Enemies swarming from all directions.
The expedition force defending in formation.
"Kill them!!"
"Hold the line!!"
It was like a scene from a tower defense ga.
Well, there were so key differences.
Whiiiiiish!
A barrage of arrows rained down.
"Revive Ascender!"
Black magic spells erupted.
Kaboom!
Lightning, ice, and fire spells from various essences.
Normally, mages would be the ones to intercept these ranged attacks.
But our mages were busy channeling the Multiple Teleportation spell, their mana reserves almost depleted.
There was only one way to protect the squishy backline.
「Character has been hit by [Piercing Chill].」
Tank it.
「The next instance of ice damage received is doubled, and ice resistance temporarily decreases proportionally to the damage received.」
「Lightning damage exceeding magic resistance and lightning resistance.」
「Character is inflicted with [Paralysis (dium)].」
「Character has been hit by [Piercing Light]...」
「...」
The damage was taking its toll.
But I stood firm, my giant body a shield for my companions.
Crack.
I gritted my teeth, enduring the pain.
Kaboom!
I took the brunt of the attacks, shielding my allies.
「Benjamin Orman has cast [Moon of Purification].」
「All status effects on the character are removed.」
「Niaro Cambel has cast [Blessing of Light].」
「All healing effects on the character are amplified...」
「...」
The paladins were supporting us, but it wasn't enough.
They could only borrow the power of God.
They couldn't bring back the dead.
"...Mite!!"
Our deaths were silent.
"Everyone, fall back!!"
Mite Million, a warrior from the 2nd Team, stood to my left.
Whoosh!
A rock spear shot through the air, piercing his shield and his chest.
"No...!!!"
An instant death.
The divine light that had enveloped his body dissipated.
Swaaaaaaaaaaa!
He was no longer a target for healing spells.
"M-Mite...!"
An archer from his team rushed forward, trying to pull the spear from his body.
It was a futile effort.
He wouldn't be able to remove it, and even if he did, it wouldn't bring him back.
'...Were they friends?'
It didn't matter.
"Emily, I'll be right back."
"...What?"
I grabbed the archer by the scruff of his neck.
And...
"Don't do anything stupid. Stay back."
I threw him towards Akuraba.
Thud!
"W-what are you doing?! M-Mite is...!"
"Mite is dead. He died protecting you."
"...!!"
Mite Million had seen the spear coming.
He could have dodged.
He would have dodged, if it were just for himself.
But he chose to block it.
[E-everyone, fall back!!]
He was a warrior.
His duty was to protect his comrades.
He probably didn't know it would be fatal.
It was difficult to tell in the chaos of battle.
The rock spear was a high-level skill, one of the strongest 2nd-grade abilities.
'...Maybe he knew and blocked it anyway.'
But the truth would remain unknown.
"Stay back. I'll take over from here."
"..."
"Emily! Join the 2nd Team!"
I filled the gap left by the fallen warrior.
I was now responsible for defending two teams' worth of space.
But I felt relieved, not frustrated.
'It's a good thing I'm big.'
I considered activating [Transcendence] and increasing my size even further... but I decided against it.
I couldn't just stand there and take hits forever.
「Character has cast [Risk].」
「Damage received and reflected damage from [Probabilistic Retaliation] are doubled.」
I had tested it earlier, and I could endure the doubled damage.
「The inherent ability of the skill is unlocked by the power of the Transcendent.」
「The damage immunity effect of [Probabilistic Retaliation] is removed, but the activation probability is fixed at 100%.」
Skeletons rose from the ground behind , their bones clattering.
And...
[Gachaaat—!]
They retaliated, reflecting the attacks I received.
"W-what's going on?!"
"Gachabon! It's the Gachabon essence!"
"But that skill doesn't activate this often...!"
The enemy was confused.
Their own attacks were being turned against them.
'I should have activated it sooner.'
The best defense is a good offense.
The enemy's attacks lessened as they realized my ability.
It made defending the gap easier.
Okay, we just have to hold out until the teleportation spell is ready...
"...Move aside, you fools!"
A figure erged from the enemy ranks.
His appearance was repulsive.
"It's Regal Vagos!"
"The Dragonslayer...!"
He had arrived.
_______________________
Kaboom!
Explosions roared.
Allies scread, blood splattered.
The chaos of the battlefield was silenced.
At least for .
And probably for him as well.
"..."
"..."
We stared at each other, the distance between us shrinking.
'Did he recognize ?'
That thought crossed my mind as he spoke.
"I told you before."
"..."
"That death wouldn't save you."
He had recognized .
He rembered.
He didn't seem to care that I was shorter now.
He must have realized I had absorbed the Gachabon essence.
Alright, let's say hello.
"That's a nice sword you have there."
I looked at the sword at his waist.
"Are you giving it to again?"
His reaction was imdiate.
"You bastard...!"
His hand trembled.
But there was more to co.
"How much ti is left until the spell is ready?"
"...One minute, sir!"
The answer was loud enough for everyone to hear.
