309 – Aro vs Azalea 3 (side Azalea)

The gale-force winds pass through me, shredding my back as they do.
I hear the screams of Hans and Jade from behind me.
A moment later, I hear a thud as they’re slammed against the ground a short distance away.
I don’t know if either of them are still alive, but I suppose I can no longer expect their assistance in this fight.

Thanks to the wind magic, the fog has cleared significantly.
It was already thin from the undead faking her death and focusing on attack magic.
The visibility of the area is now sufficient.

Even though it has been supplying itself with magic from another monster, she should be running low by now.
There’s the magic power spent it on maintaining the fog over such a large area, as well as preparing the substitute and that wind attack magic.
It’s probably safe to assume she can no longer use any powerful skills.

As I raise my head and open my eyes, I see in front of me a single large spider.
An araenie… Merely a D rank monster.
But if it can use its thread tactically, it won’t be a small matter.
I may be holding back for the sake fighting the ouroboros later, but I am disgraced to have fallen for the trick of a young girl.
Were Tolman-kakka watching, he would surely be disappointed in me.

As the araenie spits thread, I hear a similar sound from nearby.
It seems I’m surrounded.

“I see… Did they plan on following up after I was sent flying? Magnificent.
While thoroughly avoiding close combat, I was into a trap… Then the moment I showed an opening, they attacked.”

More than planning it, the execution such a plan must be difficult.
It’s not easy to maintain a medium distance fight without someone to take the role of a tank.
She must be under tremendous pressure.
A single mistake is enough for her to fall victim to my sword, so it’s impressive how well she’s pulled it off.

To manage without knowing hardly anything about my abilities takes considerable courage… Though from their perspective, that might be fortunate.
Had they known I was a mage, they might never have tried such a plan.

“To descend into undeath and yet stake your existence on protecting your home… Such an attitude is worthy of honest praise.”

Opening my eyes wide, I numb my mind to the pain and put strength into my arms to pull my sword out of the ground.

“But your choice of opponent was unfortunate!”

My wounds from the wind magic are quite deep.
But considering that Hans and Jade were thrown high into the air then slammed into the ground, they are shallow by comparison.
From the start, I have been confident in my superior physical ability.
I can still move.
I’m no longer in peak condition, but it’s not enough to stop me from fighting.
I suspect that they think that I’ve been sufficiently weakened and are coming in close to finish me off, but that’s a terrible miscalculation on their part.

Upon hearing the sound of spitting from each direction, I cut each of the threads with my sword.
The undead thrusts at me from behind as through to follow up on the thread.
She raises her large, reinforced high.

Her plan was probably to kill me after I was rendered defenceless by the thread.
I strike her enlarged arm with the flat of my blade, crushing it along with a portion of her body.
Her balance collapsed, the undead lands haphazardly on the ground.

As I swing my sword to follow up, the undead raises her hand towards me.

“[Clay Wall]!”

She shouts.
A wall of earth erupts between us.

“Haah!”

I stretch my arm straight forwards and pierce the wall with the tip of my blade.
I feel resistance on the other side.
The wall collapses, exposing the figure of the undead with her abdomen impaled by my sword.

Cracks start to appear in her skin, as it changes in quality from the supple skin of a young girl to what looks more like dried earth.

It’s not a fake this time.
I never let her have the opportunity to switch out.
As her vitality and magic power diminishes, her ability to maintain her body fades.

“I’ll won’t forget you.
It wouldn’t have been strange had I lost this battle.
I knew I didn’t have any guarantee of victory, but I never would have imagined I’d be driven into a corner to such an extent.”

Now I will pull out my sword and cut her in two.
With that as my plan, I put strength into my arm, but… The sword doesn’t come out.
Shifting my attention to it, I notice the earth that I scattered when I pierced her abdomen is now clinging to my sword.
After sticking it to the sword, it seems she has strengthened the earth with magic power.

“Nah!”

I’d never considered she’d be able to make such a move right after being run through.
If only there hadn’t been a wall, I could have immediately extracted my sword and swung a second time.
It wasn’t as though I was aiming for the undead, so rather I’m sure this was the result of her tenacity.

With her normal size arm, she grips the blade of my sword.
As her hand touches it, it loses its fleshiness and hardens around the sword.
Then her other, large arm swings down towards me.

I try to let go of the sword and step back, but I’m regrettably too close.
As things are, I can’t evade.
Combined with the damage I’ve already sustained, if I were to receive the hit directly, it would lead to my death, because, low-rank they may be, I’m surrounded by monsters.

Defeating the undead would be a simple matter, but I would have to leave myself open to attack her.
If I did, it’s certain the spiders would swarm me before I had a chance to regain my stance.

