Chapter 89
My wish was to smack that slippery back of his head, and it came true like this. At that moment, my eyes met with the enraged Pelles. He glared at me and immediately dove downward. He was like a rocket.
“Everyone around me, get back!”
I wrapped aura around my throat and shouted, and the sound spread out like a megaphone. I saw the startled soldiers scrambling to move. I coated my sword with aura and clashed with Pelles, who was charging like a comet.
Boom!
“Ugh!”
“You insolent human…!”
My sword and Pelles’s staff stuck together without yielding an inch. From the point of contact, a creaking, ominous noise sounded.
“The insolent one is you!”
I knocked away his staff with my sword. Immediately, fire magic flew at me. I knocked that away too. Thus, the battle between me and Pelles began.
In the fight between a grand mage and a sword master, the surroundings cleared in a circle. The demonic beasts and soldiers widened the distance even more, fearing sparks from the flying sword energies and attack magic.
“There was a reason you were called a wastrel. I won’t let you die easily!”
Pelles pulled back for a moment. I had no interest in whether he warned me or not. No, I had no time to pay attention.
‘This is killing me, let me catch my breath.’
I was considerably exhausted. After dealing with hundreds of demonic beasts alone, I was now facing Pelles. It wouldn’t be strange if I collapsed right away, but there was nowhere to retreat.
So, the time he took to pose was more than welcome to me.
“I’ll tear your body into pieces and scatter them in all directions.”
Pelles said in a chilling voice, and then dozens of wind magics flew at me. I simply dodged them. How? By running away.
“You idiot, do you think I’d just stand there and take it? Dodging is enough!”
I didn’t forget to provoke him.
“You…!”
I saw Pelles’s face turn red with anger.
This kind of wind magic was advantageous to me. When I wrapped aura around my entire body, my sharpened senses quickly read the flow of air. I just had to anticipate the distorted waves and evade.
“Are you really a mage? You’re incredibly stupid! Hahaha!”
“Stand there!”
“Who stands still just because you tell them to?”
I continued to provoke Pelles. He fell for it and hastily fired magic. Magic cast in lost composure had no chance of hitting me.
Battles each have their own methods. It’s not for nothing that knights study tactics. Pelles is a strong one. So he only knows how to overwhelm with power, and likely has little experience in this style of fighting.
“Eat this!”
“Ugh!”
While running away, I scooped up dirt with my sword and sprayed it at Pelles. Since I infused it with aura, it should sting quite a bit.
Taking advantage of Pelles faltering, I widened the distance significantly and jumped into the area where demonic beasts and soldiers were frantically fighting. I needed time to think while hiding my body.
‘Now, what to do.’
From clashing with Pelles so far, this is what I’ve figured out.
One, this guy is weaker than the Demon King. When facing the Demon King, I was overwhelmed by an absolute sense of dominance and helplessness, but I don’t feel that from him.
Two, nonetheless, he is stronger than me. By quite a lot. If I clash purely with power, it’s certain defeat.
Three, I can drag out time. The current chaotic battlefield environment all around is advantageous to me.
Lastly, I am too exhausted.
Looking down, my sword was trembling. My muscles all over my body were screaming for rest.
‘Damn. What to do.’
But I have to hold on. The Demon King clearly said to hold out, so there must be a way.
‘Hurry up and resolve this before I die and come back, you Demon King bastard!’
I breathed heavily and looked at Pelles. He slowly wiped the blood-mixed dirt splattered on his face with his gloved hand. That leisurely appearance twisted my guts.
Our eyes met. He and I stared at each other. Between us, the blood and flesh of countless demonic beasts and soldiers passed by.
Pelles opened his mouth.
“You’re trying to buy time.”
Caught.
But it doesn’t matter. That’s exactly the goal.
“Then I have no choice but to end it in one go.”
What?
I frowned at his words, and Pelles floated into the air. I immediately went on guard.
The most troublesome fight for a sword master is aerial combat. Since we’re specialized in ground battles, it can’t be helped.
Pelles muttered with his eyes glowing yellow.
“I’ll turn you to dust.”
Narrowing my eyes to watch what this madman was saying with such confidence, suddenly an enormous energy burst from him.
“W-what is it?”
I was flustered. A dark crimson energy similar to the Demon King’s overflowed from Pelles.
I hurriedly picked up any rock from the ground. I loaded it fully with aura and threw it at him, but it crumbled to powder with a crunch in the bursting dark crimson energy.
In that instant, the Demon King’s words flashed through my mind.
“Pelles is destroying and absorbing my origin.”
So that means Pelles has absorbed the Demon King’s power? That’s why he’s emitting such terrifying energy?
Above Pelles’s head, a massive black sphere was condensing. Anyone could see it was ominous and immensely powerful.
My body trembled. It’s different from when the Demon King descended. Back then, it felt like a helpless human facing a natural disaster, but now, it was the prickling sensation all over my body from facing energy condensed with strong killing intent.
I thought about going up into the air to physically strike him, but there was no way. Throw my sword? No. It probably wouldn’t turn to dust like the rock, but it would split in two or I’d just lose my weapon.
Ask Durante to float me up? That was dangerous too. Other demons were already floating around in the air, commanding the demonic beasts. I could just become a target and die pointlessly.
I can’t win this.
But I can’t run away either. Behind me is Fernandi Castle. Many people live inside the walls, and if I dodge, a considerable number would die.
Unless I burn my own body to block it.
I raised my sword. I drew up aura from every corner of my body.
“Hoo.”
Block it and die, just like that.
After blocking that, I’ll disappear into dust, but the Demon King, knowing this fact, will rage and kill Pelles. I don’t know when the Demon King will come, but….
‘Wait…. If I die, won’t he try to destroy the world again?’
I suddenly fell into an enormous dilemma, when Durante suddenly appeared, grabbed my left shoulder, and turned my body. Of course, I knew he was approaching.
“You must evade, Lady Marion!”
I looked up at Pelles floating in the sky. It seemed to take time to prepare that enormous single blow. Looking down again and scanning the surroundings, I saw retreating soldiers and demonic beasts.
“The Marquis saw what the Mage Tower Lord is preparing and issued a retreat order. It feels like the demonic beasts also received retreat orders from the demons. Lady Marion must follow too!”
Durante said in an earnest voice. I looked at him and asked.
“If we retreat, who will block that?”
“Everyone inside the castle has also been ordered to evacuate. So please come with us, Lady Marion!”
Well.
He will throw that at me. If we retreat, he’ll just follow, and dodging won’t work. He’d love throwing it where there are many humans.
“Ah! That could work!”
Then a good idea came to me.
“You came at the perfect time, Sir Durante. I will leave a will.”
“Lady Marion!”
“We have no time to argue. Listen carefully. Please tell His Grace that I love him very much.”
“Please….”
“And tell the Demon King that I hope he lets the people I love live as long as they live before I die.”
Durante looked at me with a face almost about to cry.
“And to the Marquis, please convey that I was happy to see my grandfather even for a short time. Also tell the previous Duke, the late Madam, and the servants of the Ducal residence that I’m sorry and thankful. And tell Sir Durante that I’m sorry and thankful too.”
“My lady….”
Durante eventually shed tears.
“Now go.”
“Together…,”
“I’m going toward the demonic beasts.”
“What?!”
His startled voice flipped.
“Pelles will unconditionally throw that energy mass at me. Since I’m going to die anyway, I’ll self-destruct with the demonic beasts to lighten the burden for the remaining people a bit.”
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