Chapter 11: One against a hundred

Flames erupted. Lightning struck from all directions. The ground trembled slightly.

Boom!

Crackle!

…They’re pouring it on.

Using Warrior Leap, I quickly dodged out of range. The soldiers’ shocked expressions suggested my Double Jump caught them off guard. …Well, I guess they don’t have skills like that.

Critias was a city of magic. Most of its soldiers were mages—second and third job advancements galore. Probably a few fourth-job mages too.

Boom!

“Ugh—”

But pre-Big Bang is pre-Big Bang. How threatening could these old-school mages be? Their attacks weren’t that strong. Not too dangerous. I dodged easily and charged toward them.

Then—

Kaboom!

“Guh—”

A heavy hit landed. Akairum’s lightning.

“Not an ordinary guy, huh? Who the hell are you?”

Akairum’s face hardened as he spoke.

Chatting so casually in the middle of a fight? Talk about confidence.

No need to answer. I rushed at him again.

At that moment—

“Now! Slow!”

Sloooow—!!!

Akairum shouted. The mages chanted in unison, casting Slow on me.

“F*ck…”

Dozens of snail symbols rained down. They came from every direction—impossible to dodge completely.

Hit by multiple Slows, my speed dropped noticeably. It was still faster than they could track, but not enough to evade their magic properly.

These bastards fight dirty.

I had a few potions for status effects, but using them on something like this felt wasteful. I only had so many.

No choice. Dodge what I could and tank the rest.

“Fire!”

Another barrage of magic rained down. This time, they’d buffed each other, making the attacks stronger and more numerous.

A Fire Archmage’s Fire Arrow shot toward me. I ducked low to avoid it, deflecting the rest with my sword.

An Ice/Lightning Mage’s Thunder Spear came next. If it hit, I’d be shocked, so I smoothly redirected it with my blade.

Boom! Crackle!

“Ugh…”

I messed up and took a few hits. The Slow was screwing with my speed.

The damage wasn’t huge, but “a drizzle soaks you through” isn’t just a saying. Enough small hits could become fatal.

I had to hurry.

Tap—!

I charged forward.

“Gah…!”

The infantry, shocked to see me unscathed, frantically swung their spears.

‘…Arms and legs should be fine. They can reattach them later.’

Akairum and Hekaton could die for all I cared, but not these guys. They were just following orders. …Well, if I had to kill in a pinch, so be it.

Slash!

“Arghhh—!”

An infantryman’s arm was severed, and he collapsed, screaming.

A gap opened. I slipped through and rushed forward. No time to deal with infantry.

Kaboom!

“Grr—!”

Another of Akairum’s lightning bolts hit. Damn, that guy hits hard.

“Where are you rushing off to?”

“F*ck… can’t you go die somewhere else? I’ll deal with you later.”

“Hahaha, sorry, that’s not happening.”

“…Then die.”

Brave Slash.

“Ugh…!”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Crash—!

Akairum groaned as three rapid strikes hit. He raised a barrier in time, but the final blow shattered it.

“—What…!”

“Your barrier’s kinda weak.”

I swung at the panicked Akairum.

But—

Whoosh—!

My sword cut through empty air.

“…?”

“That was close. I didn’t expect that. Who are you?”

“…”

Akairum, now teleported far away, kept jabbering.

…F*cking teleport.

“Get him! Fire!”

Another wave of magic poured in.

I leaped upward, clearing the infantry formation.

My target: the mages. Specifically, the Clerics and Bishops handling heals and buffs. They had to go first.

“He’s targeting the Clerics and Bishops! Focus fire!”

They realized my plan and desperately tried to block me.

Clank, clank—

The front line all held shields. Looked like Paladins.

“Activate Power Guard! Don’t drop Iron Body!”

The guy in the back barked orders. Clearly a fourth-job Paladin.

…F*ck, I haven’t even hit fourth job yet. Now I’m pissed.

“Charge—!”

The infantry surrounded me. Behind them, mages prepared to blast me.

Slash Blast.

Shwick—!

“Arghhh—!”

“Aaah!”

I cut through shields and arms alike. With a skill, each swing took out several enemies.

Paladins’ high defense kept them alive. No wonder they’re called roaches.

Of course, that’s only against first-job skills.

“F*ck… I said don’t drop Iron Body, you idiots!”

“We didn’t! Nobody did!”

“Then what the hell is that?!”

The Paladins fell in one hit, causing panic. Understandable—they’d never seen Paladins drop so fast.

Shwick—!

“Arghhh!”

“Ugh…”

I wasn’t doing great either.

Their Power Guard was the issue. It reflects a portion of damage back, so each hit chipped away at me.

And then—

Crackle!

“Grr…!”

