Looks like we’ve got ourselves in quite a pickle!
All of us were thinking that when we spotted a troll guarding the other side of the cliff.
It wasn’t that the troll was so strong that the four of us couldn’t handle it.
Sure, it had that pesky regeneration, brute strength, and a bit of smarts, making it a tricky monster to take down, but with me and Friede, we could take it down one-on-one.
The real problem wasn’t the troll, but the fact it had chosen to show up right here.
Below us was a bottomless abyss. The only bridge connecting us was a precarious tightrope that looked like it would toss you to the underworld at the slightest misstep.
Just that alone was enough for anyone with even a small fear of heights to give up and turn back, and here we had a troll preparing to hurl rocks at us!
“Your friend killed my wife…! The vengeance comes—!”
No matter how you looked at it, that face couldn’t possibly have a wife, yet somehow he was intent on avenging her, roaring in fury!
If I stumbled while trying to leap across that bridge and got hit by a rock, even if I blocked it perfectly, the shock alone would send me plummeting to my doom.
While I could dodge or block on solid ground, there’s no way to move in mid-air, unless I had wings or something.
‘What a headache. How am I supposed to get past this?’
To cross the bridge, I had to kill the troll, but without taking down the troll, crossing the bridge felt like a distant dream.
It was just one pesky troll, but it turned an ordinary cliff into an impregnable fortress.
“Gwaaaaar!”
Even worse, there wasn’t even time to think of a solution!
The troll, arms spread wide, bellowed out a roar and hurled a massive rock at us!
– Whirrrrr…!
The cliff echoed with a terrifying sound of rushing air.
A boulder the size of a human torso flew through the air in a perfect arc. If it hit, I’d be turned into a pancake in no time.
“Get outta the way!”
As soon as I shouted, the party members jumped into action, dodging the rock.
In the next moment, the boulder crashed into the spot we had been standing with a deafening roar that was like a cannon hitting the castle walls.
Rock fragments scattered like shot from a shotgun.
Arine held up her shield to block, Friede swung her sword to deflect, and I just braced myself with my armor.
And the last member, Reed, cleverly hid behind me like a shield against the rock shards.
It was a bit ridiculous, but I just rolled with it. After all, the rear guard’s job was to rain down steady, powerful strikes while hiding behind the front lines.
“Gwaaar! Don’t dodge, let’s fight!”
Outraged that his first throw had missed, the troll picked up another rock. Reed grimaced at the sight of it.
“What are we supposed to do? If that thing’s just standing there, we can’t cross!”
It really did seem that way.
Reed could injure the troll with his arrows, but it wouldn’t be enough to take it down. Friede couldn’t fight from a distance without the Holy Sword.
Even if she threw her black steel sword, if it didn’t kill the troll, it would just mean she wasted a weapon.
“Arine! Can you use your binding miracle?”
“I’m sorry! I can’t anymore today…!”
And Arine was just plain useless.
She had exhausted all her miracles fighting the Slimes and used all her binding miracles on the Bund Wolf swarm.
All that remained were the sanctified miracles for enhancing weapons or armor, which were only useful in close combat.
“Hey, Krimhilde! Should we use ‘that’?”
Friede, glaring at the troll, asked if she could use the Holy Sword.
With a face that said she could slice up any troll if she could only shoot out the sword energy from the Nibelung.
“Just wait for now!”
I dodged another boulder coming my way and stopped Friede from calling forth the Holy Sword. If I summoned it, Reed and Arine would definitely discover my identity.
Wouldn’t it be fine to get exposed since we’re all part of the same organization?
Well, if it really didn’t matter, Argantir wouldn’t have mentioned anything about that in the mission orders.
This time, the orders were supposed to indicate that using the Holy Sword was acceptable.
So I had to save the Nibelung for a last resort. If we didn’t, we might all die.
Then what should we do here?
‘…I should’ve brought a spear.’
I’d never thought I’d face a tough opponent like an Abyss Priest on this mission, so I only brought my sword, and now I really regretted that choice.
While my spear techniques were fairly well-known, I had been trying to avoid using them to disguise my identity…
‘Wait… Wait a minute.’
A light bulb went off in my head.
‘If I have strength comparable to a troll, that means I can do whatever a troll can do!’
A flash of inspiration hit me. My gaze flicked to the boulders scattered around us.
This might actually work!
After quickly making a decision, I reached for the largest rock on the ground and explained my plan to my party members.
