Chapter 99

### The Sword Emperor Reincarnated in the Sword Clan (99)

An arrow flew silently, piercing through the head of the Akugimoneru.

■■■■■—?!

The mental scream that couldn't become a scream echoed, and the creature that was trying to climb onto the deck of the Aquamarine fell down.

It wasn't just one.

With a small sound, "Pew," a few creatures with arrows protruding from their foreheads fell like leaves. Ninyan's archery, which had reached the realm of "Thousand Arrows, One Hit," was now at a level where it couldn't be avoided by mere body movements.

Even if their bodies were hard to penetrate with a sword, a concentrated attack like an arrow was difficult to withstand with resistance.

“...This is the hundredth. There's no sign of their numbers decreasing.”

As if in response to her muttering, Galano, who stood at the front, shouted forcefully.

“We have to keep this up until the two of them succeed in the sealing or we return to the ship!”

“Can you hold out?”

“No problem! My thrusts might not be as good as your arrows, but they're not so clumsy that they can be blocked by resistance. I've also well distributed my stamina and aura for a prolonged battle.”

Nodding slightly, Ninyan shot another arrow.

Without missing, she created holes in the heads of the Akugimoneru, and her sensitive ears picked up the voices of the supporting members behind her.

Two mages and one spirit mage.

For a small adventure party of fewer than ten people, this was a rather luxurious composition.

Among them, the central figure was Esther.

“Bibian! Sister Laura! I'll buy you some time, so please unleash a big attack during that time!”

“U...Uh! Got it!”

“Understood!”

Lorelei, a genius who had reached the 6th tier at a young age but lacked practical experience, and Bibian, who had been active as a high-level spirit mage but had never worked in tandem with someone else.

Although her own skills were inferior to theirs, it was Esther's talent that brought out their maximum potential.

As the top apprentice of the Magic Tower, she had gathered a lot of knowledge and had witnessed the prime of the Aquamarine adventure party, even if she was still inexperienced at the time. This experience was incredibly valuable.

“[Fire Arrow]!”

In response to Esther's incantation, a double-digit magic circle appeared, spewing out burning magical arrows.

Originally, this number and power would not have been possible, but thanks to Leonard's optimization, the magic formula had become several times more powerful.

Dozens of [Fire Arrows], each as precise as an elite soldier's flaming arrow, rained down. It included the 14 creatures that were clinging to the hull of the Aquamarine, those that had just placed their feet on the deck, and those that had formed wings and risen into the air.

Kaboom!!

The skin of the Akugimoneru, which was sensitive to heat and light, was pierced, burned, and soon emitted terrifying screams.

■■?! ■■■■—!

■■■!? ■!

■■■■■■■??!

While it might not be enough to kill them in one hit, it was more than enough to tie them down or buy time.

There was no need to use excessive force or power.

Having realized this through Jack Russell's teachings, Esther did not make the same mistake twice. Here, it was better to focus on the number and accuracy of the arrows to create an opportunity for the two to cast a wide-area spell, rather than increasing the power with [Fire Spear].

“Indeed, the top elder's apprentice? You're doing well.”

“Captain Njord's eye for talent has never been wrong. Your skills have been recognized since eight years ago.”

Thanks to Esther's efficient support, Ninyan and Galano did not retreat a single step from their position.

And then.

“I'll create a path with the wind! Use all your strength to blow them away!”

“U, Uh!”

Bibian's spirit magic was cast a beat before Lorelei.

Whooooo——!

High-level spirit mage.

Few people truly understand the meaning of this title.

Most spirit mages, like Bibian's sister Ninyan, were limited to borrowing a single stream of power. At the lower levels, they were less powerful and versatile than 3rd-tier mages, and even at the intermediate level, they often fell short of 4th-tier mages, let alone 5th-tier.

But from the high-level spirit mages onward, they became beings that even 6th-tier mages found difficult to match in their attributes.

Rider on the Storm

Audra

The high-level spirit, Audra, summoned from the spirit world, wrapped the ship in several streams of whirlwinds at the contractor's command.

“Now!”

