[Hilde]
Brunhilde’s engraved ability grants immense strength at the cost of stamina, accelerating the speed of her sword with endless ferocity.
“Haaah!”
The storm of sword light spreads like a curtain, the swung black iron sword tearing through the air, sparking with fury.
KAGAGAGAGA!
Shattered light and broken metal scatter explosively like a splash of water.
An unprecedented frenzy of slashes. The endless merging of lines forms a curtain of blades that deflects and shatters the spheres of holy light like breadcrumbs.
And—
“GWAHAH!”
Beyond the dazzling beams of light erupting like fireworks. A boulder monkey, looking crude like a child’s doodle, comes crashing down with a fist the size of my head.
“Get lost―!”
It doesn’t stop.
I lock onto the incoming rocky fist like a cannonball and charge forward.
My arms feel like they might snap, my lungs ready to burst.
But the curtain of blades I wield at such a steep cost shreds the rock golem’s fist, digging deep into its forearm and disassembling everything on my knees.
WHOOSH!
The misty sand transforms into waves and engulfs the surroundings.
A slashing curtain that crushes everything it touches into dust. The dire blows I’ve unleashed lead me deeper into the territory where Brunhilde once set foot.
In exchange for the wounds and blood pouring from my body.
POOF!
An arrow that I couldn’t deflect gets lodged in my thigh, an unexpected hit.
“Ugh…!”
The torn flesh burns with a pain like fire.
CRACK!
Three arrows shot in rapid succession penetrate my shoulder, needles jabbing through like a porcupine.
“Ugh…!”
Dozens of big needles skewering my muscle. It felt like a tiny lightning bolt struck my shoulder.
THWACK!
An arrow veers toward me at an angle, smashing against my armor with the force of a mace.
“GHAAK!”
In an instant, I find it hard to breathe, the air left in my lungs bursting forth in a cough mixed with saliva. It wouldn’t be strange if my ribs cracked from the impact.
Fresh blood oozes out. My body wobbles as it threatens to topple.
‘No. Not yet. Not yet.’
I can’t fall yet.
I grit my teeth, glaring fiercely, forcing my shaky knee to stand tall.
This level of pain, I could endure, no problem.
No, I had to endure.
Because that’s how I grow stronger.
“Ugh, AAAAAH!”
I push back a scream, grinding my teeth and shaking off teary eyes to slam my feet onto the ground.
Beyond the crumbling rock golem, I zero in on Imelia, who stares at me with a slightly rigid expression.
Is it just my imagination? As I burn with the will to face my foe, even the searing pain in my limbs begins to fade.
No, it’s not just my imagination. The pain truly is subsiding.
Like I dipped my burned fingers into ice water, the icy chill running through my veins dulls the sensation in the wound, forcibly erasing the pain.
Ah, so this is what it feels like.
One more attribute of Brunhilde, the core essence of her power—an aspect of [Ice Heart].
A relentless ability to numb the very sensation of pain, allowing me to fight on, no matter the wounds.
That propels my body forward a step.
“HAAAH!”
The curtain of black iron before me disappears like a mirage, and from within, a streak of dark flash bursts forth like lightning.
Before the power of [Strong Arm] extinguishes completely, I gather the last remnants for a thrust.
The tip of my sword now carries the penetrating power to breach even the sacred barrier I previously couldn’t pierce.
Did you enjoy getting hit this way, Gunther?
I’ll make sure to add one more hole for you.
“…Now you look like your old self.”
With a stern face, Imelia mutters while glaring at me.
“You’ve become a bit rough around the edges, though.”
With a chilling remark, holy light bursts forth around us.
The next moment, a pure white beam condenses into a spherical shape and shoots forth, transforming into a long and flexible chain that wraps around my entire body.
A divine miracle of restraint and suppression, “Chains of Heaven.”
The stronger my sins, the more powerful the restraint; if an undead binds within this chain, it wouldn’t just stop there, as it would also burn the flesh it touches—it’s a powerful divine miracle, but—
“Save that for Gunther!”
As I shake my shoulders and take another step, the chains explode and scatter in every direction.
CRACK!
…There’s a sound from within my chest that probably shouldn’t exist.
It doesn’t matter.
As long as my body still moves.
My creaking body responds to a fiery desire, swinging my sword like a puppet on a string.
And.
SHINK!
My left hand reflexively reaches behind me, catching and destroying the arrow aimed at the back of my head.
Without looking at the arrow coming my way, I grab it and crush it. My ultra-sharpened senses enable me to perform such a feat.
Maybe Brunhilde always fought maintaining this level of sensation.
The actual force of the arrow was too much to handle; my palm felt like it had been torn even through the glove, but it was nothing compared to the injuries I could endure.
CRACK!
I didn’t need to turn my head to look at the arrow, allowing my black iron sword to dart forward and stab through Imelia’s sacred barrier like a needle.
“Haa, no way you can do that with one hand—”
Since I had taken my left hand off the hilt, my penetration was weaker, unable to pierce the sacred barrier with one blow, but that’s no big deal…
“I can just add another hand!”
I pull my left hand holding the broken arrow back and thrust my entire strength into the sword’s pommel that’s been stopped by the sacred barrier.
BOOM!
