A shower of light mercilessly blanketed the fully prepared punitive force. Of course, it was the Magic Missile barrage Damon had poured out as a greeting.
Thud-thud-thud.
Heavy impact sounds burst out in succession. Mixed intermittently within them were screams laden with agony.
"Kgh."
Of course, had the attack been arrows, the punitive force's formation would have demonstrated truly remarkable effectiveness. Arrows flying in straight lines or parabolic arcs mostly struck the shields and fell away. But alas, the attack unleashed was a Magic Missile barrage. Moreover, the one controlling them was a 9th Circle Master, so it was obvious that the power was unimaginable.
Boom-boom-boom.
Most of the Magic Missiles struck the shields, but not all of them. Several Magic Missiles moved as smoothly as living loaches, striking the knights in the rear.
The screams had burst from their very mouths. Once the first wave of attacks had passed, Elkein tried to spring to his feet like lightning.
"The attack is over. Charge! Ugh?"
Elkein, who had been about to leap out, yelped in fright and hid behind his shield again. By the nature of magical attacks, a mage who had unleashed one wave necessarily needed preparation time to fire a second volley. He had intended to exploit that opening, but Elkein's expectations had gone awry.
An enormous number of Magic Missiles once again flew in, blanketing the interior of the cave in darkness.
Papapapat.
It was a scale greater than even the first wave. Elkein's face, crouched behind his shield, twisted.
"D-damn it. What the hell is going on?"
The poured-out Magic Missile barrage ruthlessly pounded the crouched punitive force formation and passed. This time too, screams erupted simultaneously. Elkein's face, looking around, contorted severely.
"Damn."
The squires were all rolling on the ground without exception. Among them were knights who could wield mana, but the result was the same. Against the flying Magic Missiles, even grand magic armor was useless. A single blow blew away the magic circle engraved on the armor entirely, and the second attack shattered the armor. There was no way the squires could endure in that state. It would have been difficult to expect squires to block this level of magical attack, unlike himself or the paladins.
"I'm going mad."
He had never imagined, even in his dreams, that Magic Missiles could be this strong. Fifteen squires had been completely annihilated by two waves of Magic Missile attacks. Fortunately, it seemed no one had died, but most of the squires were sprawled out with their armor and shields shattered into pieces.
Now, the only ones standing were himself, two paladins, and Sarina. Aside from those with high magic defense and Sarina, who had deployed a shield, no one remained. Groans constantly burst from the fallen squires.
"Uuugh."
"A-ah, it hurts."
Seeing that, Elkein clenched his teeth.
"This bastard?"
As if he had no more thoughts to spare, Elkein sprang into action. In his mind, there was nothing but catching the mage who had attacked them and slicing him to pieces. The two paladins stuck close behind him and followed.
Sarina's mouth, who had been protecting herself with a shield, had opened wide before she knew it.
"Th-that's an incredible Magic Missile. How can he pour out so many attacks like that?"
Shaking her head as if in disbelief, Sarina soon cast offensive magic. She already knew clearly what duty she had to fulfill. It was a mage's duty to support from behind once the knights found the enemy's tracks and engaged him, and she had succeeded in this mission countless times before. Befitting a 5th Circle Master, a volley of Lightning Bolts was cast in an instant.
Papapapat.
Generally, dark mages showed vulnerability to attacks utilizing light. She couldn't even imagine missing with her skill, and it was obvious that no matter how strong a Necromancer was, he would be unable to come to his senses for a moment against this level of Lightning Bolt volley.
If the knights seized that opening to attack, the Necromancer would surely be split in two. Sarina didn't doubt that fact in the slightest.
"Where is the Necromancer?"
While holding a large number of Lightning Bolts cast, Sarina scrutinized her surroundings. She intended to drop her shield and fire the Lightning Bolts the moment she found the Necromancer. She paid particular attention to the direction the knights were charging in. A triumphant light rose in her beautiful pupils.
"There he is."
A figure in black robes was seen standing in the direction the knights were charging. Having found her target, she dropped her shield as if she had nothing more to think about.
Tzzzt.
Light was rapidly spreading from the magic staff on which the Lightning Bolts had been cast. It seemed the Necromancer was casting something, but she didn't care. Whatever spell he had cast, she thought it couldn't surpass the speed of her Lightning Bolts… But that was clearly her grave miscalculation.
"Kyaaah!"
Before the Lightning Bolts could even be fired, a sharp shriek burst from her lips. Her slender body had suddenly flipped over in midair. It was as if an invisible giant's hand had grabbed Sarina by the ankle and lifted her upside down. Having just dropped her shield to launch her attack, she could only panic.
"Th-this is Upset?"
What had been cast on her was a spell that reversed the direction of gravity for a set period of time. Having been flipped upside down, it was only natural that her skirt fell down.
"Oh my."
Driven by feminine instinct, Sarina reflexively grabbed her falling skirt. Because of that, her magic staff fell to the ground, and the Lightning Bolts she had gone through the trouble of casting disappeared truly futilely.
"Kyaaaah!"
Overcome by rapidly encroaching terror, Sarina screamed at the top of her lungs. While hanging upside down, all she could do was stretch out both hands holding her skirt as much as possible so her underwear wouldn't show. In short, she was left completely defenseless against the enemy's attack. Of course, the Necromancer wouldn't miss such a good opportunity.
