Chapter 73

【Limit Break】 is a skill that temporarily grants three times the attribute power by consuming magic power. However, as the name suggests, it is a breaking of limits, so it is impossible to use it for a long time or frequently. After use, the user will weaken in proportion to the usage time. Severe fatigue will prevent them from even exerting half of their original strength. Therefore, it must be used as an ace in critical moments, considering the timing and situation.

Hikari, facing the strength of the monsters and the fact that they could recover, judged that if this continued, the morale of his comrades who were being cornered would drop. He decided to use 【Limit Break】 to take down the White Raven and the woman of the demon race in one go.

As Hikari declared his 【Limit Break】, his body was enveloped in pure white light. At the same time, the blue giant troll, which had been knocked back by the mace strike, seemed unaware of Hikari's transformation and attacked again.

"By the will of the blade, harboring light to cut through the enemy, 【Blade of Light】!"

Hikari did not crouch to dodge the blue giant troll's mace but instead used the holy sword, now imbued with the Blade of Light, to cut upward in one swift motion.

He had used the 【Blade of Light】 in a diagonal slash earlier, but it had not been enough to inflict a critical injury that would incapacitate the blue giant troll. However, this time, with the attribute power doubled by 【Limit Break】 and the synergistic effect of the Blade of Light, the blue giant troll's body was split in two as if it were butter.

A moment later, the blue giant troll's body tilted and collapsed with a bloody thud. Hikari took advantage of the momentum, stepped forward, and suddenly accelerated, charging toward the woman of the demon race.

There was nothing between Hikari and the woman of the demon race. No matter how skilled the demon race was in magic, it was too late for her to do anything. Everyone thought that she and the White Raven would be cut down in one stroke.

At that moment,

"『『『『『Gurwaaaaaah!』』』』』"

"What!?"

Five wavering spaces roared and attacked Hikari. Faced with the Chimera that had ambushed him from all sides and launched a simultaneous attack, Hikari's eyes widened in shock.

Immediately, Hikari made an emergency stop, bent his body to avoid the attack from the front, and used a single strike of the holy sword to cut down the Chimera attacking from the right. Then, trusting the performance of his sacred armor, he withstood the deadly blow from behind with his torso.

However, that was as far as he could go. The claws of the Chimera attacking from the left dug into his shoulder, and the impact sent him flying. The last Chimera, outside the encirclement, jumped onto Hikari, its claws digging into his shoulders and pinning him to the ground.

"Guhhh!!"

Through his clenched teeth, a groan of pain escaped. Hikari barely managed to block the Chimera's jaws with his holy sword, stopping its teeth from piercing his neck. The claws in his shoulders were deep, and the strength to hold the jaws back was gradually being drained. Despite being in a state of Limit Break, he couldn't muster enough power, and the holy sword was slowly being pushed down.

"By the grace of light, heal and punish here, 【Heaven's Burn】! 【Seal Bind】!"

Kaori, seeing Hikari's crisis, immediately cast a light-based healing spell. 【Heaven's Burn】 is an intermediate healing spell for one person. It is more effective than the group healing spell 【Heaven's Revival】 used earlier. However, the Chimera's claws were already deep in Hikari's shoulders, and this alone could not heal him.

Therefore, she also cast the intermediate light-based binding spell 【Seal Bind】. 【Seal Bind】 creates a light cage around the target, trapping them inside. Kaori cast this spell on Hikari and immediately dispelled it, creating a fleeting light cage around him that repelled the Chimera on top of him.

The claws were pulled out of his shoulders, and 【Heaven's Burn】 took full effect, instantly healing Hikari's wounds.

At the same time, someone from the rear guard, who was fighting the Chimeras and multi-legged turtles attacking Suzu and the others, launched an attack spell at the Chimeras attacking Hikari. However, due to the distance and the fact that the Chimeras had not been affected by Kaori's 【Heaven's Revival】, the attacks did not cause significant damage.

Nevertheless, it bought Hikari time to regroup. He raised his holy sword, completed his incantation as he was healed, and launched a counterattack.

