Hakai Me no Yuuri - Chapter 104

5th Act, Chapter 104: Lich

Bwoom…

A huge shock, big enough to shake the labyrinth itself, even reached up to here on the stairs.

It’s probably a consequence of Haster’s battle.

“Haster…”

I grow anxious about him as I turn and stare into the darkness enshrouded stairwell behind us.

With his “Immortality,” even on the off-chance that he loses, he won’t die. Even so, his resuscitation would take six hours.

When I think about what could be done to his defenseless body during that time, I feel anxious.

“Sis, front!”

And the moment my attention was taken behind us, Alec’s shout of caution came flying.

Once I hurriedly brought my eyes back to the front, there was a magic circle floating there in mid-air—

—That’s… [Flame Bolt], and a bunch of them?!

The number of [Flame Bolts] deployed was six. The amount of magic filling the circle was nothing to scoff at. It’ll break through a half-hearted barrier.

I immediately deployed an [Ice Sword] to intercept them.

“Hoho… You neutralized my attack with a spell cast after it? Fine skills.”

Oozing out from the darkness, a floating figure appeared.

It’s the lich. The undead who stood at the Demon Lord’s side five years ago, and more importantly made me lose in magic.

“If you would surrender to our camp, then I would not mind allowing you to live, but… Well, either way I will not allow you to go any further.”

“So it’s you… Sorry, but we don’t plan on surrendering or stopping. You’re going to let us through.”

“You’re—I see. I had wondered what type of powerful individuals could have chased us to this floor, but I understand now.”

Apparently our opponent remembered us too. If he’s the only one here, then that means…

“A magician as powerful as you is a sacrificial pawn?”

“Please. It is because of his majesty’s trust in mine self that he ordered me to stop you here.”

“If that’s how you want to frame it.”

No matter how skilled at magic he might be, his spell deployment, accuracy, and especially power, are no match for mine.

I’ve been doing nothing but polishing them in these past five years, after all.

The fact that I blocked his [Flame Bolts] with a later spell is proof of that.

“There’s no way you’re going to hold us all back as a lone magician. Why don’t you surrender to us?”

That said, he’s not the kind of enemy we can easily head behind and breakaway from either.

We slowly made a circle while measuring out distance to him as we inched towards the stairway to the next floor.

“I cannot do that. And also… I believe I said I would not let you go!”

Noticing what we were doing, the lich once again deployed [Flame Bolts].

Just before he activated that magic—

“Ryaaaah!”

“Miss Levy?!”

Miss Levy jumped into striking range of the lich.

A single side swing from her crushed the magic circle, interrupting the invocation. The lich flew away, retaking some distance.

In hot pursuit of him, Miss Levy once again attacked.

This speed is a trick of hers that’s only possible because of how earnestly she has trained her physical abilities.

“Get goin’! This guy bein’ here means the Demon Lord’s already defeated the last floor’s guardian!”

“Cheh?!”

So he was just conversing with us to buy time on their end!

It really is hard to think this lich, the Demon Lord’s confidant, would let the Demon Lord take on the last guardian by himself.

The Demon Lord certainly is powerful and unstoppable. But that power is still entirely physical.

Moreover the owner of that power is arrogant about it, and doesn’t seem to have honed his skills.

He couldn’t have left his magic based ace-in-the-hole lich here when he didn’t even know what the next enemy would be.

“But Miss Levy…”

“He may be strong, but it’s still one magic user. If’n I just stay in close, I’ll manage… To turn this my way.”

Even while having that conversation, she kept attacking the lich at frightening speed. Distance is taken, magic is released, a dodge, and then pursuit.

Such a battle of offense and defense that I couldn’t even keep up with was unfolding.

“Yuuri, we are going. We shall leave it to her.”

“Mary! We can’t, someone has to support her.”

“No… Her magic swordsmanship makes her the best for this. We’ll leave this to you, Miss Levy!”

We have no more time to spare.

We can’t waste any little bit time she’s buying for us.

Besides, the “trump card” she has prepared is also perfect against that guy.

“Yuuri! Then, I’ll stay and…”

“Can you keep up with that speed, Marle?”

“Ugh…”

With the effects of the magic swords “Cthugha” and “Hydra,” [Light Arrows] and [Flame Bolts] are cut down, as she moves in and continues to slash.

That speed is already surpassing human limits.

It’s a speed that can maintained precisely because she’s supporting it with magic.

No matter how much Marle has grown, an ordinary person like her can’t step in there.

“Alec’s physical attacks wouldn’t be able to land a telling blow on that lich. Marielle and I have to face off against the Demon Lord ahead of us. You can’t keep up with that speed. So she’ll be best off alone.”

It may be cold, but I explain to her why we have to leave Miss Levy here alone.

With the flame and ice enchanted magic swords she carries, she should be able to land effective attacks on the lich.

“Let’s go, Marle. All that’s left is the Demon Lord. We just need to go take him down and then we can hurry back.”

“Sir Alec…”

He puts his hand on Marle’s shoulder, and the two gaze at each other.

“Uhhh, just get movin’ already… I finally get to act cool, and ya’ll are just standin’ there!”

“S-sorry?!”

So we left another companion behind, and headed to the next floor.

~*~

(Levy’s perspective)

“Whew… They finally done gone ahead.”

I relax my legs from their top speed an’ let out a breath.

‘Course showin’ that kinda opening against this lich is dangerous, but I really can’t keep goin’ full speed forever.

“Oho, for you to stop your feet… Have you given up?”

