Chapter 137

“Dorothea’s blue eyes quickly scanned the enemy forces.”

‘They’re outnumbered.’

Over 200 Homunculi in total.

It was absurd to think this with knights capable of handling Sword Mastery in front of me, but they were the 4th Grade Witches’ underlings.

If what Franka, the West Witch’s subordinate, had said was true, there had to be at least double, no, triple that number of Homunculi remaining.

Wherever they were and whatever they were doing, the West Witch wouldn’t just sit idle while her own life was at risk.

Reinforcements were inevitable.

I couldn’t afford to drag this out any longer.

Dorothea opened the pouch at her waist.

Clink!

With the sound of shattering glass, eerie smoke filled the air around the group.

The thick dark mist, which seemed to transform darkness into gas, obscured the eyes of the Golden Monkeys.

Thump!

From within the smoke, the Tin Knight leaped forward.

The Golden Monkeys, as if they were waiting for him, hurled their spears at him.

Of course, it was a strike laced with magical power.

In response, the Tin Knight tightened his grip.

Whoooom!

A sword masterfully built up energy, ready to unleash at any moment, ignited a deadly spark in his hand.

This was unprecedented for the normally efficient Tin Knight, who would swiftly take out enemies.

Swish!

In a mere swing, he sliced through three monkeys’ necks in one swift motion.

Before their golden heads even hit the ground, the Tin Knight kicked their lifeless bodies into the black smoke.

Whether it was rage at his comrades’ deaths or just a mechanical response to his master’s commands, the surrounding monkeys all charged at the Tin Knight in unison.

Front, back, left, right. And above.

A chaotic multi-pronged assault, possible only because of their small size, flight ability, and abnormal physical prowess, swarmed the Tin Knight.

Their attacks aimed at all 12 zones: the crown, left eye, right jaw, neck, shoulder, side, back, waist, navel, thigh, ankle, and dorsum.

As these attacks descended upon him, the blue flames in the Tin Knight’s eyes flickered.

Kachang! Kachang!

The harsh and metallic sounds echoed one after another, sparks flew from his body, and shallow cuts appeared everywhere.

But that was all.

To his surprise, the damage sustained was much lighter than anticipated, widening the eyes of the Golden Monkeys.

As the spear pierced through, he sensed the tip veering off wildly.

It felt as if he had touched a rapidly spinning sphere, and that feeling was indeed accurate.

Whoooom!

Blue and gray magical power raced across the surface of the Tin Knight’s body like a tide, circulating rapidly.

This was similar to what had happened when he operated the propeller from behind the wagon. It produced physical force by manipulating magical energy, after all.

The Tin Knight once again swung his sword, and this time, two necks fell.

Having cleared the way, he dove back into the black smoke.

Just then, as the Golden Monkeys charged ahead to pursue him…

Swish!

It looked like the Tin Knight was retreating, but he abruptly flipped his body and threw the spear he’d just picked up from a monkey.

A sudden ambush as if piercing through a gap in awareness.

Just as the golden projectile was about to reach the West Witch…

It swooshed.

The ground beneath the witch seemed to ripple like liquid, and a towering golden column suddenly rose to block the Tin Knight’s spear.

With a loud crash, the thrown spear shattered upon impact, and a moment later, the West Witch’s expression changed.

The knight assessed the situation.

She has defensive measures independent of her awareness. Her base reaction time isn’t fast enough for that.

Her alchemical skills are exceptional, but she’s essentially a scholar, not a warrior.

Her strategy relies on sending her minions to fight; it’s assumed she’s had little experience fighting in a location where she directly faces threats.

A gamer evaluated.

Summoned creatures are her core. The skills are powerful, but their stats are on the lower side. Judging by how she handles her subordinates, she clearly lacks strategic simulation skills.

“Using petty tricks!”

The West Witch’s anger pierced through the air.

In a desperate bid to drown out her fear of imminent danger, it seemed she was seething.

Once again the ground beneath her swayed like liquid, and a massive pillar shot up, lifting her body toward the sky.

Atop the pillar appeared a spherical barrier to protect the witch, and from its base, four mechanical arms sprang forth.

Each of the arms held a crossbow, spear, axe, and shield.

The shining golden axe jerkily rose high and then came crashing down toward the center of the black smoke.

That strike aimed at the place where Dorothea stood but was blocked by the Tin Knight’s shield, preventing it from descending fully; nevertheless, the force of the impact shoved the black smoke back, revealing the group’s figures.

As the axe hit, the Tin Knight’s footing faltered, and dozens of spearheads rained down upon him.

The Tin Knight managed to fend them off with his remaining sword and armor, but he lacked the hands to protect his other comrades from incoming threats.

Swish!

Dodging a fierce incoming spear with her left shoulder, Adel swung both her swords.

Crack!

From the blade lodged in the enemy’s side returned strong resistance.

She lacked strength. Even though she added sword mastery to her centrifugal force, it felt insufficient.

Judging that it was impossible to quickly slice through, she pulled back and swung her sword to the side.

As she blocked another Homunculus’ downward spear, a numbness spread through her hand and forearm.

Adel furrowed her brows.

‘They really aren’t weak…!’

