Chapter 297 - 297. Battle for the Fortress and Duel with the Giant
Racshell descended from above, spearmanship at its finest. Misuki leaped onto the spearshaft near the tip. The impact caused the spear to sway, nearly throwing Misuki off balance.
"Whoa!"
Misuki hastily lowered her hips and spread her arms to regain balance.
"Are you serious, flying through the air in a skirt that short?"
"Ugh, shut up. Don’t look."
She pressed down the hem of her skirt, then shifted her gaze to Racshell behind her.
"Are you sure about this? If Mash’s magic runs out, you’ll fall."
Misuki stood at the tip of Racshell’s holy spear, while Racshell sat further back. It was impressive that she could balance on the spearshaft, only as thick as a fist. Even more so that she intended to fly through the air in that state – it was beyond simple athletic prowess.
"Racshell… do you understand? You can’t drop Misuki."
"I am offended. My spear control is impeccable. Mash has ridden it before, hasn’t he? Besides, I’ll protect her with a magic field, so she’ll be fine."
I remember clinging to her chest for dear life the last time we flew in the Holy Oil Vial.
"But," Racshell said, covering her mouth and leaning close to my ear. "I’ll tease her a little so you can get a service shot of Misuki, alright?"
"Wait, she’ll die if she falls!"
I worried that Racshell might actually drop Misuki the way she was acting. What a dangerous woman. I pulled Racshell’s peplos up to my knees.
"What do you think you’re doing at a time like this?"
Ignoring her question, I brushed against her soft, white thigh, sliding my hand further up. Then, I reached for her underwear.
"Mash!"
She tried to pin my hands down through her peplos, but I pulled her panties off before she could.
"Hyaah!"
"If you make one wrong move, I’ll show everyone what you’ve got inside."
With this, Racshell should focus on flying safely. I clenched her still-warm panties.
"That’s cruel! How many of my panties are you planning to steal?!"
"You’re the cruel one! Don’t put Misuki in danger!"
"You’re the one trying to put me in danger, Mash!"
While we argued, Fam snatched the panties away from us.
"Master…"
"I… I understand."
I turned my attention to Misuki and Racshell. After looking at each of us, Misuki’s eyes settled on Fam.
"Fam, protect Mash."
Fam nodded at Misuki’s words. Racshell, who had been watching us, giggled faintly.
"Then, until Mash’s magic runs out…"
"Wait, put me down before that happens!"
Before Misuki could finish speaking, the spear surged upward into the sky.
The holy spear carrying Misuki and Racshell streaked through the sky like a trail of afterburner sparks. It circled the giant, gradually ascending. The giant swung his arms wildly, as if trying to swat away persistent flies. The spear dove sharply, weaving between his flailing limbs, then accelerated as it climbed up his body. Amidst the furious movements, Misuki gripped her sword, kneeling slightly as she crouched.
"Unbelievable…"
She’s able to maintain that posture because Racshell’s magic is protecting her. But they were performing rapid decelerations. I felt worried, but the holy spear continued to strike the giant’s head. The spear pierced the dark vortex like a needle. After a moment, the spearhead burst out from the back of the giant’s skull. The two riders were revealed, standing atop the spearhead, which clutched a jet-black sphere. It was darker than the particles covering the giant’s body, absorbing so much light that it seemed to have no depth.
"Ventablack…"
"It seems to absorb everything. It lacks any dimension. Ventablack, is that what you called it, Racshell-sama? Is that the core you mentioned?"
Maila held her hand out, studying the stone.
"No, the color Ventablack actually exists…"
Whack!
Misuki sliced the jet-black sphere with a Happakai kita, shattering the object. The spear sharply reversed its ascent and dove back towards the giant. The giant swung his fist to stop it, but the holy spear intercepted it with the grace of a falling maple leaf and plunged into its chest. The black particles enveloped Misuki and Racshell, and they reappeared from the giant’s back, having destroyed a second core. They circled around, striking its lower back. At that moment, the giant’s body wavered. The black particles covering its body began to disperse like steam. Its legs began to crumble, and it struggled to support itself.
The ground trembled violently with a deafening roar. I tried to brace myself, but I couldn't support my body. The scenery blurred, and my vision darkened. Maila and Fam steadied me.
"Master… a magic recovery potion."
At Fam’s urging, I drank the potion. My vision cleared somewhat. The giant was wildly swinging its arms, trying to evade the holy spear’s attacks. Misuki and Racshell distanced themselves from the giant.
"Will you make it…?"
Would Misuki destroy all the giant’s cores first? Would the giant self-destruct first? Or would my magic run out first? I had used the goddess summoning as a trump card. There was no option to let the giant escape. As I clenched my sweaty hand, the giant turned its body towards us, its fist swung down.
