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Chapter 274 – Wraith Party VS Jack Party 2 / The Unyielding Illusion (Part 2)

274 – Wraith Party VS Jack Party 2 / The Unyielding Illusion (Part 2)

By activating this trait, she can destroy the ground as she sees fit.

As kind as she is, destroying the ground is probably not an option since her allies are moving around the field.

Especially in this second stage of the tournament where the field is even narrower.

But if that’s what she can do, she just needs to share the info with all her allies and incorporate it into our strategy.

Melania’s first attack, of course, had her full force behind it, but there was another purpose.

It also served to tell Fran behind her the point to strike.

And now, the attack born from Melania’s trait and Fran’s destructive power is about to crush Goliath.

「For a Destroyer to create a trap…! Is this one of Lem’s strategies?!」

Ever since Wraith praised me as the brains of the operation, everyone thinks that any sort of plan or strategy coming from us has something to do with me.

Well, Goliath was right. And the essence is this.

Fran is a genius that ultimately snatches victory from the claws of defeat but she often has to attain it by force, perhaps due to her strength.

It’s the same in the Raid Battle and the All-Heaven Festival Contest.

That style is cool. But with that style alone, she was kept at bay by the enemy’s plans, just like when fighting against the Carmilla party or the Asmodeus party.

There’s no point if she can’t make use of her high combat ability.

Didn’t the Six-Horned Demon King Asmodeus herself say that she was focused too much on destroying?

If the Fran up till now fought with an instinct to reasoning ratio of seven to three, or even eight to two, she now freely changes that ratio depending on the opponent or situation after we gave her advice.

If it doesn’t seem that she can win by relying on her instincts, then she will fight with more reasoning against opponents that target her weaknesses.

It’s not as easy as it sounds. Essentially, it’s something that she will cultivate over the course of her long, long life as an Adventurer.

But right now, she has me.

A Black Sorcerer who was born just a few years earlier and had been working as an Adventurer for just a little longer.

While I can’t move as she can, I can lend her my wisdom so that her actions do not end in vain.

Due to the rock plates closing in on him, his ax is suppressed. If he were to raise it high right now, he wouldn’t be able to intercept Fran in time.

Thus, Goliath unfalteringly abandons his ax.

「I’ll take you on with my fists!」

If it’s a head-to-head battle, she wouldn’t need Josh’s or my backup, right?

So I should turn my attention to other areas of the battlefield.

The Wizard Leslie is wary of me, having put up a peerless Resist the moment the battle started. Because of that, it hasn’t even been thirty seconds since the start of the match and he can’t take part in the fight.

He has to deal with me first. If he doesn’t, he’ll create an opportunity where his thoughts can be jammed just like Shio was.

Also, I can weave my magic in between gaps of the Resist to affect him.

So he has thoroughly and carefully covered himself in Magical Energy.

This is truly what it means to have a Black Sorcerer in the party.

No matter how excellent the opponent may be, they will be rendered unable to fully showcase their true strength, which aids the Black Sorcerer’s allies.

As the times change and various conditions pile up, this era’s Black Sorcerers are treated coldly, but debuffs are still troublesome.

Now, the hand-to-hand fight that was brought about by our strategies is reaching its conclusion.

There was no fistfight.

Just one blow.

That’s all it took.

The right arm of Goliath, a giant of a man able to withstand and deflect the Giant’s blow, crashes against the massive arm of Fran, she who destroys all.

There was a dull sound of meat hitting meat, bone against bone. Soon after, the surrounding rock plates were blown away in pieces.

They couldn’t withstand the shockwave produced by those two clashing.

Clouds of dust hid the two of them momentarily.

When it cleared, standing there…

…was the sole figure of the Destroyer Fran, shaking her fist.

A section of the audience let out a scream.

Something large had flown and smashed into the wall there.

It was Goliath.

Blown off or torn away, he lost his right arm and was leaking Magical Energy particles from the wound.

「Looks like…I need more training.」

His entire being scatters into Magical Energy particles, and the dent left behind on the wall tells just how strong the impact was.

When Fran saw Mildred, who was still approaching us while under the effects of Speed Down, she immediately withdrew to our side.

Leslie prepared some Wind Blades and fired them at Fran in order to prevent her, but Melania blocked it with her ax.

She couldn’t see the Wind Blades, but she used her ax in hopes of protecting Fran and she succeeded in doing just that.

「Leslie.」

Jack, who has been watching the battles unfold, speaks.

