Vol 3 Chapter 63 – Convergence and Fierce Battle【Empire War Arc】

The black staff Ganalkin withdrew bore a superficial resemblance to the Thyrsus, Yukino’s dark weapon, yet the aura enveloping it was entirely different.

It was perhaps thirty centimeters in length—more akin to a conductor’s baton, if anything.

Sensing danger, Roy retreated with a backstep to gain distance. At that moment, something massive and black materialized beside Ganalkin, drawing close as though recognizing him as its master.

“Kuku kuku, surprised, are you? This is a Snow Wolf transcended… no, at this point calling it a Cerberus would be no exaggeration!”

“This thing… it’s a Snow Wolf mutation variant. Eiden! Weren’t Ange and the others supposed to be dealing with it?”

“We received word earlier that they engaged a monster resembling this one to the southwest. So it shouldn’t be here, but…”

On our end, we had many injured. Only I, Yukino, and Sophia could actually fight properly.

Ange, Manabu, Sarina, and Palco… you’re all still alive. I’m certain of it.

Roy clung to the fact that no blood stained the Cerberus’s body. If combat had occurred, surely wounds and bloodstains would be present.

“Roy, Sarina and the others…”

Yukino’s face clouded with worry. Roy placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke with his usual logic.

“That’s not possible. That Cerberus shows no wounds. So—we’re fine.”

Yukino nodded and gripped the Thyrsus tightly.

“Sophia, this is our moment of reckoning. We take it down, no matter what!”

“Understood. Just don’t drop your guard, Roy.”

They exchanged nods and took their usual positions. The Cerberus stood protectively before Ganalkin. A tense standoff held between the two sides, the air thick with anticipation.

“If you won’t come to me, then I shall come to you! Go, Cerberus!”

Ganalkin infused his staff with magical power. In response, the Cerberus snarled and lunged forward.

“Not on our watch! ‘Blessing Breath Shield—Floating!'”

BANG!

The Cerberus was struck by an enormous white barrier and sent flying. It had become a blunt instrument incarnate.

“Tch! Cerberus, ‘Shadow Breath’!”

Ganalkin raised his staff and issued new commands. The risen Cerberus opened its maw wide toward Roy’s party.

“This is bad—the breath attack is coming!”

“Leave it to me! ‘Blessing Breath Shield—Floating!'”

Yukino materialized a defensive barrier, shielding the party. A thin, dark wave crashed against it, the surface crackling with grinding sounds.

“Yukino, can you hold this shield?”

“I-I think so… I think I can…!”

Gripping her staff forward and channeling additional magical power, Yukino maintained the standoff.

“Roy, why not just destroy that staff?”

“No—if we break it, we might lose control and it’ll go berserk. It’s possible the staff transformed it in the first place, but… for now, I want to avoid a rampage at all costs.”

“Then do you have another plan?”

“Rooooy! K-keep going! This is really bad!”

Roy considered the situation.

If it can maintain ‘Shadow Breath’ for this long, the magical supply must come from the Cerberus itself. There’s no way Ganalkin could sustain something this massive. So if we take the staff, it’ll definitely go berserk. First, let’s try dealing serious damage to the Cerberus directly.

“Roy!”

“I got it! I’ll tank—Sophia, prep ‘Light Spear Hasta Blitzen.’ I need to confirm how much damage actually gets through. If necessary, we’ll consider a tactical retreat.”

“Got it! But I’ve only got three more shots in me, magically speaking. Keep that in mind.”

Having already engaged once, Roy’s party’s remaining magical reserves were dangerously low. Sophia’s ‘Light Spear Hasta Blitzen’ would be their deciding factor, so wasting shots wasn’t an option.

“Alright, here we go!”

Roy extended his shadow beyond the breath attack’s range and plunged his holy sword into it. The blade traveled through the shadow beneath his feet and stopped at a point where Ganalkin was visible.

“Now—fire!”

WHOOSH! SLASH!

The holy sword shot from the shadow, embedding itself in Ganalkin’s right arm—the one holding the staff.

“Guh! W-what?! Where did that come from?!”

Since the strike wasn’t aimed visually, the wound was shallow, but it succeeded in forcing him to drop the staff and interrupt the breath attack.

Roy’s party remained shielded inside the barrier. Even launching the holy sword from within, it would contact the breath and miss its mark. Ganalkin’s paranoia activated—the concept of ambush now lodged firmly in his mind. This made him hesitant to use the breath attack with himself exposed.

“Sophia!”

“Right, here it comes! ‘Light Spear Hasta Blitzen’!”

Such a massive technique carried long post-activation lag. The Cerberus had no time to dodge as it was swallowed by the torrent of light.

“Cerberus?!”

Grrrrraaahhh…

The Cerberus rose to its feet despite its battered state. Ganalkin seemed relieved, but Roy noticed something troubling: the wounds weren’t regenerating, were they? Sustained use of massive techniques, plus wound repair—where was this magical source coming from?