"We’re the target. I’ll block it with the Yata Mirror!"
Fam shouted, raising her hand.
"Wait! If you use your Special Skill now, things will get worse if the Crimson Brigade attacks!"
"But!"
Mermy stepped forward, wand at the ready.
"…I’ll use a magic seed to block it."
"Can you block it?"
She nodded, but her face was stern. I remembered when she blocked Komachi’s Special Skill during the pirate battle, with Neffy’s help. The image of my body being lifted into a princess carry flashed in my mind—it was Neffy. She had refined features. Her narrow eyes scanned the Levante members. At this moment, at least, she wasn’t sarcastic.
"There’s no time. Let’s descend the mountain and escape."
Neffy glanced at Fam and the others and began descending the mountain, her stride long and swift.
"Hey, why are you carrying me down the mountain?!"
"You can’t move properly because your magic’s running out, right? Besides, keep your mouth shut and hold on, or you’ll bite your tongue. My princess."
Knowing her personality, she seemed genuinely surprised by her own strength. I decided I needed to stop picking fights with her. Her gaze never met mine as she focused on the passing scenery. Forced to cling to her neck, I looked behind and saw Fam and the others following. Just as their figures darkened, we were hit by a violent shockwave. Trees were uprooted by the blast, scattering leaves everywhere. The ground trembled violently, and Neffy nearly stumbled, but managed to recover.
Black particles rained down on us, turning everything dark. I called out my companions’ names, and they must have heard me because a shimmer caught my eye. That light immediately surged into a torrent of light—Mermy’s lightning. The deafening roar faded, clearing the soot that covered my vision like fog. The mountain peak where we had been now resembled a barren, bald mountain, stripped of trees. The jet-black sphere floated at the center. The one Misuki had destroyed. It was easily twice as large as a person, even up close. Its wrists sliced off were slowly rising and trying to return to the giant’s body. I took out Uta’s sword from storage.
"I’ll use this on that sphere."
I tried to hand it to Neffy, but Fam grabbed the sword.
"Master. I’ll cut it down. Neffy, please watch over Master."
Without waiting for Neffy’s nod, Fam sprinted up the slope. The sphere continued to rise. She jumped, her sword flashing.
"Deliver it!"
The blade, imbued with her spirit, pierced the sphere. At that instant, a high-pitched sound like breaking glass echoed, and the sphere shattered. Along with her landing, the black miasma transformed into heat waves, shimmering and disappearing like a mirage.
"Master!"
Her cheerful voice rang out, and her expression changed to one of shock as she turned back to us.
I instinctively turned as well and saw the giant swinging its remaining fist down. Fam was trying to rush back to me.
"Don’t come! Fam, run!"
I shouted. Maila was frozen, and Mermy was trying to conjure a magic barrier, but she wouldn’t be in time. Black shadows threatened to engulf my vision when Neffy increased her grip around me.
Now! The holy spear, trailing a rainbow-colored tail, disappeared into the black particles as if being sucked in. Then, it burst out from the opposite side. Misuki destroyed the sphere it had captured. At the same time, the black miasma shaped like fists lost its structure and scattered. Only the wind pressure remained, assaulting us. Neffy grabbed a tree and endured the gale. I tried to cling to Neffy, but I couldn’t put any strength into it. My magic was reaching its limits.
"Mash, here’s this."
Maila handed me a magic recovery potion. I took it, but my chest only felt nauseous, and I couldn’t feel any magic being restored.
I looked at the giant. The upper half of its body was no longer humanoid and was beginning to dissipate.
The holy spear carrying Misuki and Racshell had moved on to its lower body. How many cores did they still have to destroy? Would they make it in time? Just as I was thinking that, Misuki destroyed another core, and the giant collapsed to its knees. A distant rumble echoed, but it was nothing like the previous violent shocks. It likely had no strength left to fight back.
"Master, from that position, you can target it from the ground."
Fam said.
"Don’t let your guard down. You’ll be crushed."
"I understand. But we can’t waste this opportunity. We must end it."
Her light blue eyes seemed to gleam with determination. I didn’t know what the giant’s objective was. There was the matter of Hyatts and Hatts on their way back. And for the dog-eared race living in this mountain range, they couldn’t leave such a being, even a god, unchecked.
"…I’m going too."
Fam and Mermy exchanged nods and descended the mountain. I wondered if Mermy could keep up with Fam’s speed, but she had also gained stamina from her previous mountain climbs. More than anything, she was light on her feet, pursuing Fam’s trail with graceful, deer-like steps. As I watched their backs, I noticed Maila watching me with an indescribable expression. I was still in Neffy’s arms. The scenery blurred again, and my consciousness faded.
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