It wasn’t long after some of the orc cavalrymen collided with troops on the ground that Heyri, who was flying low to intercept the orcs, heard a strange sound in her ears.
The sound of a whistle was followed by a piercing sound like multiple whips tearing the air. Even if one of the adventurers used a whip, Heyri averted her gaze at the strangely loud sound, and soon had to doubt her eyes as much as she doubted her ears.
“What is that…?”
In the midst of not even knowing what the hell they were doing, the scene of dozens of orc cavalrymen’s heads being broken along with the beasts they were riding, together with the sudden appearance of a huge dog destroying the forest and the ranks of orcs at the same time, was surreal.
No one survived among the orcs who flew in all directions as if they had been pierced by a mighty crossbow… or a ballista. Despite this, they couldn’t see what was attacking them. Judging from the sound, I guessed that it was a projectile of something.
That’s why I was more suspicious. I can’t even feel the mana, but the only thing that can attack like that magic is an expensive artifact. It’s an expensive artifact that mercenaries and enemy adventurers can never overlook. Artifact.
But the surprise didn’t stop there.
“Eldmia?”
There was someone who left the camp alone and wielded a sword. The one who looked like a perfectly normal person but acted more like a madman than anyone else was a madman even on the battlefield.
A swordsman standing face to face with charging cavalrymen? If Heyri had seen him from the beginning, he would have thought of him as an idiot who had lost his sense of reality after reading too many third-rate novels and heroic tales sold in the market.
The problem was that the person who acted like an idiot cut down five orc cavalrymen in an instant. As if to prove that even that was not the beginning or the end, Eldmia swung her sword without stopping. It was hard to believe even after seeing the thick beast’s head fall and the orc’s torso cut in two as he wielded the sword with both feet firmly on the ground.
Heyri was proud of his skills, but he could be sure that he would be exhausted after performing such feats three times. If you couldn’t cut bone to bone accurately, the sword wouldn’t last, and it would be more efficient to throw one more fireball into the face of the enemy if you made such an effort. It’s technically admirable, but far from practical.
It would be a different story if it continued to flow like that, but that was clearly Eldmia’s strange thing.
How many people can perform stunts that are no different from walking on thin ice in a real battle where they risk their lives?
“Even to stand alone against the army…?”
It was absurd to say that the Orcs, who just rushed at them without any tactical strategy, were opponents who prioritized their own lives over the rider’s orders. It was impossible to underestimate that it was possible because there was a huge dog that ran rampant with him and an unknown attack that pierced the heads of the orcs.
The Orcs and beasts, overwhelmed by the majesty of the giant dog, had already started avoiding it and were unaware of the unknown attack.
To the okra species, an attack made from an invisible place is nothing but cowardice and not something to be feared. Rather, it stimulates their anger and only burns hostility toward the target in front of them. The burden of those who have to stop the orcs increases exponentially unless they are wiped out by a long-distance attack.
“Quieiik!!”
“Bigger version Ingan!!”
Just like the one I’m showing you right now. Although not all orcs were aiming for Eldmia, the fact that the number was too large for one person to handle was still the same.
Heyri knew very well that even in the midst of this, not approaching a dog that was overwhelmed by its size was a monster with strong and weak instincts, but that was just an impression because he could only look at it from an objective point of view from the air.
If you face them head-on, you can’t help but be afraid. Even if it was you, it would have been. Even magic is not omnipotent in the face of such a mass offensive.
But Eldmia does not back down. It is true that there are many people with such skills in the world, but it is certain that those who have reached that level with the body of a boy who has not yet undergone the coming-of-age ceremony will be in one hand even across the continent.
Even though it was an ally, it aroused strange fear beyond wonder.
◈
The strange feeling changed to a mysterious sensation, and the nausea caused by the dizziness that seemed to shake the head strangely maintained a certain level and did not get worse for a long time.
The feeling of being swept away by a huge cloth, as each downy hair on my body was connected to magic, was certainly similar to what I felt when passing through the gate in the past, but this time it was not being swayed at will, but it was connected to the needles. It was an incomprehensible sensation even though it was moving directly.
