NOVEL NEXT Ch. 57
Just Target the Assassin! That Assassin Is So Fragile!
Character: Aiken (Trainee Archer, Bronze Elite)
Level: 15
Condition: Good
Spirit: B
Strength: C
Agility: B+
Endurance: D
Constitution: C
Charisma: C
Luck: D
Skills: Power Shot (Tier 1), sharpshooter (Tier 1), arrow Rain (Tier 2)
Introduction: One of the Empire's elite mounted archers—even without a horse, his combat abilities far surpass those of ordinary soldiers.
There were ten!
There were ten archers like this, and the melee warrior guards were also around level 15. Altogether, there were sixteen enemies.
Although they had sustained some injuries from their clash with the assassins of the Assassination Star just now, all sixteen present were still perfectly capable of fighting.
Moreover, their true identities were not mere guards—they were all genuine elite imperial soldiers. Realizing this, Serea found the situation even more problematic.
Although she would get drawn into this internal struggle within the Empire, she had no choice but to fight.
"Cover Lord Pedory!"
The warrior captain shouted, and then six warriors formed up at the front line, with ten archers assembling behind them in formation.
"Loose!"
After confirming the enemy, Pedory's men launched the first attack. Their chosen target was Celia, who looked to be the greatest threat.
Whiz, whiz, whiz!
Arrows flew. Celia's eyes shifted slightly as she caught sight of the incoming arrows from the corner of her eye.
Draw sword!
Divine Grace!
Bathed in the blessing of holy light, Celia sidestepped and swung her sword. Every arrow that would have hit her was batted away; the rest flew harmlessly past her body.
"Holy Art!"
Pedory recognized the skill Celia was using, and upon seeing it, he shouted loudly.
"No, wait, you're not from the Assassination Star—who are you people?!"
Celia did not answer. Dodging the archers' volley, she stomped hard on the ground—the golden aura enveloping her exploded out, and she shot forward like a flash of golden lightning.
"So fast!"
As soon as this thought formed in Pedory's mind, Celia was already upon him.
Swing!
The sword slashed down. Pedory hastily raised his knight's sword to block. With a ringing "clang,"
Celia's sword was stopped.
Holy Light!
A dazzling radiance burst forth, golden light flaring on Celia's silver crossblade. The moment it appeared, Pedory's knight's sword—locked with Celia's blade—began to melt, leaving a visible notch.
Sensing disaster, Pedory forcefully retreated several steps.
Celia was too fast; she had seized the initiative immediately, leaving him little time to react.
Pedory needed a moment to catch his breath and stabilize before counterattacking.
But Celia knew that she was at a disadvantage fighting this man.
Only a relentless, pressing offense could prevent him from using sword techniques—perhaps that could lead her to victory.
Speed!
That was the insight passed down by her sword master, the 'Cardinal of Swords', Aymonk the Swordsmith.
Seeing Pedory suppressed and struggling, his subordinates rushed to support him.
The leading warrior captain raised his shield, and the other close-combat warriors readied themselves as well. At Pedory's signal, they would launch a group charge to pin Celia down, giving Pedory the opportunity to strike back.
And so, the warriors began their assault!
"Charge—!"
But just as they started forward—before they could even finish speaking—several vines burst up from beneath their feet.
The vines entangled their legs, and the group assault of the six warriors was interrupted by Lola's nature magic.
"Death!"
At that moment, Little Black burst in from the flank, the bone blade in his hand gleaming with chilling light.
"Huh!?"
Raise shields!
The warrior captain blocked Little Black's strike, but Little Black's strength was overwhelming; he was forced back.
Seeing their comrade in trouble, the other warriors raised their shields in concert, driving forward with a coordinated shield bash against Little Black.
"Heeyah!"
Little Black was pushed back by the shields, but not before his other bone blade swung out, slashing one warrior's neck.
Little Black used the momentum of the shield bash to leap away.
Phantom Veil!
Little Black vanished, leaving only five of the six warriors alive.
"Damn it! Focus your attacks on that assassin! Form a shield wall—protect the archers behind us! As soon as you see him, target the assassin! Just target the assassin! That assassin is so fragile!"
"Yes, sir!" ×5
The remaining five warriors showed neither fear nor grief at their comrade's death.
Like obedient machines, they immediately slashed the restraining vines around their legs and fell back in unison.
With the enemy deliberately targeting him, Little Black could only maintain stealth, waiting for an opening.
"Loose!"
At the same time, protected in the rear by the warriors, most of the archers shifted their aim to Lola.
Take out the caster first!
Seeing the arrows tipped with cold light, Serea was inwardly shocked.
This team not only possessed formidable strength, but their execution of orders was flawless.
Even without explicit commands, they could judge the battlefield on their own and prioritize the most critical targets.
Whiz, whiz, whiz!
Arrows rained down—Serea, Lola, and Vina desperately dodged, but there were simply too many arrows; they couldn't avoid them all.
Rip!
An arrow grazed Serea's arm. Though her purple armor absorbed much of the impact, she was still wounded.
"The Earth Mother protects us!"
Lola's chant finished, and more vines surged from the ground, weaving together into a barrier before the group, sheltering them from the arrowstorm.
"Die!"
At that moment, Vina—using a bow she'd grabbed from the ground—used Sharpshooter to target one of the enemy archers.
Swish!
The arrow flew straight for the archer's head. The man spotted the projectile, but it was too fast—by the time he registered it, it was already upon him.
All he could do was make a desperate effort to dodge.
Squelch!
The arrow pierced the archer's shoulder, sending him to the ground.
Seeing this, Vina readied a finishing shot, but a warrior interposed himself, using his shield to cover the injured archer before she could fire.
"Damn it!"
Vina cursed under her breath and tried to switch targets, but by now, the enemy archers had her locked in their sights.
Whiz, whiz, whiz!
Forced to evade, Vina ducked behind the vine wall just as several arrows struck it with a rapid "thud-thud-thud."
"So this is it... Fighting mercenaries all this time must have made me overconfident. Facing true human soldiers, if I don't rely on the Skeleton Warriors, I'm just going to be crushed..."
Serea grimaced. Her arm was still bleeding, and as pain throbbed through her body, she reflected deeply on her own mistakes.
"Your Majesty, your hand!"
Seeing Serea wounded, Lola tried to cast nature magic to heal her, but Serea commanded sharply,
"Hurry—use your nature magic to disrupt the enemy archers, or Celia will be in grave danger!"
"Ah?"
"Now!"
Lola dared not question further. She immediately began chanting nature magic, and meanwhile, Serea also prepared her trump card.
Facing the elite soldiers of the human empire, there was only one skill she could use!
Blood Frenzy (Tier 2)!
(To be continued...)
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】