"One minute... that's—"
"One minute is enough."
He charged at .
「Regal Vagos has cast [Advanced Haste].」
「Regal Vagos has cast [Afterimage].」
His Agility skyrocketed.
But it was different from before.
We had t in Lalkas's Maze.
'He's much faster now.'
This was his true strength.
But it didn't matter.
Klang!
I blocked his attack.
"...!"
He was surprised.
"What happened to the holes in your armor? This isn't Lalkas's Maze."
He swung his sword again.
「Regal Vagos has cast [Holy Blade].」
A white aura enveloped his blade.
But the outco was the sa.
Clang!
My defenses held.
"How... are you still the sa?"
It was a good thing he hadn't gotten stronger in the past two years.
I had been planning to test his strength...
"You bastard...!"
I pushed him back with my shield.
"...Ugh!"
He stumbled, caught off guard by my strength.
I was much stronger now.
"...Ten seconds left!"
The spell was almost ready.
"I've seen enough. Get lost."
"..."
"You're weaker than now."
He didn't answer.
He was stunned.
I swung my hamr, but he dodged.
Kaboom!
I looked at my hamr, embedded in the ground.
I could have finished him off if it weren't for the increasing number of enemies...
"Schuitz! Over here!"
Alia called for .
The magic circle was glowing.
The teleportation spell was ready.
I joined my team at the center of the formation.
"You think you can escape?!"
What? You think you can stop us?
I'm the one who's disappointed.
"You fool!"
"Vagos, sir! You'll be caught in the teleportation spell!"
His subordinate's warning made him hesitate.
Damn it, I could have taken him with us and ganged up on him...
Swaaaaaaaaaaa!
The magic circle glowed brightly.
"See you later. Take care of your head."
The light flashed.
_______________________
Flash!
The light faded, and I opened my eyes.
A forest of giant, withered trees.
We were still in Deadwood.
We couldn't teleport across fields.
"...No one here."
We were in the western region of Deadwood.
There were no enemies nearby.
They must have been redeployed to search for us.
"Paladins, heal the injured. We're moving as soon as they're done."
We took a short break and then resud our march.
We were heading north, not south towards our allies.
"Casualties?"
"Three dead."
So two more had died, besides the one I saw.
In that short ti.
"Who?"
Kaislan reported the casualties.
"Mite Million, Fiona Airs, and Niaro Cambel."
A warrior from the 2nd Team.
A priest from the 4th Team.
And a mage from the 3rd Team...
"A mage died...?"
"He was hit by a stray attack after the Dragonslayer and his n arrived. The teleportation spell was almost complete, so it wasn't interrupted."
Damn that Dragonslayer.
Crack.
I clenched my jaw.
The expedition had started with thirty mbers, and now we were down to twenty-five.
The 3rd Team had suffered the most casualties.
They had lost their traitor, Pike Neldain, and now their mage.
"The 2nd Team is also in a precarious situation. Million was their only warrior."
Akuraba's team was also vulnerable.
They had a summoner, so they could use trolls as temporary tanks... but she was a damage dealer.
"We need to change the formation."
"I agree. We can't afford to be divided anymore."
We had been marching with the teams separated to minimize the risk of detection.
But it wasn't feasible anymore.
We had to beco a single unit.
"I'll reorganize the formation if you allow it."
"Go ahead. I'll talk to my team."
I gave Kaislan permission, and he quickly rged the teams.
He gathered the weaker mbers in the center, surrounded by the agile attackers.
They would protect them during combat.
And carry them when they were tired.
"Ugh... this is tiring..."
"S-sorry..."
"It's okay. It can't be helped. Just heal properly when I'm injured."
The mbers didn't seem to mind being treated like pack mules.
They knew.
They had to work together to survive.
"Mister... be careful. Call for if you need help."
"You too. Stay safe."
We were separated again.
I was a warrior.
My place was at the front.
"You two seem close."
Raviyen comnted as I rejoined the front lines.
Hmm, it seems like she's jealous.
"Thank you."
"...For what?"
"For staying behind when the Dragonslayer appeared."
Raviyen was strong.
She was probably stronger than Alia and Erwen, at least in a normal situation.
If she had acted recklessly, our team might have suffered casualties.
"...I'm not an idiot."
"That's what I'm grateful for."
"..."
We didn't talk much after that.
And then...
"Let's take a break."
We stopped to rest.
"Finally!"
The team mbers collapsed on the ground, exhausted.
But one man approached .
"Um..."
He looked exhausted, his eyes shadowed with dark circles.
"Sven Parab."
The Goblin Mask.
He was always surprisingly resilient, despite his lack of combat prowess.
"What's wrong? Why aren't you resting?"
"I... I have sothing to tell you..."
"Then speak. I need to rest."
I sounded impatient, and he blurted it out.
"W-we can't keep moving! We have to stop!"
"Stop...?"
What was he talking about?
"Why?"
"I-I don't know, but... I-I feel uneasy... I can't breathe... My heart is pounding..."
...What the hell?
He was making nervous.
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