Chapter 175: Shoulder to Shoulder (1)
Bam! A clear, pure sound resounded throughout the whole area, and Cannavaro’s eyes reversed.
Eek…?
His head hurt. The floor and ceiling pounded, and his world suddenly grew low. No, it was his body that did so. Even the cold flooring that touched his face felt distant and bleak.
What just…
Cannavaro thought of getting back to his feet. So, he desperately wiggled his body and fumbled on the ground. But that was as far as he could get.
Thwack! Once more, there came a clear ringing noise.
Ack.
That was his last shout before Cannavaro passed out. And someone scoffed above his fallen body.
“Goodness, this man’s surprisingly tenacious.”
Lloyd looked down at Cannavaro as he shook his head. What a tenacious man. Lloyd never imagined that the latter would writhe in agony and try to get up after getting knocked out by his blow on the head.
“Oh, well,” drawled Lloyd, “I just need to hit you one more time. Anyway.”
Lloyd lifted his head and looked toward Javier.
“Want some help, Lady Ella?”
But Javier didn’t answer. It was because he couldn’t. He was barely enduring the full brunt of Hell’s Knight’s focused attacks. But he managed to send a welcoming gaze toward Lloyd, who immediately picked up the hint.
“Okay. I’ll take care of things here and go there right away. Hold on a little longer,” said Lloyd.
Lloyd knew that eliminating a source of future trouble was the first priority, and he had to completely suppress this menacing warlock. With such a thought in mind, Lloyd looked back.
“Ggoming,” called Lloyd.
“Ggoming!”
Ggoming, who got here with Lloyd, answered from the loft of the public hall when Lloyd called. A large parrotbill spread his wings to glide down.
“You know what to do, right?”
“Ggoming!”
Lloyd didn’t have to spell out his plan. All he did was point at Cannavaro pinned to the ground. Ggoming then gave the bag a shake.
Pssh!!! A spider web that was sturdier and stronger than metal was discharged from his bag, tying up Cannavaro’s hands, shackling his legs, and coiling his body up. Like a spider tying its game in the wild, Ggoming tightly bound Cannavaro, even more firmly than 30 layers of bubble wrap. Just like that, the warlock was completely suppressed. But Lloyd didn’t stop there.
“Hey, man.”
Lloyd helped the man breathing on the ground beside Cannavaro. Wiping the blood off his neck, Lloyd spoke.
“Can you move?”
“A-a little bit…” The man nodded with some struggle. “Aren’t you Master Lloyd? Nice to meet you, my lord…”
“I knew it. I knew I wasn’t mistaken. You visited my fiefdom with Lady Namaran, didn’t you?” asked Lloyd.
“Yes, my lord.”
“Then I suppose you can heal faster than the rest of the people here.”
“Sure… Eek.”
The knight sucked in a breath at the abrupt entrance of mana into his body when Lloyd placed his hand on the knight’s shoulder.
“Woah. No need to be surprised. I’m putting some mana into your body, so you can get well.”
“But why…” murmured the knight.
“Why else?” asked Lloyd as he glanced around the hall. “Do you see the people around you?”
“Yes.”
“Take them outside. I fear it’s going to get messier from now on.”
“Yes.”
An elaborate explanation was unnecessary as the knight had watched the entire situation unfold from the beginning. Thankfully, no one was severely hurt by the shards of rocks or the shockwaves. However, there was no guarantee that luck would always be on everyone’s side like this. The knight raised his body, and it looked like Lloyd’s Asrahan Core Technique did a lot to restore much of his energy. Carrying his daughter, a nearby old woman, and a middle-aged man altogether, the knight spoke.
“Please be careful, my lord, I shall come and help fight soon.”
“I don’t expect you to,” dismissed Lloyd. “Move the people out of here. I gave you mana for that job, not to fight.”
“Yes… My Lord.”
“Hurry up.”
“Y-yes.”
The knight hurriedly moved, carrying people out of the public hall. Ggoming helped out in the effort as he strutted around and fluttered his short wings. It was only then that Lloyd sighed in relief.
“Whew.”
The surroundings were organized somewhat. Now they could fight without worrying about casualties. Lloyd grabbed his metal shovel in relief, and in his other hand, he grasped Cannavaro’s head.
“Let’s get started.”
Dragging Cannavaro with his one hand, Lloyd walked over to the center of the public hall. Javier and Hell’s Knight. He moved toward the very place where this transcendental fight was taking place. A look of confusion appeared on Lloyd’s face.
Wow. How did I come this far?
It was a match between two transcendental figures. Lloyd’s shoulders flinched as he watched Javier and Hell’s Knight blast shockwaves in the midst of their fight. Lloyd hated fighting. He never enjoyed it. Yes, originally, he was no one other than Suho Kim, an average fellow living in South Korea. So, what happened? How did he get involved in this fight?
