Ch.250Chapter 250 – A Voice I Didn’t Want to Hear (2)

-“Kieeaaaaa!!!”

The corpse golems began to charge forward with screams.

Among them, the closest golem raised its fist.

And immediately brought that fist down toward the mask right in front of it.

At the same time, Mask’s voice was heard.

“You underestimated me.”

The moment she said that and swung her greatsword.

The golem’s arm began to tear apart into several pieces.

-“Kyaaaa!!!”

“Hey, that’s a really unfitting scream!”

Mask shouted as she delivered a kick to the golem, and surprisingly, the golem began to fall backward.

Meanwhile, another golem approached us, and this time the area below its neck began to open up.

“Sera!”

“Clay Wall!”

At my signal, Sera quickly raised a wall of mud.

The mud wall blocked the green liquid fired from the golem’s mouth and began to melt away.

“I can only block it for a moment!”

“A moment is enough!”

I shouted as I leaped over the melting mud wall.

In an instant, I reached the golem and struck its leg with my halberd, knocking it down.

The fallen golem screamed again as it tried to get up.

-“Kiee…”

“Stop with the screaming already!”

I quickly struck the golem’s chest area with my halberd.

The halberd, enveloped in red lightning and magical energy, cut deeply into its chest, and I quickly reached for the slightly glimmering purple jewel inside.

I pulled it out forcefully, tearing it from the golem’s body.

-“Kii…”

“Sleep now.”

I said as I clenched my fist and shattered the jewel.

The golem’s massive body staggered and fell backward, and soon the corpses that formed its body began to fall away one by one.

“That’s one down.”

“No, two.”

I saw Mask, who had bisected the golem she was facing.

“Maybe it’s because we’ve fought them before. You fight well.”

“I suppose so.”

I quietly replied to Mask’s comment.

Unlike before, perhaps because I had grown stronger, I was handling them easily even without Chris’s help.

Moreover, there weren’t that many corpses or undead around here that they could use to repair themselves.

It seemed the enemy had turned all available corpses into golems, but paradoxically, this meant they had fewer means to recover, making it not too difficult to deal with them one by one.

“But the situation isn’t entirely favorable.”

Agreeing with my words, Mask dropped her relaxed attitude and quietly nodded.

Many more corpse golems were still heading our way.

And behind them, something writhing and moving was clearly heading in our direction.

“…Is it gathering more of its kind?”

Mask’s words spread quietly.

Then Ive, drawing her sword, approached me and said:

“If we keep fighting them one by one, there’ll be no end to this.”

“I’d rather not face them all if possible.”

While each one isn’t a problem, there are just too many of them.

There were so many corpse golems that I wondered if there might have been many large villages in the area.

“With these numbers, we might end up surrounded.”

Of course, if the current me and Mask combined our strength, we could probably break through one part of the encirclement.

But the acid they used was the problem.

If surrounded and hit by a barrage all at once, it would be very difficult for us to defend without Chris.

The best option would be to wipe them all out before they approach and use that opportunity to advance to the convergence point, but…

“Lorona, Lirina. Is it possible to wipe out all the enemies with magic?”

“…In my current form, I can burn them widely, but I don’t think I can eliminate all those numbers at once.”

“Unfortunately, it’s the same for me.”

I shook my head at Lorona and Lirina’s responses.

Beatrice might have had another solution, but it seemed that Lorona and Lirina couldn’t erase those numbers at once.

Then we needed to quickly find another way.

“Sera, what about the tree giant you used before?”

“I’m sorry. The energy still…”

The giant Sera had summoned before couldn’t be called in this situation.

If she could summon it, we could easily resolve this, but that wasn’t an option either.

‘What should we do?’

Break through the shallowest point?

Or should I have everyone except Mask and myself retreat?

I quickly racked my brain for an answer.

And in the meantime, Lirina spoke up as if she had thought of something.

“…Lorona, what about that method?”

“We got permission, but the consumption is too great, isn’t it? Once activated, we’ll be defenseless until tomorrow?”

Suddenly, Lorona and Lirina began discussing something.

Looking at the two, I quickly asked:

“Have you come up with something?”

“It’s not that we came up with it, it was always there.”

“But the consumption is too great, so we were trying to refrain from using it. If used incorrectly, there’s no going back.”

Lorona answered.

“…But at this rate, we won’t be able to properly fulfill our master’s orders.”

“That’s right. We have no choice.”

Their discussion ended.

Soon, Lirina looked at us and said:

“We’ll use our secret technique.”

“It’s dangerous, but it’s our only option.”

Lirina and Lorona spoke with determined expressions.

Looking at them, I quietly asked:

“…Is it safe?”

“We’re not going to self-destruct or anything. Though it’s possible.”

“And if we hold back because we’re afraid of the aftermath, we might incur our master’s wrath.”

“Rather than that, it’s better for us to clear the path here.”

Lirina said, looking at me.

“In return, please make sure to destroy the convergence point.”

“I promise.”

I answered without hesitation.

And seemingly satisfied with my answer, Lirina smiled slightly.

“That’s a reassuring answer.”

“Let’s begin.”

Lorona and Lirina smiled as they stood in front of us.

Soon, the two held each other’s hands.

The next moment, two massive magic circles, one blue and one red, appeared in front of them.

“Freeze them.”

Lirina said with a smile.

A wave of cold rushed toward the golems blocking the way.

The approaching golems began to freeze in place.

“And burn them.”

This time it was Lorona.

With a surge of heat, flames began to rise from the frozen golems’ bodies.

-“Kyaaaaaaak!!!!”

The golems began to collapse as they burned.

In an instant, the golems in a straight line froze and burned away, creating a path.

And then, the massive magic circles soon engulfed the two hatchlings.

