CH 663

They had nearly failed to suppress a single Immortal Master Class entity.

If it hadn't been for Cliffman's timely arrival, the situation would have been undoubtedly dangerous.

"I had a feeling you were here."

"Thank you, thank you... That was close. Really."

Breathing heavily, soaked from the rain, Cliffman looked at Liana and Harriet.

In the midst of the battlefield, Cliffman, who had been fighting somewhere, saw the lightning striking down in the middle of the allied forces and knew Liana was there.

And he realized that they were about to be attacked by something within the alliance, rather than a monster.

Liana staggered to her feet.

It was just one.

Despite being a Master Class, it was only a single entity among the thousands of Immortals on this battlefield.

Both Harriet and Liana had exhausted tremendous energy trying to stop that one entity.

Even though there was a torrential downpour, many had noticed the numerous lightning strikes and explosions resulting from their tremendous use of power.

Cliffman, who had been somewhere on the battlefield, had seen this and hurried to protect Liana and Harriet.

Naturally, if Cliffman could see it, so could the Immortals.

Liana and Harriet looked around with despairing expressions.

"More are coming..."

They had felt the threat to their lives by just stopping one entity.

But now, Immortals who had pinpointed Harriet and Liana's location were approaching from all over the battlefield within the heavy rain.

This time, it wasn't just one.

Seeing the Immortals approaching from all sides, Harriet clenched her teeth, having struggled to handle even one.

"We might have to move."

"To where?"

At Liana's question, Harriet bit her lip.

This place was a battlefield, and the allied forces were already surrounded by monsters on all sides.

If they were to flee, they'd have to flee completely.

And fleeing completely would mean leaving the Immortals to be dealt with by someone else.

Was survival more important?

Or was it more important to reduce the number of Immortals?

At this critical juncture, Cliffman spoke to Harriet.

"Cast all the enhancement magic you can on me."

"You're going to face them...?"

"Yeah. I'll try to hold them off somehow. If it doesn't seem possible, then run."

Cliffman took a deep breath.

They had to do as much as they could.

They had to hold out to their limits.

That was Cliffman's conclusion, and neither Liana nor Harriet disagreed.

The Magic Star still unleashed a fierce barrage of light against the monsters.

If Liana and Harriet fled from this spot, the number of sacrifices would only increase.

They had to hold on.

It was up to Cliffman to protect the two of them.

The forces of the Demon King were strong, but their numbers were not overwhelming.

And none of the allied forces fighting had an obligation to protect them.

Protecting or killing was up to each individual.

Harriet's protective and enhancement spells coursed through Cliffman's body, invigorating him.

He had escaped from the place where he had to fight.

But how many of them could hold their ground on this battlefield?

It was a battle to protect something.

That's why Cliffman had rushed to protect what he had to.

But did he have the ability to do so?

He didn't know why the Immortals had suddenly disappeared, only to return and try to kill them.

In fact, there was no need to know.

It was natural for Cliffman to stand here, in a battle to protect something, in order to protect what was most precious to him.

"Phew..."

The movements approaching from all over the battlefield, clearly indicating the presence of Immortals, were unmistakable.

The Demon King was being pursued by thousands of Immortals deep within the battlefield.

Everyone was already overwhelmed by the tasks at hand.

There were no reinforcements.

The saving grace was that, except for the Master Class, the mages' attacks were being neutralized by Liana and Harriet's long-range sniping.

The real threat was the Master Class, who charged with overwhelming magic resistance and defensive power.

Liana and Harriet had a significant impact on the entire battlefield. Their deaths would bring about an irreversible, tremendous loss for the entire battle.

Cliffman's best course of action was to deal with the immediate enemies.

The two of them had become far too significant.

Master Class Immortals were approaching from all sides, and he had to protect them despite not being at the Master Class level himself.

Wasn't that too presumptuous?

Wasn't that impossible?

Could someone like him really accomplish such a feat?

But it wasn't because he could that he stood there; it was because he had to.

So, he went for it.

He rushed in before the enemies could reach them.

He hadn't reached the Master Class level.

But at that moment, Cliffman's body was enveloped in a blue magic barrier, and even his sword radiated an ominous aura.

Rumble!

Fierce flames and lightning surged, and the sword glowed with a thick, blue magic light, much like an Aura Blade.

Harriet had cast the most powerful spells she could.

The most powerful mage provided the most significant support.

With this much support, it was possible.

Cliffman thrust his sword at the charging Immortal.

Squelch!

Thud!

The sword should have been deflected or shattered the Immortal's body upon impact.

But the body remained intact, as did the weapon.

It was possible.

