Chapter 199 – Demons and Giants

Though they’re called Sub-Guardian class… given how they’re positioned like bosses in the lower levels, the Flame Demon would likely be a higher-level opponent than the true Guardians like the Sword Boar or Captain Nautilus. It’s a classic type that handles both close and long range with no openings. Defeating it truly tests one’s raw ability.

But there’s no need to observe. I charge straight toward the Flame Demon.

To intercept me, a flaming greatsword swings upward from below. I deploy my Shield. While defending, I leap as if riding the momentum of the greatsword. Soaring over the Flame Demon’s head, I kick off the air faster than it can turn around, tracing a straight trajectory.

Ouroboros’s strike leaves a pale blue glow in the air. The Flame Demon barely avoids it by bending its body. As the demon swings its left hand upward, a massive pillar of fire rises, attempting to burn me.

Even wearing the Fire Rat cloak, there are gaps. If engulfed by the flames as is, taking damage would be unavoidable.

So, just like with Zevion—I create a layer of air to block the heat. Breaking through the fire pillar, I charge at the Flame Demon, which blocks my strike with its greatsword. The Dragon Staff and greatsword clash, scattering sparks.

A roar and scorching wind. Wings of raging flames spread from its back. We ascend while locked in a stalemate.

Something log-like approaches from the side. The Flame Demon’s tail. Nemea’s arm shoots out from a gap in the cloak to intercept.

We’re both knocked back. Instantly reversing, we cross paths countless times in the air, leaving trails of fire and magical light. Each time, shockwaves run through us, and Spark Light scatters.

An exchange of strikes and slash attacks. Tail and claws. Blast waves and impacts. I bend the spreading fiery Breath with Flame Absorb and strike down.

Its reaction speed is extraordinary. I don’t know its mental structure, but it shows no agitation. Even the irregular movements and increased attacks from using Capella and Nemea are accepted and countered as they are.

Activate Mirage Body. Slipping past the greatsword and tail, I drive a Dragon Staff strike into its flank, but it shows no reaction and immediately brings the greatsword down from a high stance. I deflect with the Dragon Staff while spinning sideways and ascending. I slam the Dragon Staff straight into its face, but it responds by swinging its head as if brandishing its horns to parry.

Both toughness and fighting spirit are more than sufficient. Combat skills and reaction speed are both excellent. Well now—isn’t this getting interesting?

The fact that they’ve created a formation with Defense Field and Ice Wall means the Heavy Armors will find it harder to surround or suppress. Stepping into the field would hinder movement.

Thus, it seems they’ve chosen to form ranks from one direction and crush us with the weight of their armor.

Holding them back and responding are Ashley riding Lavigne’s back, Marlene hovering Saucers around herself and Dullahan, and from the rearguard, Irmhild and Seraphina in the role of finishing them off with arrows.

The thrusting spears have their momentum killed by the Defense Field, their tips swallowed by ice trees sprouting from the ground, forcibly stopping their movement.

Sweeping through that gap is a blow from a Long Mace wreathed in ice. Using Levitation in tandem, it effortlessly blows away the Heavy Armor, slamming it into the back ranks. As the formation crumbles, Dullahan tramples through. Swinging its greatsword, it sends the Heavy Armors flying upward. Counterattacks don’t reach them because the rapidly spinning Saucers deflect spears, swords, and arrows alike.

The Heavy Armors flung high into the sky are pierced one after another by Light Arrows. Even fully armed and holding shields, being blown away by Dullahan renders them useless.

“Sheila!”

Sheila’s role is offense. As the front spear-wielders collapse, at Irmhild’s word, Sheila leaps. Releasing Sticky Thread onto the ground, using the adhered spot as a pivot, she draws a large arc, breaks through the encirclement with ease, and positions herself far behind the surrounding Heavy Armors.

Her target—the Heavy Armor with a feathered decoration on its helmet. The so-called commander. Its combat ability is higher than the others, and it commands the Living Armors and Heavy Armors in this area. Conversely—taking out the commander would disrupt their coordination and movements.

“Going in.”

After flying erratically in several directions, Sheila makes her move. The commander responds. Blocking the Pearl Sword wreathed in fighting spirit with its silver straight sword, it steps in, thrusting its left-hand shield forward.

