Chapter 182 : Chapter 182
Chapter 182: Shield of Steel (1)
Right.
We have already fought countless strong opponents to be struggling against just one executive of the Demon King’s Army anew.
“The Demon King…?”
If we can't catch a boss like Etian, we wouldn't have crossed the wall in the first place.
“What, impudent words…!”
Etian ground his teeth.
The Demon King's Army itself, to be honest, is not a very loyal group.
The fact that the existence of ‘Demon King’ itself is a position ascended by the strongest among the demons means that they fought each other before that hierarchy was sorted out.
After fighting directly like that, admitting you are stronger than me and finally bowing down is, in effect, the executives of the Demon King’s Army── these Corps Commanders.
All seven Corps Commanders (though currently there aren't seven), are people who survived fighting at least once in some way, whether they crossed swords directly with the Demon King once or waged war using their subordinates.
Because of that, most Corps Commanders tend to offer ambiguous loyalty like ‘I'll follow you since you're stronger than me’ rather than sincerely offering him loyalty.
So, they maintain such a loose master-servant relationship where it wouldn't be strange at all if they fought each other again like in the old days whenever one side gets upset.
Just looking at Luce, wasn't he actually looking for a chance to stab the Demon King in the back for a long time?
As a result, he created the puppet called ‘Champion of the Malevolent Star’.
However, Etian was a little different.
“A mere guy like you, dare to think I'd let you block the Demon King's path of supremacy…!”
He was one of the people who sincerely offered loyalty to the Demon King.
Specifically, he worships his strength rather than the individual called the Demon King, but anyway, among the seven Corps Commanders, he was virtually the only guy who could offer even his own life for the Demon King.
That's why he's showing a reaction almost similar to when he was insulted earlier to my provocation that we are going to catch the Demon King.
However.
“You don't deny that we won't be a hindrance at all?”
“…!”
The bastard knew instinctively.
That if it's us, even if we can't kill the Demon King, we can sufficiently become a ‘hindrance’.
Since he is struggling this much, even the Demon King would suffer some trouble.
He ended up imagining even himself doing something extremely blasphemous just to recall── ‘hindering the Demon King’.
“Damn clown bastard…!”
Therefore, for that bastard to deny that fact, he had to kill us here.
To prove that we can't even chase the Demon King's shadow.
“If you want it that much, fine…! I will show you…!”
In other words, it meant moving on to the ‘Final Phase’.
“My true power──!”
He decided to squeeze out the last power he had been saving all this time.
Just because we became stronger doesn't mean Etian became weaker.
The guy still had one shot left.
And that one shot was quite frightening.
…Hey, watch out.
Power enough to make even that ‘Beginning’ wary began to gather around Etian── precisely into his greatsword where black fire was blazing.
That is… dangerous…!
Ahead of a blow that would sweep away this entire forest.
[Wall Break].
The one-hit kill of Etian, the 5th Corps Commander of the Demon King's Army.
Naturally, it was a shot that would send you to the grave if hit.
“I will turn you into ashes──!”
Just like those words, he would probably turn us into ashes and scatter us.
At first, of course, there was the aspect of saving that one shot because he looked down on us, but in fact, the biggest reason was that that one shot wasn't a shot meant for us.
Simply put, once used, it can't be used again for a long time.
It is a skill that requires so-called ‘charging’, needing quite a long rest as it leaves aftereffects.
In other words, it means it's a blow that pours out tremendous energy enough to leave aftereffects on that Demon King’s Army Corps Commander.
Originally, it was a kind of ‘siege weapon’ prepared to literally break the wall in the ‘Wall Siege Warfare’ that he would have led as the vanguard of the Demon King’s Army before long.
It means it was a shot to achieve the destruction of the wall, which was one of the long-cherished desires of the demons.
But he is trying to cast that on us right now.
To destroy us along with this forest, not that huge wall.
“Don't approach!”
“──!”
I don't know what that bastard is preparing, but anyway, Ibi, who seemed to have intuitively sensed that he would do something extremely dangerous, tried to rush in immediately perhaps to stop him before he did that, but eventually flinched and stopped in place upon hearing my urgent shout.
You might think it's enough to cut off his breath before he casts [Wall Break], but since he has already entered that ‘pattern’, loitering nearby just to try and stop it will only result in getting swept away.
Of course, we could deal damage aiming for the gap while gathering power.
We could hinder him.
However, as a result, we can't land a finishing blow.
Because Etian's ‘HP’ still remained nearly half.
So no matter what we do, we can't kill the bastard before casting.
Expressing it in game terms, he will cast the skill in the very next turn, but even if we pour out damage before that, the damage to kill won't come out.
In the first place, the boss fight with Etian itself is structured to catch the guy whose ‘HP’ is drastically cut after somehow enduring that blow.
So just, quietly taking a defensive stance was the best strategy.
