Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely - Chapter 153

Ch. 153: The Battle Part 2

I kicked the ground far stronger than I would normally be able to do as I closed my distance with Gizehride.

Behind me, I saw Ageha follow after me. As she ran, she began drinking the Potion to increase her speed.

……..I would think that she should have used that from the beginning, but when she is being covert, she says it’s harder for her to do so because the potion messes with her senses. That’s why she didn’t use it when she snuck up on Gizehride.

Ageha immediately boosted forward and changed directions. ……..I’ll attack directly from the front, and Ageha will attack freely as opportunities open up.

Henry: “RAAAAAAHHH!!”

Gizehride: “So you come!”

With the momentum from my charge, I lengthen my spear to its maximum length as I lunge forward with a piercing strike. The Nyoiten Spear can lengthen up to 7 meters (23 feet). Even with Gizehride’s large broadsword, I’m well outside his range by a wide margin.

Gizeehride: “HA!”

He knocks away my spear. I felt a flash of pain crunch through the bones of my arms as the impact of the broadsword ran through my spear.

……..he’s really strong. From what I felt just now, he’s stronger than the Hanuman I fought before. Without Yuu’s buff, he would have easily deflected the spear out of my hands.

But I got to see what I wanted to see.

Henry: “Ageha! You got it?!”

Ageha: “Yeah!”

I shrink the Nyoiten Spear back to a manageable length.

It was just one exchange, but I wanted to see the Demon General’s movements at least once before stepping into his range.

………..between Demon Generals and the Highest-Tiers, what separates the two is skill and strategy. Yes, there is a large difference in strength, but the biggest difference is skill.

Demonic Creatures lack in this department no matter how strong and clever they are. Since it is rare for them to live a long time, some can make some incredibly sharp moves, but once they are defeated, that’s the end of that.

But a Demon General is different. They have strength and abilities beyond the Highest-Tier, and they also utilize the same strategies as what humanity has been developing.

Gizehride was able to walk through the initial barrage of Spells because of that too. He was able to decipher what kind of attack was coming, what kind of characteristic it carried, and because of that knowledge, he was able to pull through without a scratch.

With the time he deflected Emily’s Spells, this is the second time I’ve seen him swing his sword. I don’t know how much strength he is hiding, but I got the lowest baseline of his strength.

Gizehride: “How devious! You just wanted to measure my strength just now!”

Henry: “If not, you could take me out in the first strike!”

I attack at a range where my spear can reach but his sword cannot, and I thrust several blows.

………of course, Gizehride deflected all my strikes and stepped forward towards meーー

Henry: “[Light Ledge] {Plateau}!”

I placed a floating ledge right in the way of his foot.

Not being able to step in as usual, there should be an openingーー

Gizehride: “That won’t work on me!”

ーーwas no where to be found. He stepped right through my Magecraft platform without a hint of resistance. Having his sword already braced above his head, he swung it downーーbut as he didーーa shield made of light appeared between us.

The Ningel’s Hand long-distance defense Magecraft Spell {Aura Shield}. Yuu can place at most 10 shields, and she combined 5 shields together and braced for the Demon General’s attack.

Though it was easily destroyed……but a swing I couldn’t see before now slowed down ever so slight, and I was able to respond with a defensive move.

Henry: “UGH?! UGHHHH!!!”

I caught the strike with my Nyoiten Spear, and as I deflected the attack, I pushed away the sword and bent my body to dodge the blade.

Gizehride’s sword struck the ground and an explosion-like impact spread out. The impact of the sword went as far as reaching the defensive lines in the back.

………if that hits, if it misses my armor, I’m a dead man. Even with Mr. Gordon’s armor, I wouldn’t be able to survive multiple attacks like that.

Ageha: “Let me play too!”

Seeing that Gizehride had his blade down, Ageha came from the side to strike. Though she would go for the throat as a finishing blow, she is not picky about where to strike before that moment. Her aim was at his defenseless ribs andーー

Gizehride: “{Come, shield}.”

…….with two words, a small black shield appeared and blocked Ageha’s attack.

