Chapter 241

As Kurt and Mari’s group each faced off against a Golem, Arisa’s group was naturally also dealing with another Golem.

Arisa’s group had Daria and Aila with them, making them the largest in number among the groups.

However, having more members didn’t necessarily mean they had the upper hand.

*Clang!*

*Clang!*

The metallic sounds continued to echo.

In Mari’s party, Karina took on the role of the vanguard, while in Arisa’s group, it was Aila who stood at the front.

Arisa and Yuri could technically be called vanguards, but Arisa’s combat style wasn’t suited for head-on confrontations, making it impossible for her to hold her own against a Golem that was several levels stronger.

Yuri, on the other hand, had a combat style suited for direct confrontations, but her individual strength fell short, rendering her unable to contribute effectively. Thus, it fell to Aila to face the Golem head-on.

Arisa tried to exploit openings in the Golem’s defenses to launch sneak attacks, but the Golem seemed to anticipate her moves, effortlessly blocking her strikes with slight movements of its spear.

Yuri, whose combat abilities hadn’t fully developed yet, couldn’t even time her sneak attacks and was left powerless.

Thus, Arisa’s vanguards were struggling to even properly engage the Golem.

But Arisa’s group wasn’t composed solely of vanguards.

At that moment, Liche, who had been chanting a spell under Yuri’s watchful eye, finally unleashed her magic.

“Pillar of Koppelheim!”

This was a spell with a naming convention different from the spells commonly used by mages.

Unlike modern magic, which names spells based on their effects, this spell’s name included a place name, a style reminiscent of the naming conventions of the now-lost Ancient Empire.

Having revealed that her race was not human but Wizard, and given the dire situation where victory was uncertain, Liche no longer hid her true power.

Thus, the spell she used, though diminished and degraded compared to the magic of the Ancient Empire’s golden age, was still several times more complex and powerful than the magic commonly used in the world today.

Magic, by nature, takes time to chant but possesses destructive power that swordsmen of similar skill could never hope to match.

With Liche, a mage of her caliber, using Ancient Magic without holding back, the power of her spell was incomparable to anything she had used before.

The Golem that Aila was fighting was soon engulfed by the pillar of fire that erupted from beneath it.

Even though Aila had sensed Liche’s incantation and quickly retreated, the heat of the pillar was so intense it felt like her flesh would burn.

The pillar of fire shot straight up from the ground to the ceiling, unleashing magical flames far hotter than ordinary fire.

It was a heat so intense it could have roasted a salamander.

However…

*Clank!*

*Clank!*

The Golem emerged from the pillar of fire, completely unscathed, as if nothing had happened.

“N-no way…?”

“How is it not even scratched…?”

Liche muttered in disbelief, her expression as if she were witnessing a nightmare.

It was understandable that the Golem hadn’t fallen to her magic.

After all, each Golem was strong enough to spar with Kurt, a master swordsman.

A Golem crafted to engage in close combat with a master wouldn’t simply melt from a single spell.

But still, shouldn’t it have shown at least some sign of damage?

Yet the Golem emerged from the pillar of fire as if it had never been attacked at all.

The Golem charged forward again, forcing Aila and Arisa to leap back into action.

“Ugh…! What do we do now…?”

Aila was the only one who could even remotely handle the Golem.

And even that was only possible because Arisa kept disrupting the Golem’s movements with sneak attacks whenever Aila was pushed back.

Yuri was powerless, and Liche’s magic had no effect on the Golem.

And then there was Daria, silently observing the battlefield.

‘This is strange…’

She had no ability to engage in close combat.

‘There’s something off…’

Her specialty was Dispel Magic, a tactic focused on identifying and neutralizing an opponent’s abilities.

Thus, purely physical opponents were her natural counter.

At this moment, Daria’s influence on the battle was even less than Yuri’s.

‘The Golem isn’t even defending against the mages’ spells…’

Or so it seemed.

‘But why does it need to defend against Aila and Arisa’s attacks…?’

If her abilities were truly limited to that, she wouldn’t have earned the title of Special Holy Maiden of the Holy Kingdom.

‘This is strange. If we’re talking purely about destructive power, the mages’ spells should be several times stronger.’

Using Dispel Magic to neutralize an opponent’s spells was only a part of her abilities.

‘The Golem isn’t defending against the mages’ spells, but it’s blocking every single attack from the vanguards… Could it be?’

Her true ability lay in her vast knowledge, experience, and wisdom, allowing her to observe any situation and identify the opponent’s weaknesses.

‘Then the Golem’s abnormally high durability isn’t due to physical strength but some kind of protective effect. As if… it’s wrapped in something like my Dispel Magic!’

In the midst of the intense battle, Daria had found the path to victory.

*Clang!*

*Screech!*

“Ugh…! It’s getting harder and harder…!”

Even as Daria reached her conclusion, the situation was worsening in real-time.

“Liche! Use your magic!”

“But magic doesn’t work on it!”

“You don’t need to use high-level magic! Instead, use telekinetic magic to control objects, not direct spells!”

“What are you…?”

*Thud!*

“Ugh…!”

Even as they spoke, the battlefield was tilting further against them.

“Liche! Trust me!”

It was an unreasonable request.

In the past, Liche wouldn’t have cared if someone from the Holy Kingdom was in danger, and she would have ignored a plea from a Sister of the Holy Kingdom.

Especially since these two had once attacked her.

But Liche chose to…

“…Alright.”

Trust Daria’s words.

Whether it was because they had been traveling together for the past few days, or because Aila was risking her life to hold off the Golem, or because of Daria’s plea, Liche didn’t know.

But she decided to trust Daria.

And so, Liche immediately began chanting a new spell.

The spell she intended to use wasn’t one of maximum power but a simple telekinetic spell.

Thus, the incantation ended quickly, and Liche fired the spell without hesitation.

“Move as I command! Arandel’s Puppetry!”

Following Liche’s command, various objects floated as if pulled by strings and flew toward the Golem.

Compared to the pillar of fire Liche had used earlier, this spell seemed pitifully weak.

In fact, it was weaker than even the Shattering Arrows Serena used or Aila’s sword strikes against the Golem.

Yet, for the first time, the Golem moved to defend itself against Liche’s spell.

Despite having taken far stronger spells head-on without flinching.

*Clang!*

Though the objects were easily deflected with a single swing of the Golem’s spear.

“What just happened…?”

“…What’s going on!?”

“I knew it! The Golem’s defense isn’t as strong as we thought! It’s just that its armor has properties that nullify magic, which is why our spells haven’t worked until now!”

Thus, while direct magical damage was ineffective, telekinetic magic that manipulated objects couldn’t be nullified.

Even if the magic’s effect was dispelled, the inertia of the objects wouldn’t disappear.

“I see! Got it!”

Having grasped the key to the battle, Liche’s face lit up, and she began chanting another spell. Finally, the mage’s intervention became possible, and Arisa’s group could breathe a little easier.

The counterattack had finally begun.