Chapter 127: Things to protect

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Translator: Soafp

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[Ashera PoV]

After putting Aldo and Elphus to sleep, when the aftermath of the Condense Ray was over, the goblin army advanced.

However, it seemed they weren’t confident in facing just any opposition. Coming straight for us were the Goblin Emperor and eight Goblin Kings, the elite forces of the goblin army.

Their aim was likely Aldo and Ephus. They were heading straight for us.

“Sensei, they’re probably aiming for here.”

“Ashera, you can take Al and El and escape.”

“What about you, Sensei?”

“I’ll buy us some time.”

I couldn’t leave Sensei behind.

“…”

“Ashera, aren’t you going to run?”

“I’ll buy time until Aldo and the others wake up.”

“I understand. You’re so steadfast. We’re the best, aren’t we?”

Sensei said with a smile. At times like this, I really feel reassured by Sensei.

The abnormal sleep condition lasts for an hour. Until then, we don’t know if we’ll survive, but we’ll definitely protect Aldo and the others.

I looked at Aldo’s sleeping face again.

Yes, I can do anything to protect Aldo. I’ve made up my mind to protect them with all my determination.

The goblins were cautious. Especially the Goblin Emperor was slowly approaching from the rear.

They probably aimed to exploit magical fatigue, but they weren’t certain if they could really prevent Condense Ray from being cast.

The eight Goblin Kings also approached cautiously, spreading out to avoid being caught in one fell swoop.

Their caution was appreciated by us at the moment. If only we could cast a massive spell like Aldo’s right now, we could further heighten their vigilance.

While longing for something we didn’t have, Sensei set up 15 Wind Bullets (for monsters) around herself.

Sensei’s use of magic was skillful. She would fire them at a critical moment like this.

In any mock battle scenario, I would win. But in a mock battle with magic only, I’ve never won a single time.

Yet, Sensei fired 15 Wind Bullets at the Goblin King at the front.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Sensei, making such a straightforward attack…

Was she trying to buy time, or was she getting desperate? It was an attack I couldn’t imagine coming from the usual shrewd Sensei.

As expected, the Goblin King evaded the Wind Bullets with ease… Or so I thought until the Wind Bullets curved.

Normally, magic moves straight once cast. It was an extraordinary technique to keep it floating around after casting.

But now, Sensei bent the magic after casting it.

Think about the speed of the magic after being activated.

The Goblin King’s surprise at receiving the attack could be confirmed even from here.

Ten out of the 15 Wind Bullets hit, and the Goblin King was surprised as his original form vanished.

Now, with seven Kings and one Emperor left, our overwhelming disadvantage remained unchanged.

However, whether it was because of Sensei’s Wind Bullets being a threat or not, when the Emperor let out a roar, the seven Kings stepped back.

I couldn’t help but feel relieved.

This would buy us a little more time. Sensei’s face also showed a slight sign of relief as I glanced at her.

It must have been about ten minutes…

The Emperor and the seven Kings were coming at us again.

For a moment, I thought they might retreat, but it seems I was too naive.

The goblins maintained the same formation, slowly advancing towards us.

When they entered the range of magic, Sensei once again set up 15 Wind Bullets, floating around her in standby mode.

The Kings, though nervous, continued to advance slowly.

Just like before, Sensei fired 15 Wind Bullets at the front Goblin King.

The Goblin Kings seemed to anticipate it. They wrapped themselves in magic to increase their defense and dodged nine out of the fifteen shots while taking the remaining six. Of course, the King’s greatsword was now broken and his arm was in a terrible state.

The Kings all started running at once. They probably concluded that even with all this, Condense Ray wasn’t coming, judging by the lack of the spell.

As the Kings approached, attacks from the magician corps began, but Sensei immediately halted them. They probably wanted to conserve the magician corps’ strength since the goblin army was waiting in the rear.

At this point, forty minutes had passed since Aldo and the others fell asleep.

The Goblin Kings jumped, then effortlessly climbed the castle wall with their claws. Along the way, Sensei and I fired Wind Bullets together, but I didn’t hit as much as I’d hoped.

I entrusted long-range attacks to Sensei and prepared for close combat.

I surrounded myself with ten Wind Bullets, ready to activate them at any moment.

Goblin Kings started gathering in front of Sensei and me, one by one.

They didn’t immediately attack, perhaps waiting for the Goblin Emperor.

When faced with the seven Goblin Kings, the Goblin Emperor climbed the castle wall.

In my mind, I thought we might not make it for another fifteen minutes, and a sense of despair crept in.

