Chapter 110 (Part 2)

Harold, from his meticulous playthroughs of ‘Brave Hearts’, had learned to impose a sort of handicap on himself. This handicap involved assembling a party consisting solely of Liner, Colette, Francis, and Hugo, characters who possessed little to no magic or ranged attacks.

Given their primarily close- and mid-range techniques, and the inadequacy of their recovery spells, the player needed exceptional precision in defense and coordination to utilize them effectively.

Back then, Harold found it incredibly challenging to use this combination against opponents like the Combo Demon, the melee expert Harold Stokes, Vincent, and the final boss, Justus, whose fighting style involved unleashing powerful, long-range attacks.

That said, it was this arduous playthrough that taught him. He knew they could never match the current ‘Harold’.

More importantly, Harold had prepared countermeasures for the possibility of his party turning hostile. Indeed, it was in anticipation of such a scenario that he had spent almost two months battling Sid and the others, as well as Isaac and his squad, entirely on his own.

Of course, Liner and the rest of the party were far tougher opponents. Nevertheless, those training days had undeniably improved his ability to instantly assess whether to dodge or block attacks coming from every direction.

A long halberd descended, easily dodged by Harold. The attack lacked the power to shatter the ground, rendering it harmless.

Hugo instinctively tried to raise the halberd and adjust his stance, but Harold used the upward force to propel himself off the halberd’s shaft, leaping clear of Francis’s weapon, which had followed close behind.

Harold’s jump propelled him three meters into the air, yet this did nothing to deter a volley of arrows that immediately rained down upon him. Only a few looked threatening, and all were blocked by his sword.

However, Harold quickly realized this was merely a distraction.

【”『Bolt Lance』!”】

The combined frontal attacks of the four, coming from all sides, blocked all escape routes. This left him with only one option: to leap into the air. But there, awaiting him, were Erica’s arrows. This slight, but unavoidable, distraction prevented him from fully dodging the spell fired by Lifa, a spell infused with scientific power and guided by Justus.

This coordinated attack from the group of six surpassed anything achievable in the game. It was a truly magnificent display of cooperation. Or rather, it could have been, if Harold hadn’t already foreseen it.

The truth was, while Harold was dealing with Liner and the others, he was most wary of Lifa and Erica, due to their potent spells.

Given the circumstances, he had anticipated Lifa delivering the final blow.

After all, the rest of the group was engaged in a chaotic fight below him, three meters away, at the moment of the attack. As long as they were clustered together, a large-scale spell affecting the surrounding area would be difficult to cast. That’s why Harold dared to face them one by one.

Furthermore, Harold knew that Erica’s arrows, with their speed and power, were ideal for restraining him from a distance. The rest of the group, having fought alongside Erica before, were surely aware of this as well. Therefore, the optimal strategy was clearly to let Erica restrain Harold, allowing Lifa to strike.

But Harold’s specialty was speed. If Lifa was going to attack him with magic, she would likely choose her fastest spell, ‘Bolt Lance’.

Indeed, using that spell would be her best chance to land a hit. Though not powerful enough to defeat him in one blow, it could induce complete paralysis.

However, this spell happened to be of the lightning attribute, Harold’s most proficient element. By the time he had blocked the arrows, he was prepared to unleash the same spell.

【”『Bolt Lance』“】

Harold unleashed his spell simultaneously with Lifa, and her Bolt Lance was effortlessly absorbed by his. As the two identical attacks cancelled each other out, they coalesced into a blinding light, more powerful than the sun’s brilliance.

Everyone in the party instinctively shielded their eyes. When they opened them after a moment of silence, they found Harold standing calmly, uninjured.

【”…Is that all you’ve got?”】

Despite his words of apparent disappointment, Harold had barely escaped unscathed.

The only reason he avoided damage was that he had no intention of attacking, focusing solely on dodging. It would have been a different story if he had intended to defeat the entire party. Still, the decisive battle was imminent, and injuring the party was the last thing Harold wanted. He had to avoid it at all costs.

But considering the events to come, it wouldn’t be wise for Harold to risk injury. If that were to happen, it would be better to escape and ignore the animosity between him and the party. However…

【”We’re not done yet!”】

Angered by Harold’s words, Liner rushed towards him, shouting.

Though Liner hadn’t sustained serious injuries, this battle was about avenging his parents. It was entirely understandable that he was angered by the “Is that all you’ve got?” remark.

Before the battle, not everyone in the party had agreed to fight, so Harold had hoped to use that opportunity to say, “Guys, let’s stop this and leave it behind.”

But this didn’t change their minds.

Well, it was a natural consequence, as Harold had actually said, “If you’re not going to fight, I’ll end this here,” a declaration of war rather than a truce offer.

Nevertheless, thanks to this misunderstanding, Liner, whose biggest weakness was his emotional nature, acted impulsively.

【”Aaaaaaah!”】

The power of his fire-sword surged. As it struck the ground, a raging inferno erupted.

What Liner hadn’t realized was that his forward dash had left him exposed.

Harold effortlessly dodged the attack and, with a swift movement, moved behind Liner, striking him on the back of the head with the hilt of his sword.

【”Ugh…!”】

Liner groaned but held his ground, refusing to fall. Harold had intended a knockout blow, but as expected of Liner, he was remarkably resilient. Perhaps this was a manifestation of his unwavering determination.

Harold plunged his black sword into the ground, then pressed Liner, still reeling, against the ground with his left hand.

The next moment, a loud sound and flash of light followed. Without a word, Liner collapsed.