"【Four-Winged Heaven Sword】!"

The holy sword, swung in a curve, released light slashes toward the four wavering spaces. The targeted Chimeras, perhaps sensing the danger of Hikari's expertise enhanced by Limit Break, immediately tried to escape.

However, immediately after,

"Capture, 【Seal Mark】!"

Kaori shouted a nearly incantation-free spell, casting the intermediate light-based binding spell 【Seal Mark】. Numerous light chains shot out from the feet of the Chimeras trying to escape, binding their heads, feet, and bodies. While it would not be difficult for the Chimeras to break free with their strength, a momentary pause in their movements was inevitable.

As a result, the four Chimeras were hit directly by Hikari's 【Four-Winged Heaven Sword】, spraying blood as they died.

Hikari, now facing the woman of the demon race, brandished his holy sword and glared at her.

"Too bad. Your ace doesn't work on us. There's nothing left to protect you!"

Upon hearing Hikari's words, the woman of the demon race turned to him with a look of surprise, or rather, shock. She thought, "Why, at this point, is such a declaration necessary? Just cut her down immediately."

Hikari, who should have been the one being pursued, was annoyed by the woman's calm demeanor. Initially, it was the Chimera, then the blue giant troll, and now the Chimera again. All these ambushes were the reason for his frustration. He inwardly shouted, "Only launching ambushes without a proper battle, and watching from the sidelines, what a despicable creature!"

"…Besides, that's not my ace."

"Bluffing!"

"Well, can we talk about whether it's bluffing after you deal with them? I've already confirmed the extent of the power of the 'Heretic's Apostle,' and you're no longer useful."

"What 'Gyaaaaah!?' –!?"

The woman of the demon race, as if annoyed, flicked her hair upward and said this simply. At the same time, a scream came from behind as Hikari was halfway through his retort.

Hikari couldn't help but turn around. What he saw was the arrival of five more blue giant trolls and Chimeras, an unfamiliar black four-eyed wolf, and a black cat with four tentacles growing from its back, all about sixty centimeters long, attacking his comrades. Among them, one member of the Nagayama team and his close friend, Nomura Kenta, had his side pierced by the black cat's tentacles. The scream came from another member of the Nagayama team, Yoshino Makoto.

"Kenta! Damn it, we got overconfident!"

"Makoto, hold on! I'll heal him!"

Another member of the Nagayama team, Endo Kousuke, cut the tentacle piercing Nomura with a dagger, his eyes burning with anger as he stared at the black cat.

Nomura groaned and collapsed, while Yoshino was in a daze. Another member of the team, Tsujii Ayako, shouted and immediately cast a healing spell. She had just finished the incantation to heal Endo's cuts, a fortunate coincidence.

"What, more of them!?"

Looking back, Hikari saw the reinforcements that had appeared unnoticed and let out a cry of shock.

"The Chimera's innate magic, 【Camouflage】, can also affect the things it touches. Didn't you consider this possibility? Look, they've been added."

"–!?"

Suddenly, a large number of monsters appeared, putting his comrades at a greater disadvantage. Seeing this, Hikari hurriedly tried to return. The woman of the demon race, revealing this hidden card by using the Chimera's 【Camouflage】 effect, incited more monsters. From behind her, ten four-eyed wolves and ten black cats charged toward Hikari.

"Ku, ohhh!"

The black cat's tentacles extended at an absurd speed, attacking Hikari from all sides. Hikari swung his holy sword like a windmill, cutting through the tentacles and launching a horizontal strike at one of the black cats. Aiming for Hikari's face, the black cat had just jumped into the air, and it seemed impossible for it to avoid the strike. Hikari was certain, "First one down!"

However, in the next moment, this certainty was easily overturned. The black cat, using the air as a foothold, flipped and avoided Hikari's strike. Then, its disproportionately sharp claws aimed for Hikari's head.

Hikari barely avoided it by turning his head, but his stance was compromised, and he couldn't deal with the four-eyed wolf attacking from behind. Although the armor's defense and the effects of Limit Break prevented serious injury, he was blown away and sent back to near his starting point.

