Chapter 108: Top-tier Magician

The garden, blackened by the flames.

In the garden district that was once lush with vegetation, only gray ash and black charcoal remained.

With every step, the remnants of fire prevention piled on the ground rose up, polluting the air.

As we went deeper, an even more serious landscape greeted us.

‘They’re all dead.’

We could see heretics blackened and burned to death, and trolls that had repeatedly combusted and regenerated at the fire scene, now writhing as lumps of flesh.

It was a scene that showed why dungeon trolls were extremely afraid of fires in the garden district.

It was truly horrific, like a small hell unfolding.

“Damn it!!!”

As I was putting the burned corpses of heretics into my inventory, Raphael shouted.

Rocks.

Rocks were flying towards us.

BOOM-!!!!!

Car-sized rocks flying through the air fell everywhere, causing shockwaves.

They must be rocks thrown by the giant sleeping at the end of the garden district.

It’s obviously impossible to block them, we have to dodge.

But it’s too fast. It’s too late to dodge.

‘Oh no.’

A rock flying towards me. My feet won’t move.

My death was already playing out in my mind.

‘The teleportation scroll…’

Should I take out the scroll and tear it?

No, I didn’t expect such an absurd mass bomb to fly at us the moment we entered.

Even with a wide detection range, this is too much. Is it sensing everything from one end of the district to the other?

That bastard. What the hell is it?

“Sion!!!!”

Just before I could tear the scroll, Rosie desperately grabbed and pulled me.

I even had the illusion that time was flowing slowly. My body floated up and was thrown.

My body was being dragged in the direction Rosie was pulling.

Rosie, who had thrown me far away.

But she was still at the impact point of the rock.

‘No.’

At this rate, Rosie will be crushed by the rock.

To save me, Rosie was trying to sacrifice herself.

I could have lived if I tore the scroll!

This isn’t right. This isn’t right. Damn it, this isn’t right.

‘No. No. No…!!!!’

Of course, if a corpse is crushed, it can’t be resurrected.

If the damage to the body is too severe, the Elixir of Resurrection can’t be used.

The rock flew towards Rosie.

“Reverse Thunder.”

BOOM-!

In the moment lightning flashed, the rock flying towards Rosie exploded and shattered in mid-air.

Blackened stone fragments scattered in all directions, and Rosie survived.

“Its recognition range is wider than expected!”

Helena, who had blasted the incoming rock, shouted towards the companions.

Electric current flickered at her fingertips. Helena’s magic had saved Rosie.

“The giant’s eyes are brighter than we thought! Rocks keep flying in! We have to run!”

The Saint shouted.

The giant immediately sensed us as we entered the garden district, launched a long-range attack, and was keeping us at bay to prevent us from approaching.

“Here comes another one!”

Raphael shouted.

A rock is coming. No, rocks are coming.

It’s the second bombardment.

BANG-!!!

Rocks poured down everywhere, shaking the ground.

The heavy impact sent ash and dust flying into the air, obscuring our vision.

“Paramel!!!”

“Yes! Yes yes!!!”

At the Saint’s shout, Paramel used the exorcism technique he had prepared.

The blessing of pollution purification was engraved on our bodies, and the dust floating in the air naturally avoided us.

If we had inhaled that dust, we would have died of suffocation.

“Don’t light any fires! It’ll explode!”

“Holy Light!”

We couldn’t use torches because of the dust and charcoal powder flying in the air.

We didn’t want to die from a dust explosion that could happen at any moment.

In the end, the inquisitors illuminated the surroundings with holy light.

We could now see trolls approaching and wandering nearby.

“Damn it!”

A crazy group of trolls charged at us. Their eyes were strange. They all seemed intoxicated, not in a normal state.

Moreover, they were intentionally trying to block the path between us and the giant. They’re moving according to someone’s orders. Of course, it must be the brainwashing of those Yeti bastards who colluded with the heretics.

Damn it.

Rocks are flying in from all directions, and trolls already vassalized by the Yetis are blocking our path.

In this increasingly messed up situation.

Sasaro activated his ability.

SCREECH-!!!!!

The sword he drew out screamed as it tore apart the trolls blocking our path.

“I can’t use this for long! I’m opening a path! Run!!!”

