Chapter 117

Chapter 117

#117. Ariana Rune Lenslet (4)

Unlike when the Empire Sigma invaded the Workshop last time, Mary, who is actually Ariana in disguise, was now holding nothing back and unleashing her full potential.

“Unbelievable… Lady Mary is a Swordmaster!”

The knights watching this duel murmured amongst themselves.

It was astonishing that she had displayed skills akin to a High Knight, but now she was going all out as a true Swordmaster.

“Moreover, that swordsmanship…!”

“Dukedom… no, Royal Family’s secret sword techniques!”

“It’s exactly like the late Duke’s strikes.”

“Did he teach his illegitimate child the same sword and mana cultivation methods?”

“With talent like hers, there’s plenty left even after teaching.”

“A new Swordmaster has emerged in the Northern Region!”

“Lenslet! Rune Lenslet!”

The knights rejoiced greatly at the birth of a new Swordmaster in the North and were filled with pride.

“But why did she learn magic too? With such incredible sword talent…”

“Pity, what a waste. If she’d only practiced swordsmanship, she could’ve reached its ultimate limits.”

None here suspected Mary could be Princess Ariana.

“That pure white mana is something I’ve never seen before.”

“How pure and clear must one’s soul be to wield such…”

“Yet Lady Mary’s character while working seemed far from ‘white’…”

The reason lay in the mana color, impossible to fake.

Publicly known, Ariana’s mana was sapphire blue.

But Mary’s current mana was completely different – pure white.

Even the High City knights rarely got to witness Ariana’s training or sword dances.

Especially not after her injury.

This led them to a mistaken common sense.

“Damn it! It’s frustrating just standing here doing nothing.”

“We can’t move until Lady Mary’s duel with Hunsler concludes…”

Meanwhile, they wanted to rush to Arad’s aid at the Factory more than anyone, but couldn’t due to the Orcs blocking their path.

Any movement brought the Orcs chasing after them.

Bringing Orcs while trying to help Arad would make things worse.

Fighting the Orcs now might interfere with Mary and Hunsler’s battle.

Thus, the knights remained stuck in an uncomfortable standoff.

“How many more exchanges before it ends?”

However, this standoff wouldn’t last long.

Swoosh!

“Keeeee!”

With all-out assault, Ariana severed the battle axe-wielding Hunsler’s right arm.

“It’s over.”

Ariana coldly declared, thrusting her sword towards Hunsler’s neck.

Paaak!!

“?!”

But her thrust didn’t pierce through.

At the critical moment, a light presumed to be from a magic stone emanated from his armor, using telekinesis to briefly catch Ariana’s sword.

It was a magical artifact made by the Demon Den.

Paaaat

Fortunately, the magic stone exploded immediately after blocking Ariana’s attack.

Apparently it was single-use.

“Keek!!”

Hunsler didn’t waste this chance.

Just as Ariana was about to swing her sword again…

Boom Grrrrr

The bulky brute quickly retreated, rolling awkwardly despite his size.

-Takeeeeek!!

After putting distance between them, Hunsler shouted something in Orc language to the surrounding Orcs.

Takeeeeek!!

Graaaah!!

The Orcs, who had been holding back, began attacking Ariana en masse.

“Hmph, you took all the honor for yourself.”

Ariana clicked her tongue, adjusting her stance.

Then she called out to her allies.

“Knights!”

“Lenslet! Rune Lenslet!”

Responding instantly, the knights waiting behind sprang into action.

Not far away, someone watched the renewed clash.

Kkkkkkk……..

An unpleasant laugh echoed under the clear sky.

“So that’s how it is, huh.”

A disheveled dark wizard wearing black robes, wrapped in ashen bandages, with eerie green eyes stood there.

“Isabel, so that’s why you were so confident.”

Isaac’s avatar confidently chanted a spell.

[Rise.]

Having found the answer, he began creating the situation Ariana feared most.

A significant portion of the barrier’s mana shifted here.

Grooooooo…

Therrrrrrrr……

Undead forms rose from fallen Orcs, Druids, even Lenslet knights.

* * *

With undead suddenly appearing everywhere, Ariana gritted her teeth.

What should’ve ended long ago dragged on unexpectedly.

Though missing an arm, Hunsler remained combat-capable, thanks mostly to a hidden necromancer nearby.

“Hhhhaaaap!”

“Gwrooooar!”

The battle raged fiercely.

Both stamina and time favored Lenslet’s side poorly. Especially dangerous for Ariana.

Knights grew weary and fell.

Some fallen knights rose again as enemies.

Support from the barrier showed no signs of arrival.

Huhk, huhk, huhk……

Swinging her sword wildly, Ariana felt her body grow heavy.

Most of her strength was already spent during the fight with Hunsler.

‘Rune Lenslet’s fervent ancestors…’

She pushed herself far beyond limits.

Her lower dantian boiled uncomfortably hot.

Her heart raced as if about to burst.

Careless mistakes could create fourth, fifth energy circles instantly.

‘Ancestors of Lenslet: Rune, Pilgrim, Te, Elise, Isilis, Axis, Bjorn, Sialang, Tera… and Bykal…’

Now Ariana had to choose:

End the battle or advance into the unknown, akin to death.

‘Grant me courage!’

Was this opportunity or crisis?

