Chapter 286 - 286. The Second Seal and Shrine Maiden vs. Bishop
Maira and the Bishop face off. Both wield polearms. Maira lowers her stance slightly, gripping her mace at hip level before raising its head diagonally upward in a threatening posture. The Bishop, by contrast, stands ramrod straight, his battle-axe held parallel to the stone floor with its blade tip directed toward Maira.
A soft glow ignites at the axe’s blade. A spark of flame. In an instant, it swells, transforming into a swirling ball of fire.
Maira begins circling the Bishop, her movements tracing an arc. She’s waiting for an opening to exploit with her footwork and land a strike. The blade tip, tracking her movements, suddenly shifts toward me.
The fireball was unleashed the very next moment.
'Don’t move!'
Stuck as I am with a stab wound in my leg, I can only stare at the incoming fireball.
'MASH!'
Maira’s voice rings out. Spinning, she slams her mace into the rushing inferno with a deafening roar, swinging through. That single strike shatters the fireball, scattering its flames everywhere. The direct hit was avoided, but the scattering embers scorch my clothes and skin, as well as hers.
'Hur—'
Maira exhales sharply, enduring the pain, and steps in front of me protectively. However, before she can recover, the Bishop lunges forward with a powerful stride. He swings down his massive battle-axe with staggering speed.
Their fierce battle begins in earnest.
The Bishop handles his axe lightly, just as he did when fighting me earlier. Linear attacks laced with thrusts rain down relentlessly. Maira, gripping the base of her mace’s handle, uses its weight to amplify her swings, counting on the centrifugal force to deliver a crushing blow.
But the distance between them is far too close. The Bishop, master of rapid strikes, slowly gains the upper hand.
'Maira, get some distance!'
I was about to shout advice when I was yanked backward by something gripping my neck. Turning to look up, I saw Nefie’s face. She was silently staring into mine.
'Nefie, support Maira instead of me!'
She shook her head quietly.
'Her restraints must be broken first.'
'What restraints?'
In response, she shoved a health potion into my chest.
Maira, our healer, is engaged in combat against the Bishop. As she dodges the battle-axe’s blade, her black hair swings in an arc. Using the momentum from her spin, she swings her mace, but the Bishop easily blocks the forceful blow with his handle and sends it flying back. She stumbles, off-balance, and a fireball is launched at her. At the last moment, she dodges just in time.
Immediately after avoiding that, the Bishop thrusts sharply. Maira evades that attack as well. Her movements are flowing and smooth, like a dance, but her breathing has started to quicken. Like me, she’s been grazed by embers, and her robes are speckled with burn marks. However, unlike their previous clash, she’s managed to create some distance. But the Bishop’s range is the same. Furthermore, if the distance grows too wide, he’ll unleash a fireball. I took the health potion, and the pain subsided, but the wound hadn’t fully closed. I bound my thigh with cloth to stop the bleeding and observed the battle. The water vapor surrounding us had cleared. Fam and Mizuki are fighting off Wyrms spawned from the flames, with Marmie supporting them with magic from behind. Each individual is slow and easy to deal with. But the issue is their sheer numbers. They multiply from the fireballs cast by the Bishop. The writhing WMRS are heading toward us as well. I rose to my feet, supported by Nefie. Each step stings, but I can fulfill the role of a rearguard magic user. Leave the WMRS to Fam’s group, and while protected by Nefie, I should be able to assist Maira. I’d actually prefer to have Nefie, a mage, support Maira. As I was thinking that, a sweet, cloying scent drifted over. It seemed to contain a stench within, and I instinctively wrinkled my nose in discomfort.
'Don’t breathe it in too deeply. This smell is poisonous.'
Nefie thrust a stake into one of the WMRs.
'What?!'
'They seem to release it from their feelers. Prolonged inhalation will knock you out. If this battle takes too long, we’re all dead.'
'How long...?'
'I don’t know, but the weak will drop first.'
If anything, I’d expect Marmie to be casting area-of-effect lightning magic against these enemies, but she’s only using single-target spells. And Fam also looks sluggish.
'Damn it.'