“I’ll counter the catapult! Reed, you handle the shard cleanup and distract the troll! Arine, cast the enhancement miracle on Shirin! Shirin, just trust me and rush in!”
My plan was to throw rocks to cancel out the troll’s projectiles, have Reed distract it, and while it was occupied, Arine would boost Friede to allow her to dash in for close combat.
“Cancel…?! Is that even possible?!”
“Yep! With ‘Blessing of the Sword’ and ‘Shield of Grace,’ it’s totally doable. Right now…!”
“I’ll trust you!”
Reed, looking doubtful, glanced at me, but Arine and Friede immediately recognized my commands and sprang into action.
While Arine cast the enhancement miracle on Friede’s sword and armor, Friede bolted toward the bridge without any hesitation.
I watched Friede’s back as I hefted the boulder, drawing on my Strength.
“Gwaaaaar!”
“I’ll throw it! Make sure to cancel and jump!”
As the troll roared in anger, hurling a massive rock at Friede, I waited for the perfect moment, gauging the arc of the projectiles before launching my boulder with all my might.
– Whooooooooosh!
Rushing through the air with a fearsome swishing sound. My boulder met the troll’s projectile at the same time, creating a booming explosion that echoed off the cliff.
“Hyah!”
With the impact, my boulder shattered into pieces. Friede seized the opportunity and launched herself off the ground, soaring through the air.
She leaped so high she practically touched the second stone platform!
In her safe landing, Friede’s smile made the troll’s face twist in ways I didn’t think were possible.
“How dare you, women!”
The troll quickly snatched up a new rock. Maybe sensing the urgency, it moved faster than before.
Taking advantage of the chaos, I smashed the cliffside with my fist and hurled the largest fallen piece of rock into the air.
“Hyah!”
As Friede, now on the second stone platform, readied to leap again, I threw my boulder simultaneously with the troll’s.
The size of its boulder had the edge, but my speed was considerably faster.
Of course. If they flew at the same speed, the troll’s rock would arrive first and hit Friede!
I combined the power of my Strength and the enhancement I had just invoked.
“Reed! Get ready to shoot arrows!”
“Oh my god, is this really gonna work…?!”
Now realizing what was happening, Reed exclaimed in shock, pulling back his bowstring. Three arrows, each imbued with extraordinary power, were set at his fingertips.
Then, with a KWAAM!
Just as our boulders collided in front of Friede, Reed let loose his arrows, which exploded into a dazzling light, shattering the fragments of rock.
Now that’s some impressive shooting!
“That’s right! Just like that!”
“Leave it to me!”
An exclamation of triumphant praise escaped my lips.
The hastily formed plan worked out flawlessly! With a grin hidden beneath my helmet, I hefted up another boulder.
As the brawny sounds of demolitions and hail-like cascades of shattered rock fell, Friede finally reached the other side of the cliff.
“Grah! You little brats! I’ll smash you to bits!”
Grinding his teeth, the troll abandoned the boulders and pulled out a massive iron club.
His catapult strategy had been rendered useless against a knight with the same strength as a troll.
Now that he had allowed his enemy to cross the bridge, there was only one thing left to do—charge straight into combat like a true monster.
“… Let’s see you try.”
And in that case, Friede, boosted by Arine’s magic, couldn’t possibly lose.
With her greatsword raised high, the glint in her golden eyes radiated pure murderous intent.
◆◆
The troll, relying on its regeneration and brute strength, smashed all around in an insane frenzy, but all it managed to do was wreck the walls and floor, never even touching Friede.
On the other hand, each swing of Friede’s greatsword left deep cuts on the troll, spilling its blood freely.
Even if the troll could reattach its severed limbs in mere seconds due to its rapid regeneration, it had its limits.
As it continued to lose vital blood, that miraculously quick regeneration would eventually slow down, leading to its demise.
And then—
“You’re surprisingly resilient. But this is your end.”
After catching my breath from the recoil of my previous throws, I crossed over to join the fight, timing it just right as the troll’s desperate last struggle reached its limit.
With two knights capable of downing a troll on their own teamed up, alongside Reed shooting arrows toward the troll’s weak points whenever it showed an opening, and Arine enhancing my own abilities, victory was close.
“Gwah… Vengeance… not exacted…”
Before long, the battered troll fell to its knees, uttering what could only be termed its dying words.
“Vengeance? What are you talking about? We didn’t do anything to you.”
“Exactly!”
I drove my sword through the troll’s heart while Friede’s greatsword swung down, severing the troll’s head like a guillotine.
And that marked the end of today’s battle.
