At first glance, going against something with complex special abilities might seem difficult, but it would be easy to bring it down once a strategy against those abilities was found. And people--especially Seekers, because of their great insight and adaptability, could seize victory if they found even the slightest hint during combat.
Even if countless sacrifices had to be made before that result could be achieved, victory would definitely be theirs in the end. This was how people, and Seekers, were.
On the other hand, Beasts that were superior in pure strength and speed, and had no obvious weaknesses, were much more difficult to strategize against. If the fight became a clash of power versus power, speed versus speed, it would be far more advantageous to the Beasts.
To say nothing of the fact that the deeper the depth, the more intelligent the Beasts would be. Even if you tried to rely on the strength of numbers, half-baked commanding skills and tactics would easily result in the formation collapsing. If that happened, those numbers would conversely work against you, and become a disadvantage.
Power, agility and intelligence. Beasts that possessed all three were extremely troublesome and difficult to deal with.
The depth eight Beast, Dantalion, possessed strength, agility, and a very sharp intellect. What’s more, it even had the ability to read minds, an ability specialized for anti-person combat. It was truly a Beast that embodied the fact that simplicity was strength.
There was another Beast that was also depth eight, the dragon-type, Black Dragon. Their overall danger level was the same, and under certain circumstances, the larger Black Dragon was the stronger of the two, but the one that was more difficult to subjugate was undoubtedly Dantalion.
「Kaim, I’m leaving Vlaclav to you! Ophelia, support Kaim!」
The battle situation was clearly unfavorable to Sky Winged Knights. Dantalion's strength was far beyond what they had imagined based on its information.
「TOys…… toYS…… a LOt…… A loT, CAn pLAY…… Kiki……」
It had been an hour since the battle between Sky Winged Knights and Dantalion had begun. The shock waves from their furious battle had mowed down trees, gouged out chunks of earth, and had significantly transformed the terrain.
Leon and his allies were only getting more tired as the never-ending battle dragged on, while Dantalion showed off its seemingly infinite toughness, and ridiculed them eerily using the human language.
As originally planned, they had succeeded in wiping out the small fry using area-of-effect attacks the moment they encountered Dantalion. However, in spite of the fact that they had successfully isolated Dantalion, they hadn't been able to inflict a single scratch on its body. There was already an obvious difference in their physical abilities, and to make matters worse, they couldn’t cooperate satisfactorily because their minds were being read.
Leon, with his mind empty of thoughts, used his healing Skill and his barrier Skill in succession, and immediately rallied their collapsed formation. While he was being healed, Vlaclav summoned a flame giant. Its blazing, stout arm struck out at Dantalion.
As if it was the most natural thing in the world, Dantalion easily dodged it. However, Kaim’s spear and Ophelia’s arrows were waiting in the direction it had dodged. Launching a torrential onslaught, they tried to finish off Dantalion.
「USeLEss」
In that instant, Dantalion suddenly disappeared.
It was above them. With an effortless leap by that giant body, it had fled into the sky in a blink of the eye. Surprise attacks wouldn't work against Dantalion, which could read minds. However, that was something that they had already taken into account from the very beginning.
「Gigi!?」
For the first time, a cry of surprise escaped Dantalion’s mouth. Above its head was Leon, cutting off the path of its escape.
Not just for his Skills, Leon was also capable of moving his body instantly when he was in that thoughtless state. Even if his mind was read, as long as his actions were one step ahead of Dantalion’s countermeasures, a surprise attack was possible.
It had been an hour since the battle had begun. Certainly, the situation was unfavorable. But true Seekers were the type of people that grew in the midst of battle. During their repeated exchanges, Leon had been gradually seeing through Dantalion’s seemingly god-speed movements.
Leon’s sword shone with a holy light as he swung it downwards.
Knight Skill: Divine Impact
A Skill that converted magical power into a sphere of heat and light, and shot it forward. In addition, as it was vested with the holy attribute, the weakness of all Beasts, if it landed, the Beast’s abilities would all be reduced by 30% for about 5 seconds. It only lasted 5 seconds, and couldn't be used continuously, as Beasts would gain a resistance once they were hit by it, but Leon and his allies were convinced that they could win in that time.
A sphere of light that was reminiscent of a small sun shot out of Leon's sword.
