Previous Chapter l Next Chapter

Molari went to where Mix is. 

In that case, the one I have to deal with is only Yasutet. 

But how should I win against him…? 

Judging from the sensation of the chains, the toughness should be higher than that of Rakura’s barriers that specialized in defense. 

I had a hard time getting through even the barriers of Rakura, and even if I try to create an opening on him, this man can attack even with a barrier still on him. 

“…What’s the matter? If you have no intention of coming, I will go to you.” (Yasutet)

Yasutet was coming straight at me. 

Considering how he has a decent amount of martial art skills, I have to avoid this being brought to close combat. 

I have to accurately grasp the reach of the barrier around him first. 

I make several chains float around myself and get ready for the attack of Yasutet. 

(The right fist…is two fists long. The same for the left side!) (Ekdoik)

It looks as if Yasutet is faintly floating. He must have a barrier even below his feet. I can get a rough measure of the reach there by calculating the height of it. 

The thickness of the barrier covering his whole body is most likely the same.

“…You have moved to observing. You are a calm man.” (Yasutet)

“That goes the same for you.” (Ekdoik)

Yasutet is attacking while aware that I am sizing him up here. That means he has leeway to observe his opponent even while attacking. 

I will just stay at a disadvantage if I continue watching like this. 

In that case, I should fight back soon. 

I sway my chains to and fro after avoiding the punches to see whether I can restrain him with chains. 

I avoid his punch narrowly and move at that moment—

“Guh?!” 

Even though there shouldn’t have been any issues with the distance I grasped, the attack that I thought I avoided landed on my stomach. 

The chains that I had wrapped for defense were smashed to pieces, and the remaining impact I couldn’t mitigate reached all the way to my organs. 

His range increased? 

I forgot that Rakura can also change the shape of her barrier while still activated. 

That means Yasutet can also change the size of his barrier by his own will.

“Ekdoik-niisan, I will help out too!” (Rakura)

Yasutet was blasted to the back at the same time I heard the voice of Rakura behind me. 

It doesn’t seem to be a new technique. 

It must have been the usual slicing barrier magic.

The fact that he wasn’t sliced and simply sent flying back means…

“…To think there was someone else who could attack with barrier magic.” (Yasutet)

“Uwaah, he is completely unscathed.” (Rakura)

Yasutet gets up while cracking his neck. 

I can’t see a single injury. 

The slices of Rakura can even sever the body of Dyuvuleori. This means the barrier clad on the body of Yasutet is tougher than even the body of a Great Devil. 

“Rakura, how does that man called Yasutet look to you?” (Ekdoik)

“The toughness of that barrier is abnormal, but being able to maintain that toughness while changing its shape is beyond that. Maintaining the barrier alone already uses a decent amount of concentration…” (Rakura)

“Right. That man really does have the talent of concentration as an Illegitimate.” (Ekdoik)

“More importantly, that punch seemed like it hurt a lot. Are you okay?” (Rakura)

“No issues. A few of my ribs broke, but I have already done emergency treatment with healing magic to a certain degree.” (Ekdoik)

I should be able to recover completely if I don’t move intensely for a while more, but he is not a soft opponent that would wait for this. 

I have no choice but to wrap this up with just some quick healing. 

“…So your special skill is more about how fast you cast it rather than the sturdiness of your barrier, huh. It is difficult to avoid it continuously, but it is not an attack that I can’t block.” (Yasutet)

Yasutet dashed and swung his fist, but Rakura casted a defensive barrier to block it. The barrier managed to stop the punch, but it cracked with just that attack alone. 

Baraguwerin and Dyuvuleori managed to destroy it, so in terms of pure strength, it is better for us, but being able to crack the barrier of Rakura which wouldn’t budge at all against my attacks is already monstrous enough. 

Yasutet tried to strike from above right after, but Rakura recasted the barrier to block that attack. And then, she landed an offensive barrier onto Yasutet the very moment she undid it. 

Yasutet was sent flying back a fair amount of distance, but he didn’t fall this time around and stood his ground. 