Demonic Creatures who are humanoid can sometimes make their own weapons and armor from their own Magic Power. As Demonic Creatures are made from Magic, Corrupted Magic can materialize into different sizes and shapes. I’m sure the logic is similar to that.

Ageha: “Henry, 5 seconds!”

Henry: “[Light Ledge] {Plateau}……times 10!”

I made 10 light ledges that surrounded Gizehride.

Ageha jumped into the air, and bracing a foot on a ledge……..she used the [Light Ledge] {Plateau} as a foothold and began jumping around Gizehride in all directions. As she passed by him, her blade struck.

Gizehride: “OH?!”

Henry: “Don’t forget about me!”

And before he can get used to Ageha’s moves, I attack too. My strike which would have pierced a steel plate was easily blocked by Gizehride single handedly by his blade.

………though he is using his other hand to fend off Ageha, we still can’t get a good hit on him.

I thrust at least 20 strikes, and all of it was deflected.

Henry: “Ageha, fall back!”

Ageha: “Okay!” The 5 second effect of the [Light Ledge] {Plateau} was passed, so we needed to regroup.

Gizehride: “You think I would let youーー?!”

I took out a ball from my pouch, and it struck the ground to spread a black liquid everywhere. It’s a sticky glue that would work on a mid-tier Demonic Creature. Gizehride’s foot gets caught against the ground and stops momentarily.

……….of course, with his strength, he could probably get out of it, but unlike stepping through something, bringing your leg up with armor on can be quite cumbersome. Well, he could technically take off the armor too.

Ageha: “Here’s a gift from me too!”

And Ageha pulled out a sphere from her inner pocket and threw it. The next moment, smoke filled the air and surrounded Gizehride.

…………what is that purplish cloud that looks toxic? Henry: “Ageha, that thing…..”

Ageha: “Yeah, it’s a poison I made recently. It’s proven to be effective against Upper-Tiers but…….well yeah, I didn’t think it would work.”

As the smoke cleared, we saw an annoyed Gizehride pull his foot out of the sticky mess.

Yuu: “……..poison, Ageha? You need to be more mindful of the people around.”

Ageha: “It’s okay. That poison immediately loses its effect when it touches air. It’s effective range is incredibly small.” Ageha answers immediately to Yuu’s criticism.

I let out a single breath to prepare myself.

……….only 20 or so seconds had passed since our fight began. Around us, the Demonic Creatures just started to engage with the Red Dragon Knights and Heroic Warriors.

Yuu: “So, how is it, you two? How strong is he?”

Henry: “…….yeahーー we knew it from the start but………crazy strong.”

He’s completely unhurt after being attacked by a buffed me and Ageha. It makes you seriously wonder if he really is close to depleting.

Yuu: “……..I see. Well, judging from how my {Aura Shield} stood against him, I suspected as much.”

Henry: “Would 10 of those shields stacked work against him?” Yuu: “I don’t think so……and besides, while I’m using {Shimmering Rally}, 7 is my max.”

As long as it’s not a barrier protecting a wide area, a simple shield that’s stacked 5 times could easily deflect a Highest-Tier’s attack.

…………yeah, attacking him directly would be incredibly risky.

Ageha: “Well, that’s fine. The stronger they are, the more satisfying chopping off their head will be.” Henry: “Geesh, even in times like this………well, whatever.” And our chat was over.

Gizehride prepared his sword and came charging forward.

Henry: “[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac} +[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac}!”

I combined 5 strengthen Spells together. Without Yuu backing me up, I would have passed out from exhausting my Magic reserves.

Henry: “ーーーーRAAHHHH!!”

The spear now shining brightly flew through the air and split into 14 clones.

And our round 2 with the Demon General began.

<<<<>>>>

Fred: “…….inーincredible…….” Inside the defensive lines, where the long-range attack group resided, Alfred faced off the Upper-Tier ー an opponent that would have been tough for him, but they trusted that his Magecraft Skills could handle it.

As he fired off Magecraft Spells, he observed the Demon General and Henry’s fight at the center of the battlefield and…….let out an awe-inspired word without thinking.