However, Dantalion twisted its body in mid-air and avoided it. Without panicking, Leon prepared to fire his second shot, but noticed that something was wrong, and shouted to his allies on the ground.
「Everyone, DODGE!!!」
Dantalion, who had been cornered in mid-air, smiled evilly. It was holding countless stones in its hand.
Leon deployed barriers on his allies at the exact same time Dantalion threw the stones.
They were incomparable to stones thrown by a catapult. Each stone’s power was like that of a small meteor. If it hit, its destructive power would blow a person to smithereens. And those stones were raining down like a meteor shower.
There was a series of deafening roars as clouds of dust soared up and filled the air. Landing on the ground, Leon swung his sword, trying to clear the clouds of dust away with the wind from his swings. Once visibility improved, he immediately searched for his allies. Kaim was safe. Vlaclav had received some injuries again, but was standing under his own power. Ophelia was—
「Damn! Everyone, retreat! I’ll be the rear guard!」
Ophelia had lost her right arm, and was collapsed on the ground. Due to Leon's barrier, the power of the stones had been reduced, but it was still destructive enough to tear off her arm.
Kaim carried Ophelia on his back, and began retreating together with Vlaclav. The flame giant, which had survived, attacked Dantalion, but was obliterated with one swing of Dantalion’s stout arm. Dantalion charged towards Leon, who was covering his allies’ retreat.
Knight Skill: Holy Shield
Knight Skill: Iron Will
With an invisible barrier and a Skill that multiplied his durability by 10 while he was holding a shield, Leon stopped Dantalion’s violent charge. However, its power was tremendous, and after receiving the charge with his shield, blood began bleeding from Leon's eyes, mouth and nose.
「TOys, STRong…… BUt, onLY YOu aRE strONg……」
With an eerie smile, Dantalion provoked Leon as it tried to crush Leon along with his shield under its stout arm.
「i CAn sEE, FEar, unEAse…… aLL of YOu…… CAnnoT wIN agAinST mE. TOys…… ToYS…… Kikikiki……」
While enduring the pain, Leon snorted in laughter at Dantalion's provocation.
「That's a really cheap provocation. Even if you’re a Beast, you're just a monkey after all」
「Kiki…… EVen IF yoU aRE STRong, IT is UseLEss…… I haVE REad yoUR mINd…… yoU ARe thINkinG THat YOu CANnoT wiN……」
「That’s right, we can't win right now. But Seekers will never give up. Even if we lose once, victory will definitely be ours. The one who will lose in the end is you!」
The shield on Leon’s arm shone with a dazzling light.
Knight Skill: Invincible
A barrier Skill that could reflect all types of attacks just one time. Dantalion, who was about to crush Leon, was hit by the reflected force and was blown backwards a long distance.
Leon hurriedly left the area before Dantalion could recover. Invincible couldn’t be used again until 24 hours had passed. With Ophelia’s injury, and the loss of Invincible, his trump card, the situation had devolved into the worst possible scenario all at once.
But Leon knew. That there was still a possibility of victory. That it was still possible to win despite the state they were in. And, he knew--
That to be certain of winning against Dantalion, he had to sacrifice someone……
†
†
「hEY! WHerE Are yOU? HEy! hEY! ......HE—Y!!!」
Dantalion, who had lost sight of Sky Winged Knights, was searching around while constantly repeating the same call.
But Leon and his allies would probably not be found. This was because Vlaclav had created a barrier that made their presence undetectable. As long as they were inside it, their forms, smell, voices and thoughts could not be detected by others.
However, the barrier was extremely fragile. It was so delicate that if they tried to launch a surprise attack from within it, the effects from preparing the magic power to activate Skills alone would destroy the barrier.
Moreover, because its consumption of magic power was so great, it couldn't be maintained for long. Even if they couldn’t be found now, they couldn’t keep hiding like this. There was also the danger that the frustrated Dantalion would use random area-of effect attacks like the one it had used previously.
「The healing is done. Can you move your arm?」
When Leon asked, Ophelia checked the movement of her reattached right arm, then nodded.
「Yeah, it's a little numb, but that's not a problem. Thank you, Leon」
Ophelia's arm, which had been torn off, had been recovered by Vlaclav. Leon's healing abilities couldn't regenerate the lost arm itself, but it was possible to restore a reattached arm back to normal. However, Ophelia had lost a lot of blood when her arm was torn off, so even if her arm was reattached, she was far from being in perfect condition. She was as white as a sheet and her breathing was unstable too.
