Episode 877: Luck is a skill! (2)
Kwung!
Gattros took a step forward, his expression twisted.
“Alfoy, the man who defeated God.”
He first heard that moniker when the duke’s family was preparing for civil war.
Even Raoul, who was his chief of staff at the time, couldn’t quite grasp the truth of the information.
It was a preposterous story, but at the same time, it was too unsettling to ignore.
So he placed Alfoy on the radar and began investigating.
However, as the civil war intensified, all eyes of the duke’s family turned to the Duke of Fenris, and the investigation into Alfoy fell into disarray.
That decision was a regret that still plagued Gattros to this day.
“Back then… I should have found you and killed you somehow…”
The discomfort eventually became reality.
Every time the school lost a war, the name Alfoy was secretly mentioned.
Later, when he heard rumors that Alfoy had captured a dragon, Gattros felt like the puzzle was finally falling into place.
The Duke of Fenris’s incomprehensible growth rate.
The success was too numerous to be coincidence.
The timing was always miraculous.
It was as if the heavens were doing everything in their power to support him.
But what if a 9th Circle mage had been interfering with the Duke of Fenris?
It was entirely possible. All the circumstances that had eluded him finally made sense.
Of course, he couldn’t have been a 9th Circle from the start. If he had, he would have openly revealed himself and attacked the Duke’s family.
But he was undoubtedly a genius among geniuses. After all, hadn’t he reached the 9th Circle at such a young age?
They were doomed to continue to suffer. The enemy had so perfectly hidden such a secret weapon.
“By the time I realized you, the war was already lost. So how could I not be resentful?”
“Hip!”
“I swore to the heavens then.”
“Hip!”
“If the king is found and the doctrine’s power is revived…”
Gattros roared in a voice that seemed to contain a thousand years of resentment.
“I will find you and destroy you!”
And now the one who had ruined the plan had appeared of his own accord.
The one he wanted to kill as much as the Duke of Fenris himself!
Gatros couldn’t help but believe this was a blessing bestowed upon him by the Demon God.
“Yes, there’s no way you’d miss such an important battle. You were planning to sneak in behind the scenes again this time.”
He was unusually talkative, for he was so excited and happy.
“Hiccup!”
Of course, Alfoy still couldn’t understand a word of what was being said. He just kept hiccuping in fear.
However, one thing was certain:
That person was making a terrible mistake.
Alfoy mustered up his courage and cautiously opened his mouth.
“U-Um… I think you’ve mistaken me. I’ll retreat now, so you finish the fight with these two. I-I’ll cheer you on, even if only inwardly.”
“Shut up, you punk! Where did you dare to twitch your cunning tongue!”
Gatros cut Alfoy off immediately, to avoid any more of his possible manipulation.
If the Duke of Fenris was the hero at the forefront, Alfoy was the mastermind, orchestrating everything from behind the scenes.
When dealing with such a sinister man, you can never let your guard down.
In fact, it was a misunderstanding born from tangled information… … ,
but there was no longer a chance to clear up the misunderstanding.
KWAAAAH!
As Gatros raised his hand, dark energy began to gather frantically in the sky.
“Now that you’ve caught my eye, it will be impossible to plot secretly.”
The next moment, Gatros thrust his hand down and shouted,
“I now have the power to kill even a 9th Circle wizard!”
The concentrated darkness poured down like a waterfall toward Alfoy.
KWAAAAHHHH!
Jerome and Vanessa simultaneously deployed shields to block Alfoy.
The force was so strong that both their bodies trembled and were instantly pushed back. Gatros was truly pouring his heart into Alfoy.
KWAAAAH! KWAAAAH! KWAAAAH!
The powerful barrage of darkness poured down without stopping.
Jerome and Vanessa were helpless and could only focus on defending.
Even the slightest evasion would surely kill Alfoy behind them.
Jerome turned around and shouted,
“Alfoy! Get out of here! Get out of here!”
It wasn’t for Alfoy.
Jerome and Vanessa were currently fighting within a meticulously crafted plan. The others were risking their lives for it.
For this one chance to turn the tide.
But then Alfoy appeared, shaking everyone. Now, let alone seizing the opportunity, it was becoming difficult to even hold on.
In short, Alfoy had made the biggest mistake of his life.
But it was okay. Even now, if Alfoy runs away, I can regroup… … .
Then Alfoy spoke in a trembling voice.
“I’m alone… I can’t get out of here…”
“What?”
“How can I get through that… It’s scary… Put up a shield… And what if he chases me? I don’t think he’ll let me go…”
Enormous energies were entangled and running wild from all directions.
Just looking at it made Alfoy’s legs tremble.
The very idea of running away required courage. No, that Gattros would definitely chase after him.
Running meant certain death.
