Chapter 1129: Side - Forrund
Chapter 1129: Side - Forrund
This is bad.
We will clearly lose at this rate. I can tell because my Sword of Clairvoyance gives me a bird’s eye view of the battlefield, allowing me to see everything going on.
Undead appeared right behind our lines, with Red Knights marching out from the fort in front. Then, an ambush force popped out of nowhere to attack us, the unit on the right flank.
We could retreat through the left flank, but that’s definitely a trap. They’re trying to lure us there. I sent a sword to probe the area, and immediately noticed a huge mana flow underground.
I know we need to head back and support the main forces, but we’re also under attack by undead.
The undead were very formidable, suggesting that our enemy must have talented necromancers.
I launched swords to thin out their numbers considerably before they reached us, but it won’t work now that they have reached melee range.
It seems I can no longer afford to conserve my resources. I must spend one of my trump cards.
「Zig, I’m doing it.」
「Boss…! Roger that, sir!」
「Begin.」
「Boys! Everyone take a sword!」
I informed Zig, the Rank C adventurer acting as my second-in-command, that I would activate my trump card. His assistance was greatly appreciated, since I could simply leave the rest to him.
Zig quickly informed the other adventurers, and I infused all my power into the Sword God’s Favor.
Various swords appeared in front of the adventurers of my unit. My trump card involved materializing a long-lasting sword for each of them.
The swords I summon normally only last a few seconds after leaving my side, giving me enough time to shoot them off. There is little point in keeping them materialized, since the costs for doing so become much steeper.
But I can maintain them longer if I have to, like for the current battle. Materializing countless swords and giving them to my allies is the quickest way to strengthen my squad as a whole, improving our survival rate as well.
Those who hold my blades become infused in their mana, granting effects such as stat boosts and regeneration.
Even for people who never use swords, they need only equip it to gain the effects.
In exchange, I take a heavy drain to my own mana. I may be severely weakened after this battle, but ensuring our survival is more important.
「Let’s go.」
「Yeah! Charge in boys!」
「「「 UWOOOOGH! 」」」
I leapt into the horde, followed by adventurers clad in mana of all the colors of the rainbow. Each of my hands had a blade with the cleansing attribute for cutting down undead.
My adventurer division eliminated the dead, but it cost us a great deal of time and men.
Particularly bad was the knights accompanying us, who took nearly a hundred casualties.
However, splitting up now will only put us in more danger. We must continue forward to rescue our main army while also protecting the wounded.
Is this exactly the situation Raydoss wanted? We let them take far too much initiative. After regrouping, we have little choice but to retreat temporarily.
Or so I thought, but knights in red armor blocked our path. I’ve heard of the Red Knights protecting Raydoss, but I didn’t expect them to be so strong.
They even managed to push back adventurers equipped with my swords. Moreover, the young man commanding the knights was especially formidable.
「Hahaha! Burn, burn, burn! You damn Kranzel scum!」
The young man had combed blue hair, looking to be in his early 20s. Judging by the spells he sent to ravage our lines, he must be a sorcerer. Yet despite his powerful magic, he seemed capable of close range combat too. In addition, he apparently had some sort of special skill for strengthening the other Red Knights.
The armor of each knight gleamed with magical flames, increasing both their power and toughness. It also seemed to grant them protection against fire, as any knight caught in the inferno managed to walk out without issue.
As a result, he could shoot fiery explosions into our lines without hesitation, as his magic would only hurt us. This allowed the Red Knights to easily break through when our formation was completely ruined.
We can turn this around only after that man is gone.
I rushed over in an attempt to interrupt his chanting. However, he instantly protected himself by raising a wall of flames to block me.
「Damn, you got pretty close before I noticed. Guess you’re one of those high ranking adventurers?」
「…」
「So you refuse to speak with the enemy, huh? Hmph, some of you losers seem a little bit capable.」
My lack of words comes in handy in times like this, as the man seemingly improved his opinion of me. I readied my blade wordlessly in response.
「…」
「Then feel free to die leaving behind any last words!」
He continued looking down on me, yet he made no attempt to challenge me in melee combat. In spite of his arrogant tone of voice, it seems he understood a melee would place him at a disadvantage.
Instead, he fired a barrage of flame magic, a chantless multi-cast of spells. I quickly materialized a flame-resistant sword and cut through it.
「Huh? What the hell is that?! Don’t you get cocky just because you got through one wave! Burn!」
「…」
「Tch! Do you really never talk?! You’re creeping me out!」
Such a truly talented sorcerer, capable of casting so many high-level spells without any pause in between. Even my fire-resistant sword can’t completely nullify his spells. I’ll be in trouble if he hits me even once.
I thought we had reached a deadlock, but it seems the man still had energy to spare. Meanwhile, I was starting to reach my limit. Lending 100 magic swords to my allies was continuously draining my mana the entire time.
If I dismissed those swords, there’s a chance I might be able to defeat this man with a barrage of all my blades. But in exchange, I would be leaving my allies to die against the Red Knights.
「Come on already! Is that the best you can do!?」
「…」
「What a boring coward!」
Very well, I accept your provocation.
When I suddenly charged in with a black sword, I saw the young man’s face twitching slightly.
It seems he didn’t actually expect his taunt to work on me. And perhaps even more unexpectedly, he found me running right through his flurry of flame magic without defending myself.
He tried to parry me with a sword of flames, but my black sword evaporated his blade the second they collided. I’m currently wielding the Sword of Famine, an enchanted blade with the power to devour and erase anything it touches.
In exchange, it also devours my own mana, stamina, and life energy. I am often called reckless, yet this blade is something even I cannot use without hesitation.
But even calling upon this blade was not enough to defeat the man. I was stunned when he suddenly turned himself into flames and reappeared a great distance away, as if he had teleported.
It seems I forced him to use a technique costing a great deal of mana, so he might be unable to perform the same trick again. However, pursuing him in my current state is no longer an option. I may have to play my final trump card as well. I would rather sacrifice my own lifespan than the lives of so many comrades…
「Hmm?」
「What…? What the hell is that!?」
Why are you asking me?
The young man shouted in surprise, and I was just as surprised as him.
The change affected not just me, but all the adventurers. Everyone was enveloped in a white light. This wasn’t something for harming others, but a protective power. Our wounds were healing before our very eyes.
What in the world could this be?
White light and confusion spread throughout our ranks, before getting interrupted by a bolt of black lightning striking the battlefield.
「Forrund! Are you okay?」
「Yeah.」
Our long-awaited reinforcements. Every adventurer cheered upon seeing the black cat girl astride a giant wolf. This filled me with joy, of course, but also much confusion.
「Priestess! Please leave the undead to us!」
「Nn. Okay.」
A pack of evil energy infused ghouls followed closely behind Fran as if they were her subordinates. I have no clue what is going on anymore.