kscans

Chapter 171 - Rescue Battle.

We began the rescue of those who had charged in.

The adventurers were fighting back, but they were clearly on the defensive, looking for a way to retreat.

This was convenient. They would listen to what I said.

"Keep fighting back as you retreat!" I shouted. "And don't do anything reckless!"

An adventurer near me replied, "You're helping us, even after we acted on our own? Understood! You heard him! Follow his orders!"

The expressions of the other adventurers brightened at his cry.

"You spearmen, move to the front and keep the enemy in check as you fall back!" Tina commanded. "Swordsmen, focus on any enemies that slip past the spearmen and retreat! Dagger and axe wielders, provide support from the rear as you retreat!"

"Understood, beautiful one!" the adventurers replied.

"We'll give it our all for you, beautiful one!"

"We have no complaints, beautiful one!"

The adventurers were filled with vigor and motivation.

Tina smiled faintly, finding this familiar exchange nostalgic.

"Even a bad memory can become nostalgic if you haven't experienced it in a long time," I said, a hint of sarcasm in my voice.

"Ahem. This is no time for strange sentimentality," Tina said, her expression turning serious as she conjured flames from her spear. "We're going too."

Not to be outdone, I readied my hammer.

"Earth Spear Barrage!" I roared, slamming it into the ground.

The ground in front of me swelled, and countless spear-like spikes of earth shot up. The Lizardmen saw them and scrambled to dodge. The spearmen took advantage of the opening, thrusting their spears at the Lizardmen and striking fear into them. The Lizardmen retreated further, creating a significant distance between us.

"Fire Lance Barrage!" Tina shouted.

She swung her spear in a wide horizontal arc.

The force of the swing created a crescent of flame that flew toward the Lizardmen. Half of them were burned to death, and the other half were severely burned.

Tina was not good with the fire attribute. It was a type of magic she couldn't learn.

Even with a magic stone, she couldn't produce the kind of power she had just now. At best, she could start a bonfire. So how did she produce such power?

The answer was simple: she had used wind magic to amplify the fire's intensity.

In other words, she had adjusted the oxygen concentration to increase its power. This was knowledge from Earth science that Tina had devised on her own.

At this display of power, the adventurers exclaimed.

"What incredible power! Truly a beautiful Valkyrie."

"Bring us glory and victory!"

To their joyous cries, Tina snapped, "Get back already!"

And rightly so. She had ordered them to retreat, yet they were standing there, watching us fight.

"As you command, beautiful one!" the adventurers replied.

Their words were perfectly synchronized.

It was a strange feeling. Was I watching a comedy routine?

In the midst of these thoughts, I felt a sense of dread.

A cold sensation, as if something were sliding across my skin. I dropped my hammer and drew my sword. I looked around, but the numerous large rocks obscured my vision. I activated Detection. Amidst the many blue and red dots, one red dot was moving in a zigzag pattern, approaching me.

From the distance, it was about five meters away. I looked in the direction of the red dot, but a large rock was in the way.

"Flame Demon Sword!" I shouted.

I unleashed an overhead slash as a preemptive strike.

The large rock was sliced in two as if it were butter. Just then, something leaped out from behind the rock.

A small, slender figure.

"The Lizardman Hunter," I said.

I faced the high-rank monster, the Lizardman Hunter, as it readied its kodachi-sized sword.

Seeing this, Tina asked, "Should I provide support?"

"No, it's fine," I replied. "Get those guys back quickly. Tina, I'm sorry, but I need you to take care of the surrounding Lizardmen. This is going to take a while."

I let out a slight grin.

To laugh in this situation… had I gone mad? Or was I enjoying this? I couldn't quite understand the emotions swirling inside me.

"Don't be reckless," Tina said.

With that, she thrust her spear into the ground and drew her sword.

It seemed my partner was going to get serious.

"Ice Field!" Tina shouted.

A vast expanse of ice spread out, and a part of it rose up.

Like an iceberg.

A wall was created, separating me and the Lizardman Hunter from Tina and the others and the few remaining Lizardmen. I felt a little guilty for making her use this technique. Because in this battle, it wasn't a good idea to show too much of our hand.

