Chapter 85
The blue fog generated using the in-game activation method contained a chilling cold that could freeze anything it touched.
At the sight of the spreading fog, the knights scoffed and began drawing up their aura.
They, too, had some understanding of magic.
The spell used by the 4th son was merely a 2nd-circle magic.
Moreover, Ice Fog was a wide-range spell, meaning the cold itself wasn’t that strong.
They figured all they had to do was break through it quickly and wipe out everyone except the 4th son.
‘That’s probably what they’re thinking.’
I grinned at the approaching knights.
I could tell immediately what was going through their minds.
Whether it would play out the way they expected—well, we’d see soon enough.
I quickly cast Target On and designated the approaching mid-rank knight as the target.
The concentrated fog clung to his body.
“Guh! What the—?!”
A scream escaped the mid-rank knight’s lips at the unbearably cold chill that made his teeth chatter. The temperature was far beyond what he had expected.
Ssssss!
On top of that, the aura enveloping his body was melting away helplessly.
That was something only Light Attribute Magic should have been capable of.
However, Ice Fog wasn’t a Light Attribute spell.
What kind of sorcery was this?
The knight hurriedly tried to pull up more aura.
If all the aura enveloping his body melted away, he would be forced to endure the horrifying chill with his bare body.
And no ordinary human body could survive that cold.
The mid-rank knight came to a halt and began to wrestle with the cold that clung to him.
‘Just as I thought.’
As expected, Erciel’s buff was in complete opposition to their strength.
Normally, even if a real activation method was applied, the magic wouldn’t be this effective.
The knight had powered himself up significantly, after all.
But things were different now.
‘He’s holding out well for a mid-rank knight, but…’
How long could he last?
This was magic imbued with the power of an Ancient Spirit.
If he didn’t unlock more of his strength, he would eventually be consumed by the fog.
I cast Target On once more, and this time, I directed the magic at a low-rank knight rushing past the paused mid-rank one.
The fog lingering nearby clung to him just the same.
“Gyaaaah!”
Unlike the mid-rank knight, who only suffered minor burns, the low-rank knight screamed the moment the blue fog wrapped around him.
He rolled on the ground, writhing in pain.
Weaker than the mid-rank knight, he was getting utterly wrecked by the light-enhanced effects.
“Kill him!”
Meanwhile—
Excluding the downed low-rank knight and the mid-rank knight still locked in a power struggle, the remaining three knights closed the distance.
Though smoke was rising from their bodies due to brushing against the fog, they still looked full of energy.
Now it was Seron and the Duke’s turn to act.
Clang!
Clang!
Surprisingly, the two of them held their ground well.
Thanks to the buffs cast by me and Erciel, and because the knights who pierced through the fog were already afflicted by Light Attribute debuffs.
Seron swung his blade using the Modified Storm Sword technique.
And the Duke, silently holding his own in battle.
Whenever they were in danger, shields of light and defensive magic flared up to protect them.
They knew full well—if they lost here, Erciel and I would be next.
That awareness drove them to fight desperately.
Meanwhile—
I saw the mid-rank knight’s figure behind them, engulfed in dark aura.
His body still covered in frost, he was now emanating explosive power.
It looked like he had fully unleashed his strength.
I was using magic to concentrate the fog around him to restrict his movement, but I knew it wouldn’t last long.
‘He chose a path with no return.’
Every time he released that much power, his physical prowess increased—but so did the penalty.
That penalty was a gradual loss of sanity. While someone like Adolf or the senior knights might manage it, for a mere mid-rank knight to wield such power meant he’d soon become a blade-wielding beast.
‘Hitting him with magic won’t be hard.’
I reached for the magic pouch strapped to my waist.
From within, I pulled out the Staff of Valor and began casting the memorized spells one after another.
Lightning Strike, Wind Cutter, and finally, Fire Arrow.
The three attack spells stored in the staff flew toward the knight.
Each was imbued with hybrid activation techniques.
He might’ve dodged them under normal circumstances.
But his body was still covered in frost.
Restricted movement.
And with half his reason gone, he chose to face the spells head-on.
That was the worst decision.
When his sword met the incoming lightning, his body trembled.
Wind Cutter ripped through parts of his body.
The frost covering him had sealed off his aura, making my spells slice through his flesh with ease.
And finally—
Boom!
A Fire Arrow mixed with true essence exploded, and the knight’s body began to burn.
“Gaaahhhh!”
Among all the pain a human can feel, they say burning pain ranks number one.
That statement seemed perfectly accurate.
Even in a half-lost state of mind, the knight started rolling on the ground in agony.
By now, his mind must have snapped back to reality.
Though judging by the fact that his entire body was ablaze, it was already half too late.