It was only for a moment that she screamed; a single Magic Missile flying leisurely struck her abdomen elegantly, and she passed out on the spot.
Thud.
Strength naturally drained from her hands, and eventually her skirt fell down. Sarina, having lost consciousness, had no choice but to expose her underwear blatantly while hanging upside down.
"Hehehe. The way to deal with women is the same here as in the Central Plains."
Looking up at Sarina hanging upside down in midair, Damon let out a bizarre laugh. There was no reason for him, a former expert of the Demonic Sect, to be picky about methods when dealing with enemies. An attack that most appropriately utilized feminine instinct. Thanks to that, Damon had been able to neutralize a 5th Circle Sorceress very easily. Of course, even if he had fought her normally, he would have subdued her quickly.
"It seems this will be over soon, too."
Damon turned his head and leisurely gazed at the three knights who remained last. The knights who had charged aggressively were struggling against unexpected foes. By a single Death Knight and a Dullahan.
Boom.
Glancing at Helvertron and Winslet overwhelmingly pushing their opponents back, Damon leisurely sat cross-legged. It had been a very long time since he watched a fight, but Damon's attention was already focused elsewhere.
"Well then, shall I leisurely appreciate the rice cake that rolled in?"
His head turned back very naturally. Toward the Sorceress hanging upside down in midair, unconscious. Damon's mouth was already watering as he gazed at Sarina's pure white thighs.
"Ha! The more I look at it, the better it gets?"
"H-how can this be?"
Elkein's eyes were wide with shock. But there was no time to be surprised. The being blocking his front pressed him without giving him room to breathe. Since it was an opponent he simply couldn't handle, he had to put all his dying strength into defense alone. A bitter voice burst through his lips.
"I-it's over. This is an opponent I simply can't handle."
Even as he spoke, the opponent's fierce onslaught crashed into his shield.
Boom.
Despite having infused his mana to the fullest, the upper part of his shield was cut off. It was an attack that would have split the shield clean in two had he simply blocked it normally.
The opponent was a Death Knight. Moreover, a Master-class Death Knight wielding a dark Aura Blade from its armor and sword. Surprisingly, the Death Knight's skill far surpassed his own. Fierce attacks and advances and retreats as natural as flowing water. It ruthlessly exploited any perceived opening, and even his all-out attack was easily deflected with a simple hand motion.
Even without holding a shield, it showed no openings whatsoever, so he couldn't even imagine what its skill in life must have been like.
"To think a Death Knight is this strong…."
Elkein had never dreamed he would be pushed back by a Death Knight. The opponent was handling him, a Sword Master, as if playing with a toy.
"Kuh!"
Overwhelmed with anger, Elkein launched a blind attack. An attack that disregarded all defense. But the bastard swung his sword and very lightly blocked his attack. The shadow of despair fell over Elkein's face as he staggered back.
"I can't win. Absolutely not…."
Already, only one paladin remained under his command. One was unconscious with a broken right arm, and the one remaining, Walter, was also being unilaterally pushed back. The opponent he was facing was the undead monster, the Dullahan. Its appearance, swinging the battle axe in its right hand like a madman while clutching its severed head under its left arm, was enough to terrify Walter.
Boom.
As the massive battle axe crashed into the shield, Walter was pushed back helplessly. Tremendous monstrous strength. The Dullahan fighting him was similarly abnormally strong.
Normally, a knight of Paladin caliber could sufficiently handle a Dullahan. Its body was hard enough that swords wouldn't pierce it, but if one drew up a sword aura, they could sufficiently split the Dullahan in two. But the Dullahan before his eyes was different.
First, the golden battle axe the bastard held defended against Walter's sword, infused with sword aura, without difficulty, and with only one hand, it completely overwhelmed Walter. But he was not in a situation to leisurely watch their fight. Sensing another terrifying aura gathering once more, Elkein raised his sword with all his might and infused it with mana.
Papapapak.
Elkein's robust body swayed greatly. He had barely blocked the attack. But sparks erupted turbulently from the clashing swords, and the blue light aura enveloping his own sword noticeably faded.
Judging by the circumstances, it was clear that the opponent's sword also carried an Aura Blade. Moreover, one with overwhelmingly greater power than his own…….
"I'm going mad."
The intimidated Elkein had no choice but to fall back once again. He wanted to give the order to retreat with all his heart. But now there was no one left to hear it. For even Walter was falling before his very eyes.
"Kgh!"
Walter, struck in the thigh by the Dullahan's axe, collapsed helplessly on the spot. The Dullahan firmly stepped on the fallen Walter's chest and struck away the sword he held, sending it flying far off.
Thud.
Perhaps having no intention to kill, the Dullahan bashed Walter's helmet with the back of the axe, and Walter passed out on the spot. Now, the only one standing with feet planted on the earth was Elkein.
Sarina had already lost consciousness and was hanging upside down in midair. He hadn't even realized when that had happened. He had stepped back after fighting the Death Knight briefly, only to find the situation completely settled. In such a situation, there was no way Sarina's blatantly exposed underwear and thighs wouldn't catch his eyes.