She would be able to move if she drank a combat stimulant. But it's effects wouldn't last long and the rebound was worrisome. Even at the best of times, combat stimulants placed a heavy burden on the body. If she drank one in her current condition, even if they won the fight, the possibility that she would become severely disabled was high.
「I’m sorry, Leon……」
As Ophelia apologized remorsefully, Leon shook his head with a smile.
「Don't worry about it. We haven't necessarily lost yet」
That said, it was also a fact that the current situation was the worst possible. It was clear that it was time for him to make a decision as the leader.
「Hey, everyone――」
The moment Leon made up his mind and opened his mouth, Kaim raised his hand.
「I have a plan. If you don’t mind, can you hear me out?」
「What’s your plan?」
「We can't win as things are. But if we don't win, we’ll have no future. So I'm thinking of putting everything on the line」
「Everything…… No way!?」
Leon couldn’t help being surprised once he realized the meaning of Kaim’s words. However, seeing the man in question’s composure, he knew that Kaim had already steeled his resolve.
「I'll be the decoy and lure it out. At that moment, use Seraphim Blade. There’s no other way for us to win」
Knight Skill: Seraphim Blade
A Knight's strongest attack Skill. It would consume all of his magic power and shoot a super-powerful ray that had a combination of holy and fire attributes.
Certainly, with that Skill’s power, he would probably be able to inflict a severe wound on Dantalion. However, in addition to its drawback of consuming all of his magic power, Seraphim Blade’s attack radius was too wide, and there was a risk that allies would get caught up in it. A Skill like that couldn't be used lightly, especially if Kaim was going to act as the decoy.
「I forbid it! I won’t allow a plan like this! It's too dangerous!」
When Leon opposed, Kaim shook his head calmly.
「This barrier blocks our presence from Dantalion. But if we try to use powerful attack Skills, this barrier will probably collapse. In other words, surprise attacks cannot be made from here. In order to make a surprise attack, we'll need to confront him once again. And, now that Ophelia has been injured, there’s no way for us to create an opening using our usual way of fighting」
「Y, yes, but--!」
「Leon, it’s not like I’m trying to get myself killed. Even someone like me has mountains of things that I want to do, and I've no intention of dying in a place like this. It's okay, I’ll escape from the ray in the nick of time. Trust me」
Leon immediately realized that those words were all lies. He had been with Kaim since they were babies. Even if he didn’t have the ability to read minds, he knew the way Kaim thought like the back of his hand. Kaim was resolved to die. For the sake of leading Leon and Sky Winged Knights to victory.
Ophelia and Vlaclav also seemed to have sensed his true intentions. However, they understood that Kaim was firm in his resolve, so they remained silent with melancholic expressions on their faces.
「……Certainly, for us to win from this situation, we’ll have to sacrifice someone. I know that too. But still, I cannot allow it after all」
「Then, what are we to do? There’s no other way, right? If we retreat, we’ll be the losers. Sky Winged Knights will be dissolved and we’ll also have to go our separate ways」
「No, there's another solution.--Let's work together with Blue Beyond. If we join forces with them, we can fight even without sacrificing Kaim」
「What!?」
When Leon revealed his plan, Kaim was dumbfounded.
「Wa, wait, Leon! If we did that, what happens to the test!?」
Surprised, Ophelia was getting flustered. Leon sighed, then explained his true intentions.
「The test…… let's give up on it. In any case, Blue Beyond can't win against Dantalion alone. There will be no winner in this test. If that’s the case, so that our evaluation won’t be lowered, we’ll work together with Blue Beyond to defeat Dantalion. Rather than both parties being losers, if both parties are winners, although we probably won’t be allowed to create a clan, at the very least, we should be able to avoid having to dissolve our party, and our evaluation probably won’t drop significantly either」
Not being able to create a clan was a pity, but their only option was to apply again after the Variant had been defeated. This was the most correct and certain way to overcome their current predicament without any casualties. Leon thought that everyone would understand. But his allies’ faces only held confusion and fear.
「You must be kidding……. To think that it would turn out exactly as he said……」
「I see, so this is what his words meant……」
Leon tilted his head at Ophelia and Vlaclav’s words.
