The White Exusiai that was summoned by the Goddess of Light and Order, Earle, had a good and well-balanced skill structure. In all honesty, even though I had the same level as this guy, I would definitely be at a disadvantage if I were to take on this angel head-to-head in a one-on-one fight.
However, at this time, I was not alone. I had two reliable companions with me. Originally, I thought them somewhat unreliable compared to the more experienced fighters like Jigoro and Genjuro, especially due to their lack of battle experience. But after defeating a ridiculous number of ants and slaying the much superior Troll Knight, everyone’s skills had improved dramatically. With these two, I was certain we could defeat this angel!
“Moth-san, buy us some time, will you?”
“Understood.”
First, I began by stacking Agility Boost on Moth-san. Though Moth-san had his race and job, both specializing in the vanguard role, he was still up against a superior opponent. Even though his health had already surpassed mine at his level, without any armor, a single hit could kill him.
Therefore, I planned to increase his agility as much as possible, which would enable him to continue evading the enemy’s attacks. Essentially, he would be what’s known as an evasion tank. After all, evasion was the central element of Moth-san’s combat style, so it should suit him perfectly.
“Oooh! High-speed flying is fun!”
“That must feel good~, I wish I could fly around like that too~.”
Moth-san was excited about being able to fly faster than usual, and Seventh Armor was looking enviously at him. But now was not the time for such things!
“Seventh Armor, stick to your usual tactics, please.”
“Leave it to me!”
As he replied, Seventh Armor summoned a large number of crows and launched them all at once at the White Exusiai. But the angel was not an easy opponent. With just a swing of its sword, it cut about ten birds in half, and the mere wind pressure from its swing killed two or three more. As expected from an evolved martial skill, its power was tremendous.
[Humph! My angel is too strong for such weak creatures!]
“Isn’t it a bit too strong? Could there be some secret…?”
[Of course! This isn’t my divine sanctuary, but it’s still my temple, right? My angel’s status is enhanced here!]
While I was muttering to myself, the goddess responded from the sidelines, though I hadn’t asked her to. If her claims were truthful, it would make sense why she was so confident and complacent. I could understand her overconfidence, but personally, I would never reveal such information to my enemy.
“Geh, seriously?! Then do I need to summon something stronger?”
“Can you manage that?”
“I can, but it’ll strain my magic power if the battle drags on.”
“Understood. We must approach this as if it’s a boss fight. I’ll go all out, holding nothing back.”
I had initially thought the enemy to be on par with us, but now it was clear they were not. Given this revelation, the only option was to use all my magic power in this battle. Next, to support Moth-san, I decided to summon some minions using my [Summoning Magic]. Moth-san was hardly suitable as a tank. I was already pushing him too hard, so I needed to summon an alternative tank immediately.
And it shouldn’t be the usual skeleton… I must choose something different, as an undead being would be instantly killed by [Holy Magic] if they weren’t like me, who had overcome the [Light Weakness]. What to summon, then?
“Summon Trolls, Defense Boost, Defense Boost, Defense Boost, Defense Boost, Defense Boost!”
The answer was the troll monster. I had recently acquired the ability to summon them after encountering them in this event. These monsters had the [Fire Weakness] and lacked weapons or armor, appearing less reliable at first glance.
However, the troll possessed high health, [Rapid Healing], and [Physical Attack Resistance]. By bestowing multiple defense boosts upon it, it would undoubtedly surpass its counterparts in durability.
I summoned two of these defense-boosted trolls. This would allow Moth-san to move freely. My magic power had considerably decreased, but it didn’t matter. The plan was to end the battle quickly!
“Go. And hold it down by force.”
“”Guoooooooh!””
The two trolls roared as they charged at the White Exusiai. Naturally, the angel wouldn’t let itself be easily captured. Its wings were not just for show. The angel flapped them vigorously, attempting to escape into the sky.
[Ru-run away!]
“I won’t let you! Heavy Wing Strike!”
But this was all anticipated. Moth-san had inflated his torso muscles and swung his wings with all his might, smashing them down onto the angel’s head.
This Heavy Wing Strike was the most powerful martial technique in Moth-san’s arsenal. It not only dealt significant damage but also had a knockback effect on the enemy. The drawback was that the windup for the strike left him momentarily vulnerable. He had anticipated the angel’s upward escape and was already waiting in the air.
“”Guoooooooh!””
The angel, knocked down by the martial technique, quickly righted itself and tried to take flight again. However, before it could, the trolls at the landing spot grabbed its legs. Of course, this was no coincidence. Moth-san had deliberately aimed the angel towards them.
[Oh no! Stop it, stop them now!]
Oh my, she seems troubled. Well then, let’s continue. There’s no reason to stop doing something the enemy dislikes!
“How about this?”
Seventh Armor, who had evolved one stage further, now summoned his previous race, the magic crows, and Moth-san’s previous race, the blood bats.
Ah, how clever. Hide the tree in the forest; hide Moth-san among the bats. At a glance, the size difference was clear to see, but in the midst of high-speed fighting, it would be a different story. Surrounded from all directions by bats clawing and biting, picking out the right one was an extremely difficult task.
“Over there! Ah, now to the right! Oh, come on! If you flit around like that, how can my commands keep up!?”
“…That’s the point. Here, take my Wind Lance.”
Seventh Armor, with a look of exasperation, muttered as he mixed among the magic crows he had summoned and cast his spells from a distance. As a summoner, his elemental magic was moderately powerful, but as the saying goes, every little bit helps. He and his minions would take care of support from the rear.
Meanwhile, I hurriedly began to enhance Seventh Armor with my [Enchantment] skill. I applied three layers of Magic Boost to amplify his magic power and two layers of Agility Boost to increase his speed. Since evasion was Seventh Armor’s forte and he had expressed a desire to fly faster than usual, this should provide both practicality and enjoyment.
With both of them now enhanced, it was time to decide how I would enhance myself with [Enchantment]. The enhancements I would choose were crucial for fulfilling my role in this battle.
“…Alright, the preparation is done. Dexterity Boost, Dexterity Boost, Agility Boost, Agility Boost, Agility Boost!”
I chose to strengthen myself with Dexterity Boosts, which increase critical hit rates, and Agility Boosts, which enhance speed. This time, I intended to fight mainly with my scythe.
This wasn’t out of recklessness or underestimation of the enemy. I had a serious reason for not using magic as usual. My spells, especially the more powerful ones, tend to have a wide attack range. This posed a high risk of catching Seventh Armor’s summoned creatures in the crossfire.
This would not only negate our numerical advantage but could potentially turn it into a disadvantage. Moreover, it’s often overlooked, but my “Ancient Scythe” has a [Dark Enchantment] effect. This would allow me to exploit the angel’s only visible weakness, [Dark Weakness], ensuring a minimum level of firepower.
“Short Teleport, Slash! Followed by Dark Lance!”
Using [Space-Time Magic], I closed the distance in an instant and unleashed a scythe martial technique imbued with the dark element. Immediately afterward, I released a spell from close range. Such a feat was made possible by the advantage of having extra arms.
[Enough! Take down that arrogant skeleton first!]
Until now, the angel had been dealing with the two trolls, who were grappling with their legs and biting and punching it. However, it seemed the angel had shifted its focus to me, following the orders of its master, the goddess. The angel forcefully shook off the trolls and charged towards me. But was it a wise decision to focus solely on me?
“Slash Claw Kick!”
“Storm!”
Wouldn’t my companions attack it from behind? Once again, Moth-san leaped from above and then he shredded the angel’s wings with his clawed feet, while Seventh Armor’s [Storm Magic] tore through the enemy’s entire body. Even if the angel escaped the spell’s range, the two trolls and Seventh Armor’s minions were waiting. The situation had reverted to what it was before.
[Mukiiiiih! I won’t forgive you anymore!]
As soon as the goddess let out a hysterical shriek, her statue began to glow more intensely. Then, the brilliance turned into a beam of light stretching towards the angel. Immediately after being bathed in the light, the angel started glowing so intensely that it was hard to look at directly. What was happening?
“Hey! Isn’t this guy getting bigger!?”
“It seems like the damage we dealt is healing too. What’s going on?”
I shared the same confusion and astonishment as my two companions. The angel’s body had not only grown larger, but the wounds on its wings, which Moth-san had just inflicted, had also disappeared…. Somehow, this gave me an incredibly ominous feeling.
“What have you done, goddess?”
[Fufun! Behold my divine might! I have evolved my subordinate with my powers, transforming it beyond a mere White Exusiai. It now stands as a White Dynamis, elevated to level 50! Impressive, isn’t it? Such is the power of a goddess!]
Hey, hey, are you saying the angel was forcefully evolved by the goddess’s powers? Isn’t it cheating to do something like this when you’re losing? It’s a cheat, a total cheat!
“I-Isam-san…? Could it be that this is…”
“A losing event… perhaps…”
“No, we can’t be certain of that just yet.”
I grasped the essence of what Seventh Armor and Moth-san implied. We were holding our ground as a trio, and then this unexpected twist occurred. It’s not far-fetched to suspect that the game is scripting our loss. But after examining the situation with my [Appraisal], I realized there was more to it than meets the eye.
――――――――――
Race: White Dynamis Lv50
Job: Angel Dynamis Lv0
Skills:
- [Wing Strike]
- [Dual Sword Mastery]
- [Armor Mastery]
- [Health Enhancemet]
- [Strength Enhancemet]
- [Defense Enhancemet]
- [Intelligence Enhancemet]
- [Spirit Enhancemet]
- [Holy Magic]
- [Void Magic]
- [Healing Magic]
- [Flight],
- [Light Resistance]
- [Dark Weakness]
- [Decaying Body]
――――――――――
Indeed, the evolution had likely increased its base stats, and it had gained a new skill called [Spirit Enhancement]. However, beyond that, its skills didn’t increase in level or evolve. In fact, the skill [Light Immunity] had devolved into a seemingly lower-tier skill, [Light Resistance], and [Dark Weakness] hadn’t disappeared.
Furthermore, there was a skill that seemed to have a negative effect on it; it was [Decaying Body]. The exact impact of this skill was unclear, but it was reasonable to assume that it was a consequence of the forced evolution.
“It seems like the forced evolution has backfired. Don’t be deceived by its appearance. This opponent is not invincible.”
[Th-th-that’s not true at all!]
“Ah, it really seems to be the case.”
“Yes, it does.”
Hmm, it’s good that the goddess’s reaction was refreshingly honest. And the others, sensing this, had reignited their fighting spirit. It seemed that the mood of resignation had been dispelled. That was a relief.
“Then, let’s proceed to the second round!”
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