While there were limits to his physical abilities, the limitless magic had his back.

Flash!

Liana's powerful lightning strike also provided support.

The distance was too close, and he would inevitably be electrocuted, but Harriet's protective magic prevented the lightning from having a significant impact.

Clang!

"Urgh...!"

Bang!

After repelling the charging Immortal, Cliffman swung his sword wildly, as if he had lost his mind.

His body and mind quickly adapted to the unfamiliar state.

Crack!

He repeatedly struck the Aura Armor on the Immortal's body.

Liana's lightning and Harriet's efforts to restrain the Immortal's legs and create an opportunity for a decisive blow provided support.

Screech!

Finally, the sword penetrated the Immortal's chest, and the powerful Aura enchantment within the sword itself exploded, reducing the Immortal's body to dust.

"Ha... Haa..."

One.

He had defeated one.

With the support of the most powerful magician and the strongest supernatural, Cliffman had succeeded in facing a Master Class being.

However, even after exchanging just a few blows, his body felt as if it was falling apart.

And more approached.

He had barely managed to handle one, but as the battle intensified and became more visible, more Immortals discovered the trio and approached.

Could he do it?

Cliffman wiped the rain from his face and took a deep breath.

Could he do it?

Obsessively gnawing on his thoughts, Cliffman clenched his teeth.

He had never won a battle because he was capable; not even once.

After the Gate Incident, every battle had been like that.

There were countless variables.

More enemies than expected, or unexpected foes.

It had become almost routine for his fellow soldiers to die, and he frequently returned from the battlefield alone, with everyone else dead.

People considered Cliffman strange.

Many had fought alongside him, even those more skilled, but only Cliffman always returned alive from battles where everyone else perished.

And it wasn't cowardice.

He would complete the mission alone and return.

A peculiar power.

Wasn't a talent for combat, in truth, closer to a supernatural ability?

Even his friends started to say so.

But Cliffman didn't deny their opinion.

Instead, he merely thought his talent was closer to luck than supernatural ability.

He had been lucky.

His life had been such that he could only think that way.

Even in battles where Master Class fighters died, Cliffman somehow survived.

The one who found that most bizarre was Cliffman himself.

Eventually, he started to think that he might have survived by sacrificing the lives of others.

He hadn't survived because he was strong.

Hadn't he survived by stealing someone else's luck?

There had been times when he killed the remaining monsters after the most dangerous ones and stronger fighters perished.

That's why Cliffman considered his talent to be in the realm of luck.

He knew better than anyone that he hadn't survived by fighting well or being strong.

And in a battlefield, someone's luck becomes someone else's misfortune.

He had survived through someone's misfortune.

Seeing it with his own eyes and experiencing it countless times, Cliffman had no choice but to be extremely reluctant to fight alongside someone.

If his talent was to achieve victory and survive through others' misfortune...

It was almost a curse.

So, he continued to push himself into harsh battlefields.

He wanted to fight alone in the most dangerous places.

In some sense, it was a defiance towards an unknown someone.

If it was his talent to win in any battle...

Let them see if he could survive again.

Let them see if he could survive even without allies to sacrifice in a dire situation.

In that way...

He had volunteered for suicide-like missions and yet survived in the end.

He wasn't even that strong, but he always won.

He always survived.

But not once had he taken pleasure in that victory.

What he thought was dangerous turned out not to be, and it was just a battle he could easily win.

His luck had followed him in every aspect of those battles.

It was a cursed life of victories and survival.

Cliffman now knew that his talent was not a power for strength, but a power that brought about some coincidence.

A coincidence of survival and return.

Then, because he was here, they might win the battle, but perhaps Liana and Harriet would die.

However, he couldn't not come.

He couldn't choose to keep his distance, thinking that his presence might cause their deaths.

He looked at the approaching Immortals throughout the battlefield.

Now, he was not alone.

So, he had to fight to protect them.

That's why Cliffman prayed.

His body had been strengthened through immense supportive magic, enough to face a master class.

But in the end, he had to be strong.

He had no choice but to be strong.

If he didn't surpass his limits, he would only fall.

So.

At least for today.

For just this one day.

The talent that had only guaranteed survival and living.

This time, he hoped it would grant him strength.

Dodging the enemy's sword by chance, someone else taking the hit instead of him.

He didn't need such cursed luck anymore.

A sword that could pierce through enemies.

And manifesting as a shield that could protect his friends.

So.

The talent called battle.

He wished for its direction to change now.

The countless protective and enhancing magics that Harriet had cast upon him.

Whether it was the effect of stabilization magic that acted upon his mind, he didn't know.

Or perhaps, his damned talent had responded to his desire.

Regardless, in the face of the impending crisis, Cliffman's mind became incredibly calm.

"Huuu..."

As Cliffman steadied his breathing, the boiling magical power within him soon stabilized.

And the magical power gathered in his hand holding the sword gradually flowed along the blade.

"You..."

Liana stared at Cliffman's transformation with wide eyes.

He couldn't hear her.

He could only hope.

He could only wish.

Hadn't he already had enough coincidences and luck?

Wasn't it time for that to bear fruit?

How much longer must he rely on absurd luck to scrape by with a miserable life?

A life built on coincidences is still a life.

A life gained through luck is still a life.

There was no doubt that he had accumulated experiences over time.

Coincidences eventually pile up and become something that can no longer be called a coincidence.

When luck continues, the experiences gained from that luck must eventually create something.

Even if it had been cursed misfortune up until now, it undoubtedly remained in the form of combat experience, and Cliffman himself had carried out those battles.

Never.

No one else had fought in his place.

The experience of those moments had definitely accumulated.

The lucky experiences gained at the cost of the blood of comrades and colleagues who had stood on the battlefield together had definitely piled up in the form of combat experience.

Overflowing.

Cliffman's body disappeared in an instant.

And then.

Swoosh!

The Immortal that charged to a close distance was cut in half with a single strike.

A sudden awakening.

"…What?"

"What, what is it?"

Harriet and Liana, who had seen his transformation, were rather flustered.

Cliffman rushed towards the Immortal that was charging directly at Liana and Harriet and swung his sword.

His body had surpassed its limits, and the most powerful mage in the world had cast immense enhancement magic upon him.

The only thing lacking was himself.

Now that this insufficiency was filled, it was only natural that the Immortal wouldn't notice Cliffman's approach.

No.

At this stage, Cliffman might not even need Harriet's help anymore.

-Clang! Crash! Clash!

After three swift sword clashes, Cliffman's sword pierced through the Immortal's neck as it found an opening in its chest armor.

Cliffman neither gasped in surprise nor marveled at his own feat.

With endlessly calm and cold eyes, he assessed his next target and immediately moved.

Although he had surpassed his limits, he hadn't merely opened the path to becoming a master class.

Cliffman's transformation was a bit different.

In the end.

The cursed luck that had always been with him was meant for this very moment.

By luck, by chance, he had survived.

Now, there was no longer any need for it.

No more need for chance, fortune, or luck.

Through the experiences built upon them.

The things accumulated by chance and luck had already reached a critical point.

From then on, at the end of coincidences that forced survival.

At the end of accumulated experiences.

It was only natural to become a being whose victory was inevitable.

Thus, reaching the state where there was no longer any need for luck, fortune, or chance for survival, rejuvenation, and victory.

Reaching a destiny where victory was the only possible outcome.

That is why it was inherently a growing talent, straddling the boundary of superpowers and destiny.

So. The bloody fate built upon countless sacrifices and deaths.

The talent called battle.

It had just been completed.

------

"Shaaaaa!"

The sudden downpour must have been due to Liana's power.

He understood the intention.

Indeed, the mages' barrage had become very inaccurate.

However, the immortals within sight relentlessly pursued him.

"Kugugung!"

"Uh...ugh!"

With the Flames of Tuesday, Tiamata, and Alsbringer, he pushed through the monstrous waves.

Although torrential rain fell, the Fire of Tuesday explosively evaporated the rainwater, turning it into steam that obscured the pursuers' vision. In that sense, it was rather helpful.

His focus was more on moving forward than killing the monsters.

There was no other way to describe the situation except as absurd.

The disappearance of the immortals.

It was hard to accept, but he knew what the situation was leading to.

That's why he knew that the moment he revealed himself, such a situation would soon follow.

The immortals returned and pursued him.

If the immortals succeeded in killing him, they would now try to kill Olivia, Harriet, and Liana, and hunt down the vampire lords.

His death would be the beginning.

If he died, the immortals would try to find those who followed him.

So he couldn't die.

In a way, the situation wasn't all bad.

The immortals followed him.

"Kwooaaar!"

"Whew!"

"Thud!"

All he had to do was keep moving forward.

The immortals followed he, breaking through the waves of monsters.

Monsters in front.

Immortals behind.

Was this what it was like?

He was actually doing something that seemed ridiculous, like fleeing towards the enemy lines.

Should he call it an assault-like retreat?

Rather, he didn't need to worry about attacking, he just had to step on and kick the monsters aside while moving forward.

The immortals would sweep them all away.

"I'm, here, you, sons of bitches!"