Clenching my teeth, I refocused on Maira and the Bishop’s battle. Poison might have a temporary effect with the antidote, but as long as we’re breathing in this air, we’re still getting poisoned. Taking down the Bishop must be the priority. As long as he’s alive, the WMRs will keep appearing endlessly. I raised my hands, ready to unleash an ice pillar. However, the Bishop anticipated my move, shifting so that Maira was in my line of fire.
'Nefie, target the Bishop from a different angle!'
She shook her head at my words.
'As long as I protect MASH, they can keep fighting.'
Nefie is casting earth magic barbed stone arrowheads at the approaching WMRS, impaling survivors with stakes. The monsters disintegrate, but the unpleasant odor seems to have intensified. A sensation like my brain melting, as if a haze is clouding my senses, washed over me, and my body swayed. I desperately shook my head, trying to regain consciousness, but overwhelming drowsiness clouded my mind.
'Damn it, do they release poison even after dying?'
Things weren’t improving—this was a dead end. I glanced at Nefie’s profile as she thrust a stake into a freshlySpawned WMRS. Her horns, a trademark of her demon race, were large and dignified, and her eyes, fixed on the monster, were calm and firm. Her tightly set lips completed the picture of composure. I fought against her savior during the events in Migul, and I killed the apparent leader. What is she thinking, joining us and remaining so calm in this desperate situation?
'MASH.'
It was Maira, facing the Bishop, who called out to me—not Nefie. Her breath came in ragged gasps. Bruises covered her body, and her cuts were multiplying. The Bishop, by comparison, showed no signs of damage. His priestly robes remained pristine, just as they were when he appeared.
The moment his cassock robes fluttered upward, Maira’s body moved sideways. The fireball streaked through the spot where she’d been, hurtling toward me.
'Damn it.'
Before I could even aim to shoot it down with the ice pillar I’d been preparing, Nefie leaped in front of me and struck the fireball down with her stake. From the scattered flames, a new WMR emerged. I watched it rise with a chill in my heart.
'I’ll create an opening. MASH, please believe me. None of your magic will hit me. Don’t hesitate to strike the Bishop!'
Maira said.
'But…'
At this rate, it’d be better to switch her with Nefie. Nefie’s true power is unknown, so I’m worried about how long she can hold out against the Bishop, but having Maira in the back creates a healing role and gives us more strategic options. The room is sweltering from the Bishop’s fire magic. The WMRs’ poison is a nuisance, but this heat is also affecting our judgment. I wiped the sweat creeping over my eyebrows and noticed sweat trickling down Maira’s cheek. It was the exact moment it hit the floor. Maira kicked off the ground. The mace, swung down with the force of centrifugal force, drawing a large arc, was brought down on the Bishop. Sparks flew from the violent clash of metals, but the Bishop effortlessly blocked the blow and shoved it back. Maira was sent flying. As her back landed, I unleashed an ice pillar at it. The tip, tearing through the air, came close to touching her back before she dodged with astep. Vanishing from the path of the pillar, it hit the Bishop behind her.
'Hit him!'
My shout went unanswered as the Bishop shattered the ice pillar with his battle-axe. The fragments were instantly vaporized by the room’s intense heat. Maira stormed toward the Bishop, her mace raised high. She cut through the steam and then—
'Kahah—'
The mace head pierced the Bishop’s skull. The Bishop’s body seemed to sway for a moment, but as his grip on the battle-axe tightened, he immediately delivered a counterattack. A horrifying slash sent Maira’s body shaking. A follow-up strike from the base of the handle gouged into her abdomen.
'Guh–'
A stifled groan escaped her as her body folded at the waist. The Bishop tossed her into the air like a doll.
'You bitch!'
I tried to interrupt the Bishop’s follow-up, firing an ice pillar. However, he dodged without hesitation, aimed the tip of his axe at her, and launched a fireball without missing a beat. The ice pillar’s impact sent the Bishop flying, but Maira was also engulfed in flames and slammed into the stone floor.
'Maira!'
