CH 46

This time, the chapter is written from the third-person point of view.

“Hahhhhhh!”

Ryo, with a dagger in her right hand, is ready to slash at the nearest Yukijin, while pouring her fighting spirit into it.

Of course, a mere dagger would not be capable of inflicting even a scratch on a heavily armored opponent, unless the attacker aims for a gap in the armor. However, the dagger in Ryo’s hand is not an ordinary dagger. It is a magical dagger constructed by Kurokiri from the scales of Cuélebre that resides in the “White Fog and Black Swamp Forest,” a dungeon that he created by himself and the dagger harbors the power to automatically repair itself even if the blade chips unless it is broken, which enhances its sharpness each time it happens. And its initial sharpness is such that it can cleave a steel plate with ease.

Nonetheless,

Clink!

“Huh!”

“Hah! Such a dagger will not work against this ≪Frozen Silver Armor≫!”

Accompanied by a high-pitched sound and Ryo’s astonished voice, the silver armor the Yukijin man is clad in successfully repels the scaled dagger of Cuélebre.

≪Frozen Silver Armor≫ is the name of the skill granted to the Yukijin, a skill that produces armor that is both strong enough to withstand rifle fire at close range yet light enough to be worn as fabric clothing (but has the same mobility range as conventional full-body armor).

“This time, the attack comes from my side! ≪Simple Ice Weapon Creation≫!”

“Damn!”

In the hands of the Yukijin man, a sword comprised of ice is conjured, and it is swung vigorously towards Ryo, whose weapon has been repelled and her movement halted.

“I won’t let you do it! ≪Small Shield Barrier≫!”

Meanwhile, Tachikabe intervenes between the two of them and obstructs the ice sword with the barrier generated in his hand, drawing them into a state of confrontation.

“Tsk!” “Hmph!”

Then, Tachikabe and the Yukijin man simultaneously separate from each other.

“Haa!” “Yah!”

And at the same time, Houki and Chirito charge at him with their daggers made of the same Cuélebre as Ryo’s. However, in contrast to Ryo’s first blow, Houki and Chirito aim at the joints of the armor, the parts that cannot be covered due to the structure of it.

“That’s not… ugh!”

“I did it!”

Although Houki’s attack is dodged, Chirito’s attack slashes him in the elbow, albeit at a shallow depth.

“Don’t you underestimate me! ≪Simple Ice Weapon Creation≫!”

The Yukijin man, though, is incensed by the attack, and he lunges at the two of them with swords made of ice in both hands.

“Whoa, whoa!” “Ha!”

While Chirito is in a panic, Houki steadfastly handles the incoming attack. Nevertheless, not all of the attacks could be dealt with, and the two are slightly wounded and pressed back. However, Tachikabe would periodically step in to support them, which would bring them back into a competitive state.

That armor is much more problematic than I expected. I wonder if there is a way to break it…

Ryo watches the situation while musing. She wonders how can they penetrate the defensive capabilities of that armor.

While recovering with ≪Heal≫, we should leverage the force of the dagger made of Cuélebre and launch a prolonged offense… Well, that is not possible. We are in no position to be fighting so patiently. What we need is firepower. Firepower that can effortlessly destroy that bizarrely solid armor. Speaking of which, what is Aria doing…

When Ryo has reached that conclusion, she turns her attention to Aria. And there lies the figure of Aria, single-handedly fighting against two Yukijin.

Aria seeks an opening while avoiding attacks from the skill of the Yukijin group. It is right after Ryo and the team burst out into combat that Aria spotted the Yukijin striving to breach the front line from an inconspicuous position, which is why she came in close contact with them to stall their advance.

Naturally, given the disparity in numbers, Aria assumed that stopping their movement would be enough. However,

“Is that all you can do? ≪Mist Plosion≫.”

“No…!” “Don’t you dare underestimate me…!”

Bang!

“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”

With the declaration of Aria’s skill, the two Yukijin are blown away.

Truthfully speaking, for Aria, who has been born as a demon who hunts people, their abilities would have been beyond a letdown. If it were not for the out-of-dungeon compensation and poor attribute compatibility, the battle would have already concluded with Aria’s victory.

Now, you may be wondering why their armor, which was so effective in blocking rifle bullets, was rendered ineffective against Aria’s attacks. To be frank, the answer is quite plain: the ≪Frozen Silver Armor≫ has a high physical defense, yet its magical defense is not only low, or rather, it is completely non-existent.

“Phew. Well, I don’t have the hobby of tormenting the lower ranks, so let’s draw this to a close, shall we? ≪Misty Arrow≫.”

Aria releases a ≪Misty Arrow≫ directed at the pair, who are still immobile due to the damage sustained from the ≪Mist Plosion≫. The arrow then pierces the heads of the two, resulting in their movement ceasing.

Ryo realizes that Aria has finished them off. She now recognizes how their armor can be broken through, which is evident by observing the Yukijin. The Yukijin that are currently pressing them are never committed to assaulting, and some of their attacks are distinctly avoidable.

Yes, if Yukijin could repel any attack, there would be no necessity to evade.

Then…!

Leaving the dagger aside, Ryo starts running and approaches the Yukijin, who is being held back by Tachikabe and the other three through the small opening that has been formed.

“Lady Ryo!?” “Ryo onee-chan!?” “What are you planning to do!?”

“Ha, I have no clue what you’re up to, but I’ll be your opponent!”

“Here I come!”

While the three of them and Yukijin are screaming, Ryo drops to her waist and pulls out her right hand. That hand is in the form of a palm heel with mist concentrated in it.

As if to stretch out all the energy in her body at once, Ryo thrusts a palm heel strike towards the Yukijin’s abdomen.

“≪Mist Slap≫!”

“No way… gah!!”

In one blow, the Yukijin is sent flying widely, shattering all of his body armor before being punctured in the throat and chest by another human being, thus ensuring a definite death.

Ryo then conveys a piece of information to the entire battlefield, which is delivered in her distinctive high female voice.

“Beware, those of you who battle with magical attacks! Their armors are powerless to resist magic!”

“So that’s how it is!” “Alright!”

“What!” “Damn it!”

The effect of the information Ryo relayed was drastic.

When Ryo pointed out the vulnerabilities in their armor, the intelligent Yukijin begin fleeing, while those who are overconfident in their armor’s might are sure to be taken out one by one.

Nevertheless, even the intelligent Yukijin are not successful in escaping merely because they attempted to do so. After all,

“‘Prepare to fire! Fire!’”

The unit under the command of Otachi Mamoru is stationed at the tunnel’s entrance as an ambush, and following his orders, the Yukijin are greeted with a barrage of gunfire and marksmanship skills.

And the battle, in which the Demon King of the north side drew the first use of Yukijin, has ended in victory for the defending front line side, with Houki, Chirito, Tachikabe, and Ryo each advancing a level.

T/N:

There will be third-person point of view written chapters occasionally in the future chapters as well