“Everyone!”
Of course, there was also a way to block it.
“Come to my side!”
Specifically, we have Lily.
The prayer book Lily held in one hand began to shine, and gentle light began to pour out around her in an instant.
『──Please protect us!』
At the same time as Lily recited the prayer, [Miracle of Protection] granted by Sistina in response to that pious faith── a dome-shaped barrier was erected.
“Come in!”
We entered one by one into the barrier Lily erected.
At the same time.
『Answer to my oath!』
Right in front of that barrier, Miki erected another line of defense.
[Divine Shield] began to be piled up layer by layer like a castle wall protecting Lily's [Miracle of Protection], which is the final line of defense.
Even sensing that that alone would be insufficient, Rine immediately erected an [Ice Wall] much higher and thicker than usual in front of that shield wall.
Virtually all the skills we have that are called strongest ‘defense skills’ were invested.
And, we had to.
That was such a blow.
“Brothers!”
From a place a bit far away from us, the three Irons, who were dealing with the bastard’s soldiers so we could focus on dealing with Etian, also immediately sensed this and urgently shook off the soldiers and began to run to our side.
Of course, interference came in.
Obviously, if things go on like this, it's clear they will also be swept away by that [Wall Break] together, but whether they are thinking the stupid thought that that skill would distinguish friend from foe or thinking the even stupider thought of honorably sacrificing their lives for their lord knowing it, Etian's subordinate bastards tried to hinder them until the end.
“Go first!”
Because of that, the moment the two brothers were surrounded by the bastards, Johannes nimbly ran to [Guard] them and swung his mace.
“Hurry!”
As if saying that since you came here because of me, I will take responsibility.
At that shout which seemed like a stern scolding, the two brothers seemed to flinch instinctively but soon nodded and started running.
Thanks to that, Gabriel and Raphael could safely enter the range of the barrier.
The two believed.
That if it's that Johannes, he wouldn't fall no matter what happened.
Because he has always been like that.
And actually, Johannes, who smashed the head of one of the soldiers blocking his way with a mace, looked like he could enter before long.
“Father!”
…The problem was that Johannes’s condition was much more serious than the two thought.
From the moment he entered battle together after being freed from restraints by Ibi, he looked like the usual Johannes Irons without fail, not a prisoner.
The strongest Halfling.
Naturally, because he didn't say it in words and absolutely tried not to show it in actions either.
He had thoroughly hidden from the moment he received weapons and a shield from Gabriel and Raphael that he was absolutely not in ‘intact condition’ due to receiving countless tortures while held captive.
So, he ended up collapsing.
Because he never expected that one of the soldiers he thought he had defeated was actually still alive and would literally grab his ankle.
If it were him in his usual perfect condition, he would have certainly noticed.
And that soldier wouldn't have been alive in the first place.
But he wasn't.
“Ugh──”
Eventually, his ankle was grabbed and pulled, and at the same time, he ended up falling.
Of course, he immediately smacked the face of the guy who tried to stab him with a dagger afterward, blowing him away, and nimbly stood up again, but.
“No…!”
In time, it looked like he wouldn't make it eventually.
And actually, he won't make it.
Because the ‘charging’ for [Wall Break] ended before anyone knew, and Etian was holding his greatsword high.
“Father──!”
At that moment, Miki ran.
“──!?”
“Mi, Miki!”
The two brothers didn't know, but Miki knew well.
That Johannes’s condition is more serious than thought.
Just that he is trying not to show it at all.
Among the three brothers, only Miki knew.
Because he knows best the appearance of trying not to show it like that.
Likewise, because he has always been like that.
Miki knew that expression.
So, the moment he saw Johannes collapse, he moved his body before getting surprised.
To [Guard] him.
“──Break!!”
And the moment the greatsword blazing with black flames was slammed down.
RUMBLE──!!
With a loud sound, the earth shook.
At the same time, the large trees of the forest shook together.
As the black flames enveloping the greatsword became a single huge ‘sword energy’.
It tried to sweep away and destroy everything around.
The [Ice Wall] that took this first from the front shattered into pieces in an instant.
The [Divine Shield]s piled up layer by layer like a castle wall were also insufficient to block that enormous energy.
Even that shield wall, which had blocked the large explosion of the [Gunpowder Barrel] in the past without even a scratch, eventually collapsed futilely,
Crackle!
Zap!
Even [Miracle of Protection] given by the god to Lily was gradually breaking.
But that.
“Kugh…!”
Miki was blocking it alone.
“Uaaagh──!”
That blow which is destroying the [Ice Wall] like an iceberg, the [Divine Shield] which is the paladin's strongest defense skill, and even [Miracle of Protection] literally as the name suggests, with only a single shield.
A blow that would break even the wall that had never collapsed for over a thousand years.
“Miki──!!”
To protect Johannes, who is behind him.