Chapter 6

　　“Aaaagh!”

　　With Babil’s bizarre, terrified scream, a Flame Barrier materialized above their heads. Its range wasn’t wide, but it was more than enough to cover all four of them.

　　Panting, Cadel stared blankly up at the barrier he had created. Intense crimson flames blazed, blindingly bright as they blocked out the sky. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with a trembling hand.

　　I did it…!

　　Perhaps due to his lack of experience, his entire body felt wrung out like a wet rag, but he had still pulled it off. A small sense of accomplishment and hope bloomed, but it was short-lived.

　　Heavy thuds began to echo as things repeatedly dropped onto the barrier.

　　Most of them burned away in the barrier’s flames before they could be identified, but a few unluckily glanced off the barrier and plummeted to the ground. Cadel identified what they were.

　　“Fuck!”

　　This time, a curse slipped from his lips out loud. They were heads. The heads that the bastards called Head Pitchers had been carrying were flying right at them. It would have been one thing if they just flew in like balls, but even after hitting the ground, they stretched their toothless mouths wide open and rolled fiercely toward their targets.

　　Barely suppressing the urge to faint right then and there, Cadel looked for Van. Van had also stepped under the barrier to avoid the downpour of heads. Finding Cadel first, Van approached his side.

　　“Captain, there are too many of them. If we wait for them to throw all their heads, we’ll be surrounded in no time.”

　　Crimson eyes scanned the surroundings with a sharp gaze. Cadel wanted to blurt out a desperate question like, Then what are we supposed to do now? but he held it back with superhuman willpower.

　　He was his superior, the captain of the mercenary group. He was in a position where his true worth had to shine through at times like this. If there was a chance to instill trust in Van, it was right now.

　　Squeezing out the deepest voice he could muster to hide his trembling, Cadel gave his order.

　　“There’s no need to wait for them. We’ll break through right now.”

　　‘Hero of Knights’ was a strategy game. However, it hadn’t implemented detailed tactics like securing advantageous positions on the battlefield, utilizing the terrain, or adjusting attack speeds and formations. ‘HoK’ was only famous for the attractive designs of its knights, the limitless utility of its skills, and the resulting tension and fun of its combat.

　　Therefore, in an actual combat situation, remembering how to play the game wasn’t that big of an advantage. At least, not right now.

　　“I can’t use strong magic while maintaining the barrier. You’ll have to carve out an escape route on your own… Van, can you do it?”

　　“I’m ashamed to admit it, but I can’t guarantee anything. There’s no certainty that the speed at which I carve a path will be faster than the speed at which the monsters swarm us. It might be different with other monsters, but the undead don’t bleed when you cut them…”

　　Van’s crimson eyes narrowed. A fierce, blood-like wave swirled within his gaze.

　　Damn it, of all things, the very first monsters have to be undead.

　　Van Herdos was a berserker who manipulated “blood”. His greatsword grew stronger the more enemy blood it absorbed, and once it drank a certain amount, he would enter an awakened state, enabling him to use powerful skills.

　　But as Van had said, their opponents were undead. The undead didn’t spurt blood even if their limbs were severed. Since they were already dead, blood didn’t circulate through them.

　　Cadel bit his lip. The monsters’ heads kept flying toward them, and the encirclement was steadily tightening. Ron and Babil fought desperately, but their skills were abysmal. At least compared to Van, they were. Pushing back a few monsters that got close from the rear was the best they could manage.

　　What do I do?

　　In this environment, they couldn’t even flee if they wanted to. There was nowhere to hide for a moment, no terrain features to help forge an escape route.

　　Cadel looked at the barrier he had created. It was holding up perfectly fine for now, but he couldn’t guarantee how long he could maintain it. Sustaining the barrier required more mana than he had thought. He could tell by the unpleasant sensation of mana draining from his body in real time.

　　Releasing the lip he had been gnawing out of habit, he called out to Van, who was unleashing sword energy toward the front.

　　“I’m going to prepare an area-of-effect skill. I need a safe zone.”

　　“A safe zone…? Is it even possible to find one out here?”

　　“Who said anything about finding one? We have to make it.”

　　Replying plainly, Cadel waved his hand once. Instantly, the barrier shielding them from above vanished without a trace.

　　“T-The barrier!”

　　“What are you doing, mage?! The Head Pitchers’ attack isn’t over yet!”

　　As soon as the barrier was withdrawn, Ron and Babil started shouting. Cadel shot them a cold glare.

　　“Just because we took the same quest doesn’t mean I have an obligation to protect you. If you don’t have the skills to survive on your own, shut up and follow my instructions.”

