I Got Reincarnated Into a Game I Was a Top-Ranker in and I Became the Leader of a Villain Group That Will Destroy This Shitty Country - 97

Chapter 97: Clash

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

“Grrr…. Grrrrh…”

“….”

His decaying skin was peeling off. One side of his eye had turned red and his arm was swelling grotesquely. Her former comrade looked nothing like a human. Seeing him, Brien narrowed her eyes. Of course, there were times she didn’t think kindly of him. His excessive sense of justice and stubbornness could be irritating. Brien actually agreed with Chloe when Kaltz fought with Chloe. But still… Despite her displeasure at Kaltz, she had never wanted him to end up like this.

“Haah…”

That being said, she couldn’t afford to let her emotions get in the way otherwise, her movements would become dull. She might lose her head off if she let her guard down, even just for a split second. Having fought against that ghoul before, Brien knew. She knew that wasn’t Kaltz anymore. That thing was an enemy.

“GRAHHHHHHHH!!”

“Magnum Shot!!”

Brien fired her arrow at almost the exact moment Kaltz lunged at her. The arrowhead wasn’t big by any means, but it was incredibly sharp, especially at close range. Kaltz instinctively reacted, dodging the arrow. This caused his moment to break. Taking advantage of that opening, Brien moved as far away from Kaltz as possible. Close combat was not her forte and she needed the support of her comrades if she wanted to defeat Kaltz.

“Tch…!!”

Brien grimaced, clearly not expecting to face Kaltz this soon. However, unexpected occurance like this was common on the battlefield. Without wasting any time, she notched a red arrow and fired it into the sky. Shortly after, a loud explosion and rising smoke filled the air, followed by the voice of the leader of the Resistance, Kiriel.

“A strong enemy has appeared! Frontline unit, retreat!! Magic unit! Hal of you go and support Brien-sama!”

That red arrow was a signal that they had decided upon beforehand. This signal was enough to make the troop know what to do next. To begin with, Brien and Kiriel’s unit was only here to ambush and chip away the strength of the Imperial Army. Sure, Kaltz’s sudden appearance made things more complicated than planned, but they still had done their job. They had launched several high-powered magic attacks on the enemy’s rear unit. It was safe to say their primary objective had been accomplished. The frontline unit of the Resistance gradually retreated while the magic unit shifted their focus on attacking Kaltz. Soon enough, rain of spells came pouring down from atop the roof. 

“Lightning Spear!”

“Fire Bolt!”

“Grrr…!?”

While retreating, the Resistance’s army unleashed smaller-scale magic at the enemy. Although the spell wasn’t strong, but the rapid succession of small spells was enough to prevent Kaltz from pursuing Brien even further. Still, despite the barrage of magic, Kaltz still managed to dodge most of the attacks with his almost inhuman speed and reflex. 

“Just… Just what is this guy?!”

The member of Resistance exclaimed, looking clearly frustrated for not being able to land a decent hit on Kaltz and yet, Brien remained unfazed. She calmly drew her bow, maintaining her composure. She took a deep breath and fixed her gaze on the enemy.

“Arrow Strafe.”

She unleashed rapid-fire arrows toward Kaltz at a speed imperceptible to the human eye. Barrage of arrows coming at Kaltz. Any average person would only see Brien holding her bow steady, but in reality, she was firing dozens of arrows in quick succession. With her eyes wide open, Brien maintained an strangely calm she aimed all her arrows solely at Kaltz.

The sudden combined onslaught of magic and arrows caused Kaltz to let out a scream of agony.

“Grrraahhhhhh!!!”

Although Kaltz’s physical abilities had been enhanced now that he was a ghoul, but the barrage of attacks that flooded his field of vision made it impossible to dodge everything. Eventually, one of Brien’s arrows pierced his torso. Soon after, five or six more arrows struck the same spot, causing his movements to come to a sudden halt. 

“…!!”

Seeing this, Brien increased the speed of her rapid-fire. If she didn’t have enough power, she could just overwhelm him with numbers.

No matter how strong you are, there’s no way you can still stand upright after taking over a hundred of my arrows!

“Now! Magic unit!!”

At Kiriel’s command, the magic unit began to cast their spells in unison. Their target was only one. Countless arrows, fireballs, lightning spears, and sharp icicles all converged on a single point.

“Kill Hero Kaltz!! Kill our enemy!!”

A massive explosion shook the ground. Only until the smoke began to clear that Brien could finally see the building that Kaltz had been standing on reduced to rubble. The building was completely destroyed, with the blood of the enemy soldiers caught in the blast splattered across the scene. She took it all in with sharp focus.

“We don’t have time! We’re moving out! Quickly!”

“Yes, Brien-sama!”

Upon seeing the enemy hordes pressing forward, she immediately issued the order to retreat.

He should be dead by now, right…? I mean, if he were still alive, he would have already come charging at us.

She wasn’t sure. But for now, she had to stick to the plan!

“Those who can use wind magic, quickly cast buffs on our allies! Create as much distance as possible from the enemy!!”

The enemies seemed to grow more violent, perhaps mistaking their retreat as a sign of weakness. Well, those soldiers were just soulless puppets who didn’t know the importance of choosing the right momentum.

“Run, run!! Run as if your life depends on it. We’re almost there!!”

“-!? Kiriel, watch out!!”

“Huh…!?”

Brien, who was still attacking the enemy at the very end of the line, quickly grabbed Kiriel and threw both of their bodies to the ground. Soon after, the slicing sound of sword being swung echoed through the area. Kirie opened her eyes, trying to assess the situation. The sword wasn’t swung. It had been thrown at them. Next to them, there was a sword cloaked in an evil aura. A sword that was once said to be a holy sword that belonged to the church.

“Grrrh….”

“Tch…. Don’t fucking kidding me!!”

It was Kaltz’s sword. His flayed skin made him look more like a zombie than a ghoul. 

“The enemy is over there!! Annihilate them! Eradicate them!!!”

Soon after, the voice of Goering, the commander of the enemy. His voice echoed from afar as he issued orders to the soulless puppet army. Kiriel’s face immediately went pale and Brien clenched her teeth. Just when Kaltz was taking another step closer to them…

“Grr..?”

“Exterminate… Exterminate…”

Kaltz and the Imperial Army became the witness of a massive conglomeration of several black magic orbs covering the whole sky.

“Aura Wall!”

And then, both Kiriel and Brien were enveloped in a dome-shaped holy magi.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー