Chapter 156: Chapter 154: Ardius Fortress Siege Battle – Trampling down

The golden-armored soldier who went by the name Zahhi Schneller proclaimed himself a god, but something didn’t add up. This contradicted Asumi’s information.

The gods of the Khan race once ruled over a whole continent with their followers, only to be wiped out by the curses of the very god they had destroyed. If Asumi’s story is to be believed, then Zahhi must be lying, but it makes no sense for him to lie at this moment. What was going on?

“Nuuh! This pressure, don’t let your guard down!” Master said.

“I know that without you telling me,” Jude replied.

However, I had no room to spare for seeking answers to my questions at this moment. Zahhi in front of us had lost his golden armor and now stood in nothing but undergarments. Yet he emanated an overwhelming aura that sent shivers down our spines just by confronting him. There was no room for any unnecessary thoughts.

Even the self-assured Jude had his spear pointed at Zahhi without a hint of his usual composure. My instincts were ringing alarms like never before, and to be honest, I wanted to flee right then and there.

However, I wasn’t in a position where that would be allowed…. and above all, exposing my back would likely result in my death. It seemed that the only way to survive was to fight with all my might and emerge victorious.

[Hmm, a language I’ve never heard before. And the taste of the air and the sensation of the earth beneath my feet are different… Could this be another continent?]

While we were in a state of extreme tension, Zahhi looked very calm. He seemed more concerned with assessing his own situation in front of us. It was as if he didn’t consider us a threat.

However, the reality was that there was such a significant disparity in power that his complacency was justified. Instinct warned me that stepping in thoughtlessly would lead to a swift and effortless death, much like plucking a flower. We couldn’t even move as our blades were pointed at him.

[But still, what is this feeble body? Although it’s far from mine, I can sense my own essence within it. A descendant, perhaps? But why am I inhabiting the body of my descendant? I can’t recall; my memories are hazy. I understand nothing.]

Zahhi seemed perplexed as he examined his own body. Master and Jude probably had no clue about what he was saying, and although I was struggling to catch everything, I had a rough understanding.

According to Zahhi’s mutterings, he didn’t seem to comprehend what was happening to him.

Furthermore, it appeared that the body he was in wasn’t his own. This might give us an opportunity.

[It seems he’s asleep, but I sense the presence of my comrade from behind… I should try to get answers from him. At any rate, let’s finish all the thinking after I deal with these ones.]

“He’s coming!”

Zahhi, who had been lost in thought, finally turned towards us. Just as he himself had mentioned, it seemed like he would deal with us before contemplating anything further. Master raised his voice, and Jude widened his eyes, determined not to miss any movement.

I, too, remained vigilant, but I was also confused. This was because, despite declaring his intention to kill us, I couldn’t sense any killing intent emanating from him.

However, I quickly surmised the reason for this. Most likely, we were not being seen as enemies by this guy. There is no one who actually emits murderous intent every time they cut grass or crush insects. To Zahhi’s eyes, we appeared to be no more than that.

Zahhi floated gently and conjured a metallic straight sword out of thin air before gripping it in his right hand. He had probably created it using spiritual arts, and both its activation and construction happened in an instant. His mastery of spiritual arts seemed to be in a league of its own. I didn’t know if the man before us was a god, but he was undoubtedly a formidable entity.

“Nuh!”

[Ho?]

“Shh!”

“Hmph!”

Why floating, Zahhi closed the distance without conveying any preparatory moves. He swung his sword, which Master deflected with his poleaxe. It seemed Zahhi was impressed by the unexpected block.

Jude and I didn’t let that split-second opening go to waste. Jude thrust like a flash towards his throat, and I launched a low, swift attack at his legs. Without a word, our coordination was impeccable, the result of choosing the most effective moves instinctively.

[Haha! Surprisingly skilled, aren’t you?]

“What!?”

“Ugh!”

However, Zahhi dealt with our attacks while wearing an amused smile, even chuckling as he did so. In an unbelievable turn of events, he seized Jude’s spear and delivered a swift kick to my face. I instinctively crossed my arms to block the kick, and simultaneously, Zahhi pulled the spear he grabbed closer while thrusting with his sword.