Duh. I’m doing this for money.
It was too late to return to his old, ordinary lifestyle. No, he did not even have the desire to go back. Once he reached that conclusion, Lloyd grasped the metal shovel and sought the best timing. Right when Hell’s Knight was about to pummel Javier with great force, he lifted his shovel up and aimed at Cannavaro’s head. Determined, he shouted aloud.
“Over there! Hell’s Knight! Stop moving! Or else he dies!”
Lloyd’s yelling, which was charged with mana, effortlessly pierced Hell’s Knight’s skull.
“…!”
Lloyd’s inference created a tiny room for an attack on Hell’s Knight, which was wielding its sword so powerfully. And Javier was no fool to miss it.
Thwack! Clang!
The silvery long sword cut out a brilliant ray of light, parrying the black sword in one stroke. This thankfully allowed Javier to slip out from the unceasing offense of its opponent without harm and finally manage to maintain some distance and catch his breath for the first time Hell’s Knight had the upper hand. But Hell’s Knight was looking somewhere else, and it didn’t even look wistful. Instead, it turned and looked at Lloyd with dismay.
“What?”
Hell’s Knight glared at Lloyd in disbelief. Lloyd flinched instinctively when he received the hellish gaze, but he gathered his thoughts and looked straight at it.
“Can’t hear me?” asked Lloyd. “I thought I said it loud and clear! Wait, is your hearing bad because you’re a skeleton?”
“What is it that you want to say…?”
“Come on, I told you. I’ll kill this man if you don’t stop attacking.”
“Is this a fugitive situation? Against me?”
“Yeah.”
Lloyd nodded his head like it was obvious, so confidently that he seemed to say, “You’re done for!”
“This one summoned you, didn’t he? He dies, and you’ll be transported back to Hell. Come on, did you think I didn’t know about that?”
It was true. Cannavaro was the one who summoned it to this earth. It was he who marked the sculpture with his blood. And that shamanistic symbol was used as a means for Hell’s Knight to get here. So, if Cannavaro died, the summoning would stop as Hell’s Knight was brought here by the blood of Cannavaro.
“It’s simple. It’s exactly like taking a loan from a bank. Cannavaro put down the security, and he issued the certificate of proof with his own blood. That was how he allowed your arrival. But what if… Cannavaro, your security, dies? What do you think will happen to you?” asked Lloyd.
It was very simple. If the security was gone, the document was no more useful than tissue paper. Then the loan process would be a moot thing. That was the way it was.
“So, give up that scary sword and surrender. That is if you want to stay a little longer in this world, unlike Hell.”
Lloyd’s confident threat rang aloud the hall. Hell’s Knight was dismayed.
“Ha. How dare you. Tell me, are you not from this world?”
“What?”
“Your words and actions befit Hell, no matter how I look at it. Did you get banished from Hell and put on a cover as a human?”
“Not at all. You’re completely off-base.”
“Is that so? Anyway, I see your point. But you are missing something.”
“I’m missing something?” asked Lloyd.
“Indeed.”
“What could that be?”
“That human can die, but I can still stay here for an hour before I get transported back.”
“What?”
At that moment, Hell’s Knight lifted its sword, its movement frightfully swift and abrupt. The energy of death discharged out of its blade was like a tsunami and passed through the air to claim Lloyd’s life.
“…!”
Lloyd leaped midair as he tugged Cannavaro wrapped up in a spider web. He closely managed to avoid the blow, only to see the black sword charge down at him.
“I will slice you in half along with my human summoner.”
“Huh?”
Swooosh! Its sword cut the air and swung down. It was too fast and hostile. Lloyd couldn’t dare block it with his shovel. No, it came down too rapidly that he couldn’t find the time to do so. Had it not for the silvery long sword that intervened, Lloyd would have been sliced in half.
Thwack!
“…!”
A long sword suddenly came into view, blocking the black blade, ready to end his life. Then it parried the sword away.
Clang! Lloyd feared that his entire eardrum would burst. The banging noise threw Lloyd to the ground.
“Argh!”
“Get back on your feet. If you want to live.”
Javier icily spoke in Lloyd’s ears. Lloyd immediately jumped to his feet without thinking and grabbed his shovel and fixed his posture. Shoulder to shoulder, Javier and Lloyd stood as they faced Hell’s Knight, who stood ramrod straight.
Whoosh…
Lloyd unconsciously gulped, finally registering how formidable Hell’s Knight was. The aura and energy that it gave off became so evident as he stood face to face. It was terrifying even when it was without its horse and lacked an arm and leg.