The remaining power of [Strong Arm] makes the steel fist wrapped in gauntlet slam against the hilt, propelling it forward.
“Ugh…!”
Did she think the sacred barrier would hold up? Imelia’s face turns pale, and she hurriedly steps back to avoid the strike.
But it was too slow.
Despite her skill, she’s still a priest, after all. If she had the agility to dodge my blade, she wouldn’t even be a paladin, would she?
WHOOM!
With blindingly vivid blood spray, my black blade plunges deep into the soft flesh of the priestess.
As it slices through her desperately raised forearm, it surges forth, even piercing her shoulder.
“AAAHHH!”
Imelia screams in agony.
Such a beautifully sweet scream. I wonder if Gunther sought her out just to hear this cry.
Still, the context wasn’t just right to find satisfaction in that scream.
‘Dodged it…!’
As my blade sank into her forearm, there was a moment where she twisted her body, turning the trajectory just enough so that instead of her face, my sword tore her arm off and pierced her shoulder.
Normally, that would be a decisive wound that determines victory or defeat, but… that’s only when the opponent doesn’t have a capable priest.
“El…Elianel!”
With a pained expression, Imelia offers a prayer as she yanks her body free from my sword. A dazzling light erupts from her necklace.
WHAAAM!
The once-split forearm from wrist to elbow and the hole in her shoulder glow white as the divine light seeps into her wounds.
The Hand of the Goddess
A higher-grade miracle that combines the benefits of ‘low-level healing’ with the rapid recovery of ‘emergency healing,’ healing her wounds astonishingly fast.
Damn it, I had my suspicions, but of course, she can use it…!
Based on the previously displayed miracles, it’s likely that the only upper-tier miracle Imelia could currently use would be that one.
And the fact that it’s a recovery-type miracle is truly frustrating for me.
Of course, if I could slice her neck off faster than she heals, then even that divine touch wouldn’t mean a thing…
But that was already impossible.
“Ugh, Guh… Hah…!”
Since the moment I pierced Imelia’s shoulder until this very moment, I had been in no condition to wield my sword, let alone catch my breath.
The backlash from the exhausted [Strong Arm].
The superhuman strength filling my arms wanes like a mirage, and a fatigue washes over me to the extent that my vision darkens momentarily.
“Hah, haaah…”
I grip the hilt tightly, holding my sword like a staff, trying to prevent my collapsing body from falling as I gasp for air.
My limbs feel heavy as if they’ve frozen solid. My lungs are flattened like I’ve been flattened completely. My head feels dizzy, as if I’d spent ten nights awake.
I couldn’t move.
Before even the will to fight or any semblance of spirit, my physical body simply wasn’t responding.
…Damn it, I needed to make sure Imelia was definitely dealt with by any means.
I grit my teeth.
Just a little, just a little longer to catch my breath, and I feel I could fight again…
“Long time no see in this condition.”
The enemies before me aren’t ones who would allow me that small reprieve.
“In the past, Imelia healed me, but what about now?”
The instant I barely managed to turn my gaze to the source of the voice, the newly summoned ice spirit’s arm swung down on me like a hammer.
“Kahhak…!”
I spat out blood-mixed groans, hurtling through the air like a ball struck by a bat, crashing into the ground and rolling helplessly. I even lost grip of my great sword.
“Ugh, ugh, hak….”
It felt like getting hit by a truck. I was alive solely thanks to my armor.
Of course, I was just alive, not unscathed.
Thanks to [Ice Heart], I hardly felt any pain, but the little strength I could gather just moments before got completely drained by that single blow.
Biting my lip and groaning, even trying to rise only resulted in me stumbling halfway and collapsing again.
Defeat.
It was an unequivocal crushing defeat.
Was it true that mere will couldn’t overcome differences in skill?
The one achievement I managed to scrape together after expending my stamina to a critical level was just Imelia’s severed arm.
And she was already healing that fully with her upper-tier miracle, so practically speaking, I merely consumed one of her upper-tier miracles for nothing.
“Damn it…!”
Still, the backlash from [Strong Arm] was beginning to fade little by little, just as I pushed myself halfway up.
“Ah, just lie down.”
Suddenly, Irina approached and stomped on the back of my head with her muddy boots, driving my face into the ground.
“How cruel…!”
“Hahaha! This is what you get!”
With a face full of glee, she cackles.
“I’ve wanted to see you in this state for ages, and finally, I’ve caught you! So, how does it feel now? Huh? How does it feel? Tell me.”
…You bitch.
I bite my lip, feeling the dirt against my cheek.
The despair that had been creeping out got evaporated by the intense humiliation and rage, as if it wasn’t even mine.
What does it feel like, you ask?
I thank every god that my mouth and neck can still move, though it’s driving me insane. Damn you, ear-pierced witch.
“Come on, tell me! You can at least move your mouth a little, right?”
Yeah, I can move my mouth.
More than you think.
“Or should I punch a few holes in you to make you—”
The moment Irina teases, without warning, “KYAHAHH!”
I whip my head toward her boot, baring my teeth as I took a savage bite at the tips of her boot.
With all my might.
With a crushing strength that could snap leather, flesh, and bone.
CRACK!
The foul, rancid taste floods my mouth.
A useless tidbit of knowledge floods my mind too: those boots must stink if she wears them all the time.
