Chapter 126
Frost Nova.
A 4th Class area-of-effect spell of the ice element.
The freezing air started to swirl around the Dullahans.
“A high-ranked mage!”
“Only Class 4 Mages can use Frost Nova, right?”
“Why do we have a high-ranked mage in a 2-Star Quest?”
The mercenaries’ shock didn’t come as a surprise. It was all because high-ranked mages were rarer than knights who could use Aura. They were even rarer in Avalon since Avalon was an empire of knights.
The Magic Tower had less than a thousand mages of Class 4 and above. However, the number of Class 2 Mages and below—the so-called low-ranked mages—greatly surpassed that number by a factor of ten.
Crack.
There was an audible crack. The skeletons were frozen solid under the effects of Frost Nova.
The Dullahans were greatly slowed, and their bodies cracked as they tried moving even faster.
All of a sudden, a figure appeared in their midst and punched them.
It was only a single punch, but it generated a gust of wind that immediately shattered the frozen skeletons around the Dullahans.
The man seemed like he was a wolf among sheep, and like a barbarian, he swung his massive hands around, shattering everything that dared to meet his hands.
The mercenaries enthusiastically yelled at the sight.
“Just what you’d expect from Branch Manager Eiden!”
“I guess it’s true that he learned from Akshuller-nim when he was still a kid…”
“This is the first time I’ve seen someone smash a monster apart with their bare hands. Imagine what Akshuller could do if he were here…”
While the mercenaries were busy praising the man, Joshua was looking at Eiden carefully, specifically at his fists.
‘Abudaham’s Knuckles… That’s it. He’s definitely Akshuller.’
The Igrant Continent had a long history and a variety of artifacts. Joshua could still remember what those artifacts were called, and they were the “Three Heavenly, Seven Renowned, and the Ten Unique”.
They were categorized in such a way because three of those weapons could shake the skies, seven of them left their marks in history, and ten of them were strange, exotic weapons.
Among them was Akshuller’s favorite, Abudaham’s Knuckles, which he had used for decades and had a place among the “Ten Unique”.
‘It is an ancient weapon the King of Dwarves Abudaham made using a piece of mithril and with the aid of his friend, Archmage Gerathun.’?Joshua muttered to himself with bright eyes.
Mithril was the material with the best mana conductivity. Its mana conductivity was so great it became known as a magical mineral. It was hard as steel, but it was very light. Unfortunately, only a skilled individual could turn it into a true treasure.
Unfortunately, mithril was incredibly precious to the point that not even money could buy it. As such, it was almost impossible to craft an artifact with a piece of mithril as part of its ingredients due to mithril’s rarity.
“I have heard the rumors, but…”
Joshua's eyes sparkled with appreciation.
Abudaham’s Knuckles could not be seen by anyone else aside from its wearer due to its integrated invisibility spell. Of course, Joshua could see right through its invisibility spell due to the twisted refraction around it. At his realm, he could certainly recognize the phenomenon.
Eiden made quick work of the frozen skeletons surrounding the Dullahans.
Eventually, Eiden—no, Akshuller’s fist collided with the first Dullahan.
However, rather than a sound similar to ice being harshly shattered, the noise it produced was a dull metallic boom.
The mercenaries saw that, and they started getting anxious as they muttered among themselves.
“Ah, I think a Dullahan is too much for the manager…”
“I think it’s a bit too much for him to handle as well. Dullahans can only be injured by Aura, it would be difficult to destroy them with bare hands.”
‘No…’?Joshua shook his head at the mercenaries’ words.
The attack was effective. After all, Without proper defense, it was impossible to remain unscathed after being struck by a Ten Unique artifact enveloped by an Aura Fist.
“...!”
After some time had passed, the mercenary’s eyes opened after seeing the crack in the middle of the Dullahan’s body. The cracks then started to branch out.
Crack.
Before the mercenaries’ astonished eyes, the Dullahan suddenly crumbled into dust.
At that, everyone screamed in joy.
“Waaaaaaa!”
“That’s Eiden for you!”
“Hey, don’t act so familiar with the branch manager! This is why everyone sees us as uncultured mercenaries.”
“Then, why do you sound like you want to lick his boots as well?”
