Chapter 189:

Chapter 189:

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After joining up with the Guardian Knight Order, Cadel informed Sorin about Ashvka and the bloodsuckers, and the allies immediately changed their tactics.

‘They show no signs of slowing down.’

No matter how many swords they swung, the bloodsuckers steadily outnumbered them. Sorin surveyed the battlefield, slashing ferociously at the hordes of bloodsuckers pounding the barrier.

Above the seal circle, swordsmen, including Dreyfe and Van, were eradicating bloodsuckers cloaking in barriers. Outside, magicians including Martin, Cadel, and Lydon were providing minimal assistance.

The sooner they destroyed the bloodsuckers, the sooner they could restore the seal circle. The longer they waited, the harder it would be to restore. Against a large enemy like this, unleashing large spells would be the most effective way to defeat them, but it was important to conserve the magicians’ mana.

The size of the crack in the seal was large, and what lay beyond was a High Demon. The mana required to repair it will be formidable.

‘However, it is also true that we do not have enough power to keep up with the speed of the bloodsuckers.’

Dreyfe’s more mobile troops were doing their part, but they were not enough to stop the bloodsuckers’ proliferation that had filled the seal circle. Even Van Herdos, a brilliant berserker, seemed to have difficulty obtaining ‘blood’, the source of his power.

Even in difficult situations, he had to perseverely swing his sword. Watching Sorin’s agonizing struggle, Cadel suggested a plan to the magicians standing by.

“I’ll create a barrier to protect the Knight Order, so why don’t you get to work on the restoration right away?”

Unless he killed Ashvka or sealed the crack, the number of bloodsuckers would never decrease. Continuing the battle would only make the rift worse, so the best thing to do was to send in the magicians to restore the seal now, and Cadel needed to make sure they could focus on the task at hand. Gett your favorite novels at no/v/e/lbin(.)com

It was a valid reason, but Martin scowled as if he’d been told a bunch of nonsense.

“Sir Cadel, are you saying that you will handle all the mana that goes into the barrier alone?”

“Yes. The missing of one person will put a hole in the restoration effort, but right now it’s more important to close the crack before it gets any bigger.”

“I realize that. But your plan is risky and reckless, and I don’t mean to discredit your abilities, but a barrier that encompasses the entire Knight Order may be possible, but it won’t be for long. We don’t know how long it’s going to take to restore the seal, and we don’t want to walk on eggshells relying on one barrier that we’re not even sure you can maintain, and if you make the slightest mistake and poke create a hole in it, we’ll lose precious power.”

It wasn’t that Cadel didn’t care about Martin’s concerns. At another time, he might have backed down. But Martin was right, the risks were too great.

‘But right now, I don’t have time to waste until I have another plan.’

If he didn’t stop Ashvka here, he didn’t know what would happen to the story. If he didn’t stop him, the flow of the story could be altered, and he could end up with a very different ending than he knew.

So, Cadel had to somehow avoid the worst situation where Ashvka would appear in the human world due to failure to prevent the crack.

“You won’t know if it’s a success or a failure until you try.”

He had no experience in creating large-scale barriers, but that didn’t mean he could give up without trying. Cadel minimized the loss of mana with the power of two attributes and then cast a circular barrier over the magicians. It was unique in that it was fire at its core, but woven with spiraling wind around the flame for visibility.

Martin was stunned by the sudden, chantless creation of the barrier, and Lydon was amused that he was enveloped in it as well.

“If the mana of the barrier is jeopardized, my subordinate Lydon will be the first to know, and he will warn you through his Phantasm Speech, but until then, I need you to focus on restoring the seal.”

“Cadel, what about my opinion on this?”

“I’m sure Sir Martin knows that there’s no time to waste.”

Martin fell silent under Cadel’s serious gaze. He was also aware that if he waited any longer, restoring the seal itself would become difficult. As long as Cadel’s plan succeeded, he would be able to achieve the best results.

After some deliberation, Martin finally nodded his head in agreement, and Cadel immediately created a barrier that enveloped all of his allies.

“Eighth Battalion! From now on, you line up and surround the seal. Remember your location and begin restoration work as soon as you find your spot!”

Sorin’s shout echoed across the battlefield, accompanied by a sound like solid rock splitting.

“The crack has opened! All forces! Protect the magicians first! Don’t let him break the seal!”

Reflexively, Van’s gaze landed on the center of the seal. The demon’s body, barely missing one arm, was now exposed up to his shoulder and one breastbone. Along with the increased area, Ashvka’s bloodsuckers increased in number. Countless bloodsuckers sprouting from beneath the bubbling, boiling flesh.

With that, he condensed his sword energy once more.

‘The longer time passes, the more dangerous Commander’s condition will become. Even if there is no way, I must do it.’

But there was something strange about the newly-born bloodsuckers’ behavior. Where they had once pounced on any opponent they came across, they now prowled the air as if searching for something.

As they clumped together, the bloodsuckers began to shift slightly as they settled into place. The tightly packed bloodsuckers looked more like a meteorite than a swarm of insects, and indeed, they descended with the speed and heft of a meteorite.

“What......!”

The swarming masses of bloodsuckers, hundreds of them, shot off in different directions. The knights who faced them were dumbfounded by the swiftness of their movements.

The bloodsuckers no longer targeted the knights. They rushed toward the magicians surrounding the seal.

“What are you doing?! Don’t you hear me telling you to protect the magicians?!”

Dreyfe’s angry shout brought the knights who had been following the vampire’s movements to their feet. They hurled their sword energy at the bloodsuckers as they rained down like hail on the magicians. Naturally, the sword energy did little more than scatter the horde, but it had to be done.

Among them, Van found Cadel first. Cadel was seated in a crouch just outside the seal circle. Around him, too, a barrier was created, but its thickness and size paled in comparison to those of his allies.

The bloodsuckers targeted only the magicians surrounding the seal, but there was no telling when they might change course and try to attack Cadel outside.

‘I have to protect him.’

From the beginning, he was not loyal to the Empire. His loyalty was to Cadel, and he was the only one Van could prioritize over his own life. So he ran to Cadel, pushing his way through the knights struggling to protect the magicians.

But the moment he took exactly ten steps.

Shwoosh—

The clustered bloodsuckers quickly dispersed, climbing up the entirety of the seal circle. They erupted in a circle along the perimeter of the seal circle, sealing it in like a lid.

The knights inside the seal circle were isolated from the magicians on the outskirts.

“You damned bugs!”

The first to react to the unexpected situation was Dreyfe, who cursed, Sorin, who calmed his confused subordinates, and Van, who just stood there, dumbfounded. He looked up at the dome-shaped barrier the bloodsuckers had created.

‘......No.’

A chill of foreboding ran down his spine. Ashvka realized the seal was being restored. That was why he had isolated the magicians, to prevent them from receiving help from their allies. He achieved maximum efficiency with less than half of his body coming out.

He was clever. That meant he had the brains to discern who it was that sustained and protected the work of this seal.

It wouldn’t be long before Ashvka’s target became Cadel.

Van’s nerves were on edge. Even though he knew he shouldn’t be impatient, his mind wavered unsteadily. Van tried to regain his composure somehow, instinct telling him that only then could he save Cadel.

‘There’s Lydon out there. He might be able to help Commander.’

He had to believe that. Lydon was so annoying that he wanted to kill him, but he was also a very talented person. Van strengthened his hand holding the greatsword with that earnest wish.