Chapter 298

“I can protect you.”

Schlieffen hissed. The blade vibrated in the storm. The decapitated Verminion staggered to his feet.

[Billion—go, how dare you—.】

Blood was still gurgling from the cut on his neck. However, the amount of blood was significantly reduced compared to when he was cut.

“That’s too fast.

Schlieffen narrowed his eyes. I expected to see increased resilience, but I didn’t expect to see it so quickly. I guess I’ll have to kill him in one fell swoop. A roar erupted from Verminion’s mouth as he raised his head.

[Cut my throat-!

At the same time, Verminion’s form disappeared from view. Schlieffen reflexively struck his sword. With a scorching metallic sound, his body was knocked back.

[Uh-oh, block?!!].

“Ugh…!”

Schlieffen gritted his teeth. His arm felt like it was going to fall off despite his defense. It felt like he’d been hit by a giant beast, not a man.

[Do it one more time, like you did before, huh?!

Verminion attacked. It was rough, yet precise martial arts. With each mana-swirling jab and kick, Schlieffen felt his life threatened. He circled the swallow and retreated, trying to regain his footing, when he heard an old man’s voice behind him.

[I’m sorry, but I have to catch up to you quickly].

The hairs on the nape of his neck stood up. Schlieffen whipped his head around. Glowing spheres the size of coconuts were flying at high speed.

One glance told him that he shouldn’t have been hit; he was just pulling away. Archbishop Letancier, who had been watching Schlieffen, made a pressing gesture.

[Where.

“Ugh—.”

An invisible force squeezed Schlieffen’s shoulder. For a moment, his motion was disrupted. The sphere of light at his feet exploded.

“Kaboom!”

This time, I couldn’t block it. The bouncing body slammed into the wall with a loud thud. From the feel of it, it looked like two ribs were broken.

The pain was enough to make him want to pass out, but there was no time to lie down. Schlieffen rolled to the side and pushed himself up. With a snap, Verminion’s heel landed on the spot.

[Hmph, I hear you’ve got the blood of Alon’s inspiration, and you’ve got some speed].

He snarled ferociously as he pulled his leg out of the ground. Judging by the depth of the wound, if he was hit, it was surely instant death.

Spacing out, Schlieffen looked back toward where the spheres had come from. An old woman with a hunched back stood with a cane. Dozens of glowing orbs, the ones that had caused the explosion, circled around her. The old woman’s eyes locked with Schlieffen’s, and she let out a gasp of admiration.

[Oooh, isn’t he dead?

“You are—.”

【This is Archbishop Maron. A handsome young man. Would you care to clear that whirlwind? If so, I can spare your life.

The old woman, Maron, smiled a humanizing smile. Schlieffen didn’t answer. Just then, a bloodied man walked out from behind Maron.

【Yes. I might even pardon you for your bravery. Damn it, what the hell happened to the wind?

The man grumbled. The archbishop, who went by the name of Anaciel, had tried and failed to break through the vortex Schlieffen had set up earlier with his bare hands. The horrific wounds covering his body were proof.

【Hoho— Probably the blood of Ronan or something. Judging by his power, he must have applied the blood relatively recently].

[Somehow, it hurt like hell].

【Kid, retract the whirlwind. There’s hardly any blood left if you’ve gotten this far anyway.】

Maron laughed. Schlieffen’s face hardened slightly at the keen analysis. Indeed, he had only just poured Ronan’s blood into his sword. Judging by the duration of the power, it was woefully inadequate to deal with the five archbishops.

Schlieffen twisted his lips; this was, in fact, his last chance to save his life, and the chances of him taking out all five of them were absurdly low.

I had done something similar in Dragon City, but the situation was much worse now. I honestly doubted I could win here, even one-on-one.

“I can’t help it.

Finally, Schlieffen squeezed his eyes shut. Aaaaah—the whirlwind surrounding the tower began to die down. Anakriel’s face brightened.

[Oooh.

【Yes, she’s as smart as she looks—]

Maron was about to say something. Drawing on the energy drained by the vortex, Schlieffen gripped the hilt of his blade. The blade of the Fail Lord’s sword dispersed in the form of wind.

[Mm?

Then, with all his strength, he spun around and swung his sword in a full circle, the wind blowing in a wide circle. The wind sliced through the top of the room, slicing away the top of the room. The walls and ceiling slid along the cut and collapsed.

[Haha, you didn’t think I’d know such shallow water?

But none of the archbishops were harmed. Maron laughed. They’d gotten the hint and were already telekinetically or leaping through the air. Anaciel frowned.

【What a waste of a chance, I can only kill you as you wish.

Laughter came from all directions. But Schlieffen was unfazed. This is what he was aiming for in the first place. With a bang, Schlieffen lunges forward and kicks Maron in the chest.

Ouch!

This was unexpected. She was thrown backward, unable to react. She then swung her sword at Verminion, who had no intention of sparing her life in the first place, as he charged at her from behind.

[Damn, did I notice that?].

Verminion cursed under his breath. A sudden gust of wind blew him backward. Their bodies soon landed in the area where the whirlwind had been blowing just moments before. Maron’s normally relaxed face went white.

[No, no, no!

[What’s the matter, Grandma? If we just go back to this—]

Verminion grunted, unable to grasp the situation. Maron cried out in desperation.