If I were to fall here, Tolman-kakka would lose the majority of the 『Starved Hunters』 for nothing, and would be forced to flee the forest with only a few subordinates by his side.
If that were to happen, the path for him to take the throne would be forever sealed.
I can’t die here.
I’m reluctant to use magic, but… I no longer have a choice.

“…In the end, I’m forced to use it.”

I stretch my left hand towards the undead.
At this distance, any magic I fire would blow off her head, even if it’s not flare.
After that, I can take my time dealing with the spiders.
The magic I use…is [Fire Sphere].

The problem with using magic here is that the number, power, and timing of the [Dragoflares] that I can use in the coming battle with the ouroboros will be reduced.
But there’s no other way.
I must absolutely avoid dying.

“Fire Sphe…”

I cut off my chant part way through.
At the edge of my vision, I see a figure wearing the uniform of the 『Starved Hunters』.

The reinforcements I requested have made it in time.
They must have been closer than I thought.
And no matter how close they were… There’s only one person who could have arrived in such a short time.
The first unit was acting alongside Tolman-kakka.
As result, Nell, who had earned his displeasure, was instead deployed to a different unit and placed on standby.

From the start, the annihilation of the Lithovar tribe was an unsuitable task for him.
That was why I wanted him to get first hand experience to become used to such things, but Tolman-kakak chose to prioritise preventing him from developing any worse habits.
As a result, Nell was fortunately waiting nearby.

However… He won’t be in time for this blow.
I’ll have to endure through my own power.
I can’t dodge.
Carelessly trying to attack back would only cause me to lose my life.

My left arm still extended, I thrust out my shoulder.
The undead’s huge arm strikes it.
My outstretched arm collides with her huge arm.
Long sharp claws tear through my clothes and skin.

“Ungh!”

Dragged down by the force of the blow, I fall to my knees.
Staggering, the undead slouches her shoulders.
It seems she’s also reached her limit.
The surrounding spiders jump towards me all at once.

I managed to survive the attack.
Had it been aimed at my body, I would have sustained more serious damage.
In that sense, this was a gamble.
But now, it’s my victory.

Nell arrives, leaping in and spins to sweep the spiders away with his sheathed sword, then uses that momentum to launch a kick towards the undead.
Unbalanced by her arm, the undead tumbles through the air and falls to the ground.

“Oww…”

Her deep crimson eyes, characteristic of undead, glare at me in frustration.

“A-Azalea-sama… Are you okay?”

“Ahh, I’m saved thanks to you.
Well done, Nell.”

Nell’s advantage.
That is his overwhelming speed.
In a sword contest, I would be no match for him.
Among the clan of felis huma, Nell is known as 『God’s Foot』.

“Y-your arm… With wounds that deep, healing magic might not be enough to fully recover…”

“It’s no problem.
I’m a magic user.”

It’s unlikely that my sword would ever be able to pierce that dragon’s hide.
My attack ability and speed are far too insufficient.
If it won’t help me in this critical juncture, I don’t need my arm.

“More importantly, that undead…”

Glancing towards her, I see spiders scuttering over to carry her away.
The spiders who can’t get close enough to retrieve her are withdrawing too.

“Cheh! Nell, after them! It should be easy to finish them off now!”

“B-but, those wounds… It’s a race against time.
We need to get you to the fourth battalion right away and get them treated.
And if you were hit by an undead, you might have received some sort of curse… The others should get here soon, but… If it’s me, I can take you there faster.”

“……”

Certainly… As long as there’s a risk being cursed, I need to move cautiously.
There are many in the fourth battalion who excel at white magic.
To be safe, it would be best to have them take a look at me as soon as possible.
And seeing as Nell just saw the spiders run away with a child, he might be feeling reluctant to give chase.

Since the recovery ability of undead tends to be high, that young undead girl might challenge me again, but… I already have a grasp of most of her abilities.
As long as I know what she’s capable of, I won’t fall for such tricks again.
As long as I’m cautious, it won’t go as badly.
The threat she poses is trifling compared to the ouroboros.
I should retreat here.

More importantly… I’m concerned with how to raise Nell’s motivation.
He looks towards the twisted bodies of Hans and Jade, who were sent flying from the wind magic, and Wayne, whose head was crushed, and closes his eyes.

“Earlier… Umm, were you, retreating…?”

“That’s right.
The attack on the Lithovars has come to a stop.
The battalions that were left behind are more or less destroyed.
There was an unexpected development.”

“I…see.”

A complicated expression appears on his face.
From the start, he was opposed to the slaughter of the Lithovars.
In that sense, he might be feeling relief to some degree.
But at the same time, the slaughter was only stopped as a result of the deaths of a great many members of the 『Starved Hunters』.
While he’s in front of me, he would never allow the relief show on his face.

“…But we can’t leave yet.
The honour of Tolman-kakka and his path to the throne are hanging in the balance.
But rest assured, Nell.
I won’t ask you to kill any of the natives.”