Chapter 99 – The assassin reunites with his friend
Chapter 99 - The assassin reunites with his friend
Translator: VALIANT
Riogel the demon was much more dangerous than I imagined.
Tarte and I nodded to each other, then we simultaneously used special syringes to inject a drug into our necks.
It only lasted for a short time, but it would stimulate our brains and remove our limiters at the same time.
The world appeared to move in slow motion, and my physical abilities, as well as my instant mana output, rose up.
Although the power it granted us was phenomenal, it was a double-edged sword.
The brain’s limiters were by no means ornamental. The backlash from ignoring them was severe.
Not to mention, the effects of the drug didn’t last long, and using it repeatedly caused your body to quickly develop resistance toward it.
This drug was categorized as one of my trump cards, one that I could only use in case of an emergency.
And right now, this was an emergency.
Riogel’s mane fluttered in the wind as he went after Tarte instead of me.
Tarte grew a pair of fox ears and a fluffy fox tail on her body. This was another trump card that could only be used for a short time.
Tarte also understood that holding back would result in her death.
She chose not to evade him, but to rush forward with her spear in front of her.
Tarte left a wind blast behind her. She used an ultra-short wind spell Dia developed as a booster.
[I’m going to turn that cat into fox food!] (Tarte)
The side-effects of【Beastification】turned her aggressive. She had the pupils of a carnivore.
She exuded ferocity that didn’t suit her extremely lovely half-beast form.
Her spear was different from the usual one.
Her usual spear was made of a shaft split into segments so it could be hidden under her maid uniform, and one of its ends had a knife attached to it as the tip.
The strength and performance of that spear were sacrificed for the sake of concealment.
However, our recent battle against the beetle demon made me realize her lack of firepower.
Which is why I gave her a brand new weapon focused on destructive power rather than portability.
The tip of her spear rotated at super speed.
It used a Fahr Stone I embedded in it as a power source, allowing the tip to spin at super high speed like a drill.
In addition, the tip was made of the hardest alloy imaginable.
Thanks to this, a magic spear that could even pierce diamond came to be.
And Tarte was thrusting that same magic spear with her brain limiters off, after propelling herself with a wind booster, and on top of it all, with the physical enhancements provided by her【Beastification】.
It wasn’t an attack that relied solely on the momentum of her rush, but at the moment of impact, the full force of the blow was delivered with the power in her arms and waist.
Her spear being longer than Riogel’s claws, she hit him first.
Riogel could’ve dodged it if he wanted to, but he was too proud to believe that his steel body could be pierced by a woman’s spear, so he went straight into it.
But that was a bad move. Tarte’s spear was specially made.
It gouged and impaled the steel body that not even my gun could graze.
However…
[No way… He stopped Lugh-sama’s spear…] (Tarte)
[To think you actually injured my body… You’re a pretty strong female. You’ll make a fine meal.] (Riogel)
The spear that pierced Riogel’s chest stopped spinning right before his heart.
He held it in place with his muscles.
Then he proceeded to open his arms as if to give a hug, and aim at Tarte from both sides with his claws.
[Don’t underestimate me!] (Tarte)
Tarte twisted the shaft to use the mechanism hidden in the spear.
Then, with a thunderous roar, the tip was ejected.
The recoil was so intense that the shooter was blown backwards about 5 meters, and so was Riogel as he was impaled in the chest.
As soon as she landed, Tarte attached a spare tip to her shaft, and Riogel was crucified on a rock a few meters away.
The tip of her spear was barbed, thanks to which the projectile remained in his body as it was sewn into his flesh and fixed in place, causing him to be crucified.
[This new spear model is so useful!] (Tarte)
This new model was both a spear and a super large-caliber gun.
The spearhead itself had a rotating mechanism and a Fahr Stone embedded in it. It could primarily be used as a drilling spear, and when the need arose, the embedded Fahr Stone could be activated to perform a【Cannon Strike】.
I built it while taking Tarte’s fighting style into account.
She wasn’t much of a marksman, which is why I made her weapon on the assumption that she would use it at very close range.
Normally, the strong point of【Cannon Strike】was its range, but the recoil of that attack was so egregious there was no way to aim it.
And so, it became a weapon that was something of a blasphemy to firearms, with stabbing and blasting away as its basic functions.
『Not bad.』(Lugh)
I internally praised Tarte for mastering such a multifunctional weapon as I broke into a run.
I wasn’t here as a spectator.
My role was to create enough of an opening for Dia to successfully cast【Demonkiller】.
I completed my incantation as I sprinted towards the crucified lion.