I ride the momentum. Leaping without resisting the shield’s force. Showing movement devoid of weight, she reverses in mid-air and rebounds linearly.

Sword and shield. The high-pitched clashing sounds ring out.

Interference—none enters. The Ice Wall separates Sheila and Ashley’s battlefield.

Enhanced by the Circlet’s Water Magic, Ashley’s spatial control ability is now considerable. The ice itself has also become more robust.

Approaching the commander with three-dimensional movements, she freely wields her Twin Swords. Slash attacks dance wildly as if she were performing. Movements where evasion and attack merge into one. The commander frantically tries to impose its shield advantage, but against Sheila, it only creates more blind spots for itself.

They cross blades several times. Attacks with the Pearl Sword are somewhat less effective—but Sheila’s aim isn’t brute force.

The commander’s Shield Bash. But Sheila isn’t there. Taking advantage of the absence of nearby Blazing Heat attackers, she leaves the Fire Rat cloak behind like a shed skin, disappearing, then emerging from beneath it.

Stomping at the lack of expected resistance, the commander finds Sheila already turned around, having aimed from behind with the Arachnear Ring.

The incoming iron ball is met head-on.

The Giant’s iron ball and Grace’s axe. Both are wreathed in fighting spirit. They collide with a tremendous sound. In terms of range, the Giant has the advantage. As Grace advances while batting away the iron ball, the Giant shows a sweeping motion with the chain connected to the retrieved iron ball. Fighting spirit coils around the chain too.

Even if she flew away to escape, it would likely change and pursue—but Grace shows no sign of fear facing the Giant, advancing straight forward.

The whip-like strike’s power plummets if its impact point is missed. Incredibly, she grabs the chain and steps straight forward.

The Giant roars in irritation and launches a kick. The iron greaves, wrapped in fighting spirit, hint at destructive power.

Then—Grace stops. Deploys a Shield in front. An abrupt halt. The moment the kick passes with a gust of wind, she leaps sideways still holding the chain. Fixes herself in mid-air with the Shield. The Giant’s body, still holding the chain, is pulled, flailing. Its posture breaks.

“Take this.”

The fighting spirit axe, emitting a purple gleam, is thrown. Aiming for the neck. It leans back to dodge. Regardless of the Giant’s absurd muscle density, it gouges out part of its shoulder. A leap. Closing in with cannonball-like momentum.

Roaring in agony, the Giant meets it. As if to show it could overpower at close range with bare hands, not the iron ball. It coats its fist with fighting spirit and strikes. It wears gauntlets. More than sufficient as weapons.

Grace’s actions don’t change. Interception with her axe. However, she’s not just wrapping her axe but her entire body in fighting spirit. Grace’s axe and the Giant’s fist collide violently. The Giant advances. Grace, even if knocked back, instantly reverses. A charge.

She doesn’t retreat. Doesn’t retreat. Fist and axe clash. No, collide. With an explosive sound, fighting spirit vs. fighting spirit. A head-on contest of power vs. power. Grace’s arm strength shows no disadvantage despite the mass difference.

Grace, wrapping her entire body in fighting spirit to fly, and the Giant, using fighting spirit only for attack and defense. In terms of endurance, the Giant would likely win. A prolonged battle would favor the Giant.

That’s how it should have been.

That was the old Grace. Grace, supplied with the night’s power from her dress, even smiles faintly, then unleashes further honed fighting spirit, swinging her axe.

Then, what decides victory is equipment quality. Though using fighting spirit, the Giant’s equipment is mere iron. Unable to withstand the repeated intense impacts, the Giant’s gauntlet shatters, and the axe deeply cleaves its fist.

It cries out in anguish, pulling back its fist. Grace steps in to point-blank range. It tries to grab with its uninjured arm. She slams the axe into its palm, and Grace performs a Form Shift. The attack hidden by her body’s shadow was a complete blind spot for the Giant. Additionally, she activates a phantom axe to prevent reading her trajectory.

Right through the Giant’s iron helmet visor—its face—its eyes are sliced clean across. The projected slash attack from fighting spirit completely robs it of vision.

“Grace!”

