Hold out?
You want me to hold out? Against an opponent up there that I’m not even sure I can endure at my current level? Are you serious?
Does this useless jerk even have a conscience? You’ve got me in a life-or-death situation, and you think you can just leave me hanging?
And what’s this? Looking below the message, I noticed another line:
[Reward: Short-term Buff (Prepaid)]
Oh, so you weren’t just talking; you were giving me a quest? And what’s this about prepaid?
I’d never seen this phrase before, not even when playing Soul Academy, but my curiosity was soon satisfied.
A surge of exhilaration filled my body. A feeling of power that far surpassed the buff I got from my Mesugaki skill. It was almost omnipotent.
Ah, so that’s how it is, huh, you useless deity? You’ve been playing with me like a toy, but now that the toy’s in real danger, you’re panicking?
Now that I think about it, you also stepped in when I almost got killed by that alchemist. I guess I must be quite the entertaining toy for you.
Well, whatever. I’ll take what you’re giving, Almighty Armathi. Honestly, this is what you should be doing from the start if you’re a deity. But I know better than to whine, or you’ll just slap me with some weird penalty, so I’ll keep quiet.
The Apostle of the Dark God hovered above, his red eyes locking onto me and Joy.
Long black hair, a coat that reaches down to his calves, and a build so imposing it’s threatening even through those suffocating clothes.
This was Nakrard, the Apostle of the Dark God Tariki.
Ugh, why’d the toughest one have to come first?
“Lady Allen, that...”
“Joy, stay behind me.”
“Stay behind me, you airheaded lady. And try not to tremble too much.”
Nakrard nodded and began weaving a magical circle in his hand.
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I’m no expert in magic, but even I could tell what this spell was.
Nakrard’s first attack on the academy always starts the same way.
A barrier of isolation, a spell that perfectly seals off the inside from the outside. It took the academy’s professors several minutes to break it.
I remember that when I joined the first assault event in the plaza, we had to hold out for three minutes, right? Three minutes...
Normally, I’d think that’s a ridiculously short time, but why does it feel so damn long now?
Taking a deep breath, I raised the divine shield in front of me and gripped my mace.
If I had known this would happen, I would have worn my armor. Not that I’m sure it would do much against that guy.
Just as I finished my preparations, Nakrard landed lightly in front of us.
“Hm, young and weak. It’s hard to believe you’ve been blessed.”
Nakrard looked me up and down, his voice dripping with contempt.
“Killing a child like you isn’t really my thing, but kid, you should curse the god who chose you.”
‘Curse him? I already do that all the time!’
“Curse him? I’m always doing that, you pretentious fool.”
“Pretentious?”
A pretentious fool, huh? I guess I can see why he’s called that.
Nakrard’s design does scream middle school delusions.
Red eyes, black everywhere else, and to top it off, he’s got the grace of darkness. Players called him the Middle School Delusion Apostle, so ‘delusion’ probably just got swapped with ‘pretentious.’
“Pretentious, huh? You really don’t understand the gap in our power, do you?”
Nakrard spoke as he formed a small black sphere in his hand and hurled it at me.
The steel wall warns of danger.
Over and over again.
Until the word “danger” fills my mind.
<Raise the barrier!>
Hearing the old man’s voice, I raised the divine barrier.
And just as the barrier formed, the black sphere in front of me exploded.
My hair whipped around in the blast, debris flying in all directions. The barrier cracked under the force, finally shattering. The only good thing was that the power had been greatly reduced.
I enlarged the divine shield and planted my feet firmly.
To hold out.
To protect Joy behind me.
As the explosion subsided, I lowered the shield slightly, revealing Nakrard, leisurely floating more spheres around him.
“Do you still think I’m just pretentious?”
I can withstand the explosions from those spheres. Normally, I wouldn’t be able to, but with this buff from the useless deity, I think I can manage.
But that’s just him toying with me. Once the barrier starts to crack, he’ll get serious and try to finish me off.
Can I withstand that kind of firepower?
‘What should I do?’
<It’s a tough situation... but let’s use his overconfidence against him.>
‘Even if I manage to land a hit, I’ll probably just die right after.’
<That’s not the point. Use your taunts to distract him so much that he forgets about the barrier.>
The old man’s strategy was this:
Since Nakrard is an Apostle of the Dark God, he’ll want to humiliate me as much as possible. So, I need to make Nakrard think he’s toying with me.
Use the Mesugaki skill to get him riled up, so he won’t pay attention to the barrier breaking.
Make him think he can play with me until reinforcements arrive.
Not a bad plan, old man.
I took a deep breath inwardly, let a confident smile spread across my face, let my eyes droop, and relaxed my shoulders to show no tension at all.
“Kuh♡ Do you want recognition from a girl like me, you pretentious fool?♡ Must be because you’re a trashy adult with low self-esteem, dressing like that♡”
Nakrard’s eyebrows drew into a straight line.
He’s not one to show much emotion, but that must have seriously annoyed him.
But that’s not enough.
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“What’s this, what’s this♡ You really think you look good dressed like that?♡ Seriously?♡ Such trashy taste for a trashy adult♡”
Maybe he thought it was pointless to respond.
Nakrard threw one of the spheres.
I was ready for it.
Since I had prepared the barrier in advance, this one was thicker and sturdier than before.
Enough to withstand Nakrard’s explosion.
As the smoke cleared and Nakrard’s face came into view, I forced myself to smile as hard as I could.
“Getting violent just because of a little teasing?♡ Is it okay for an adult to have such a short temper?♡ Oh, is the pretentious fool just a child inside despite being old on the outside?♡”
“Silence.”
“Well~ you must be a trashy adult, believing in a trashy Dark God♡”
As soon as I mentioned the Dark God, a deep sense of elation filled me.
At the same time, Nakrard’s straight eyebrows angled into a frown.
Good. Let’s push it further.
“Isn’t he a trashy Dark God?♡ Otherwise, why would he pick a pathetic, pretentious fool like you as an Apostle?♡ A trashy god stuck in the dirt♡...”
Before I could finish, Nakrard threw all the black spheres around him.
Got him.
Apostles like him can’t stand it when you insult their god. They’re way too devout.
I strengthened the barrier with divine energy and called out to Joy.
“Joy!”
“Airheaded lady!”
“Yes? Yes!”
“Run! I’ll buy us time!”
“Run! I can handle this pretentious fool alone.”
“But...”
Joy’s eyes wavered. Her conscience was battling with the fear filling her mind.
This is why good people are so useless.
If it were Vishi, she would’ve run before I even finished talking.
“Please just disappear, okay?♡ You’re just a hindrance if you can’t help♡”
Saying that, I refocused on the barrier.
The buff from the useless deity is pretty decent, I guess.
Now that I’ve gotten used to the extra power, I can feel it.
The problem is, even with this, the gap between Nakrard and me is still too wide.
Useless deity, if you’re going to help, then help properly. What good is it if this is all you do?
As the explosion subsided and the smoke cleared, I heard footsteps behind me.
Thank you, Joy.
For listening to me.
I was worried you’d be the kind of heroine who screams “Lady Allen!” and gets in the way.
“How audacious.”
As the smoke cleared completely, Nakrard’s sharp voice cut through the air.
“As expected of the trashy Apostle of Armathi.”
“Well, isn’t that better than being the Apostle of the gloomy trash Tariki?♡ At least I’m not a trashy adult with low self-esteem♡”
“Damn brat.”
“Ahahaha♡ Are you mad?♡ Really mad?♡ Getting seriously mad over a child’s teasing♡ What a failure as an adult♡”
No sooner had I finished speaking than the barrier warned me of danger.
I raised my shield just as Nakrard’s fist made contact.
Overwhelming power that I couldn’t withstand in my current state.
I gritted my teeth and endured, but there was a limit.
My body lifted off the ground.
I rolled across the floor several times before regaining my senses and hurriedly getting up, only for the barrier to warn me of danger again.
From all directions.
I couldn’t tell where to block.
Even if I blocked some, I couldn’t block them all.
I moved my shield in the best possible way, as the barrier instructed, but the best wasn’t perfect.
Dark spikes formed from shadows shot up from the ground, attacking me.
Some were blocked by the shield, but most were not.
“Urgh! Ugh!”
It hurts.
I’m pierced all over, and I can’t even tell where it hurts anymore.
It just hurts everywhere.
“Now do you understand your place?”
In the midst of my mind being filled with nothing but pain, I heard a voice and looked up.
There was Nakrard, trying hard to maintain a stoic expression.
Damn bastard.
“Hmph. Still standing?”
As he spoke, Nakrard snapped his fingers, and something pierced my abdomen.
It was hot.
The blood pouring from my abdomen felt like molten lava, as if it would burn my flesh into black ash.
The pain was so overwhelming that I wanted to lose consciousness, but my skill wouldn’t let me.
It forcibly kept my mind attached to this world.
As I desperately begged for it to let go, a rough hand grabbed my hair and pulled me up.
“I’ll ask again.”
I saw Nakrard’s face.
I saw my death.
My death was reflected in his red eyes.
Fear.
Fear surged up.
The emotion I had long forgotten returned like a torrential downpour, threatening to break the dam.
I wanted to ignore it, but the color of fear was so deep that I couldn’t erase it, even if I tried.
“Answer me.”
Answer? What answer?
What am I supposed to say?
What answer do you want?
Not knowing what to say, I let out a foolish laugh.
“Hmph.”
With an incredulous laugh, a black sphere dropped in front of my eyes.
Ah, damn it.
...
My ears rang with tinnitus.
A high-pitched ringing continued incessantly.
At the same time, I could faintly hear the old man shouting something, but I couldn’t make it out.
Am I going to die? Probably.
How? Who knows.
It probably won’t be a peaceful death.
My teeth chattered uncontrollably.
Along with the pain, a cold sensation crept up my spine.
My Fear Resistance skill tried to quell it, but the dam had already broken.
The stupid frog could only mutter about how screwed I was.
I’m going to die.
I’m going to die.
My entire body’s bones will break.
I’ll be toyed with like a plaything.
In the most humiliating way possible.
Wouldn’t it be better to bite my tongue?
It would be better to die by my own hand.
Yes, if I’m going to become his plaything, then I might as well...
“I know you’re still alive. You dared to insult Lord Tariki, and you think you’ll be allowed to die peacefully?”
I heard his voice approaching me.
I should bite my tongue quickly.
I should die.
I should just die.
“You can’t even move, so stay there. I’ll go fetch that woman.”
A woman?
The person who was with me?
Joy.
It’s Joy.
“I’ll show you the consequences of your actions.”
...No. That can’t happen.
My favorite character can’t die because of my mistake.
That can’t happen.
As despair began to settle in, another thought emerged.
Between the words “scared” and “pain,” the word “can’t” took form.
The word grew in size, momentarily pushing back the rising fear.
At that moment, rational thinking returned.
‘Almighty’s Mercy.’
As my body healed, the dam holding back the fear was rebuilt.
Damn it.
This stupid Mesugaki skill penalty.
Once I’m put in my place, I’m instantly engulfed in fear.
The combination of Unyielding Will and Fear Resistance isn’t enough.
“Pathetic fool♡”
Staggering, I stood up and called out that name again.
The bastard, who had started to walk away, turned his head.
“What’s this?♡ Running away because you’re scared?♡ Hah♡ What a pathetic fool♡”
I can still hold out.
I’m a tank, after all.