Hearing that answer, Jerome and Vanessa’s faces were tinged with despair.
Of course, Gattros’s expression was filled with joy in contrast.
“Are you out of options! Alfoy!”
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
Gatros continued his attack without stopping.
An overwhelming darkness that blackened their vision.
He was determined to pulverize all three of them, making it impossible for them to even breathe.
Jerome and Vanessa gritted their teeth and protected Alfoy. Their magic was being consumed so meaninglessly.
Looking at the situation, Alfoy also realized that he had done something wrong.
He muttered softly in apology.
“I-I’ll help too.”
Since the two were defending, if he took the offense(?)… wouldn’t the balance somehow be right?
Alfoy said, drawing out his magic as much as possible.
“I-I think my magic can deal some damage to him.”
Self-proclaimed 9th Circle magic.
The ultimate cataclysmic parallel distributed magic multi-flame cannon, the thirty-two paths of the end.
The magic Alfoy had so grandly named finally manifested itself into the world.
“Whoosh!”
In an instant, thirty-two fireballs appeared in midair.
Alfoy had truly given it his all. He had never cast magic with such fervent will in his life.
But the magic he had ambitiously cast… … .
Piscisik… … .
Before it could reach Gattros, it was snuffed out like a candle, overwhelmed by the surrounding overwhelming aura.
Jerome and Vanessa’s expressions hardened with despair once again.
“It’s no use…”
“Uh, what should I do…”
But then, a surprising reaction came from the other party.
“Pwaaaaak! ”
Gattros suddenly stepped back, taking a defensive stance.
The moment he saw the thirty-two flames, a chill ran down his spine.
“It has… no power?”
No, it felt more like it had been intentionally left empty.
Gattros’s eyes narrowed.
“That can’t be.”
There’s no way a 9th Circle wizard, not even that “Alfoy,” would use such shabby magic.
He immediately concluded,
“It’s bait.”
The moment he reacted, the real thing must have struck him from behind.
Gattros’s mouth twisted upward.
“As expected of a sinister bastard… … . Yes, with your skill, this kind of performance should be easy.”
Even the display of multiple chanting was impressive. And to execute thirty-two simultaneously? This was
something even the most brilliant wizards of all time had failed to achieve.
“Let’s move cautiously. That’s a 9th Circle wizard who’s even faced dragons.”
And he’s incredibly sinister.
Even the slightest letdown will surely lead to defeat.
He paused his attacks, cautiously scanning his surroundings.
Thanks to this, Jerome and Vanessa were able to breathe a sigh of relief.
“…”
“…”
The two were silent for a moment.
Fortunately, they still didn’t understand why Gattros was acting like that.
In any case, this was an opportunity.
Just as Vanessa quickly placed a shield on Alfoy and was about to send him flying backwards,
Jerome reached out and stopped her.
“Wait a minute.”
“Why? Get Alfoy out of here…”
“Maybe…”
Gatorx was obsessed with Alfoy, to the point of being excessive. Not only that, but he was hypersensitive to even the slightest movement.
If he were to exploit this… … . If
Alfoy continued to draw Gatorx’s attention… … .
Then, Gatorx began attacking again.
BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!
Darkness surged from all sides, and strange patterns flew wildly. It was a technique to prevent magic from properly manifesting.
Jerome and Vanessa had no choice but to focus on defense, shielding Alfoy once again.
However, Jerome’s mind was spinning faster than ever.
“Should we try? Or should we?”
Everyone was holding on for a single opportunity. If he gave the signal, they would move immediately.
The problem was that this situation was completely unplanned.
It was created solely because of Alfoy.
So if it fails… … .
everyone here is annihilated.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Amidst the encroaching darkness, Jerome gritted his teeth.
‘We just have to protect Alfoy. If Gattros continues to target Alfoy… … . If Vanessa and I can escape even for a moment… … .’
But it wasn’t an easy decision. He didn’t know the extent of Gattros’s obsession.
Then, in his wavering mind, what Giselle had said came to mind.
―He… … has a strange power… … .
― And he… … strangely doesn’t die… … .
― So… … just in case this time… … .
A determined light appeared in Jerome’s eyes.
‘Yes, this is our chance. Our last chance, given by God.’
No, maybe… … .
It really was an opportunity created by Alfoy.
So, like Giselle had said, he decided to believe in Alfoy’s ridiculous luck.
Jerome, having made his decision, shouted loudly.
“Parniel—!”
Kwaaaaang!
Parniel appeared through the dark storm.
Abandoning the Tagmah she was fighting, she moved at Jerome’s signal.
Jerome rose into the sky and shouted again.
“Protect Alfoy!”
A moment of confusion crossed Parniel’s face. But there was no hesitation in her actions.
She quickly pulled a bracelet from her bosom. It was the relic of Deneb, given to her by Fiote.
Wearing the bracelet, Parniel immediately blocked Alfoy’s path.
Boom!
The darkness that had struck her body vanished into nothing. The relic had consumed Parniel’s divine power, nullifying the attack.
“Ugh…”
Parniel bit her lip, though she felt no pain. Every time she was attacked, her divine power was drained tremendously.
Kwaaaaaaaah!
Soon, Caor and Lucas appeared, covered in blood. Belinda and Gillian, also covered in blood, joined them.
Finally, Erenes, his armor shattered in several places, appeared, and even the apostles gathered there.
Kwaaaaah! Kwaaaaah! Kwaaaaah!
The battlefield exploded again.
The earth split, the air tore, and the surroundings were literally shattered.
In the midst of it all, Parniel made a decision.
“Alphoy! Stay still!”
Kwak!
She hugged Alphoy and fell to the ground. This was a storm that couldn’t be handled simply by blocking its path. In
any case, the massive Parniel was able to perfectly embrace and protect the tiny Alphoy.
The sight was as if meeting a lover she hadn’t seen in a long time… no, it was as intense as a giant lion pounced on a stray lamb.
‘Why should I…?’
She didn’t know why she had to do this. She was simply following Jerome’s orders.
Of course, thinking of Alphoy trapped beneath her did cause her to feel a bit of self-loathing.
Gatorus pointed at Parniel and shouted loudly,
“We must kill him first!”
The other apostles also felt something strange.
The darkness that had passed by Parniel was all but vanishing into nothingness.
An incomprehensible phenomenon.
Parniel’s incomprehensible actions.
Gatorus’s incomprehensible urgency.
But one thing was clear.
The being Parniel was protecting was incredibly important.
That was a huge misunderstanding, but… … No one had time to think deeply.
Kwaaaaah!
Soon, the apostles’ attacks were concentrated on Parniel. The more it did, the more her divine power was rapidly depleted.
Gritting her teeth, Parniel’s eyes wavered.
‘I can’t hold out much longer.’
A few more direct hits and her divine power would be completely depleted.
Her other friends were blocking it, but they couldn’t take all the attacks for her.
And there was another problem… …
“Ugh, I’m suffocating… Don’t hug me so tightly. Move away a little… No, can’t you just protect me with your divine power and throw me far away? You don’t need me now that everyone’s here. I want to go far away.”
“….”
Alfoy’s whining from below was testing her mental limits.
Attacked from both sides, Parniel finally heard a welcome voice.
“Everyone, back off!”
There was no time to think.
Parniel, holding Alfoy in her arms, immediately flew forward.
The others followed her, retreating in unison.
The apostles, too, chased after her, emitting a torrent of dark energy. No, they tried to chase after her.
If only a gigantic golden meteor hadn’t fallen
from the sky…
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
The apostles all looked up at the sky, their expressions hardened.
The golden meteor held tremendous power. The aftereffects of the energy alone caused the darkness that had covered the area to burn and disperse.
Gatros trembled and said,
“Th-that…” It was
a magic he had seen in the previous war.
Back then, he had been struck by that magic and nearly had his soul purified.
Not even ordinary darkness could withstand it. It was a magic with such terrifying power.
He had pressed on relentlessly, trying to stop the magic from being used. But because of Alfoy, he had momentarily forgotten.
“You tricked me again! Alfoy!”
He had never done that.
It was just Gatros who misunderstood and expanded the board alone.
The other apostles naturally fell prey to that misunderstanding.
But Gatros quickly gave a crooked smile.
“If you think I’m the same as back then, you’re sorely mistaken.”
He had awakened to the power of an apostle. It was a level incomparable to his previous state.
And he had already told the other apostles about that magic.
Rahamod spoke with a sharp gaze.
“So, that spell has finally been cast. Let’s block it first. It won’t work a second time, so just block it and it’ll be over. The one who cast that spell will expend all their magic and collapse.”
Judging by the situation, everyone on the other side was exhausted. In contrast, we still had some energy left.
Blocking that spell would consume a significant amount of energy, but if we could just block it, we’d have the advantage again.
KWAAAAAAH!
The apostles all raised their spirits.
Darkness unfolded like a curtain, instantly covering them. The billowing curtain of darkness rose into the sky as if trying to swallow the world.
Soon, the golden meteor and the curtain of darkness collided head-on.
KWAAAAHHHH!
The golden meteor couldn’t penetrate the curtain of darkness.
The curtain of darkness couldn’t swallow the golden meteor either.
Unable to push or destroy each other,
the two forces interlocked and stopped in midair.
Without an inch of wavering, a perfect balance.
The moment he saw that scene…
Jerome’s face, floating in the sky, hardened.