Jude didn’t hesitate as well. He moved forward without resisting the pulling force and leaped upward, narrowly avoiding the sword. Only the tip of his spear was grazed. Moreover, during his leap, he twisted the spear, causing Zahhi to release it.

I, too, reacted quickly to the kick, leaping backward just in time to minimize the impact. I then rolled on the ground to break my fall. My right arm’s exoskeleton, which had taken a direct hit when I crossed my arms, was shattered and bleeding, but fortunately, it wasn’t broken. Healing had already begun, so there was no cause for concern.

“Nuh!”

[Hmm…]

Master, who managed to parry Zahhi’s sword attack, swung his poleaxe. It seemed to have been quite heavy, as there was a slight furrow on Zahhi’s brow. Master’s strike, delivered with his entire body’s force, possessed a power that could make even gods tremble. As expected of master.

Thanks to Master, an opening appeared once more, and Jude and I launched another assault on Zahhi. In response, Master changed his fighting style; he now focused on thrusts rather than powerful swings. It seemed like a tactical adjustment to overwhelm our opponent with the combined efforts of the three of us.

While the emphasis often went to the strength of our strikes, it was evident, as seen in his earlier parry, that Master excelled in techniques as well. When facing two spears(one spear and one poleaxe) and two swords attacking from different angles, even someone who called themselves a god seemed to be feeling the pressure, as indicated by the deepening furrow on his brow.

[Hmm… Facing three opponents might be a bit tricky. In that case, let’s add something of my own.]

Right after these words, Zahhi conjured a diamond-shaped shield in his left hand. It seemed that his preferred combat style involved a balanced mix of offense and defense using both sword and shield.

The addition of the shield completely changed the situation. The four weapons of the three of us couldn’t touch Zahhi anymore. His sword and shield defense was nearly impenetrable, and he deflected everything with a composed expression.

“This bastard, underestimating us like this!”

While sweating profusely from his forehead, Jude roared as he employed ice spiritual arts. His spear’s tip was enveloped in ice, giving birth to ice blades.

The blades he created weren’t merely extensions of the spear’s tip. They extended from the base of the spearhead, both left and right, forming a cross-like shape when combined with the handle.

“Shaaaah!”

“Don’t get all heated up, you fool!”

Jude vigorously swung his ice spear in every direction. Despite his reckless assault, which discarded defense in favor of aggression, Master had no choice but to assist him. I found myself in the same position.

Jude’s consecutive attacks were a sight to behold. The sharpness of his thrusts remained, but he incorporated sweeps and strikes with the spear’s butt, making his movements unpredictable. With the increased length and width of the spearhead due to the ice blades, I doubted I would have come out unscathed if I were in Zahhi’s position.

[Too predictable. Do you think such tricks can work on me?]

“What!?”

However, our opponent proved to be too crafty. Up to this point, we had relied on Master’s movements as the focal point of our strategy, with Jude preventing any counterattacks with his sharp thrusts while I attempted to disrupt our enemy’s defenses from difficult positions. Yet it seemed that abruptly altering the roles of Master and Jude was too much to handle. A slight disruption occurred in our coordination, and Zahhi skillfully seized that opportunity.

He deftly used his shield to deflect the ice blades, and with each powerful thrust, he hammered away at the ice blades with his shield, shattering them. The impact of the shattering blades sent Jude sprawling, exposing a fatal opening.

“Youngster!”

[Die, brat…?]

“Ugh!”

Master’s poleaxe, swung to rescue Jude, was deflected by the shield, and Zahhi’s sword closed in on Jude’s neck as if drawn towards it. However, before the strike could land….my tail hurled his body forward.

I believe I did a good job in saving Jude’s life. However, the cost was significant. My tail, which could be called my fifth limb, was severed from the middle. If I hadn’t blocked off my sense of pain beforehand, I might have been writhing in agony.

“Well done, disciple!”

[It seems I underestimated you. That grotesque form of your body wasn’t just for show.]

“…Damn it!”

