Chapter 159 : See You at the Rest Stop
Chapter 159: See You at the Rest Stop
“Phew… phew……. Robin, how much time has passed.”
“3 minutes.”
“Not much left.”
Sigbard forced a relaxed smile.
Robin tried to smile back, but the Lich gave him no opening.
‘What is it this time.’
Just when it seemed as though rocks were falling from the sky, weapons shot up from the ground.
They were not made of earth, but actual arms crafted by human hands.
Though rusted and chipped, with five or six swinging at once, they were extremely dangerous.
‘Were they buried underneath? Or summoned?’
The Lich’s magic did not end there.
A nauseating lump of darkness floated up from the ground and followed Robin.
‘Dark Explosion…….’
Instead of hastily dodging, he waited for it to draw closer.
‘Now.’
Puh-uh-uhng!
A radius of 2 meters was dyed black.
The ground turned black as if sticky paint had spread across it.
Nothing remained within the explosion’s range.
Pop. Po-ong.
‘Annoying.’
He had already tried splitting it apart with Fighting Spirit, but he could not stop the explosion.
Rather, once divided into several pieces, the lumps only increased the explosion’s range.
As if they had eyes, they pursued him persistently, so the best option was to retreat urgently while matching the timing.
It was a feat only possible because Robin could split a single second into dozens of fragments.
Ki-gik. Ki-gigigik.
Even avoiding the magic pouring in from all directions was overwhelming as it was.
From behind the Lich, a massive shadow appeared and lunged at Robin.
He thought it might be some suspicious attack, but it was not.
“What kind of shadow is…….”
The owner of the shadow was a woman with deeply sunken eyes.
More precisely, it was a form the Lich had created through magic.
Though only her upper body had emerged, she easily exceeded 10 meters in height.
Merely raising her hand and swinging it was threatening enough.
As Sigbard, who was struck head-on, went flying.
Thud! Crash crash crash!
It happened in an instant, leaving no time to react.
Sigbard had raised his guard just before being hit by the woman’s palm, but the impact must have been considerable, as he could not rise immediately.
“Urgh… how much time is left?”
“6 minutes.”
It had truly been a long time since every single moment felt like a crisis.
Even when the Demon Tribe had invaded Evendel, it had not felt like this.
His eyes met the woman who had sent Sigbard flying.
Though saying their eyes met was misleading, since her sockets were hollow and empty……
Her next target was Robin.
The gaunt woman with cracked skin swung her hand as if swatting a fly.
“Sss-.”
He inhaled deeply and bent his knees, swelling his thighs.
As he leapt like an arrow released from a bowstring, the grotesque palm barely grazed the tips of his feet.
“Let’s do this.”
As the saying goes, the best defense is an attack.
He shifted from a stance focused on evasion.
Even if he severed the Lich’s neck, it did not seem like it would die, but right now they needed a variable.
Wung. Uuuung.
From his two swords, red streams extended and took the shape of greatswords 5 meters in length.
If they had taken physical form as actual blades, they would have been too large to wield.
But the shapes made of Fighting Spirit were weightless forms.
Robin’s blades were as swift and fierce as before.
Sasasasasak.
The sharp aura that could even slice through mist shredded the woman.
Each stroke split the darkness, dozens of lines carving her apart.
But the lack of substance applied to the enemy as well.
The Lich’s summoned creature in the shape of a woman merely faltered briefly.
“Robin, above!”
The Lich was the most outstanding mage he had seen thus far.
A distorted hexagonal magic circle formed in midair.
From it, spewing thick black smoke, emerged a serpent.
“This…!”
With its jaws stretched wide, the serpent was large enough to swallow a grown man whole.
He heard Sigbard’s warning, yet he did not dodge.
No, he could not.
He had not properly dealt with the witch-like woman.
If he retreated now, the next battle would be even more difficult.
There might not even be another opportunity.
‘I’ll break through.’
Without stopping the sword he was swinging, he increased his speed even further.
A serpent above, a woman of darkness ahead.
Charging forward, he pulled both arms over his right shoulder.
Suddenly, Calimacos came to mind.
‘How did the Captain do it.’
“…anger.”
He muttered an unremarkable word.
It was an utterance guided by instinct.
That small difference became the variable he needed most at this moment.