The shining golden fur, muscles woven like tough fibers, and bones even harder than most metal weapons—none were easy to cut through.

Despite being just slightly larger than a child, it possessed enough strength to hurl rocks the size of itself and, of course, knew how to imbue magical power into its weapon and enhance its physical abilities.

Not to mention, if it found itself at a disadvantage, it could simply fly away for a quick escape.

It wasn’t strange at all that the Tin Knight was out of the ordinary for slaughtering several in one strike—each of the Homunculi commanded by the West Witch was stronger than an average knight.

Even though Adel had experience taking on twenty Homunculi based on the fact that their goal was capture, and because she carried “Amaryllis’s Belt,” that success came with conditions.

Faced with an opponent intent on outright killing her, she doubted she’d last even 20 seconds, let alone cut down twenty.

Just as she teetered on the brink of being skewered by a spear…

Clang!

An attack that flew in from the side intercepted the spear aimed at Adel.

It wasn’t the Tin Knight coming to her aid.

A golden-furred, winged monkey—a strike from a Homunculus saved Adel.

Surprised by the sudden intervention from a former comrade, the Homunculus attacking Adel showed a hint of confusion.

But the one who saved Adel paid no mind to such reactions and swiftly thrust its spear into the former comrade.

Along with them, several other Homunculi, turning their backs to Adel, fought against those attempting to attack her.

As it turned out, exactly five Homunculi had defected.

This number precisely matched the count of Homunculi that the Tin Knight had taken down in the previous battle.

“You dare to betray us!”

The West Witch’s one-eyed glare bore down on the rooftop.

Slosh.

By this point, a strange substance flowed across the rooftop floor.

It looked like plant sap or perhaps some kind of algae blooming on the water, forming a murky flow that gradually began to cover the rooftop.

As the betrayed Homunculi lay pierced, unable to react, the green liquid seeped into their corpses.

Right after, something like a plant stem grew between the golden fur and the veins beneath.

Rising up.

The one-time corpse effortlessly got to its feet and, as if it wasn’t odd at all, swung a weapon at its former kin.

At the center of this bizarre phenomenon was Dorothea, gripping her staff.

Protected by a translucent barrier, she withstood the incoming attacks from the Homunculi while defiantly taunting,

“Looks like you can’t even clean up your own dead this time? But then again, you must be too scared to come down from your perch. I bet you don’t care about your subordinates’ funerals.”

“How arrogant! Your hubris knows no bounds!”

Three of the four arms, alongside the golden pillar and roots, swung at once.

The arrows shot from the crossbows were massive, the axe was fierce, and the spear was sharp.

However, that was all.

Clang!

The sword swung by the Tin Knight deflected the spear, his shield blocked the axe, and a swift kick diverted the arrow’s trajectory.

The witch’s attacks intended to punish Dorothea were futile against the barrier that was the Tin Knight.

In exchange, part of the Tin Knight’s body was pierced and sliced by a spear, but as he poured magical power into the wound, it healed without a hitch.

Chit!

Adel, caught up in the fray outside, leaped into the barrier where Dorothea and Sophia were.

The barrier that was actively repelling incoming Homunculus attacks did not hesitate to allow Adel’s entrance.

“Heal me!”

“Yes, just a moment.”

Sophia’s divine power quickly healed the wounds scattered across Adel’s body.

[‘Tin Knight’ requests supplies on this side!]

In response to the Tin Knight’s call, Adel dashed back out and unleashed a powerful attack, while Dorothea poured her magical power into the Tin Knight’s back as he returned to the barrier.

Perhaps feeling rushed since there was hardly any time to pour her magic gently, she seemed almost to dump it in.

Half of the magic didn’t transfer correctly and leaked elsewhere, but Dorothea didn’t care. Nothing was more precious than time right now.

By the time about a quarter of the magic tank was filled, the Tin Knight leaped forward again.

In that short time, Adel had found herself cornered and wavering. It had only been 3 seconds since he had left his position, but she looked as if she were about to collapse. Even with Sophia continuously healing from a distance, it wasn’t enough; it felt like if he left her alone for just 2 more seconds, she would be dead.

As he hurling Adel back into the barrier, he narrowed his eyes at the Homunculus that was attacking the hardest among the enemies.

Seeing the belt of flames wrapped around its waist, the Tin Knight’s eyes gleamed.

It didn’t mean much to him since his body was made of metal, but it was essential equipment for the still fragile apprentice.

Rashashashashak!

The Tin Knight’s sword traced a reckless curve.

There was no noble thought or elegant grace; it was a rough swordsmanship entirely focused on slaughtering the enemy.

In the blink of an eye, three more Homunculi fell, yet the prized belt monkey merely had a piece of its skin severed and remained unfazed.

It seemed like it was properly benefiting from the effects of the relic.

Just as he was about to deliver a follow-up strike, the West Witch’s massive golden artifacts once again targeted the barrier where Dorothea stood.

The Tin Knight halted his assault and once again positioned himself to block the witch’s weapon.

As various attacks rushed in from all angles, they once again scraped away at his body, but beneath him, the Homunculi that had fallen were immersed in the green liquid, rising up defiantly.

It was a fierce war of attrition.

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