Chapter 35: Expedition Part 5

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Translator: Soafp

For some reasing NU did not publish part 3. Do read that one.

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Captain Laila, covered in blood, leaped out from the forest.

“Captain Laila!”

Mother shouted and tried to approach.

“Run!”

Captain Laila scolded Mother, trying to keep her at a distance. However, at that moment, a dark mass leaped out from the grass.

The dark mass, looking around once with an irritated expression, took a deep breath…

Roar!!!!!!!!

The roar, combined with the oppressive atmosphere, induced a fundamental fear in people. In fact, a few knights and mages lost consciousness due to the sound.

The unaffected knights, mages, and even Captain Laila were now in a state of panic.

(Is this the state of panic status…?)

I desperately wanted to run away. However, Captain Laila and Mother were in front of the dark mass.

Even if I sacrificed everything… Even if I offered everyone here… I had to protect Mother, El, and Ashera at all costs.

I suppressed the almost tearful feelings in my heart and ran towards the dark mass.

There was no winning move, no strategy, not even an image of survival…

With all my feelings, I shouted just one word.

“El! Get Mother and Ashera out of here!”

Trusting that El would handle the situation, I concentrated solely on the dark mass.

I faced the dark mass, wielding two short swords.

As if having the upper hand, I lowered my body almost to the ground and ran through, skimming the surface. The dark mass, about 4 meters in size, couldn’t react in time to my low-ground running.

Passing by, I swept its legs with my short swords!

It felt like hitting a tire with a baseball bat, surprising me, but I managed to leave a single wound. The dark mass seemed astonished at being injured and stared at the wound.

After a while, it unexpectedly raised its face and fixed its gaze on me. The mocking emotion from earlier was no longer visible in its eyes. It seemed to have recognized me as an enemy.

Whether being acknowledged as an enemy was a good or bad thing, I couldn’t tell, but it bought El and the others some time to escape.

“Now then… entertain me for as long as you can.”

If I hadn’t made a light comment, my legs would have trembled so much that I couldn’t stand.

The dark mass swung its greatsword, targeting me. I tried to dodge by stepping back in a hurry, but the dark mass’s movements were too fast.

While backing away, I used a space kick, changing direction almost at a right angle.

The greatsword passed where I had been just an instant ago.

If I had been a moment slower, my body would have been torn apart. I felt something akin to confidence.

I focused more mana than usual and pushed the limits of body enhancement. With my short swords enveloped in magical blades, I ran towards the dark mass!

Extending the blade with magic, I closed the distance to the greatsword. I swung the magically enhanced weapon with all my might.

A reverse-diagonal cut tore through the dark mass…

A single wound appeared from its right side to left shoulder, and a trickle of red blood began to flow.

Shallow…

The creature evaded my attack by jumping backward in an instant.

Having received a half-hearted strike, the dark mass revealed its anger and launched a fierce assault. Swinging its greatsword recklessly, it was far from a skilled swordsman. At times, it swung the sword with the blade facing upward.

Swinging straight after lifting it, performing a horizontal slash midway, grabbing or even attempting to bite during the slash.

I evaded all its attacks by a hair’s breadth. Using space kicks to dodge, parrying with the short swords, and maneuvering with martial arts.

My appearance might have seemed like that of a hero bravely facing a formidable enemy…

However, in reality, I was just scared… Though it appeared as if I were fighting, I was only attacking recklessly to escape my fear.

“This should be enough… Mother and the others should have escaped… I should escape too…”

After desperately dodging another slash, behind the dark mass, I saw “it.”

El and Ashera weren’t running away at all, of course, neither was Mother. They were preparing to fight.

(Ahh, I see… Maybe they can’t escape because I’m here…)

Feeling a mix of joy, resentment, happiness, and anger towards my family who didn’t leave me behind, I couldn’t make a calm judgment. However, there was one thing I understood…

If I don’t kill it, my family will die…… and I will die……

I realized such a simple truth only now.

I made up my mind… I will kill it… Even if I have to sacrifice myself… I will definitely kill it!

From then on, I only thought about killing it.

Already, there was no fear… I discarded even the fear as useless and faced the dark mass once again.

(Now, let’s gather information first. I couldn’t make a calm judgment due to fear… It’s not just a dark mass. It’s just a black goblin… A Black Gob!)

I rushed towards the Black Gob running almost at ground level, just like in the initial attack.

As the Black Gob lifted its leg to stomp me, at the moment of being stepped on, I twisted my body and placed my right hand on its foot. Sonar.

Once was not enough.

Continuing with a space kick, I emerged above the Black Gob. Placing my left hand on its head. Sonar.

The Black Gob attempted to shake me off with its right hand, but I rotated around its back, kicked with my right foot, and Sonar.

After three Sonars, I understood one thing.

This creature is far more worn out than it appears.

Its mana is barely different from my usual self.

This means there should be a limit to its magical defense, even if it’s enhanced with magic. Surely, the members of the third squad sacrificed their lives to deplete the Black Gob’s mana.

(My trump card… If I cast Condense Ray’s magic, I should be able to defeat it.)

However, simultaneously, I realized… my own mana was running low…

Feeling a sense of urgency, I surveyed my surroundings.

I make a reckless request to El…

Even though I’m the worst older brother… Regardless, I shouted.

“El, give me your mana! Also I need three minutes. Someone, please buy me some time! I beg you!”

Even after shouting, I concentrate my consciousness on the Black Gob, sharpening my nerves with every move.

Then, Ashera, Mother, and the members of the healed third squad knights and mages step forward.

The knights take the front, and the mages use magic to disrupt the Black Gob’s footing.

Not to defeat it. It’s evidently a time-buying tactic.

Although I said it without expecting actual reinforcements, I stare blankly at the battle. Then, someone’s hand touches my back.

Without looking, I know it’s El. He’s sending his mana to me.

10 seconds… 20 seconds… My mana is full… At the same time, El loses consciousness due to mana depletion.

I hold El as he collapses, gently lay him down, and everything is ready.

I glare at the Black Gob once again.

I extend my right hand forward, point my index finger at the Black Gob, and use my left hand to hold my right wrist to suppress the trembling.

I pour my mana into the tip of my right finger. Pour… pour… Pouring until a minuscule light appears at my fingertip.

Pouring… condensing… Pouring… condensing… How many times have I repeated this?

As the minuscule light intensifies as if signaling the critical point, I shouted.

“Get back!”

The knights moved away from the Black Gob as if they were waiting for my signal.

The Black Gob looks at me, and for the first time, it seems to understand its situation. It gazes at me with evident fear on its face.

“Too slow!”

I release the light that reached the critical point.

An ultra-fine line of light extends straight…

It must have been desperate. The Black Gob dodged the Condense Ray’s light line.

Condense Ray is my original magic that condenses and releases light. When condensed and released, the temperature reaches 4000°C (7232 °F).

At 4000°C, most substances vaporize. There should be no living being or substance that can withstand it if it hits.

Furthermore, what’s truly terrifying about this magic is that it has an irradiation time of about two seconds.

Two seconds…

Just two seconds…

However, with two seconds, I can move the irradiated finger and use the light line as a light sword.

I desperately tried to burn off the head of the Black Gob that had dodged the beam of light with the sword of light.

With wide-open eyes in surprise, its head dances in the air while looking at me. In the next moment, the Black Gob from the irradiation area vaporizes, becoming fuel that burns down the surrounding trees.

Watching that scene, I lose consciousness due to mana depletion, just like El.