175 – The Tenth Stratum – The Realm of Demons and The Awakened Interceptors 8 / Events 2 Part 2

When Gla-la was defeated, his invisibility was canceled.

The location of the necromancer Kimaris is also revealed to the enemy.

Removing what is necessary, his decision to recover them was correct.

He himself used Bella’s Zombie to deploy an ice wall to guard against the slashes.

「I wanna take down that Elf chick too.」

Stolas aims her bow at Hamill.

However, it is extremely difficult to find an empty space in between the countless slashes. Also, there is no time.

「As an individual, you are probably better than me. However…」

Stolas has figured it out.

A party is made up of five people. And they have to defeat a lot of Monsters.

The skill required by each person is considerable.

Even so, it is basically assumed that the Hero party will Clear the Dungeon.

Heroes are overwhelming forces, but even the Adventurers who support them are important.

So how do you defeat such Adventurers?

It is a fact that most Monsters who challenge a Hero to a one-on-one fight cannot win.

This hard fact, with some exceptions, will never be overturned in a person’s lifetime.

Yet even then, they can lose.

If your numbers are large, make good use of them.

If you can’t win in a one-on-one battle, then make use of your power for something other than that.

So long as it results in the total annihilation of the Adventurers, then that is an absolute win for the Monsters.

「I thank you all for your dedication.」 

At the moment after their invisibility wore off, the Hellhounds and the Skeletons all ran toward Stolas.

There are those who didn’t make it in time, but there are those who did.

The Hellhounds leap and the Skeletons raise their shields.

They offer their lives to decrease the number of slashes that are assaulting Stolas and blocking her line of sight.

One Skeleton throws away its shield and stands in front of Stolas, arms spread.

To Stolas, that was the best possible support she could ever get.

The last of them broke and shattered. Soon after, even Stolas’s body was torn up.

But she made it in time.

She fired one shot.

She found a gap the size of the eye of a needle in between all his sword swings and fired.

Stolas uses her bow as a shield to remain on the field for even a moment longer.

For if she perishes, then the arrow would disappear as well. So she wants to survive at least until the arrow hits him.

And then…the arrow pierces Hamill’s right leg.

「You’re kiddin’ me…」

I think I know who Hamill saw in Stolas.

It takes someone like Suuri to pull off the archery technique that she did just now.

He is falling, but he still hasn’t been defeated.

This is because there was someone to stop his fall gently with Wind Magic.

「Whoa…thanks, Ewan buddy. You doin’ alright?」

「Yes, somehow.」

Ewan was struggling with a lot of Zombie opponents, but now that most of them were gone, he could focus on his own Zombie.

Ewan’s Zombie was aiming for Hamill so he splendidly took that opportunity and succeeded in destroying it.

As a result, he was able to help out Hamill.

「But, y’know…」

「Yeah, I do.」

It isn’t over yet.

From the battered and broken ice wall, an additional snowball was being formed.

The snowball was sent out on a collision course with Ewan.

Right now, Hamill is behind him, so Ewan has no choice but to stand his ground and intercept it.

He fired a huge Wind Blade directly in front of him, but his eyes went wide with shock at the figure that jumped out of the cut-up snowball.

「Bella…!」

Barely dodging the Wind Blade, Bella’s Zombie closes in on Ewan.

Due to his acquaintance with Bella, Ewan is bewildered by the Zombie’s actions.

This certainly doesn’t seem like something Bella would do.

Engaging the enemy in hand-to-hand combat.

It grew blades of ice from the palms of its hands and was skilfully slashing and stabbing at him.

Also, there was someone running atop the broken snowball.

It was Kimaris.

「We can see you, y’know?」

「I know full well.」

He deftly fended off Hamill’s Flying Slashes.

He may be a Necromancer, but he has the Aptitude of a Warrior.

Subsequently, the water flow created by Ice Magic was completed.

Kimaris skilfully glides across the route of ice that looks like a wave or a rainbow.

He was headed towards Hamill.

Any Flying Slashes aimed at Kimaris will be fended off, and even if he were to destroy the ice route, it can easily reform itself.

Kimaris always seems to pass by his right side, so Hamill cannot currently display his usual abilities.

With his right arm and leg damaged, he has to face and cut down his enemy with his left arm and leg.

