Chapter 183 : Chapter 183
Chapter 183: Shield of Steel (2)
Eventually, when [Wall Break], which swept away everything around, ended, the surroundings were no longer a forest.
With that single blow which turned the forest into ruins in an instant, the defenses we prepared were indeed all broken.
The [Ice Wall] Rine erected, the [Divine Shield] Miki erected, and even Lily's [Miracle of Protection] which protected us until the very end.
It pierced through all the strongest defense skills we had at once.
However, thanks to that, we inside could avoid being swept away.
The problem was.
“Miki!!”
It was Miki, who had gone ‘outside’ of those defenses on his own.
Miki, who blocked [Wall Break] with just his single shield, was eventually swept away and lying on the ground far away.
“Brother Miki!!”
Lily, who had started to drip nosebleed while concentrating on maintaining the blessing, immediately ran towards Miki without caring about her own injury at all.
“H-how…!”
Of course, from Etian's perspective, this naturally wouldn't have been the result he thought of.
“My, [Wall Break]…!”
We should have all turned to dust by now.
Even Miki, who collapsed with heavy damage, was maintaining his ‘form’ perfectly anyway.
It was a blow prepared through long training to destroy that huge wall.
And in reality, it was a shot sufficient to do so.
But not even the wall, he couldn't even destroy these few small people?
It was something that would shatter his pride into pieces.
…Actually, I knew.
That Miki would unconditionally be hit by Etian once like this.
Johannes was scheduled to be swept away without making it in time in any case.
And Miki would lift his shield to protect such Johannes.
It was that kind of fate.
Just like how if I die once, I will meet the ‘Beginning’ dwelling inside me.
Miki sacrificing himself to protect Johannes was a ‘Fixed Event’.
So, I knew, but…
“…Miki.”
Seeing Miki lying down with my own eyes, I felt like I was going to lose my reason.
I originally intended to end it here, but unless I turn Etian completely into dust, I felt I wouldn't be satisfied.
“This son of a bitch──!”
And that wasn't just me.
Ibi immediately spat out curses and kicked off the ground.
And Etian, whose one arm that swung the greatsword was completely scorched by the recoil of [Wall Break], couldn't react in time to such Ibi's strike.
“Ugh…!”
The dagger Ibi thrust neatly pierced the bastard's neck.
Of course, this time too, she couldn't pierce through the bastard's skin which had strength beyond steel, but it was certain he took damage nevertheless.
Following that, Toric, who jumped high, slammed down his axe.
Letting out a shout of [Rage] fiercer than ever.
KABOOM──!
The moment the axe struck Etian's upper body like that, a strong shockwave burst out.
Etian, who staggered greatly at that, belatedly swung his greatsword holding it with his one intact arm, but since it was one arm, Ibi easily dodged and Toric lightly deflected that strike which was twice as slow and weak as before.
Since we somehow blocked the gimmick the bastard possessed as a boss, the [Wall Break] where he poured everything out, according to that gimmick, the bastard was in a situation where he was twice as weak as a moment ago.
So he struggled against us originally too, but now the bastard is no longer our opponent.
『…Kneel.』
“──!”
What remained was just trampling him as thoroughly as possible.
“Die, you son of a bitch!!”
“Kugh──”
The bastard's body too,
『[Wall Break] my ass. In the end, let alone the wall, didn't you only break your body, life, and pride? Ah, you did break plenty of your subordinate bastards too.』
“Kuaaagh…!”
And his mind too.
And Rine quietly cast [Time Distortion].
Tick-tock──
As if the sound of a clock hand moving could be heard, soon I felt as if my whole body returned to the state before casting [Word Command] and [Vicious Mockery].
Because this was, unlike [Time Stop]── simply put, magic that creates one more ‘turn’ for us instead of stopping the enemy's ‘turn’.
Rine had already used [Time Stop], the same 10th Circle time magic, once when rescuing Johannes, and had cast [Unlimited Lightning] and even [Ice Wall].
It means it was magic where she poured out all remaining circles.
That much, as could be seen just from that expression, Rine was also extremely pissed off.
Thanks to that, Ibi and Toric—just like Pariah did before—twisted time and poured out strikes towards Etian, who was still kneeling, not consecutively but virtually ‘simultaneously’.
『Is ending it after shooting one load all there is? Even a rabbit would last longer than you, you premature ejaculator bastard.』
I too could cast [Vicious Mockery] consecutively regardless of turns… no, ‘simultaneously’.
“You, son, sons of bitches…!”
Like that, the heavily weakened Etian couldn't resist our continuous attacks and was helplessly beaten.
Of course, we weren't the only ones angry.
“You bastard, how dare you do that to Miki!”
Raphael had already joined the two long ago and was pouring attacks on Etian.
And even Gabriel, who usually maintains his composure and is in the position of stopping such Raphael.
“I won't forgive you…!”
Was completely giving himself over to anger now and swinging his mace together beside him.
And there were no more soldiers to help such Etian and stop them.
Unlike us, they were swept away by [Wall Break].