I tried to rush over, but I’d forgotten about my injured leg and the blood rushing to my head. Nefie caught me just as I stumbled. In the meantime, the Bishop slowly stood up. His priestly robes had a gaping hole from the ice pillar. But his body wasn’t visible there—instead, a black, miasma-like substance was rising from the gap. He adjusted the angle of his head, which Maira’s strike had knocked askew. Standing neutrally and holding the battle-axe horizontally, there was no sign of damage. His high combat power coupled with his tenacity made my spine freeze. Behind him, Maira slowly rose to her feet. Her cheeks were smeared with black soot, and her once bright eyes were dull and lifeless. Her hand firmly gripped the mace, but the handle trembled slightly.
'Nefie, never mind me. Please. Support Maira!'
As I yelled, Maira reached out to reject it.
'MASH, this is enough. Until now, I haven’t been able to land a hit on the Bishop, but I’ve managed to land two in this moment alone…'
'Don’t be stupid! It’s pointless if you burn yourself to a crisp!'
At that moment, she turned and smiled at me. It was a fleeting, fragile smile.
'My hero. Give me strength.'
The instant she murmured that, she kicked off toward the Bishop.
'Damn it…'
I clenched my teeth, firing another ice pillar at her back, just as before. Maira twisted her body again, just as before. But this time, the Bishop was prepared for the attack. The tip of his axe glowed, and a fireball was launched as if he’d been waiting. The ice pillar shattered with a roar, and he effortlessly dodged her strike, even countering with a battle-axe swing. Maira circled to the side, creating an opening. I unleashed a barrage of ice pillars, but the Bishop avoided them while fighting Maira. My magic only sliced through the hem of his robes. Then, he immediately moved so that Maira was in the path of my spell again.
'No good, I can’t hit him!'
The Bishop was beginning to overwhelm Maira with his speed. The wide arc of her mace swings had become shorter, and the situation seemed impossible. As I stared blankly at the battle, Maira glanced at me. Had she lost her focus? I shook my head frantically to dismiss it. This was a signal. She was telling me to attack her without hesitation. Should I trust her even in this disadvantageous situation? But even if I trusted her, the enemy was reading my magic attacks. If I attacked from a different angle, the Bishop might falter. But the stone sphere’s power wouldn’t be enough to harm him. He didn’t fall even after Maira’s attack. I scanned the area, desperate for help, and spotted Marmie crouching behind Fam and Mizuki as they fought. The encirclement by WMRS was being steadily reduced. Our side was also pushing back the WMRS. Nefie was impaling newly spawned WMRS with stakes, but the sickly sweet odor was growing stronger. I needed to find a way to exploit the Bishop’s guard. Just as I was thinking that, Maira glanced at me again. At that moment, I finally understood what she was planning.
'Maira!'
I raised my hands, creating a stone sphere with earth magic, and fired it at her. The sphere shot forward with force, slicing through the air above her head and crashed into the wall behind, shattering.
'Hey, where are you aiming!'
Nefie stared at me with a dumbfounded expression.
'No, that’s fine. Maira will understand.'
'Really?'
After firing another barbed stone arrowhead into a WMR, she narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at me. The problem is indestructibility. A material with high hardness and viscosity. I created another stone sphere and fired it at Maira again. A place where it wouldn’t interfere with their battle. As planned, it passed beside the two combatants. Whether she sensed it by sound or pure intuition, Maira’s body wavered. Her swung mace traced a large arc, catching the stone sphere. A sharp, ringing sound echoed, and the stone sphere, accelerated by the impact, changed direction and homed in on the Bishop.
'Guhf–'
The Bishop let out a low, dry grunt. Maira slammed her mace into his wavering body. The Bishop stumbled backward, creating distance before righting himself and beginning to prepare another fireball. Before he could, I launched another stone sphere. Maira amplified the sphere’s speed, just as before, and slammed it into the Bishop. A fireball was unleashed at the same time, but it grazed her and flew past. Not pausing, Maira continued to strike the Bishop, who was off-balance. At first, he had blocked with his axe, but he couldn’t withstand her blows and finally dropped it, leaving it on the floor. The sound of metal resonated sharply.
'This is the end!'
Maira raised her mace high. And then, she brought it down on the Bishop, who stood like a specter. His robes crumbled, and the Bishop disintegrated.
'Phew…'
Maira let out a large sigh, using her mace to support her swaying body. She turned toward me.
'You really are my hero. But… I’m a little tired now…. Please take care of the rest.'
She gave a weak smile and collapsed to her knees, clutching her mace.
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