abcnovels
Chapter 308:
Chapter 308:
Chapter 308:
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HELHEIM SCANS
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Linness, the seductress, was a relatively recent demon who had made her presence known on the front lines.
Together with her clan, each boasting exceptional beauty, she would approach humans, charm them, and turn them into collaborators to extract information.
The guilt and betrayal felt by those who had abandoned humanity for mere lust became Linness’s sustenance, allowing her to ascend swiftly to the rank of legion commander. Despite everything, sending Gerald, who would lose his mind at the sight of a skirt, to face Linness was absurd.
"Get a grip!"
Thwack-!Gerald's father, Roland Bryce, put an end to Gerald's support for Linness's subjugation by smacking him on the back of the head.
At that moment, Gerald, already half-bewitched, groaned and snapped out of his trance.
Screeeeech-!
A sound like metal scraping against glass echoed through the air.
[Warning!]
[Barrier output has decreased to dangerous levels.]
[Immediate action required.]
Linness's hair and claws dug into the deck, stained with demonic energy.
Even the scales on the tips of her wings, which resembled those of a bat, made terrifying noises as they shot out in all directions.
Clang-!
Amid the constant clanging of metal,
Thud-!
Adding insult to injury, flying demons began to land on the deck.
Having pierced through the bombardment, each one was formidable.
Just as the hero gripped his sword and prepared to rush out,
"Let us go!"
"Professor, stay inside!"
Some of the crew, led by the Lotus Knights, dashed toward the passageway.
They seemed to have an order amongst themselves.
Most of the children followed, except for Cuculli, who had to keep emitting cold air.
Yussi was among them.
Lastly, Karen, riding Rune Wolf and Shadow, shouted as she charged ahead.
"Leave the small fry to us!"
While the hero was still dumbfounded, Euphemia curtly remarked,
"You are supposed to face the Demon King."
"But…!"
"No one will let you fight. If anything happens to you before the battle against the Demon King, it will haunt us for the rest of our lives."
Linness was the only legion commander who had shown up.
No one knew what the others were plotting or where they were hiding, waiting for the hero to appear.
The demons' primary target was always the hero.
However, before making a rational judgment, the hero was swept by worry and anxiety over the fact that the children had ventured into the perilous exterior to face a legion commander.
[You raised them for this, and now you act like a nanny?]
As the hero's hand gripped the black sword tighter, Euphemia's hand covered his.
"Think logically. Even if half the passengers die, the mission succeeds if you reach the 50th sector safely."
"I…"
"You are exhausted from the diversion tactics. For now, rest."
Her argument was so rational that it left no room for rebuttal. The hero's grip loosened.
[If you want to help, sit down and take the controls. More are coming.]
As ??? had said, more demons were indeed approaching.
It was a genuinely hair-raising sight.
If they had not managed to take out half of them in the first bombardment...
[If everything had gone according to the demons' plan, you might not have reached the 50th sector before the ritual was completed.]
The hero sat in a vacated control seat and took hold of the controls.
Heat, almost like warmth, emanated from the palm of his hand.
He could feel how desperately they had fought.
…A low, deep resonance echoed in his ears at that moment.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-!
The heavy, rhythmic vibration felt like a giant heart slowly beating.
The crew members' faces lit up with hope.
[Mana required for activation secured.]
[Infinite track is functioning normally.]
[Due to the high ground temperature and uneven terrain, travel may be somewhat rough.]
[Adjusting suspension system!]
The components of the infinite track slowly began to move.
Thus, the pursuit to the Demon King's castle in the 50th sector had begun.
* * *
Thud-thud-thud-!
Avalon moved.
The children looked at the rampaging Linness beyond the shaking deck.
"Watch out for her hair!"
Her hair shot out like wires at the approaching crew.
Each strand had a hardness surpassing steel and could extend and contract at will.
As her hair coiled around her, Linness looked as if she were wrapped in a black cocoon.
Clang-!
