The werewolves had taken up far more of my time than I anticipated.
Really, I couldn’t afford any delays right now. This was becoming a problem.
After ensuring the unconscious werewolves were buried up to their necks in the ground, I rushed toward the location marked on my mail.
The destination was still quite a distance away, but if I used my full strength to fly, it would take only a few minutes at most.
With every second counting, there was no time to hold back.
“Ugh... This speed... It’s freezing.”
Whoosh!
The sharp, icy wind cut across my skin like knives, whistling past my ears.
It felt like riding a motorcycle in freezing weather without any protective gear.
My fragile body wasn’t built to withstand such conditions.
My skin quickly turned a deep red, and my exposed ears had already gone numb.
Still, I grit my teeth and endured it. Freezing to the bone was a small price to pay if it bought me precious time.
Fueling my resolve with determination, I forced my shivering body to keep moving.
“...!”
As I bounded from rooftop to rooftop, taking the shortest route possible, my gaze caught sight of an unnaturally charred wall.
The mark was intense and, in many ways, peculiar.
There was no collapse to suggest a bomb had gone off, and no fire damage despite the wall being scorched black.
How could such a perfectly localized scorch mark exist, as if someone had painted it on purpose?
While I racked my brain for an explanation, a thought flashed through my mind.
“Come to think of it, I did hear a thunderous crash earlier. Wait, lightning... in the Liberation Army...!”
Thump.
A chilling sense of foreboding crept down my spine.
There was a good reason for my unease.
The Liberation Army had a high-ranking officer who specialized in lightning magic.
The highest position in the Liberation Army was the Supreme Commander.
Beneath them were the Seven Calamities, the top commanders responsible for leading individual divisions and serving as the organization’s elite warriors.
While internal betrayal and infighting ran rampant among them, their individual combat prowess was undeniable.
Each of the Seven Calamities was on par with Raven in strength, comparable to the upper ranks of the Double Number Fixers.
To put it in perspective, the term “Double Number Fixer” referred to those ranked between 10th and 99th worldwide.
Most of the Seven Calamities were within the top 20.
When you considered that a powerful mage could output the firepower of an entire battalion, it wasn’t hard to understand how this organization had managed to wage war against humanity.
“Akashmir of the Thunder Spear. If that woman is really here... Greg won’t stand a chance. Lightning isn’t something you can withstand with brute strength alone.”
To be honest, Greg was a formidable warrior—so much so that my concern for him might seem laughable.
Orcs were naturally resilient and strong, able to wrestle bears or lions with their bare hands.
But Greg wasn’t just any orc; he was a grand warrior of his kind, the strongest among them.
A walking biological weapon capable of ripping apart tanks with his bare hands.
However, when faced with a master of lightning magic, all those advantages would crumble.
Lightning was perhaps even more dangerous than fire. No matter how strong Greg was, he couldn’t endure its devastating power.
Even if he somehow dodged the initial attacks and closed the distance, a mage who cloaked themselves in lightning could render him defenseless.
Without a solid weapon capable of withstanding the lightning’s power, Greg would have no way to retaliate.
And knowing Greg, who preferred to avoid conflict whenever possible, it was unlikely he had such a weapon on him.
“If Raven isn’t too late, there might still be hope... But I can’t be sure. I just have to assess the situation first.”
Suppressing my growing anxiety, I pushed myself to move even faster.
At this point, all I could do was place my trust in Raven and hope for the best.
As I neared my destination, the deafening noise grew louder and louder, stabbing into my ears like needles.
Finally arriving, I acted without thinking, throwing myself into the chaos ahead.
Before I could even feel relieved at the sight of Greg for the first time in ages,
I saw a woman standing before him, poised to strike while he knelt on one knee.
“Get fried, you pest! Plgur!”
“...!”
Crackle!
Sliding to a halt just in time, I managed to place myself between Greg and the attacker.
In that fleeting moment, a flash of red lightning seared my vision and burned into my retinas.
Of course, her attack was lightning magic.
Thankfully, I had anticipated it; otherwise, I would’ve been caught off guard, unsure how to react.
Feeling a small sense of relief, I extended my telekinesis deep into the ground.
I grasped the solid, non-conductive dirt beneath the stone tiles, but that alone wouldn’t be enough to block her power.
So, I embedded nearby metal debris into the sides of the earthen wall I raised.
The lightning would partially redirect along the metal, dispersing its energy and reducing its impact!
The collision between the massive earthen wall and the red lightning happened in the next instant.
Boom!
Even before the thunderous explosion reached me, my body recoiled violently, nausea bubbling up from the force.
The overwhelming power shredded through my telekinetic grip, pushing me back.
It was clear that despite my improvements, the gap between me and a true powerhouse remained vast.
The crushing sense of helplessness I had felt against Drakel returned, weighing heavily on my shoulders.
But I refused to give up.
No, I couldn’t lose.
With a determination that bordered on obsession, I held onto my telekinesis, reinforcing the barrier against the relentless red lightning.
If I failed here, I wouldn’t be able to face Greg.
"I won't let you get past me!"
Ssss...
Time, which had seemed frozen for an eternity, began to move again.
The force that had been tearing through the earthen wall I’d raised had finally expended its energy.
The meaning was simple:
I had managed to block the opponent’s attack and protect Greg from her lightning magic.
Realizing this, I released the tightly held earthen wall, letting it collapse with a loud crash.
Dust filled the air, creating a thick cloud that momentarily obscured everything.
“...Yuria?”
This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.
Before the dust even settled, I heard a familiar voice—a low, even tone, devoid of strong emotion, yet carrying a subtle warmth.
Turning, I pulled back the hood that had been covering my head and faced Greg.
Hello, liar. A whole month passed, and you didn’t come, so I came for you.
If I could speak, that’s what I would have said.
“How did you... No, this isn’t the time for that. Thank you. You saved my life.”
“....”
“Hm? Oh, this? It’s just a minor wound. Nothing to worry abo—ack, never mind.”
As the dust settled, Greg’s figure came into view, and it was a horrific sight.
His clothes were in tatters, revealing bandages that looked like they’d been wrapped ages ago.
Blood poured from fresh, deep wounds on his shoulder and abdomen.
One arm, charred black as if struck by lightning, hung limp.
How could anyone do this to another person?
Before pity could even take hold, rage boiled in my mind, threatening to overflow.
Akashmir...
Clenching my teeth, I turned back.
Standing opposite me was a red-haired woman, her hand casually raised near her eyes, shielding herself from the lingering dust as she stared at us.
Her appearance matched what I knew about Akashmir of the Thunder Spear.
Gray skin, elongated ears—undeniably a dark elf.
Given the sheer power of the lightning magic she had just unleashed, there was little doubt that this was indeed Akashmir herself.
“What’s this? I thought something strange had intervened, but... a kid? You don’t seem like a mage, considering I can’t sense any mana from you.”
Akashmir gazed at me with a mixture of curiosity and wariness, as though deciding whether or not to attack.
It seemed that my ability to block her lightning without using magic had thrown her off.
Perhaps she was weighing how to deal with this unexpected variable.
Maybe she was even considering capturing me alive instead of outright killing me.
For me, though, this was a small blessing.
Having used almost 30% of my energy just to block her previous attack, the brief pause gave me precious time to catch my breath.
There’s no chance of winning.
The anger within me boiled fiercely.
If Greg had taken that last attack, he would have either died or suffered injuries as severe as the ones he already bore.
The thought alone stoked the flames of my fury.
But despite my rage, the reality of the situation was grim.
The gap between Akashmir and me was insurmountable.
Even Greg, as powerful as he was, couldn’t match her. The gap between them was like two insurmountable walls.
And compared to Greg, I was even weaker—separated from him by three walls of my own.
That made the difference between Akashmir and me feel like five colossal barriers.
Blocking her attack wasn’t a miracle—it was desperation.
She hadn’t even been serious, only toying with her target, and I had barely managed to stop her.
The disparity was laughable, like standing with a rifle in front of a tank.
Yet, oddly enough, the confidence I’d felt earlier hadn’t completely vanished.
Was it courage? Recklessness? Or just plain foolishness?
Despite knowing I couldn’t win, I couldn’t shake this strange sense of resolve.
As I puzzled over my feelings, Greg broke the silence.
“Yuria, run. There’s no reason for you to get involved here. Raven is fighting another enemy nearby. I’ll buy you time to escape. I still have the strength to withstand her magic, so—mmph!”
I shut Greg’s mouth with telekinesis before he could finish his absurd statement.
Seriously, what nonsense was this?
He could barely stand, yet he wanted to buy me time?
He was the one I came here to save, and he thought he could play the hero?
No matter how strong the opponent, running away wouldn’t solve anything.
I refused to leave without Greg. Together, we would return to Night Haven.
Together.
As I clung to this determination, a sudden idea flashed in my mind—a possible solution to our dire situation.
It was just a possibility, but it might be the only chance we had.
“Ugh, enough of this. I hate kids. Let’s just fry you both and be done with it. Pulrmen.”
Akashmir pointed at me, her patience evidently wearing thin.
With unwavering confidence in her overwhelming power, she unleashed a colossal bolt of red lightning, far more devastating than the last.
Boom!
The earth-shattering lightning descended, ripping through the air like a death sentence.
For a brief moment, all was still, as if even the world itself had stopped breathing.