1276: Wings of Flame, Divine Sword Imitation

「「「Haaaaaaaah!」」」

「Impossible… My ultimate barrier…!」

Thanks to the coordinated attack of the Red Knight Captains, Laranflura’s protective barrier shattered.

Simultaneous divine-attribute attacks from four directions were evidently too much for her to handle.

Considering the sheer power involved, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a massive explosion, but it seems the barrier had absorbed much of the force. The impact on the surroundings was only a faint breeze and slight tremors.

That said, Laranflura took the brunt of the attack, so she fell to one knee.

「Grah! Holy Mother! What are you doing?! Hurry up and reinforce the barrier!」

「Agah!」

Immediately after Laranflura’s shout, the Holy Mother let out a pained cry. And just like that, the barrier was reconstructed.

However, Laranflura’s expression remained one of anger.

The new barrier was significantly inferior in performance to the one that had protected Laranflura earlier. The thinness of the mana and distorted shape were obvious to see.

At that moment, Apollonius closed in at an insane speed. True to his alias, “Wings of Flame,” the fiery wings on his back produced an astonishing acceleration.

Moreover, he held a gigantic spear made of flames in his hand.

「Eat this!」

Having transformed himself into a massive flaming javelin, Apollonius collided head-on with Laranflura.

He easily pierced through the new barrier as if it never existed.

Laranflura guarded with her left arm, which got sent flying from the impact. The red javelin had pierced straight through her shoulder. Though not a mortal wound, Apollonius had gouged out a portion of her body.

The strongest move of the Red Sword Captain was indeed formidable. However, it fell short of finishing Laranflura off.

Her arm was already beginning to regenerate. That’s when Fran and Urushi dove in. Charging through the storm of long-range attacks from Sibylla and the others, we delivered a powerful blow.

「Grrr!」

「Teyaaa!」

Urushi’s foreleg, enveloped in divine energy, gouged Laranflura’s side. That same instant, Fran delivered a precise blow to the exact same spot.

This was our Heavenly Judgment infused with evil-divine energy. The trail of evil-divine energy and black lightning tore through Laranflura’s torso.

「GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!」

Laranflura let out an unexpectedly loud scream. We must have inflicted more damage than expected. Perhaps evil-divine energy was super effective? However, the reason turned out to be something else.

〈Probability that the Golden Formula skill was effective: 97%〉

『So that’s it!』

Our “Golden Formula” skill had originally evolved from “Mixed Slayer”, which dealt a critical hit to the chimera portion of Laranflura!

『One more go! This time, we put everything into Golden Formula!』

「Nn! Urushi!」

「Woof!」

Fran performed a light hop, and Urushi propelled her forward with his foreleg. Until now, they had only attempted to do this going down, but now, it seems they could do it horizontally as well.

Sent flying by the full force of Urushi’s strength, Fran unleashed her strike.

「Haaaah! Wolf-Style Draw Technique Mk2!」

Huh? She came up with a new name for it! If you could come up with such cool names, why is the golden aura one still “Curry Slash”!?

「GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!」

With her right arm severed, Laranflura screamed even louder than before. Seems like that one hurt a lot.

Laranflura’s thin barrier completely vanished, and her movements came to a halt.

Sibylla and Yuvel’s long-range attacks continued flying in, shaving away at Laranflura’s flesh.

Avenger remained vigilant by Persona’s side, realizing that his offensive capabilities would be lacking. When push came to shove, he seemed to have chosen the role of a meat shield. Given his personality, that’s a surprisingly astute decision.

However, Forrund was nowhere to be seen. I did a frantic scan, and noticed he was just behind us. It seems he was hiding with the power of a sword that perfectly concealed his presence and magical energy.

Did he need to hide because he was injured or something? No, there was something unusual going on.

I could tell with just a glance. The deep red magic enveloping his entire body was anything but ordinary.

「To me.」

「…Nn.」

His exchange with Fran was still as inexplicable as ever. However, Fran obediently stepped back, clearing Forrund’s line of sight.

「Hah… May the gods bear witness. My power unveiled, befitting your favor and…」

Forrund began a lengthy speech, or rather, a verbose chant. In response to the words, he began radiating a divine aura. And at the end…

「Divine Sword Imitation.」

Within a pillar of red light, Forrund forcefully clasped his outstretched hands in front of himself.

That became the trigger, and complex magical runes made of red light formed on the back of his hands.

A vast amount of mana was discharged like lightning, and converted into divine energy. Light overflowed from his clasped palms.

Finally, the divine aura dyed the surroundings dazzlingly as it turned into a flash. When the light subsided, Forrund held a massive metal object in his hands.

It was a peculiar weapon, resembling a gigantic sword with a massive hammer attached. Perhaps it would be more fitting to describe it as a siege weapon than a sword.

And we recognized that colossal weapon.

「Gaia, the Grand Earthblade…」

『Yeah… there’s no mistaking it.』

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