Ch.207207. Time of Distortion (5)

The drawn bowstring released arrows repeatedly from its position.

The power, like before, was limited to 30% of what I could currently muster. That was my limit.

However, the situation unfolded completely differently from earlier.

The hastily created ice barrier in mid-air couldn’t withstand the arrows’ force, shattering into pieces like a brittle cookie.

Clearly, she had kept her distance from Junon when devouring the Lycan’s heart. Despite recovering her magical power this way, she was being pushed back much more than before.

And that wasn’t all.

While a mage’s attack patterns were predictable, Michelle holding the bow required archery skills, increasing the pressure to hit her target.

Each arrow demanded careful aim, targeting the opponent’s blind spots.

But now, the timing of each arrow draw was plainly visible.

How many times had this happened before?

Unless the entire Tembris party deliberately optimized for Michelle’s attacks, she’d never experienced anything like this.

Yet he was accomplishing it now. Single-handedly.

‘It took weeks to coordinate with my teammates… yet he did it instantly.’

I couldn’t fathom how much combat experience he possessed.

Perhaps that’s why he hadn’t spoken a single word since the battle began. No, there was no need.

In this environment, where he created openings in the opponent’s defense allowing me to focus solely on shooting, all I needed to do was draw my bowstring.

Swoosh!

Another arrow flew, piercing through Charlotte’s ice sheet and inflicting shallow damage to her leg.

Even though these weren’t full-power shots, the accumulating damage couldn’t be ignored.

But what could be done?

The opponent existed far beyond theories of elemental advantage and common sense.

When restricted by projectile magic, she’d immediately charge in and break through. When vision was blocked by ice walls, she’d wrap chains around them and leap across like stairs.

Attempts to create advantageous terrain or cast slower spells would shatter like glass before completion.

Though the demon-possessed girl had initially held the advantage, Charlotte’s power alone would never match Junon’s, no matter what approach she took.

“Kruk, kruk…”

Her labored breathing revealed everything. Charlotte, who had charged forward relentlessly even after taking a direct hit from blue flames, was now clearly exhausted.

Meanwhile, Junon remained vigorous despite facing projectile and radiant magic that would trouble any vanguard fighter.

‘The battle’s initiative… so completely…’

It was no exaggeration to say that the flow of battle—neutralizing Charlotte’s strengths while naturally exposing her weaknesses—was entirely in his hands.

As when he used Mysteris, I found myself wondering again about Junon, who seemed to have no obvious connection to Charlotte.

Just how much did he know? And how?

“Phew. Let’s finish this, Charlotte?”

“Grrrr…!”

Sensing this would be the final exchange, Michelle simply drew her bowstring and waited.

“Hup!”

Tssssss-!

A savage shockwave erupted as Junon’s armored hand collided head-on with Charlotte’s hand infused with dark blue magical power.

Simultaneously, that viscous dark blue magic spread outward.

The inner beast, which had been suppressed since Junon’s intervention, began its final struggle to avoid being sealed again within the girl’s body. Close combat might repeat the earlier situation, but she had to fight desperately.

Charlotte briefly retreated, grabbed a nearby rock, crushed it with a crack, then charged again while throwing the stone fragments.

She intended to completely freeze Junon, disregarding the annoying archer’s attacks from behind.

However, the blackened stones, discolored by exposure to dark magic, either bounced off the chains or were deflected by his magic-infused gauntlet.

Even her ice wall magic circle, deployed as a feint, was destroyed, and her freezing spell meant to solidly encase a single target was thwarted.

All that remained to the demon-possessed girl was the magic surrounding her body. Though defeat seemed imminent, she poured everything into one final strike.

Junon easily deflected this last attack with a magic shield, then twisted her delicate arm behind her back.

Even if she tried to escape, he’d bound her with chains. Nothing was easier to hit than a stationary target.

An arrow struck her collarbone, and what followed was predictable.

“KYAAAAH!!!”

As pure, clean mana injected into her body, the dark magic—source of her demonic power—began to leave her body, returning to its inner realm.

Having experienced this once before, she tried to grit her teeth and push back the incoming mana, but it was useless.

The strength drained from her body despite her resistance to the end.

The beast she had summoned to fight the Lycan was sealed away again in slumber, and the girl who had summoned it likewise fell asleep.

The subduing of the berserk Charlotte was complete.

Thud.

“Are you alright?”

“Haaah…”

Michelle collapsed as soon as Charlotte was subdued.

When she nodded with a faint smile, explaining it was just the tension releasing, Junon also relaxed, picked up Charlotte, and brought her to Michelle’s side.

“You already knew why this happened, didn’t you?”

“…”

Seeing Junon immediately avert his gaze, Michelle felt she’d asked something unnecessary and pointed in a certain direction.

She was indicating the location of the sorcerer they were seeking. She also shared all available information, including the numbers of the Tembris party and imperial troops.

“Wouldn’t it be better if you joined them?”

“…No, I’ve nearly depleted my magic power after that fight, and most problematically, this.”

She pointed to her swollen leg, which appeared sprained. Michelle had likely twisted it while narrowly avoiding Charlotte’s attack.

“Should I have come sooner…?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Without you, I might have been the one taken down. Now go. I’ll stay here and watch over Charlotte.”