As he was about to ask them what they meant, Kaim grabbed his shoulder.
「Leon, are you serious? Do you really want to give up on the test and fight together with Blue Beyond? They’re our enemies! The opponents we must win against!」
「I know that. I know that, but--」
「No, you don't! You don't know anything! Trust me, Leon! I’ll definitely do it perfectly! I'll lead you to victory! Undoubtedly!」
「Kaim, calm down……」
「I'm calm! I'm calmly thinking for the sake of Sky Winged Knights! Despite this, are you saying that you would rather trust our enemy--Noel Stollen, than me!?」
Leon inadvertently averted his eyes at Kaim’s terrible accusation. But as the leader, he couldn't reverse his decision here. Even if he had to harden his heart.
「That's right. Rather than you, I trust Noel more. Right now, you've completely lost your cool. How am I supposed to trust you when you're in such a state?」
It wasn't as if Leon hated Kaim. It wasn't as if Leon didn't trust him. He just didn’t want to sacrifice anyone. Kaim released his hand and staggered backwards. His face was wet with tears. Those tears flowed freely as his expression twisted with frustration.
「Is that so…… That’s your answer, huh……」
「Kaim, we'll discuss this after the fight is over. Anyway, for now--」
Out of the blue, Kaim hugged Leon tightly. Then, Kaim whispered in his ear.
「He was right after all. You’re the one who betrayed us...…」
「……Huh?」
Leon felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. Dropping to his knees uncontrollably, he held his hand to the place that was hurting, and a warm liquid seeped through his fingers. It was bright red blood.
「……Ka, Kaim?」
When Leon looked up, he saw a bloody knife in Kaim's hand.
「Don’t worry, I missed your vitals. But the knife is coated with a strong paralytic poison. Even if it’s you, you won’t be able to move for the time being」
「Kaim, what are you doing!?」
Ophelia rushed over and supported Leon's body.
「Vlaclav, take out the potion from my pouch! Quickly!」
「Ah, ohh! Wait!」
Despite being in a panic over the unexpected development, Ophelia and Vlaclav began to treat Leon. As his consciousness started to fade due to the paralytic poison, Leon turned towards Kaim and moved his mouth.
Why? He mouthed.
「I've always been jealous of you. I hate you for being more talented than me. But, because you're my ally, my little brother, I thought you trusted in me, so I hung in there until now. If it's for your sake, I wasn't afraid of losing my life......」
Kaim collapsed and covered his face with both hands.
「But, it's impossible now...... I can't do this anymore...... I...... want to be free......」
At that confession, which was delivered in a sobbing voice, tears also spilled out of Leon's eyes. He hadn't known. He didn't know that Kaim was having such a hard time. Even though he had thought that he knew everything......
「FOunD yoU! foUNd YOu! toYS, FOunD YOu!」
Suddenly, Dantalion's delighted voice resounded loudly. Leon and his allies’ bodies stiffened, but something was odd. It didn’t seem like Dantalion had found them.
A youth in a black coat appeared before Leon's eyes. It was Noel Stollen, the leader of Blue Beyond. Noel, who shouldn't have been able to see him, bowed politely to Leon.
「Everyone from Sky Winged Knights, thank you for your hard work thus far in paving the way for us」
I was giddy with excitement at the battle between Leon and Dantalion. That, taking heavy damage -> "the one to lose in the end is you!" -> trump card, was super cliché but it won't have become a cliché if it wasn't good, right!?
Then, of course, when I thought it was gonna be a battle chapter, it totally went the other way and made me tear up. What did you think of Leon's "betrayal". If it wasn't for what Noel had said, would Leon's allies have thought of it as a betrayal? And Ilyr, you're the first person to get a shoutout on this site. Why am I not surprised? While not quite Noel's plan, you predicted Leon's plan perfectly.
Btw, there's a very interesting double meaning in that last line. That last part can also be translated as "thank you ...... for being our opening act". (ᵔᴥᵔ)
So now that the opening act of the Sky Winged Knights vs Dantalion is over, the headliner of Blue Beyond vs Dantalion is next! Does Blue Beyond even stand a chance against the incredibly strong Dantalion? Stay tuned for Noel's first battle as a Tactician!!!
My other works: Talker Manga, Foreigner(Ihoujin) WN and UHT.
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