Master smiled happily as he spun his poleaxe once before assuming his stance again. Zahhi shot me a resentful glare, while Jude, seemingly frustrated, alternated between glaring at Zahhi and me. Hey, what’s with that attitude, even though I saved you?

Just as I was starting to regret helping that Jude guy, a spiritual attack from Lady Altissia flew in from behind. Zahhi swiftly slashed it with his sword, then let out a deep sigh.

His stance seemed to be full of openings, but for some reason, my sense of caution heightened rapidly upon witnessing his actions. It appeared both master and Jude shared the same sentiment, as none of us made a move.

[I, the divine one, shall bestow death directly, and yet it is obstructed… My interest has waned. Let us put an end to this game.]

“Do you understand what he just said, disciple?”

“He said, ‘Let’s put an end to this game’.”

“Tch! Don’t get cocky!”

Jude tried to put on a brave front, but his voice faltered a bit. He must have understood the implications of Zahhi, who had thus far faced us with ease, now going all out.

The tension-filled atmosphere was shattered by Lady Altissia’s spiritual attack. As Zahhi sliced through the intensified spiritual attack with his sword, which now had a greater impact than before, the three of us sprang into action simultaneously. Instinctively, we knew that waiting would mean certain death.

[Child’s play.]

“””Wha-!?”””

Zahhi muttered something in a mocking tone, and in an instant, the three of us were sent flying, blood splattering in all directions. I couldn’t see anything, but it seemed we had been struck. At the edge of my vision, the shimmering fragments of master’s armor strangely appeared beautiful.

As we lay on the ground, only Master and I managed to rise to our feet. Master’s metal armor and my exoskeleton had apparently protected us… but Jude, who had been wearing light armor, seemed to have suffered significant wounds. He wasn’t dead, but he lay there convulsing with a copious amount of blood flowing.

“Guoh!?”

“Guh!?”

Zahhi wasted no time and mercilessly pressed his attack on master and me, despite the fact that we had barely managed to stand. While he hadn’t completely disappeared from my sight, having seen this move before, I judged that there was no chance of evasion. All I could do was thrust my sword in front of the blade, which was closing in on my neck.

Immediately after I heard the sound of something breaking, the white blade sliced through my chest again. It seemed that the white sword I had been holding in my right hand had broken. The black sword remained intact, but that was simply because I hadn’t had time to thrust it. If the sword had approached from the left, it would have been me who was broken.

Master seemed to be in a similar situation, with the shaft of his poleaxe snapped in two and his abdomen cut. He tried to stand, using the shortened poleaxe as a makeshift staff while clutching his wounded belly, but he couldn’t muster the strength and remained on one knee.

“Huff… huff…”

[Oh? You’re still standing. Quite resilient.]

Even though both Master and Jude became incapacitated, I managed to rise. It was a reckless act made possible only by suppressing the pain. In reality, my legs were trembling weakly and devoid of strength.

Just standing was a struggle, and I was far from being in any condition to fight. However, escaping at this point was impossible. I didn’t even have the energy to run away.

However, I couldn’t give up on living. I had a mission to survive for a hundred years. Fulfilling that mission now seemed nearly impossible, but as long as I was alive, I would struggle until the very end.

[That unwavering will to live… It’s quite unpleasant.]

“Ugh…”

It seemed that Zahhi was displeased with my decision to stand. Floating towards me, he deliberately sliced through my trembling thigh as if my exoskeleton didn’t exist, easily cutting it, and I fell to the ground, face down.

Still refusing to give up, I hurled the broken white sword while attempting to slash his leg with the intact black sword. However, ruthlessly, the remnants of the thrown sword were blocked by a shield, and before I could swing, the sword impaled my left arm, pinning it to the ground.

[I remember now. That unyielding gaze of yours… It resembles the accursed child of the forest. Truly detestable… Just die already, abomination.]

Zahhi remained afloat in the air as he lifted his knee. I realized he was trying to crush my head underfoot, and just as I understood his intent, he brought his foot down. I could do nothing but glare at the sole of that foot, which for some reason seemed to be descending slowly, all the while keenly aware of my own helplessness.