< Skirmish (3) >
Whoosh—
The surrounding air currents shifted in an instant. The Heavenly Wealth Society Master, who had remained calm until now, frowned. Hahoe Mask, previously enveloped in a dark aura, had retreated, but he could no longer focus on him alone.
'…When?'
Besides the pesky undead, this space, where he and Hahoe Mask had been fighting…
Clank— Clank—
"…There you are, foul heretic."
…now had an unexpected guest.
Accompanied by a rhythmic, heavy metallic sound, a paladin in smooth, elegant white armor slowly emerged from the bushes.
"I am the first sword of the Main God, Heinrich Saint Landgard."
Golden eyes shone from between the gleaming armor and the faceplate covering his face. An aura of overwhelming power emanated from him.
"Heretic, in the name of the great Main God—"
Swish—
"—I shall judge you."
A beautiful sword, drawn from its scabbard, flashed brilliantly, cleaving the air. A radiant aura erupted from him, repelling the surrounding death energy and the alien divine power that shouldn't exist in this world.
"…The champion of Auterica's Main God."
The Society Master frowned slightly. He had anticipated their intervention, but it was much faster than he'd expected.
'And…'
That wasn't the only problem. His gaze shifted to the side.
"Kehhahaha! This is electrifying!"
A muscular giant, radiating a presence no less imposing than the champion of the Main God, laughed heartily. Jagged teeth, unlike those of a normal human, were visible within his wide-open mouth.
"It's my first time meeting an angel!"
The being, more beast than human, Harley, grinned at the Society Master, his eyes filled with a strange desire. Unconcealed madness filled his gaze.
"Hey, those wings… Can I just have one bite?"
Drool dripped from his gaping maw, a clear sign that he wasn't joking, and his body, already massive, bulked up further, entering combat mode. He wasn't asking for permission, but no one dared to point that out.
"…I underestimated this dimension. I didn't expect them to move this quickly. And four… no, five individuals of this level."
The Society Master chuckled softly.
And as soon as he finished speaking, two more figures emerged from behind him, where they had been concealing their presence.
"Hmm, you already noticed us. That's a shame."
"The World Tree has spoken… Not even a single breath of air shall be granted to the followers of a foreign god who invade this dimension."
A red-eyed vampire, adjusting his black suit collar, stepped out of the shadows, and a high elf with blond hair and green eyes, standing on a tree branch, made a solemn declaration.
A heavy pressure emanated from them as they surrounded the Society Master, joining the others.
Goooo—
The air crackled, and various energies surged.
Amidst the escalating tension…
[Heh heh— Busy, aren't you? Quite popular, I see.]
"Hahoe Mask…"
The Society Master's expression hardened again at Hans's mocking words. This situation wasn't normal.
'Too organized for something impromptu. As if they were prepared…'
Judging by the circumstances, there was definitely a connection between those four and Hahoe Mask. The impeccable timing of their appearance, the way they traversed space, and the fact that these unlikely allies, with their conflicting attributes, were united against him.
An undead black mage who controlled death, a paladin who appeared to be the champion of the Main God, a humanoid chimera of unknown origin, an elf radiating the aura of nature, and a vampire with an unusual presence.
How could these individuals, each at the pinnacle of their respective fields, join forces and appear together like this?
What had Hahoe Mask done?
He frowned in confusion.
[Well, I'll leave it at that. They'll take care of you from here.]
But he wasn't given time to ponder the question.
Hans, retreating, spoke, and a fighting spirit surged from the others, ready for battle.
"…All talk, no action, Hahoe Mask. Running away now…"
The Society Master, unwilling to let his opponent go so easily, opened his mouth to taunt him.
Boom—!
As if to interrupt him, Harley, the impatient barbarian warrior, launched himself forward.
"Kahahaha—! Pay attention to me now, buddy!"
A savage figure, armed not only with thick scales and bulging muscles but also with a terrifying aura of madness and killing intent.
Crack! Rumble—
Sharp claws, extending from his enlarged hand, tore through the air, creating a deep crater in the ground. An ordinary person would have been ripped to shreds in an instant, but unfortunately, his opponent wasn't an easy prey.
Rumble—
Right after Harley's attack missed…
…a sonic boom and a shockwave erupted as his body broke the sound barrier, and the ground trembled from the impact. But it was just a prelude to what was to come.
"Let the judgment of heresy begin."
"I wonder what his blood tastes like? Interesting."
"By the will of the World Tree…"
Heinrich, Heinz II, and Harris joined the fray, following Harley.
[Uninvited outsider. Invader of a world that will never welcome you.]
Hans, preparing to leave, delivered his final message.
[Remember this.]
A voice resonating like a demonic whisper from the depths of hell.
[There's no place for you in this land.]
It was a declaration, a promise to make it so.
Hans, the Immortal King, vanished from the battlefield.
