Chapter 254 : Chapter 254
Chapter 254. Overloading (9)
In the airspace of the shelter, lined with steel structures and concrete pillars, the dust of severed debris and the black powder the Magical Beasts had shed mingled and drifted.
Enoch stared at the power of the strike he himself had just unleashed, then glanced at the jet-black axe handle in his hand.
It was certainly a Sword Form he had never seen before, but Enoch already knew the technique he had just executed.
Form 4, [Water Moon Rain], was a form designed for counters.
It was a fundamentally different sword from the Emperor's Supreme Sword's swordsmanship, which surged forward and burned through every enemy like an inferno.
Moving with the stillness of a windless water surface, it was an ultimate technique that broadly deflected and counter-struck all attacks that entered its range.
Seeing how that counter-technique had carved through every enemy and structure in his vicinity, Enoch was at a loss for words for a moment.
Originally, this strike should have been executed by projecting Unique Mana through a sword, yet even a single blow executed with merely the form using a double-bladed axe instead of a sword held this much power.
SCREEEEE—!
That wasn't all. Enoch glanced to the side at the ear-splitting shriek.
One of the Master Class beasts that had charged alongside the lesser ones was also lying on the ground in a miserable heap, its wing half severed, striking the earth with a heavy THUD—.
The wasp-like enemy, over ten meters long, squirmed on the ground, letting out roars of fury and confusion as if it couldn't even comprehend how this had happened to it.
Those became the Magical Beast's last words.
Enoch immediately pulled his shoulder and torso far back, loaded the axe in his hand with centrifugal force, and executed a javelin-throw motion.
Enoch's final step shattered the ground, and the swift axe flew through the air.
Launched in a straight-line vector at a speed rivaling a tank round, the axe pierced the fallen Magical Beast's head several meters away, silencing it.
"H-hahh!!"
The only sound that filled the room was the mutter of a single Mage nearby, who had forgotten to even return fire while staring this way.
"Wh-what was that? He took out a Master Class Magical Beast and the ordinary ones all in a single blow?"
Enoch ignored him and, stepping on the beast's head, wrenched the embedded axe free before pressing on ahead.
Before he knew it, the enemies scattered throughout the underground shelter had noticed the recent engagement and were gathering in front of Enoch.
Cutting through the storm of jet-black ash swirling in every direction, Enoch let his dark blue eyes shine vividly as he walked slowly toward the enemies.
SCREEEEE—!
Paying no heed to the bleeding at his waist, Enoch advanced with a cold intensity that made even the other Master Class Magical Beasts flinch and shuffle backward.
And it appeared that the Magical Beasts were not the only ones shaken by this sight.
"Th-this is......"
All around, the gazes of freelancers watching him turned silent with shock.
"Just now — what the hell was that?"
"I-is that even possible? Really, in a single strike?!"
"Damn it, I can't see well because of all this damn smoke! What the hell just happened?!"
"I'm losing my mind. That Master Class — we poured everything we had at it and didn't even leave a scratch......"
Every eye in the place was converging on Enoch.
Magical Beasts, civilians, and freelancers alike stared at him in stunned disbelief.
Enoch ignored all of it and steadied his breathing with cold composure. He hated being the center of attention, but he had no luxury left to weigh one concern against another.
Now that the erosion had begun, the only move that could end this in his favor was a short, decisive battle.
Enoch spun the axe in his grip.
Enemies remaining: three Master Class and numerous ordinary ones.
But there was still one unresolved problem. Right on cue, shouting voices from the side reached his ears, and Enoch glanced that way.
"Hey! Hold this flank!"
"Shut up! Who the hell's giving orders? We do things our way — mind your own business!"
Most of the freelancers seemed to have reached the shelter as well, but the current situation was utter disarray. The Interims weren't even acknowledging each other's comms, each one fighting for survival on their own.
Enoch clicked his tongue inwardly.
He had expected it, but this was bad. If the freelancers fell apart here, nothing could be salvaged.
If he engaged the Master Class Magical Beasts further, civilians and freelancers could get caught in the crossfire. In his already poor condition, managing all of that was a heavy burden.
If he wanted to bring them under control right now—
Just as his thoughts reached that point, a single crack of a sniper rifle tore through the air inside the shelter.
Every pair of eyes turned toward it.
There stood April, ball cap pulled low, bright pink hair streaming, her sniper rifle raised to the sky.
"Listen up, everyone! Orders from Leader Enoch Elsyde!"
April lowered the rifle and, pulling back the bolt-action charging handle, shouted.
"Civilian and casualty extraction is top priority! Gather people and evacuate deep into the underground shelter!"
And at her words, the surrounding freelancers seemed to snap out of it, exchanging glances. Then one freelancer muttered.