It would allow the enemy to come up with countermeasures. I couldn't afford to lose.

At the very least, I had to hunt this one down.

I channeled my magic into my sword, increasing its sharpness. I wouldn't use Thunderclap Incarnation. If I used it for every single high-rank monster, I wouldn't be able to defeat the truly strong ones. The Lizardman Hunter lowered its stance and held its sword in a reverse grip. A runner's pose. Its eyes were fixed on me.

They were filled with the killing intent of a predator hunting its prey.

Not to be outdone, I readied my sword and stared back.

The distance between us was about thirty meters. Silence fell between us.

The Lizardman Hunter moved first. It charged straight toward me. Its speed was about thirty kilometers per hour. An untrained person from Earth wouldn't even be able to comprehend it before it was over. But I, who had trained and hunted in this world for a year, blocked the Lizardman Hunter's sword as it reached me.

I parried its blade with the same momentum and unleashed a slash from the lower left.

The Lizardman Hunter dodged by bending its body backward like a shrimp, but I was able to inflict a shallow wound on its body. Just as I was about to follow up, a single knife came flying at me. I deflected it with my sword. The Lizardman Hunter used the opening to regain its posture and crouched on the spot.

It seemed it had thrown the knife with its left hand. What kind of body structure did it have to be able to throw from that position? Did it not have bones?

The Lizardman Hunter was not letting its guard down.

It had encountered this human yesterday. It understood that he was strong. That was why it had gone for a straight killing blow without any tricks. Simple power was the most effective.

A powerful run, fueled by the explosive force of its leg muscles. The target was the neck.

The moment its sword reached the opponent, the human blocked it with his own. It was a little surprised, but it quickly recovered.

It thought it could push through, but the human was stronger. Its blade was parried.

The human counterattacked, but it quickly threw a knife with its left hand. It seemed that had worked. The human flinched.

It corrected its posture and decided to end things with its trump card.

I was still unable to land a decisive blow and was getting impatient.

The ice around us wouldn't last much longer. Maybe another five minutes. For Tina's sake, I had to hunt it down.

It was then that I noticed something strange about the Lizardman Hunter.

Water began to swirl around the sword it held in a reverse grip, imbuing it. A water sword? I thought, but the water condensed further, forming a sharp blade.

A water cutter, I presumed.

I remembered that it had enough power to cut even diamonds. And this was a blade made of magic. I didn't know if even this Orichalcum sword would come out unscathed.

I activated my fire magic. I made it envelop my sword and condensed it.

The Orichalcum's effect increased its power, making it stronger than usual. And it turned from red to yellow, taking the shape of a sword. If I didn't match my opponent, I wouldn't have a chance of winning. To think that I would have to crush one of my hidden powers at this stage… Things never go as planned in this world.

We stared each other down. This one moment. This one blow. Would decide it.

The Lizardman Hunter moved first. The same speed as before. The same direction.

My opponent wasn't underestimating me. This was its full power. I took an upper stance and lay in wait.

The Lizardman Hunter was right in front of me, within sword's reach. The Lizardman Hunter extended its right arm wide. Like a straight punch.

But its fist was far to my right. Of course it was. Its real aim was the water sword it held in a reverse grip. It was aimed precisely at my neck.

"CHEEEEEEST!" I roared.

I brought my sword down with a shout.

The clash of fire and water swords. A duel. It had happened before, but this time, the level was different.

Steam billowed out from between the swords like smoke. The water tried to extinguish the fire, and the fire tried to evaporate the water. And in the test of strength as well.

The Lizardman Hunter judged that it couldn't win with arm strength alone and challenged me with the force of its momentum-filled charge. I focused all my strength into my upper body, and my lower body was dedicated solely to bracing myself so I wouldn't be sent flying.

We were truly evenly matched.

I thought this would go on for a while, but the conclusion was in sight. The fire sword began to push back the water sword.

"Oooooohhhh!" I roared.

Seeing my chance, I put even more strength into it.

And then, with a sharp pakiin, something broke. The Lizardman Hunter's sword shattered, and with the same momentum, my blade cut its right arm and inflicted a deep wound on its torso.

I felt a definite impact.