‘Soul-Edge!’

Ariana closed her eyes.

She heard urgent whispers among the knights.

“There’s a necromancer up there!”

“Magic communication! Can anyone communicate?”

“Contact the barrier immediately, summon priests! Request support from one of the Transcendents too!”

“Hold on! We must hold on!”

On the snowy field adorned with undead, elite northern Orcs, elite Druid warriors, and a high-ranking black-robed figure against the blue sky.

If this continued, the battle would end quickly – with Lenslet’s defeat.

“…”

In this life-or-death moment, perhaps due to overheated dantian and racing heart, Ariana felt time slow down.

[Ariana, my beloved daughter, pride of Lenslet.]

“Mother…”

The faint memory of her mother Mary’s voice resonated in her mind.

[Ariana, you can reach the pinnacle of swords. The legendary Grand Swordmaster beyond Swordmaster.]

“Father…”

Words her father Bykal used to say during training came to mind.

[I want to see you reach that level.]

Ariana opened her eyes.

Her gaze deepened, focusing momentarily somewhere.

Her line of sight landed on the factory where Arad was.

Druids hadn’t emerged yet, meaning they were barely holding on.

This meant she needed to eliminate all enemies with one strike.

“Lenslet… Rune… Lenslet.”

Ariana closed her eyes again.

She released the overheating dantian and bursting heart, letting them run wild, entrusting everything to their rampage.

Goooohhhh-

Cold winds swirled around her.

Her snow-white hair stretched upwards.

Her heart’s circles and dantian’s core merged, initiating an immense energy reaction akin to nuclear fusion in Earth terms.

-Do not use this technique under any circumstances.

-Hope you never have to use it.

-You won’t need to.

She recalled Arad’s reaction when she first demonstrated this.

‘Thought it’d end up being used somehow…’

She smirked.

Sssshhh…

The pure white mana and sword aura around Mary changed color.

From snow white matching her hair to ashen gray resembling her eyes.

[Aaaaaa…]

Simultaneously, Ariana’s body began breaking down.

The precarious balance she maintained collapsed.

The three heart circles she barely sustained rapidly multiplied to four, five, six.

Woooommm…

The sword Ariana gripped transformed.

The pristine blade absorbed ashen gray energy, condensing brilliantly like a lightsaber.

[Screeeeeech-!]

A scream-like sound rang in her ears.

The source was the magic sword she carried.

Now she understood why Arad named it “Cry of the Snowfield.”

Paaaaaat!!!

An enormous freezing explosion engulfed everything around.

“Kukukuku!!”

Watching this, Isaac’s avatar laughed uncontrollably.

“Now! This is the moment!”

Looking at Ariana, he saw something clearly.

“The curse! The completion of the curse!”

A long-forgotten curse planted in a family finally reached completion.

The curse severing the Lenslet lineage!

The final punctuation mark of a powerful destiny curse was set now.

Sshh-

Khahahahaha!

Even as his avatar was shredded by white sword energy, Isaac kept laughing.

“You… seem to have strong feelings towards me?”

While reloading magical bullets for who-knows-how-many times, I asked the polar bear-shaped Druid chief.

“Grrrr…”

Inside the factory, every piece of equipment was utterly destroyed.

‘Hmm… not good.’

All security and defense systems installed as precautions had been turned off long ago.

Unlike during Sigma and the Dark Wizard’s attack, these Druids were particularly resistant to magic.

Magic resistance. That was the deciding factor.

“Ugh…”

“Cough, hack…”

“…”

Not just equipment was destroyed.

Many of my guards were heavily injured, rendered combat-incapable.

More people were lying unconscious on the floor than standing.

‘Casualties… fortunately not many, thanks to the emergency healing enchantments on the armor.’

Thanks to the enchanted armor, most injuries stopped at severe instead of fatal.

That said, their sacrifices weren’t in vain. The Druid numbers significantly decreased, leaving only three including Nutska.

“They’re not kidding around after surviving bare-handed in the end of Manus Mountains.”

I sincerely praised the Druids in front of me.

In a way, the extreme north is harsher than the Magic Realm.

I’ve always wondered how humans, especially barbarians rejecting civilization, could survive in such conditions, and now I understand.

‘In games, Druids usually hide so deep you rarely encounter them.’

Meeting these setting-only beings in reality, as enemies no less, fills me with mixed fear and excitement.

“Director, we’ll try to create an opening.”

“Please escape while we do!”

Apart from me, currently four people are still capable of fighting.

Manager Te, Eopte, Roji, and Knight Karot desperately tried to ensure my survival.

“Stop. Nutska’s target has always been me since the start.”

I clearly sensed this during the fight.

His target is only me.

Even if knights try to draw his attention, he’ll ignore them and keep targeting me alone.

“Speak. What do you want?”

This was the time to buy time rather than fight immediately.

Though I’ve never heard human language from them, they aren’t monsters or beasts, so they should understand what I say.

“You’ve desecrated nature. Most greatly desecrated it.”

For the first time, human words flowed from Nutska’s mouth, seemingly understanding my sincerity.

‘Ancient language?’

Precisely, the language from the ancient golden age.

Being a max-level All-Master skilled in everything except combat, ancient languages were no problem for me.

“Could it be you’re angry because of my factory?”

I asked him the same question in ancient language.