The White Dynamis angel was at level 50. This meant that, just like the troll knight with whom we had several dangerous encounters, the White Dynamis was an enemy of equal standing. Moreover, with the goddess’s help, it had fully recovered and, as an added bonus, was strengthened within the confines of the temple. It was certainly a formidable opponent right now.
However, the forced evolution had its limits as well, which was evident in the skill [Decaying Body]. At first glance, it was still unclear how this was affecting the enemy, but we would likely figure it out as the battle progressed.
“Both of you fight as you have until now. I will maneuver as the vanguard with you. This is surely the best strategy for the three of us.”
The challenge facing the vanguard, comprising only Seventh Armor, my summoned minions, and Moth-san, was certainly daunting. Relying solely on Seventh Armor was an even more far-fetched idea. His proficiency in close combat was considerably inferior to mine, especially since he lacked skills like my [Scythe Mastery].
Besides, I had been taught how to defend myself by those two battle junkies, Jigoro and Genjuro. I had a few methods to engage in close combat, and I was definitely better suited for this than Seventh Armor, who was almost a pure mage.
“Understood.”
“We’ve come this far; let’s see it through to the end!”
“Then, let’s go!”
I raised my scythe and took to the sky, charging head-on towards the angel…
“Now! Do it!”
“Flash, followed by short teleport.”
…Or so you might think. No, a frontal assault wouldn’t stand a chance of success against this enemy. I did it earlier, but this was a basic tactic for a magic warrior who could use [Space-Time Magic].
However, acquiring [Space-Time Magic] required leveling up after obtaining [Light Magic] and [Dark Magic], and spending a large amount of SP. Moreover, using short-range teleportation in combat was quite tricky. At least, without the Spartan training from those battle maniacs, I wouldn’t have been able to use it as well as I do now
The combat style itself was tricky and required a certain degree of familiarity. It took quite a long time to become proficient in this style of fighting. Besides, although it was stylish, it honestly lacked great firepower. I felt that unless a player was exceptionally skilled, they might end up being a burden to their teammates.
But let’s set aside my thoughts on Magic Warriors who rely on [Space-Time Magic]. Right now I used the Black Sword, which was a spell that slashed through shadows to inflict damage. Just because I raised my scythe didn’t mean I had to use it directly. Being a mage, it was obvious that my own spells would yield more firepower.
[You can’t blind my minion with that!]
“And then, Star Magic Circle Activation, Black Sword.”
Naturally, I didn’t expect that a light-based dazzle would be effective against an angel serving the goddess of light. My real goal was to use the short teleport spell, combining it with the Flash and the Black Sword to execute this combo all by myself.
This took quite a bit of practice, you know? It wasn’t particularly difficult to execute, but it was a struggle to ensure consistent success.
[Why raise your scythe if you won’t use it!]
“Then, let’s use it. Flying Slash.”
Responding to the goddess’s “request”, I employed a martial technique with my scythe while leaping backward. This was the Flying Slash, a technique I had used countless times before that unleashed slashing attacks. Interestingly, these slashes were endowed with a dark element, thanks to the effects of the ancient scythe. Until now, the effectiveness of the dark element had been minimal against my opponents, as no enemy had seemed particularly vulnerable to it. However, at this moment, it should finally prove its worth, which was immensely satisfying.
However, the straightforward Flying Slash was easily parried by the angel’s sword. I had thought it would surely deal damage if it hit, but things weren’t going that smoothly. And now, the angel, following its master’s command, was chasing after me. But was it really wise for it to focus solely on me?
“Fire at once! Moth-san!”
“Alright!”
Of course, Seventh Armor and Moth-san, who had circled to the rear, joined in the attack against the angel. A rain of magic from Seventh Armor and his crow minions poured down upon the enemy, and immediately afterward, the bats were led by Moth-san as they uniformly assaulted every part of the angel’s body. Previously, we had focused our attacks on one body part, and the accumulated damage caused it to break. However, if we were to make the most of the enemy’s small size and our high numbers, it would be better to envelop the entire body of the angel.
[Annoying little pests! Get rid of these small fries first!]
“Not so fast! Star Magic Circle activation, Black Thread!”
I couldn’t afford to let the vanguard be reduced in number here. So, I restrained the angel using the black thread spell. I didn’t adjust the spell, so it might be torn apart soon, but that wasn’t a problem. If I restrained it close to the ground, that was enough.
“Go now, Trolls!”
“‘Guoooooooooooo!!!’”
This was because, on the ground, there were power-type trolls on the ready. The two of them grabbed the angel’s legs and dragged it down to the ground. Then, one bit into the angel’s neck from the front while holding its wrists, while the other, from behind, grabbed its wings and twisted hard. I had successfully restrained it with both physical and magical means!
“Good! Let’s maintain this situation as long as possible! Star Magic Circle activation, Spell Adjustment, Thorn Whip!”
Now, I further restrained it using the Thorn Whip spell of the [Forest Magic]. Stopping its movement and striking was my basic tactic. Moreover, the thorny vines inflicted additional damage. It was a case of killing two birds with one stone.
“Now, strike all at once…”
“No, please wait!”
Just as I thought we should strike as much as we could at the moment, Moth-san hastily stopped Seventh Armor who was about to send his bat army into a suicide attack. I also noticed that for some reason the angel had begun to glow. The cause was unclear, but it seemed dangerous.