Sparks flew as the barrier around the deck clashed with her hair, unable to hold out for long. At that moment...
"Pretty lady... hehe."
"Evergreen! Snap out of it!"
Luke grabbed Evergreen by the shoulder as she was trudging towards the area where the hair was swinging.
A few more steps and the hair would have mercilessly cut her.
The charm seemed to work regardless of gender.
"Huh... huh?"
Evergreen’s face turned pale as she saw the hair swishing before her eyes.
Luke, looking down, hurriedly pulled her away.
"Don't look directly!"
As Linness's power intensified, even just looking at her could enchant them.
For archers like Evergreen and Karen, it was an absurd situation.
They had to check their target to attack.
"Come here."
But simply avoiding eye contact was not enough.
A voice filled with endless allure echoed through the air.
Luke fought the overwhelming desire to drop his sword and run to Linness.
'Damn, she's tricky.'
It would have been much easier if she were a legion commander with just physical solid power.
They could have overwhelmed her with a combined assault.
However, Linness was a type of demon that couldn't be taken down by brute force.
'She's specialized in stalling.'
The match-up was unfavourable.
Linness moved around the deck lined with turrets like an actor on stage.
Chasing after her and striking was impossible since they couldn’t look directly at her, and using area-of-effect attacks would be self-destructive.
While Linness wasn't very destructive, she wasn't aiming to harm the children in the first place.
Clang-!
The barrier's durability was steadily decreasing.
'We need to hurry!'
To make matters worse, flying demons and ground demons were closing in.
An uncountable number of them.
Those demons would eventually get on deck if they didn’t quickly deal with Linness and return to the turrets.
'We can’t let that happen so soon.'
…It was then.
"Just focus on Linness!"
Yussi, wearing her Alchemy Gloves, approached the edge of the deck.
The demons kicked up dust as they charged, now only 100 meters away.
They were closing in.
Despite Avalon moving at top speed, it was slower than a carriage due to its bulk.
Yussi watched the pursuing demons and suddenly raised her arms to the sky.
…Some of the leading demons recognized Yussi and gasped.
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HELHEIM SCANS
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"Massacrer!!"
"It's the mass murderer!"
Swoosh-
The shells continuously exploding in the sky had her Alchemy Gloves absorbed their residual magic completely.
The silver gloves, absorbing mana of different natures, began to glow.
"You pesky little bugs!"
Yussi's eyes shone with a multicoloured aurora.
"Die!"
Boom-!
A massive explosion erupted from the Alchemy Gloves' emitter.
The wave of fused mana surged towards the rear of Avalon.
The demons hastily erected defensive barriers with their demonic energy, but it was futile.
The combined attack pierced through any form of defense, exploiting their vulnerabilities.
Screeech-!
The vanguard of the pursuing demons was swept away.
The momentum of the flying demons also slightly diminished.
Evergreen and Karen, who thought they couldn’t help in dealing with Linness, focused solely on intercepting the demons.
Swoosh-!
Numerous magical arrows added to the firepower of the barrage.
It had little effect despite the mesmerizing appearance of Linness's minions trying to charm them.
"We're already immune to pretty faces!"
Shadow also dashed across the deck, biting and tearing at the demons.
…Thanks to them, they gained a little more time.
Luke took a deep breath and sought a way to tackle Linness.
The hero always said there was a way to conquer any formidable foe, and if one remained calm and assessed the situation, strategic approaches would be possible.
'You get charmed just by looking. Making eye contact makes it even stronger. How on earth...'
Clunk-
Luke's awareness reached the shield strapped to his back at that moment.
It was a relic from Deindart, who had died a heroic death, holding the line until his comrades could retreat during a disadvantageous mission.
Although once a rival, Deindart was a man worthy of respect.
Luke never neglected to maintain the shield, which now reflected the surroundings clearly like a mirror.
…This was it.
Luke raised his voice.
"Ban, shield!"
They had been in sync for three years.
With just those words, Ban understood Luke’s plan immediately.