The grossly overbearing swarm of Demonic Creatures were being pushed back by the Knights and Heroic Warriors and were prevented from getting to Henry and his group.

But there was too big of a difference in numbers, and a few slipped by.

……….but every single Demonic Creature ended in a single strike.

If a Demonic Creature tried to intervene between the Demon General, Henry, or Ageha, they were ended with a strike to the head or heart or had their head chopped off.

If they headed to the rearguard where Eustacia was, they were ended by Henry’s spear throw.

…….of course, in a battle against the Demon General, having to deal with Demonic Creatures would give the Demon General an opening.

After taking down a Wyvern that approached from the sky, the Demon General struck Henry directly and sent him flying.

Fred: “……..?! ……….!!”

But he managed to take the hit with his spear and spared himself from being cut in half……but even from where Alfred stood, he could see that Henry’s arm was bent the wrong way.

This was the fourth time Henry took a strike from the Demon General.

………four times. Alfred was certain that this was not a coincidence.

Henry flew exactly the same way as the previous three times, to Eustacia, who held the incredible title of the Saint of Salvation.

As if expecting it, Eustacia immediately healed Henry, and within a few seconds, Henry resumed fighting on the frontlines.

Ageha: “Stop getting direct hits, you slowpoke!”

Henry: “Shut up!”

……..and during those few seconds, Ageha stopped the Demon General by herself, and gave a curt criticism to Henry as he answered immediately back. Alfred could hear their voices from where he stood.

And their fight against the Demon General resumed once more.

A fight with such high Magecraft and spear skills that Alfred could only dream of doing so at this point.

It was incredible to watch, but shame also brewed up inside him.

Derrick: “3rd Mage Division! 2 o’clock, the Knights have completed falling back! Fire at will!”

Fred: “UーUnderstood!”

Following Derrick, who was leading the group’s commands, Alfred came to his senses and began combining his Spells.

Emily: “Okay, here we go～ [Gigantify] {Ultima} + [Lightning] {Donner} + [Spear] {Lancer} + [Spray] {Barrage}!”

Fred: “………[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Double] {Duble} + [Lightning] {Donner} + [Launch] {Veros}!”

And being in the same group as Emily, he shot off his Spell at the same time.

Alfred had been making sure to fire a Spell that would be very similar to Emily’s. With her training from her grandmother, Emily was extremely accurate with her Magecraft Spell selections. Though Alfred had been training hard to hone that skill himself, he still had a long way to go before reaching Emily’s level.

………though he knew that she was strong for a person of his age, seeing Emily, who is the same age as him, or Henry, who is only a little older, made him doubt his own strength and skill level. He knew that it was not something he should be thinking about right now.

Fred: (No, no, no! Get a hold of yourself!)

Alfred shook his head, and chugged down the Magic Recovery potion quickly.

Emily: “Fred! How was that Spell just now? That worked pretty well, huh?!”

Fred: “Huh? Oh, yeah. It did.” Being caught off guard, he answered without thinking.

Fred: (“Pretty well”? Is she serious?)

Emily’s Magecraft skill level was well beyond just “pretty good.”

Emily: “But it’s still not at a level that would work against a Demon General. Mr. Henry really is amazing.”

Emily was also paying attention to Henry and his group’s fight against the Demon General.

Emily: “Well, even if I’m not at that level right now, we’ll reach there in no time. Right, Fred?” Speaking with so much confidence and without the slightest hint of doubt, Alfred could only stare back at her in wonder.

Fred: “…….yeah, of course.” He strained a smile and could only nod at Emily’s words.

……..regardless of the questionable character, the Spencer Family will never treat a beautiful girl’s words carelessly ー it was just not in their blood to do so.

Feeling his dread and shame lift after seeing Emily’s innocent smile, Alred looked up.

Fred: “Mr. Derrick! We are ready for the next Spell!”

Derrick: “I’m still getting the right timing so shut up and wait right there!”

Alfred couldn’t hold back and voiced his ambition, and Derrick only chastised him in response.