"......All right."
He swapped the magazine on his submachine gun, yanked back the charging lever, and slapped the bolt catch hard with his palm, gritting his teeth.
"I'm following the Leader's orders. Let's do this."
That moment of action proved decisive. The other freelancers, their morale boosted, began moving one by one.
"Right. Heads up — our Interim is out of ammo. We're pulling back, so cover us!"
"Roger, rotating in. Flanking around the side!"
"There's a Dragoon member already helping with evacuation deeper inside! Send the wounded that way!"
"Hey! The Leader's orders prioritize civilian extraction. Until the next group of evacuees is out, we hold this position!"
At the mention of Enoch's orders, the freelancers finally seemed to come to their senses, tending to the wounded groaning all around them as they mounted their defense.
Watching that, something April had said before flickered through Enoch's mind.
Everyone here is looking for hope, she had said.
Wading through this inferno of a hellscape and still desperately moving in search of hope — seeing these people, Enoch silently agreed with her words.
Around the time he was inwardly thanking April for delivering the precise commands the freelancers needed, a pair of twitching wolf ears entered the edge of his vision.
"......You. Hey."
"Hm?"
Sirocco had approached without him noticing, her gaze still drawn anxiously to the blood flowing from his waist. Reluctantly, she turned her head away.
"That. Is it really okay?"
Enoch closed his eyes and slowly shook his head.
"Would it ease your worry if I said something like, 'I'll just have you lick it better later'?"
"Grr. Lick it — who do you think I am, an idiot......?!"
Sirocco said that much before snapping her head away.
"Hmph, fine. For now, I'll do as you say."
Despite pulling away to a distance with her usual prim expression, Sirocco kept sneaking little glances back at him. Watching that, Enoch eventually turned his gaze away.
The enemies before him came into view.
They were only about a dozen meters away, but the two Master Class leaders were enormous enough to be seen at a glance.
Both were still wary of Enoch's intrusion onto the battlefield, hesitant to approach.
The remaining third one was nowhere to be seen, but at least two Master Class beasts were located.
Enoch raised his empty hand before his eyes, held the axe offset behind his back, and lowered his stance deeply.
At that instant, the two Master Class beasts before him spread their wings wide, and the ordinary Magical Beasts crowded around them leapt out and scattered to the sides.
Green light oozed from their Carapace Lances and gleaming eyes as they radiated ferocious killing intent toward him.
Unsurprising — creatures driven by nothing but instinct would naturally identify the greatest threat with ease.
But that didn't change what needed to be done.
The moment Enoch sharply dropped into his stance, and the Magical Beasts likewise finished preparing to respond—
Enoch was already before one of the Master Class beasts, axe gripped offset, charging in.
To the enemies, it must have looked as if Enoch had materialized out of thin air before them.
He immediately drove the axe deep into the Master Class beast's abdomen in a massive swing, then used the full rotation of that momentum, bracing against the shaft, to vault his body high into the air.
Launched skyward by the principle of a pole vault, Enoch drew the axe free in a wide arc, spun once, and targeted the Master Class beast's head.
But the beasts struck back in that razor-thin instant.
Ignoring the agony of its shattered carapace, the Master Class beast curled its abdomen like a spring with terrifying force and fired its long, harpoon-like stinger straight at Enoch.
A massive, razor-sharp strike that would not merely wound but kill if it so much as grazed him.
Simultaneously, the ordinary Magical Beasts launched themselves from the ground with leaping power rivaling Enoch's own.
From directly below, the Master Class stinger thrust upward. From every direction in midair, the Carapace Lances of the surrounding enemies closed in.
On top of that, the second Master Class beast from behind was also driving its stinger upward from below.
The sight of enemies sweeping in from every direction, devouring every inch of space around Enoch, looked like a freeze-frame.
An all-directional siege attack in midair, utterly impossible to evade.
Suspended in the air, Enoch completed his judgment in an instant.
He couldn't use swordsmanship in this situation. Using Explosive Sword or Fire Wheel to discharge mana in midair and change direction through the recoil was also out of the question.
But right now, he didn't need to.
Enoch crossed both arms and gripped the shaft, angling it diagonally behind his waist like a sword.
Sword Saint of the Waves - Foundation Form, [Reverse Flow].
A stance that, like gently flowing water, deflected every enemy assault.
It was the same principle as a leaf fallen upon a river's current — unable to resist the flow, it was simply carried away.
CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG—!
Enoch deflected the Carapace Lances thrust at him one after another, sparks showering from the axe. Riding that deflected force, he spun acrobatically upward, accelerating further into the sky.
He likewise deflected the massive Master Class stinger thrusting from below at an angle, using it to launch himself even higher.