Bear shrugged at Dirk’s response before raising his fists into the air.
“Long live Eiden!”
“Long live to the mage as well!”
“...”
Joshua, who had utterly misjudged the appropriate time to make his entrance, let out a chuckle and stepped back.
The skill combination of the two of them was so successful that he didn’t even have to step in.
“Hey, newbie! Come here!”
“It’s like with Dirk all over again.”
“Was I like that?” asked Dirk.
The tension dissipated, and the mercenaries gradually descended into a hubbub of chatter.
All of a sudden, there was an anxious shout from the rearguard.
“Undead! Behind!”
“B-Behind?”
“What’s going on? How do they know how to attack from the rear?”
“It feels like they have a commander or something…”
The mercenaries could not conceal their surprise at the unexpected situation.
After a while, the total number of undead rushing toward them came to light.
There had to be over a thousand undead, and if the lesser undead was included, there were over two thousand undead approaching them from the rear.
In comparison, the caravan only had around two hundred people, including the miscellaneous workers, so they would definitely lose in a head-on encounter.
The only consolation was that unlike the vanguard, which had to face ten Dullahans, there were only three Dullahans at the rearguard.
“H-Hurry up and prepare for battle!”
Joshua stared up ahead as he weaved through the moving mercenaries. He was aware of what was going on behind him, but he paid it no mind. He seemed like he was just here to eat his dinner and leave after paying for it.
‘His presence isn’t that strong here…’
Joshua felt the energy around him for a while before he reached a conclusion.
‘I was wondering if someone was hiding here, considering how fast they appeared…’
However, he couldn’t feel his unique aura in the area.
This could only mean one thing…
'As far as I can remember, the technique to give basic commands to an advanced undead like a Dullahan already exists around this time.'?Joshua's shone as he recalled his battles before his regression.
‘Haaah. I have to do something. Sitting around doing nothing isn’t really my style.’?
At that, Joshua slowly made his way to the rear.
Tap, tap, tap.
As everyone stood still amidst the mounting pressure, Bear was shocked to hear a pair of relaxed footsteps.
“Hey, it’s that crazy newbie again!” Bear cried out upon seeing Joshua’s movements.
“Let him be! Do you really have the leeway to worry about some newbie? Be careful, everyone!”
“Since he wants to die, then let him die. However, don’t even think about looting his corpse afterward, Bear.”
“What are you even talking about?”
The undead seemed to be walking around aimlessly, but they suddenly started approaching the mercenaries with purpose.
One of the Dullahans lifted its greatsword and pointed it up ahead, it seemed to have signaled the start of the assault as the skeletons and the ghouls recklessly charged forward.
“T-This is crazy...”
A mercenary gulping a mouthful of his own saliva and cursing under his breath echoed pretty loudly amidst the deafening silence.
“Lugi.”
Lugia sleeping in the subspace was awoken by Joshua’s voice. It then manifested in the form of a two-pronged spear.
- Oh, you wretched bastard! You made me spend the whole day in such a cramped—eh? What’s with those ugly bastards?
“...”
Joshua ignored Lugia’s yapping and took on a stance.
‘Magic Spear Arts Level 4...’
The two spearheads glimmered beneath the sunlight.
‘Fourth Form... Return everything to the void.’
Joshua muttered to himself while putting more strength into Lugia.
Afterward, mana gently gathered around Joshua.
Yes, it wasn’t just a spear stroke.
With the ancient mana technique as the foundation, Joshua concentrated the harvested mana from the air into Lugia’s two spearheads. By circulating the mana in a unique and efficient way, its destructive capability would increase.
Joshua smiled slightly as the two spearheads started emitting an unearthly hum. If one looked closely, one would see a ball of mana spinning incessantly between the two spearheads.
The condensed mana was about to reach its limits, and Joshua’s eyes momentarily flared just as an undead reached him.
'Level 4, Profound Origin.'
Joshua pointed Lugia up ahead and muttered, “Annihilation.”
There was a soft noise. It sounded like a bubble had popped.
However, the massive beam of light that burst forth afterward completely disintegrated the unfortunate undead within the beam’s path.
“God…!”
Someone’s frightened voice echoed throughout the battlefield.
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