Glitching Swordsman

Erin could feel the pain in her heart growing by the second. This situation had left her with few options. Albert's aura was faint, but at the very least, he was still alive.

With about 40 fighters left on the battlefield, she knew that taking down the three magic beasts would guarantee their victory. But how?

Though she had made up her mind to go the extra mile—it no longer mattered if she lived or died, as long as she was able to save everyone precious to her.

She only had a few offensive spells, and only the Water Dragon would be strong enough to kill the Tier 6 Lesser Basilisks in one hit. The only drawback was that each attack drained part of her life force.

She had already used it twice before, so she knew she could only use it one more time. She needed to figure out a way to kill all three of them with a single attack.

First, she had to find a way to get all three Tier 6 Lesser Basilisks to gather in one spot. She moved the Water Dragon toward the Lesser Basilisk that was toying with Jarret and the others.

The Water Dragon slammed the Lesser Basilisk to the ground, but the damage was minimal. The Basilisk easily shook off the basic attack and opened its mouth. A massive beam of dark green flames shot out at the dragon. The dragon responded in kind, and a massive beam of water shot out of its mouth, clashing with the flames.

BOOM!

The area was covered in steam after what seemed like an explosion. The Tier 6 monster was sent flying back and slammed into another Tier 6 magic beast. The third magic beast was close to them, making this the perfect opportunity to eliminate them all in a single shot. Not missing this golden opportunity, Erin adjusted the position of the Water Dragon, taking aim to get a clean shot.

"Water Cann—" Cough. Cough. Cough.

She broke into a coughing fit and even spat out blood. The Tier 6 magic beast still standing saw this as an opportunity to eliminate their strongest opponent. It opened its mouth wide, and dark green energy gathered within, rapidly expanding. It shot out with great speed, aiming at Erin's undefended body.

°Poisonous Fireball°

"Erin!!!"

Jarret and the others yelled as the flames consumed her, melting even the ground she stood on. In seconds, a larger crater of molten magma formed, and there was no sign of even her bones.

The air shuddered with a collective gasp as everyone stared at the crater in disbelief. Even though she was a bit antisocial, Erin would always help out when someone was hurt, healing their wounds without a second thought.

They wouldn't even want to bother her unless it was serious. It was no exaggeration to say that everyone in the town loved her. Not to mention, she was the strongest person in the entire settlement. She was someone akin to a goddess to all of them.

Without the chief, the captain of the guard, and now Erin, what were they supposed to do against three magic beasts? It seemed they had just lost their last hope.

"Phew... looks like I made it in time."

Everyone's attention was immediately drawn toward the calm voice that had just entered their ears. The voice hadn't been particularly loud, but their curiosity was piqued because it sounded positive—completely out of place in the current situation.

They looked around and soon spotted a strange man standing to the side of the sea of magma, holding a lady in his arms. She had long blue hair and wore a dark purple hooded robe. This was none other than Erin, still alive.

"What just happened?"

Jarret was in complete disbelief. How was this possible? They had all seen the green flames consume her. So how did she find herself in the hands of a strange guy in painfully plain clothing?

Erin herself was stunned. She hadn't even felt the man pick her up. She had only felt the intense heat of the flames, and before she knew it, a strange man was holding her like a princess.

Her cheeks immediately flushed red, as this was the first time she had ever been held so close by a male, given her unique situation.

As Erin's mind became clouded, the man looked at her and smiled, then asked in a low and gentle voice, "Are you alright?"

She felt a weird feeling bubbling inside her, but she quickly snapped out of her daze.

"Huh... y-yes, I'm... I am fine." She didn't know why she was like this. Perhaps it was the fact that she had come so close to death, or perhaps it was the fact that this man had saved her life—or maybe it was something else.

"I see... that's good. After all, I promised your friend we'd save you."

"We?"

Erin was visibly puzzled as she turned her head and saw a very beautiful demoness standing by the side of the young man. She must have arrived at some point, but Erin had been so distracted that she had failed to sense her approach.

A second one. This was the second person who had managed to escape her monstrous precognition and perception.

Having confirmed the lady was safe, Tyler put her down and took a look at the current situation. He noticed that everyone was staring at him for some reason but chose to ignore them for now.

Looking at Liz, who had just arrived, he could tell she was a bit surprised by what had happened.

••••••

After picking up the sword from the ground and feeling how easy it was to use, Tyler was feeling more confident by the minute. Not only did he still have the dagger, but he now had another high-leveled weapon. Although he didn't know if they had any special effects or how to use them, he still felt like, with both weapons, he would be able to go toe-to-toe with a relatively strong monster.

Perhaps even a Tier 3 beast. Ahh... Who am I kidding, Tyler sighed inwardly.

Boom!

They heard the sound of an explosion (or what sounded like it). Without a second thought, Liz dashed in the direction of the noise. Tyler had no choice but to follow. He kept up with her much more easily than before. It seemed the sword had a passive skill to improve the wielder's agility. A smile appeared on his face. If only he could keep the weapon—perhaps if the old guy died. Shaking his head, he expelled the thought.

The town wasn't that large, so they made it to the front gate relatively quickly. Before they had gotten any closer, though, they saw a giant dark green fireball about to consume a lady in dark purple robes. Liz raised her hand in an attempt to cast a defensive spell to save her, but she could tell she wouldn't make it in time. That's when she noticed a shadow blew past her like lightning. She could barely even make out what had happened.

