Chapter 279: Rinella’s Destiny is Her Own (72)

Reynold, one of the only two Archmages of the Rinella family.

He was likely the core of that large-scale magic circle.

Despite that, he spoke without showing any sign of struggle.

Elsie was still in a daze.

“If not, are you just going to let Young Master Ian die like that? We can only keep that monster restrained for a few more minutes.”

At those words, Elsie, though still bewildered, hurriedly took the bottle of potion and drank it.

A bit of mana started to return to her dried veins.

A sharp pain surged through her torn blood vessels, but Elsie could barely feel it.

Seeing the wary look on her face, Reynold gave a bitter smile.

"Still as ill-mannered as ever. When a family elder helps you, you should express your gratitude."

“I-I’m not a ‘Rinella’......”

“You are Rinella.”

Reynold's tone was as flat as ever.

His voice carried a strong conviction.

As if confirming an unchangeable truth.

"Because you're Rinella, you're so stubborn and ill-tempered. Tsk tsk, I wonder how you'll raise your children when you get married..."

"...Master!"

However, Reynold's scolding didn't register with Elsie in her current state.

She was ready to run to Ian at any moment.

It was Reynold who stopped her.

"Hold on. Rushing in recklessly will only drain your strength. I've invested most of my mana in the spell that is binding that monster, so there won't be any problems for a few minutes."

"A-And after a few minutes?!"

To Elsie's urgent question, Reynold merely gestured somewhere with his eyes.

As Elsie looked in that direction, Reynold elaborated.

"Elsie, haven't I told you before? To become an Archmage, you must first broaden your perspective... You've just encountered your limits, so from now on, focus on that."

In that direction, a dazzling white light was surging.

Someone was kneeling in prayer.

Silver hair, light pink eyes.

Reynold, with his hands clasped behind his back, calmly continued speaking.

"Once that ritual is complete, we'll immediately join forces with Young Lady Haster, who departed earlier, and the Yurdina family's private soldiers to launch an attack. Our goal is to clear the area and extract Young Master Ian."

He then let out a bitter chuckle.

"...This too is a talent. To think that everyone who tried to escape has ended up gathering here."

His voice was overly optimistic about the future, which suddenly made Elsie feel uneasy.

Will it really work out that way?

The man, who surely must have considered all these forces, had said,

'We have to abandon the territory.'

Whether he was right or if the Master who was facing against that monster was right.

Now was the time for the outcome to be revealed.

**

The Saintess's face had turned pale.

It was because she was terribly anxious that Ian might die.

Only now did she understand how intense and terrifying of a feeling anxiety could be.

It was only after the Rinella family's Mage Corps arrived to relay the rough plan and the chains of lightning struck down from the sky that the Saintess could finally sigh in relief.

Yuren looked at her, who was beginning the ritual, with a disapproving expression.

He asked,

"...Sister, you will leave at least a little, right?"

"Immanuel."

It meant she would do as the Lord willed.

In other words, she meant she'll leave nothing behind.

Yuren immediately put his palm to his forehead and groaned.

"Good grief, even using that precious Heart of Blood, we can't even capture that Evil God's Underling? And all we will manage to save is a single low-ranking noble of the Empire?"

"...who knows we might be able to defeat that Evil God's Underlying."

At the Saintess’s faint rebuttal, Yuren flashed a brief smile.

It was an expression he only showed when he was truly angry.

"Stop the nonsense, and as soon as the ritual is over, let’s just take Ian and run... okay?"

The Heart of Blood held immense value as a sacrifice.

She had sacrificed the entire Heart of Blood.

It was a secret treasure capable of restoring anyone but the dead.

Moreover, the opponent had no means to resist; it was restrained by the Mage Corps of the Rinella family.

Yet it revived.

Could this monster be truly immortal?

The sense of despair was not felt by the Saintess alone.

The refugees watching the situation, the Rinella family’s Mage Corps preparing for rescue, and even the brave private soldiers of the Yurdina family—all stopped in their tracks.

Panic was clearly etched on everyone's faces.

It didn't take long for terrified screams to erupt from their mouths.

"...Ian!"

The Corpse Giant, in a frenzy, raised its hand.

Perhaps due to its reduced size, its speed seemed twice as fast as before.

Before anyone could respond, the Corpse Giant swung its fist.

The delayed sonic boom that followed was terrifying in itself.

If hit by that strike, no one could survive.

The Saintess screamed, Elsie’s eyes widened, and Seria froze.

Just as Celine took a rough breath and tightly shut her eyes.

An odd silence enveloped the battlefield.

It was an abrupt, absolute quiet.

One by one, puzzled gazes turned towards the Corpse Giant.

Despite the colossal fist coming down, the expected shockwave and noise were absent.

The reason for this soon became clear.

Slowly, the Corpse Giant’s fist was being pushed back.

It was an unbelievable sight.

Even in terms of sheer weight, there were very few humans who could lift that fist, let alone withstand a strike with the Corpse Giant’s full power.

Yet someone had managed it.

The man, staggering to his feet, gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot.

He muttered something incomprehensible to himself.

This is Shackle.

Uwoah?

The Corpse Giant, seemingly in disbelief, shook its head and glanced back at its fist.

But no matter how much it looked, reality didn’t change.

It was being pushed back.

Slowly, but surely.

The Corpse Giant could not accept the fact that it was being pushed back by a human it had looked down upon.

Suddenly, with a fierce scream, it withdrew its fist and then swung the other one.

Just before another piercing scream could echo.

The man instantly kicked off the ground.

He was heading straight for the fist. No one immediately understood his intention.

It only became clear through the outcome.

Crack. A fissure appeared in the Corpse Giant's fist.

No, it wasn’t just the fist.

Silver lines began to trace from the wrist to the forearm.

And in the next moment.

KIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEKKKKK!

As the shrill scream echoed, the arm of the Corpse Giant, composed of hundreds of corpses, exploded.

Through the scattering flesh, the man with black hair was leaping forward.

The man muttered to himself once more.

This is Liberation.

At last, I've figured it out. How many fierce battles did I endure just to grasp this principle?

Finally, the man spoke to the Corpse Giant with a biting tone.

"...Let's settle this, just enough to repay the trouble you've caused."

Grinding his teeth.

The man who had been on the brink of death gripped his sword again.