The Devil Does Not Need to Be Defeated

"Boom–!!!!"

A powerful explosion suddenly appeared without any reason at a certain cave in the deepest parts of the canyon. Flames blasted out, burning up everything around it.

"Charge out!"

Vivian set her shield in front over everyone in her party and blocked the assault of the flames as she shouted out at the people behind her. Then, she lead everyone along in charging out of the cave.

However, the moment they exited the cave, another wave of flames came.

"Boom–!!!"

An explosion roared out once again, setting the path before Vivian and her party alight with violent flames, blocking their way forward.

"Don't let them get away again!"

Gerald roared out furiously at the nobles and knights around him.

"Get them, all of you! A thousand gold to anyone who slays Diere Arbin!"

Gerald's promise made the knights' eyes light up with vicious gleams as they charged forth without hesitation.

As for the nobles, they all raised their staves and started chanting their spells.

"Big sis Vivian!"

"Captain!"

Lumia and Melika turned slightly panicked a the sight of that.

"Don't panic!" Vivian immediately ordered in a low tone, "Melika, ready your magic. Diere and Lumia, keep guard at the sides. Leave the rest to me!"

Vivian's orders quickly got the girls to calm back down.

Melika started chanting her own magic without hesitation. Lumia raised her gauntlets and waited by the side with a nervous expression.

As for Diere, she was instead the calmest person of them all. She raised the blades in her hands and coldly stared at the enemies coming for them.

Those enemies were unable to reach Diere though.

That's because the strongest shield of the Kingdom stood before them.

"Decoy!"

"Resist!"

Vivian used two of the skills she commonly uses and forced all the charging knights to divert toward Vivian instead. It was like they've been enraged by Vivian and they only had her in their eyes anymore as they raised their weapons and started swinging away.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang…!"

Metallic clashes rang out. Countless weapons struck Vivian's shield over and over in showers of sparks.

"Mages! Get ready to launch your spells!"

At the back, Gerald wasn't surprised at all by the sight of this. Instead, he just yelled out toward the people readying their magic next to him.

Vivian reacted in alarm at that.

[Decoy] is a very good skill. It can draw all enemies within a certain range to the user's position and force all enemy attacks toward said user. It's an absolutely required skill for any defensive vanguard in all adventuring party.

This skill isn't without weaknesses though.

First of all, its range is limited.

Next, it's ineffective against enemies who are higher leveled than what the skill level can handle.

For example, when the [Decoy] skill is raised to level 5, it will affect all existences less than level 60 within a fairly large range. However, it won't have any effect against enemies at level 60 or above.

Vivian personally places a great deal of focus on this skill, and she has already leveled it to level 6. It can thus affect all existences less than level 70, and the range is capable of covering everything within 60 meters of her.

All the nobles and knights attacking Vivian are below level 70, so none of them are beyond the effect of her skill.

However, they did seem to have figured out the effective range of Vivian's skill, so they were keeping a suitable distance.

In other words, Vivian had no way of drawing to her the next wave of attacks.

Gerald mercilessly gave the order.

"Release!"

The mages all launched their spells amidst vicious laughter, blasting out magical bullets from dozens of meters away.

"Freeze Whirlpools!"

Just then, Melika's own voice rang out behind Vivian.

With a wave of magic power, a freezing gust blew and transformed into a whirlpool capable of freezing the air right before Vivian.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang…!"

The oncoming rain of spells all slammed into the freezing whirlpool. None managed to penetrate, only managing to blast out some waves of frost and ice.

"Huff… Huff…"

Melika dropped to the ground like she was completely out of strength.

"Melika!"

Vivian immediately reacted and yelled out.

The attackers however were shocked.

"One person was able to block all the attack magic that so many of us cast?"

"Did she use a high class ice type defensive spell?"

"Impossible! That's obviously only a mid class spell!"

"How was its defensive power that high?"

"It should be impossible, even if she's an elf!"

One noble mage after another started clamoring.

The spells they used are also mid class spells. Even so, it was still completely blocked by Melika's similarly mid class spell, so it's no wonder that they found it so unbelievable.

They had no idea that Melika's magic power has been continuously growing during this period of time, and at an increasing rate over time at that. That's why the spell she cast could already faintly reach the might of high class magic.

It's all thanks to the sheer might of her magic power. However, after casting such a powerful spell, Melika's magic power has naturally been mostly exhausted.

Gerald noticed this point, so he hurriedly spoke.

"Attack that elf mage first!"

The knights moved to follow that order and all of them started charging toward Melika.

Vivian attempted to stop them, but her magic power was similarly exhausted. It's to the point where she even ended up tripping and falling to a knee.

In the end, it was Lumia who acted.

"D-don't hurt Melika!"

Lumia yelled out, raised her fists, and charged forth.

Two knights at around level 40 immediately intercepted Lumia and started fighting her.

The other knights attempted to move around her to directly attack Melika.

Unfortunately for them though…

"Buzz!"

Crimson magic power lit up on a pair of blades alongside vibrations in the air.

"Get lost!"

Diere charged forth like a tempest, suddenly spinning out in a wide slash with blades enhanced with [Magic Sword].

"Clang!"

All weapons that made contact with her [Magic Sword] were immediately cut apart.

"Rip!"

A knight who was unfortunate enough to have been also within the range of that attack had his chest torn wide open with a spray of blood.

In mere moment, the knights screamed out in pain one after another. They each either fell to the ground, heavily injured, or had their weapons cut apart and then sent flying by a kick from Diere.

Until finally…

"I finally found an opening."

An overjoyed voice entered Diere's ears, making her pupils shrink to pinpricks.

The next moment, an arrow pierced through the air.

"Rip!"

Diere was unable to react in time, and the arrow pierce right through her side with a spray of blood.

"Diere!"

Vivian who was on a knee, Melika who was collapsed on the ground, and Lumia who was still engaged in combat all saw this and screamed out.

"Cough, cough…!"

Diere started coughing up blood. Her gaze shakily looked in the direction that the arrow came from.

There, Gerald was still grinning viciously, bow in hand.

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