novelraw Chapter 74 : Chapter 74
Chapter 74 : Chapter 74
Chapter 74
Hobelerus did not engage in things like tests of strength.
That was not his forte.
The moment he judged an attack to be blocked, he would retrieve his weapon without the slightest hesitation and continue with the next attack.
A continuous barrage of attacks poured down like a torrent of rain.
Hobelerus was clearly using a single spear, yet it felt as if multiple spears were being thrust simultaneously.
‘It’s hard to keep up with his speed.’
The attack range of a spear was a single point.
Blocking that precise location with a thin sword was no easy task.
Therefore, I had no choice but to use my shield to block the attacks, but I could see the shield’s durability chipping away in real-time.
At the same time, the condition of my left arm rapidly worsened.
It was a relief, if anything, that the force behind each attack was relatively weaker compared to the first blow.
That wasn't all.
Every time I blocked his attack, an abnormal darkness spread around us.
Hobelerus' attribute was darkness.
If I let the darkness continue to spread, the fight would become disadvantageous for me.
The darkness would continuously apply various debuffs on me, while conversely enhancing Hobelerus' abilities.
Among them, his attack speed would become especially faster.
Though I could see them with my eyes, the attacks I failed to properly defend against due to the limits of my speed increased the number of minor wounds on my body.
The wounds would heal, but the problem was the pain.
I thought I had become somewhat accustomed to pain, but perhaps because of the darkness attribute's debuff, the level of pain was difficult to ignore.
‘Should I use my Authority?’
The fastest way to end this fight was to use Second Claw, the Authority with the highest attack power I possessed.
With the Ella 7 Sword made of Jeogeun, a catastrophe like my weapon shattering last time would not occur.
The problem was my stamina.
Although I had gained a level compared to back then, I still wouldn't be able to fully withstand the aftereffects of Second Claw.
In other words, if I failed to finish Hobelerus in a single blow, I would be the one to be defeated.
‘…Let’s not panic.’
I calmed my racing heart.
Hobelerus' high speed and the deepening darkness had made me anxious, and my thoughts had clearly become dull.
Hobelerus was strong, but didn't I have a great advantage that others lacked?
I knew Odin and its soldiers better than anyone.
The same went for the Hobelerus before me.
How this man fought, what Authority he possessed, what habits he had, and what his strengths and weaknesses were.
I had a thorough grasp of it all.
If I fought based on that information, I could surely turn this disadvantageous fight into a favorable one.
‘Hobelerus' strength is his ability to fight intelligently. He analyzes his opponent’s strengths and weaknesses in real-time and leads the battle based on that. Obvious fakes won’t work on him. His weakness is that he thinks too much and often misses opportunities by analyzing the situation even when a weakness is exposed…’
Blocking the continuous stream of attacks, I calmly waited for an opportunity.
In these few minutes of engagement, Hobelerus must have also extracted some information about me.
That I possessed a high-quality, masterfully crafted sword.
That I fought defensively, using a shield and an automatic healing Authority.
And that his accompanying soldiers were being cornered by my unit members.
Hobelerus would also want to end this battle as quickly as possible.
He would come up with some kind of move.
I believed that then, an opportunity to turn the current situation around would present itself, and so I waited.
“……”
Hobelerus' attacks grew increasingly fierce.
But his attack pattern did not change.
From beginning to end, Hobelerus simply stared at me with cold eyes and unleashed attacks like a beast.
‘Something’s…’
In the end, he stuck to his current fighting style, and Hobelerus' last soldier fell to the ground.
“I’ll help you!”
“You’ve waited a long time, sir!”
My comrades joined the fight between me and Hobelerus.
The tide of battle, which had been flowing slightly unfavorably for me, changed dramatically.
Latia got behind Hobelerus and continuously aimed for openings, while Lirisa’s arrows constantly tested Hobelerus' defensive capabilities.
However, Hobelerus' fighting style did not change.
Throughout the fight, with eyes like a starved beast, he simply responded with an all-out offense that relied on speed.
‘Something’s strange…’
This was not Hobelerus' style.
I wondered if he was underestimating me, but that didn’t seem to be the case either.
Just in case, I deliberately exposed an opening.
The usual Hobelerus would never fall for such a blatant opening.
However.
“……”
CRUNCH!
Hobelerus wordlessly aimed for the opening I had exposed and thrust his spear.
As I deflected his attack with my shield, I couldn’t help but be bewildered.
I even began to wonder if he was toying with me.
It was as if I was fighting a completely different person wearing Hobelerus' skin.
One thing was clear: the Hobelerus before me was not utilizing his strengths at all.
Falling into a trap set by an opponent meant that you had lost a move.
I swung my sword, and the red blade left a sizable wound on Hobelerus' shoulder.
Following that, Lirisa’s arrow and Latia’s sword inflicted additional damage on Hobelerus.
“Hobelerus.”
“……”
Despite my call, Hobelerus kept his mouth shut and did not answer.
He glanced at his wound once, then began to unleash attacks again.
Just like before, without any change, just speed-based thrusts that relied on physical ability.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed on purpose?”
I couldn’t help but ask that question.
I wished he would at least give some kind of answer.
But Hobelerus' closed mouth never opened.
The more I looked, the more openings Hobelerus showed.
If I put my mind to it, it seemed I could seize victory without even having to use Second Claw.
But was it really the right choice to end the life of this Hobelerus, who was so blatantly screaming to be killed?
Due to my hesitation, my right hand, holding the sword, would not move.
At that moment.
[Rian!]
Selina’s voice, who should have been on the airship, came through.
It was quite ironic that her urgent voice felt like that of a savior who would postpone the decisive battle with Hobelerus, even if only for a brief moment.
“What is it?”
[Be careful! The mana concentration around Tet Island is decreasing abnormally!]
“You already said that a little while ago.”
[It’s much worse! The mana concentration has thinned to the point where an airship can fly over Tet Island. There will be a problem with the Fairy Wings, which minimize energy consumption by drawing on the surrounding mana! Please prepare!]
“…Damn.”
Selina must have relayed the information to me as soon as she recognized the problem.
Nevertheless, it was too late to do anything about it.
“Everyone, put on your gas masks!”
Shouting as I put on my own gas mask.
That was the entirety of the countermeasures I could take.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
Someone’s scream was heard.
I didn’t even have the leeway to identify who it was.
Hobelerus, who had been clashing weapons with me, plummeted toward the ground, and then it was my turn.
The ground drew closer.
Even with the wings’ output at maximum, it was impossible to maintain altitude.
The face of Hobelerus, falling powerlessly toward the ground, grew more and more distant.
Was it a hallucination?
For a very brief moment, it looked as if Hobelerus was smiling.
The fortunate thing was that it didn't seem like I would crash straight into the ground.
Below, I could see soldiers from both factions floundering due to the sudden drop in their devices’ output.
Although the maximum altitude had significantly decreased, flight wasn’t entirely impossible, as they were somehow managing to stay in the air.
As it happened, a Purity hero was at my point of descent.
I changed my posture and slowed my fall by stepping on the man’s back.
“Kraaaaaak!”
Along with a scream, there was a gruesome sound of bones breaking.
Flailing his arms, the Purity hero crashed to the ground.
“Th-thank you. You saved my life.”
I hadn't intended to help anyone.
I barely managed to maintain my altitude.
“The maximum altitude is… just ten meters?”
The surroundings were in a state of chaos.
As the soldiers from both sides, who had been engaged in a chaotic battle at varying altitudes, were forcibly brought to the same altitude, the three-dimensional fight had transformed into a two-dimensional one.
A picture was painted that was no different from a ground battle, except that their feet did not touch the ground.
The problem was that the Lava Fiend Galakal was about thirty meters tall.
“Kraaaaaah!”
The roaring Galakal swung its arm.
The speed was not particularly fast.
However, because Galakal was so enormous, its range was immense.
It probably wasn't an attack aimed at me with pinpoint accuracy, but because the range was so wide, I was also included within it.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
People screamed and struggled to escape Galakal’s attack range.
Since they couldn't escape upwards, the only move they could make was to get away from Galakal.
However, because the output of the Fairy Wings had been so greatly reduced, they couldn't pick up speed.
I judged evasion to be impossible.
Taking off my gas mask, I opened my bag, took out an antidote, and put it in my mouth.
Galakal’s palm approached me at high speed.
“Keuheup…!”
The enormous impact felt like it was going to knock me unconscious.
Galakal’s body was composed of liquid, but its viscosity was quite high, so I felt a shock as if a dull blow was gripping and shaking my internal organs.
At least several dozen people were hit by Galakal’s attack.
Among them, some with low durability coughed up blood and their heads drooped, as if their internal organs had burst.
A considerable number of people survived, just like me, but the problem came next.
My body grew hot.
“Gwaaaaaaaah!”
“S-save meeee!”
Screams of pain echoed from all sides, as if we had been thrown into the middle of hell.
Soon, an unbearable pain washed over me like a wave.
It felt as if all the blood in my body was boiling hot.
Galakal’s poison was vicious.
I chewed and swallowed the antidote, but I wondered if it was having any effect, as the pain of having my entire skin scraped with a razor blade was ceaselessly inflicted upon me.
I felt like tears were going to come out.
However, my survival-specialized Authorities faithfully performed their roles.
The antidote and poison resistance minimized the melting of my skin, and the automatic regeneration Authority healed those melted parts again.
Unlike me, the soldiers from both sides who lacked the ability to withstand this potent blood could only scream and die.
[Rian! Byan! Are you both alive? Anyone, if you’re alive, please answer!]
Selina’s urgent shout was heard.
I was alive, but I didn’t have the composure to answer.
Selina’s voice came through again.
[To the survivors of Unit 917, listen up. We are retreating immediately! Purity airships are currently moving toward Tet Island’s airspace. Alliance airships are also moving toward the operational area, so until then, please focus only on survival!]