Junon looked back and forth between Michelle and Charlotte, who was sleeping with her head on Michelle’s thigh, and hesitated uneasily.

“Please. Help my party members too.”

At her plea, he nodded slightly, though with a bitter expression.

He was walking away.

Michelle kept her eyes on Junon’s retreating figure until the very end.

It was quite some time before she exhaled a sigh of relief as the tension finally left her.

Then, quietly removing her gloves and letting down her red ponytail, she murmured again:

“Please. Junon.”

Even with the Mysteris that Charlotte had brought, they could have managed a smoother battle, but now she had received direct help.

No. It would be more accurate to say he had saved her life.

If anything, the debt was greater, not less.

“Is this what it feels like to accumulate more and more debt?”

What kind of proud imperial problem-solving party were they? In reality, without his help, they might have been utterly defeated.

Her tightly clenched fist trembled uncontrollably.

Rustle, rustle, rustle-

Amid this, she heard footsteps crossing through the undergrowth.

There might be remaining Lycans, but these sounds, like Junon’s, were coming from Lebrant.

Soon the owners of the footsteps appeared before her, and Michelle couldn’t help but be shocked.

“W-what is that…?”

***

When he arrived at this place, having left Michelle and Charlotte behind, the Holy Emperor had already openly revealed himself.

One might wonder about his boldness, but Goden knew.

He displayed such confidence because he had already consumed so many, because he had already acquired such power.

“Former Holy Emperor, Defornice III confirmed. Everyone to your positions!”

As could be inferred from the dozens of withered hearts found in the Holy Emperor’s chamber, he had been sentenced for an enormous number of murders. This was a capital crime serious enough that executing him on the spot would be perfectly justified.

Everyone surrounded the criminal with full force, intending to end his life decisively.

However.

“Rear, three rows back—Lycans spotted!”

“Same on the flanks! Both left and right…”

This was all part of a scripted play. The Lycans they had encountered earlier were far from all of them; many more remained.

“I had my suspicions, but this many survivors is quite exceptional.”

What was meant to be an encirclement of the Holy Emperor quickly became the imperial forces being surrounded instead.

“I personally prepared more Lycan units, but it seems the Tembris party is helpless as well. To think you abandoned three of your comrades. Hehehe.”

“This bastard…! Shut your mouth!”

“My, my. Is weakness a crime? Miss Aris McKenheim. Isn’t it because of your weakness that so many people have died?”

“Hey, you senile old man, should I smash that mouth myself?”

“Don’t get drawn in, Aris. He’s just trying to provoke us!”

“Right, nobody could have known there would be this many!”

Indeed, the Lycans they had encountered earlier were already considerable in number. It wouldn’t have been strange to mistake them for the entire force.

“Besides, we were in a situation where everyone might have been annihilated. We minimized casualties as much as possible, and that’s enough. More importantly, we mustn’t forget why we’re here, Senior Aris!”

“Tch!”

The wave that Pimpert had unleashed was so terrible that the imperial forces had immediately fought among themselves, and the damage from this process was beyond words.

They had to resolve this situation while leaving Erika and Charlotte behind, and even dropping Michelle off.

Within the time limit.

Tembris and the imperial forces quickly formed ranks to counter the Lycans controlled by the Holy Emperor, but the renewed battle could only unfold under extremely unfavorable conditions.

Once they had been closing in on the criminal, but now they were pushed onto the defensive by the werewolf units appearing on both sides.

No matter how hard they tried, they were outflanked.

Moreover, with a horde of magical beasts approaching in numbers no different from before, a chill ran down their spines.

Though the humans were holding together firmly, how long could they truly last?

Faced with these successive challenges, there was no room to retreat.

“Senia. If you and Aris break through at a single point, how many seconds do you think you can maintain it?”

“What? Break through at a single point… from here?”

“I need to use something I’ve never shown you before.”

Senia pondered deeply, trying to figure out what move Goden was planning. She pulled her sword from a Lycan, assessed the battle situation, and carefully calculated the time.

“…I can buy at least three seconds, but I can’t guarantee anything after that.”

“Yes, that’s right… That should be enough.”

With those words, Goden immediately asked Cain if he could cast a holy barrier using Erika’s power.

“I can’t give you immunity buffs due to the skill level difference, but something like that is possible…”

“Just enough around me so that magical power isn’t consumed. That’s all I need.”

Cain tilted his head briefly at those words, but since the party leader had never been wrong, he proceeded.

As the barrier formed, the impressive fighting spirit that Goden had been concentrating emerged.

“Ugh…! Goden, what are you…!”

Senia wanted to ask what he was planning, but no voice came from Goden, who wore a grave expression.

He was focused solely on the Holy Emperor, gathering all his magical power into his sword for a single strike.

“This could be a bit dangerous…!”

Sensing danger from Goden’s spirit and magical power, the Holy Emperor began to prepare as well.

The power concentrated in his sword would undoubtedly be formidable, and it was a fact that considerable magical power would be needed to block it.

However, one condition had to be met:

Goden’s attention should not have been diverted by the person who suddenly intervened.

-Kack!

-Kehek!

Chain-like steel coils wrapped around the necks of two Lycans in an instant, strangling them. The werewolves, pulled by the chain pressure, collapsed without being able to do anything.

The owner of those chains had arrived at this place, his black hair fluttering.

At last, the counterattack could begin.