Chapter 188

Chapter 188

Lucas and Evangeline had been waiting on the walls throughout the defense.

Neither was the situation to go out and fight, nor were there enemies approaching for a hand-to-hand battle, so their strength had been entirely preserved.

Clatter! Clatter! Clatter-!

The two knights, mounted on horses, charged forward like chariots.

The firepower of Salamanders Legion concentrated on them as they burst out of the open gates.

However, the first bombardment was completely negated as Reina swung a tornado to counter it.

That mage officer, I dont like her on a personal level...

Lucas glanced at the walls as he muttered.

But her skills are reliable.

If her abilities were worth nothing, I wouldve kicked her out long ago! Lets go!

Evangeline spurred her horse and took the lead.

The ordinary salamanders continued to breathe fire, but Evangeline raised her shield and blocked them all.

Immediately following behind her, Lucas swung his sword to the left and right.

Swish! Snap!

The salamanders in the path of the two knights were all cut in two, spraying blood.

In no time, they approached the closest giant salamander.

The giant salamander, as large as a house, slowly turned its body and aimed its fiery muzzle at the two.

Lucas and Evangeline split to the left and right simultaneously, as if by some agreement.

Boom! Boom!

Where the two knights had stood a moment before, fireballs now fell.

But the two knights had already dispersed, diving under the massive body of the giant salamander.

Huh-!

Lucass Soul Strike skill glowed as he struck down his sword,

Ha-ha-ha!

Evangeline thrust her spear, dealing Damage Payback with the accumulated damage on her shield.

With Lucass sword strike and Evangelines spear strike, one of the thick legs of the giant salamander flew off.

The giant salamander twisted its body, letting out a heavy scream.

Its head, held high before, came down. The two knights, seeing their prey, simultaneously glowed with anticipation.

Lets go-!

Ta-dah!

Evangeline, driving her horse towards the neck of the giant salamander, sprung up like a squirrel.

Despite wearing heavy armor, she moved in an unbelievable manner.

The giant salamander tried to breathe fire at Evangeline, but,

Dont breathe fire... on me!

She smashed the monsters crown with her shield. Bang!

With the shock, the giant salamanders head fell even lower, low enough to reach Lucass galloping sword.

Flash-!

Lucass sword erupted with brilliant rays of light.

With the 1st skill Soul Strike, and the unique ability of his newly acquired sword Karma Eater to create sword energy, there was no surviving this attack.

It was a finishing blow!

Snap-!

Lucass fierce upward swing cleanly severed the giant salamanders neck.

The monsters enormous body collapsed, spilling lava-like blood onto the ground.

Thats one down.

Flicking the blood off his sword, Lucas muttered, and Evangeline landed next to him with a thud!

The starts good!

Four left. Dont let your guard down. Lets go.

The two knights mounted their horses again and charged towards the next giant salamander.

The battle continued, and it was when Lucas and Evangeline had toppled the third giant salamander.

Vroom!

Evangelines horse looked noticeably fatigued. When it refused to move properly, Evangeline was taken aback.

"Huh? Whats wrong with you? Are you hurt?"

Examining the horse, Evangeline slapped her forehead in realization.

"Oops! The armor was too heavy...!"

The [Golem Armor] that Evangeline wore offered immense defense but at the cost of its tremendous weight.

Besides, it was only logical that even the most robust warhorse would have its limits when the rider was performing acrobatics on the saddle while wearing such heavy armor.

I should have worn lighter armor if I planned to ride!

Why did she have to make these trivial mistakes? Evangeline swept a hand over the panting horses mane.

Thanks to the shield Saintess Margarita had provided, the horse had not been burned, but the battlefield was still a sea of flames.

Superhuman heroic characters were not significantly affected, but it was only natural that ordinary warhorses would tire more quickly.

"What do we do? We cant fight like we did earlier."

"No choice. Lets return to the castle for now and then again..."

Lucas stopped mid-sentence as fireball bombardments rained down from above.

"Damn, retreat!"

Eventually, Damien made up his mind and nodded.

Ill fire the last shot here.

He raised the Black Queen and took aim, targeting the giant salamander, then hesitated.

Ash had said to shoot only three times, but not that he should kill only three.

With one more shot, hitting as many enemies as possible would make the remaining battle easier.

If I align the trajectory well... hit as many as possible with a single shot...

Running to the end of the wall, Damien soon finished aiming.

He took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.

Bang-!

With a resounding blast, the magic bullet was fired.

Soaring to the end of the battlefield, the magic bullet precisely pierced the giant salamanders eye, penetrated its head, and additionally impaled two regular salamanders that had been guarding it.

Kugugung...!

The last giant salamander spewed flames and fell.

Phew.

Watching the scene, Damien felt a secret relief.

With this, they had passed another critical point in this defensive battle...

...Huh?

Thats when Damien noticed something odd.

From the magic core of the Black Queen, a faint, unknown aura began to spread. It was like smoke...

"Hungry... so hungry..."

It seemed like a voice could be heard.

Whats that?

Rubbing his tired eyes and looking back at the Black Queen, it was unchanged. It retained its usual smooth and beautiful appearance.

...Did I see something false because I used my eyes too much today?

Shrugging it off, Damien wrapped the Black Queen back over his shoulder.

As Damiens gaze shifted away, once again, a faint aura began to spread from the Black Queens magic core.

It was a sinister light, like the darkness of midnight.

***

- Crash...!

With Damiens supporting fire, the last Giant Salamander fell.

Lucas and Evangeline took care of the remaining ordinary Salamanders one by one.

Regular soldiers also streamed out of the gates to assist in this process.

After defeating all the monsters and putting out the fires scattered across the battlefield, the sun had already set. The defense had taken the entire day.

Returning to within the castle walls, Lucas suddenly felt an overwhelming fatigue.

Evangeline had already leaned against the wall and started to doze off as soon as she got back.

"You worked hard, Deputy Commander."

Reina, who was overseeing the aftermath of the battle, smiled at Lucas.

"I must acknowledge your bravery. But, you wont last long with that approach. You only have one life, after all."

"..."

Lucas agreed. Todays battle had certainly felt more awkward than usual.

Although they had managed to pull through safely, the process had been dangerous and sloppy.

Above all, Lucas himself lacked confidence in giving the orders.

What this front line needed was Ash.

My Lord...

Surveying his party members, scattered and fatigued around the castle walls, Lucas murmured to himself.

Please come back soon...

***

[STAGE 7 - CLEAR!]

[STAGE MVP - Damien(N)]

[Leveled-up Characters]

- Lucas(SSR) Lv.45 (1)

- Evangeline(SSR) Lv.45 (1)

- Jupiter Junior(SSR) Lv.54 (1)

- Damien(N) Lv.43 (2)

[Deceased or Injured Characters]

- None

[Acquired Items]

- Salamander Legion Magic Stones: 290

- Giant Salamander Magic Core(R): 5

[Stage Clear Rewards have been given. Please check your inventory.]

- R-grade Reward Boxes: 5

>> Get Ready For The Next STAGE

>> [STAGE 8: A Lucky Day]