Evil Avalon

Chapter 166 Prepare for the remaining minutes

(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)

“Scatter—Lightning!”

“Guh… haah!”

A dazzling bolt of lightning coiled around Mikhail’s arm, and the moment it was released, a high-voltage current struck instantly. The thunder came only after the impact, proof of the frightening speed of the Lightning spell. Though electrified, Rokurogi forcefully discharged the energy by releasing a flood of her own mana.

Normally, this kind of magic is hard to use indoors with lots of obstructions, but in a space like this with nothing to hide behind, avoiding it is nearly impossible. Even if you dodge the initial strike, the current runs along the threads forming the footholds, making it nearly unavoidable.

(Rokurogi’s taking too much damage… this isn’t good.)

Mamiya, who seems adept at tricky maneuvers, hops skillfully from one thread stretched between buildings to another, narrowly avoiding Mikhail’s strikes. Rokurogi, however, bases her movements on Japanese martial arts—she plants her feet firmly on the threads to fight. Because of this grounded style, every counterattack leaves her open to being targeted, and she keeps getting hit. In short, this battlefield—where footing is limited—puts Rokurogi at a fatal disadvantage.

I want to do something to help, but I’ve already used up all my potions, and I don’t have any leeway myself.

Even with my stats for close combat greatly enhanced by the top-tier spell Overdrive, my stamina and endurance haven’t been boosted. My body is already screaming in pain, parts of it twitching uncontrollably.

Still, if Mikhail is allowed to act freely, he’ll keep bombarding us with lightning spells. The situation won’t just worsen—I’ll be the first to collapse. If that happens, there’ll be no stopping him.

I gather what little mana remains and create countless glowing footholds in the night sky, zigzagging through them to flank Mikhail from his blind spot. But Sanada shoots magic bullets with pinpoint timing to kill my momentum, forcing me to make evasive jumps.

I hesitate, unsure whether to press the attack again, when Mikhail fires off a combination of lightning and magic bullets. I barely slip past and fall back, widening the distance.

Almost no one in Explorer could read my jumps when I used Aerial, and yet Sanada, in our first battle today, is firing with flawless timing. I had thought I’d manage fine, since I’d fought Sanada countless times back in Explorer, but now I realize—even if he’s the same person in this world—his adaptability and thinking are on a whole different level.

As I retreat, Rokurogi charges ahead, sprinting across the high-strung threads and bravely slashing at Mikhail. Watching her, I bound through the air, steadying my breath and looking for the right timing. Just then, Mamiya lands on a nearby thread and calls out.

“We can’t find a breakthrough. And Mikhail’s still got big spells left, doesn’t he?”

“Yes, though it doesn’t look like he intends to use them.”

If this follows the game, Mikhail should have a few large-scale spells capable of obliterating the entire area. But the Holy Empire’s top priority is retrieving players. Judging by how he keeps using Lightning—magic that inflicts minimal bodily damage—it’s clear he wants to collect our corpses intact, without wrecking them with overwhelming spells.

The problem is, we can’t deal with his Lightning tactics, and Rokurogi keeps getting sniped. I desperately want to close in and force Mikhail into melee combat, but Sanada blocks me. Mamiya tries to intercept Sanada, yet Sanada always keeps his distance, hiding at higher vantage points or behind Mikhail, making pursuit impossible.

“I thought killing you would be simple.”

Mamiya had assumed Sanada relied on corpse-servants, so he had gone around severing every visible corpse’s head. But Sanada’s fighting like this without relying on them at all—enough to make Mamiya grit his teeth in frustration.

I had thought Mamiya’s habit of beheading corpses was just some twisted fetish, but learning there was a solid reason behind it is oddly relieving. Even so, not even Mamiya seems able to think of a way to turn this around.

Suddenly, a flamethrower-like spell lashes out from a blind spot. I leap in the opposite direction from Mamiya to avoid it. The fire catches Arthur’s threads, but only the surface burns, and a strong wind snuffs it out quickly. I recall that those threads can’t burn unless infused with mana equal to or greater than Arthur’s.

But Mikhail ignites lightning in his hands again, putting me instantly on edge.

Yet… he doesn’t release it.

“Lord Mikhail. It seems we’re being invaded—from outside.”

“…I see.”

Far beyond Sanada’s line of sight, several kilometers away, the night sky flickers. Then faint geometric patterns spread across the heavens. Confirming this, Sanada reports with a grim face: “We’re being encroached upon from outside.” He must mean someone is attempting to nullify the magic array from beyond.

But the arrays of “Repulsion” and “Illusion” can’t be disrupted just by firing attack magic from the outside. To nullify them, one would have to reach the array itself and erase the mana circuits directly.

