How to Survive Against Villains Chapter 173

Chapter 173 – Battle for Dominance (12)

Thunk.

Kang—!

Two sounds rang in my ears at the sa ti.

Karl’s dagger, aid at Lyon’s throat, was blocked by a transparent shield, while Lochter’s Frost Blade pierced straight through Lyon’s back.

Lyon’s face twisted in agony.

A fatal wound.

It was the perfect chance to finish him off.

But then—

Tung!

A glowing white sphere floated before , and my mind blanked.

No… it couldn’t be.

I couldn’t believe the Mage Tower Alliance had actually handed that weapon over to Kal.

And yet—

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

"...Fuck!!!"

The mont I saw a red dot flashing on its surface like a tir, my heart sank.

A mana-powered wide-range bomb, designed for destroying fortresses and strongholds.

"Terremor."

The Flash of Death.

"Death for death."

Lyon looked down at .

Despite his pain-wracked expression, his eyes were smiling.

"But the only ones dying are you."

The mont he clenched his fist—

His transparent shield shattered like paper, scattering into the air.

Crack-crack-crack—!

"...Tch!"

"W-what the hell!?"

Lyon’s body began to change. A blue haze burst from him, unleashing an intense wave of frigid air.

His body, along with the embedded Frost Blade, froze solid like an ice sculpture in an instant.

Lochter let out a groan and released his grip on the sword’s hilt. I, too, hurriedly withdrew my arms from around Lyon’s waist, feeling the creeping frost on my skin.

Of course, I didn’t just back off.

Thud—

"Kugh! Khaaak!"

I slamd my fist directly into Lyon’s heart.

Blood gushed from his mouth.

I aid for his head next—

Crack—!

"Tch!"

I staggered back, clutching my hand.

This was the sa fist that had obliterated a four-star knight’s skull.

But this ti, it felt like my own fist had broken instead.

Beside , Karl stabbed Lyon repeatedly with his dagger, yet the sound was like tal striking tal.

Unbelievable hardness.

Lyon’s skin had turned a deep frosty blue, and he stood motionless, his eyes closed like a frozen statue.

Not a drop of blood escaped his body.

I cursed under my breath.

"Unification…"

The sacrifice ability of Nesis’ Ice Shield.

It had to be Shield Unification.

A brokenly powerful technique that granted the wielder’s body absolute defense at the cost of destroying the artifact itself.

The perfect move for this situation.

Had Mad Butcher planned this far when he handed Lyon the Terremor?

Beep— Beep—

The blinking and beeping sped up.

My pulse raced.

I had three Burst Strikes left.

I had been saving them for ergencies, but at the sound of another beep, I didn’t hesitate.

I reached out with both hands—

And unleashed another Burst Strike.

BOOM!!!

"...!"

"Aaaaargh!"

Like a thunderbolt, I shot backward—dragging Lochter and Karl with .

Karl, his hair nearly ripped from his scalp, was screaming curses at , but I had no ti to care.

I threw the two behind a large boulder.

"Dig! As deep and narrow as possible! That bomb is going to blow! MOVE!"

A frantic shout.

Only then did they rember the strange sphere and, seeing the panic in my face, started digging into the ground.

If I ran with them now, we could escape the blast radius.

But—

I had others I needed to protect.

I launched myself toward Lily, who stood atop a rock, while simultaneously signaling to Keros and the others.

"REGROUP! NOW!!!"

Kraaaaah!

Keros, spewing black flas, disengaged from the enemy and bolted toward us with the others.

Even the enemies who had backed away struggled to chase after us.

But they weren’t pursuing us—

They were trying to retrieve Lyon.

The three four-star knights desperately attempted to move Lyon’s frozen body, but under the curse’s effect, even with their combined strength, he wouldn’t budge.

Their movents were sluggish, their strength fading.

Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep—

They were dead for sure.

I grabbed Lily’s arm roughly.

At that mont, the Donecolint Pendant around her hands crumbled into dust, dissolving into nothing.

The curse had been forcibly undone, leaving Lily groaning, disoriented.

Blood dribbled from her lips.

She’s going to yell at later.

I ignored that thought, lifted her into my arms, and jumped behind the boulder.

As I landed, Keros, now in the form of a small Shiba Inu, bared his teeth at .

Probably pissed because I had handled Lily roughly.

"Bark!"

"Shut up!"

I grabbed him by the scruff and threw him into the hole.

He flew like a bowling ball.

In that short ti, Lochter and Karl had dug the hole deeper.

One by one, the others followed, diving into the pit.

"...Dangerous."

Lily mumbled a weak warning in my arms.

I let out a bitter laugh.

A witch’s intuition is terrifying.

Her future husband wouldn’t be able to cheat on her even if he tried.

"It’s fine."

The mont I jumped into the pit with Lily—

—!!!

A blinding white light exploded behind the boulder.

The light devoured everything.

Then, for an instant, the world fell into a vacuum of silence.

Rumble—

The earth scread as it trembled.

Then—

The blast wave erupted, spewing everything the explosion had consud.

KUUUUUUUUUNG—!

The destructive light surged out, swallowing everything in its path.

"Tch!"

The hole shook violently.

A shockwave roared through, plunging everything into darkness.

The massive boulder we used as a shield shattered into debris.

"Tch!"

A searing heat blasted into the hole.

Scorching.

I stretched myself across the top of the pit, trying to block as much of the heat as I could.

I couldn’t stop all of it, but I could at least absorb the worst of it.

The aftershock pounded against my back.

The pain of my flesh cooking.

My face twisted in agony.

I saw the others looking up at , shouting desperately—

But the world blurred, and I couldn’t hear a thing.

In the end—

"GRAAAAAAAGH!!!"

I scread as I endured the pain.

It felt like the entire world was screaming with .

