Ch 25

The tip of Elder Hera’s spear brushed past my cheek. I attacked her ribs with my Holy Sword and used the drops of blood on my cheeks as a magic catalyst.

"Become my fangs and scatter, covet the nape of the enemy!”

Blood droplets containing my mana turned into dozens of thorns and shot toward Elder Metheus, who was approaching to stab me from behind. Elder Metheus only faltered a little before leisurely hitting away the thorns. Elder Hera used the short spear in her left hand to block my Holy Sword, while swinging the long spear in her right hand. I ducked to avoid the spear, and at the same time, shot ‘Thunder that Races Across the Sky’ at the other elders rushing from all directions to keep them at bay. Elder Metheus, who was still behind me, also stepped back slightly.

"The Ice Wolf, Bringer of the North Wind! The march of the army defending the queen! This is the land of ice! Appear, Ice Castle!"

"This magic again! It won’t work anymore!"

Before I could complete the Ice Castle magic that Yuria had created, five elders shot strong auras at it and destroyed it. It was a magic that I had already used several times in this fierce battle. When I first used it, I had succeeded in dealing with one elder by catching him off guard and stabbing him, but the elders' extensive experience in combat meant that I wouldn’t be able to use it again.

"I know! This is just to draw your attention!"

However, a magic that an enemy has adapted to could still be used. The more colorful and powerful the magic was, the more attention it drew.

"Ugh!"

As soon as I finished speaking, Elder Metheus stumbled as a red crystal the size of his head rose from his right forearm. It wasn’t just Elder Metheus. Red crystals rose on the hip and thigh of two more elders. The three elders, without caring if their skin was torn, tore off the red crystals without hesitation. This was the right decision. The longer they had the red crystal on them, the more damage they would take. Elder Metheus looked at his trembling hands and clicked his tongue.

"Tch! Is it magic that eats away mana?!"

"Correct!"

The thorns made from my blood caused minor wounds to the elders, and through those wounds, magic penetrated and absorbed their mana. The red crystals, which formed through the mana of the elders, were like the best magic stones. They couldn’t even be obtained using money.

"That's it for me."

Elder Metheus seemed to have some energy left, but the other two elders showed an acute mana deficiency. It wouldn’t have been strange if they collapsed immediately. All three had no strength left to continue the battle.

"This makes eleven."

When Elder Metheus left the battlefield, carrying the elders who had been sealed and fallen, Elder Hera cried out, "Everyone! Don't allow even small wounds!"

The elders laughed rather brightly at her warning.

“Hahaha! It's getting harder and harder! Very good!"

"How many years has it been since we've had such a thrilling hunt!"

Nineteen elders’ morale rose as their fighting spirit burned once more.

"The small chief should be slowly running out of mana now! Let's hang him upside down and go back to the village!" cried out Elder Python.

I smiled playfully. "Hanging me upside down, that’s too much. My mana is still abundant."

Of course that was a lie. There was not much time left until my mana would be depleted due to them interfering every time I tried to to take mana recovery potions.

"Don't lie, Small Chief! I think you have about thirty percent left, at most."

Elder Hecaton accurately guessed my mana reserve. If the present elders were my only pursuers, I could make it, but if there were others on the way, it was the worst situation.

"Well, there's no choice but to get through somehow." I murmured reluctantly.

The elders and I clashed again, each gathering our mana. I had nothing left but to trust in my friends now.

* * *

Hillis read the operational manual and went out to sea on a mana engine yacht that Lancelot had prepared and hidden in advance.

"I'm glad it's not hard to drive. But this mana engine must be frighteningly expensive. Just how rich is Den to be able to buy one of these just in case?"

Hillis didn’t know much about the world, but she still knew that it was expensive enough that Den wouldn’t even be able to step onto one with an ordinary civil servant's salary. It was a yacht that had been bought with the money from Talaria’s secret safe that had been obtained thanks to the war. However, Denburg was the only one who knew about it.

As Arwen prepared the magic, following Denburg's instructions on the yacht, she replied, "Teacher-nim said that magic research always costs a lot, so a magician should know how to make money.”

Hillis smiled mischievously, “But don't steal like Den. You know that’s a bad thing, right?"

"… I know, and Teacher-nim said I have no talent for stealing, anyway."

"I'm glad to hear that." replied Hillis.

Denburg's thievery took more physical ability than magic. Arwen had weak physical strength and was unable to move like Denburg, making it impossible to steal things the same way.

Not long after departing, Hillis' yacht soon reached the sea blockade line. As soon as they went over, an emergency bell rang and the navy on patrol flocked over.

"Ah! Isn't that a signal?" said Arrieta, pointing towards the direction of the land.

Hillis and Arwen looked at the sky. Bright blue flames rose near the harbor.

"If it's blue... Oh, it’s this."

Arwen raised her magic wand, injecting mana into the prepared spell scroll and mana stone.

"Come! Lord of the Deep Sea! Show your greatness!"

The magic circle on the scroll faded, and the waves grew rougher as bright lights began to shine from beneath the surface of the water. Then in the distance, a huge tentacle began to rise like a pillar.