The needles move effortlessly, like newly added limbs. I couldn’t even identify friends and family, so I couldn’t even aim at the orcs who passed me, but those who came into sight were accurate enough to make a wind hole between their foreheads without fail.
Every time I went into battle, I felt like my whole body was burning and creaking, but apart from that, the movement to slash the enemy was lighter than ever.
However, more than all those symptoms, the biggest question came to me about the mana being used profusely.
The difference is clearly felt. Until now, it had been the feeling of scooping water from a river called magical power and using it, but now it was more like swimming in the river and playing in the water as you please, so you can’t know if you don’t know.
The problem was that I had no idea why this was possible.
As it was originally, it couldn’t be like this no matter how efficiently the mana was burned and used by using the magic engine. My current magic engine was just making it possible to use 10 mana at 15 efficiency, not increasing the total amount to 20 30.
Could the excessive load on the magical powers have been the catalyst? Several hypotheses ran through my head, but I didn’t have the energy to think deeply right now, and I couldn’t come up with an answer, so I emptied my head as quickly as possible.
Fortunately, it wasn’t difficult. My thoughts disappeared in an instant just by facing the beast that opened its mouth to bite my head off and rushed at me.
“…!”
I think the monster barked, but I can’t say for sure because I can’t hear it. As I swung the sword, feeling the magical power spreading out exquisitely, the demonic beast with its mouth wide open was cut in two. Even this is different from usual. The cutting power was originally excellent, but the magic power required to surround the sword for this purpose had to be more than twice as high as it is now.
At least, if the senses were a bit normal, I would have been able to take a closer look, but since it is one of the most delicious things, I have no idea how I did it even though I committed it myself. In the first place, I couldn’t afford to adjust anything more finely, so I just moved as usual, but apart from the situation that was gradually improving, my insides burned.
I’m sure it will be one of the biggest hints for me to become stronger in the future, but I have no choice but to be crazy because I missed that hint right in front of my nose.
Still, for now, I decided to be satisfied with the fact that the momentum of the orcs was broken for the last time with the dead witch, and I retrieved the needles and corrected my posture. In response, the allies behind them stepped forward.
It wasn’t that he just came out of nowhere watching me fight in front of me. No matter how many needles and Leicas were used, it was impossible to stop all the Orcs, so there were not a few Orcs rushing to the camp. Rather, after I committed a one-sided slaughter, there were some orcs who ran behind me, avoiding Laika.
In the process of dealing with all of them, it was not difficult to notice that the morale of the allies who ran toward Moralbread had been restored. On the contrary, the orc cavalry seemed to feel threatened for their lives.
Not only the Orcs, but also the demons they were riding. Fearing that someone might not be raised by an orc, even his mount had a passive of contempt for the weak, running away from creatures that seemed stronger than him and targeting only weak ones.
It was a very different look, but it felt like the end of this fight was in sight. Even if these guys weren’t all of them, it was clear that they had escaped the immediate crisis.
There was no movement even after a confrontation of about 10 seconds, so I struck a needle between the brows of the roaring demon beast while making direct eye contact with me. It seems that his will was broken right away, but he couldn’t do anything because of the shelling from behind.
There was no need to follow. Like the orcs last time, they fled, retracing the way they came, like salmon, and the flying dragon knights were still dropping fierce artillery fire on them, so they died on their own. At that level, even if he escaped alive, it wouldn’t be a great power.
It was only after seeing the guys who were trying to run past the bombardment turn around and run away at the same time that I let go of my tension and sat down on the floor.
“…!”
I still couldn’t hear it, but the vibrations I felt on my skin informed me that cheers were erupting from behind.
As he stopped using his magical energy while watching the orcs recede into the flames, his entire body felt weak like a discharged machine. I wanted to hold on to my mind a little more and spend time understanding the condition of my body, but my body and mind were already at their limits.
Still, I tried to keep my spirits up somehow, but as soon as an unknown hand touched my shoulder, I collapsed as if fainting.
![Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]](https://cpunovel.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/arcane-sniper.jpg "Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]")