Following Bibian's signal, Lorelei completed her incantation.

6th-tier mage.

A mage who was just one step away from becoming a high mage, Lorelei unleashed a powerful attack spell. The magic power in the area was completely drained, forming a magic circle several meters in diameter.

They had already determined that the Akugimoneru were sensitive to light and heat.

Therefore, a spell that could most fatally exploit this weakness was needed. Lorelei, whose theoretical knowledge was on par with a Magic Tower elder, could not fail to come up with the right answer.

“[Breath that turns green fields into wastelands, a single gust that dries up a thousand lives!]”

The 6th-tier fire spell, [Prominence Burn], was unleashed.

—————————!!

The flames that overflowed from the magic circle, or something that looked like flames, rode the storm and engulfed the area around the ship.

Seeing this, Esther cried out in shock.

“[Prominence Burn]?! That's a forbidden spell!”

“Well, it's okay as long as it's not used in battlefields or places with a high risk of fire... I think?”

Spells with excessive lethality and aftereffects are sometimes banned by continent-wide agreements.

If cast in a situation that doesn't meet certain conditions and discovered, a bounty is placed. Of course, the Magic Tower often smoothed things over by compensating, but still.

—————!? ——!

———————?!!

The members of the Aquamarine could experience firsthand why [Prominence Burn] was designated as a forbidden spell.

“...It's terrifying.”

“There's no way to avoid it... The range is too wide, making it difficult to evade. We need to stop it before it's cast.”

Galano and Ninyan, with their extensive combat experience, exchanged a few words and realized anew the destructive power of a 6th-tier spell.

The possessors of the power to turn the tide of battle.

That was what high-tier mages were.

The flames of [Prominence Burn], intensified by the storm, or rather the gas that mimicked its form, swept through. The high-temperature gas that could turn anything it touched into charcoal, the blue flame that didn't extinguish even in a vacuum, erased even the creatures' screams.

The area affected by the spell instantly became a vacuum.

The silent spread of death.

“Sister Laura.”

Esther, who had regained her composure while looking down at the hellish scene, turned her eyes to Lorelei.

“How much time is left?”

“2, no, 3 minutes? If I push it, I can maintain it for 5 minutes. But I'll probably suffer from magic exhaustion...”

“There's no need to push it. Even if you cast [Prominence Burn] ten more times, you won't be able to wipe them all out.”

Although the situation seemed favorable with the wide-area spell, the creatures kept coming like moths.

They were intelligent enough not to jump into [Prominence Burn] and die, but their intention to wait until the spell's duration ended was clear.

If this continued, the moment [Prominence Burn] went out, an endless war of attrition would resume.

‘But there's no way to end that war of attrition.’

Wiping the cold sweat from her already damp forehead, Esther pondered for a solution that might be within her.

‘Master's high magic, [Helios], still has some leeway. We can hold out for 30 minutes if we face it head-on. The problem is what comes after, when [Helios] disappears.’

The light and heat of [Helios], the magic left by Jack Russell, had thoroughly weakened those monstrous creatures.

That's why a single arrow from Ninyan could kill them, and [Fire Arrow] could inflict fatal wounds. Even if their weakness was well-targeted, they were B-rank upper creatures. They shouldn't fall so easily.

‘The ship is blocking mental attacks, and telekinesis and interdimensional magic don't have much firepower... If I had known, I should have studied more about barriers!’

There is no more useful system than barriers in base defense.

Knowing this, Esther began to regret her past lack of interest in barriers.

Time continued to flow, but no good ideas came to mind. If there were, Russell, the high mage, would have told her.

This is a war of attrition that must be handled with pure strength.

The five members, excluding Leonard and Russell, who were the maximum power, faced their limits.

“Hiss!”

Enduring the pain as if his lungs were being squeezed, Galano once again skewered four Akugimoneru with a thrust.

Disgusting-smelling blood and flesh splattered in all directions.

‘The tip of the spear is shaking more and more. I can't hold out much longer in this state.’

His electric martial art, <Maelstrom>, loses more than half its power if it loses its precision. If it had been a proper thrust, the creatures would have collapsed a beat later with only holes in their bodies, rather than blood and flesh splattering.

