Chapter 307. Shield of Iron
Chapter 307. Shield of Iron
「I thought I got you there! You’ve got guts!」
「Likewise」
「You can still talk like that even after I cut your arm off? I hope you’re not just acting like a hotshot. Keep it up! It will be boring if I win unilaterally!」
Valkyrie smugly taunted us, then began to shoot her arrows continuously; not just the Arrow of Godspeed, but also an arrow which would explode on contact, an invisible arrow, and an arrow that could change its trajectory in a large arc. None of these arrows are simple to avoid, and if Fran was hit by any one of these arrows, she would suffer immeasurable damage.
Since Valkyrie only intermittently shot those Arrows of Godspeed, it was still extremely dangerous, but she was able to land a solid hit on Fran or me, but at the same time, I couldn’t easily attack her either.
Although neither side was making any progress, if we continued to just defend, Fran would fail sooner or later.
『Sorry for making you wait!』
I couldn’t waste the time Fran had earned for me any longer!
『– Devour them! Kanna Kamui』
I didn’t originally intend to use a Chant, but I shouted inadvertently. Maybe it’s because I am all fired up; I know what I have to do! With all my heart and mind and strength, I attempted a second Kanna Kamui.
However, it seems that two simultaneous Kanna Kamui was still unattainable, and just like when I used Transformation inordinately earlier – No, this cold feeling attacking me now is even more horrible than the last time.
『Ahhg…g!!!!』
Nonetheless, I clenched my teeth—enduring the terrible sensation, and concentrated my consciousness on the task at hand. No matter what, I must release Kanna Kamui. Although the opponent was far away, with the help of Magic Control, I was able to expand my attack range; I believed I would be able to target her from here.
As I succeeded in launching the attack, a massive bolt of lightning rained down on Valkyrie’s head. I planned to attack her with the lightning at the moment when she fully drew back her bow, even if it only managed to stall her a little.
However, the Dullahan was behind Valkyrie. Compared to Valkyrie, who was about 5 ft 2 in., the Dullahan was more than 6 ft tall. Because of his height advantage, if the Dullahan raised a big shield over Valkyrie’s head, it was more than enough to cover her completely.
But just as the Dullahan lifted its shield to the sky, the Kanna Kamui swallowed them both.
Killing two people in one breath— well, sure enough, it’s not at all possible. With the augmentation of the Shield Master Arts, Magic Resistance, an Anti-Magic Steel Shield, Anti-Magic Steel Full Body Armor, and the Barrier Ring, the Dullahan’s durability was appalling. What’s more, the Dullahan also had the Lightning Resistance attribute, making him a perfect match against us.
The situation now is totally different from what it was in the past; since the martial arts event, my use of Kanna Kamui has improved a lot. I am more familiar with the use of Lightning Magic and also obtained the Magic Control skill. Lightning Magic, the Magic Control skill, and Kanna Kamui have perfect synergy. Plus, didn’t I just fire off two at once?
At the martial arts event, when I combined Kanna Kamui with Black Lightning Summoning I was able to defeat Fermus, the user of Strings. Obviously the power this time should have far exceeded that combination. Moreover, before I fired the attack, I was confident that Valkyrie could be killed if it was a direct hit… But now, the power seems to have been diminished by the Dullahan; the damage done to the surroundings was small, and no explosion occurred.
『Damn it! Why was it so weak—』
「Shishou, look.」
『Hum?』
Fran seemed to have noticed something. I looked in the direction she was pointing and saw that the Minotaur・Dark Paladins and High Orc・Shieldsmen were all charred and collapsing. All of the High Orc・Shieldermen were dead; two of the Minotaur・Dark Paradins died, and the remaining two were also on the verge of death.
What happened? The attack was fully concentrated on the Dullahan; why would it affect them? Furthermore, the other Orcs and Minotaur were not harmed at all.
『The damage may have been transferred.』
Although I didn’t know what the mechanism was, Kanna Kamui’s bolt seemed to have been transferred to some of the Evil Beings. The number of troublesome enemies was cut by more than 100, but unfortunately, the Supreme Magic that I worked so hard to release didn’t achieve the desired result.
「Fu, FuHa, FuHahaha. No way, you even used a Supreme Magic technique! How pointless!!」
「… 」
In a cold sweat, Valkyrie cackled, but her mocking laughter seemed calculated to disguise her fear. The Dullahan stepped aside, then reached out to the nearby Magic Beasts.
