kscans

Chapter 69 - The End of the Battle

(What is Esha doing?)

Hayato puzzled over Esha's actions.

"Well then, I'll be taking my leave for now. It doesn't look like I can win as things are. But just in case, I think I'll take down one of you."

Hayato braced himself at the barbarian's words. Mist, seeming to have the same thought, moved to shield Hayato.

But that was not his intention. The barbarian quickly turned his face to the field and shifted his gaze toward Esha.

(He's going to escape with Shukuchi! No, Esha's been waiting for this...!)

Right now, Esha was the only one on the field. But fifteen minutes had passed since then. And considering the large amount of Melon Juice she had been drinking, Hayato was certain.

"Esha! He's coming!"

Hayato informed Esha through voice chat.

"Destroy."

Esha fired Destroy in a direction where no one was. Ten magic circles, large and small, lined up from the muzzle of her gun. There was nothing in front of her, but that didn't matter.

Immediately after, the barbarian appeared right in front of Esha. Directly in the line of fire.

The barbarian's face twisted as he realized what was happening.

A bullet of light, fired from the Beelzebub with a sound like a cannon, blasted through the barbarian and the ten magic circles, sending him flying. At the same time, Esha was pushed back by the force, sliding across the ground.

"I knew Master would notice."

"Well, it was just a coincidence."

Shukuchi was a skill that moved the user directly in front of their target. And the target had to be an opponent on the field. Currently, Esha was the only one on the field, so it was predictable that the barbarian would move in front of her. That's why Esha had been waiting with Destroy ready.

"And Mist-sama, thank you for your hard work as well. I believed you would properly drive that barbarian back."

"You give me too much credit. Well, this is thanks to the Dragon Blood Hayato-san prepared for me..."

Just as Mist said that, a loud explosion echoed from within the enemy fortress.

"Hayato! Sorry! They used a self-destruct inside the base! Relic and Ren, and Diite too, were taken out! All that's left are me and Lunaria!"

"Are you okay!?"

"We're alive, but there are still two of them! It'll take a little longer to destroy the Clan Stone, so be careful!"

"Ah, that's fine, the enemy leader is..."

Just as he was about to say that Esha had defeated him, the barbarian was standing in front of Esha, his axe raised.

"Huh...?"

Destroy was a guaranteed kill against a humanoid character. But Hayato could see the barbarian with his axe raised.

Esha kicked off the ground as if to escape backward. She did a backflip and then knelt on one knee, aiming her gun. But when she pulled the trigger, no bullet came out.

(She just used Destroy, so she's out of MP...!)

Hayato's guess was correct. Esha's MP was nearly zero. Because she had been eating sweets, her MP was gradually recovering, but she wasn't yet in a state where she could attack.

As if knowing this, the barbarian closed the distance to Esha at once. And he raised his axe again.

Hayato thought it was over, but the axe was never brought down. Before it could be swung, Lunaria emerged from the enemy fortress.

That alone probably wouldn't have stopped the barbarian's attack, but there was a reason he stopped.

The blade of Lunaria's Arondight was abnormally large. Looking closely, it wasn't that the blade had grown larger, but that a black aura was clinging to the blade, making it look huge. Also, the jewel embedded in Arondight's hilt was shining more brightly than ever before.

The barbarian did not attack Esha and quickly put some distance between them. It was likely an action taken after sensing some kind of anomaly. But it was a meaningless action.

Lunaria had moved in front of the barbarian as if using Shukuchi.

And with Arondight, Lunaria cut the barbarian down in a single flash. The barbarian was defeated without even having time to block the attack with his weapon.

Hayato thought the barbarian would turn into particles of light, but for some reason, a light shone down from above on the fallen barbarian. And a feather fell.

(A Phoenix Feather? Is that why he was fine after taking Esha's Destroy...)

The Phoenix Feather that the Hero Ivan also possessed. An item that allowed for automatic resurrection on the spot.

The resurrection of Holy Magic could not be used in Clan Wars. The moment a player was defeated, they turned into particles of light, so they couldn't be selected as a target for resurrection.

From the looks of it, the Phoenix Feather was fine, and it seemed to be an item that could be used for resurrection even in Clan Wars.

(If the vampire Mist-san can be resurrected, there must have been other ways. Damn, I didn't realize. But...)

He didn't know how many items the man had, but even if he could be resurrected, could he win against the current Lunaria, Hayato wondered.

So unlike her usual self, Lunaria looked like a true Demon Lord.

"Lunaria-sama's Arondight, it seems its seal has been completely broken."

"Mist-san, you know about Arondight in that state?"

"Yes, well. This is the first time I have seen it, but you could say that is Arondight's true form. Due to the enemy's self-destruction, five people were defeated, including Maris-san and Lancelot-san. All of that has given power to Arondight. Its power is likely nearly double what it was."

"I'm glad she's on our side."

"Indeed. If we were to face her as an enemy, it would be best to defeat Lunaria-sama first."

"I'd rather we think in a direction where we don't have to face her as an enemy."

(So that's the Demon Lord. Instead of transforming, her sword gets stronger. Anyway, that barbarian guy keeps getting resurrected only to be defeated by Lunaria again and again.)

Since the Phoenix Feather was used automatically, the player was forcibly resurrected. Normally, that would be fine, but now that he was facing an opponent he absolutely couldn't beat, it was just a waste of items.

"Vengeance for everyone...!"

Hayato sympathized with his opponent. And in his heart, he hoped that Ash would hurry up and destroy the Clan Stone.

As if his prayers were answered, the Clan Stone in the enemy fortress was destroyed. Confetti danced in the air, and fireworks went off.

"Alright!"

Seeing this, Hayato clenched his right fist and made a victory pose.

He was happy about the win itself, but with this, there was a high possibility that they would remain in the top five even if they lost the next Clan War. And if they were in the top five, they would get the anniversary prize money. He could make his dream come true.

(I can't thank everyone enough. I have to thank them properly.)

With that thought, Hayato gazed at the fireworks floating in the night sky.