Goodness, it feels like a novice gamer got involved in a battle between masters.
Chills ran down his spine. Every part of his body tensed up. His grip that grasped the shovel became wet with sweat. He never planned on getting so deeply involved in the fight. He simply wanted to use some trickery and shoot the mana blast at this hellish creature from afar.
“It appears that it regarded you as my weakness.”
Javier’s voice was stern.
“I know,” awkwardly smiled Lloyd. “It looks like it did.”
Hell’s Knight will lay a concentrated attack on me, Lloyd thought, and Javier will put himself in harm’s way to protect me.
That’s how it’s going to create a weakness. I’m a crack in a dam, and it’s going to focus on the crack. Just like how a small hole can cause a dam to collapse. It plans to take care of us both at once.
Hell’s Knight became plain and evident to Lloyd. But it was too late to give up and leave.
“Do not step back so hastily. You are now in its offense range. The moment you half-heartedly try to back down, you’ll be done for in less than a second,” warned Javier.
“I know. I know that too,” Lloyd smiled awkwardly
“Then apologize.”
“For what?” huffed Lloyd.
“For calling me Lady Ella just a while ago.”
“Okay. I’m sorry. I’m apologizing. You’re a good boy, Javier, aren’t you?”
“…”
“Now, what? What do you want me to do?” asked Lloyd as he stole his glance at Javier.
“Endure.”
“What?”
“It’s coming.”
Right after that moment…
Whoosh! Lloyd wondered if this was what it felt like to take the full blow of a storm. Hell’s Knight hurtled forward after leaping up with one leg. And it brandished, no, swept its huge sword to the side.
Argh…!
Sensing that facing it head-on would get him sliced in half with him and his shovel, he instead rushed toward the incoming sword. He then stretched his shovel and shot the most powerful blow he could manage. A triple mana blast. Kaboom!
“…!”
His triple mana blast boasted an amazing power for a split second. Such an unexpected burst of power squarely collided with the incoming sword. But the latter wasn’t affected. It instead slashed the triple mana blast force abreast and made its way further in.
Slash! Its sword sliced the triple mana blast in half, but it failed to cut Lloyd in half as it grew minutely weaker to slice the pressure of the triple mana blast. Lloyd used that opportunity to roll to the ground.
“Now!“
Lloyd yelled as he rolled under the incoming sword and held out both of his hands to hug the knight’s pelvis and leg. That toppled, though very minimal, off its balance. Javier’s long sword glinted ferociously just then.
Bam! His aura-charged long sword penetrated into the giant sword almost half, and Hell’s Knight tried to shake Lloyd off its leg. But it couldn’t do so as Javier started to lay into it without giving a moment to spare.
Thud! Twang! Thwack!
“…!”
Underneath was a human that was glued to it like a leech. Above was a determined knight who overpowered a sword master. Hell’s Knight’s gaze trembled. The situation turned for the worse for Hell’s Knight as Lloyd began uttering mysterious, shamanistic chants as he clutched its leg.
“You are! You are born to be loved! And in this life of yours! You are loved!”
“…!”
Its gaze trembled some more. Its upper torso received the full brunt of Javier’s swords, and its lower body was tortured by Lloyd, who continued to sing exotic songs. And these two discordant attacks doubled its agony. What was worse was that there was just no end to these contrasting attacks. Rattle! Rattle! Rattle!
Javier began to go all out in his attacks as the opportunity finally presented itself to him. And Lloyd’s medley of exorcism chants became more diverse.
“Mahayana! Paramita! Sutra! Avalokitesvara! Prajna Paramita! Trayaya! Kamkani! Sutraaaa!”
“Argh…!”
What kind of bizarre sorcery was that? Hell’s Knight was thrown into greater confusion. Of course, there was no direct damage from the songs. But its mind and spirit were utterly disturbed and confused. It was already receiving the full offense from Javier, and that alone demanded its full attention and power.
But this human that had latched himself on its one leg was singing this eerie incantation to his heart’s content. Hell’s Knight was on the verge of losing it. And how out-of-tune he was! Hell’s Knight wondered if this was what it felt like to hear nails scratching a chalkboard or cicadas crying right into its ear. What was more than its noise was the discordant tunes. Yes, that was right. Lloyd was the worst tone-deaf, the worst kind that even Hell’s Knight would be sickened of.
“Stop…!”
Finally, no longer able to endure any longer, Hell’s Knight violently shook its head and leaped in the air with Lloyd still latched onto its leg. It was how much it wanted to wrench him off its feet. But that turned out to be a mistake.
Slash!
“…!”
It lost focus in a split second, and Javier’s aura-charged silvery-long sword penetrated Hell’s Knight’s skull.