How to Survive Against Villains Chapter 247

Episode 247 – Spatial Portal

Upon reaching the realm of 5-star, one gains the ability to compress energy into their weapon and unleash the technique known as Aura Sword.

Depending on the user’s nature and aura, this could be manifested in close or long range attacks, but in all cases, Aura Sword was related to cutting force.

Zzzejejejejeck!

“What the hell…!”

But the attack Lyon unleashed was freezing the entire corridor in an instant as it ca crashing forward.

This wasn’t a slash that would cut—it was an aura attack that felt like it would turn everything into blocks of ice upon contact.

There was no doubt. This was a long-range attack infused with elental power—Aura Wave.

“Lyon, at this stage??”

This wasn’t a technique Lyon should be capable of at this point.

I didn’t know how he was using Aura Wave, but one thing was clear—if we tried to resist this head-on, we’d be dead.

Taaah!

With a shout, Lochter rushed forward.

The crimson twin blades slashed down like lightning.

Counter!

A shockwave erupted in the air. It failed to pierce through the energy of the Aura Wave and disappeared.

However, that brief clash slowed the rushing energy, giving us a fleeting mont of reprieve.

“Karl! Grab the other two!”

I signaled Karl and launched my form backward.

KWAANG—!

Burst Strike exploded.

As I grabbed Karl by the nape like a bolt of lightning, Karl attached spectral forms to Lochter and Natone.

The two were caught and dragged in a chain backward.

And then—

Zzzejejejejejeck—

The place where we had been was instantly frozen over.

A brutal cold.

Through rough breaths, white vapor spilled from our mouths.

I threw my companions aside and twisted my body while resisting the ground as if sliding.

My muscles groaned in protest.

Enduring the recoil of Burst Strike, I summoned the Ring of Blood and drew my bowstring. As I pulled with all my strength, five blue arrows appeared, one by one.

Enchanted: Piercing.

As expected—

“...You bastard!”

Lyon charged at us from beyond the now-white corridor.

Crack—

The frozen floor shattered beneath his feet as he leapt forward.

Disgustingly fast.

At this pace, he’d be in my face within two or three breaths, so I gritted my teeth and released the string.

Papapapap!

The five blue arrows disappeared in succession.

Lyon read their trajectory and halted his charge. Desperately, he assud a defensive stance and swung his sword.

Three of the five arrows vanished mid-air, while the remaining two flew past Lyon and toward the altar beyond the corridor.

From the start, my target wasn’t Lyon. It was the object floating above the altar—

The Dagger of the Dead.

Lyon, realizing this, twisted his body and dashed toward the altar.

His form turned completely white. Faster than ever before.

“Kal, what the hell did you do to Lyon!?”

Groaning at Lyon’s movents, I once again drew my bowstring.

Ridiculous power.

He couldn’t be allowed to approach. I had to land a blow here.

Creeeeak—

A red arrow imbued with explosive energy was summoned, growing in size in an instant.

There wasn’t enough ti.

In the end, I unleashed a consecutive Burst Strike.

Pain flooded my body like a bolt through my nerves. My fingers trembled uncontrollably as I pulled the string.

[Four more Burst Strikes. That’s your limit.]

As expected, Reto warned .

The aftereffects of Burst Strike were starting to weigh heavily on my entire body.

Only four? Had I really used that many already?

With my potential nearing its limit, every shot from now on was critical.

Thwoom!

The arrow filled the space as it flew forward.

Just before it could strike the dagger, Lyon destroyed the blue arrows that ca before it, but suddenly faltered and coughed up blood.

His hand, holding the sword, trembled violently from the chill.

Even with his ice affinity, he couldn’t fully endure the frost erupting from his own heart.

“Uack!”

Lyon vomited another mouthful of blood and caught himself on the altar.

Just then, Rengua’s warning echoed in his mind:

[For our lord’s grand plan, both the dagger and you must remain safe!]

He gripped the dagger.

“No more…”

At that mont, I felt a surge of powerful energy from behind.

As I turned, a terrifying blood-red arrow rushed toward Lyon.

An arrow the size of a throwing spear.

Lyon gritted his teeth and swung his sword.

KUUUUNG!

A massive explosion erupted around the altar. The underground corridor shook precariously.

Bracing for collapse, I gathered the party together.

Thick dust swept through the corridor, covering us.

As I opened my tightly shut eyes—

Light?

Only darkness.

The corridor’s glow was snuffed out in a whoof.

The light streaming from the countless runes disappeared, leaving only silence and darkness.

“Where’s Lyon?”

“He wouldn’t have died from that.”

We steadied our breathing in the dark, nerves taut.

“Is everyone alright?”

“No major injuries. But what the hell was that guy? How did that half-dead bastard turn into a monster!?”

“The aura from his sword is incomparable to before. He’s twice as strong as he used to be.”

Karl and Lochter each muttered, their expressions pale.

Indeed, Lyon’s current power made no sense.

Power beyond reason.

According to the novel’s content, Lyon should have still been adjusting to the transformation brought about by the potion created from the Frost Lord’s heart.

But the power he just displayed—

“It was nearly 6-star.”

If he were truly 6-star, even all three of us fighting at full strength wouldn’t stand a chance.

Was he really 6-star?

But Lyon lacked the divine aura that marked the master of a divine na.

Is there even such a thing as a 6-star without awakening a divine na?

No.

All 6-star monsters, without exception, were granted divine nas.

Many questions arose, but in the end, I erased them from my mind and stepped forward.

There was only one way to find out—by facing him again.

“We need to retrieve that dagger too.”

I checked the dagger still floating above the altar.

A heart-shaped gem embedded in the hilt. It was undoubtedly the Dagger of the Dead.

