Chapter 179: Warrior Might
Me and Linus were still locked in a fierce battle with Azul and his copies. As the fight dragged on, I could feel my mana steadily depleting as I kept casting skill after skill.
The Shardstorm Mage is a rare class, and its skills consume far more mana than lower-rank classes. Luckily, I had invested most of my equipment into MP and MP regeneration. Even so, against an enemy like Azul, it was still not enough.
I stood beside Linus, breathing through my mouth. Ice vapor spilled from every breath I took. Azul and his copies surrounded us from all sides.
"Are you alright, Alan?" Linus asked, worry clear in his voice.
"I’m fine. For now. But if this keeps going, I’m afraid I’ll run out of MP soon," I replied.
Linus glanced at me, his mind clearly racing. Bob was injured, and I was running out of mana. If the two of us became inoperative, this entire mission would be doomed.
"Steel sharp as the morning sun..."
Suddenly, a voice echoed through the hall.
"Strength flows through my veins as one..."
I looked at Linus. "Is that... the princess?"
We both looked down and saw Reika with her eyes closed, both hands clasped tightly against her chest, as if chanting.
"With every strike, the earth shall shake..."
"What are you doing, woman?!" Azul suddenly roared in rage.
All three Azuls turned at once and rushed toward Reika. He knew exactly what she was trying to do, and he had to stop it.
The barrier vanished, and Azul moved to strike her.
However, Bob was ready. He changed his class to Defender and equipped the [Iron Maiden Buckler] that I had pulled earlier. The Defender class greatly increased his base Defense, allowing him to absorb one of Azul’s strikes. However, the other two were still free.
"You two! Cover the princess!" Bob screamed from the bottom of his lungs as he deflected one of the Azuls.
I ran as fast as I could and jumped into the air, then jumped again by activating [Double Jump], managing to reach one of the Azuls. I cast Shardstorm in front of me, using it as a shield, while Linus blocked another Azul with his staff.
"Get out of my way!" Azul shouted, completely losing his usual composure. His exposed left eye was filled with pure rage. I didn’t understand what made him snap like this, but soon, I got my answer.
"Unleash the power that none can break!
Warrior Might!"
Reika completed her chant.
Instantly, our bodies were showered in golden sparkles. Our strength didn’t just return, it felt as if it had doubled. Even the lethargy from my MP deficiency vanished. I had never felt anything like this before.
The tables had turned.
With our newfound strength, Bob and Linus pushed Azul back, while I cast not ten, but twenty shards at the same time and released them all at once.
Bob switched his class to Redwing Disciple and unleashed a devastating combo, merging its skills with [Windpiercer Routine], leaving Azul completely defenseless and sending him flying into the air.
Meanwhile, Linus used his staff techniques to strike Azul’s vital points at his hands, chest, spine, and family jewel before finishing it all with one powerful blow to the head.
On my side, Azul was unable to evade my shards as their speed greatly increased. As a result, almost a dozen shards struck him and threw him several metres into the air.
Suddenly, I saw a glinting object floating above. I squinted my eyes.
"That’s his magic item! Shoot it, Alan!" Bob pointed upward.
Thanks to my [Glass Glasses] enhanced accuracy, I aimed Indra and fired, blasting the artifact into hundreds of pieces.
At the same time, all of Azul’s copies vanished into white mist, leaving only the original body lying on the floor.
"Nice!" I pumped my fist, proud of the shot.
"Good job, all of you..." Reika cheered, but then she suddenly lost her balance. I quickly caught her before she fell to the ground.
"Are you okay, Princess?" I asked as worry appeared on my face.
"I’m fine, Sir Alan. It’s just... I think my mana is low. I only need to rest," Reika said weakly.
"Is she in MP deficiency state? You have MP potions, right? Give her some," Bob said.
I completely forgot. I opened my inventory and poured an MP potion into the princess’s mouth while laying her head on my knee. The blue liquid slowly flowed in. Normally, I used MP potions very sparingly. If it weren’t for the princess, there’s no way I’d give them out like this, one small MP potion costs at least three gold!
After finishing five potions, Reika began to recover. She slowly raised her body.
"Thank you, Sir Alan. Sir Bob, and Sir Linus. All of you sacrificed yourselves to save me. No words can describe how grateful I am," she said with a gentle smile.
Damn. Her smile was so beautiful. I could feel my face starting to heat up. I quickly tried to hide it, but I could already sense Bob and Linus glancing at me.
Reika then ran toward her brother.
"Brother Reymond! How is your wound?" she asked worriedly.
Reymond, now sitting with his back against the wall, smiled weakly as he gently lifted Reika’s chin, her eyes filled with tears.
"It’s nothing. Thanks to Alan’s healing, my wound is closed. But most importantly... you’re safe, dear Reika."
"Brother!" Reika hugged him tightly.
"Urgh... slowly, Reika. That spot still hurts," Reymond muttered.
But Reika ignored him and continued hugging. Reymond then placed his hands on his sister’s back, hugging her in return.
I was moved by the scene in front of us. They were right, blood truly is thicker than water. After everything that happened, their bond only grew stronger.
"You missed your chance dude, to confess to her," Bob said casually.
"W-what? Confess? Are you crazy?" I stuttered.
"What crazy? I’m an expert in the field of love," Bob said in his professor mode. "From the way she looked at you, it’s obvious, she totally fell for you."
"Is-is that so?" I asked.
"Yes, Alan. I agree with Bob," Linus also joined in.
As the mood slowly lifted, darkness began to gather at the other side of the hall.
Azul’s body was slowly being covered in shadow. On his left hand, a card shrouded in darkness appeared, releasing a sinister aura into the surroundings.
"This... is not over yet!"