[Ms. Ranthier! Pull us up, come on!!!]

Realizing Schlieffen’s intentions in hindsight, Letancier gulped. He spun the sword around once, then drove the tip into the ground. WHOOSH! The swirling wind that had been dying down began to intensify violently.

[Hah!

[Off, off, off, off!

[Oh, my God, Maron—!

Letancier stretched out his arms, but it was too late. A pitiful scream echoed in the wind. The wind, still frail, ripped through the flesh of the two archbishops, tearing apart even the protection of the stars.

“Whoa—.”

Schlieffen sighed. Two down, but it didn’t change the fact that he was still overwhelmingly outnumbered. His ribs were still broken, and the remaining archbishops seemed much stronger than the first two.

Of course, it didn’t matter. Pulling his sword from the floor, he opened his mouth. It was a belated response to the invitation to reap the whirlwind.

“Decline.”

【Kill him! Kill him!】

Letancier cried out in fury. The remaining archbishops rushed forward in unison. Catching his breath, Schlieffen tugged on the hilt of his sword once more.

****

“Schlieffen—!”

Marja gritted her teeth, her gaze fixed on the top floor of the pale castle. The storm that Schlieffen had stirred up swirled around the towers.

It seemed to slow down for a moment, but then it intensified. With a one-armed swing of her greatsword, Marja sliced a devotee in two as he lunged at her from behind.

“Crikey—!”

With that, they took out all the troops stationed around them. The two who had jumped from the tower had taken up positions in the farthest corners of the walls. Marja looked up again and spoke.

“He’s going to die, we have to help him.”

“Ha, but Miss Iril’s safety comes first. If we don’t, Schlieffen’s sacrifice will be in vain—”

“I know that, you octopus head, and of course I’m going to let you go first, but you’re trying to figure out where to go, and you want to say something stupid like sacrifice?!”

Marja shrieked. The squeaky voice echoed through the castle. Braum, furious and startled, backed away.

“Why, why are you angry and but.”

“—Sorry. I’m stuck. Ugh, what am I going to do?”

She apologized and clutched her head. The gravity of the matter was too much for her. Iriel still didn’t wake up, though. Her face looked serene as she slept soundly.

“What the heck is going on, anyway?”

Marja frowned as she suddenly glanced outside the city walls. The star shield Abel had raised was too thick to see what was going on outside. There does seem to be some sort of commotion going on,” said Braum, who had been salivating.

“Why don’t you take a look at our sewers, they might not have that shield down there.”

“Oh, that’s nice.”

Marja’s face lit up. She had a point. Sewage pipes usually ran outside, and in a castle this big, the sewage system was surely big enough for people to walk through.

“Let’s get going. You have some blood left, don’t you?”

“Yes. It’s minimal, but—.”

Braum nodded. Marja wiped the blood from her greatsword and was about to move. Suddenly, a familiar voice came from below the city walls.

“What the hell. He’s alive.”

“Now, Jaifa?!”

Marja lowered her gaze and gasped. A dark Weartiger stared back at her. The four commandos who had entered with her were breathing heavily around Jaifa.

Judging by the color of their clothes, they had suffered just as much. All of them looked as if they had bathed in blood. Zaifa’s eyes suddenly widened.

“The woman is—.”

Zaifa’s gaze was fixed on Iril in Marja’s arms, who had reached the ramparts in a single leap. Zaifa looked at the three of them alternately, then laughed.

“Apparently you guys are successful. Shame on you.”

“Now’s not the time for that! Did you see any sewers or anything while you were out and about?”

“There is. But it’s not what you’re expecting, and even when it is, it’s very tightly sealed.”

Jaifa shook his head. He and his men had just climbed up from the sewers. Hoping to find a way out, the commandos were greeted by a swarm of enemies and an even thicker cover of stars.

“Well, that can’t be—.”

Marja’s face hardened. She could hear her hopes crumble. There really was no way out now. After a moment of silence, Zaifa spoke up.

“Judging by her attire, she’s not to be taken by the fanatics after all, is she?”

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure.”

“Hmmm–I guess that’s the way it is. We’ll just have to push the envelope a bit.”

Zaifa clicked his tongue as he set down his Unworldly Sword and stepped toward the Star Guard. Marja cocked her head at the meaningful gesture.

“What are you going to do, Unwaldo, why—.”

“I’ll get through it somehow. Give me the boy’s blood, all of you.”

“—Huh?”

Marja asked, but Jaifa did not answer. He simply took Ronan’s blood from those who had followed him and from Braum and smeared it on his hands.

“Well, why would you put that in your hand—.”

Braum’s eyes flashed with embarrassment. Zaifa’s hands, soaked in Ronan’s blood, were the dark red color of infernal flames.

Hook-like nails were growing on his fingers, one the length of a dagger. His thick forearms were bulging rapidly.

“No way.”

“Hmph!”

Realizing what he was about to do, Marja raised an eyebrow. At the same time, Zaifa’s fist shot out and struck the Star Guardian. BOOM! The sound reverberated as if a metal plate had been struck with a boulder.

“You’re solid.”

“Oh my God—!”

Zaifa clicked her tongue. Marja’s eyes widened. His fingernails had dug into the star’s sigil, just barely. A spiderweb of cracks grew around the nail’s point.