I had hoped otherwise, but my suspicion had been correct.

Kal had used the war in Beneta to fuel the dagger with sacrificial offerings.

Tens of thousands had died atop the ramparts. If that dagger was filled with such intense resentnt, it could trigger sothing terrible.

“Get ready!”

We broke through the thick dust and moved to enter the altar chamber. We took positions to support if needed.

But—

“…It’s not here?”

FLASH—

The Siren’s Hymn.

Golden waves filled the chamber around the altar.

Walls covered in dense, blood-soaked runes. In that eerie place—Lyon was gone.

And so was the Dagger of the Dead.

I quickly scanned the altar.

“Did he run?”

“Seems like it.”

“Why would he run with that kind of power?”

“Well…”

I trailed off and rubbed the bloodstain on the floor.

A clump of still-warm blood. Recently spilled. Clearly Lyon’s.

And it wasn’t from a wound—at least not directly.

“Did he cough up blood?”

I rubbed the blood between my fingers and fell into thought.

He had overpowered the combined assault of , Lochter, and Karl in one exchange, unleashed an Aura Wave, and nearly killed us.

Could soone really gain such imnse power in such a short ti without a price?

“His body might be incomplete.”

“Incomplete?”

“We still have a chance. Natone!”

If there was a penalty for that power, we had to track him quickly.

It was risky, but with Lochter and Karl, I judged it doable.

“You said the sewer connects to the river?”

“Right.”

“Is it only one location?”

“No, there are several.”

“If we can predict the direction he fled, then—”

“We can identify the outer exit.”

Tracking his direction ca first. I asked Karl to follow the trail. As an assassin, he was also a superb tracker.

Karl scanned the floor with a serious look, then started moving.

Here and there were bloodstains, along with Lyon’s apparent footprints. His condition was clearly abnormal.

“That bastard’s not in normal shape.”

“Is he wounded?”

“More importantly, his legs are giving out. He won’t be able to move fast in this state. Let’s go.”

Karl, realizing Lyon’s state, beca even more aggressive in pursuing his trail.

They had a direction now.

“Seven o’clock! His tracks are flowing toward seven o’clock!”

As Karl identified the direction, Natone gauged the layout and began cutting across multiple corridors.

With one person tracking and another guiding, the pursuit quickly picked up speed.

At this rate, even Lyon could be caught.

With that hope, we sprinted toward the exit leading outside.

Whooosh—

Rough wind brushed past our cheeks.

The exit.

But instead of leaving, we stopped just short of it.

Karl stared at the trail in disbelief.

“The trail stops here.”

“What??”

“It cuts off completely beyond this point. How is that even possible?”

“Explain in detail.”

“See here?”

Karl pointed at a spot on the ground.

A blotch of spilled blood.

But from a single step ahead, Lyon’s traces disappeared entirely.

As if he vanished into thin air.

Everyone instinctively looked up at the ceiling.

We searched the area thoroughly, starting from where the trail ended.

“No marks on the ceiling, walls, or ahead.”

“None outside either.”

Karl returned to report.

Lyon had disappeared without a trace.

“Magic? How can traces just vanish like this?”

“Magic…”

At Karl’s murmured word, one person ca to mind.

Soone capable of such unbelievable movent.

“Spatial Portal?”

What if Samuel had helped Lyon escape, transferring him elsewhere?

That would explain the clean, sudden end to Lyon’s trail.

Assuming that, I re-examined the area.

“...It really does seem like a spatial portal.”

Karl confird my suspicion.

“But why would Samuel…?”

Did Samuel have a reason to help Kal?

Was there any connection between the two?

Then it hit .

There was a definite connection—

Harkman Oleve.

Samuel had once delivered support from the Arcane Order to Kal.

Kal, being a regressor, knew of Samuel’s abilities and likely sought him out.

If they’d struck a deal, this scenario was plausible.

Co to think of it, didn’t he say his life was in danger?

Samuel had claid he was being threatened by the Black Market and brought Elton for protection.

If Elton knew Samuel’s whereabouts, we could uncover what had just happened.

“Let’s return.”

“What about the chase?”

“As you can see, he vanished into thin air. We’ll have to aim for the next opportunity.”

More than the frustration of losing Lyon, what sent chills down my spine was the fact that even Samuel had moved—securing a perfect escape route via spatial portal.

Kal’s doing.

It ant the dagger was sothing he couldn’t afford to lose.

There was still a chance.

Lyon would return to Kal’s side eventually.

All we could do was trust in Fenry and wait.

If anything, it was fortunate we learned this much about Lyon now.

Now we could prepare.

UAAAAAAAAAAAA!

“….!”

A deafening roar echoed from beyond the corridor.

So loud it sent dust pouring through the underground passage.

A sudden shift on the battlefield.

There was only one event that could cause this level of change right now—

“Looks like Heinz has arrived.”

“Took them long enough.”

“He’d be hurt to hear that.”

The Anti-Kal Alliance had arrived.

Thinking of Lyon and the Dagger of the Dead, I turned with a heavy expression.

“Let’s put out the fire in front of us first, then worry about what’s next.”

If the Anti-Kal Alliance had struck Kal’s main force from behind, the surface must now be engulfed in chaotic lee.

Far too many had already died.

If left unchecked, even more blood would stain the lands of Beneta.

But I had a way to end this war swiftly.

With my companions, I returned to Dorneth’s line.

BEEEEEP—!

We summoned all of Hunt’s forces and began scaling the wall, charging into the rear of Kal’s main force.

Through the chaos, I spotted lords clumsily scrambling on horseback.

A chance to eliminate the enemy leader.

I planned to end the war quickly.

Only then could we resu the pursuit of Kal.