“What the?”

Mask’s surprised voice rang out briefly.

Meanwhile, the two magic circles merged into one.

The red and blue magic circles mixed and transformed.

And from that magic circle, the voices of Lorona and Lirina were heard.

[Two powers become one.]

With those words, the magic circle exploded.

And where the magic circle had been.

A woman who seemed to be made of energy stood there.

She had no face. Her body was smooth and curved, but due to being made of energy, she lacked the characteristics of a living being.

[Fusion complete.]

With her words, red and blue energies surrounded the woman, creating a circular barrier.

Soon, the woman looked at us and spoke:

[We will annihilate the enemies.]

[Follow behind us. Move forward.]

The voices of Lorona and Lirina were heard simultaneously.

Soon, the energy woman glided toward the golems.

And with a boom, heat and cold began to burn and freeze large numbers of enemies.

“Let’s go!”

Mask shouted.

We immediately followed behind the woman and began moving, and the woman was turning the golems that blocked our path to ashes wherever she went.

“…A body composed of magical energy.”

“Indeed.”

I quietly answered Sera’s observation.

A being composed of magical energy.

It must be in the same category as the Einherjar, magical life forms sealed in the roots of the World Tree.

“…The golems are starting to gather.”

At Mask’s words, I looked ahead to see large numbers of corpse golems beginning to gather in one place.

Soon, they merged into the massive form we had seen in the ossuary.

Besides that, enemies continued to swarm toward us.

[There are still many enemies.]

[We will handle them.]

“Will you be alright?”

The woman nodded at Mask’s question.

Then, swinging one arm to burn the enemies, she said:

[Our secret technique is not for show.]

[When our magical energy runs out, we will separate into two and be neutralized.]

[Please destroy the convergence point before then.]

[We cannot fight for long.]

With those words, the woman plunged into the midst of the corpse golems.

Soon, an inferno erupted around her, and I saw the arm of a massive corpse golem, which had extended its fist to stop her, being cut off by an ice sword.

“Kay.”

“Let’s go.”

We immediately rushed toward the convergence point.

And the corpse golems trying to block our way were burned away by flames that flew right in front of us, either by coincidence or by design.

“Good cover!”

Mask cut in half those that survived the flames.

“Now, let’s keep running without stopping. I’ll take the lead.”

“Will you be okay?”

Mask grinned at my question.

“Who do you think I am?”

She raised her greatsword and said:

“There’s nothing to worry about. Just don’t fall behind.”

Mask immediately kicked off the ground and charged at the enemies ahead.

The heavy greatsword was wielded as lightly as a twig.

With each swing, an enemy was split in two, and she immediately sought her next prey.

A river of corpses began to be cut apart by her swinging greatsword.

Her unstoppable blade was creating a path through the flowing river.

It was a sword dance that made one momentarily forget they were on a battlefield.

“…Impressive.”

Ive quietly remarked, watching Mask’s rapid advance.

And soon, Sera shouted loudly:

“It’s right ahead!”

I looked where Sera was pointing.

The whirlwind we had seen earlier began to come into view.

And within it, a jewel emitting an ominous light was also visible.

“That must be the convergence point.”

“If we pour magical energy into it…!”

I accelerated my pace.

Thinking that we just needed to run a little further, I cut off the arm of a corpse golem that lunged at me from the side, and Ive immediately jumped onto the golem’s shoulder and severed its head.

“I’ll support you!”

Sera threw a bomb forward to support Mask, and soon, with the sound of an explosion, several golems began to collapse as they burned.

“Excellent!”

Mask praised Sera as she rushed forward.

Then she leaped forward, spinning her body and cutting off the upper bodies of several corpse golems.

The severed bodies of the golems fell to the ground.

-“Kieeaaaa!!”

“Oops!”

Whether it was lucky to be outside the range of her sword or not, I saw her block the fist of another golem aimed at her with her greatsword.

Wanting to help her, I threw my halberd hard, and it lodged in the golem’s abdomen.

-“Kyaaaa!”

The impact was greater than expected, and the golem’s body staggered slightly.

Mask didn’t miss the opportunity, releasing her greatsword and jumping up to kick the halberd, which spun and shattered the golem’s body.

“Thanks for the help!”

“Don’t mention it!”

I answered as I caught the halberd she threw back to me, smiling in gratitude.

And right in front of us.

The ominously glowing jewel was visible.

“Just a little more!”

The convergence point was right in front of us.

Now we just needed to quickly neutralize it and return.

With no enemies blocking the way.

Just as I thought we had won, Sera shouted loudly:

“If we just pour magical energy into it, everything will end…!”

She said as if telling herself.

And just as she was about to put more strength into her legs to run faster.

My entire body rang alarm bells.

“Sera!”

“Kyaak!”

I immediately embraced Sera and rolled to the side.

And right after that, something came crashing down.

-Boom!!

With a heavy sound, something fell exactly where we were about to step.

When the dust that had risen slightly settled, I could see an elf with red hair lying face down on the ground, carrying something on her back.

“What is that…?”

“How distasteful.”

Sera’s eyes widened, and Ive quietly expressed her disgust.

In contrast, the elf woman’s eyes looked at us as if pleading for something.

And then, the voice of someone riding on the elf woman’s back was heard:

“Finally, finally you’ve come!”

“This voice…”

A voice of genuine joy.

And a voice I didn’t want to hear.

“Did you miss me? Did you miss me? I missed you!”

Dirty gray hair and eyes.

Dark circles under half-closed eyes, and a mouth that drooled while smiling.

“I’m so happy to see you again!”

“I’m not happy to see you, you damn woman!”

I shouted as I entered a combat stance.

The Puppeteer Phobia had appeared again.