Yet the post-activation lag persisted uncanceled. The technique wasn’t one he’d heard of, and no magical stone modifications were evident.

Then it must be: a system to forcibly absorb magical particles from the surroundings and convert them to magical power, with a mechanism to distribute that power throughout the entire body.

“Roy, the Cerberus is about to attack again…”

“Do you know the most efficient way to distribute magical power throughout a body?”

“Why ask now?! The basics of cardiac revival—channeling magical power to the heart and performing magical resuscitation. That’s the most efficient method, but… d-do you intend for me to try it on you?!”

“Wrong! A body that massive, that regenerative capacity, skills unknown to the standard breed—Ganalkin simply isn’t powerful enough to pull this off. There’s definitely something rigged in that creature’s heart.”

“Not a magical stone?”

“Of course that’s possible, but… if you tamper with a magical stone, the entity’s integrity breaks down and the body can’t be maintained. Even so, it’s still technically a Snow Wolf, right?”

“Understood. Then we overwhelm it before it fully recovers.”

“Right. Let’s go while it’s weakened!”

As Roy’s party charged forward, Ganalkin held his staff in his left hand and issued new orders.

“Cerberus, protect me! Do it now!”

The Cerberus rose and launched its assault. Shadow Claw, Shadow Bite—efficient skills with minimal openings—yet Yukino’s barrier deflected them all, each parry triggering a counter that carved new wounds into the creature.

“Blast it! I’m retreating! Never mind the range—unleash ‘Shadow Breath’ point-blank!”

Ganalkin chose to abandon both the Cerberus and his subordinate knights and mercenaries alike.

A foolish man indeed, yet the Cerberus obeyed the staff and opened its maw wide toward them.

Tch! With the party spread out, the angle means only I’ll take the hit—and if it connects, I’m done for.

So Roy threw his dagger directly at Ganalkin to ensure the breath locked onto him.

WHISH! CLANG!

Desperation-fueled, the dagger bounced off the sword at Ganalkin’s waist. The increased aggression satisfied Roy.

Yukino and Sophia’s eyes widened as they rushed toward him.

“Don’t give me that look. It’s a battle—this is unavoidable…”

Roy braced his holy sword like a shield. But there’s no way I can defend against this…

At that moment, something crashed through the trees, hurtling toward them.

VROOOOM! CRACK!

SCREEEECH!

Everyone froze.

A mass of iron burst from the forest and struck the Cerberus’s head dead-on, spinning before grinding to a halt.

A mass of iron—no, that’s an automobile. Manabu calls it an “armored vehicle,” but it’s definitely ours.

“Boss Roy! You still with us?!”

Palco poked his head out, waving. Sarina, Manabu, and Ange filed out through the vehicle’s door.

“Roy! Its heart is the weak point! Finish it quick!”

Ange was shouting.

“I know! I’m trying my best to target it right now, so hold on!”

At Roy’s words, the girls started bickering.

“See? I told you he’d figure it out.”

“Why are you saying that?! He’s never taken one down before!”

Why is noticing the weak point such a bad thing for them…?

Roy turned his gaze to Sophia.

“Ready whenever you are.”

Then to Yukino.

“Mm—since we’re in a battle, I’ll do my job properly. But when we sleep, prepare yourself for a proper lecture!”

Roy shrugged and turned back to the Cerberus.

“Go! Move now!”

At Ganalkin’s command, the Cerberus opened its maw once more.

“Not this time! ‘Shadow Prison’!”

Countless shadow bands erupted from the ground, forcibly sealing the creature’s jaws shut.

“Sophia, please mount up! ‘Blessing Breath Shield—Floating!'”

Tap! Sophia landed on the sideways barrier and was carried to an optimal firing angle.

“I can’t hold it much longer—fire! Sophia!”

“HEEEERE WE GOOOO! ‘Light Spear Hasta Blitzen’!!”

GRRRRAAAAAAHHHHH!!

The torrent of light pierced clean through the Cerberus’s torso, obliterating its heart along with it. The ground itself was carved away, leaving not even a magical crystal behind.

Gradually, the Cerberus faded to white and shrank to its original size. But with the magical crystal gone, it quickly dispersed into particles and vanished.

“T-that can’t be… impossible!”

Ganalkin collapsed and crawled backward, fleeing from the approaching Eiden.

“Shall we impose your company upon us? Even if you flee now, you’ll face execution for rule violation. If you cooperate and share your story, we might extend leniency.”

Eiden grabbed him by the collar and handed him off to Stark’s men.

“Bind him securely and take him back to the manor. If he resists, use whatever methods necessary.”

“Yes, sir!”

Thus ended Roy’s party’s tenure as bodyguards. They returned utterly exhausted—naturally receiving compensation befitting their effort, a feast, and promotion to Rank C.

The staff Ganalkin had carried was placed in Yukino’s item box for later investigation by the guild.