‘The sword is changing……?’
The greatsword’s form grew slightly more vivid.
It was clearly only a shape formed from Fighting Spirit.
Yet it became closer to a real blade.
Slash.
For the first time, he felt the sensation of truly cutting the woman who had recovered instantly no matter how many times he sliced her.
Slash. Slash. Slassh.
It was no illusion.
She was truly being cut.
Under the different onslaught from before, the woman parted, opening a path for Robin.
Just as he was about to cleave straight through to the Lich—
Swaeaeaeak!
Sigbard’s staff flew in right above Robin.
It lodged precisely into the serpent’s right eye, and the creature writhed in agony.
Immediately after, Sigbard yanked the staff out from the serpent’s eye.
“How much time is left?”
“3 minutes.”
A bitter potion scent wafted around Sigbard.
The pain must have been significant, yet he ignored it and immediately rejoined the front line.
“While we’re at it, let’s take the Lich’s head too!”
He repeatedly struck the serpent’s head with his staff, clearing the way for Robin.
‘Right now, it might actually be possible.’
With a single word—anger—the power carried in his blade grew stronger.
Confidence surged within him as he slashed diagonally toward the Lich.
Kaang!
A single rusted sword that had risen into the air blocked Robin’s attack.
Just as Robin’s blade carried Fighting Spirit, the sword controlled by the Lich surged with a sinister Aura.
Kang! Kagagakang!
He did not stop, repeatedly swinging his blade, but each strike was blocked by the self-moving sword.
‘One hardship after another.’
Around the Lich, weapons began increasing one by one.
It was not easy to break through even a single sword, and now he also had to be wary of counterattacks.
As if the word ‘anger’ had started an engine, it lent Robin greater strength, but the opponent was a Lich.
The plan of injuring it with his sword was swiftly discarded.
‘Is that the only method left.’
When the distance to the Lich became five steps.
Sigbard came running barehanded, his staff wedged into the serpent’s jaws.
He clasped both hands together, raised them above his head, and slammed them straight down onto the ground.
“Skull, return to your grave!”
Kwaaaaang!
The earth split apart with Sigbard at its center.
The place where the Lich stood was no exception.
As if asking what that changed, the creature did not stop attacking Robin.
But the fragments that flew up as the ground cracked interfered with the path of the flying weapons.
Seizing that moment, Robin’s blade pierced the opening and reached the Lich.
Tung.
The tip of the sword made contact, but it did not shatter bone.
The creature was far more composed than Robin and Sigbard.
Even while unleashing complex attacks, it had left means to protect its own body.
‘There’s no way it would end this easily.’
Robin pulled a small glass bottle from his chest.
Without even removing the stopper, he hurled it at the Lich, and the weapons circling the creature shattered the bottle.
Crash.
Though the bottle broke, the contents inside reached the creature intact.
Holy Water, so clear and pure it was nearly transparent.
“Kieeeeeeeek!”
For the first time since the battle began, the Lich screamed in agony.
Outwardly, it was indistinguishable from ordinary water, but the effect of the Holy Water was certain.
‘We were lucky.’
“Sigbard!”
He called out urgently as he retreated.
Just from Robin’s gaze, Sigbard understood what to do.
“Ten minutes are almost up!”
“Run!”
The Lich’s bones melted as if drenched in acid, but they knew that was not the end.
Even after being directly struck by Holy Water, its eyes stared straight at Robin.
If they missed this moment, there might not be another chance to escape.
Krrrk.
Sigbard roughly yanked out the staff he had jammed into the serpent’s jaws.
Not only were its tongue and palate scraped, but its fangs had shattered as well, leaving it staggering.
“Aelin! Serena! See you at the Rest Stop!”
The resounding shout echoed throughout the canyon.
Ten minutes was enough time for the two of them to escape.
Praying that their desperate struggle with the Lich had not been in vain, Robin and Sigbard fled swiftly.
“Sssaaaat!”
The serpent, holding a grudge against Sigbard, gave chase, but after running 100 meters, it stopped pursuing.
Only after putting 300 meters between them did they become certain there were no other summons or Monsters.
“Phew… we’re alive.”
When he had thrown the glass bottle containing Holy Water.
He could not be certain the Lich would take the hit so easily.
The creature had been relaxed, as though toying with insects.