「Gh… I’m sorry, Bella. It appears I will be destroying your Avatar. If you have any complaints, you can tell them to me next we meet!」

Ewan cut off Bella’s arm with his Holy Sword, then stabbed it in the heart, and from there, sliced upwards towards its head.

Her Avatar was released from its necromancy and scatters.

「…This doesn’t feel right at all.」

Defeating the user should cause the road of ice to disappear.

Ewan was about to go and help Hamill when…he noticed a sword came flying in Hamill’s direction.

「Ts!」

He swung his Holy Sword as quickly as he could, but there was no way he could make it in time.

However, in the end, the trajectory of the sword that was thrown by Kimaris deviated, cutting Ewan’s cheek and flying past him.

Kimaris’s aim was never Hamill in the first place.

He wanted his heart to waver even slightly by letting him strike down Bella and taking advantage of his desire to immediately go to Hamill’s aid to deal a decisive blow.

Kimaris’s specialty is ultimately necromancy.

Unless you are a martial artist of Furcus’s caliber, a master of high-level necromancy will have a tough time challenging a Hero.

Having lost his ghosts, all that’s left is honest to goodness swordplay.

If magic is involved, victory will be difficult.

Knowing this, he came up with a plan.

「…That did not go as planned.」

Kimaris’s body shifted diagonally and quickly turned into Magical Energy particles.

He was sliced by Hamill.

The Monsters of the first area were defeated.

Ewan was stunned and stared at his own sword.

「No…just now, that was…」

「Yo~, Ewan buddy.」

「…? Th-that’s right. Sir Hamill!」

Returning to his senses, Ewan rushes to Hamill’s side.

「Quickly, use a repair potion!」

「Nah man, it’s too late for that.」

Avatar Repair Potions are a temporary measure.

Hamill’s wounds are deep, but if they were to use it right away, he may be able to stay alive till the final area.

Of course, assuming that he goes to the final area practically without any stops, but…

If he can do that, someone as skilled as Hamill could probably still contribute to this Clear.

Unfortunately, this was not meant to be.

「That big doggie got me good.」

Gla-la’s claws destroyed Hamill’s Repair Potion.

You are only allowed to use your own items, so Ewan can’t lend him his.

「…?! Ah…that’s why Kimaris…」

「Probably. I’m a pawn that can’t be left alone until the end, so he used me as a way to catch ya off guard. But hey, nice parry back there, lil’ dude.」

Air Armor demands very delicate Magical Energy management. It is difficult to maintain the Wind Magic around you with a certain level of defensive power while matching your movements.

Since he had just released a giant Wind Blade and fought with Bella, he did not have Air Armor on when the sword came flying his way.

Even if it sounds convenient, it isn’t feasible to always have it on and continue to fight.

「That was…merely a coincidence. At that time, all I could think of was coming to Sir Hamill’s aid. The thought of being attacked didn’t even occur to me.」

Ewan looked down.

There were no more Magical Energy signatures of Zombies and Kimaris himself possesses no form of long-range attacks.

It isn’t strange to think as he did.

This is exactly why Kimaris threw his sword at him.

「Ain’t that great? Not only the Spirit, but luck is your ally too!」

「…」

「Come on, get a move on, buddy. You’re a Hero too, right?」

While being able to help Hamill once, he got through fighting against the Zombies of several excellent Adventurers without a scratch and fulfilled the proclamation he made in the beginning to destroy Bella and his own Avatars.

He no longer has any weaknesses that the enemy can take advantage of.

Ewan raised his head and there was a smile on his face. A smile to keep himself going.

「I’ll be off.」

「The rest is up to you, heh.」

「Leave it to me!」

Ewan headed towards the door with Wind Magic and he soon disappeared into the passageway connecting this area with the second area.

During that time, Hamill had a foolhardy smile on his face as he was left behind, but as soon as Ewan couldn’t see him anymore, his expression began to warp.

Into one of extreme regret.

「…Dammit.」

He slowly drags his Magical Energy leaking body, using his sword as a cane, towards the door.

He wants to get to the battlefield where his leader, the Thunder Hero Scathach, is.

Unfortunately, this was not meant to be.

He probably knows this all too well, but that will not stop him from trying his best to reunite with his comrades until this body shatters.

The number of Adventurers left at this point in time…is six.