Chapter 67: The Devil of One Wing (2)

While I went to the square, stopped the clash, and led the citizens to the council, the other companions first hid inside the command headquarters and took a ‘rest’.

And when most of the forces in the command headquarters were deployed to the square and the council, they would take that opportunity to head to the ‘boss room’ and strike Ethesia.

This was our plan.

The problem was.

“…Hey, sh*t. That bastard’s f*cking strong.”

“…I know.”

As Ibi muttered while wiping away her nosebleed, Ethesia was incredibly strong.

Although it had been quite some time since she had stepped down from the front lines after rising to the highest position of Great General, no matter how rusty, a fine sword was still a fine sword, and a hero was still a hero.

While the fallen Miki was receiving Lily's 「Healing」 and struggling to get up again.

“Bard…!”

Ethesia, freed from the 「Word Command」, also raised one knee and stood up again.

It seemed she was freed more quickly because she wasn't in a ‘charmed’ state when it was cast.

“Do you think anything will change just because one more of you has come?”

“Oh, it will.”

I replied to Ethesia’s taunt with a nonchalant air.

“Probably a lot will change.”

Of course, Ethesia was a level 10 boss that was very difficult for a 5-person party that had just reached level 6, no matter how much of a numerical advantage we had.

Moreover, those two guys with her, the 「General」 and the 「Colonel」, were also high-level, tricky enemies, although not to her extent, so it was actually hard to say we had a numerical advantage.

So.

“You know, right? Don't look at my face.”

First, we had to get rid of those two guys.

“I wouldn't look even if you begged me, you bastard.”

When I reached level 6, I said it was time to learn one of the very important skills for this build.

This was that important skill.

『No matter how you fly or crawl, you guys are just rats, you scum-like rebel bastards!』

“Ugh……!”

At my shout, after quickly taking off my mask, Ethesia immediately grabbed her head and writhed in pain.

However, Ethesia was not the only one in pain.

“──!?”

“Ugh!”

The 「General」 and the 「Colonel」, both of them, were also in pain.

──The name of the skill I cast was 「Multiple Vicious Mockeries」.

It was a level 6 bard skill that cast the single-target skill 「Vicious Mockery」 on up to three people at the same time.

The officers, ‘charmed’ by my face, could not withstand the critical hit damage from the 「Multiple Vicious Mockeries」, and their minds eventually collapsed, and they fell together.

At that, I said to Ethesia, who was holding her head in pain.

“How about that?”

I showed a grin, raising the corners of my mouth as if to show off.

“Well, at least the numbers have changed.”

“You entertainer bastard…!”

Then the enraged Ethesia immediately kicked off the ground.

Chaeng──!

The tip of the rapier that was thrust was blocked by Miki, who had rushed over, by crossing his gauntlets.

Ethesia did not stop and swung her rapier repeatedly.

Chaeng! Chaeng!

Small sparks flew as the blade and gauntlets clashed repeatedly.

“Kid! Catch!”

At the same time, Ibi, who had gone to pick up her daggers, threw a nearby shield to Miki.

“Haaap!”

Miki, as soon as he received it, swung it with all his might.

Whoosh!

Ethesia hastily moved her body to dodge Miki's 「Shield Bash」, then immediately aimed the ‘pistol’ in her left hand at me and Miki.

“Lily!”

Paang!

A wind burst out.

But thanks to the 「Blessing of Wind Resistance」 that Lily had cast in the meantime, we took a little damage but were not pushed back.

In the meantime, Ibi quickly ran behind Ethesia and tried to land a 「Backstab」.

However, Ethesia spun around to dodge the blow and instead got behind Ibi.

“──!?”

And thrust the tip of her rapier at the flustered Ibi.

『Don't you know how to do anything other than stab people in the back, you rebel leader bastard!?』

“Ugh…!”

If she hadn't staggered for a moment after hearing my 「Vicious Mockery」, it would have surely pierced Ibi’s back.

As you can see from a moment ago, one of Ethesia’s patterns to be wary of as a boss was—specially made for her by Khamsin—that ‘pistol’ she fired off at every opportunity, but what was most difficult was that 「Counterattack」.

