LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 88
Chapter: 88
Joy, who was running blindly, stumbled and fell as she saw a mask drop before her, struggling to get up.
Thud!
“I have to run away.”
Heartbeat!
“Or else, I’ll die.”
Gasp!
“I’ll be killed by that guy in black clothes.”
Shiver!
Joy didn’t know the identity of that ominous figure.
But she understood one thing: that person was dangerous.
Though still in training, she was a wizard.
She could at least guess what kind of magic others were using.
In her eyes, the magic that guy was wielding was overwhelmingly powerful.
The magic that blocked the alley around her was so high-level that Joy couldn’t even begin to fathom it, and even that playful black sphere he tossed seemed to possess a power that made her wonder if she could catch it with all her strength.
That man was a disaster.
He was definitely not someone Joy and Lucy could defeat.
So, Joy ran away.
To survive.
She reassured herself that Lady Allen would be okay.
Having somehow survived against the alchemist, she believed she could endure again.
Help would come from the academy soon, so there shouldn’t be a problem.
Really?
Pause!
Joy, moving towards the chaos, halted.
“Do you really think it will be fine?”
Thump!
The answer was clear.
No. It couldn’t be.
It was undeniable that Lady Allen was a genius.
But even so, Lady Allen was just another student like Joy.
There was no way she could hold out against such a monster.
Surely, Lady Allen knew this too.
Knowing everything, she might have simply sacrificed herself while hoping that Joy would be safe.
That’s just the kind of person she was.
The words that spilled from her mouth might be harsh, but her soul ran deeper than anyone else’s.
No matter who Lucy Allen was before, now she was like that.
Joy knew that better than anyone.
Nevertheless, feeling she believed in Joy and running away was a result of her ugly heart.
She was scared to face an overwhelming opponent.
She didn’t want to be trapped in another nightmare.
She feared death.
She was abandoning the benefactor who saved her.
What is a benefactor, anyway?
What is gratitude?
While Lucy Allen stood firm and moved forward, was she just crisscrossing the same spot or running backward?
Joy, staring at the mask lying still on the ground, turned to leave.
“Will it help if I go? Probably not.”
Shuffle!
Even if one ant multiplied into two, would it threaten a human?
“Has Lady Allen held out this long? I don’t know.”
Still, Joy thought that Lucy Allen wouldn’t be in good shape.
The opponent was a monster.
No matter how relaxed he was, could Lucy hold out?
Was it too late? That was highly likely.
She might still be on her way to increase the size of the blood pool.
But still, Joy ran. In the opposite direction from where she had been fleeing.
“Is this all you’ve got? Oho? Flimsy show-off? Hoo!”
At the end, Joy faced Lucy, who was still standing on both feet.
Her hair was a mess, soaked in blood, clashing with the blood-covered face.
Her clothes barely kept their shape, with more injuries than uninjured areas on her body.
Even standing seemed miraculous, yet Lucy still wore that annoying smile.
“Don’t you know pain?”
“Are you unfamiliar with the word fear?”
“Have you forgotten the word death?”
“Why are you still standing?”
“How are you still standing?”
“What keeps you on your feet?”
“It’s durable, huh?”
The monster frowned and raised his hand above his head.
Whoosh!
A magic circle appeared above his hand.
Joy still couldn’t guess what that magic was.
The gap between her and that monster was just too vast.
But she understood this magic was dangerous.
Could Lady Allen hold out against it?
The divine shield flickered.
The arm holding the mace trembled.
Even opening her eyes seemed burdensome.
It seemed impossible.
Joy didn’t think.
She merely acted.
Using the magic she had desperately practiced after facing death before.
Fireball!
Basic and primitive, but it was an impactful attack.
After casting it, Joy didn’t expect the magic to hit.
That guy was someone who used transcendental magic.
Of course, he’d defend.
But she hoped her magic would distract him even slightly, hoping it would give Lady Allen a moment to breathe.
But her expectations were dashed.
The fireball she thought would be easily blocked crashed head-on into the monster’s face.
As a consequence, the magic he was preparing got disrupted.
Seeing that, Joy forced a smile at Lady Allen, who had turned her gaze away.
“Wow… what a sloppy opponent!”
Hah!
“Joy, you really shouldn’t act.”
Quiver!
You’re shaking too hard, aren’t you?
“Why did you come back?”
“I’m doing all this crap just to save you, you know? It’s troublesome.”
“Do you have some desire to claim the role of a troublesome heroine?”
Ugh!
“Or do you want to sabotage my plans and get cursed by me?”
“Ugh, I honestly don’t know how weird attributes develop in Foolish Young Ladies.”
Shudder!
[Thanks to that kid, I bought a little time.]
“True.”
But it was a fact that for a brief moment, she had gained a breather because of Joy.
Before that, she hadn’t even thought about such jokes.
She had been getting hit, flying, her skin burning, and holes appearing in her body.
Wow. What a wonder she had endured.
Joy, the useless, incompetent trash who had those skills? She could acknowledge that, even though it bothered her.
If it weren’t for Armadi’s Mercy, she would’ve been sprawled on the ground long ago.
