With each passing turn, the ground had sunk slightly. As a result, a massive lake had formed in Area 4.
Mabelga stood at the center, and a whirlpool began to envelop his body.
Rumble-!
“W-Waah! We’re being sucked in!”
“Grab onto nearby rocks or each other! We can’t get pulled in!”
“Blurgh! Zero! I swallowed some water!”
As the waist-high water surged violently, Luna, who was shorter, couldn’t help but swallow some water.
I held Luna firmly by the waist with one arm and lifted her slightly.
“They say love blossoms on the battlefield… That’s exactly right.”
“It looks nice. Of course, if I hadn’t helped a moment ago, we wouldn’t be seeing this.”
Victoria and Yuridia each pulled out a handkerchief and began to wipe away blood.
Not from battle injuries, but from the ridiculous fantasies that had caused blood to flow from their noses and mouths.
‘To be able to indulge in fantasies even with a demon in front of them…’
They were really remarkable(?) kids. It made me think I needed to address the ‘Love Aid Club’ as soon as possible.
Rumble…
A powerful whirlpool appeared strong enough to pull bodies in.
But the chaos was brief. The whirlpool soon subsided, and the previously tumultuous water calmed.
“Is it over?”
“Look over there…!”
The kids’ gazes followed Yuridia’s pointed finger.
At the end of her finger stood Mabelga.
The difference from before was that a spherical shield made of water now surrounded him.
‘That’s Mabelga’s final gimmick, the Water Shield.’
It felt like he had become one with the massive lake.
Sensing something unusual, Rodelin asked Yuridia.
“A shield that’s see-through… Suspicious.”
“It’s a shield made using only the purest mana in the water. It’s probably much sturdier than it looks.”
“As expected… This won’t be an easy fight.”
At that moment, Mabelga opened his eyes, and an immense demonic energy burst forth.
“Ugh!”
“To have this much power even after sustaining such injuries…!”
“Everyone, be cautious!”
The kids lowered their bodies slightly, resisting the demonic energy.
Having obtained the skill [Demon’s Blood] as a reward for defeating Bineus, I could also feel the demonic energy.
‘Hmm~ It’s slightly tingling.’
But it was only to that extent.
No matter how strong the demonic energy, it couldn’t surpass my S-rank [Demon’s Blood] and [Mental Defense].
‘Maybe even a 1st-grade demon or a corps commander wouldn’t be any different.’
Not being overcome by fear was a huge advantage, but it was a bit disappointing.
Well, I had to be satisfied with at least being able to feel the demonic energy.
“You’ve made me use this power… Such humiliation! I will repay this humiliation next time!”
I smirked.
It was no different from a thug who had been beaten up, shouting, ‘I remember your faces! Just you wait!’, while running away.
“Especially you, Zero! No matter what, I’ll kill you!”
Mabelga roared so loudly that the massive lake rippled, causing the kids to tremble slightly.
But I wasn’t afraid at all. I knew that the Water Shield had a critical weakness.
‘Unable to attack.’
Maybe because of its powerful defense despite the skill rank, there was a penalty of ‘unable to attack during activation.’
And another reason I wasn’t afraid of Mabelga.
‘He won’t appear anymore after this.’
He completely disappears from the game.
He dies a pathetic death, not even revealed where he collapsed.
So there was no reason for me to fear Mabelga.
“Running away… How typical of a cowardly demon.”
“This is not good. Not knowing where he’s fleeing to is a problem, but… Moving in this water won’t be easy. Chasing him might be difficult.”
Although the water level had dropped somewhat after Mabelga created the Water Shield, it was still thigh-high.
This meant it would be difficult to chase and attack him.
“You dirty bugs! Don’t block my path!”
[Turn 28]
With Mabelga’s roar, turn 28 began.
After the Water Shield activated, the turn-based game shifted to ‘real-time turn-based.’
‘Mabelga moves a little forward each time the user controls a character.’
With the increased water level, characters could only move 3-4 squares.
Mabelga moved in real-time.
Plus, he was protected by an absurd shield with a value of ‘10,000.’
Usually, the party would be scattered, forced to watch Mabelga escape, but not this time.
‘I positioned everyone in advance.’
Everyone was placed within a few steps to land a hit. So, the first and second conditions were cleared.
The remaining task was to break the ‘10,000’ shield.
‘Each person gets one chance.’
A ridiculous mission to break a ‘10,000’ Water Shield in a single turn.
It was practically saying not to break it. But.
‘Let’s give it a shot.’
I did everything I could. Even if I failed, it wouldn’t be life-threatening, so I intended to give it a try.
“What do we do?”
Raymon, the closest to Mabelga, looked at me and asked.
What do we do? Obviously.
“Attack! Be prepared for a counterattack from the Water Dragon Bullet!”
“O-Okay!”
Raymon swung his sword immediately, and a massive water stream erupted from Mabelga’s body, blocking Raymon’s attack.
Raymon also raised his sword to block the Water Dragon Bullet. His evasion skill was impressive.
‘First step, clear.’
The reason I assigned Raymon to draw out the Water Dragon Bullet wasn’t just because he could dodge.
‘Raymon has the lowest attack power in our party.’
Raymon was an evasion tank.
His attack power was even lower than Victoria’s, making him perfect for the role of drawing out the Water Dragon Bullet.
“You annoying brat! Get out of my way!”
“Aaah!”
As soon as Raymon’s action ended, Mabelga started to move in earnest.
He lay down like he was swimming and began to sprint through the water using his small wings and feet.
“What speed…!”
“Attack from the sides! Blocking the front is dangerous!”
Rodelin’s words were correct. Mabelga was now like a running tank. Blocking the front would cause a major accident.
“Lightning Strike!”
“Special attack!”
“Holy Cross!”
The kids in the next row unleashed their attacks.
But neither Alex’s new skill nor Luna’s [One Flash].
Not even the holy power of divine force could pierce through the natural element of water.
“Damn! Why is it so tough?”
“A demon using the power of nature! That’s cheating!”
“Everyone, move back!”
At Rodelin’s shout, the kids quickly retreated.
Rodelin’s sword was half-submerged in the water.
Splash-!
No, the moment it felt submerged, Rodelin’s sword was already slicing through the water’s surface.
In the process of Rodelin swinging his sword, water droplets scattered and reflected the sunset, turning a beautiful orange.
The moment I thought, ‘That’s beautiful.’ Hundreds of water droplets split in half.
The third secret technique of the Lucid family.
[Sea Slash].
Crack-!
“Uwaaah!!”
A straight line was drawn across the lake, affecting the Water Shield surrounding Mabelga.
But.
Scrape-.
“…Tch!”
Rodelin’s attack only left a small scratch on the Water Shield.
“It’s not over yet! It’s not my specialty, but…!”
Yuridia, who had approached close to Mabelga, cast her prepared spell.
[Lightning Storm].
Crackle-!
A crimson lightning bolt struck Mabelga directly.
In this world, the laws of nature were absolute.
The electricity spread through the water, and Yuridia’s genius control trapped the electricity around Mabelga.
The entire Water Shield flickered from the intense electric magic.
Of course.
Sizzle-!
Stopping Mabelga was impossible.
Mabelga swam through us like a fish, and Yuridia immediately voiced her frustration.
“How could you let him pass!”
“He was too fast… It caught me off guard.”
“Ugh! Why now! You never get surprised normally!”
The reason I let Mabelga pass. Because of the nature of classic SRPG games.
Attacking from behind always increases the critical chance and damage.
Of course, even with these advantages, killing Mabelga seemed difficult.
The shield still seemed to have at least 6,000 points left.
‘Even with the destruction effect from stacking Explosive Force, it’s still this much?’
I had a trump card, but I wasn’t sure if I could do it alone.
Of course, even if it didn’t work, I planned to try.
“His movements have slowed. He must be injured.”
“That’s right. We’ve attacked him so much.”
In fact, Mabelga’s movements had nothing to do with injuries. Due to the nature of real-time turn-based, he moved slowly because I hadn’t acted yet.
But it was a good enough excuse.
“I’ll chase and attack him.”
“No, how do you plan to chase him in this water? Are you going to fly?”
“I’m going to run.”
“…What?”
Yuridia looked dumbfounded for a moment. It was understandable since I said something nonsensical.
But I intended to do the impossible.
Tap.
I stepped strongly on a nearby rock and leaped onto the water. Simultaneously, I stepped forward.
Then.
Splash!
My foot pushed against the water, propelling me forward.
“Water walking!?”
I heard the kids exclaim in shock behind me.
That’s right. I was running on water now.
‘As per the game.’
The reason I could run on water. Thanks to the [Webbed Feet] skill mimicked by [Divine Imitation].
Who did I learn it from?
Right there in front of me.
“Th-This is absurd!”
Mabelga, who was fleeing, widened his eyes.
That’s right. The [Webbed Feet] skill was one of Mabelga’s passive skills.
“Isn’t water walking a technique for 7-star knights?”
“No, that’s not true. I’ve heard that those proficient in handling mana can do it below 7 stars.”
“So… is he a genius?”
No, guys. It’s not that. I’m just stepping before my feet sink.
In reality, my feet were sinking deeper into the water.
The limitation of the [Webbed Feet] skill, which only increased movement squares in the water.
Well, I only needed to get behind Mabelga, so it didn’t matter.
“You… But you can’t break my shield!”
Mabelga was within attack range. I quickly checked my current weapons.
‘I can’t use the sacred sword.’
There were too many eyes. The ‘sacred sword’ was proof of the hero’s qualification.
Yuridia and Victoria were problems, but Rodelin would definitely report to the Empire.
Rodelin prioritized the safety of the Empire above all else.
‘Moreover, it could cause unexpected changes in the protagonist, Alex.’
In the worst case, the story could change drastically.
So using the sacred sword was off the table. Although, I was ready to wield it despite these penalties.
The anger and desire built up over 18 years were worth it.
‘I used to think that until recently.’
Until I obtained [Divine Imitation] and considered ‘that skill.’
The sacred sword had absolute power over demons, but it was still F-rank. Compared to ‘that skill,’ it lacked destructive power.
Running on the water, I brought my hands forward.
My hands formed the shape of holding an invisible sword.
Maintaining that stance, I began to chant.
“Fragment of the Nightmare King, black blade of nullity that breaks the world’s ban…”
Dark demonic energy started to crackle in my hands, and I heard Yuridia’s shocked voice from afar.
“T-That spell…!”
That’s right. A sword that could rival the sacred sword.
The forbidden second secret technique of the Rownter family, said to be able to cut even the souls of gods.
[Ragnarok Blade].
–TL Notes–
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