“No good. I don’t think my attacks will be able to get through that barrier…!” (Rakura)

“But that goes for the enemy too…or maybe not.” (Ekdoik)

I feel like Yasutet still has more power reserved. He cracked the barriers of Rakura just by punching normally. There’s a high chance he can get through them with a single big move. 

How about the Eyes of Blindness that elevate the sturdiness of matter? No, even if Rakura can block the big moves of the enemy with a barrier like that, it would be difficult to get through that defense of his. 

No matter how sturdy you make the blade of your attack, if the speed at which you unleash it is the same, the sharpness of it won’t change much. 

I might be able to seal his movements with my chains, but I won’t be able to harm him as long as he has his barrier up. 

I can’t get the sealing effect of the Six Towers of Binding unless I can touch the enemy directly. 

Our stamina will be drained intensely if we use the eyes for a long period of time, dragging us into more and more of a disadvantage. 

“…There’s no end to this. Let’s change my form.” (Yasutet)

The shape of the barrier around his arms changed as he changed his stance. 

Just a few moments ago, it was like a bigger fist covering him, but its shape is now like that of bladed knuckles. 

His aim is most likely not to smash but to pierce. 

“Be careful, Rakura. The shape is that of breaking through one point. He is coming to pierce through the barrier!” (Ekdoik)

“I will be fine, but what will you do, Ekdoik-niisan?!” (Rakura)

“I have no choice but to manage somehow.” (Ekdoik)

Yasutet jumps in. 

It is hard to tell who he is aiming for when we are this close to each other. 

I take a bit of distance from Rakura and get ready for the attack. 

He is aiming for…Rakura, huh! 

“If a defensive barrier is no good…!” (Rakura)

The swung punch of Yasutet snapped upwards. 

I see, so she received the attack with a slicing barrier. Even if she can’t slice him with it, a barrier that can send Yasutet himself flying should be able to block the momentum of his swung fist. 

Moreover, it wasn’t only one attack. She did 3 attacks in that instant. It is only possible because it is Rakura who can do fast and precise attacks. 

“…Not bad. But it was careless of you to not put up a defensive barrier.” (Yasutet)

“—Rakura?!” (Ekdoik)

Rakura’s body bent.

Yasutet had extended the tip of the left leg’s barrier at the same time as his right fist was struck away. 

He unleashed a kick that had longer range than a spear. 

This is bad. Rakura doesn’t have chains as defense or an increase in defensive capabilities with mana strengthening. 

If she were to get hit with a kick that can destroy a barrier—

“I was waiting for that!” (Rakura)

“?!” 

The body of Yasutet floated after he forcefully unleashed a kick once his right arm was struck away. 

Rakura did a barrier attack from below and lifted the body of Yasutet. 

“Ekdoik-niisan, let’s do this! Chains on me and that person!” (Rakura)

“—Got it!” (Ekdoik)

I wrap the chains around the body of Yasutet over the barrier, and have the other one grabbed by Rakura. 

Rakura continued attacking two-three times from below, bringing the body of Yasutet higher into the air. 

It may not be possible to destroy his barrier with this, but the impact of it can send him high in the sky. 

The body of Rakura is also pulled to the sky because she is tied by a chain. 

<<…A pointless attempt!>> (Yasutet)

<<No, it wasn’t pointless. You cracked the bones of your neck the first time I sent you flying, right? You may be able to block the attacks from outside, but you can’t mitigate all the impact from falls!>> (Rakura)

I confirm the conversation of the two through the chains.

Rakura didn’t stop her attacks against Yasutet and brought him far above the sky. 

And then, they arrived to a point where they looked like grains from the ground. 

I noticed what Rakura was trying to do and place countless chains on the ground. 

Yasutet is maintaining the barrier in order to block the attacks unleashed on him, so he can’t deal with other spells. 

And so, Rakura began to attack from above now. 

The body of Yasutet naturally began to go down, and accelerated as she added more strikes. 

Rakura didn’t let go of the chain and is falling together with Yasutet. 

<<…You won’t be coming out unscathed from this either!>> (Yasutet)

<<Yeah, but you are alone while I am a duo!>> (Rakura)

Rakura won’t come out fine if I mistime it. 

Judging from how fast the two are falling…I calculate the direction to the most minute details, and shape up the chains below my feet. 

“—Now, Rakura! Let go of the chain!” (Ekdoik)

The moment they were going to be smashed onto the ground, I wrap the deployed chains onto Rakura to absorb the impact, lower the hardness of the chains to the very limit, and expand them. 

As for the chains on the landing point of Yasutet, I entangle them to the ground and increase the hardness to the very limits. 

Rakura was sent flying from the impact of Yasutet’s fall and I catch her with my body. 

“Are you okay, Rakura?!” (Ekdoik)

“S-Somehow…” (Rakura)

She has barely received any damage from the fall, but the arm she was using to hold onto the chain and follow the accelerating Yasutet was in a pretty bad state.

“My blood drained when you got hit by that kick…” (Ekdoik)

“I could tell with my eyes that he would be following up with another attack when I struck his punch away. That’s why I deployed a barrier on my whole body like the type the knight-samas of Taizu use. It is far more brittle than your regular barrier, but I couldn’t read where he would be aiming for, so I couldn’t do a concentrated defense though… *Cough!*.” (Rakura)

Rakura coughs out blood. 

Even her organs might have been damaged from the kick.

I lay Rakura on the ground, wrap chains around her, and cast healing magic. 

 “…Guh!” 

Yasutet moved his body and switched from facing down to facing up. 

It seems like he is conscious, but I can tell he is severely wounded. 

Blood was flowing out from his head and was heavily injured to a degree incomparable to that of Rakura. 

His whole body is most likely not in a good state either. 

“You lose, Yasutet. You must be close to your limit even if you have mana left.” (Ekdoik)

“…What are you saying? My barrier hasn’t been broken yet. That woman can’t fight either. Then, I still have a chance to win!” (Yasutet)

Yasutet staggered his way up. 

His barrier was still present and the fighting spirit in his eyes has not been snuffed out. 

But he most likely doesn’t have the energy to use high proficiency martial arts anymore.

“No, it is over already. Rakura has taught me the way to defeat you. I am enough to defeat you who can’t even move properly.” (Ekdoik)

I wrap my chains around Yasutet from all directions. The barriers of the Yugura Church are fixed in space, so I can’t lift them up, but the barrier of Yasutet is deployed around himself. 

Yasutet doesn’t have the strength remaining to break through the chains that are lifting him up.

“…!” 

“I have no intention of holding back just because you are weakened. I will slam you down as much as it takes, until you undo that barrier of yours!” (Ekdoik)

I control the chains and throw Yasutet towards the sky. 

And then, I drew him to the ground in one go and slammed him onto it. 

I can tell through the chains that the barrier is still there. 

I throw him again and slam him. Twice, thrice, four times…

The impact of it is lower compared to what Rakura did, but I did this over and over. 

And then, at the thirteenth time, I confirmed that the barrier of Yasutet had been undone. 

“Haah…haah… Finally, huh.” (Ekdoik)

I cast a paralysis spell on the chains wrapped around the bare skin of Yasutet, considering the possibility that he was simply pretending to be unconscious. 

He would have been able to tear himself away from the restraint of the chains if this had been a one-on-one. 

I might have been able to throw him up like I did just now with the chains created from the True Eyes of Blindness, but my eyes wouldn’t have been able to keep it up until his stamina ran out. 

“We somehow managed to win, huh, Ekdoik-niisan…” (Rakura)

“I might have lost without you here, Rakura.” (Ekdoik)

“It is honestly an appalling way of winning though…” (Rakura)

“In the end, we couldn’t break the barrier of this man in a conventional manner. We have fought many strong enemies and won, so it would be a luxury to worry even about the way we win.” (Ekdoik)

How are the others doing? 

I looked at where Mix is and she has already restrained Molari, waving her hand over here. 

Haakudoku is still in the middle of fighting. 

But even if I want to go help him out, the subordinates of Seraes are heading here, seeing that we are injured. 

We must regroup with Mix first to deal with them. 

Previous Chapter l Next Chapter