I don’t know how long it lasted.

Finally—

"A-Arthur!"

The mont I heard their voices clearly again, my vision darkened.

"...Fuck."

I blacked out.

[The explosion was massive enough to be seen from miles away.]

***

[It’s Terremor.]

The carriage rattled.

Kal opened the window and waved his hand, signaling the procession to halt. Stepping out, he took a deep breath of the cold air.

Rengua had just reported the Terremor explosion.

Kal turned his gaze toward Blyer, but from here, no trace of the explosion was visible.

Terremor had detonated.

Lyon had used the mana bomb.

That ant he had been pushed to the brink of death.

But what did I miss?

Lily Base?

No.

In broad daylight, her ritual magic would be limited without the moon’s power.

Lochter wasn’t strong enough to challenge Lyon.

The Guardian could be dealt with easily by the Mage Tower-enhanced elite guards.

They had three thousand cavalry.

Their forces completely outmatched the enemy.

So how did we lose?

"Alex Marcia."

He was the only unknown factor.

A man who didn’t exist before my regression.

His proxy.

But six months ago, he had been nothing more than a lowly one-star assassin.

How strong could he possibly beco in such a short ti?

"Nothing is going as planned except the Etor operation."

If he wanted answers, he needed Lyon alive.

After a mont of contemplation, Kal called for a shaman and issued a command through the communication channel.

"Head to the explosion site imdiately. Find and secure Lyon."

[…What? Ah, yes, understood.]

Secure Lyon.

Kal spoke as if Lyon were still alive.

"Once you’ve secured him, wait for my arrival. Do not act rashly."

Two main forces had already fallen to those bastards.

If Rengua also fell, it wouldn’t just be about losing control of the battlefield—

His own life would be at risk.

After finishing his orders, Kal returned to the carriage.

Hunt.

The anger boiling inside him had sowhat cooled after stepping outside.

The only reason he hadn’t let it show was because of the man sitting across from him.

His piercing gaze studied Kal with interest.

Those eyes… I don’t like them.

Normally, he’d gouge them out.

But he couldn’t afford to provoke the Astrologer Arcane, the Prophet of Fate—

The only person Kal truly considered worth fearing.

"Is Sir Lyon alive?"

"He should be."

"Surviving Terremor… How fascinating. How could that be possible?"

Kal found Arcane’s blunt curiosity irritating, but he needed the exchange of information.

So, he answered slowly.

Nesis’ Ice Shield.

Before his regression, Lyon had used it to protect Kal from Terremor.

"But surviving and remaining useful are two different things."

No matter how absolute a defense, if Lyon had taken Terremor’s blast head-on, he wouldn’t be in normal condition.

Even in the past, it had crippled him, rendering him incapable of wielding a sword again.

Back then, Kal had discarded him without hesitation.

But this ti was different.

Without Lyon, Kal’s own survival was as precarious as a candle in the wind.

To save Lyon, he would have to collaborate with the mages.

"I had planned to establish ties only after gaining more power."

He had tried to delay the inevitable, but now—

There was no avoiding it.

The carriage arrived at the outskirts of Blyer and ca to a stop.

Kal bit his lip as he stared at the burned fortress and Wailing Hill in the distance.

Hearing about it was one thing—seeing it firsthand was another.

It disgusted him.

"Where is Lyon?"

A camp had been set up.

Rengua approached and saluted.

"…That’s…"

"Bring him."

Monts later, a man covered in white cloth was carried in on a stretcher.

Kal lifted the sheet, then closed his eyes before covering it again.

Alive… but not really.

That was Lyon Martrein’s current state.

"His condition?"

"The full-body burns are from Terremor, but the real fatal wounds are the Frost Blade in his back… and his heart."

"To be blunt… he will never wield a sword again.

He’s barely clinging to life."

"The Frost Blade?"

"We kept it separately."

"Good. Keep him breathing. I’ll find a solution."

"…Understood."

Rengua wasn’t optimistic.

Even a Saint would struggle to save Lyon in this condition.

Kal set aside Lyon’s treatnt for the mont.

There were more imdiate matters to deal with.

"Any reinforcents?"

"The three thousand cavalry from Etor are safe. So of them scouted the fortress and brought back… an unexpected guest."

"Who?"

"They did not give their na. But they introduced themselves as the Black Market Branch Leader."

A slender figure.

Though a mask concealed their face, Kal imdiately recognized that the branch leader was a woman.

They had exchanged information before, but this was their first face-to-face eting.

Honestly, he didn’t care who she was.

What mattered—

Was the information she possessed.

"Why did we lose contact with the Black Market?"

"Lily Base attacked."

"And who exactly was her target?"

At that, the branch leader hesitated.

If Lily had attacked the Black Market, it ant one thing.

If she had targeted the shamans, it ant another.

Depending on the answer, the Forest of Ordor’s stance could shift drastically.

It was a delicate question—but the branch leader knew what answer Kal wanted.

"That doesn’t matter. What matters is that the Black Market was destroyed by Lily’s attack. And we will demand compensation."

"An excellent answer."

If handled properly, Kal could drag the Black Market into this war.

His dry smile t the branch leader’s gaze.

To her, his face seed to glow.

The Mark of Enchantnt.

At so point, her eyes glazed over.

And then—

She began answering his questions effortlessly.

The Black Market Branch Leader had the most up-to-date intelligence on this region.

The fortress situation.

The movents around Blyer.

Kal absorbed it all, stroking his chin as he rose from his seat.

"Rengua."

"Yes."

"Take a Terremor bomb and prepare to move to the mines."

Hunt had taken so many captives and dragged them to the mines.

There was only one reason for that.

The passage.

And if his guess was right—

He might finally get the perfect opportunity to wipe out those irritating bastards for good.