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At the Bottom of the Dark Pit – Part 04

With Stealth at full throttle, Hikaru darted forward. Everyone facing Ranna were elite fighters, but none of them detected his presence. He ran around from the distance, slowly closing in from behind.

“Guuuugh… Gaaaaah!”

Paula cast Purification, and Ranna squirmed in pain.

Right here.

Slipping past Jillarte, Hikaru gripped throwing knives in both hands. A single leap wouldn’t reach high enough. He jumped, drove a knife into Ranna’s waist, used sheer strength to pull himself up, then stabbed the next one.

“Gaaaah!!”

Ranna started spinning like a small tornado. Hikaru, gripping the knife embedded in her back, held on tight.

I’m not letting go!

With Jillarte and Gerhardt distancing themselves, Ranna believed the assault to be over, completely unaware of Hikaru clinging to her back.

Using the knife as a foothold, Hikaru hoisted himself up and drew his straight sword from its sheath. Paula’s magic had infused the silver blade with holy power, and it gleamed brilliantly.

“Grwhoooaaa!”

But then, Hikaru’s worst fear materialized. Ranna noticed Paula chanting her spell behind the source of malevolence.

Shit.

Ranna bent down, but just before she could start running, Gerhardt slid in front of her. The lion Beastman’s massive frame seemed tiny compared to Ranna; Hikaru, a young man, was even smaller.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

Gerhardt, his body drenched in blood and his strength all but spent, had not relinquished his fighting spirit. He drove his massive sword into Ranna, but she caught the blade with her arm.

Meanwhile, Jillarte and Selyse attacked from both flanks, thrusting their swords into Ranna’s calves.

They’re aware of me.

He might have been invisible due to Stealth. But Hikaru, or Silver Face as they knew him, had vanished from their sight, and they were well aware of that. They understood that Silver Face would deliver a lethal blow if the chance arose.

He felt the weight of their expectations resting on his shoulders. They knew that this was an opportunity for an attack unlike any other.

Thank you, everyone.

Hikaru held the straight sword in a reverse grip and drove it into Ranna’s back. The blade slid smoothly into the flesh, burying itself hilt-deep.

He pierced the heart. He reached a point where his arms couldn’t reach.

“Gwaaaaaaaaah!”

Ranna bellowed louder than ever before. The force of the roar sent Hikaru hurtling through the air, crashing into the ground more than ten meters away.

How… is she… still alive?

Ranna screamed incessantly, as though she had an unlimited supply of breath.

Hikaru couldn’t hear the screams, his eardrums having burst. But there was no need to hear; Ranna was undoubtedly howling.

The sound-sensitive Beastmen were crouched down, covering their ears.

A single strike and Hikaru’s head throbbed, and various parts of his body ached. His Stealth had been turned off, so Sophie rushed over and began casting healing magic.

In the meantime, Hikaru used Mana Detection to assess Ranna’s current condition.

No way!

Ranna’s heart had been punctured, spewing copious amounts of blood and mana. Simultaneously, it absorbed a substantial infusion of magical power from the source of malevolence to compensate.

Apart from the heart, there was a concentration of magical energy around the pit of her stomach. Some crucial organ must be there.

Ranna roared in an attempt to dislodge the swords embedded in her body. It was madness. Yet this madness was working, and the sword was gradually being pushed out.

“──! ───!!”

Gerhardt yelled something, but his words were drowned out by Ranna’s howls. When Hikaru glanced his way, he gave a start.

Gerhardt had been incapacitated to the point where he couldn’t stand anymore, his limbs twisted in unnatural angles.

Jillarte, nearby, noticed Gerhardt’s dire condition. But when Gerhardt shouted something, Jillarte turned her focus on Ranna. He must have told her to stop worrying about him and take down Ranna instead.

As for Selyse, she was lying some distance away, knocked back either by Ranna’s roar after Hikaru’s attack or prior to that.

The Beastmen were immobilized by the roar, and the temple guards were all critically injured. In essence, the sole person still capable of moving was Jillarte.

Blood trickled from Jillarte’s ears as she sprinted toward Ranna. But she didn’t care. She clambered atop Ranna’s body using Hikaru’s knives, clutched the grip of the partially protruding sword, and pushed it back in.

Ranna’s eyes snapped wide. She tried to look behind but her own wings prevented her from seeing Jillarte. Then, Ranna jumped, leaning backward. Hikaru’s breath caught. Ranna was attempting to crush Jillarte.

The massive body thudded to the ground, but as Ranna rose back up, Jillarte was still clinging to her back. Despite her bloodied head, tangled hair, and muddied attire, she refused to let go of the sword. A fierce determination burned within her. A will that said she wouldn’t release the sword that Silver Face, the person she admired, had stabbed through Ranna’s body.

Once more, Ranna unleashed a roar and leaped backward. Hikaru wanted to shout, tell her to stop.