He had considered having him fight alongside the other avatars, but this was more efficient. The energy Hans wielded didn't mesh well with the others, especially Saint Heinrich and the high elf Harris.
'They would hinder each other instead of creating synergy.'
It was better to use them in rotation, like now. Having left the battlefield, Hans focused on recovering and preparing for a second deployment, just in case.
'The others are progressing smoothly. I don't know how helpful this will be, but it's better to be prepared for any contingency.'
He checked the movements of each faction through 「Monarch's Authority」 and nodded. It was better to over-prepare than to be caught off guard like in Ganghwange.
'Now then.'
And the situation on the battlefield, now a 4v1… or rather, a series of one-on-one duels…
Kaboom—!
…was still ongoing.
The mountain range, already ravaged by the battle between the Society Master and Hans, was facing another disaster. Several peaks had vanished, and new valleys had appeared, the terrain drastically altered.
"Haa…"
Harris, the high elf, frowned. He had contributed to the destruction, but it couldn't be helped. He took a deep breath, suppressing his distracting thoughts, and continued his rapid dash through the trees. Reaching a suitable vantage point, he retrieved an arrow crafted from a World Tree branch from his subspace magic tool, nocked it onto Themis, his specialized bow, and drew the string.
Woooong—
The arrow blazed with a myriad of colors as nature-affinity skills, including 「Mooyoo Palgwae Bigong (Modified)」, activated, drawing in a massive amount of energy. The surrounding natural energy converged and materialized, visible to the naked eye.
'Now.'
As it reached a critical point, Harris hummed softly and released the string.
In the next instant, the arrow was already in front of the Society Master.
Rumble—
Thunder echoed through the air. The attack, like before, was blocked by the wings that had materialized in front of the Society Master, not inflicting significant damage, but it was enough to disrupt his movements.
This kind of coordinated attack was his specialty.
"By the Main God!"
"One bite! Just one bite!"
Heinrich and Harley immediately pounced on the momentarily stunned Society Master. The Knight of Light, clad in a more brilliant aura than ever before, swung a five-meter-long sword of light, and the monstrous being lunged forward, its massive jaws wide open.
Their relentless attacks forced the Society Master to move more actively than when he was fighting Hans.
"Haa, how annoying."
As he muttered, Harley suddenly froze, his movements restricted by an invisible barrier.
Crackle—
Meanwhile, Heinrich's holy sword and the Society Master's hand, imbued with sunset-colored divine power, clashed dozens of times in an instant. Scratches appeared on Heinrich's pristine white armor, repaired after his battle with the Immortal King in the south, and everything around them shattered from the shockwaves.
"Graaah! Let me join too!"
Crackle—!
Red and green lights erupted from Harley's eyes as he tore through the barrier with his claws. Having fully transformed into a monstrous form, he joined the fray, further disrupting the Society Master's movements. But the Society Master managed to punch holes in his massive body, twist his wings, and send both of them flying.
"Haa…"
Despite having the upper hand, the Society Master's expression was grim. He glanced down at the cuts on his hand, inflicted by the holy sword, slowly healing. His body's durability and regeneration were decreasing. It was the result of fighting continuously after his battle with Hahoe Mask.
"…Troublesome."
And while Heinrich's power was inferior to Hahoe Mask's, he had an elemental advantage. This was the Society Master's domain, so it couldn't be helped. But that wasn't the only thing bothering him.
"You're injured."
A cold voice suddenly came from the side.
Rumble—!
A massive energy storm erupted around them. A long-range sniper shot, aimed for an opening, flew towards him. He countered with a blast of divine power, but the sniper, like a cockroach, dodged and continued to harass him.
'They're all so annoying.'
He regenerated his wounds, licked the white blood on his hand, and frowned at the vampire melting into the shadows. He could still sense his presence, but it was annoying to have to be wary of sudden attacks. He would have been in a more difficult situation without the advantage of divine power.
But he had no time to rest. Heinrich, using 「Blessing: Leap」, was right in front of him again. Their perfectly coordinated wheel attacks were designed to whittle down his power. To keep him trapped and force him to exhaust his resources.
Thump!
Crack— Crack—
"Tsk tsk, I need to hurry."
Harley, getting up and dusting himself off, cracked his neck. Only faint traces remained of the holes that had been punched through his body.
Crunch—
A few white feathers fell from his mouth as he stretched and moved his jaw. He had managed to bite off a clump of feathers even as he was being attacked.
"What a waste! If only it had been a bit deeper."
It wasn't very effective, since it was just feathers, but it was better than nothing. And he would eventually succeed if he kept trying. Tenacity was one of his strengths.
'It won't be long now.'
Simply driving him out of this land wasn't the main objective. This battle was just a skirmish. He had to gain as much as he could for the real fight later.
"Alright! Let's go!"
His leg muscles bulged—
Boom—!
—and he charged back towards the battlefield.
< Skirmish (3) > End