Sasaro, running forward in all directions.

Cracks started to appear on his sword. I don’t know exactly what kind of ability it is, but it seemed to be the type that creates ultrasonic vibrations in the sword, turning it into an ultrasonic cutter.

SLASH!!!

Sasaro opening a path before the trolls could surround us.

Everything in front of him was sliced apart.

“Sasaro!!!!”

All sorts of things were piercing into Sasaro’s body.

Being at the forefront opening the path, the trolls’ weapons were one by one, steadily breaking down his body.

“Goddess, watch over your servant.”

But no matter what attack he received, Sasaro didn’t die.

Attacks that should normally end life were being nullified in the face of the Saint’s healing arts.

Even with his neck half severed and a spear piercing his heart, Sasaro didn’t stop and kept opening the path.

The Saint forcibly repaired his body by pounding in healing beyond lethal amounts.

I don’t understand the Saint’s insane blessing that heals fatal wounds every second, but I understand even less how Sasaro is enduring all of it.

‘How on earth is he enduring this pain?’

With incomprehensible willpower, Sasaro opened the path.

Now we were sandwiched between the giant and the trolls.

This is where it really begins.

“Halsi! Now!”

“Understood! Run, Saint!”

The Saint and Raphael charged towards the giant.

And Paramel followed behind Raphael.

Those three will tie up the giant’s feet.

“Damn body.”

Helena sat down on the ground, closed her eyes, and began chanting.

She said it would take 5 minutes to cast a spell that could kill the giant in one hit using the Apostle’s body instead of her original body.

The rest of us have to hold out for 5 minutes while protecting the defenseless Helena.

I went right behind Helena and drew my weapon.

As if protecting me, Rosie and Roy began to face the charging trolls.

I’m the last line of defense. If I’m breached, Helena will die. Then the operation fails.

‘When I heard the outline of the plan from the Saint, I thought it was doable.’

But actually being deployed on the scene, I feel like I’m going crazy.

This was a completely insane operation.

“Kuheurk…”

“Sasaro! Are you alright!?”

“In my later years… what am I doing… Porter… give me… a sword…”

“Here!”

Sasaro threw away his shattered weapon and gripped the sword I gave him.

After spitting out a bucket of blood, he wiped his mouth and stood up using the sword as a support.

His eyes were worn with pain and fatigue.

“Haah.. damn it.”

Looking like he might collapse and faint at any moment, Sasaro leaped back into the group of dungeon trolls where Rosie and Roy were.

‘Crazy human. He’s not in his right mind.’

Sasaro began to dance with his sword like a person who had lost his sanity.

They say living long is proof of strength.

Sasaro, who had acted like an old man wanting to go home until yesterday, was now tearing apart trolls like a possessed assassin.

Meanwhile, Rosie was using her unique superhuman strength to swing her mace and smash the trolls’ skulls, and Roy was aiming for the trolls’ joints to take away their mobility.

With the crazed Sasaro joining in, the balance was just right.

‘On the Saint’s side..’

The Saint was clinging to the giant’s right leg, frantically striking down with her Bible.

The air reverberated with shockwaves. The giant staggered from the unbelievable destructive power.

It swatted the Saint away like a fly, and the Saint, who had rolled over and over, quickly got up again and charged at the giant. No, what the hell?

Shouldn’t she normally be dead from that?

‘Crazy….’

Extraordinary regenerative power.

No, insane divine power and healing.

The Saint’s body was completely smashed, but she got up again in 10 seconds and charged at the giant.

Her crushed limbs had been restored, and her broken neck had returned to normal.

The Saint’s body was a mess of blood, but she charged at the giant as if nothing was wrong.

The same was true for Raphael.

BOOM-!!!!

Raphael, trampled under the giant’s foot, writhes in pain. Paramel pours healing magic towards him.

Raphael, receiving Paramel’s heal, gets up again and swings his axe at the giant’s ankle.

The giant tried to shake off the three people by constantly rolling its foot, but they wouldn’t let go.

The three were sticking like leeches, steadily breaking down the giant’s legs.

The distance was quite far so I couldn’t see their expressions clearly, but the Saint and Raphael seemed to be smiling.