　　Perhaps finding Cadel’s blunt and callous attitude humiliating, Ron and Babil’s faces contorted in anger. However, since it was also evident that they had no rebuttal, the two eventually fell silent without much resistance.

　　Cadel spoke to them as they slashed and deflected the heads raining down like hail.

　　“From now on, you all need to protect me. I’ll give you a signal when I’m ready, so stick close to my side so you don’t get swept up in the blast.”

　　From the beginning, the quest’s objective had been “clearing the monsters of the Smog Plains” anyway. Although he had looked for a retreat path first due to the unexpected encirclement, if it couldn’t be avoided, a head-on clash was the only option. He always pursued a quick and decisive battle.

　　His decision made, Cadel dropped to the ground as if entrusting his back to them.

　　The most powerful area-of-effect skill I can use in the early stages is Fire Demon’s Arrow. Even in the game, it was a skill that consumed most of my mana… I absolutely have to pull this off.

　　If he couldn’t, he would die. If he had to die, Cadel didn’t want it to be in the embrace of a gruesome horde of undead with holes riddled all over their bodies.

　　His exceptional concentration kicked in once more. Quickly blocking out all external senses, he began to draw out the mana within his body to its absolute limit.

* * *

　　“Gaaah!”

　　Failing to slash away a flying head, Babil let out a tearing scream and staggered. The head’s gaping mouth clamped tenaciously onto Babil’s shoulder like a barnacle. Ron, who was standing back-to-back with Babil, hurriedly stabbed the head to knock it off, but…

　　“Ugh…! Aaaah!”

　　Babil’s shoulder, where the head had been attached, was deeply gouged. Yellowed bone jutted out from the wound where skin and muscle had been entirely carved away. Overcome by the pain, Babil dropped to his knees, clutching his bitten shoulder, while Ron, at a loss for what to do, yelled out to Cadel.

　　“Mage! Are you not done yet?! We’re all going to be eaten alive at this rate!”

　　“Be quiet. Do not rush the Captain.”

　　At the hysterical shout, Van growled threateningly and glared at Ron. Around his feet lay dozens of heads sliced apart by his sword energy, and yet, without a single sign of exhaustion, he continued to guard the side of his captain, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground.

　　In contrast, the heads Ron had deflected numbered barely over ten. Even at a glance, the difference in their abilities was stark. Perhaps realizing he was no match, Ron merely shot Cadel an aggrieved sideways glance.

　　Meanwhile, amidst this chaos, Cadel was steadily finishing the preparations for his skill.

　　Draw the image… and draw out the mana.

　　His method was makeshift, but as long as it succeeded, that was all that mattered. Cadel took a deep breath. Since failure meant nothing but death, he didn’t even entertain the thought.

　　A bizarre sensation washed over him, as if the blood flowing through his body was being siphoned away. His chest swelled, and his eyes snapped wide open on their own.

　　Cadel instinctively looked up at the sky. What he saw were hundreds of red threads crisscrossing the air. Every single strand blazed, densely filling the space above as they clustered together like a seething crimson cloud.

　　A hot shadow was cast over them. Sensing that the skill was a success, Cadel shouted clearly.

　　“Everyone, get close!”

　　At the same time, sharp whistling sounds pierced the air like a fierce downpour as Fire Demon’s Arrow surged toward the monsters.

　　Even though they took a form closer to threads than arrows, their power was incredible. The Head Pitchers, unable to find anywhere to dodge the dense barrage of arrows, were struck down helplessly, and embers quickly spread across the torsos hit by the magic.

　　The monsters, which hadn’t budged no matter how much they were slashed, let out hideous shrieks and contorted their bodies. The heads dropped by the monsters succumbing to the pain rolled everywhere, but another barrage of Fire Demon’s Arrow slammed down upon them, sentencing them to death.

　　It took only an instant for the vicinity to turn into a fiery hell. The only safe zone was a very small circular area centered around Cadel. Aside from that spot, the plains were being reduced to a wasteland.

　　“You truly are amazing, Captain!”

　　Watching the hundreds of arrows pouring from the sky, Van’s eyes sparkled with reverence. Instead of answering, Cadel blankly admired his own handiwork.

　　Even to his eyes, it was an incredible skill. Within the game, Fire Demon’s Arrow had strong power and flashy effects, but seeing it in reality was on another level.

　　I might have overused my mana, but with this level of power, they must have taken a massive hit too. Let’s keep this momentum going. If I put Van in the vanguard and provide minimal support with my remaining mana…

　　They could reclaim the Smog Plains. Cadel’s eyes flashed with hope.