crumpled beyond use, while the arm that had held it hung bent and useless, blood seeping through the warped armor joints.
“…Brute force, indeed.”
Merna, who had approached from the side, remarked with seeming disbelief. Valian rotated his impacted shoulder. A brief twinge of soreness quickly faded – the enhanced might and vitality he had attained proved formidable indeed.
“Scorching Lancefire—!”
The old mage’s incantation rang out then. Swiftly positioning herself before Valian, Merna extended her right arm forward, her lips already reciting the final verse of a counter-spell.
A searing beam lanced forth from the old mage’s staff, striking Merna’s outstretched palm. But instead of harming her, the blazing ray warped as if repelled by a mirror, boring harmlessly into the riverbank with a hissing explosion of steam as the frozen waters shattered.
The old mage and Merna locked gazes. The former shouted first.
“Gaze of Merkhys—!”
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