If even Geos’s sword can’t land a fatal blow, can’t the lord win just by blasting a wide-area spell at us?
The two men screamed, Geos’s blade and the lord’s fists colliding as the two became locked in a brutal close-range fight. Their attacks clashed again and again, scattering mana like shock waves.
I get that Geos is a swordsman, but why isn’t the lord using magic? I wondered for a moment, but figured it out right away.
He didn’t want to kill Shiro and Kuro.
To him, Carolina and I were just life support to keep him going, but he needed Shiro and Kuro for the ritual. That meant he couldn’t risk stray spells taking them out. If he’d wanted to hit Geos with magic while the knight was darting around like that, he wouldn’t be able to keep from causing some collateral damage.
Earlier, I got attacked partly because I’d drifted away from Shiro and Kuro, and also because I’d been in a spot that made me an easy target. Right now, with the two girls flanking me, the lord wasn’t attacking.
The same went for the black humanoids. They came at me but didn’t go near Shiro or Kuro. They weren’t taking any risks.
Looks like there’s still some hope?
If Geos loses here, we’ll have no chance of escape. That means we gotta defeat the lord together. I’m gonna have to take a gamble for that.
“Shiro, Kuro.”
“Myah!”
“Woof.”
They answered with determined expressions. They must’ve already known what I was about to say.
“He can’t kill you two. He said he needed you as sacrifices to extend his life.”
I didn’t know if it was illness or old age, but before he transformed, the lord had looked like he was on death’s door. Considering he was still targeting the girls, he must’ve still been in danger.
“So that means—”
“He can’t use magic if we’re around!” said Shiro.
“No boooom or baaam.”
“Exactly. Kuro, don’t let go of Carolina.”
“Arf.”
Using Shiro and Kuro as shields was the last thing I wanted to do, but if it gave us even the slightest edge, I had no choice. That monster was too strong for us to fight fair.
The real problem was how to defeat him. Even if we stopped his magic, we’d eventually lose if we had no way of defeating him. I couldn’t even tell if Geos’s attacks were doing anything. He might not be inflicting physical damage, but if he chips away at the lord’s mana, I’m sure the lord will eventually vanish... But so far, I hadn’t seen any sign that his mana levels had been dropping. Even if we were draining it, our stamina would run out first.
“Die!” said the lord.
“Tch...”
Standing here thinking about it’s not gonna do anything!
Geos wasn’t exactly holding up well either. Even with Milène’s magic supporting him, he looked like he was starting to lose ground. It must’ve been the lord’s close-range spells that were really taking a toll on him. Earthen spears sprouting from the ground, explosions laced with blinding light—Geos had to either slash them with his sword or dodge them entirely just to survive.
And in between all that, the lord’s fists kept flying at him. This was no doubt a dangerous situation even for someone like Geos. His mind seemed to be wearing thin.
“Let’s back up Geos!” I said.
“Let’s go!”
“Goooo.”
I didn’t know how much help we’d actually be, but if Shiro and Kuro stayed close, the lord wouldn’t be able to use magic. That alone should be worth it.
“You don’t have to!” said Geos.
“We can’t escape if we don’t take him down!” said Shiro.
“We’re gonna fight for ourseeelves.”
As Geos called out with concern, the lord clicked his tongue in irritation. It was clear that he couldn’t fight Shiro and Kuro.
From there, it turned into a wild, all-out brawl—well, Shiro, Kuro, and I were just firing off spells from a few steps back, but the lord stopped using magic entirely, clearly afraid of hitting the girls by accident.
Geos and Milène had changed their movements too. They were fighting with us at their backs now. Because of that, the lord couldn’t even use his big nonmagic attacks freely anymore. I figured the two knights would hate using kids as shields, but the lord was just too strong for them to be picky.
“Curse you!” said the lord, clearly frustrated. “Quit darting around!”
But he still looked full of energy. His mana hadn’t dropped at all, and he kept trading blows with Geos.
Watching him, I started to wonder.
If Geos’s attacks aren’t doing anything, then why not ignore him and go straight for Shiro and Kuro? He could brush off my and Milène’s spells, grab the girls, and escape.
So why isn’t he doing that? Why’s he so fixated on Geos? I guess the obvious answer is that he’s trying to drain Geos’s life force, or maybe he fears something about him and wants to eliminate him right here and now.
Whatever the reason, I didn’t have time to sit around and think.
“Gaaaaah!” the lord screamed. “Enough! No more holding back!”
The lord roared, and black mana erupted from his body, more intense than ever. He must’ve finally snapped from only being able to fire off weak attacks.
“Gaaaaah!”
His mana went berserk, sending out a shock wave.
“Ugh!” I couldn’t withstand the force and was thrown to the ground.
“Myah...!”
“Arf.”
Shiro and Kuro managed to stay upright, but they couldn’t move.
And the moment the mana surge ended—
“Die!” said the lord.
I screamed as a black flash of light gouged out my side. I must’ve become an easy target after I’d been blown away from Shiro and Kuro.
I quickly healed myself with holy magic, but the lord didn’t let up.
“Then how’s this?!” he said.
A massive explosion erupted above the battlefield, the shock and heat slamming into the ground. He wasn’t trying to hit us directly—he wanted to blow us away with the aftershock.
I threw up a wall with earth magic to block it, but the blast was stronger than before, and the wall crumbled instantly.
I was sent flying again, and then, spears formed from black mana came at me from all directions.
“Dammit!” I used wind magic to blow my body out of the way, barely escaping the barrage of black spears. Some grazed me, but it was nothing serious.
But just as I thought I was safe, more black spears were already waiting for me. Twice as many as before seemed to erupt out of thin air—no doubt a manifestation of the lord’s wish to kill me. Geos and Milène tried to disrupt him with their attacks, but he ignored them, focusing solely on me.
I screamed, panicking. There’s no opening I can escape through with wind magic! As I blasted fire magic, I also breathed fire to attack the spears.
I managed to destroy a few, but wiping them all out was impossible.
“Now you’re done for!” said the lord.
I shrieked as the black spears pierced through me—my stomach, legs, arms, everywhere.
Aaggghhh! Well, at least I didn’t end up a hedgehog! As long as I survive—
The lord groaned, irritated. “What regeneration! You monster!”
You’re calling me a monster?!
More black spears emerged out of thin air. Their number hadn’t changed from the last volley, but there was far greater mana packed into each one. This time, he really meant to finish me off, but giving up was not an option.
I swore to myself that I’d protect Shiro and Kuro!
I scattered spells to intercept the spears, but I couldn’t even neutralize half of them.
It’s because they’re stronger! Am I in trouble here?
I curled up, trying to shrink my body and take as little damage as possible. Then, like a massive beast snapping its jaws shut, countless spears came—
“I’ll protect Thor!” yelled Shiro.
“Kuro toooo!”
“Huh?”
I saw the two girls leap between me and the black spears.