Instead, he strained himself, swinging the Flames of Tuesday and Tiamata's radiance.

While doing so, he evaporated the puddles of water with his flames, blocking their vision.

Should he call it a decoy tactic?

It was a good situation for him, whether the monsters died or the immortals were destroyed.

As long as he wasn't caught.

The moment he was caught, he would be surrounded by thousands of immortals, and there was no cunning way to survive in that situation.

While running, he had no choice but to look back to see how far the pursuers had reached, as he stepped over and evaded the monsters trying to grab and tear him apart.

Throughout his life, he had seen countless terrifying scenes, and after the Gate Incident, he had faced countless horrifying sights.

By mere appearance alone, there had been countless hideously grotesque monsters.

"Insane..."

However, he had never felt 'fear' as intensely as he did in that moment.

The torrential downpour and the waves of monsters could not stop them.

Clad in blue aura armor and wielding weapons like spears, axes, and swords, each adorned with aura blades, about a thousand Master Class warriors pursued him with single-minded determination.

Some broke through the monsters, killing them in their path, while others, like him, leaped over the monsters and charged forward.

The Master Class warriors were beings who had reached the peak among superhumans.

These beings, numbering in the thousands, furiously pursued him with the intent to kill.

Sure, the grotesque monsters were disgusting and terrifying.

However, those who could literally crush and shred the terrifying monsters, leaping tens of meters in a single bound, were coming after him.

And they were not just a few hundred, but thousands.

Kwoooo!

Monsters were shattered by the aura shockwave, not even from being hit by a weapon, but merely from the impact of their bodies.

They swarmed in droves.

There was no option to confront them.

He ran.

He had to, in order to survive.

It was the only thing to do if he wanted to live.

But, very regrettably,

Sssssss!

Kukkak!

"Ugh...ugh!"

The Immortals also had a large number of Archmages capable of long-range support.

They blanketed the area above where he was running with large-scale destructive magic.

That way, the monsters would die, and he would die along with them.

Since they couldn't properly locate him due to the rain, they indiscriminately unleashed large-scale destructive magic.

Ice spears, lightning bolts, and sudden explosions.

And then,

Plop!

"Damn it...!"

Suddenly, the ground turned into a swamp.

Thousands of Swordmasters followed me, and the blinded by the rain Archmages rained destructive magic upon him.

As if it didn't matter if the Immortals were swept away.

Gururururu!

"Ugh!"

He grabbed onto the horns of a sinking monster, stood up, and continued forward, trampling over the floundering monsters in the swamp.

Perhaps that was even better.

"Damn it!"

But they leaped after him, trampling over the other sinking Immortals in the swamp.

Those who sank also managed to struggle and escape.

If any of them touched him, it would be the end in an instant.

The Immortals were scarier than the monsters.

Kukkak!

"Kuh... ugh!"

Direct destructive magic struck his head as well.

Thanks to the aura armor and magic resistance protection, it couldn't be a fatal blow.

The magic that struck him was powerful enough to kill an ordinary person hundreds of times over.

At that moment, when he thought he might be caught by the Immortals due to the interference of the magic,

Kwooooooo!

With a deafening roar that tore through the sky, a breath of fire and lightning struck the Immortals chasing him from behind, and for a moment, a gap was created between him and the Immortals.

Gururururung!

With a speed similar to crashing down to the ground, a massive body landed right in front of my eyes.

A distinct golden figure could be seen atop the massive creature.

“Reinhardt! Get on!”

Olivia, who had mounted the dragon, gestured to him.

Had she come to save him?

Was that dragon?

He was so disoriented that he couldn't grasp what was happening on the battlefield.

The result was clear: Olivia had ridden a dragon to save him.

But the answer was predetermined.

"No! Go!"

What?!

"Go quickly! I have to stay here!"

His role was to lure the Immortals while destroying Diane.

If he were to flee, the Immortals would instead attack others.

And they might already be under attack.

He couldn't forget the worth of his ability to lure the Immortals.

The quicker he took risks, the sooner the war would end.

So he couldn't leave.

If he hesitated any longer, the Immortals would attack not only him but also Olivia.

Then, both of them would die.

He alone would bear the risk.

"Just go!"

At my shout, Olivia hesitated no longer.

“You...! You idiot...!”

Olivia gritted her teeth and yelled.

“Don't die, you fool!”

Kugugung!

The dragon, which had appeared before him, leaped roughly and soared back into the pouring rain.

It was clear that everyone was doing more than their fair share.

So, like them, he had to do more than he was capable of.

Once again, in the place where lightning and fire had swept through.

He simply ran.

Luring the Immortals.

Toward Diane, the core of this battlefield.