Knights Fear Not Death

The shield-bearing knights stepped forward and caught the incoming spells.

Through the gaps, the archers fired back in retaliation.

Most arrows were deflected by wind magic, but one pierced through an arm.

No blood flowed. The struck area simply wavered like mist before returning to normal.

I wondered if physical attacks were ineffective, but if so, he wouldn't bother deflecting arrows and would divert that energy into attacking instead.

As the exchange of spells and arrows continued, Jill attempted to close in on the World's Master.

To avoid getting caught in the crossfire, she ran to the left, and once she reached the wall, she leaped and ran perpendicular to it.

Despite carrying a greatsword, she moved with the agility of an acrobat.

The spell barrage shifted to target Jill, but she deflected them with her greatsword and closed the distance rapidly, swinging her blade.

Just as it seemed about to connect, a wall of air blocked it.

Having lost her momentum in midair, Jill was pushed back.

The attack failed, but the knights seized the moment when the spell barrage thinned to advance several steps.

King Izard had the numerical advantage.

The enemy compensated with sheer number of attacks, but that seemed to have its limits too.

Given how he'd clearly not wanted Jill getting close, he didn't seem invincible.

Whether on the battlefield or in monster subjugation, the debate over which was stronger, magic or bows, came up often.

Magic had the edge in pure firepower. But once mana ran out, you were helpless.

Bows could keep firing as long as there were arrows, and a skilled archer could strike vital points.

Fired from blind spots, bows could achieve surprise attacks, while magic was always detected due to magical energy.

In exchange, magic had greater versatility.

Ultimately, it came down to usage, and this debate never reached a conclusion.

In this situation, King Izard's bow-using side seemed to have the advantage.

The World's Master's magic was quite powerful, but not enough to break through the knights' sturdy shields.

"Insolent wretches."

The enemy stopped casting and brought his hands together to gather magical energy.

Arrows rained down, some piercing through the air barrier and striking him.

Each time, he dispersed like mist but immediately reformed.

"That's forced materialization sustained by all the magical power he's extracted. That's why his materialization briefly comes undone when he's hit by arrows."

"So that's why only that spot becomes misty… He's not a spirit immune to physical attacks, right?"

"If he were a spirit, blessed attacks would deal even more damage. Once his mana runs out, it's over for him."

Yohane nodded at Iefuda's assessment.

That body was essentially a tank for storing magical energy.

Unlike a normal body, it recovered instantly from damage without bleeding.

But the cost was mana consumption.

Not just the spells, but all his actions drew from magical power.

How long would it take to drain him completely?

A gate appeared, and two large Minotaurs emerged.

They wore armor and helmets, each clutching a double-bladed axe as tall as themselves.

The Minotaurs bellowed and charged.

Jill intercepted one while the other attacked King Izard's group.

A shield-bearing knight caught the double-bladed axe, but staggered under the tremendous force.

At that moment, a spell was fired, and one knight took the hit while shielding King Izard.

That knight's body dispersed into mist.

"My apologies."

King Izard said this to the knight who had protected him, then stood before the Minotaur as it raised its axe for another strike.

"Ngh!"

With a shout, King Izard's golden sword met the Minotaur's double-bladed axe at the perfect moment.

The result… King Izard's sword cleaved through the weapon and severed the Minotaur's neck.

Even without its head, the Minotaur tried to move, but the shield knight knocked it down with a shield bash, and it dispersed into mist.

The other Minotaur swung its axe at Jill.

Even with her strength, Jill couldn't match it head-on like King Izard had, focusing entirely on evasion.

She looked for openings, jumping onto the axe to strike and deal damage.

Arrows supporting her attack buried themselves in the Minotaur's body.

They pierced through gaps in its armor until it looked like a pincushion, and its movements grew sluggish.

When an arrow pierced its right eye and it staggered, Jill used the flat of her greatsword to hammer the arrowhead deeper.

That was the finishing blow, and the second Minotaur was defeated.

"Then how about this?"

The World's Master spread his arms, creating black spheres to his left and right.

Those spheres began firing spells.

Simply put, triple the number of spells rained down.

King Izard's slow advance finally halted.

The defenses had thickened as well, and arrows no longer got through.

At this rate, they'd be worn down. Just as I thought that, two knights carrying long spears and small shields broke from behind the larger shields and charged.

They blocked the spell barrage with their small shields as they ran.

The small shields couldn't withstand the barrage and shattered, but they discarded them and assumed throwing stances while still running.

Even as fire spears, wind blades, and various other spells assailed them, the knights held their ground and completed their throws.

In exchange, the two knights took damage and vanished.

The spears arced slightly and reached the black spheres.

The air barrier couldn't stop the momentum of the long spears, which pierced through.

The spheres stopped firing spells, and King Izard didn't miss this opening.

He closed the distance in a flash.

He deflected incoming spells with his golden sword.

And the golden sword plunged into the chest of the World's Master.