「Yeah.」

「Put a Resist on Shio too. You know, that thing that Lem did…that…」

「Full Resist. I don’t mind, but I can’t do it with the same precision as he does.」

「Not even you?」

「The most notable thing about the idea is that it can be used as an invisible barrier because it is cast like Black Magic.」

The full-proof Full Resist that I thought up is done by having pre-cast Black Magic surround me.

Magical Energy that is given a command will turn into magic, but Black and White Magic are invisible.

This is why Black Magic swirling around me works the same to prevent the assault of someone else’s Magical Energy like Resist does.

You could achieve the same effect by making water or fire magic swirl around you, but that would obstruct your view and hinder your movement.

It demands a high level of finesse to use even at the best of times, so if you’re unable to use something that’s invisible like Black Magic and move around freely, then there’s just no point imitating it.

「Then use Black Magic.」

Said Jack, curtly.

Just as the Wizard of Foresight Merlin displayed in the Original Dungeon, excellent Wizards are able to use White and Black Magic.

However, even she admitted that she wasn’t all that good with them, meaning she does indeed have a low Aptitude for them.

But I know all too well.

Why, my sword master, the Reaper Knight Furcus, herself said so to a Black Sorcerer with very little combat ability.

That a person with no talent can be trained to their limits.

It isn’t as if I’m the only one who’s done such a thing.

「…Easy for you to say.」

Leslie raised an eyebrow and his curl up slightly.

「Just do it.」

「I can’t keep it up for long.」

「Fine.」

In order to return Shio to the front lines, Jack is having Leslie cast Full Resist.

In the Wraith party, Fran is getting her massive arm looked at by Josh.

Her expression was calm, but her arm was damaged to the point where it can barely form a fist.

Josh is healing it with his White Magic.

「Good one, Fran.」

「Mm… Thanks to everyone.」

Wraith praises her without looking at her, Fran nods.

Jack’s marksmanship is still a problem.

Wraith has been shooting arrows down with his Water Blade but many of them still make it to the Ice Wall.

Once, my physical ability was boosted by Josh’s White Magic, but even with my faster movements, the arrows still aimed for exactly where my head is.

That rain of arrows has stopped.

「Mil, join up with the other two. Guard them.」

Mildred, who is under the effect of Speed Down, nodded and headed back to Leslie and Shio’s side.

We understood his intentions.

Covering themselves with Full Resist will not just allow Shio to add his archery skills to the battle.

It will also repel the effects of Speed Down, allowing Mildred to protect the other two.

As Leslie said, his Full Resist can’t be as strong as mine as I am a Black Sorcerer.

Due to his tremendous Magical Energy. he is able to defend against my Black Magic for a while, but he cannot keep it up forever.

Jack most likely thinks that is all the time he needs.

「Looks like it might be about time for me to go wild too.」

Wraith licks his upper lip. With a defiant smile, he unsheathes his Holy Sword.

Jack brought his bow to his waist and affixed it there with a click.

The bow parts sticking out of both sides of his waist don’t look like feathers.

Soon after, he pulls out his sword.

That’s right, not only can he use the bow, but he’s a swordsman as well.

「You lot are an exceptional party. But it is we who will be victorious. Piling up victory upon victory is the only way to make society realize what the strongest hero looks like.」

This All-Heaven Festival Contest draws attention to that man once more, the strongest Hero known to any first-class Adventurer worthy of that title…the Unyielding Hero Altreed.

But that alone isn’t enough for Jack.

With the rise of the Storm Hero, beloved by the Wind Spirit, Altreed’s achievements were overshadowed and he was wrongly evaluated by the world.

And this time, coveting the title of world’s strongest, the strongest Demon King who disappeared from center stage after gaining said title…Lucifer will take part in the final battle.

I really don’t want to say this but…Altreed’s name is overshadowed yet again.

Enough to make the ignorant tilt their head in confusion, and the cruel to outright doubt if he even deserves to be part of the final battle.

The Jack party is trying to prove,

By winning this battle and moving on,

Trying to prove that the Divine Blessing of a Spirit is not necessary in order to reach the battle to decide the strongest.

To show the world just how amazing that man is. To stand at the very peak with nothing but persistent effort and smart use of various elements.

「How passionate of you, Jack. But, hmm… Right… OK. Since I’m the one who made you realize, I think I’ll go out of my way to help you out today.」

It appears there’s something Wraith wants to get through to Jack.

「I’m not handing over this path to anyone.」

「You don’t have to, ’cause I’ll take my own path.」

The two Heroes start running a the same time.