“Zzzzt… Zzzzzzzzzzt!”
The angel, who had not uttered a single word until now, began to emit a sound reminiscent of the static from an old tube television. Could this be the effect of the [Decaying Body]…
“Gagagagagagagaga!!!”
“Whoa!?”
“Guh!?”
“Gyaaa! My eyes!”
In the next instant, the angel’s porcelain-like, hard body exhibited cracks that spread like fissures. Then, a blinding flash burst forth from those cracks! The brilliance left us in a state akin to having been struck by the flash spell I had used earlier, which caused Seventh Armor to fall to the ground. Furthermore, the light seemed to carry a damaging effect; when Mo-san and I were exposed to the light, our health was drastically reduced.
“Gogyaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?”
However, the most severe damage was sustained by my troll minions, who were the closest to it out of us all. Having received the full brunt of the light rays at close range, they perished instantly. It was inevitable, considering the light had penetrated from their mouths to their heads. Too bad, I had plans for them to play a more significant role!
[All according to plan! Now, to finish this…]
“Gagaga”
[Eek!?]
The goddess seemed about to say something, but for some reason, the angel struck at her statue with its sword. While the statue did not break, it was deeply scarred. Hey, hey, is that okay? Isn’t that your master?
[Awawawawa…! Wh-what should I do!?]
“Hey, what’s going on with that? Why is it even turning its sword on you?”
[Forced evolution led to its rampage… wait, why should I have to explain it to you!?]
So, it all comes down to this clunky goddess being the root cause. To think she’d bring her own minion to such an uncontrollable state, she truly is a good-for-nothing deity.
“Zazaza… zazazazaza…”
“Tch, this isn’t the time for chit-chat. Both of you, we need to observe for now. Don’t try to approach recklessly.”
“Got it, boss.”
“Understood.”
The angel, while emitting sparkling white particles from the cracks in its body, faced us. Coupled with its inherently expressionless nature, the angel’s vacant appearance was quite eerie.
“For now, let’s use restraining magic. Star Magic Circle Activation, Dark Ball! Seventh Armor!”
“Alright! Wind Lance!”
I, Seventh Armor, and his summoned beasts unleashed our spells at the same time. Our strategy was to overwhelm with quantity rather than quality. What would be the angel’s move?
“Zazaza… zazazazaza…”
Perhaps in response to our attack, the angel swiftly intercepted our magic with its sword. Its movements, faster and stronger than before, sent white particles swirling throughout the temple. These particles effectively neutralized our spells upon contact, and to our astonishment, some of these particles even reached us!
“Ugh…huh?”
“Doesn’t seem to do much damage, does it?”
It appeared the angel was not weakened, but it also didn’t seem to be simply strengthened. Its movements were somewhat uncoordinated. The way it swung its swords with both hands seemed forceful and imprecise. As someone who has overcome the pair of Jigoro and Genjuro’s turmoil, I could tell that its movements were quite different from the smooth motions it had displayed earlier.
Perhaps the angel was no longer benefiting from the [Dual Sword Mastery] correction? It’s a bit of a leap in logic, but right now, it might be unable to use its martial techniques. If that’s the case, we have many ways to approach this.
Moreover, every movement it made produced a creaking sound, and the effects around its fissures seemed to have intensified. This is just a hypothesis, but perhaps by forcibly moving, it was incurring damage with every action it took.
“It doesn’t get too close to us, does it?”
As Seventh Armor had just said, despite our attack, the angel did not approach us. The damage we sustained must have been akin to stray bullets. With that in mind, I decided to conduct an experiment.
“Seventh Armor, Moth-san, I’m going to try something. Keep an eye on the enemy for me.”
“Alright!”
“What are you planning to do?”
“Just watch. Summon.”
I summoned about three crows, similar to the ones Seventh Armor had used, and had them circle around the angel.
“Gaga…”
The angel, just as before, wildly swung its sword with full force, tearing through the crows. Its movements were rough and exaggerated, and upon closer inspection, they were all wide swings that could be easily dodged. At the same time, the area around its cracks started to crumble, and the angel stopped its attack the moment it finished slashing the crows.
“I see. So that’s how it is.”
“It seems that it can only counterattack when approached, and it’s also suffering self-inflicted damage,” Moth-san said.
I agreed with Moth-san’s assessment. From here on, it seemed like attacking from a distance would suffice. So this flashy scene was all nothing but a bluff? Easy victory, easy victory…
[I-I won’t let you! Eiiy!]
“Zazaz… Pii… gagagagagagagaga!”
Taking advantage of the angel’s glitch, I decided to defeat it from a distance using a relentless and underhanded tactic. However, it seemed the goddess had done something again. As a result, the angel began to convulse like a creature from a horror movie, and the amount of smoke that was billowing around it was increasing.
Honestly, it was truly scary. The fact that it was originally an angel only added to its eeriness.
“Hey, what did you do?”
[I just encouraged it! Angels, as a race, can be forcibly commanded by their goddess!]
“Weren’t you just slashed by it?”
[Silence! It doesn’t matter if the temple gets a little roughed up! We can fix it after defeating you all! Go on, do it!]
No sooner had the goddess spoken than the angel charged at us. Th-this woman! Always stirring up trouble! Well, it’s a real battle now. I’ll take it down for gooood!
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