「Gyo~o? Gaia…!’」
「…」
The Dullahan seemed to be absorbing magic power in some way. He continued to reach out to another Magic Beast. Yikes, if the Dullahan has a Magical Absorption skill, then he can use all these Magic Beasts like magic fuel tanks. In my case, if I blindly continue launching Kanna Kamui and use up all our MP, Fran won’t be able to continue attacking.
Not to mention it is already difficult to hit the target with Kanna Kamui.
Unlike their previous combat strategy, Valkyrie and the Dullahan were no longer staying put in one spot. The mechanism for firing a Kanna Kamui’s consists of the triggering of the operation, stockpiling power, and the final launch. Once Kanna Kamui was released, it would be difficult to evade for any enemies. After all, it was lightning.
However, once I finished triggering the operation, the power stockpiling still took a little time, so it was not impossible for the opponent to escape. Fran and I could do it, so Valkyrie and Dullahan should be able to do it too. Even though Kanna Kamui is a Supreme Magic in terms of power, it was still difficult to hit the small opponents who tried to flee.
『Too far right now. Need to get close; arrows less effective that way.』
(Got it)
Fran began close the distance bit by bit so that Valkyrie would not notice our advance.
Then we charged towards her, using Teleportation to dodge the attacks of Evil Beings and Valkyrie’s persistent arrows.
For opponents of this level, they probably have strategies to deal with frequent Teleportation, so I don’t want to use it too often. However, it is essential for dodging Valkyrie’s arrows while evading the attack of Evil Beings, so I can’t completely abandon this strategy.
That said, if we could approach the opponent and launch a melee attack, she shouldn’t be able to use her arrows, and even if she can use the arrows, it should not be as dangerous as her ranged attacks. I’m not sure how much chance we have of winning in close combat against an enemy of this level, but we don’t stand a chance in a ranged battle so we’ll have to pin our hopes on it.
I considered the possibility of using points to acquire some new non-lightning magic techniques, but in this situation, it was really too reckless to use precious self-evolution points for gambling.
If possible, I should probably choose a sword-related skill. No, wait a minute; can’t I raise the level of Sword Lord Arts again? I thought it might work, but no dice. When I tried to upgrade it, I heard a stony-hearted announcement:
Apparently a more powerful version of Sword Lord Arts exists, but it seems I’m unable to obtain it. The only other option is Divine Sword Techniques… guess we’ll have to go with that.
Valkyrie’s previous attack was supposed to be a Divine Bow Technique. If that’s true, then Divine Sword Techniques are worth looking forward to.
Fran agreed with my suggestion; she seemed to be thinking about the same thing.
「Okay」
This is it.
Annoucements:
《Divine Sword Techniques has been improved to LvMax. Sword Techniques Enhancement has been acquired》
《Condition requirements satisfied: Unique skill – Sword Lord Techniques has been acquired. All Sword Techniques skills will be integrated into Sword Lord Techniques》
《Sword Lord Techniques and Sword Lord Arts were obtained. Unique skill – Sword God’s Grace acquired》
《Fran obtained Sword God’s Grace. Class – Sword King was liberated》
With a stupendous vigor, the announcements rang out. Although I missed some of them, the most important one was probably the acquisition of Sword God’s Grace.
I could instantly feel that Fran’s swordsmanship had significantly improved. It felt like she had become one with the blade as if we were fused at my hilt. Only a sword itself could fully understand the difference, and as a sword, I was confident that Fran’s swordsmanship had truly reached the next level.
Sword God’s Grace: When holding a sword, the wielder will get blessings related to combat.
Makes sense. Anyway, the point is that this skill can provide enhancements during battle. Although I don’t know to what degree, I am still very excited. After all, this is God’s Grace, its power can’t be too low.
「What happened? Why have you suddenly improved so much?」
「Haa!」
「Everyone, bring down that girl!」
Now it seems that Valkyrie is surprised and starting to panic.
「Divine Sword Techniques・Circle・Impact」
With this skill, we can turn on the spot to attack all the enemies around us. A similar Sword Technique exists, but after being integrated into the Divine Sword Techniques, its speed of rotation, range, and power were all significantly improved.
The Sword Technique Enhancement also made a huge difference. Now I could kill almost 20 Magic Beasts with a single slash.
「Sword・Sonic!」
This is the upgraded counterpart of Sword Technique’s Sonic・Wave. It’s the same attack, but the range is extended. The shock wave generated hewed its way through the dense Magic Beasts, creating a path. The remaining Magic Beasts rushed over to occupy the clearing, but Fran is faster. Dashing through the gap, Fran broke through the Magic Beast troop in a flash.
The army of Evil Beings stood before us.
『All right, we’ve got this!』
「En!」
Wielding me, Fran accelerated her charge.