「Counterattack」 is a technique that, as the name suggests, returns the opponent’s attack.

To put it simply, Ethesia turns the opponent's turn into her own turn through 「Counterattack」.

Therefore, it was hard to even damage Ethesia with a physical attack, but she couldn't cast 「Counterattack」 on 「Vicious Mockery」 like just now.

And that.

“Rine!”

Was the same for Rine’s magic.

Shwing!

Two 「Magic Arrows」 shot at the same time flew to Ethesia’s sides.

Of course, she couldn't 「Counterattack」, but she could easily parry the magic.

At that, Ethesia was about to swing her rapier──

『Stop!』

“──!”

But as a result of stopping in place against her will again, she was hit directly by the 「Magic Arrows」 she couldn't parry.

Ethesia, who let out a groan of pain, her two eyes, charmed and colored in a rosy red, glared at me as if to kill me.

“You, insolent…!”

Even after being hit by two 「Magic Arrows」 that would have pierced a normal person, she was still standing in place perfectly fine.

“I admit it.”

I deliberately provoked Ethesia.

“The tables have turned now.”

“Don't get cocky──”

In the meantime, Ibi, who had gotten behind Ethesia again, landed a 「Backstab」.

“──Ugh!”

And this time it properly lodged in her shoulder.

Although she had originally aimed for the neck, Ethesia, sensing the danger, had moved her body with all her might, so it ended up piercing her shoulder.

Ibi then tried to stab with the other one.

“Keok──”

But she was hit by the elbow of Ethesia, who had been freed from the 「Word Command」, and gasped, then was thrown towards Miki.

“Rine! Delayed──”

As the two who had collided fell to the ground together, Ethesia pulled out the dagger embedded in her shoulder and threw it at me.

──Swoosh!

The dagger, scattering blood droplets as it flew, was blocked by a 「Rock Shield」 with a thud! before it could reach me.

However, Ethesia seemed to have anticipated this from the start and was already aiming her pistol.

Paang!

The sturdy rock wall instantly crumbled, revealing Ethesia aiming her rapier at me.

Shwing!

The tip of the glinting rapier was thrust, and.

『Protect us!』

Pajijik!

It was deflected right in front of my chest.

Unable to pierce the 「Miracle of Protection」 created by Lily's prayer── commonly known as a ‘barrier’.

At that, Ethesia glared at Lily with a thoroughly pissed-off expression.

“You are alone.”

I sneered at Ethesia once more.

“There’s no one left who will support you as a hero. You are just a rat who went mad with power and pointed a sword at the city.”

“What do you know…!”

The enraged Ethesia let out a scream and wildly swung her rapier.

Pajik! Pajijik!

With each heavy blow, cracks began to appear in the barrier.

「Miracle of Protection」 was, so to speak, the most powerful skill Lily could use at this point.

And yet, Ethesia was tearing it apart with a few slashes of her sword.

Thus, the difference in skill between us and Ethesia was as clear as day.

However, as I said before, she was alone now.

Miki, who had gotten up again and pushed his shield, colliding with her, and Ibi, who rushed in as soon as he was kicked away, swinging two daggers, and.

『A rat can fly, but it’ll only ever be a bat!』

My 「Vicious Mockery」 that was thrown just as she was about to parry them and thrust her rapier, and while she was in pain from that, Rine's 「Water Bomb」 and 「Frost Blade」 cast simultaneously through 「Delayed Casting」.

“Kuaak…!”

No matter how strong Ethesia was, there was a limit to how she could face the five of us at once, now that she was alone.

So.

“……You win.”

In the end, Ethesia gave up on facing us ‘alone’.

“You damn devil bastard!”

It meant that the final struggle of the boss Ethesia── the final phase had been reached.

“The contract, is sealed──!”

The moment Ethesia shouted this.

“What──”

──Fwoosh!

Black flames suddenly erupted around her, and her body, which had been frozen by Rine’s magic combo just a moment ago, was instantly melted.