It was evidence that his breathing and muscles were losing control.

The others were not much better off.

“Audra!”

The high-level spirit, Audra, barely responded to Bibian's plea, unleashing blades of wind.

The creatures that had approached Ninyan were sliced into several pieces and scattered. Normally, the blades would have cut through the rear ranks and continued, but they disappeared after piercing one or two creatures.

Bibian, with her abundant mana as a pure-blooded elf, still had her limits.

Snap!

Ninyan, who had been shooting arrows with her fingers raw, gritted her teeth.

The bowstring, which she had maintained well, broke. The intensity of this battle was too high for it to withstand the fatigue. She quickly untied the string from the bow and re-strung it, but the situation was too urgent.

Galano, who had been holding the front line, was pushed back a few steps, and the area on the deck of the Aquamarine occupied by the Akugimoneru gradually expanded.

Yeon Family Archery

First Chapter

Three Sections of the Whistling Arrow

To make up for her mistake, Ninyan used a technique she had not yet fully learned.

Whistling arrow, or "Mingdi," refers to a whistling arrow.

The name was derived from arrows used for signaling or command in Goguryeo, but the Mingdi of the Yeon Family Archery was a completely different technique, similar only in sound.

The sound disappears when the arrow sharply cuts through the wind, but it echoes like a ghostly wail when it roughly tears and churns.

‘I'll make up for my lack of aura control with my spirit magic.’

Holding the arrow and the bowstring with blood-soaked fingers, she gently turned them half a circle and infused them with aura.

<Whirlpool> and this were different, but it was an application of the same principle.

From the fletching to the shaft, from the shaft to the tip.

A half-human, half-another-species hybrid from another world recreated the inherited martial art of a Goguryeo noble family.

Whiiiiiiik——!

Three arrows were shot, tearing through the wind and transforming into whirlwinds as they wrapped around their bodies.

Bow Qi Gong.

The bodies of the creatures, torn to shreds by the three whirlwinds, were scattered. For an archer, the weakness in a battle against multiple enemies, this frontal attack temporarily halted the Akugimoneru's advance.

“Haa!”

At that moment, Marian, who had been inside the ship, jumped onto the deck and joined the fight.

Kiiing.

The sword and aura, wielded at full strength, easily cut through the weakened creatures.

Marian, who had created a path with a few sword strikes, stood next to Galano and supported the front line. Without her, the tide would have collapsed in a few seconds, or at best a few minutes.

The fact that Marian, who should have been guarding Francis, had come was proof of their dire situation.

“Just a little longer! The scale of the power moving inside the <Rift> is not ordinary! It will soon be decided!”

“Then I'll try to hold on a little longer...!”

Kneeling with trembling knees, Galano gripped his spear with all his might.

He felt he would drop it at any moment.

The others were the same.

Ninyan, Bibian, Esther, and Lorelei.

None of them had ever faced such a large number of enemies, and everyone had a pale complexion, but no one gave up or collapsed.

“Aah!”

Among the members who had stopped talking to each other, Esther, looking up, widened her eyes.

She couldn't help it.

The source of their strength, [Helios], was dispersing. Even in its weakened state, maintaining the front line was a limit, and if the Akugimoneru's power returned to normal, it would be impossible to hold out even for a moment.

Just as she was about to despair, thinking this was the end.

Crack!

Spider-web-like cracks appeared throughout the space surrounding the Aquamarine and spread, engulfing everything.

The three members had experienced this phenomenon before.

Jack Russell and Leonard had really succeeded in the sealing.

Crack! Crack!

The space, covered with fine cracks, collapsed,

“They're back.”

“Hmm.”

Following this, the members who had been struggling on the deck could see Leonard and Russell appear in front of them.

Despite facing an even stronger and more dangerous enemy, they looked much more intact than the members. Feeling a mix of frustration and relief, all the members collapsed without a word.

<The Abyss of the Akugimoneru>.

The destination of the rift was far more dangerous than the <Cyclops Den> they had explored before.