Nodding lightly, Ban suddenly charged forward like a rhino.
Even Linness was surprised by his aggressive advance.
Hundreds of strands of hair soon surrounded Ban.
His gaze remained fixed on the ground.
However, with his ultimate skill, Celestial Net, and Perfect Stance activated, he could hold Linness off momentarily.
Clang-!
Ban's sword moved imperceptibly, cutting down all the hair, claws, and scales targeting him.
At the same time, Luke silently moved to the opposite side, minimizing his presence.
With his back to Linness, he took one step, then another, approaching her quietly.
His friends seemed to understand his intent, attacking Linness to distract her.
At the moment, his heart pounded wildly, and Linness's reflection appeared on the shield's surface.
Luke clenched his fist.
'Alright, the charm effect is lessened.'
Though his head felt a bit foggy, it wasn't enough to hinder his swordsmanship.
Luke continued to approach, keeping his eyes on her reflection in the shield.
Just as Ban intentionally staggered and allowed a few attacks to distract Linness, Luke struck like lightning.
Empowered by the Chaos Bloom, his strike was as fast as a flash of dark light.
"Ahhhh!!!"
"Damn it!"
The attack hit its mark, but Linness sensed it at the last moment and moved, causing the strike to land on her face instead of her neck.
'...Damn!'
The beautiful face was now obscured by spurting black blood. Linness screamed, covering her face with both hands.
"Ahhhh!"
Hearing the scream up close, Luke's body froze.
At the same time, the attacks that had been directed at Ban now turned towards Luke.
He was ready to sacrifice a limb or two.
'In exchange, I'll take your neck.'
He explosively increased the portion of power from Ravias’s cultivation method within the Chaos Bloom.
Luke's eyes turned blood red, filled with madness that stripped away the enchantment.
He could deliver a precise strike even under the pain of being slashed by the hair.
'It's worth the price to take down a legion commander.'
Luke looked Linness straight in the eyes for the first time and swung his sword.
…Or at least, he tried to.
Crash-
Luke stared blankly at the spearhead piercing Linness's head and protruding from her mouth. Slowly, Linness fell forward.
Gerald, with his eyes closed, twisted and pulled out the spear.
Swoosh-
Black blood gushed out like a fountain.
Even for a demon with strong vitality, this was a fatal wound.
"You..."
"Phew, I'm glad I hit the right spot."
Gerald, opening his eyes and grinning, revealed a confident smile.
But Luke noticed his thigh was stained red with blood.
Gerald must have stabbed himself to resist the charm.
Drip-
Blood trickled down his pant leg.
'...Impressive.'
Luke honestly admired him.
Who would have thought that Gerald, known for being weak against women, would play a crucial role against a charm-wielding legion commander?
Overcoming his weakness through sheer willpower, he had acted impressively.
"See, Karen, you're the only one for me."
"...Go clean your wound."
Perhaps that was why Karen, for the first time in four years, didn't coldly dismiss Gerald.
As they chatted, Ban and the others gathered around, tidying up the area.
"Ha, we barely got her. Even a bottom-rung legion commander is tough."
"We've dealt with all the demons on the deck."
"Let's get inside quickly. We need to control the turrets."
"Right, but..."
Karen, rubbing her sore shoulder from drawing her bow, tilted her head.
"Where's Leciel? She came out with us earlier."
"Yeah? Where did she go?"
At that moment,
Whoosh-
Thud!
Something flew from the ground, rolling across the deck.
The kids' expressions turned curious.
"It's a demon's head... it seems."
Soon after, Leciel, looking somewhat tired, jumped onto the deck, accompanied by Mother Ghost.
Mother Ghost told the curious children about the head rolling at their feet.
"It's the 6th legion commander, Rakasa."
"......?"
"He was flanking us with elite subordinates for an ambush."
"...And?"
"I asked for help, and Leciel cut him down."
A contented smile spread across someone's face as they watched this unfold.
It was a moment worth remembering.
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HELHEIM SCANS
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