“It’s all right now,” Sophie said as she finished casting her magic.

Hikaru’s eardrums had returned to normal, and his body felt better.

“Thanks.”

“I’m just doing my job.”

Sophie rushed towards Gerhardt next, showing no hesitation despite the proximity to Ranna. Her focus was on providing treatment.

“Ugh…”

A faint but unmistakable groan escaped from Jillarte’s lips. She was in bad shape.

I need to do something, but I don’t have another weapon.

“Silver Face.”

Startled, Hikaru whirled around at the voice from behind.

“You don’t have a weapon, do you? This guy was trying to escape, so I caught him. You can use this holy sword.”

“L-Let me go!”

It was Sara and Igloo, who had been missing for a while. If Sara’s words were to be believed, Igloo had attempted to flee when he saw the transformed Ranna but was caught. So much for Rank A.

“That holy sword can only be wielded by the chosen ones. There’s no way a guy who hides their ugly mug behind a mask can use it—ah!”

Irked by his yapping, Hikaru snatched the weapon. It lacked a scabbard. He unwrapped the bandages, revealing a crude sword.

The hilt and guard appeared to have been digested when the chimera swallowed it. The blade was an extension of the hilt, with a leather wound around it for gripping.

But there was no doubting its imposing aura. Hikaru’s Mana Detection saw the immense magical power compressed within.

“Whew. Now that is a top-notch weapon.” Sara rubbed her hands together, as though getting the shivers.

“Of course it is,” Igloo said. “This holy sword is for my and my use only. It was sealed deep within the Church, and only the Popes were permitted to wield it—so don’t go swinging it around like it belongs to you!”

Hikaru grasped the sword and gave it a test swing. It was rather heavy, but it should be manageable.

It was just… he sensed something odd. He had a feeling that he couldn’t fully unlock the sword’s power. Just as Igloo had mentioned, perhaps the user had to be chosen.

“You’re not gonna fight?” Hikaru asked.

“Me? Why would I fight that monster? Besides, you’ve almost lost.”

“In that case, I’ll take this.”

“What?! Hey, wait! Don’t just vanish!

Hikaru gripped the holy sword, activated Stealth, and bolted away.

Sophie’s healing magic proved effective, and though not in perfect condition, he was ready for battle once more.

Jillarte was clinging to Ranna’s back, but she was reaching her limits.

“Haaaaahh!”

The wounded Gerhardt rose to his feet and let out a roar. Sophie’s magic had somewhat restored his strength.

“What do you think you’re doing to my precious daughter?!”

His weapons had already been discarded, and he attempted to grapple with his bare hands. With barely any stamina left, he grabbed Ranna’s arm as she was about to jump again and tried to pull her down.

“Guuh…”

In a contest of strength, Ranna had the upper hand. After a momentary deadlock, Ranna exerted all her might, and Gerhardt pitched forward. For Hikaru, this presented an opportunity.

“Haah!”

Silently approaching from behind, Hikaru slashed at Ranna’s legs. While he couldn’t draw the weapon’s full power, it was still a holy weapon. Aided by Hikaru’s Assassination, it managed to cleanly sever about half of Ranna’s leg, causing black blood to gush forth.

“Gyaaaahhh!”

Taken off guard by the sudden attack, Ranna lost her balance. Hikaru cut her flank again and again and again.

“Gaaaah!”

As Ranna’s massive body toppled before him, Gerhardt delivered a powerful punch to her face.

“Jillarte!”

Relieved to hear Hikaru’s voice, Jillarte let go of the sword and rolled on the ground. Hikaru rushed to her side.

“H-How did I do?”

“You did great.”

“Hehe… I still… prefer… you… talking like that…”

“Don’t talk. Healing comes first.”

Hikaru, holding the holy sword in one hand and carrying Jillarte in the other, was about to run towards Sophie, when he sensed a looming malignant presence behind him.

Sharp claws extending from the swinging arm tore through Hikaru’s back, causing him to drop the sword. Ranna had dealt with Gerhardt; he was lying sprawled in a distant spot.

“Sophie!”

“Over here!”

Enduring the pain, Hikaru rushed to Sophie and handed Jillarte over.

“I’ll heal your back.”

“We can do that later.”

Hikaru was in pain, but Ranna was the immediate concern.

Darn it… How can she still move?!

Despite bleeding profusely all over, Ranna staggered to her feet and stepped on the holy sword. But unlike the White Ray Blade, it didn’t shatter; instead, it rebounded and clanged against the rocky ground.

“Guuh…!”

Something unusual occurred. Igloo, who had been hiding behind a distant boulder, spat out blood. Hikaru noticed a magical link between him and the holy sword.

Does the sword breaking affect Igloo?

This explained why Igloo had desperately tried to retrieve the sword when the chimera swallowed it.

There was barely anyone else able to fight. Sara was tending to Igloo.

Only Hikaru, and…

Selyse!