Chapter 319: Holding On
--This Chapter is written in Elizabeth’s POV--
Chasing after the Colonel led me directly towards a group of soldiers.
Some readily aimed their weapons, others charged furiously, and a few took a step back to cast their spells.
The sound of the shells striking my barriers and falling to the ground became a rhythmic, pleasant symphony.
As they activated their Gifts, the soldiers punching my barriers grew bulkier. Some had their fists coated in poison, mud, or fire. Some had spikes and shapes growing from their limbs, while others radiated with an elemental aura.
Upon contact with my shields, their strikes would trigger all sorts of effects, from explosions to bursting shards.
Their magic grew even more unnatural as water would rain upwards like razor edges expelled from the ground, and fire would bend like a fluid whipping at the air as spider threads attempted to bind my limbs
All extremely interesting.
All extremely ineffective.
This wasn’t anything new, though.
After watching their war against other worlds, I realized that the soldiers of this world were capable of very little.
Their average level didn’t compare to that of the high or top-tier adventurers, which was a common problem in most worlds. In this one, however, the problem was exacerbated by the ineffectiveness of their weapons.
The stronger the sword is swung, the more it will cut through. The farther a bowstring is pulled, the more its arrow can pierce through.
Thus, these weapons are enhanced by the hand that wields them.
The weapons in this world, the so-called firearms, followed the same logic, for their own detriment.
Pulling the trigger harder matters not to the gun. The projectile will always leave the barrel with the same strength and piercing power.
Pulling the trigger faster only matters for the first shot, as guns have a fixed fire rate due to their mechanical parts.
There were a few possibilities to circumvent this problem, of course. Bigger guns and explosives would deal more damage, and I’ve seen for myself that their wheeled units and flying machines could strike down even high-tier opponents.
With these weapons, they dominated the skies during the last Divine Event, which allowed the use of their ultimate weapon: The bomb that they felt so strongly about.
As per human nature, the regret and the resentment only grew into a protest after the weapon had fulfilled its purpose.
When I told him that I’d wish to see the power of a "nuke" for myself, my king laughed, nervously telling me not to joke about it.
He told me that I shouldn’t expect one to be used in this war. That it wouldn’t happen.
Thus, I tempered my expectations.
The only other interesting thing left for me to see was the crystal bullets, an ingenious creation that promised to make up for their weapons’ weaknesses.
Unfortunately, imbuing Dungeon Crystals into weapons was only an innovative method in this world. In fact, making the weapons with the crystals themselves was a crude way to draw their power.
Elizabeth: "You’re walking in the right direction. But you’re a thousand years behind."
If fired for a few minutes, the crystal bullets would eventually crack one layer of my barriers.
Had the adventurers of this world reached my level, they’d have access to stronger crystals and thus could probably draw blood from me.
However, once again, their weapons limited them, and before long, the group fighting me exhausted themselves without satisfying my curiosity.
As punishment, I summoned two hurricanes at either of their sides, their blades cutting through vehicles and bodies alike. As they collided in the center of the road before me, the hurricanes vanished. In their wake, everything was minced beyond recognition.
Before I could take a step forward, I sensed a larger shell piercing through the first layer of my barriers. It didn’t slow down, breaking the second layer as well and giving me less than a second to react.
It wasn’t a crystal bullet, nor a tank round, nor a flying machine’s fire. Yet, this was the first attack to draw blood from me, as it pierced every layer of my shield, only scraping me because of how I angled my defenses, misdirecting it.
Elizabeth: "Every world has a handful of exceptions. You’re one such, are you not?"
I brushed my index finger on the light cut on my cheek. As I traced over the skin, the injury disappeared.
The blood staining my finger began to condensate as it took off into the air before me.
Tracing the trajectory of the bullet to an office building a kilometer away, I shot my own version of a blood bullet at the AOTG executive.
My blood pierced the window, stopping inside the room only to explode into a thousand blood needles.
Sadly, I was a moment too slow. Adriarch had already camouflaged himself inside one of his smokescreens, and when the smoke faded, only the destroyed furniture remained inside the room.
His mana wasn’t distinct enough for me to find him among the chaos of the battlefield and the thousands of different mana signatures; however, I didn’t need to search for him.
I only needed him to find me.
While waiting for his next attack, I reduced the number of stubborn distractions by sending out waves of lightning pulses through the air. Each of them would burn through the chests of the soldiers in the area, making their hearts stop.
Once an area was cleared, I surged to the sky, making myself an easy target for the next group brave enough to volunteer as my next opponents.
Usually, it wouldn’t take long for them to subject me to another hellfire barrage; however, Adriarch’s forces were intelligent.
They adapted quickly to my tactic, realizing I’d always target the largest group that aimed their shots at me, they began to split into smaller squads, coordinating brief all-or-nothing strikes before quickly scattering again.
I refused to entertain such a time-consuming hunt when it was hardly interesting, so I too adapted my strategy.
Landing on the ground, I extended my arm towards the nearest office building of the HQ sector. Sliding my hand in the air, the building slowly tilted to its side until its structure couldn’t support it anymore.
As it fell to the ground, most of the mana signatures beneath it disappeared, and slowly, the ones inside it followed suit.
Satisfied, I turned my attention to the next tower when, suddenly, a small round object exploded at my feet.
Several shards burst everywhere, destroying all of my barriers and incessantly tearing my skin until every spot on my body was drenched in blood.
Other than the perverted sword, few could cut me so much, so quickly.
I knew I wasn’t wrong about Adriarch. I wouldn’t regret bringing him under.
Elizabeth: "[Arsenal Memoir]..."
Adriarch’s first Gift allowed him to recreate and empower any weapons he had used in the past, making him one of the few people in this world whose Gift synergized well with guns and bombs.
Ironically, his Gift was the one holding back the firearms’ potential, as the power-up his weapons received depended not only on his own power, but also on his experience with each weapon and his memory of it.
If the crystal bullets had been invented a decade earlier, he could have been even stronger.
Still, that this ability was so strong proved his dedication, as most in this world hadn’t honed their power to this extent.
Elizabeth: "It is certainly notable."
My tendons had been cut, and I failed to lift my body from the ground.
However, after a deep breath, I focused my magic and mended them enough for me to face Adriarch.
Next, I focused on the cuts on my face, as it made for an unpleasant, disgraceful view.
Finally, the rest of my body quickly returned to how it was, not a single sign of the life-threatening injuries remaining aside from the blood that completely drenched me.
Still, even that was a simple fix with my [Blood Magic].
Adriarch: "...As I thought, I really like your eyes, lassie."
He stood a couple of meters before me, with no weapon in hand, completely defeating the purpose of a challenge.
As such, I couldn’t attack him. No matter how much he bothered me with his way of addressing me.
Elizabeth: "...Is there anything special to them?"
Eyes were often said to be the mirror of the soul.
To a Devil like me, they were actually the door.
Looking at a person’s eyes would let me understand more about them than a thousand years of contact.
However, when it came to my own, I saw nothing other than what I already knew.
This was, of course, because I already knew everything there was about myself.
Adriarch: "Yes. They resemble that of a veteran. Yet, they shine so bright. They’ve bothered me since the first time I saw them."
He was acting unlike his boisterous self.
His words carried a gentle, almost melancholic tone.
Rather than a provocation or an insult, I felt in them a confession.
Elizabeth: "...Jealousy? How unbecoming of a man your age."
It was hard to decipher whether he was laughing or coughing, but my words seemed to have snapped him back.
He brought a hand to the back of his head, scratching it with a wide, embarassed smile.
Adriarch: "You got me there, Missy... When I first saw you, I was worried. A young girl like you shouldn’t have those soldier-like eyes."
Even though it was much better than being called a hag by Cassandra, being treated like a child bothered me just as much.
Elizabeth: "You realize I’m much older than you, correct? I’ve spent several of your lifetimes at war."
He blew the smoke of his cigar towards the sky.
After a second of silence, he brought his gaze back down towards me.
Adriarch: "I thought that was the case... You know, there was a time when my eyes were as bright as yours, lassie. But old folks like me... Our eyes don’t shine anymore. So how come yours are so bright?"
Interestingly, while we spoke, his soldiers focused on the Valkyries and the North Dragon.
More vehicles blew up on the base’s roads; it was hard not to miss the shouts and screams.
Yet, it was even harder not to hear his voice. It had a presence that cut through the noise surrounding it, regardless of its volume.
Elizabeth: "So you say. However, you don’t strike me as someone unmotivated."
I read his profile more thoroughly after the strategy meeting our king held in the bathtub of his new home.
In particular, I was interested in his actions after the loss of his wife and later, of his son.
He was granted a short leave after his wife passed away. Upon his return to the army, his superiors noted changes in his behavior, describing him as argumentative.
While such a thing was to be expected from a grieving man, what caught my attention was the lack of a similar response after his son’s death.
Hebert Tell died during the last Divine Event. Considering his prior response, it would only make sense for Adriarch Tell to take a leave from his duties.
Or at the very least, not seek to join the insurrection.
Elizabeth: "Is it true that you’ve betrayed your nation due to grief? Or is the Colonel still performing his duty?"
With a wide grin on his face, Adriarch summoned a cylinder to his hand.
He then tossed away his cigar, carefully positioning the cylinder on the ground.
Adriarch: "Aha! Is that what they say? That I’ve lost it?"
White smoke began to rise from each sector of the base, from the hospital building to the main office in the center of the complex.
Adriarch: "Hah... I’m glad. You’re not as oblivious."
The cylinder on the ground began to rotate, spreading the same white smoke that consumed the rest of the facility.
Adriarch: "What about you, lassie? If my eyes aren’t empty enough to be a broken man, yours are too bright to be a soldier. Are you certain that you’re also on duty?"
As the smoke invaded my nostrils, my shoulders grew heavier, my eyelids trying to shut themselves.
Elizabeth: "But of course. I have sworn loyalty to His Majesty. The path he takes matters not; I shall fulfill my duty to him until its end, whatever that may be."
As he summoned a mask for himself, I erected a dome barrier around us, connecting small airways to the outside so I could breathe fresh air.
Adriarch: "...Is that what duty means to you? What if the boy betrays your expectations?"
He brought back the same silver pistol he had used to shoot at my barriers before, but this time, he focused on my airways with pinpoint precision.
Elizabeth: "As the one polishing his path to kingship, his failure is my failure. I shall not only remove the obstacles in his way, but also refine his methods, so that he can achieve a standard I’m satisfied with."
Besides, Miwen was always betraying my expectations. Both for good and bad, he was unpredictable and unstoppable.
Adriarch: "I can’t agree with that. If a system is broken, it’s the duty of those within it to fix it, even if it means going against it. But I can tell you’re serious about it... So how about a battle of endurance? Let’s see whose will crumbles first."
I began to release my own sleep-inducing wind.
At the same time, I shrank the dome around us, condensing the gas and forcing the fresh air out.
Elizabeth: "Whenever you’re ready."
My airways would last about a second or two before Adriarch destroyed them, yet I replaced them just as quickly.
Unwilling to let him control the battle, I threw bolts of lightning his way, destroying his mask.
Every time I’d see his face, his grin would’ve grown wider.
Though it was brief, as he’d then create a new mask for himself.
Adriarch: "Huff... Huff..."
It was hard to focus.
My thoughts had grown slow.
As much as it shamed me to admit it, it wouldn’t be long before I’d lose consciousness.
Yet, it’d be disgraceful to retreat from a challenge as entertaining as this.
Adriarch: "Ready to give up, Missy?"
Elizabeth: "Not yet..."
As I poured more of my mana into the air, the power of the sleeping gas increased.
However, as my vision began to darken, I heard gunfire hitting my barrier.
I couldn’t see the towers, the buildings, or even the walls of the base.
The entire world had been cast in shadows.
The Colonel had activated his second Gift, but he was a second too late.
As my vision faded to black, I heard his body hitting the ground.