Tyler used his full speed, dashing past Liz and saving the lady. He could sense a faint connection between the old guy and this lady, which was strange, but he didn't have time to think too deeply about it. He had promised the old man he would try to save her, and if he could, he would like to keep his promise. The bonus was one more person he could gain information from—and probably a favor.

What surprised him was the fact that he was actually able to make it to her in so little time. This was the first time he had ever moved so fast. The feeling was exhilarating. Looking at the battlefield, he spotted only six monsters still standing. There were piles of bodies everywhere, almost none of which were intact. The scene instantly calmed him down as he felt the tension in the air.

He could see signs of fear on the remaining fighters' faces. Judging by the number of bodies, they must have lost over 70% of their comrades. With the size of the town, there wouldn't be anyone they didn't know amongst the dead. He had felt something similar to what they were feeling right now, so he knew he had to take this seriously.

The battlefield was eerily silent for an odd amount of time. He was waiting for Liz to begin her attack, but for some reason, she hadn't, and it was starting to feel weird just standing there.

Is she waiting for me to start? Is this because I blew past her earlier? He felt everyone's gaze locked on him, waiting for him to make a move. Even the magic beasts seemed to only care about the two newcomers.

The pressure was just too great. Not wanting to look like a coward, he walked forward slowly.

Immediately, Jarret and the others felt like the gravity in the area had just been multiplied. Only a step from the strange man in ordinary clothing made them all take several steps back.

Even though they had seen him rescue Erin, the amount of pressure he exuded made it feel like he was after their lives. What's worse, they had zero confidence in stopping him.

Erin tried her best to stay conscious. She had wanted to see what the young man was capable of. She hadn't felt any aura coming off him, yet he was able to save her in time. With such speed, he had to be no weaker than a Tier 5 Swordsman. But suddenly, the moment the young man took a step, the atmosphere changed. With her current condition, she was unable to withstand it and lost the little grip on her consciousness.

Liz wasn't that shocked by the sudden change in the air. Even though her memory was a bit hazy and she didn't really remember what happened in the forest, she still remembered the feeling she had felt before she passed out—and the only one present there was him.

Not to mention, he was able to freely bypass the seal on that castle without the use of magic. She had briefly regained consciousness back in the forest and had seen him walk through the barrier like it was a bubble. She knew this amount of pressure could not compare to what she had experienced.

The Tier 6 magic beasts felt the same pressure and roared loudly, snapping the other three remaining Tier 5 Lesser Basilisks out of their daze. They charged at the newcomers with renewed vigor. Tyler felt annoyed. For some reason, everyone was just standing there, looking at him, watching the monsters try to gang up on him. He wanted to snap at them but held back. He had noticed one group of ogres rushing to intercept one of the beasts.

Jarret and the others had rushed in to help. They wanted to be of use to the man who had rescued Erin. The others, seeing this, rushed in to intercept the other two, trying their best to thin out the herd. Liz waved an arm, and two large ice lances killed off one of the monsters, leaving the remaining two to the rest. The three magic beasts went into a frenzy. They charged at Tyler as they prepared to shoot out another large fireball.

Tyler, seeing everyone finally spring into action, felt relieved. He held the long, thin blade tightly. It had been more than a thousand years since he had fought with a sword, and for some reason, he was starting to get excited.

One of the magic beasts was faster than the rest, so that was his first target. He didn't know anything about these creatures, but by the damage they'd caused, he estimated them to be at least Tier 4 creatures.

While this would have been a problem for the old him, he felt he was a lot stronger now, and with his newfound speed, he should be able to solo one such beast, at least. Of course, if the fight got too hard, he planned on a quick retreat.

Planting his foot firmly on the ground, he felt every single muscle in his feet. Using his newfound control over his body, he sent as much power to his feet as possible.

Boom!

The ground shattered beneath his feet as he exploded forward at a speed faster than light. He appeared next to the first Basilisk. Spinning his body, he swung the blade at the monster in a diagonal slash.

Bang!

The steel-like scales of the monster shattered under his blade as the monster shot back like a cannon, flying over a dozen meters away and slamming into the ground.

Tyler felt like the man seeing this. He wasn't sure how he had gotten this strong, but he loved it. He had always felt like an extra burden to his friends, but not anymore (not that they were still alive).

Now that he had such control over his body, he could tell that his swordsmanship was seriously lacking. Even with such strength, he had been unable to even cut the monster with such a sharp blade.

Just how bad was I as a swordsman? Let's just try again.

Not wanting to give chase, he switched targets and appeared above another magic beast. He held the blade like a spear and thrust it straight at one of the eyes. The monster groaned in pain and sent a claw strike at him. Tyler jumped off. Still in the air, the monster stopped mid-strike and opened its mouth wide, spewing out dark green flames at the falling Tyler.

Tyler smiled. Using his body control, he twisted himself in the air. He used the momentum from the flames and launched forward, slicing the monster's top half clean off from its open mouth.

That's better.

Without slowing down, he dashed straight at the third magic beast.

The entire battlefield drew a collective breath. After the ground shattered where the strange man stood, he disappeared, appearing only briefly as he sent the Tier 6 Lesser Basilisk flying like a cannonball.

It was like he was glitching his way through the battlefield. This left everyone in awe. They had never seen a swordsman move that fast and have that much control, not to mention his ridiculous strength. Yet, if what they just saw made them gasp, what happened next struck them dumb.