Robin had caught onto the Lich’s attitude and wagered on that possibility.
Just then, Sigbard’s support had intervened, allowing them to land a blow.
It was the result of the creature’s carelessness, timing, and split-second judgment coming together.
“Robin, are we heading the right way?”
Though they had widened the distance, they did not stop running.
He answered Sigbard’s question.
“The direction is right.”
“So that means you don’t know the exact path.”
“Even so, if we proceed calmly, we should be able to find the Rest Stop.”
“I’m worried whether Aelin escaped safely.”
Robin felt the same.
Serena, who handled spirits, was the most experienced veteran on the team, but purely in terms of physical ability, she was the weakest.
She had no need to fight or hunt using her body.
That Serena had been injured was a painful mistake.
‘They both have spare potions, right?’
Even though Serena traveled light without baggage, she would not leave behind potions.
And Aelin was meticulous about packing various things, so she should be fine.
‘…I take that back.’
Robin and Sigbard stopped at the same time.
A bloodstained backpack lay tossed on the ground, its contents scattered everywhere.
“It’s Aelin’s backpack.”
“…She must have thrown it away while carrying Serena.”
Camping gear, clothing, rations, an expedition journal……
“There’s a potion bottle shattered here.”
Red potion had soaked into the ground, leaving it damp.
They had not passed through long ago.
“Let’s hurry. We might still catch up.”
“No. We go to the Rest Stop.”
After gathering only what was intact, he slung Aelin’s backpack over his front.
If they were careless, they might cross paths with Aelin.
Rather than following traces from here, it was right to head to the meeting place.
“Let’s trust our guide.”
When Serena had summoned the Eagle-Shaped Spirit and cleared the fog.
He recalled those few fleeting seconds and found the path.
Hoping that swift-footed Aelin had already arrived and was treating Serena.
“Phew. Phew.”
Aelin focused on keeping her breathing steady.
It was to reduce even the slightest shock transmitted to Serena.
Maintaining speed while running lightly was harder than it looked.
“Serena.”
“…Mm.”
“Endure just a little longer. The Rest Stop is close.”
After barely escaping the Lich, Aelin had been running nonstop.
She worried about Robin and Sigbard, but the two of them would manage.
Now was the time to focus on her own situation.
“…I’ll sleep a little.”
“No!”
She roused Serena, who was about to fall asleep.
If she fell asleep now, who knew what would happen.
“You must not fall asleep!”
“…But I’m so sleepy.”
“Drink this.”
She pressed the potion—less than a quarter remaining—to Serena’s lips.
Perhaps because she had lost so much blood.
Serena opened her mouth weakly and forced herself to swallow.
Her stomach burned as if she had drunk strong liquor.
“I feel wide awake. You should’ve given it to me earlier.”
“…If you’re awake, at least keep me company.”
“If I talk, won’t it interfere with you finding the path?”
“It’s fine.”
Aelin’s strength lay in her hearing, which was sharper than others.
Serena tilted her head.
She realized something was wrong when she noticed her left leg was wet.
“Your waist…….”
“I’m fine.”
“Potion. Take out a potion.”
Serena urged her, but Aelin did not listen.
Because if she stopped now, Monsters would surely catch up.
As if mauled by a wolf, Aelin’s side was torn to shreds.
“We’re here. It’s the Rest Stop.”
“…….”
“Let’s treat you quickly.”
After gently setting Serena down, she pushed the door.
The stone pillar did not budge.
“Uh……? Why won’t it open?”
“Aelin, what are you doing.”
Aelin, who had stood blankly for a moment, reacted a beat too late.
“Ah, my mistake. We need to go a little further.”
“Tell me honestly. You…….”
Serena stared straight at Aelin’s helmet.
She could not see what expression lay beneath it.
“You can’t see, can you.”
She did not deny it.
The helmet, scarred here and there, lowered its head deeply.
“How long has it been since we escaped the Lich?”
“30 minutes.”
It felt like her consciousness had blurred for a moment, yet thirty minutes.
Though confused, Serena trusted Aelin.
The conclusion was clear.
“We’re stranded.”
A guide and a Spirit Mage.
A Silver-Ranked Adventurer and a Gold-Ranked Adventurer.
They had lost their way in the middle of the pale fog.