Sheila calls. Sheila’s figure has captured the commander in a sticky web. Ashley’s controlled ice creates a path like a rail from the commander to the Giant. Grace discerns the intent, kicks off her Shield, and lands on the ground.

She slams her axe into the Giant’s wide-open heel as it writhes, holding its face. Like felling a giant tree, the Giant’s body sways. Ashley, running in with Lavigne, casts Levitation on the commander. Sheila swings the sticky web with centrifugal force, sliding the commander along the ice rail—.

“Haaah!”

Grace grabs the Giant’s leg with both hands—and with a sharp cry, using a shoulder throw motion, hurls it. Right onto the sliding commander.

The flame-wreathed greatsword. The radiating heat waves. But it’s different from with Zevion. Countermeasures against flames are fully in place. Therefore—exchanging blows at breath-taking distance, where our weapons reflect each other, works to my advantage. The range where it can fully utilize its weapon’s properties—inside that is my distance. Nemea, clad in ice armor from Water Magic, firmly grabs the Flame Demon’s tail with her claws, not allowing escape.

Even so, the Flame Demon persists. Clashing staff and greatsword repeatedly, baring fangs, thrusting sharp claws. The scorching wind grazing my cheek. Ringing high-pitched sounds as we dance through the air, crossing blades.

Reversing heaven and earth, switching offense and defense. We dance, incidentally mowing down the archers stationed atop the castle walls.

A rising strike with the pommel. Simultaneously, a Knee Strike to divert attention from the high stance. I intercept the high stance with my Shield, the low stance with Capella’s headbutt. Receiving the attack with my Shield while releasing an impact strike.

The Flame Demon pulls back its greatsword but opens its maw wide and unleashes a Breath. The fire Breath’s effect is weak. It knows this too, combining Breath with Earth Magic to shoot scattered pellets of scorched stone.

Still, the aim to obscure vision with flames remains unchanged.

Deploy Shield in all directions for detection. A sharp claw thrust from diagonally below, aiming for my flank. I twist my body to evade, and without even turning around, thrust backward with Ouroboros.

Even after taking an impact strike to the head, it swings its greatsword back. A slash attack from a broken posture. I deploy my Shield diagonally, deflecting it greatly.

Impressive fighting spirit, but that depends on time and place. I perform another Form Shift, place my hand on its abdomen, deliver an impact strike, and immediately follow with a slap from Ouroboros.

“Grooargh!”

The Flame Demon still doesn’t retreat. Ignoring damage, it flaps its wings, rapidly ascending as if to push me away. To prevent escape, it deliberately entangles its tail with Nemea, pressing me from both sides with its arms through my Shield, adopting a reckless stance abandoning defense.

Its aim—to smash me into the Barrier, perhaps—.

Magic Circle deployment. The Flame Demon’s eyes widen at its scale. Still, it doesn’t stop ascending. Thinking that at this distance, it could entrap me in its own magic depending on the spell type. If it’s Great Magic, indeed. That assessment is both correct and mistaken. Both it and I laugh.

“But that too is futile.”

My Spell Formula completes faster than I’m slammed into the Barrier. Simultaneously, impact comes. I defend my back with my Shield just before crashing into the castle wall, using Wind Magic to soften the collision impact.

Using teleportation, I moved along with the Flame Demon. Thrusting the Dragon Staff into the Flame Demon’s wide-open mouth before it can comprehend. Ouroboros growls as if laughing.

“Pierce!”

Water Magic 5th Tier Icicle Blade. A magic that creates a sharp ice greatsword.

The ice sword deployed from Ouroboros’s tip penetrates the Flame Demon’s head. Breaking free from the slackened Flame Demon’s grasp, I spin vertically while sweeping. The ice greatsword draws a silver arc, and the Flame Demon, its head vertically split in two behind me, plummets downward.

Thank you for reading my work.

Reports of typos or missing characters, impressions, bookmarks, ratings, PVs, etc., are always a great encouragement for my writing.

Thanks to you, I’ve reached chapter 200. I express my gratitude here.

I’ve posted a brief introduction article for characters from chapters 101 to 150 in the activity report.

As usual, to prevent spoilers, it contains minimal information, but I hope you find it useful.

Also, since there was a previous comment wanting to know the characters’ appearances,

though brief, I’ve posted starting with party members and

some characters around the royal family.