And yet the boundary is reacting violently like that. As Sanada says, someone must be encroaching through magical means. If I recall correctly, the Ten Rakshashas had a specialist executive in barrier-breaking.

As I try to remember who it was, a bell suddenly rings nearby, cutting off my thoughts. It’s Mamiya’s wrist terminal. This area should be under communication jamming. Which means—if there’s a call coming through…

“It’s from Chizuru… let’s see.”

“Onii-sama! Just now—’Onii-iii! Satsuki-nee broke the comm-jamming magic circle!’—that’s what she said!”

On Mamiya’s terminal screen, a close-up of Chii-chan and Kano filled the display, letting us know communications were back. They also reported they were attempting to defuse (disarm) the explosive magic circle and told us to keep fighting without worry — a terrifying bit of news to hear.

I’d mentally written off any explosive circle being present, so learning there actually was one made cold sweat run down my back.

“Sanada said there was no explosive magic circle. Were you lying?”

“So you found out. Still, I’m curious how you broke through multiple concealment spells to find it.”

Mamiya glared at Sanada with a face painted in murderous intent and demanded an explanation. Sanada’s eyes glittered oddly as he asked how they had discovered the hidden explosive circle.

Apparently the explosive circle had been placed in a room already sealed by magical wards, and on top of that it had several concealment spells layered over it to prevent mana from leaking out. Even the Holy Empire’s specialists would find it impossible to locate. Sanada wanted to know what power had tracked it down, but that was the first time I’d heard of any of this — I had no answer.

“One more thing. Risa’s ready—’Risa-nee says she’ll be there in a few minutes! Arthur-kun will send her through the Gate… hang on!’—that’s what she said. Onii-sama, be careful—’Onii-nii, you be careful too!’—bye!”

They gave the report in a whirlwind and cut off the feed. They must have known our situation and kept the message short. But that short call contained a few critical pieces of information. Rokurogi looked at me, asking for an explanation with her eyes.

First: Kano and the others were wearing heavy cold-weather gear and standing where snow falls. The only sensible place for such clothing in this climate would be Arthur’s house. And since someone who looked like the kunoichi “Red” appeared in the background, it seemed they weren’t using one-person escape items but rather mass-transferring via a Gate.

Next: the existence of the explosive magic circle. Satsuki had broken through the concealment spells, located the explosive circle, and was working on disarming it. Naturally, tampering with an explosive circle risks premature detonation, so knowledge of magic is required. Their breaking the concealment implies a powerful ally is with them. Who that ally is worries me, but I’ll set that aside for now.

Finally: Risa. I’d assumed she’d exhaust a heap of mana on an escape item to come here, but apparently she’ll open a Gate directly above my head and board it. I don’t know how a Gate can be used from a location like that, but if they arrive in “a few minutes” as the call said, that’s incredible news for the battered us.

“My allies will arrive in a few minutes.”

“Eh, already?”

You couldn’t read much of Mamiya’s reserve from his nonchalant face, but Rokurogi and I were breathing heavily and already battered. If we only had to hold out a few minutes more, it wasn’t impossible.

At the boundary several kilometers away, the magical array’s corruption seemed more intense than before — it shone even brighter. The “Repulsion” and “Illusion” arrays proved larger and stronger than expected, but they weren’t unfathomably complex. Breaking them was likely only a matter of time.

Mikhail, thinking the same, realized there was no time to spare; his expression grew even sterner.

“With outside encroachment and… every trap we set becoming only a matter of time, we’ll prioritize retrieval speed over the state of the bodies.”

“I would’ve preferred Mamiya and Rokurogi’s corpses intact, but it can’t be helped.”

Mikhail gathered a monstrously vast amount of mana as if implying he hadn’t been going all-out before. The patterns etched into his robe glowed ominously, and multiple magic circles manifested around him and activated.

The Holy Empire’s national treasure, the [Haloed Vestment], which greatly boosts magical offense and defense. It’s said to have been passed down from a saint, and is famous as the prototype of the white-robed [Saint Robe] worn by those clerics.

Sanada pulled out a huge staff taller than himself and leveled it horizontally. His usual style isn’t melee but mage-type; he’d stopped running and decided to fight with the magic he’s good at.

Feeling the oppressive pressure of their mana, I thought about how to survive the remaining time. Rokurogi answered in kind, unleashing gigantic mana as if burning her very life away.

“I refuse to sit idly by and play for time. Even if it costs my life, I’ll land one strike.”

“I’m with you. Besides, there’s no better fiery scene than this — the feast won’t end yet.”