At the same time, Hikari and his team were surrounded by monsters with clearly exceptional strength. Everyone fought desperately, but even one of these enemies was troublesome, and their numbers had suddenly increased, and they were acting in concert. Moreover, if they weren't killed in one strike, the White Raven would immediately heal them.

Tsujii Ayako and Kaori, both with the innate ability of a healer, continued to heal their comrades, barely avoiding a fatal collapse of the front line, but they couldn't deliver a decisive blow.

Hikari intended to use the power of Limit Break to defeat the enemies, but the enemies always kept at least five or more attacking him in a hit-and-run coordinated attack, never engaging in a direct confrontation.

Even Shizukana, who moved at high speed with 【Rhythm】, was sealed by the coordinated attacks of the fast-moving black cats and the four-eyed wolves with the innate ability of 【Premonition】. Even when she injured them, it was far from a fatal wound.

While fighting desperately, the students' expressions gradually began to show signs of despair. This feeling deepened when the woman of the demon race joined the battle.

"Sleeping in the depths of the earth, the golden-eyed lizard, the master of the earth's magic eyes, the one who sees through the darkness and casts curses, brings eternal darkness and imprisonment, terror, despair, sorrow, and tears, with those eyes, seal all enemies, the remainder is the end, silent and cold statues, if broken, they will return to the earth! 【Falling Prison】!"

After the incantation was completed, a gray spiral sphere appeared in the woman's raised hand and flew toward Hikari and his team. The speed was not particularly fast, and it was not something Hikari and his team couldn't avoid. At first glance, it seemed like an unremarkable magic attack. Seeing this, Nomura Kenta, whose side had been pierced by a tentacle and whose face was pale from blood loss, shouted in alarm.

"–!?! Bad! Taniguchi!! Stop that! Use a barrier spell!"

"Ah? R-right! This is a sanctuary, enemies of the divine cannot pass! 【Holy Absolute Barrier】!"

Following Nomura's hoarse command, Suzu cast a high-level light-based defensive spell with a shortened incantation. A shining barrier in the shape of a dome enveloped Hikari and his team. However, the 【Holy Absolute Barrier】 did not have the ability to distinguish between friend and foe, so many monsters were also trapped inside the dome. The 【Holy Absolute Barrier】 is a powerful spell that consumes a lot of magic power. Normally, it wouldn't be used unnecessarily like this. However, Nomura's shout conveyed the danger of the spell cast by the woman of the demon race, so the most powerful barrier spell was immediately chosen.

After Suzu's 【Holy Absolute Barrier】 was cast, the gray spiral sphere collided with the barrier. The gray sphere tried to break through the barrier, exerting a terrifying invisible force. Suzu, to prevent it from breaking through, gritted her teeth and endured, feeling her magic power being rapidly drained.

At this moment, perhaps on the woman's command, the movements of the monsters changed, and about ten of them aimed at Suzu.

"Suzu!"

"Protect Taniguchi!"

Eri shouted Suzu's name and cast a spell to hinder the approaching blue giant troll. In front of Suzu, Saito Ryushu and Kondo Rei, who were fighting the Chimera and the four-eyed wolves, responded to Nomura's call and rushed to Suzu's side.

However, Suzu, to maintain the 【Holy Absolute Barrier】, couldn't move her body, and the black cat saw an opportunity and approached her. Nomura immediately launched a stone spear from the ground to pierce it, but the black cat jumped in a zigzag pattern in the air, twisting its body to dodge the spear and shot out all its tentacles.

"Taniguchi!"

"Ahh!?"

Nomura shouted Suzu's name in warning, but it was too late. Although Suzu immediately turned her body, the tentacles still pierced her side, thigh, and right arm. Then, the black cat caught Suzu's small body with its tentacles, whipped it around, and threw her with great force.

Suzu, scattering blood in the air, hit the ground and was momentarily stunned. As she regained her breath, the unbearable pain made her scream.

"Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah