The Tale of the Teapot Hero’s Revenge Chapter 68 - Gauging Them

[Previous | Table of Contents | Next]

 

Chapter 68 - Gauging Them

 

"This might turn the tide."

"As if something like a last resort could defeat me...!"

While still locked in a deadlock, I release my right hand and reach out toward the enemy. I infuse it with magical power to bring her body to a boil.

"Tch...!"

She hurriedly leaps away before I can touch her. She's probably trying to widen the distance to make it harder to kill her, but too bad. This town has running water, and so I've got plenty of weapons.

I swiftly place my hand on the ground, aiming at the waterway flowing beneath it. Using the variant that only pops the entrails, I precisely send magical power into the tap water,

"Boil furiously!!"

And make it boil and explode.  The ground cracks open and a pillar of hot water jets out.

"Tch, Hero...!"

There we go, she's panicking.  If my analysis is correct, this should prevent her from using her invisible slashes.

"Don't look down on me!"

Huh, she's taking form again.

Earlier, Raid-san stopped her charge with a wind barrier. And her attacks come in a straight line.  So if there's an obstacle between her and the target, her Gift become suicide attacks.

"Well, if you're coming anyway, I'll just hit you back."

I manipulate the hot water and build a barrier around myself for protection.  Now the enemy can't attack. All that's left is to freely attack with homing hot water—

Zupaaa!!

"Huh...?"

What just happened? Without moving from that spot, she swung her sword at invisible speed—

Bushuuu!!

"Auguh!!"

A wound ran across my torso and blood gushed out.  With just her sword pressure she tore through the hot water wall and slashed me. You've got to be kidding me, how the hell could she swing fast enough to do that?

"I told you not to look down on me. I'm done playing, I'm coming at you seriously to kill you now."

She mercilessly unleashes three more invisible slashes in rapid succession.   How do I know it was three times when I couldn't see it? Because three gashes opened up on my body of course.

"All this time...dammit...!"

It really hurts. The slashes pierce right through my chainmail too. No good, the hot water is useless for defense.  The moment I changed the useless wall into a mass for attacking instead—

"I've been waiting for that. I'll take your head now."

She takes a forward-leaning stance, one foot back, and the invisible charge comes. This time she's definitely coming to lop off my head. Levia's form blurs—

Bashaaa!!

"Guuh!!"

She charged straight into the mass of hot water I'd placed between us. Haha, I've got your trajectory down. If I solidify the hot water there...

Zubashu!!

"Guaah!!"

Again Levia's form disappears, and a deep gash opens up on my leg. Did she recklessly charge through despite the heat, not even aiming properly?

It's certainly better than wind blades I guess. But she should still have major burns on her arms and face.

"Well, that's enough, isn't it?　It's time for me to kill you."

"As if I'd...!"

And she's taking form for another high-speed charge. The hot water is meaningless now. I should be able to handle it with Adamantine Strength again, but there's no guarantee she'll conveniently keep aiming for my neck.

(What do I do? Dodge with Moon Shadow Feet? No, that's way too fast!)

Oh yeah, doesn't Renki power reinforce the infused parts? If so, the place I should boost now is my eyes. It's a gamble, but I'll see through her high-speed charge.  

"That's it."

I draw out my Renki power and concentrate it in my eyes. In an instant, my field of vision becomes uncomfortably clear. I can distinctly see each speck of sand floating in the air.  The enemy's movements are crystal clear too.

She kicks off with her rear foot to accelerate. She's rushing at me, aiming for my right arm. I've got to guard before she slices it off.

But my arm won't move how I want it to. There's not enough time to move from guarding my neck and heart to guarding my right arm.

...Well of course. This didn't power up my speed. I can just see better, my defense is still too slow.

...In that case.

-Zupaaa!!

That long instant ends, and our paths intersect. My right arm goes flying, severed.

"...!!"

Sorry Beato. You had to see a pretty shocking sight. And my sword breaker I was holding—

"...Guh!"

It's pierced right through Levia's stomach. I did it, and she gagged, coughing up blood from her mouth.

I dropped my guard and thrust my blade forward into the path of her charge. Because I had it positioned right around my heart, I just barely made it in time. I made use of the enemy's momentum and impaled her all the way through the back.

"Da..., damn...got too careless..." ...Guh!"

 

Somehow, I finished her off. But I'm badly hurt too. Damn, this time my right arm got sliced off. Does it ever happen where both arms get lopped off by different opponents in one day?

"...!! ......!!!""

Huh, Beato...? She runs over and picks up my severed right arm, what's she doing?

"No! It's still dangerous if you come out!"

"...!!!"

She's not listening at all. She's cradling my right arm preciously, shaking her head back and forth.

"Guuh, uggh...! Th-this much...eeh!"

Is she for real too? Despite her heavy injuries making even standing difficult, she pulls the sword breaker out of the wound. And on top of that,

"A thing like this...!"

-Bakii!!

She smashed it with brute strength. Farewell my battle-worn beloved blade. Snapped right down the middle and discarded. Damn it.

"Haah, haah...! It's not over...!"

"Stubborn...! Your stomach's impaled y'know? Just die quietly already...!"

"Can't die...! Until the Hero...is killed...!"

...Looks like running's not an option. She's got the will to not die until she kills me. Fine, I'll oblige—

-Byuooo!!

"Wha...!"

Just then, a blast of wind blows through and she suddenly appears. Like the wind taking form, a woman in robes blocks Levia's back.

"That's enough, Levia. If you keep this up, you really will die."

"Butt out, Oracle...!"

She's the Oracle who was in the audience chamber that day, announcing my Gift's name. Judas or something, right?

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that. We can't have you dying just yet."

I don't know what's going on, but they're distracted so now's my chance.

"...Beato, come here."

I beckon Beato over, then place my hand on the wet ground, sending magical power into the large amount of water scattered across it. I gather it up and form it into one big mass, then

"Take this!!"

Hurl all of it at the two enemies. At the same time, I scoop up Beato who's come over next to me and dash into the back alley.

"Oh my, how energetic."

The oracle deploys a wind barrier which looked like it could block a direct hit at least. I didn't expect it to connect anyway. My aim was here from the start. Right before impact,

"Burst and fly!!"

After weakening the boil for a moment, I rapidly bring it back up to a rolling boil and trigger a huge explosion. Flecks of hot water splash out, and some mist is generated too. No chance to confirm if they evaded, since I already raced into the back alley.

After a few turns, I find and open a manhole cover to go inside. I step on the ladder and have Beato close the cover. Then I jump straight down to the passage below and land on the foothold.  

"Haah, haah, haa... Did we...get away...?"

I move a bit away from the ladder and check the situation. Doesn't seem like anyone is chasing us. The enemies have lost track of us.

"...!!"

Beato has tears welling up in the corner of her eyes. Wonder why, this time too. Seeing her make that face squeezes my chest every time.

"Sorry. It stinks down here huh. Let's get above ground quickly..."

"...!! ...!!"

Ah, it's not the smell? She must be worried about my severed arm. But escaping takes priority over treatment right now. I start running with Beato in my arm. I've lost a bit too much blood, and my feet are unsteady but...

"I hope...the Leader escaped safely too."

I'm a little worried, but he should be fine right? Because he's the Leader after all.

 

***Read at novelworldtranslations.blogspot.com***

***Please check out ko-fi.com/kettle1!***

***In there you can support the translation and you can also get to read advance chapters!***

[Previous | Table of Contents | Next]