Mamiya released his stored mana as well, spinning his spear-axe halberd in sync with Rokurogi. I was amazed that, even in such a desperate situation, their will to fight hadn’t diminished in the slightest.

From our battle so far, it was clear Mikhail and Sanada possessed the same judgment, thinking, and flexibility as top Explorer players — none of the old Explorer strategies applied here. Honestly, we had no future in this fight if it continued as it was.

That’s precisely why I’d been trying to buy time so the baton could be passed to Risa. But even Risa had no guarantee of victory. If she failed… everything we’d done would be for nothing. Just imagining that was terrifying.

Then I decided: if there was any way to raise Risa’s odds even slightly, I would risk my life to land a single blow. I steeled myself…

I calculated the mana I had left from experience and feeling, created countless footholds, and shook life into my trembling, spasming legs. Seeing us ready with weapons, Sanada gave a sneer.

“It’s pointless. I’ve already grasped your action patterns and most of your capabilities, so—die now, Flame Rain!”

He twisted his mouth into a contemptuous smile, then suddenly his expression hardened with murderous intent as he unleashed the skill. Black mist appeared overhead, and from it a dazzling, radiant rain began to fall.

Countless tiny lights streaked like meteors, rapidly raising the overall luminance of the area. To a bystander it might look like a pretty illumination, but that wasn’t just glowing rain — it was molten iron, nearly two thousand degrees.

While our eyes were still adjusting to the brightness, an abnormal heat and raw magical power bore down from above. We kicked off the thread footholds and spread out to evade, but there was no need to panic. The falling drops weren’t especially fast and the area was only about twenty meters across, so in this vast space we should’ve had plenty of time to avoid them—what the!?

“Wind that rends the sky… manifest: Cyclone!”

Mikhail followed up with a wide-area spell, Cyclone. The iron rain we thought we’d escaped was swept up into a tremendous swirling gale and hurled back at us, now glowing from white to orange.

The grains probably cooled by several hundred degrees judging by the color, but they still easily exceeded a thousand degrees. If they stuck to your skin, they wouldn’t just burn you — they’d gouge holes. We had to spin up footholds to avoid the high-temperature rain scattered across the wide area, and were forced to flee to high altitude.

Glancing sideways to check on Mamiya and Rokurogi, I saw they’d escaped by pulling circus-like stunts, running vertically up the outside of a skyscraper. Humans really can do anything when they set their minds to it. Before I could admire that any further, shadows closed in fast from both sides, so I created footholds and moved for emergency evasion.

I dodged a magic bullet that came from a blind spot, then tilted my blade to deflect an overhead slashing strike. Sparks flew as I put distance between us with several quick cuts, barely holding the defense.

“So this is a deified player. Still young, aren’t they? Looks like a teenager.”

“Don’t underestimate them — they may possess the same knowledge as Aurora-sama.”

Sanada peered at my face at close range like an oddity, while Mikhail — still fixated on me — issued a warning. As they traded barbs, they slowly moved to flank me in midair, glaring. I realized, too late, that the combo of iron rain and tornado had been intended to drive Mamiya and Rokurogi away so they could pick us off one by one.

I immediately drew the mithril sword from my pocket and waved the [Sword of Volgemut] at Sanada and Mikhail, assuming a twin-blade stance to force a stalemate — but Sanada ignored my intent and fired a magic bullet, forcing the battle to restart.

If we got caught here, we’d be dead in an instant. To avoid letting them zero in on me, I faked a move to throw off their aim, then kicked up countless footholds and zigzagged through the vast space in a wide arc.

Mikhail’s pursuit, however, was terrifyingly fast, and his blows hit with crushing weight. After exchanging several slashes I failed to parry cleanly, lost my balance, and was flung off-course through the air. My numb hand tried to right my spinning body, but a magic bullet from Sanada came in from the side and I instinctively used my arm to guard.

Needless to say, I didn’t come away unscathed — the impact struck like a high-speed iron ball, sending me flying at a right angle like a pinball. I writhed in agony.

“Guh… aaaah… ugh.”

I looked down: the skin on my left arm had peeled away and discolored, the limb bent in the wrong direction. I’d even dropped the mithril sword I’d been holding. Enduring pain that threatened to erase my memory, I managed to parry Mikhail’s blade aimed at my throat with my other sword — but I wouldn’t be able to dodge the next strike.

Then—

“Over here, Mikhail! Third Strike: Retsukūzan (Sky-Rending Slash)!”

