225 - - the fourth consecutive Order of Merit

Just before the witch delivers her lethal blow, a man with a shield leaps forward like a gale.

In response to her movement, a mind-melting gaze pours out from her vacant eye socket.

But the man does not stop.

.

Already his soul is steadfastly protected.

A shield is raised to protect Yuril, and a huge tree is slammed into it.

A tremendous sound that shook the atmosphere echoed far into the mist.

However, his body, which boasts inhuman hardness, defies the weight of dozens of times that much head-on.

Garudo, who had successfully caught the witch's wand, smiled a sullen smile.

Just as the two are locked in combat, someone jumps out from right beside them.

It is Thor, clad in a blue cloak.

Another person, the red-haired swordsman Raszel, follows.

The two had been hiding at the edge of the log floor for this one moment.

As they run, Razzel draws his great silver sword, revealing its long blade.

But it is only a man's sword.

It is not even close to the length of the giant tree.

The hollow, hollow eyes move again at the tiny being running at his feet.

Thor and the others, having it, close the distance to the witch's wand that Garudo is holding back at once.

Razzel takes a deep breath and swings his great sword, releasing all his fighting energy.

Common sense would have dictated that the tip of the blade would only end up biting into the trunk of the tree.

No, even that may not be possible, since the tree is an old tree with many years of history.

But what unfolded before the eyes of the onlooking adventurers in the next instant was an unbelievable sight.

"Woah woah woah woah ！！！！"

With a swordsman's exclamation, the great sword in his hand is engulfed in red flames.

--

It is said to be able to cut off even the scales of an ancient dragon if it burns up completely.

The only drawback of this technique is that it takes a little time for the heat to reach that level.

Thor's hand was extended and he put his hand on Razzel's sword.

--

The sword, which had passed its sixteen-second time in an instant, erupted from the tip of the sword in a fiery burst of flame.

Acceleration, acceleration, acceleration.

In the blink of an eye, the flames reach high into the sky in a whirlpool.

At the same time, its color changes from red to white.

Razzel holds his huge white sword high in the air.

He looks like a hero who rushes to the lady's crisis and holds up his shining sword to the sky.

With a smooth step, he twists his body and all his strength is transmitted to his arm.

A white pillar of fire arced and slammed into the witch's staff.

The next moment, the large tree was cut in two without a sound.

Leaving a white molten cut surface, the tip of the staff fell onto the log floor, making a heavy thud.

Raszel, having demonstrated the impossible sharpness of his blade, exhaled quietly and jumped back.

Chiru and the others, who had been waiting for him, make their move.

The leader of the Arashibo alliance stands up vigorously and pulls his bowstring to the limit.

Next to him, Tapa did the same, taking careful aim with his bow.

The wind, brought on by Tali standing behind them, rapidly clears the fog behind the witches.

"...... here we go!"

The swirling atmosphere above the windmonger's head collides with each other, releasing a deafening, irregular sound.

More magic power is poured into the wind, and the winds are released at once, echoing each other.

.

By vibrating the winds against each other at high speed, a series of sound waves are created, which resonate with the target, disintegrating it from the inside.

The target is the witch's left foot.

The high pitched sound, which cannot be caught by ordinary people, creates countless small holes on the surface of the mud.

Then, the full force of the arrow was unleashed.

--

Chiru specializes in the highest level of continuous fire, a technique in which the released arrow creates a wind that creates an arrow of air that looks just like the arrow itself.　

An arrow goes straight for the target.

Nearly a hundred wind trails are created around it, one after another, and follow it.

The rain of arrows lashed out at the fragile legs of the mud without mercy.

But the mud immediately rises and moves to compensate for the lost parts.

--

Tapa's arrow, aimed at the target, flew there without a sound.

The blow, which was covered with spiraling wind, shot through the point of the knee on which the force was applied without missing a single inch.

This time, the witch's left leg is completely broken, and she leans her huge body heavily.

She moves the staff in her hand, but a large part of the tip has been cut off, making it impossible for the staff to fulfill its intended function.

This was Thor's target.

No matter how much he attacked the body made of mud, it would regenerate as long as it touched the swamp.

However, this is not the case with the dead tree staff.

If the unbalanced body is stabilized by the three points of support, then removing one of them would block its movement.

And on top of that--.

And a new man has joined the party.

Godin, our trusty butler.

The brown-horned shieldman closes the distance to the witches by circling them from the right side.

As soon as he steps into the range of the witch, he materializes the fighting spirit that has been accumulated up to the maximum limit.

--

Breaking through the surface of the swamp, a clenched fist made of a huge rock appeared.

The witch is struck in the back of the knee of her remaining right leg by the rock, and easily loses her balance and crumples to the ground.

The muddy lump's body was headed for the log floor that Thor and the others had prepared.

The witch slowly falls and hits the hard floor, shaking the earth violently.

The mud splashes high into the air and washes over the area like a tsunami.

Thor and Raszel manage to hold their ground with their swords.

The two shieldmen seem to have held their ground as well.　

The witches, piled up in a heap on the log floor, move their hands in a futile attempt to get up.

But perhaps because she has been cut off from the swamp, her soft body merely wriggles.

She shakes her hair eerily and turns her head to glare at those who have done this to her.

But her face is motionless, as if fixed in mid-air.

When the witch's head finally comes down within range of their magic, the eloquent flame wielder and the red-haired swordswoman step forward and line up beside Yuril.

All of them lifted their wands and thin swords at once, and the three of them chanted a prayer in high tones.

"Moonlight, tie - " (Moonlight, tie - ).

"O tree of crimson that seeks battle! With your flaming blade, burn and destroy the enemy before you.

"O tree of heavenly radiance! Now is the time for you to shake your branches and spread your leaves! Bloom to your heart's content, mourning flowers of cremation that bring forth ashes--."

Yuril's magic technique, the fastest to be activated, calls forth the moon of emptiness in the void.

A wave of silver light flooded out, bringing a chill that chilled even the air.

Immediately the huge mass of mud solidifies, covered with white ice.

Next, a torrent of crimson spurted out from the tip of Bettina's sword.

It aimed straight up to the sky, branched off into nine branches, and poured down on the frozen witch one after another, growing even thicker.

The part pierced by the red ray evaporated instantly, melting and releasing a violent steam.

Finally, a large mass of burning flames, resembling a bright red rose, floats above Balconia's head.

Sprinkling petals of fire sparks, the fireballs struck the witch's head at once.

One after another, red flames bloom like flowers, burning every single hair on her head.

What remained after the three upper branch magic moves were unleashed was the cruel figure of the witch, most of the mud had evaporated and the remaining parts were frozen white and hardened.

Barconia's eyes widened at the sight of the motionless figure.

Then she let out a small murmur.

"............ You can't be serious, did you win?

Bettina, too, spun her sword around, sheathed it, and smiled a smile of the highest order.

She almost reached out her hand to Yuril, who was standing next to her.

Something black flew out and pierced his chest.