I used【Multi-Chant】, the superior version of【Quick-Chant】, to prepare two spells at the same time.
Riogel grabbed the barbed spearhead and pulled it out with a contorted look on his face, tearing at his own flesh, and glared at me.
[GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!] (Riogel)
A roar.
It wasn’t simply for intimidation, it generated a shockwave packed with mana.
My body was lifted off the ground, like I was about to be blown away.
However, I finished chanting just in time, and he was in my range.
[【Wind Cage】、【Ice Prison】] (Lugh)
I casted two spells.
The first one was the wind spell that saturated the enemy’s surroundings with carbon dioxide, instantly depriving their body of oxygen.
The second one was a water spell that filled the target’s surroundings with a thick layer of ice to restrain their movement.
My main goal was to use the second one, but there was no way he was going to calmly let me fill his surroundings with ice.
That’s why I used【Wind Cage】to stop his movement, and【Ice Prison】to freeze him in the meantime.
And just as I intended, he was instantly deprived of oxygen and fainted, surrounded in ice.
That ice was 5 meters thick.
No one could move with that.
First of all, this wasn’t just any ice. It was absolute-zero ice, and its ultra-low temperature alone was enough to stop him from moving.
And second of all, even if he tried to smash out of it from the inside, his entire body was firmly held in place by the ice. No matter how ridiculously powerful he was, it couldn’t help him if every single one of his little movements were blocked.
『Impressive as always, Lugh. I’ll take it from here.』(Dia)
Dia passed by me and headed towards Riogel, conveying her intentions with her eyes.
The chanting of【Demonkiller】had entered its final stage.
【Demonkiller】penetrated the ice. With the demon in that state, it couldn’t miss.
As for me, I used【Multi-Chant】to cast a composite spell.
The spell in question was【Railgun】.
Nevan was the sniper this time, and even now, she was taking aim, but I needed this as insurance.
As soon as the flying【Demonkiller】spell hit the target, Nevan’s rifle and my【Railgun】would strike his【Crimson Heart】.
Dia completed her incantation, victory was assured.
But it was then that I felt a shiver run down my spine.
My sixth sense tingled like crazy, and I canceled my【Railgun】incantation, grabbed Dia by the scruff of her neck, and threw a Fahr Stone forward to generate a directional explosion while protecting her back.
[Kyah…! What’s wrong!?] (Dia)
I pulled her from behind, causing Dia to fall on her butt, and her flying【Demonkiller】spell to miss.
What’s more, since I hit the demon with a Fahr Stone explosion, the ice prison I went out of my way to trap him in was probably in pieces.
I did this knowingly. I just had a bad feeling about what was to come.
An assassin’s intuition wasn’t something based on the occult.
Because assassins were individuals that constantly probed their surroundings using all their five senses, they could pick up on any little signs.
Normally, we would examine those clues, consider whether there was a danger, plan countermeasures, decide whether they should be implemented, and then take action, but more often than not, we didn’t have enough time for that.
We used our vast empirical knowledge to draw conclusions and act on them reflexively, skipping the thinking time.
That’s what an assassin’s sixth sense is.
[So my instinct was right.] (Lugh)
The Fahr Stone cracked and the directional explosion scattered smoke and metal shrapnels, and at the same time, the ice exploded from the inside, and its shards flew like buckshot.
The two mighty forces collided, leaving traces of destruction all around us.
If I had been too late to make a decision, Dia would’ve been mortally wounded by the ice shards.
And then…
[Tch…!] (Lugh)
Right below me was Riogel, who had adopted his lowest posture to lunge in my direction.
Then he swung his claws at me. His body was covered in wounds and burns, with several metal shards piercing and gouging his flesh.
The reason why he was able to close the distance so soon wasn’t because he did something as easy as charging at me right after the ice buckshot and the Fahr Stone explosion ended.
The only thing I could think of was that he downright charged through that super powerful collision.
It was suicidal and beyond reckless, but that’s why it caught me off guard.
The detonation, the light, and the cloud of dust had rendered most of my five senses useless, even preventing me from relying on my intuition as an assassin.
This is bad.
I can’t dodge it, not with this speed and those conditions.
I have to at least avoid fatal damage.
…Just as this thought ran through my mind, Riogel’s right arm was run through by a beam of light and ripped apart from the right elbow down.
His right arm, which was missing from the elbow down, passed right across my face, and I quickly countered by throwing a Fahr Stone into his mouth, and then kicked him, or rather, shoved him away with my foot, to put some distance.
The Fahr Stone exploded in his mouth and blew off everything above his chest.