"Uh… What magic is this?” asked Hillis.

Arwen calmly deciphered the faded magic circle.

"… Kraken Summoning Magic?"

"Ahhhhhh! What did you do!?"

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Hillis looked at the giant tentacles with a scream that could not be heard, drowned out by the emergency bell of the Republic’s navy.

* * *

Looking at the mana wave felt from the direction of the sea, Arwen seemed to have summoned the Kraken, as I had instructed. There were two reasons for summoning the Kraken. One was to create a gap in the sea blockade, and the other was to keep the elders waiting on the sea at bay. There was no way that Hestia noona would believe that she could stop me with just the navy of the Republic, so of course she would have hidden more elders there as well. With Arwen, Hillis and Arietta together, I thought we would be able to avoid any casualties. Although, I was sure there would probably be some trauma.

"Heart Slash!"

"Heart Stab!"

My Heart Sword and Elder Hera’s Heart Spear collided and disintegrated in the air.

"Oho! You've mastered the Heart Sword! Amazing! But it doesn't seem complete yet," commented Elder Hera.

I frowned as I shot out a blast of magic to drop the other elders.

"It's not complete?"

"Of course. Have you ever used the Heart Sword with anything other than the Holy Sword?"

I replied as I shook off the strong aura flying at me from the elders trying to charge in. "No, I haven’t."

It hadn't been very long since I had learned the Heart Sword in the first place.

"Then it makes sense that you do not know. It seems to me that… In terms of the small chief, your gear is too powerful.” said Elder Hera.

That was a very intuitive and understandable explanation.

"Of course, no matter what tool you use, you deserve praise just for being able to use the Heart Sword at your age. If you continue to train your martial arts skills, you will be able to fully learn it someday."

I would have liked to try it out, but the situation was still tenuous, so I decided to do it next time. Right now, the elders were still burning with fighting spirit.

* * *

Lancelot ran through the back alley of Milion to activate the pre-installed magic circle. Before going to the night market, Denburg had said he had a bad feeling and asked him to check the insurance he had prepared. Then, seeing Hermes shoot the Crow tribe's war signal, Lancelot had begun to move to activate the magic circles.

"Fourteen percent of magic circles were dispelled. Did Elder Mirpa's disciples move?"

Lancelot smiled at the mark drawn on the scroll linked to the installed magic circles. For Lancelot, everything was fine, whether his friend was caught by the elders and returned to the village, or broke free from their pursuit and went on a trip. As long as they could play together, it didn’t matter where they were. However, it would be better if things turned out how Denburg wanted, so Lancelot did his best.

* * *

"What's the situation on the battlefield with Den?" asked Hestia.

Palson heightened his senses, examined the situation on the battlefield, and responded, "Junior Disciple’s mana has fallen below twenty percent, and there are thirteen… no, twelve left now. The chief wasn't even like this at that age. What a monster."

Denburg had spread special sound waves so they couldn’t use messenger hawks, but outside Olympus Forest, the elders could grasp the situation without having to use them.

"Den is a talented person who even managed to run away from our father. Still, the operation is going well. I knew that he wouldn’t just simply allow the sea blockade to happen." said Hestia.

Palson nodded in agreement. However, his expression hardened as he felt the mana wave spread throughout the city.

"Damn, we’re in trouble."

"It seems so." Caldra agreed.

Hestia frowned. "Why? What's wrong?"

Palson grabbed his head as if he had a headache. "Right now, the magic circles that Junior Disciple hid are being activated throughout the city. We should have broken them so much that they couldn't be activated while the other elders were holding Junior Disciple back, but it’s too late."

If it was as they had originally planned, there would have been time to deal with the magic circles, but because the operation had started ahead of schedule, it was inevitable. Hestia smiled lightly and shrugged. They had expected this from the time they decided that Hermes would start the operation based on Denburg's unpredictable movements, so they wouldn’t be late.

"I see. Oh, but Den is fighting with the elders right now. How is he running the magic circles when he doesn't have time to worry about anything else?" Hestia asked.

Hestia wasn’t an expert in magic, so Caldra answered her question. "It is simple, Leader. Small Chief didn't activate the magic, his friends are doing it instead and activating the magic circles. Considering the locations and the speed they are being activated, there are three of them moving in different places."

Caldra was right. Lancelot, Tristan, and Caesar were busy moving about, activating the magic circles.

"What happens when the magic circles are fully activated?"

This time, Palson answered Hestia's question.“We don't know exactly yet. Each magic circle creates an illusion, but the magic circles are connected to form one huge magic circle. What we know for now is that when the magic circles are fully operational, the city will temporarily generate a powerful mana field like Olympus Forest, making it difficult to use magic."

Hestia nodded. "It's not as deadly as I thought."

The forces gathered there were those who had already overcome the mysterious power of Olympus Forest anyway. However, it bothered her that Elders Palson, Caldra, Demeter, and Chakram, who had come to counter Denburg's magic, could not use their power properly.

"Well, it remains to be seen whether that's the end of it…” Caldra murmured.

Hestia smiled leisurely. “It's something that Den has prepared, so I’m sure it won’t end with just that.”

Now only the final battle was left.