The remaining low-rank knights couldn’t hold out for long once Erciel and I kept up the support.
After we took down the five knights who charged in—
I immediately turned my gaze toward where Baron Louis was.
There, the three knights were exchanging fierce blows.
With black aura surging from his sword, Baron Louis looked just like a dark knight.
‘Gotta admit, he looks kinda cool.’
That is, if you ignore the fact that his eyes had turned crimson and his skin now looked like the rough hide of a lizardman.
Just like the mid-rank knight earlier, it seemed the baron was drawing heavily from his power.
Even though he was also a high-rank knight, Leonhardt was at least two tiers above him in terms of skill.
And with Emern’s support plus double buffs, it was no surprise the baron was struggling.
“I’ll kill you!!”
Baron Louis’s voice had twisted into something grotesque.
It was a chilling sound, like fingernails scraping against a chalkboard.
With that eerie scream, he launched a storm-like offensive, while the two knights stood their ground and blocked every strike—a sight fit for the movies.
Without the buffs, they would’ve been overwhelmed.
That’s how intense the baron’s onslaught was.
Looking around briefly, I saw the veteran knights still locked in fierce battle.
The 3-on-1 fights showed no sign of ending.
The last of Adolf’s high-rank knights had already leapt onto the platform to clash with Abel.
For now, we had to take this troublesome baron out first.
“Hey, brother.”
Duke turned to look at me.
“What?”
“Go find my subordinates with Seron. You don’t need to stay with me anymore.”
From here on out, it was going to be a battlefield of real monsters.
No matter how talented someone was, without raw power, there would be no way to survive.
Especially for frontline fighters like Duke and Seron.
Understanding my words, they nodded.
“…Got it. Let’s go.”
“My lord, please take care of yourself.”
“Don’t worry. Just go. Once you regroup with the Sword Demon Unit, focus only on taking out the weaker ones. Don’t push yourselves. You too, brother—if it gets dangerous, just run.”
“……”
The two of them nodded solemnly and ran off toward the back.
They could take care of themselves.
Now, being near me was far more dangerous.
It was better for those who couldn’t help much to withdraw.
The only one left by my side now was Erciel.
A spirit summoner who handled spirits perfectly suited to fight darkness.
She was top-tier support, even capable of damaging high-rank knights.
“Don’t leave my side. Ever.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Then let’s take that bastard down first.”
After speaking, I signaled Leonhardt with a glance.
A sign to hold the baron down.
Understanding perfectly, he charged at the baron with everything he had.
Clang!
As their swords clashed directly in a test of strength, my magic began creeping toward the baron’s back.
It was Slow, a 2nd-circle spell.
He was an expert-level knight, so it wouldn’t affect him completely, but it wasn’t like it would fail entirely either.
Emern also joined in holding him down.
Thanks to that, my magic landed clean.
Sssssk!
As the Slow spell penetrated his body, a faint mist surrounded him, and the baron’s movements began to slow.
“W-What is this!?”
A magic full of light-attribute energy.
The baron’s bewildered gaze naturally turned toward me.
And without hesitation, he charged.
But his attempt was easily stopped.
The two high-rank knights blocked his path.
Just as expected.
Tanks were essential in a raid.
With my spells and Erciel’s support piling on, Baron Louis was gradually being pushed back by the two knights.
“Grhh…”
The more he was pushed, the darker the aura emanating from his body became.
He must’ve been limiting his power until now.
He probably didn’t want to lose his soul.
‘Still…’
He must’ve judged that dying was worse, so he floored the gas.
Now, there were no brakes left for him.
I cast buff spells once again on Leonhardt and Emern.
I’d taken down far tougher opponents than this guy hundreds of times before—so Baron Louis wouldn’t be a problem.
Especially not with party members helping me like now.
We beat down the mindless monster just like a raid boss.
And finally—
“Guh… ngh…”
Two swords pierced through the center of his chest—where his heart lay—and the baron’s body began to shrivel.
The price of overusing power.
That price was a pitifully withered body.
“Whew…”
“…What a monstrous power.”
There wasn’t even time to click my tongue in awe.
There were still ten high-rank knights left.
First, I had to do something about the nine still fiercely fighting below the stage.
I reached into my magic pouch and pulled out a high-grade mana potion I had prepared in advance.
It was expensive, but I didn’t hesitate.
Gulp.
As I drank every last drop, a refreshing sensation spread through my mouth.
Blue mana began swirling in the circle that had felt so empty just a moment ago.
Easily worth three platinum coins.
With my energy recharged, it was time to move again.
“Let’s go.”
At my words, my companions nodded.
And just like that, we began moving toward the three veteran knights.
—
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