Having finally reached dozens of meters in altitude, Enoch flipped his body and glanced down at the ground below.
Gazes of shock from the enemies gathered upon Enoch, who had risen high enough to nearly touch the underground shelter's ceiling.
Every pair of green-lit eyes seemed to ask 'how.' Looking coldly down at them, Enoch gripped the axe tight.
But this was not the end.
Because the true principle of Reverse Flow, as the Sword Saint of the Waves had used it, had never been merely this.
He gripped the shaft of the weapon clutched in both hands.
Now, he could understand with certainty.
[Reverse Flow] had never been a form that simply deflected enemy attacks.
That is the Sword Saint of the Waves' way——
not 'my' way.
As if sprinting down a runway, he drew the axe high overhead in a massive swing, deflecting and channeling every enemy attack to accelerate to the absolute limit.
The jet-black blade, heated cherry-red by the friction of the axe, blazed as it traced a spiraling trajectory of light.
The instant the axe blade — accelerated by turning every enemy attack against them — soared high above Enoch's head and flashed—
From the heavens, 'her' sword was unleashed.
Sword Saint of the Waves - Swordsmanship Form 3, [Dragon Pool].
CRUMBLE—!
A severing line flashed vertically, and the next instant, every ordinary Magical Beast before him was carved apart.
That was not the end.
Raining down a strike like a literal waterfall from above, Enoch descended along a trajectory that cleaved through the enemy's entire body and landed on the ground.
CRACKLE—!
A tremendous sound like a waterfall shattering erupted, and jet-black powder scattered in all directions like crimson spray.
Two Master Class Magical Beasts were instantly split in two — one through the head, one through the belly — both cleaved vertically down the middle.
Among the beasts that had been flying, one had its head carved, the other its heart — the massive blade of the axe had carved through them all in a single trajectory.
Not only had the foundation form [Reverse Flow] turned the enemy's force against them, but the additional rotational momentum drove a devastating counter-strike forward — a counter-type Sword Form.
Over the axe handle in his grip, the image of the longsword the Sword Saint of the Waves had wielded flickered and overlapped.
What he held was not a proper sword through which he could project mana and execute Sword Forms, nor had he inherited her memories to their end.
And yet the Sword Forms were this effective.
But before he could lose himself in awe, pain lanced through his waist as if on reflex.
"......"
Enoch placed a hand on his waist, then flinched at the slick sensation and checked.
Blood was flowing from his waist at a dangerous rate. Enoch stared at it, his brow furrowed but his expression flat.
It was a double-edged sword — the inheritance could restart at any moment — but there were no other options.
The bleeding had already begun, and pain and blood loss were slowing his movements. If so, then for now he had to wield this erosion's influence as a powerful weapon.
Only by doing that......
Enoch briefly turned his head and surveyed his surroundings.
Red flames swept across the edge of his vision. The hellscape spread throughout the shelter came into full view.
Yes. Only by doing that could he become the sword that would cleave through this hell — this reality where non-mages and the forsaken people of the Outsourcing District were dying.
"......!"
Just then, he felt a Mana Signature from behind.
Enoch slowly swept one arm in an arc, and without looking back, pointed straight behind him.
The jet-black axe, heated cherry-red from friction, spun back in Enoch's grip and aimed at yet another enemy emerging from behind.
Glancing back, what the axe was aimed at was an angel descended in the form of a Magical Beast.
Six broken, incomplete wings — three pairs — sprouting from its back emerged from the darkness.
A humanoid Magical Beast, having descended into the underground gloom with all six wings spread, extended one carapace-encased hand to the side.
Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss......
And into that hand, the jet-black powder of dissolving allies gathered, forming a long Carapace Lance.
At the sight, alarm bells screamed through his mind.
This one was clearly different from the rest.
Is that the last Master Class Magical Beast?
Enoch steadied his breathing and slowly raised the axe to his side.
To use the axe as much like a sword as possible, he gripped the upper part of the shaft where the weight was balanced, holding it short.
Then he lowered his stance and tilted the axe diagonally toward the ground, aiming it at the enemy.
In response, the enemy likewise spun the long Carapace Lance that had manifested in midair, taking its own stance.
And at the very moment the tension between the two swelled to its breaking point, Enoch's consciousness suddenly blurred.
"......?"
His legs wavered, his center of gravity collapsed, and his vision tilted and swam. Sirocco's words from earlier echoed through his mind.
[And even if you really do win, the blood......!]
Only then did he realize why his consciousness was fading. He looked urgently at his waist and saw that the violent movements had soaked nearly his entire shirt in blood.
His consciousness was trying to black out from blood loss.
This was bad.
The instant the alarm screamed through his brain, the world before Enoch's eyes suddenly inverted and transformed completely.