As a result, he ended up killing plenty of only the allies who were barely surviving, and we whom he wanted to kill were all alive anyway.
Eventually, before long, Etian ended up kneeling on his own even without the domination of my [Word Command].
Occasionally he tried to counterattack or block somehow with his body that wasn't intact, but it was meaningless.
Scratches started to appear gradually on the bastard's skin which was harder than steel at first, and now his whole body became a wreck and was dripping blood.
“This, I…!”
As if he couldn't possibly accept such a situation, Etian muttered in a very resentful yet solemn tone.
“I, who should have brought down the wall and led the glory of the demons, to bastards like this…!”
Just looking at that wretched appearance, the bastard's HP was already at the bottom.
So, it was the turn for the so-called ‘Defeat Cutscene’ to appear.
“Curse yo──”
Naturally, I wasn't in the mood to listen right now.
“Kill him.”
So, I skipped it.
──Swish.
Ibi mercilessly cut the bastard's neck, and the neck of the bastard who lost all ‘resistance’ was cleanly cut.
Eventually, Etian couldn't make a voice anymore and collapsed on the ground just like that while clutching his neck.
It would be a futile end for one of the Corps Commanders of the Demon King's Army, but in other words, we succeeded in eliminating one of the (former) seven who were the strongest threats.
It was something worth rejoicing.
But no one was rejoicing.
As soon as we confirmed that the bastard stopped moving, everyone ran towards Miki, who was still lying down, without anyone being first.
Lily, let alone wiping the nosebleed that burst while maintaining the blessing, seemed not to perceive the situation itself where her black habit was dyed red, and was just concentrating only on Miki's treatment.
Even if one has no medical knowledge, anyone would be able to recognize Miki's current condition just by looking.
It was a fatal wound.
Without a doubt.
I said earlier that he wasn't broken and maintained his form, but that meant literally maintaining only the form.
Simply looking at the outside, Miki’s whole body was dyed with blood, and the arm that was holding the shield with all his might… which he isn't letting go of even now, couldn't withstand the shock of the sword energy breaking the wall and was completely broken.
Inside the body covered by armor would certainly be in a much more serious situation.
Probably all the organs in his body are not intact.
Because he withstood with the body of a mere human… and a Halfling at that, a blow that even that huge wall couldn't withstand.
He must have suffered truly tremendous internal injuries.
So even if he is receiving treatment, it was a perilous situation where it wouldn't be strange if the spark of life went out anytime.
Lily, who knows well herself that she cannot achieve the miracle of [Resurrection] yet, was reciting the prayer of [Healing] with all her might to somehow maintain that spark.
“Lady Sistina, please… please protect Brother…”
Literally, it was a situation where there was nothing to do but pray.
…Of course, Miki doesn't die here.
Miki is strong.
He will survive.
Eventually, he will stand up again.
I just know.
Just as I knew Miki would end up being swept away once somehow, I knew this well too.
However… even though I knew so well that this kind of thing would happen, it was painful to think that I couldn't prevent it in the end.
In the meantime, didn't I twist that damn ‘Fixed Event’ many times?
Then maybe the situation where Miki falls into pain like now could have been avoided too.
Even when I didn't have Miki right in front of my eyes like this… even when I was just watching over the monitor, I tried countless attempts to somehow prevent Miki from suffering this kind of thing, but in the end, none of them worked.
The ‘code’ was woven that way.
That damn ‘fate’.
But, aren't they no longer beings made of that damn code?
These people in front of my eyes right now.
So if perhaps I moved faster.
Or moved smarter.
Maybe, the result might have been different.
Miki might not have had to go through this kind of pain.
I kept thinking like this, and I was in pain from that guilt.
Of course, it would absolutely not compare to the pain Miki is feeling.
“Michael……”
…If even I am this painful, how must it have been for Johannes who saw that scene right in front of his eyes?
How must he have felt?
The feeling of a father who had to watch his son suffer the pain of all the bones in his body breaking right in front of him because he sacrificed his body to protect him.
Johannes was kneeling in despair in front of Miki all along.
“Why…”
Johannes, too, knew well.
That he had never been a ‘good father’ to Miki all this time.
In fact, he probably thinks there were almost no times he was a ‘father’.
Because he made a choice to raise Miki, who was born in a prestigious knight family but for some reason couldn't even handle weapons properly alone, as a knight somehow… so that he wouldn't be treated as a ‘stain on the family’ outside.
So he acted somewhat… no, quite harshly only to Miki.
He was an existence closer to a commander and instructor than a father.
Even though he isn't a shameless person who wouldn't know that that would have been a big hurt to Miki.
“Why, to protect someone like me…”
He is the one who said the word ‘failure’ even knowing Miki was secretly listening, solely for the reason of giving Miki a stimulus.
Although in a different direction from me, he must be feeling tremendous guilt too.
However.
“……Father.”
As if trying to reassure him even in the situation where he was still in pain, Miki smiled with difficulty and said.
“…I am, a knight.”
That a knight is one who protects those who should be protected.
“I just, did what I naturally had to do as a knight.”