novelraw Chapter 129 : Two Executors (2)
Chapter 129 : Two Executors (2)
Chapter 129: Two Executors (2)
“…….”
“…….”
Neither of them were particularly talkative to begin with. Even less so on a battlefield like this.
But this silence wasn’t because of that.
Michel and Meriel each expressed the absurdity of the situation in their own way.
Because the opponent’s defense was so far beyond reason that they couldn’t endure it otherwise.
Slow, Freeze, Paralysis—the basics of binding magic.
Fear, Illusion—the basics of dark magic.
Basics meant fundamentals. And sometimes, the most straightforward techniques became the strongest.
While Walter barely pulled Belfor away toward the inside of the tower—
The two mages simultaneously bound the enemy’s entire body with five magic circles.
Then, to finish her off completely, they unleashed Flame Spears and Frozen Needles at the same time.
Countless attacks poured down from above and below, creating cracks all over her immobilized body.
In that opening, nearby soldiers would thrust their spears into those cracks—
No matter how tough the body, surely it would take some damage.
The plan seemed perfect, and the execution followed exactly as expected.
Explosions rang out, and the soldiers moved in unison at the signal.
But—
Unfortunately, the result was completely unexpected.
Ting, tiiing!
Instead of the sound of flesh tearing or armor breaking, there was only the metallic ring of blades deflecting off a solid barrier.
“…What?”
As if answering their confusion, Betty Scarletwood muttered briefly:
“Earth Tremor.”
At that moment, the ground itself released a shockwave and shook violently.
KRRR—BOOOOM…!
Eight soldiers who had charged forward were blown away at once, and the raging gust reached even the outer barriers of the plaza.
Witnessing the entire sequence from start to finish, Michel and Meriel could only arrive at one conclusion.
All conventional attacks inflicted on the Executor of Earth, Betty Scarletwood… were completely ineffective.
And—
That shock spread to every participant on the battlefield.
The soldiers who had charged in boldly, only to be flung away, finally grasped the horror of the situation and began scattering in panic.
Some of those fleeing without regard for formation or battle lines were immediately seized by Colonel Anthony of the Special Task Force.
“You bastards still haven’t come to your senses?!”
“B-But, Colonel…!”
Smack!
“…….”
After striking his subordinate hard across the face, Anthony roared:
“Do you think this is some kind of training match? That you can pick opponents at your level and fight comfortably? You’re soldiers! Your job is to follow orders!”
“…….”
“And what the hell—did you lose your limbs? How badly are you even hurt to be panicking like this?!”
Grabbing the subordinate by the collar as he lowered his head in shame, Anthony shouted again:
“Remember this! This is nothing! If you’re going to collapse from something like this, then leave right now and retire! Got it?!”
“…….”
“I asked if you got it!”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
“Then get back to your position! You idiots!”
After sending them off, Anthony quietly swallowed a groan.
Even as he forced them back into position, he knew the truth.
The gap between that monster and them.
‘If Belfor got crushed without even putting up a fight… then my end won’t be any different.’
But even so, he had no choice but to face it.
Nothing would change by hoping someone else would do it.
If someone had to do it—then it would be him.
When everyone faced the enemy with that resolve, only then would the situation turn around.
With that, Colonel Anthony raised his sword and shield and charged at the Executor of Earth—
Hoping his actions would lift the morale of his troops.
At the same time, he shouted toward Michel and Meriel behind him:
“At most, five minutes! That’s my limit alone! You need to find a countermeasure in that time!”
---
While Betty Scarletwood dominated weaker enemies on the left side of the plaza—
On the right, Karen Rosefield had momentarily halted her advance against overwhelming resistance.
Frederick, who had repositioned to the right, and Gustav, who had left the command room, led a desperate stand.
“Haaah…!”
KWA—BOOM!
A steel knuckle strike generated a gale as it smashed into the opponent’s face.
But despite the explosive sound, her body didn’t budge.
“Then again!”
This time, a quick step—followed by a one-two combination from the side.
Bang! KWA—BOOM!
For an ordinary human, their skin would have torn before contact.
Even against Beasts, it was powerful enough to kill up to D-rank in a single blow.
…And yet, it did nothing to Karen Rosefield.
Instead, she extended her hand and thrust her blood-red spear from within her grasp.
The spear, born from the crimson aura surrounding her body, seemed almost alive as it targeted Frederick’s vital points.
“Tch…!”
Forced out of formation by the relentless pursuit, Frederick was replaced by Mallet’s core forces.
Two agents with the most experience in human combat took the front, while five—including Gustav—provided support from the rear.
“Now! Fire everything!”
Though severely underestimated by the public, Mallet was still an organization under Duel.
While novices might be lacking, intermediate and higher-level agents were in no way inferior to Imperial Court Mages.
As if proving that—
Countless magic circles formed above them.
From spears to missiles, a total of 14 types of attack magic across four categories rained down.
For nearly three minutes, over 4,000 attacks poured into the area, covering it so completely that it was impossible to even discern the target’s movement.
“…Did we get her?”
“Don’t say something that ominous, you idiot—!”
Crack, crack!
Shattering the mountain of attacks in an instant, Karen Rosefield reappeared.
Her entire body was cleanly coated in crimson aura, as if it were a protective layer.
At that shocking sight, Gustav gritted his teeth.
“…She really is a monster.”
Even SS-rank Beasts would have been left with at least some wounds from that level of attack.
So how was she completely unharmed?
‘What the hell are you, Karen Rosefield…?!’
She glanced around briefly, then let out a faint sigh.
“…This is just dragging things out.”
Then she lightly sliced her wrist.
A massive amount of blood began pouring onto the ground.
“W-What is she doing?”
“She just cut herself!”
“Whatever it is, it’s a chance! Fire again—!”
Gustav tried to give the order—but fell silent at what happened next.
The spilled blood began to gather like slime, quickly forming multiple spheres that floated around her.
In that instant, an overwhelming killing intent erupted, forcing Gustav to instinctively deploy a barrier.
But even that wasn’t enough to stop the attack.
The spheres sharpened into spike-like forms and shot forward instantly toward the two agents in front.
Thud! Thud!
Pierced through their vital points without even being able to defend themselves, the two collapsed on the spot.
“Master… run…”
Even the barrier Gustav deployed too late now had two gaping holes.
“Lloyd! Clover!”
“…They’re still breathing.”
As Karen stepped forward to finish them off, agents rushed to intercept—
And at that moment, a massive slash cut through the space between them.
Sensing the attack aimed directly at her, she quickly transformed the spheres into a thick barrier.
KRAAACK!
As the blood barrier shattered under the impact, Karen turned her gaze toward the caster.
“…….”
“Where do you think you’re going? Your opponent is right here.”
About 50 meters away—
Standing atop a battered Golem, Eugene Carter leapt high into the air.
“…Eugene Carter.”
Karen Rosefield drew her halberd and gripped it firmly with both hands.
A downward strike infused with all the energy of his fall—
Against an upward slash aimed to intercept it.
KWA—AAAAAAAAANG!!
The collision of the two powerhouses produced a thunderous explosion far beyond anything before.
Staring directly into Eugene’s eyes at point-blank range, Karen declared:
“I will kill you, Eugene Carter…!”
---
At her killing intent-filled declaration, I let out a bitter laugh.
“I don’t remember doing anything to earn that much hatred…!”
Creeeak, creak!
Part of my focus remained on the blades locked between us.
Even though I had poured all my weight, mana, and falling momentum into that strike—
Her expression didn’t change at all.
No—if anything, I was the one being pushed back.
‘How does that kind of strength even make sense from that posture…?!’
KWA—BOOM!
Forcing me back in an instant, Karen charged toward me.
Distance: 20 meters. No time to recover stance. Evasion was the only option.
Even if wielded by Karen Rosefield, a halberd was still a halberd. Compared to shorter weapons, its follow-up speed was inevitably slower.
As she thrust at the exact moment I landed, I reversed my grip and deployed Mana Armor along the blade’s spine.
Creeeeak!
With a harsh metallic screech, sparks flew.
I barely deflected the strike aimed at my heart—
But her assault was only just beginning.
Whoosh!
The blood spheres I had shattered earlier had already transformed into a whip with a sharp tip.
Instinctively, I blocked the first strike with Mana Armor—but the whip used the recoil to curve toward my neck.
At the same time, she launched a second thrust.
‘…No choice.’
I deployed Mana Armor to the front and Barrier Blade behind me.
Ting!
Then I unleashed another slash, forcing her back over ten steps.
“…….”
A brief probing exchange.
Perhaps caught off guard by the last clash, Karen’s lips twisted slightly.
‘I didn’t plan to reveal that this early….’
Given her personality, she likely hadn’t gathered information on her opponents—but even so, I had intended to hide the fact that I could use Illusion Swordsmanship as long as possible.
Even the strongest had openings.
If you had the ability to exploit them, you had to use it at the perfect moment.
My opponent was Karen Rosefield.
There would be no second chance.
‘…If it were someone else, I could create variables to delay their reactions, but…’
The stronger the opponent, the less they underestimated others.
Even the weakest might have a hidden trump card—so they prepared countermeasures to nullify even that.
That was the principle of strength in this world.
But for beings beyond the norm like her—
That logic didn’t apply.
No matter what trump card a weaker opponent used, it wouldn’t even scratch her body.
And so—
She never underestimated.
Because to a human facing an ant, the concept of “carelessness” didn’t exist.
As proof, Karen charged at me again without hesitation.
I wiped the cold sweat from the back of my head.
Facing an opponent I was already at a disadvantage against—even at my best—my mana surged even more explosively.
Tension. Danger. Excitement. Elation.
Savoring all those sensations at once, I grinned.
“This is going to be fun.”