“Hah.”
As the smoke from Joy’s magic cleared, Nakrad’s red eyes settled on her.
He was definitely looking at Joy.
“You’ve come looking for me, huh?”
Grin!
“Not like that.”
No way!
“Even if Joy is attractive, she’s still a student.”
“Don’t you get that, you delusional pedo?”
“Just because all the characters in this world are adults doesn’t mean anything, right?”
Guffaw!
“You can’t handle it yourself? Hah! Seems like you’re just a pathetic loser who believes in a pathetic evil god.”
Now, my Mesugaki skill’s provocation is making it hard for even Karl to hold it together, even when not fully exerting itself.
No need to say how effective it would be against Nakrad, who had already lost his cool.
“Trash.”
Seeing Nakrad rush towards me, I couldn’t help but smile.
By trading blows with him, I became familiar with this fight.
Instead of calling it a battle, it was more like a stalling tactic, but anyway…
I can’t block all the daggers that spring out of the shadows.
If it’s not a fatal wound, I ignore it.
Every time my skin is pierced, the pain feels like it’s about to drive me insane, but I’m not dead.
I try to block direct attacks as much as possible with my shield.
With my limbs drained of strength, whether I block or take the hit, it’s more or less the same, but it’s still better than getting hit directly.
And as for the black sphere…
Whoosh!
What can I do?
I don’t have the strength left to form a barrier.
If I had that much magic, I’d rather use Armadi’s Mercy once more to stand up like a zombie.
At least with Joy joining, I’ve gained a little breathing room.
At intervals, Joy uses magic to hinder Nakrad’s movement, which proves quite effective.
Nakrad, blinded by rage, couldn’t pay attention to Joy’s attacks that he would have dodged or eliminated under normal circumstances.
Wow! This is what a tank is!
“Right?”
Feels a bit rolling over for a tank, but it has some weight to it.
Wobble!
Gripping my trembling legs, I forced myself up.
Now, I didn’t even have the magic to form a shield.
Holding the mace felt more like it was resting on me rather than in my hand.
This is why having a physical shield is preferred.
Oh!
But even if I had a physical shield, it would probably be shattered by now.
[How much longer can I stand?]
‘Perhaps two more times?’
It seems unlikely beyond that.
Honestly, standing up now is more a matter of Unwavering Will forcing me up.
The issues with my body are too apparent.
The problems with my mind are also troubling.
I try to ignore it, but the fear keeps breaking through the dam, ready to swallow me whole.
The moment my body breaks down, my mind will surely collapse completely, leaving no room for recovery.
So, maybe luck will allow me to rise twice more.
Otherwise, just once.
Why does three minutes feel so incredibly long?
Didn’t I once say in those timed attack scenarios that three minutes felt so short?!
Could it be that the pathetic, useless Sadistic God is trying to torture me by stopping time?
Hmm…
I feel like that could actually be possible with that guy.
What if he just pretended to be in a hurry while giving me the weakest buff?
Heh…
That makes sense.
If that guy really was in a hurry, he wouldn’t give me only this kind of buff.
As doubts about Armadi gradually rose,
Cracks appeared in the barrier surrounding me, shattering like glass as Nakrad’s magic eyes rained down from the sky.
Standing beneath it, Nakrad stared blankly at the sky.
Seeing that dazed expression, I felt I couldn’t help myself but say something.
“Pathetic loser! Hah!”
Too absorbed in tormenting me that he didn’t even notice his own barrier breaking down, huh?
What?
Did you enjoy torturing a girl that much?
Is your twisted taste so deep that you can’t even achieve your goal? You’re such a pervert!
Right?
“Was this your aim?”
Even though he realized that now, it meant nothing.
“There’s no choice now.”
As Nakrad raised his hand, magic concentrated above it.
The overwhelming magic was something even I with no knowledge of magic could discern.
“It’s a shame I couldn’t subdue you, but I have to get rid of nuisances.”
Ugh!
Trying one last desperate act?
Villains always pull off the same tricks.
I couldn’t possibly withstand that.
I had already faced the threat of death from the magic Nakrad playfully threw at me.
In my current state, there was no way I could withstand that.
So right now, I’m perfectly in a situation where it’s game over.
Normally, in such a desperate situation, I would be paralyzed in fear on the ground.
“Lady Allen!”
‘I’m okay.’
“It’s fine. Foolish Young Lady.”
I stood in front of Joy, blocking her path.
I didn’t think about sacrificing myself to save Joy.
Neither of us was planning to die.
I was a person who absolutely hated bad endings.
I’m not here for unresolved endings.
“Die.”
Watching Nakrad use magic and shout, I felt gratitude.
If he had intended to break my neck directly, I would have had no choice but to die quietly.
But wanting to show off his power caused an opportunity to arise.
Nakrad, don’t you know?
The boss of the first-year dungeon on the 80th floor of Soul Academy casts an instant-death spell the moment you enter?
So the easiest way to tackle that monster is to nullify that and throw it back at him.
Though I’d already exhausted the means to reflect magic.
The means to nullify the magic still rests firmly within my grasp.
‘Trust me.’
“Believe in me.”