Train from Lundeen to Tergesti (4)
The seawater that had risen into the sky soon poured down toward the port facilities.
Ding ding ding ding ding―
The warning bell rang loudly, but to no avail.
The remaining crew members on board struggled to keep their balance, while the steamer’s porters desperately tried to tie down the cargo.
In this situation, even if you shouted for people to get off the boat, the people guarding the luggage would not move.
The port was full to capacity, and every ship anchored was full of people and cargo. It was impossible to evacuate everyone within a few minutes.
Finally, one of the ships that was farthest away was caught in the devil’s double wings.
Kukukukung!
Wow!
The collision caused a loud noise and light that shook the heavens and the earth.
Three or four nearby boats completely capsized and began to sink in the rising seawater.
The porters who had been on board the ship were thrown out onto the surface. Those who tried to rescue them were unable to get close due to the chaos caused by the demons.
Clio’s eyes widened.
‘We must not let that demon enter the harbor!’
Clayo himself is level 5, Arthur is level 6.
His circle range is 80m, Arthur’s attack range is 200m.
The conditions in the water were extremely unfavorable.
To defeat the demon in one go, Cleo can’t use his usual magic or Arthur’s usual skills.
‘There must be a way. Think of it!’
No matter how mysterious the swordsman is, he cannot fight on the surface of the water.
Cleo, who was leaning halfway out to the sea, holding his wand in one hand and leaning on the balcony railing with the other, only then realized that his hands were shaking.
Now even “separation” is not a perfect defense.
Are you afraid of the devil?
no.
The water in which the demon moved was suddenly frightening. The black substance that no longer looked like the sea.
The remaining evidence that he was not the full ‘Cleo Aser’ caught the wizard’s ankles.
Clio forced himself to exhale a few times, his breathing difficult to catch.
He consciously recalled the warm rain in the amphitheater and the water that had not threatened him.
Then, I remembered my mother Lee Myeong-hwa’s soft voice. It was the same voice that had comforted me when I was young and afraid of typhoons.
‘It’s okay, not all big waters will harm you.’
As if by a miracle, the shaking subsided.
Cleo extended his wand and unleashed a clear-cut [Leap][Slow] magic formula.
Then he jumped straight down onto the deck of the cargo ship.
The distance between the cargo ship deck and the balcony was close to 80 meters, filling up Clayo’s circle range.
Furry!
Landing on the deck, Kleio lost his balance and stumbled outside the circle.
Isiel quickly caught him as he was about to collapse after losing his magical support.
The boat rocked back and forth due to the waves raised by the demon. Clio barely managed to stay standing, holding on to Isiel’s arm.
Although it was a funny sight, there was no time to delay, so Cleo quickly relayed his plan.
“That demon’s weak point is the one spot on the tent’s top that isn’t transparent. If we don’t kill it with a single blow, all the ships in this port will capsize!”
Like Clayo, Isiel, who had read the entire 『Encyclopedia of Demonic Beasts』, nodded.
“As expected, the submerged octavo was right.”
Arthur, who had raised his temper as if he had never been nit-picking before, responded while glaring at the demon without moving an inch.
“You want me to catch him with one swing of the sword?”
“okay.”
Arthur glanced down at his sword and nodded as if he had decided on something.
“Okay. I’ll try. Anything.”
Clio could tell that Arthur would definitely carry out his promise.
For example, even if you are on the verge of death, you can scrape out all the ether from the bottom of the bowl and put it in one blow.
‘No, that’s not it…!’
Crash!
slam!
But the boat was rocking so hard that I couldn’t speak quickly enough for fear of biting my tongue.
Clio was barely able to continue talking only after clinging to Isiel like a cicada.
“I’m not saying you should go all out. I’ll help you. We’ll go together. Can you hold on to me and jump over all those steamers and get as close to the devil as you can?”
Arthur answered immediately.
“It’s possible. But what are you going to do?”
Combinations of flying magic that would allow you to fly long distances were impossible. Even if you could float for a moment, you would immediately fall if you left the circle range.
But for short distances it was a different story.
“If a demon enters my circle range, I will lift your body into [body buoyancy]. Follow me closely and cut me with the core. It’s more powerful to cut me directly than with [Circle of Attack].”
It was a very risky plan.
It was rare for a wizard to be at the forefront, and even when he was, it was very rare for him to be on good terms with a knight.
Knights and wizards had significantly different reaction speeds and different understandings of combat.
It was not easy for a wizard to protect himself and assist a knight in a dangerous situation.
Knights also needed to be skilled in using magic effectively. But where did they learn such skills?
As a classmate of the Capital Defense Academy, you form a group and practice together all the time, and unless you have a friend who you see all the time, you rarely use combat magic.
But Arthur and Cleo were different.
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Clayo and Arthur’s collaboration was surprisingly efficient, perhaps because they fought together when Arthur was reaching level 6.
Even so, it was too risky a plan for a wizard. Arthur’s handsome brow furrowed.
Arthur, who had been considering all of these factors for a short time, nodded reluctantly to Cleo’s second suggestion, as he could not think of any better option.
“Okay. Let’s go right away.”
“I will take care of it.”
“Thank you, Isiel. I trust you. Then Ray.”
“huh.”
Arthur quickly stretched out one arm and folded Clayo.
Experiencing the free-wheeling movements of a level 6 inspector while his body was crumpled in half made his stomach churn, but Kleio held back with his eyes wide open.
Arthur moved his body as if he was wearing magic, even without [Leap] magic. Every time he jumped from one side to another, the distance between him and the demon became shorter.
Arthur stepped onto the deck of the ferry that was the furthest away, then jumped down onto the debris of the ship floating at the entrance to the harbor.
The cries of the steamship crew were heard.
“what!”
“You can’t just jump down here!”
Arthur barely swayed as he stood on the stormy sea, relying only on the wreckage of the ship’s deck.
It was a product of exquisite [reinforcement] and a sense of balance.
Kookwakwang!
Swish!
Did he notice that you were trying to attack him?
Octavo quickly folded the eight layers of paper that had been lying on the floor upward to form a defensive barrier.
The sea was violently tossing and turning.
Cleo, who had been gritting his teeth and enduring the fight despite his stiff spine and seawater getting into his eyes, finally realized that the demon had entered the range of his circle.
Arthur also quickly figured it out.
A sword as tall as Arthur extended from Beg’s sword.
A brilliant black aura that seemed to vaporize water and extinguish fire rose like a torch over the night sea.
“Now is the time!”
Phew!
The five-layer magic formula of [Leap], [Airborne], [Tracking], [Acceleration], and [Amplification] rose above the water, illuminating the entire range of the circle.
The circle that rose above the water was solid enough to feel material, conjuring up visions of a kingdom lost to the seabed.
The crew members who were desperately trying to save the cargo ship and the passengers on the ferry who were holding on to the capsized lifeboat forgot about their own situation and were simply lost in the wonder of that magic.
Arthur’s arm holding Clayo also gained strength.
The wizard opened his constricted throat and pulled out the mantra.
My mind was washed away by the cold sea water, and my thoughts seemed to come to mind more clearly.
“We pass through the eyes of the starry sky,
I jump into the abyss of snow white,
Death and chaos and night
From the sound of our emergency
“I will flee like a mist pursued by the power of the storm.”1)
Swaaaaaaah!
A fierce etheric storm arose from Clayo’s magic circle, pushing the dark blue sea water far away.
As if responding to the violent movement of the ether that was enough to expose the seabed, the tattered wings of the demon were torn off.
“Go! Arthur!”
Arthur’s body rose into the air.
He felt a momentary lightness, a release from gravity as he emerged from the wreckage of the sinking ferry.
‘It feels like I have wings on my ankles.’
Extreme concentration, a strange sense of stability as if an ether that is not your own envelops your whole body, a storm of brilliant halos blowing for you, an omnipotence that seems to be yours, free from all the constraints of this world.
Shaaaaat!
Shasha shot!
Brrrrrrr!
Octavo, feeling the etheric reaction, started to create increasingly more terrifying winds.
Clio struggled to hold on. His arms felt like they were being ripped off as he held onto the steamer debris.
Boooow!
Arthur’s sword energy, which had been stretched out, suddenly lengthened like a spear of light.
All the ether that was spinning around Kleio’s magic was sucked into Arthur’s sword at once.
So the wizard placed another shining sword in Arthur’s hand.
Time slows down to a thousandth of a second.
Arthur feels a hallucination as if he is seeing this moment from multiple perspectives simultaneously.
The extremely expanded field of vision gives Arthur a sense of near omnipotence.
The core of the demon is clearly visible like a target right in front of your nose, and Clayo’s back, pale and trembling, is also clearly visible.
You can overlook the entire harbor, while the anchors and shadows of ships floating under the sea come into view.
That’s why I could tell.
‘Only one blow is possible.’
If he is counterattacked, Kleio will not be able to withstand it.
Arthur moved calmly.
Not a single one of the onlookers caught Arthur’s movements.
The power of a level 6 swordsman and the magic of unparalleled speed combined on his sword, forming a speed that no human could ever achieve.
Swish.
The black energy that appeared white due to several layers of light suddenly cut through the core of the octavo.
As the demon tried to dodge the blade by sliding his body, the black energy curved and stuck to him as if it were a living thing.
The blade fell apart into individual sheets without a sound, as if the paper was being cut by a sharp paper knife.
The scattered pieces of hair began to fray from the ends and soon began to tear apart.
Shh shh shh shh shh shh!
The demon annihilated itself, coloring the early evening sky with aurora.
Swaaaaaaah!
Fragments of the demon’s sword scattered everywhere.
The sea soon darkened, but the afterimages of Arthur’s sword and Clayo’s magic still sparkled brightly.
‘Okay. I did it right…’
All magic formulas were completely destroyed.
Kleio, who had not a single drop of ether left, collapsed with his strength drained. A sour taste of blood came into his mouth.
Kwaaaaang!
The sound arrived later than the movement.
The remains of the collapsing demon reaper caused a violent explosion as soon as they touched the water.
The aftermath soon coalesced into tidal waves.
Overwhelmed by the massive wall of water, Cleo froze and let go of his grip on the mast.
‘Oh, shit!’
The sea water roared and swallowed Arthur as he fell to the surface, and Clio as he missed the fragments of the mast.
The blood overflowing from his neck spread like ink into the waves.
Arthur’s body also froze. With all the ether extracted at once, the magic was also released, and for a moment he was unable to move his limbs.
As soon as the stiffness of a few seconds subsided, Arthur reached out his hand urgently.
However, Cleo’s powerless body passed Arthur’s fingertips and was dragged deeper into the sea.
“ray…!”
1) 『Prometheus Unbound』 Act IV, Percy Bysshe Shelley.
