No Damage 33

Test

33. Please

"What... is this...!"

I stared in astonishment at the Demon General Gyrasvrim.

A wolf-like face.

Unnaturally thickened and elongated limbs.

A long tail extending from his back.

And accompanying it, black armor that transformed into an organic design.

A knight of grotesque appearance, somewhere between human and beast.

"This is... my full power." 

Gyrasvrim declared in a muffled voice from the wolf's mouth.

Suddenly, sparks of purple emanated from his entire body.

Simultaneously, his face, arms, and legs—began to fade away.

"Ugh, ugh... I suppose... I've overexerted myself..." 

Gyrasvrim groaned in discomfort.

Shaking his entire body, the fading quickly reverted to normal.

"But, it matters not... even if I perish here... as a warrior, I will not turn my back on the enemy..."

The Demon General slowly raised his massive sword with both hands.

"I offer everything to this sword... haaaah!"

With a roar, the red sword descended.

"──!?"

I instinctively hugged Salome tightly.

The sword flash extended in a straight line as a red trajectory.

Deflected by my barrier, it slightly altered its course and continued straight ahead as a red light—

It exploded into a brilliant flash.

"S-So... much!"

The canyon ahead had vanished.

The separate unit that came with Sarome seemed to have vanished without a trace.

While Luca and the others on the opposite side seemed unharmed. 

It was an unbelievable display of power.

"Ughhhh!"

The Demon General continued to wildly swing his sword.

"What reckless behavior!"

I repelled countless slashes turned into red lights with the [Kaleidoscope Shift], bouncing them back in front of me.

"Ugh, ugh!? Ughhhh!"

Even when his own slashes countered him, the Demon General continued swinging his sword without hesitation.

Absurd durability and vitality.

And—

"Haruto, Sarome, sorry to keep you waiting!"

Lilith's voice echoed from behind.

It seemed they had finally joined us.

"Lilith, Magic Missiles!"

"Leave it to me!"

Lilith nodded at me as I turned around.

Three silver arrowhead-like parts were attached to her staff.

Magic Missile is a magical tool that vastly amplifies the power of magic.

Three shots needed to be fired together.

Lilith and Alice's incantations resonated like a beautiful melody.

It seemed Lilith and the others were in charge of the offensive.

Dalton-san must have exhausted his magical power in previous battles.

Soon— the activation spell for Magic Missiles was complete, and Lilith simultaneously cast her spell.

"Pierce, Spear of the Thunder God—[Lightning Strike]!"

Lilith's finishing spell, which once slaughtered a dragon in a single blow.

Now, boosted with the power of three Magic Missiles, it slammed into Gairas Vrim.

A dazzling flash erupted.

"How... about that—"

I swallowed hard and looked ahead.

Amid the explosion, the beast knight remained unshaken.

It wasn't ineffective.

It was like when I deflected his slashes.

He no longer cared about his own damage—

Gairas Vrim continued to unleash slashes while blue blood flowed from his entire body due to the lightning magic's damage.

"How the hell... do we defeat something like this—"

I focused solely on reflexes.

I made sure not to let any attacks through to Sarome beside me or Lilith and the others behind me.

If even one got through, Sarome and I, if not Lilith and the others would be blown away like the separate unit earlier.

So— I never let my guard down for an instant and watched Gyrasvrim's movements.

Luckily, while the demon general's attacks were overwhelmingly destructive, his movements weren't that fast.

I somehow manage to anticipate them.

But— that sense of relief was short-lived.

"Crush... everything... everything... everything...!"

Gyrasvrim raised his sword again.

A black aura enveloped the blade.

"What now!?"

A mixture of red and black light bullets were fired from the Demon General's sword.

The light bullets rose into the sky and split into a dozen pieces before raining down.

Like meteors, they struck one after another, causing massive explosions around us.

"Damn, indiscriminate attacks...!"

Thanks to my [Armor Phase], neither I nor Sarome, clinging to me, suffered any injuries.

But the surroundings were in terrible shape.

The sturdy bedrock crumbled like candy, and the ground sank deeply, turning into craters.

"What about Lilith and the others—"

Looking back, I saw a white dome of light.

It seemed they hadn't been directly hit, and they seemed to have weathered the aftermath with defensive magic.

But if they had taken a direct hit, they probably wouldn't have survived.

I felt a chill.

I think Sarome and I would survive, but the rest wouldn't.

The range of my skills only extended a few meters at best.

Anyone beyond that range— would be wiped out.

"Crush... crush... crush... crush..."

Gyrasvrim muttered repeatedly as he raised his sword again.

He's completely lost his sanity, hasn't he—!?

I trembled.

[Abandoning reason, will, even life itself... to defeat you all]

I recalled the Demon General's words from earlier.

True to his appearance, has he become nothing more than a creature of destruction?

How can we stop him?

"Damn it, if he hits us with that again—"

My skills aren't all-powerful.

I can deflect straightforward slashes with the [Kaleidoscope Shift] and protect everyone.

But if it's the type that rains down multiple shots from the sky like now, I can't do anything about the ones that land away from me.

The [Barrier Phase] nullifies magic, so it's ineffective against slashes.

If the next attack directly hits Lilith and the others—

I can't stop it.

"...I'll go. Somehow find an opening and sever his head."

Sarome stepped forward.

"His attack power has skyrocketed, it's too dangerous to get close."

"I can conceal my presence. I'll sever his head unnoticed—"

As she was about to say, Gairas Vrim turned his gaze towards us.

"Ah!"

A feinting strike was unleashed.

Easily deflected by my skill, but if Salome had charged in alone, she would have been blown away.

The red eyes were still fixed on Salome.

"...This guy."

Sarome's expression stiffened.

"He's sensing my presence!?"

No good.

Even her stealth technique can be detected by the beast knight that Gairas Vrim has become.

What to do!?

How do I stop the next strike!?

While I was thinking, the demon general was already preparing his next strike.

Slowly raising his red giant sword.

Based on his previous attacks, until the next strike is unleashed, I have a few more seconds—.

This time, it might hit Lilith and the others directly.

But I can't stop it.

I don't want to.

"Please."

I don't want them to die.

I want to protect Lilith, Alice, Luca, everyone.