Seeing this, I moved further away, and adopted a formation with Tarte and Dia.
[I guess Nevan saved my skin.] (Lugh)
It was Nevan who blew off his arm from the elbow down.
She probably used the shot that was supposed to crush his heart after using【Demonkiller】.
If it weren’t for that, I would’ve been seriously injured.
[It’s incredible that she managed to hit him from that distance. …I’m glad we’re all okay. But, this situation is rather distressing. Both the drug and my【Beastification】are about to run out. That thing is too strong.] (Tarte)
[Yeah, he is. Unfortunately.] (Dia)
He was plainly and simply strong.
I didn’t think he would be able to break through the ice prison by exploding his mana and miasma.
Not to mention his outrageous and overwhelming physical and defensive abilities.
…Even though we’re using all the resources I’d prepared to make this a short battle, we’re only barely able to put up a fight.
His head was coming back.
I had the time to think of a new plan before that, but if it didn’t work, we’d be doomed.
I kept my eyes on Riogel and waited for the right moment to strike.
But then, he did something I didn’t expect.
He ignored us and ran as fast as he could.
We can’t let him go in that direction!
[【Cannon Strike】] (Lugh)
I brought out a cannon loaded with a shell and Fahr Stones from my Leather Crane Bag to fire a【Cannon Strike】at him, but he dodged it.
He didn’t have the arrogance to try and withstand it like earlier.
He ran past us, and he’s already so far away.
Both attacking and catching up to him were easier said than done.
And his goal was to slaughter our sniper.
He had most likely noticed Nevan’s presence from her attack earlier, and decided to crush the sniper who was getting on his nerves first.
Nevan started sniping him as he closed the distance. She hit him directly with a light-based attack, and perforated him thanks to its excellent penetrating power.
However, because the light was too thin, the wound was too superficial, and he kept pressing on as he regenerated.
Nevan’s face contorted in unusual impatience.
There was nothing she could do to defeat him or buy enough time for me to arrive.
If I don’t make it in time, he’s gonna eat her alive.
[Dammit…!] (Lugh)
I clicked my tongue and dashed.
This sucks, I have no way of saving Nevan now…
No, think of something. You can’t just let your companion die.
And that’s when it happened.
A black greatsword rained down from far above and stabbed the earth right in front of Riogel’s eyes.
Considering Riogel’s toughness, he could’ve just ignored it and plunged forward, but he paused instead.
And then, a man in black landed on the hilt of the sword stuck in the ground.
With his arms crossed, and his cloak fluttering.
Riogel had seemingly come to a stop too.
What a sinister and dreadfully powerful sword. What in the world is it…? It surpasses even the【Divine Treasure】Gáe Bolg that I saw once. (Note: In the raws, Lugh says it’s Gungnir, but I think it’s just a mistake).
There was no one to answer my question, and the owner of the sword and Riogel were facing each other.
[Who the hell are you? One of my peers? You’ve got the same scent as us.] (Riogel)
[Your peers? Heh, does it seem like that? I guess I’ve fallen to the dark side as well.] (Black swordsman)
Thanks to his outfit covering even his face, I couldn’t tell for sure, but when I heard his voice, I knew who he was.
The owner of that breathtakingly powerful sword was him.
…I expected him to come, but I didn’t think it’d be now.
[Stay out of my way. I must tear that man limb from limb, and then make him watch me violate and devour his women.] (Riogel)
[I won’t let you. They’re my friends. Also, this girl is special to me.] (Black swordsman)
[Then you too will fall prey to my claws and fangs.] (Riogel)
[You bark a lot for someone who will only serve to show how superior I am. You’re nothing but a convenient foil. I’m here to prove that I’m no longer the guy who just kept chasing after her.] (Black swordsman)
The black swordsman jumped down from the hilt of his sword and pulled it out.
[Now, behold. This is the power I gained by falling into… No, by ruling over the darkness. And remember my name. I am Naoise, the Dark Hero!] (Black swordsman —] Naoise)
He proclaimed his name in a high, euphoric voice, as if he were an actor in a theater.
[How… awful.] (Lugh)
I was shocked to see Naoise in such an unrecognizable form.
I’ll never forgive you for this, Snake Demon Meena.
I can’t believe she did that to my friend.
I clenched my fists.
…So that’s what she meant by “making him her toy.”
I couldn’t stop him.
…No, save the regrets for later. For now, just do what you have to do. Stay focused on defeating Riogel.
And when this battle is over, I’ll do everything in my power to heal him.
That’s the only way I can atone for failing to save Naoise.