The Emperor seemed to be enjoying our desperation, wearing a nasty smile on his face and uttering incomprehensible words, likely orders. The seven Goblin Kings then charged at us simultaneously.

I dashed into the group of Kings, determined not to let a single one pass me.

If it were just me, I could escape into the air with Space Kick at worst. But this was a fight to protect, and running away wasn’t an option.

If only I had learned Aldo’s new technique… Vernier would have been useful in this situation.

In this situation, how many Goblin Kings could I handle?

One was no problem. I was confident I could defeat it with just one hand.

Two were easy. Even if I couldn’t use one hand, I could still handle it.

I think I could handle three. I might need to brace for a hit or two.

Four would be tough, but I could probably win somehow.

Five… If I were lucky, I might win.

Six would be a major victory if I could defeat half of them.

Seven…

My goal was to buy fifteen minutes of time.

Thankfully, the Emperor seemed to be underestimating us and didn’t join the battle.

Now, I relied on Sensei’s support.

I focused my Wind Bullets on the leading King. Five shots hit, and although the sword broke and the skin peeled off the arm, that was all.

I wanted to take them down one by one, but that would let the others pass behind me.

Ignoring the injured King, I yelled at the next one approaching.

Sensei constantly fired Wind Bullets to cover me, but there were just too many. I found myself slowly pushed back.

First, I needed to reduce their numbers.

I knew it logically, but it was challenging to execute.

Prepared to shoulder some risk, I shouted again.

I aimed the Wind Bullets to distract the other Kings, targeting the two injured ones instead.

Perhaps I caught them off guard. I punched one of the injured Kings in the face.

“Snap,” an organic sound echoed as its head exploded.

Ignoring the startled Kings, I moved towards the second injured King, but a sword came flying from the side.

I dodged by squatting down and, in passing, struck a healthy King with a poisoned strike.

I had been trying to paralyze them since earlier, but it just wasn’t working well.

It seemed the Goblin Kings had a strong resistance to paralysis. I should have researched this information beforehand.

Still, six Kings remained: one injured, two poisoned.

Sensei continued to provide cover with Wind Bullets, but even with more than double the magic power of an ordinary mage, Sensei’s magic was likely running low. The same went for me. I had been constantly using Wind Bullets, body reinforcement, magic fist, and Space Kick.

Running out of magic power was just a matter of time.

It had been almost an hour. I honestly didn’t know if Aldo and Elphus would wake up fully recovered and ready to fight.

We should probably reduce their numbers even if it was just by one and inject poison. If paralysis worked, we could have reduced another one or two.

I surrounded myself with ten Wind Bullets and shouted again as I charged into the group of Kings.

I managed to successfully strike one of the Kings in the face with a magic fist, causing its head to explode, but in the process, another King’s sword slashed my left arm, severing it.

My left arm danced in the air.

Thinking it was a moment of victory, or perhaps accumulated fatigue, one of the Kings sneered at me, and I struck it in the stomach with a magic fist.

As the King collapsed, I quickly used healing magic on myself to stop the bleeding.

Now, only four Kings remained…

The Emperor shouted in frustration, and the contemptuous air the Kings had before disappeared.

One of the Goblin Kings picked up my fallen arm and began to chew on it, flaunting it mockingly.

Honestly, I was running out of magic power.

Glancing sideways at Sensei, I saw that she looked pale. It seemed both master and disciple were at their limits.

Surely Aldo and Elphus would do something.

Just as I was about to give up hope, a strong wind blew from my right side…

The wind headed towards the King gnawing on my arm.

Holding short swords in both hands, someone approached at a speed that was incomparable to usual. He was probably using his’s new technique, “Vernier.”

In an instant, he took down one of the Kings.

Aldo seemed to be in good shape. However, could he handle three Kings and the Emperor?

I didn’t want Aldo to die.

“Aldo, I’m fine, so if it seems impossible, run…”

“Ashera, stop. If you keep saying that, I’ll feel so pathetic I’d rather die…”

As Aldo replied with trembling shoulders, Elphas passed by my left side.

“Mother, Ashera, rest, please.”

Like Aldo, Elphus spoke with a hint of anger as he stood alongside Aldo.

Sensei and I collapsed, overwhelmed by their words.

From then on, we could only watch.

There was no need for me to intervene in this one-sided battle.

As I vaguely watched Aldo and the others fight, I noticed something and looked at my left arm as if I had just realized something.

Looking at my missing left arm, I muttered in my mind, “I don’t want Aldo to hate me.”