kscans

Chapter 66 - Cursed Equipment

The only ones left in the opposing clan were the barbarian, three ranged attackers, two support types, one healer, and one person in black robes.

Relic was engaging the black-robed person in the enemy's territory. Nearby was the barbarian who had defeated Maris. It was a dangerous position to be in. Yet, the two did not try to take down Relic together. The barbarian quickly returned to his base.

It was because Maris had ordered Lancelot to destroy the Clan Stone. If left alone, the Clan Stone would be destroyed and they would lose the Clan War. It was unclear if that was Maris's intention, but at the very least, Relic was spared a two-on-one fight.

With two of their front-line fighters defeated, the enemy's mid and rear guards were thin. Mist had returned to the base, but that left Ash and Lunaria free.

Ash and the others immediately descended upon the three mid-guard members.

"Well then, I suppose I shall go as well. This seems to be our chance."

"Please do."

Mist gave Hayato a sly grin, transformed into a large bat, and launched herself from the fortress.

It would take her some time to arrive, but once she joined Ash and Lunaria, they would be a considerable force.

The three mid-guard members retreated while attacking Ash's group with bows and magic. It was less of an attack and more of a delaying tactic.

They were creating distance using skills like "Shadow Bind," which pinned an opponent's shadow with an arrow to temporarily immobilize them, and "Rose Thorn," which entangled an opponent in thorny vines.

However, their delaying tactics had little effect. Diite was dispelling them immediately with Holy Magic.

Perhaps realizing it was pointless, or maybe sensing the danger of Mist's approach, two of the three mid-guard members abandoned their attacks and ran towards their fortress. Their equipment had suddenly changed completely, increasing their movement speed.

The one who remained had switched to an ominous set of black armor, and a black circular area spread out across the ground. When Ash and Lunaria touched it, their movements suddenly became sluggish.

"Huh? What is that?"

"I do not know for certain, but it appears to be something that reduces movement speed. They sacrificed one person to let the other two escape."

Hayato was impressed by Esha's answer. A moment later, Ren's voice rang out, full of excitement.

"Th, that's Cursed Armor! The user can't move, but it deploys a field that reduces the movement speed of everyone around them! It's super rare equipment! I want it!"

"Cursed rare equipment actually exists?"

"Hayato-san, let's take it! If I hit them with Dragon Curse, the equipment might come off! We can have Relic-san steal it!"

"...No, I don't think Relic-san has the luxury for that, so give it up."

Cursed equipment couldn't be made with the Blacksmithing Skill. Stealing rare equipment was certainly a viable strategy, but they probably didn't have the time for it.

Besides, the two mid-guard and three rear-guard members were retreating, moving closer to where Relic and the black-robed person were fighting.

"No, that may be a fine idea. It seems I am struggling to win against this black-robed opponent. I shall use Shukuchi to retreat to the one wearing the cursed equipment. And I shall steal it while I am at it."

(I see, so Shukuchi can be used for escaping too. It's so versatile it's scary.)

"Um, if that's the case, then please do."

"Yes! It's mine! Uhehehe...!"

Ren stepped into the black field that reduced movement speed. She was outside the effective range of Dragon Curse and was trying to move closer.

"Wait."

Diite grabbed Ren by the scruff of her neck and tossed her out of the black field. Then she immediately cast a healing spell on Ash and Lunaria.

"Huh, um?"

"Do not give in to unnecessary greed."

Right after, Relic teleported in front of the opponent wearing the cursed armor. Relic looked confused that no one was ready to steal the equipment, but then, as if realizing something, he tried to fall back.

Diite cast "Protection," a spell that cut damage by ten percent, and a healing spell on Relic.

"He should just barely be able to withstand it."

A moment after Diite spoke, an explosion erupted with the opponent at its center. It dealt damage over an area as large as the movement-slowing field.

(A self-destruct item?)

It was an item that dealt damage by self-destructing, one that Hayato had used before. Its power was dependent on the opponent's defense, but it was strong enough to inflict damage roughly equal to the user's own HP.

Relic, Ash, and Lunaria were caught in the blast, but thanks to their HP, equipment, and Diite's magic, none of them were defeated. However, Relic, with his low defense, was on the verge of death. It was a close call.

If Ren had been caught in it, she wouldn't have survived. Diite had saved her. Realizing this, Ren fell to the ground, stunned.

"A-ah..."

"Ren-kun, do not let your guard down. It seems Lancelot has been defeated, so you should assume that barbarian is coming. Ash-kun and the others should drink potions. My healing will not be enough to keep up."

Diite relayed this while casting healing magic on Ash's group.

Hayato turned his gaze toward the enemy's Clan Stone. Just as Diite had said, he confirmed that Lancelot was turning into black particles. The enemy Clan Stone's HP, which was also displayed, seemed to be down by about half.

Immediately after, just as Diite had predicted, the barbarian appeared in front of Ren. He raised his axe.

"Hya!"

"I can only stop him for a moment."

Diite, now bare-handed, unleashed the weapon skill "Low Kick." The attack stopped the barbarian's movements.

"Ren-sama, Diite-sama, please retreat to our camp. I will provide cover. Mist-sama, please escort Ren-sama."

Esha spoke from the roof of the fortress, peering through the scope of her Beelzebub.

"Understood. Let's pull back for now. Let's go, Ren-kun."

"I will buy you some time."

Mist, who had just arrived on the front lines, transformed into her bat form and assaulted the barbarian.

The rapidly changing situation left Hayato feeling a bit confused.

The enemy's tactics, their equipment switching, their methods of attack, everything was refined. It wasn't just the leader, the barbarian, but all of them were responding in a similar fashion.

(I can't believe they'd even use a self-destruct. But with a combo of Shukuchi, cursed equipment, and self-destruct, couldn't you take out most of the rear guard? Of course, you can't just get cursed rare items or self-destruct items easily, but if you could, that would be nasty.)

He didn't know about the cursed equipment, but he knew plenty about self-destruct items. They weren't something you could prepare easily. You needed extremely rare items to make them.

(I don't think all of them have self-destruct items, but should I assume they do? Even if they do, I don't have a way to deal with it.)

"Hayato! We're out of potions! We're coming back to the fortress to regroup!"

"Got it. Esha will provide cover once you're back in our territory. Hurry back."

The two enemy mid-guard members and three rear-guard members were retreating. They had defeated three of the opponents, so he wanted to press the attack, but their resistance was surprisingly fierce. Pulling back for now was not a mistake, Hayato thought.

(Time for a reset.)

With that thought, Hayato waited for everyone to retreat.