“Aw please. Just takin’ a teeency breath.”

May just be momentary, but if them kind kids saw me bein’ overwhelmed, they definitely wouldn’t go on ahead.

‘Sides… Switchin’ tactics takes the right timing, yeah?

“Well, I already got caught up in this ol’ mess. Gotta at least do this much ass wipin’.”

Sayin’ that, I activate [Flight] and [Telekinesis].

Ain’t as good as Yuuri’s, but I can manage a little bit o’ parallel activation.

To tell the truth, was me who thought up usin’ [Telekinesis] to move faster.

Yuuri was more apt for it, but… That girl’s a genuine monster. Not that she really knows it.

“I had wanted to compare my magic with that silver girl, though.”

“Uwa, Yuuri’s darn popular. Well, I can use some magic myself. I’ll keep ya company.”

“I can tell by seeing the accuracy of those spells; as a magician you are less than second-rate.”

Though I may have “Peerless Magic,” havin’ its effects turned off as I improved made me pretty immature as a spell caster.

The main effects of “Peerless” are its optimizin’ of growth, and supplementin’ the user’s aptitudes.

With a proper spell caster, that trend would stretch ’em straight into a super first class magician. Like Yuuri.

“Well yeah… As a spell caster, yer right.”

But I’ve known that it ain’t enough for a long time now.

Which is exactly why I settled on this here battle style.

This fightin’ method that doesn’t rely on spells, but speed to toss the enemy around.

I take advantage o’ my aptitude to use all magic, and use magic to reinforce my body as support, like I am now.

“Ya’ll ready…? ’cause here I come!”

While floatin’ through the air, the friction with the ground disappears, and with the combined effects of [Telekinesis] an’ [Flight], I close in on the lich at an even faster speed than before.

Five years ago, the reason I couldn’t take down that lycanthrope is ’cause my attacks were too light.

E’en so, if I sought power, my speed would drop as a result. That woulda resulted in losin’ my sellin’ point.

That’s why I thought this method up… This fightin’ style of increasin’ my speed even further to increase my power.

“Yaaaaaah!‘

Cthugha’s flame-enveloped slash assaulted the lich just like a shootin’ star.

To try an’ keep me from getting’ too close, he scattered [Flame Bolts] to intercept me.

The interception [Flame Bolts] were in turn intercepted by Hydra.

Soon as I got in close, a [Water Wall] stood right in front o’ my eyes to block me. He mixed in more magic even while sendin’ out all them [Flame Bolts]?!

“Kuh!”

If I keep rushin’ in like this, he’ll block my sight.

Plus if my whole body gets wet, then he could cast [Viscous] like Marielle does, and the battle’d be over in that instant.

After estimatin’ the worst case, I made an immediate turn to the right. Soarin’ through the air at high speed in all directions, it’s almost like bein’ a fighter plane.

I swerve ’round the [Water Wall] and catch the lich in my sights—

“Ain’t there?!”

“Over here.”

Along with his call, a rain o’ [Light Arrows] come down from above.

Almost like I’m cheatin’, I accelerate to top speed and escape the attack range.

“Yer… Just as used to battle as I’d expect.”

‘Nough sense to mix a [Water Wall] formula inside a [Flame Bolt] one.

Courage to easily toss away the [Water Wall] barrier he predicted I’d go right around.

Experience to both predict I’d dodge to the right, and to use that to move into position above, and deliver an attack without missin’ a moment.

Fer me, who’s had a lot more experience in battles relyin’ on strength, there ain’t nothin’ more unpleasant than that.

“Ain’t bad at…”

I started talkin’, an’ looked at my right arm.

Still grippin’ Cthugha… My right arm, rollin’ on the ground.

“Guh… Ah…”

Blood started gushin’ out the wound like a fountain. I used my remaining left arm to bind it up at the base and stop the bleedin’.

Luckily I’m wearin’ clothes that bind in a bunch of placed to reduce unnecessary wind resistance, so I could stop the bleedin’ with one arm just fine.

Fact that he didn’t take the chance to attack me must mean he’s confident ’bout his victory, huh…

“The game is up. They were somewhat unusual and elaborate plans, but I will at least say I enjoyed myself to some degree.”

“Glad to hear it… As an expression of gratitude… Could ya maybe… Heal up this wound for me?”

“Hum, then how about turning into one of my kind? Your wound will heal.”

“That ain’t what I’d call healin’…”

“I don’t particularly care if you want to or not. I will simply use your corpse as a zombie or something.”

You bastard… That ain’t how you should be treatin’ a maiden’s corpse.

But y’know, this situation of him conversin’ about every little thing… He sure does resemble his owner.

“So that high speed maneuvering was your “trump card” then. Hum, you’ve taught me a very pleasant way of using it.”

“Show some gratitude.”

“Gratitude is unnecessary for those about to die, is it not?”

He went an’ spouted lines that made his eighth-grade syndrome seem even worse…

“Well then, magic swordsman. ‘Twas a good match to the death.”

Sayin’ that, he deployed his finishing [Light Arrow].

The magic power in it weren’t bad even compared to one from Yuuri.

“Peerless” went an’ politely analyzed the magic circle’s contents for me.

Just one shot. In it, all the magic power it can take, right in a straight line toward…

Cthugha, the fire that’d deliver some real damage to the lich, was rollin’ on the ground with my right arm.

Hydra, which I was holdin’ in my left, I dropped on the ground when I stopped my bleeding. I ain’t got time to pick it up.

And then… The spell activated.