Chapter 153: Ardius Fortress Siege Battle – Second Coming

Chapter 153: Ardius Fortress Siege Battle – Second Coming

The golden-armored soldier arrived on the outskirts of the battlefield aboard some golden flying object. In order to intercept him, we sprang into action. I moved forward while swimming through the ground while master urged his beloved horse into a gallop.

Lady Altissia remained by the side of the Dragon Roar Cannons, ready to provide support with her spiritual arts in case of any unforeseen circumstances. The three of us had the same roles as before.

“Let’s just kill’ him quickly n’ get the hell out of here!”

And there was the fourth member, Jude, who wasn’t present last time. He also rushed to intercept the enemy in the fastest way possible. He couldn’t move through the ground like I could, nor did he ride a horse like Master. However, his movement speed surpassed everyone else’s.

With a spear resting on his shoulder, he advanced without moving his feet on the ground. It seemed he was using spiritual power to freeze the ground and glide on top of it. Using ice spiritual art for transportation was a true testament to his “Ice Spear” name.

[Guoooo! Gaaaaaaaah!]

“What, is he a crazy one? Well, this might make things easier for me.”

From the ground, I could hear the roaring of the golden-armored soldier and Jude’s mocking sound. Did he not follow the warnings? As master and Lady Altissia should have explained to him, the more that golden-armored soldier lost his reasoning abilities, the stronger he became.

It was safe to assume that being completely devoid of reason from the outset meant he was at the peak of his power. Underestimating him could lead to one’s swift demise.

Oblivious to my worries, Jude, who was gliding across the ground, delivered a sharp thrust forward. His spearhead seemed to slide accurately into the gaps of the golden armor; the attack was accompanied by the wet sound of flesh being pierced and a beastly howl.

[Giiiiiiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!]

“Argh!”

The golden-armored soldier screamed because he couldn’t cut off his sense of pain like I could, but he could heal quickly, and he would fight back instantly. Master and Lady Altissia must have taught Jude this as well, but maybe he hadn’t been paying as much attention as he should have.

The fist that swung in retaliation didn’t seem to land a direct hit, but I could hear the sound of something breaking. It was probably Jude’s armor that had suffered damage.

“This bastard... I’ll kill youu!”

[Giaaaaaaaaah!]

Jude appeared to be continuously thrusting in anger. The sharp sound of his spearhead slicing through the air and the splattering of blood as flesh was pierced echoed alternately. This movement... his spear skills were likely superior to Linardo’s.

Moreover, it seemed that Jude wasn’t just thrusting his spear. He was using spiritual arts at the moment of impact, freezing the pierced areas. With his body frozen from the inside, the movements of the golden-armored soldier slowed down noticeably.

Was this more effective than launching poison? When I stabbed him with my twin swords, should I have tried putting sand into the wounds? At the very least, it might have delayed the healing of the wounds.

“It doesn’t seem very effective, so let’s stop.”

[Gaggh!?]

Relying on sounds, I approached the golden-armored soldier exposed to Jude’s relentless onslaught from underground. I thrust my twin swords into his knees and pierced my poisonous stinger into his side.

During this attack, I didn’t put sand into the wounds. I didn’t have the luxury of trying something with uncertain effectiveness, and I had a feeling that experimenting with spontaneous ideas might lead to failure.

However, Jude’s method involved freezing the wound upon penetration. By now, the golden-armored soldier’s heart and its surroundings would likely be frozen. He couldn’t even make a sound anymore; his body was only convulsing slightly.

“It’s...over now!”

Master raised his poleaxe and brought it down on the motionless head of the golden-armored soldier. The helmet, already riddled with cracks, was split in two, and the soldier’s head appeared to be completely cut in two, from the head down to the lower jaw.

We had taken him down. The three of us, including myself, who had plunged the blades into his body, were certain of it. It was the sensation of feeling the life extinguish from the one we were impaling.

[.... Hmm? Where am I?]

However, to our surprise, the golden-armored soldier, who should have unquestionably perished, was resurrected in the next moment, as if it were the most natural thing. Moreover, with his head split into two halves by master and Jude’s spear piercing his heart, he spoke as if nothing had happened.

His revival was astonishing, but what was equally shocking was that with each injury, he seemed to grow stronger, but now he had regained his sanity... no, that wasn’t it. Who is this guy?

[I may not know the situation, but... it’s unpleasant. Stand back, you bunch of ruffians.]

“Nuuuooooooh!?”

“What the heeeell!?”

“Grrrrrr!”

The golden-armored soldier sent out a surge of spiritual power from his entire body, blasting us away. The pressure was unlike anything we had endured before. Even master couldn’t hold his ground, and I was forcefully dragged from underground.

Perhaps to buy us time to get back on our feet, Altissia’s spiritual power poured down like a raging storm from behind. However, the golden-armored soldier did not take it directly. Instead, he erected a formidable spiritual barrier to ward it off.

[Well? The output is a bit weak, but it’s a good spiritual technique. I commend your efficient construction.]

[Who....are you? That body....is...not yours.]

I somehow managed to ask him the question in his language. I had three reasons to believe that he was a different person. Firstly, his manner of speaking was entirely different. Secondly, he employed spiritual art. And thirdly, the aura I sensed when facing him was utterly different from before.

Since I had learned their language from Asumi, I assumed that my words indeed made sense. As expected, he responded appropriately and turned towards me, then began to speak.

[As I’m in a good mood right now, I shall answer your question. despite you being an unknown brat. You should be grateful for my generosity.]

[....]

[My name is Zahhi Schneller! One of the gods who once proclaimed dominion over the continent!]

As Zahhi declared himself a god, he released another immense surge of spiritual power. Unable to withstand the overwhelming spiritual energy, the golden armor he was wearing shattered completely, reduced to mere rubble. We were overwhelmed by the pressure of that spiritual power and were at a loss for words.

**********

TN: An unexpected one appeared....