【”Liner!”】

Colette rushed to his side, followed by Hugo and Francis.

Colette and the others were positioned directly in the line of fire Lifa and Erica had intended.

Erica was poised to fire her next arrow, but this forced her to hold back. Even as a master archer, hitting Harold would be difficult under normal circumstances, given his speed. Besides, Lifa, standing beside her, wasn’t ready to cast her next spell.

Having ensured his safety on that front, Harold lowered his body slightly. His posture suggested an imminent leap towards Colette, Francis, and Hugo, prompting them to step forward in defense.

However, Harold was faster. By the time they moved, he had already closed the distance.

【”Huh?”】

Hugo’s surprised exclamation was likely due to realizing Harold had suddenly targeted him instead of Colette. Not only was Harold too fast to track, but Hugo probably hadn’t considered himself a target.

This was a surprise attack.

Harold used the sword hilt again, but this time, aimed for Hugo’s chin. Even Hugo, with his formidable physique, was powerless against this attack, which literally shook his brain. His muscular body crumpled face-first, and he stopped moving.

Immediately after, before Francis could react, Harold kicked him in the abdomen and discharged a bolt of electricity from his palm—a ‘Lightning Palm’.

A single strike was enough to incapacitate Francis, just as it had Liner.

Though this was Harold’s intention, he felt it had happened too quickly. Incapacitating one member after another, he had already neutralized half the party.

【”…Really? That’s it?”】

Harold unintentionally voiced his doubt.

He couldn’t help but wonder if they could truly defeat Justus, but no answer came.

Colette’s shoulders slumped as she realized her allies had fallen while she was rushing to Liner.

She appeared stunned.

Still, she stepped in front of Liner to protect him, but she was powerless. Her weapon was destroyed.

【”So, you’re the only ones left?”】

Addressing Erica and Lifa, as if Colette were insignificant, Harold turned towards them. Lifa had a tense expression, while Erica displayed a sharp, resolute look.

【”What now? Do you really still want to keep going?”】

【”Naturally.”】

Erica responded immediately.

Lifa’s voice erupted like thunder.

【”Enough already! Erica! And you too, Harold! You’re making no sense! Why do we have to fight you?!”】

【”Stop yelling. If you don’t feel like fighting, just piss off.”】

Though Harold’s words were meant as, “If you don’t want to fight, you can retreat, it’s okay,” they only fueled the fire.

【”Uh! …Okay, I see how it is… Now that you said that, you can be sure I’ll take you on…! You better not complain afterwards!”】

Lifa raised her staff above her head, striking the ground. A golden magic formation instantly enveloped Harold.

【”That’s…!”】

Harold recognized the spell immediately, but he was already trapped.

【”『Dual bind』!”】

This was the most powerful spell for restraining an opponent. In the game, it could stun the enemy for 8 seconds, and further reduce their speed and attack stats.

This spell was practically broken. Constant use would render any enemy powerless.

But, of course, such a convenient spell couldn’t exist without drawbacks. It could only be used once per battle. Furthermore, it didn’t consume a fixed amount of mana, but rather one-third of the user’s total mana supply.

Among those drawbacks, there was one that stated, “Cannot be cast without incantation.”

(When? When did she use the incantation?!)

Harold’s mind raced, searching for an answer. He could only conclude one thing. She had used an incantation.

There wasn’t enough time between the Bolt Lance and now to chant the incantation for this spell. He hadn’t heard her say anything either. If she had used an incantation, it would have been earlier.

But Harold couldn’t recall any moment where she could have done so.

(No, surely she… Wait, is that what’s going on?!)

His thoughts raced, and he realized something odd had happened earlier. He soon reached his answer.

Lifa had used an incantation. While Harold fought Liner and the others, he had noticed Lifa chanting, releasing a golden light, before casting Bolt Lance.

But now, Harold realized that incantation was too long for a simple Bolt Lance. Moreover, both Bolt Lance and Dual Bind shared the same golden light.

(Are you kidding me… So she used Bolt Lance without chanting, while simultaneously chanting for Dual Bind?!)

Dual Spell-casting. No such skill existed in the game, nor had Harold seen it in this world.

In a way, this answer was far beyond Harold’s imagination, even crazier than simply not using an incantation for Dual Bind.

And Harold knew a certain lunatic who could very well conceive such a crazy idea.

(What the hell did you teach her, Justus?!)

Lifa was anything but talented with magic. However, this was normal, as the ability to properly channel magic into spells was rare. In other words, it wasn’t a lack of understanding, but a genetic trait that made her ‘oracle organ’ somewhat defective.

And Justus was the only oracle organ specialist in this world. Furthermore, in this magic-driven society, no other scientist possessed his knowledge.

Besides, Lifa’s intellect and capabilities made her a genius from the start. Not to mention, once her Oracle Organ was fixed, allowing her to enhance her skills in both magic and science.

This meant she could freely display ingenious, previously unseen spells.

【”Don’t hold back, Erica!”】

【”Understood.”】

To make matters worse, there was another genius capable of firing multiple high-grade spells in succession without incantations.

Harold was about to face Erica Sumeragi’s wrath.

【”『Raven Storm』“】

Two magic formations appeared at Erica’s feet, overlapping—one green, the other jet black. This was a spell Harold didn’t recognize.

However, he could guess its nature from the formations.

This was a combination of two spells with different attributes, both cast without incantation. Judging by the mana, they were both high-grade spells.

A direct hit from this would likely harm Harold. But even knowing this, his body remained immobile.

Soon, he vanished in a jet-black storm.