It was a familiar sight, the same as when we saw 「Marin(?)」.

“That bastard, really…!”

Yes.

She had finally made a contract with a devil.

Although she had cooperated with devils due to a coincidence of interests, Ethesia had always avoided making a contract.

So that when she seized this city as planned, she would not be swayed by the devil who held her soul.

But now, in the end, she had made a contract with a devil── with Luce.

“Die──!”

Only to kill us here.

Then, she ignited the newly acquired ability── the 「Hellfire」, which was a symbol of devils, in one of her hands, and then threw it towards her companions.

As her companions hastily threw themselves to the ground to dodge it, Ethesia, without stopping, drew her ‘pistol’ and pulled the trigger.

Fwoosh──!

A strong wind instantly spread the 「Hellfire」 that had stuck to the floor.

Thus, a wall of black fire that would burn everything that approached was erected between us, and.

“Chattering away from a while ago…!”

Ethesia kicked off the ground and cast her ‘special move’.

And the target was.

“I'll cut off that handsome face of yours and hang it on my wall!”

Me, who had been constantly provoking her.

Thus, I came face to face with her strong will to make us── especially me── her companions on the road to hell, even if it meant selling her soul to a devil.

“Mr. Yubin!”

Due to the wall of 「Hellfire」, Miki’s 「Guard」 could not be expected.

And even if he could come to 「Guard」, he would never be able to block or withstand the following attack.

Because after this ‘time of fate’, where everything around had stopped for a moment, ended── Ethesia would unleash a series of attacks that was equivalent to attacking for four turns, with ‘a single strike (turn)’.

An attack where one becomes four, and four become one.

It was physically impossible.

Therefore, it was a power befitting the price of her ‘soul’ that she had just sold.

Literally, a certain kill.

If hit, you would definitely die.

There was no one who could withstand those four consecutive attacks.

『The Die──』

──However.

That was only a story for ‘when you get hit’.

『 Is 』

If Ethesia had gained power by sacrificing her soul.

I had the power to overturn fate── my soul (Soul Stone).

『Cast──!』

──Fwoosh!

For a moment, a strong wind rose.

Up, down, left, right.

As if declaring that there was no escape, the bands of silver that flew in from all directions at once──

--

Evasion successful!

--

I, dodged them all.

Even if it was a 4-hit combo, in the end, it was an attack of ‘one turn’.

“──!?”

It meant that it could be dodged in ‘a single moment’ when the effect of the 「Moment of the Star」 was active.

“How──”

Ethesia looked at me with wide eyes, as if she couldn't believe what had just happened in front of her.

Then, belatedly coming to her senses, she raised her rapier again, but──

『──Kneel!』

Before the tip of that rapier could reach me, she knelt on one knee.

“Tricks, again…!”

However, her resistance had also been strengthened by the contract with the devil, and she was slowly raising her trembling body again, even as she looked up at me with ‘charmed’ eyes.

If this continued, she would soon break the 「Word Command」 on her own and get up from her seat.

And this time, she would surely pierce my heart.

The 「Moment of the Star」 could not be used now.

The next blow could not be dodged.

『──Bind.』

But I have companions.

Companions who would trust that I would buy them time somehow in the fire, and prepare a magic circle.

‘Rine, use Delayed Casting.’

Rine had perfectly understood the meaning of these words that I had not even been able to finish due to the dagger Ethesia had thrown.

─ If there's a devil behind this again, he'll use 「Hellfire」.

Of course, I had already given her a hint.

─ Then using 「Water Bomb」 will be useless.

So, she didn't just stop at 「Water Bomb」 but immediately linked it with 「Frost Blade」.

If Ethesia had been in a ‘wet’ state, the moisture would have quickly dried up the moment the 「Hellfire」 erupted around her.

But, what if she was in a ‘frozen’ state?

The ice would naturally melt, and the water created from that would naturally change Ethesia’s body to a ‘wet’ state for a short while.

“That elf──”

So it didn't matter if the black fire obstructed our view or approach.

『──Strike down!』

Because a 「Lightning Bolt」 strikes from above.