Rokurogi, having dropped from high above while cutting through the air, drove her sword home with a roar. The enormous energy and mana she poured into it shattered Mikhail’s barrier without even letting it resist, and she shoved her slender blade in and continued falling in freefall alongside it. Sanada flew in to support, but tangled with Mamiya — who’d launched himself in a parabola — and they fell into a grapple and close-quarters scuffle.

(Now — go! If I don’t do it here, when will I?)

My left arm was already useless. My body was wrecked from repeated fights. Mana was almost gone. Still, I had to show at least one last shred of pride.

Clenching the [Sword of Volgemut] with my remaining right arm, I dove in a straight glide through the midair canyon surrounded by skyscrapers. My target was Mikhail, locked in a slashing duel with Rokurogi as they fell. I kicked off footholds I’d just created one after another to catch up and accelerate.

Even against fierce wind pressure I kept my eyes open on the target, poured every last drop of mana into shaping the final skill motion — and at that moment, as if timed perfectly, a new source of mana appeared overhead.

It glowed a vivid purple — Arthur’s Gate. Welcoming the arrival of my new ally with a sideways glance, I carefully fed it my remaining mana and completed the last motion for the enemy rapidly closing in front of me.

Rokurogi noticed my sudden approach and grabbed a nearby thread for an emergency escape. Meanwhile, Mikhail turned mid-air, activating the defensive magic inscribed on his robe. It looked like he intended to withstand my attack.

Then take it head-on. This is the strongest skill I can unleash right now!

“Uoooooooohhh! 《Agares Blade》!!”

“《Seraphic Shield》—kh…!”

A top-tier [Sword Saint] skill—an instant-release slash fired at hundreds of kilometers per hour. My wrist and blade became one, and before my eyes, a torrent of light surged forth.

The dazzling light shattered the hexagonal barrier in front of Mikhail, striking his right side directly. The robe, a national treasure, evaporated under the dense energy, and even his flesh beneath was torn apart—

But suddenly, as if time had rewound, his flesh and robe were restored, and Mikhail continued to float as if nothing had happened. Yes, [Raiment of the Halo] had the effect of rewinding time once when the wearer suffered critical damage. Truly a cheat-tier artifact, the greatest national treasure of the Holy Empire. But that function—I forced him to use it.

(Now, my friend… I leave the rest to you.)

Mikhail’s eyes lit with killing intent, his magic surging violently. But his gaze wasn’t aimed at me as I fell. No, it was fixed on the 《Gate》, around 300 meters above, where streams of black magic were pouring in.

I wanted to watch its appearance longer, but if I kept falling, I’d smash into the asphalt below. My magic was already spent, leaving me unable to create footholds. I stretched out my hand, trying to glide toward a thread to grab onto—yet with no grip strength left, I couldn’t hold on. All I could do was keep falling.

My body strengthening was barely still active. But could it endure the impact from this height? Doubtful. Still… I’d done all I could. Compared to drowning in that sea of regret beneath the moonlight, this was nothing. That was the only comfort.

But the thought lasted only an instant—suddenly, a crushing force gripped my neck, knocking the air from my lungs. Looking up through the upward drag against gravity, I saw that Rokurogi had grabbed me by the scruff and was pulling me up.

She roughly tossed me onto a thread, where I clung desperately on all fours as it shook violently to keep me from falling again. Between that choking grip and my near-fatal fall earlier, I’d nearly died so many times today I’d lost count—and I didn’t even care anymore.

Rokurogi stood beside me, quietly gazing at the sky. I followed her eyes, just in time to see it emerging from the glowing violet 《Gate》.

“So that’s what you meant was coming? Quite the magic power.”

“Khh… yes, one of my proud companions.”

First came the sight of black boots, then a full suit of jet-black armor, its upper face hidden by a complex helm, descending with a suffocating miasma of darkness. In its right hand was a magic sword taller than its wielder—[Banmulk].

That was Lisa’s true battle regalia. Memories of the countless battles to the death in Explorer came rushing back—chilling, yet reassuring at the same time.

Her silver hair whipped fiercely in the wind as the black armor continued to fall, arms spread wide, unleashing from the start an Extra Skill of the top-tier [Dark Knight] class.

『――――Aa――A゛――Aa゛――《Darkness》』

The scattered mana in the air was drawn to Lisa, amplifying the 《Aura》 she wore until it swelled even more powerfully. As though resonating with her, the moon itself dimmed, and the world sank into an even deeper silence and shadow. This entire domain was now hers.

Mikhail once again erected multiple barriers, turning his back on us as he ascended, as if we no longer even existed. He meant to face her head-on.

This was truly our final card. Everything would be decided in this battle. As I prayed upward, I finally let myself take a breath.

(I’m counting on you, Lisa.)

TL Note- Will Lisa come in clutch?

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