Akairum’s magic, mixed with the smaller spells, was getting on my nerves. He wasn’t a commander yet, so it wasn’t overwhelming, but still a threat.

“Poison Breath!! Fall back!”

Kaboom—!

“Guh—!”

As the Paladins retreated, Fire Archmages unleashed Poison Breath. Toxic mist filled the area.

“Cough, cough—!”

F*ck. My vision blurred, tears streamed, and my chest tightened. My Endurance passive helped, but the damage wasn’t trivial.

“It’s working! Keep it up!”

Kaboom! Kaboom!

“Cough, cough, f*ck… cough!”

They kept pouring on Poison Breath as I coughed in pain. Damn Fire Archmages.

Haa, haa.

With trembling hands, I pulled an All-Cure Potion from my pocket.

Popping the cap, I downed it all. The bitter, medicinal taste stung.

The status effects binding me vanished. Good thing it was worth the price.

“…Phew—”

…This is it.

I was reaching my limit.

No more mercy.

An orange glow began to envelop my sword.

The toxic mist filled the underground prison. Visibility was near zero. Fortunately, a Bishop’s Holy Shield kept this area safe from the Poison Breath.

“…Hm.”

Akairum narrowed his eyes, peering ahead.

“…Is it over?”

He muttered softly.

It was astounding. At first, he thought I was just a naive fool trying to save the subject, someone he could use for the ritual.

But my strength exceeded all expectations. Charging into the barrage of magic lighting up the prison, I was like a moth to a flame. Thinking back, it still gave him chills.

…But the moth’s wings had burned out. My pained voice in the mist had faded, and now it was silent.

“…Where did that guy come from?”

Akairum replayed the fight.

His barrier broke in an instant. A barrier that withstood multiple Griffin attacks. It was flawless… yet shattered in three strikes? He couldn’t believe it even seeing it.

His strength, speed, and skill—every aspect was shocking. He was that strong.

“Bring His Majesty. We’ll start the ritual. Once the mist clears, capture him alive. If he’s critical, use Heal.”

He didn’t think I was dead. My earlier display was too overwhelming for that.

He planned to interrogate me once I woke up. Where did I get such power? Killing me could wait.

But then—

Shwick—

An orange flash arced through the mist. Everyone stared, stunned.

BOOM—!

“What…!”

“Aaah…!”

“What the…!”

The flash tore through the ceiling like paper. The ground shook, debris fell, and some soldiers stumbled in panic.

“Ugh…! What the…!”

Akairum was just as shocked. Was I still standing?

As the shaking subsided and the mist cleared, the scene came into view.

Clatter, clatter—

Someone stepped over the rubble. It was me, alive and well. The soldiers’ breaths caught.

“…Last chance.”

I spoke in the silence. My voice wasn’t loud, but in the tense atmosphere, it was clear.

“Get lost if you want to live.”

“…”

“From now on… anyone who stands in my way—”

An orange glow began to form on my lowered sword.

“I’ll kill them all.”

No one moved. Or rather, they couldn’t. Still reeling from the shock.

“What are you doing?! Attack!”

Akairum snapped out of it first, barking orders. The soldiers slowly came to.

“Cast Slow first!”

“Prepare Poison Breath again!”

As the mages began casting—

Slash—!

“…Huh?”

An orange flash cut through. A soldier realized something had passed him and turned right.

…What?

He doubted his eyes. Blinking, he stared.

Then, panic set in, and he screamed.

“A-Ahh… AHHHH—!”

Blood soaked the ground. Bodies lay sliced apart. Some, split in half, crawled in agony.

“Aaah, AAAH!”

Screams erupted everywhere. The scene was horrifying.

“F*ck… get it together! Bishop, you idiot! He’s still alive! Heal, HEAL—!!”

“Aaah—!”

“Heal, Slow, anything—! That monster’s coming—!”

The prison turned into chaos. The surreal situation filled them with fear.

“Slow!”

“S-Slow—!”

They managed to cast Slow. The fear of death drove them.

Dozens of snail symbols rained down. The tight space left little room to dodge. Slows kept binding me.

“It worked! Prepare to attack! Fire!”

“Poison Breath!”

“Ice Strike!”

Magic flew wildly, all aimed at one target: the monstrous man ahead.

“…”

I stood still, watching the onslaught.

Tap—!

Then I leaped upward. The speed was unbelievable despite the Slows. The soldiers instinctively looked up.

Shwick—!

“Gah…!”

I kicked the air again, soaring forward, easily escaping the magic’s range.

“What…!”

A mage preparing to fire locked eyes with me in mid-air.

“…Leap Attack.”

I muttered. My body turned toward him.

“…Ah…”

The last thing he saw was me, sword raised, diving straight at him.