How can they smile in that situation?

I don’t know. Those people seem a bit crazy.

‘Oh no. They’re here…!’

I wanted to observe my companions more, but guests arrived for me too.

Damn heretic bastards. As expected, they were waiting for their chance.

Black-hooded heretic assassins approached me, aiming for the moment when everyone was distracted by the trolls and the giant.

Their target isn’t me. It must be Helena, who’s chanting magic.

I have to protect Helena from those bastards. The moment Helena dies, the operation fails.

CLANG-!!

“You cowardly bastards!”

I deflected the flying dagger with my shield.

The heretics already knew that if they killed Helena, our firepower would drop tremendously.

They probably grasped the general situation during yesterday.

That we had taken the Apostle, and that all the corpses had disappeared so they couldn’t be resurrected.

They must now think that we have a spatial pocket holder on our side, and that the Apostle was also taken by some method.

So they’re trying to kill the traitor Apostle first, who’s trying to use tricks on the giant.

‘Not a chance.’

Two heretic assassins charged towards me.

As expected, their speed is tremendous.

But these bastards’ movements and behavior patterns were exactly the same as those who had targeted me in that warehouse alley last time.

It must be because they were trained by the Green Apostle, called the heretics’ instructor. I already know these movements. And I know this speed.

I can respond.

‘I’ve imagined this many times.’

Memories of training with Gon in the dojo, getting beaten up, came to mind.

While getting beaten by Gon, I had imagined how to kill these damn heretic bastards dozens, hundreds of times.

I won’t be easily defeated like that day anymore.

WHOOSH-!

A thrust coming in at rapid speed when the distance closed. I already know their movements.

CLANG-!!!

I blocked with the shield. More precisely, I deflected it. Not just blocking, but deflecting it diagonally to the side so that he would lose balance as he pushed in further, distorting the sense of distance.

I see an opening. When I thought I should thrust my sword, my hand was already stabbing the heretic’s side.

A situation where thought couldn’t keep up with hand movement.

My body moved before I could perceive and react, piercing the heretic’s side with the sword.

I can feel Sakya’s remnants activating at full power. No, this itself was becoming my movement.

The training with Gon was starting to pay off.

The heretics charge in. As my blood starts to boil, thinking I can kill these bastards, my hands move even faster.

The bracelet of growth is enhancing my physical abilities. This was possible because the blood of the demons I had fed to the bracelet so far had boosted my stats.

‘I can do this.’

I blocked the next attack as well, quickly leaped in and stabbed my sword into one’s belly.

I don’t pull it out. I just let go of it, then took out another sword from my inventory and swung it.

I slashed at his eyes to block his vision with blood, then swung an axe at his neck.

CRACK!!!

The axe tore through the skin, ripped the neck muscles, and finally cut through the neck bone before bouncing out the other side.

The decapitated heretic’s head flew backwards.

The headless body loses balance, flops around, and falls.

“Ha. Hahaha…”

It’s easy. The heretic assassins no longer seemed like a match for me.

BOOM!!!!!

Just as I was starting to feel confident, a heretic assassin’s body exploded.

Rosie, soaked in troll blood, looked at the heretics while panting heavily.

“Huff.. huff.. huff… Be careful. Be careful again.”

She warned me.

I had somehow gotten quite far from Helena.

In my excitement, I had dug too deep into the enemies, leaving my protection target behind.

I quickly came to my senses and headed back behind Helena.

My role is to protect Helena, not to kill heretics.

“It’s complete..”

As I was catching my breath and blocking the heretics’ attacks, Helena finished her chant at the right timing.

Finally, the magic chanting was over. 5 minutes felt longer than I imagined. Now Helena just needs to give that giant bastard one good hit.

Helena stood up and stretched her right hand towards the giant’s head.

Then, after accurately aiming at its head, she fired the completed magic.

“Red Meteor.”

Helena’s red magic shot out.

“GRAAAAAAAH!!!!!!”

The giant’s roar, loud enough to shake the entire labyrinth.

Helena’s magic penetrated all of the Quiklops’ magic defenses and pierced its eyeball.

“This is as far as I go…”

Along with the giant whose head was half-destroyed, Helena, whose magic power was depleted, collapsed.