Ankoku Kishi Monogatari ~Yuusha wo Taosu Tameni Maou ni Shoukansaremashita~-Chapter 179.1: Botis’ Poison

I replied to Kuna and raised my sword above my shoulders, flying as I spun at high speed.

Naturally, I knew that Zaffrada would use her claws to block my slash!

Thus, my sword cleaved her claws, and then tore her body.

「AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!」

Zaffrada retreated at once.

Though the slash wasn't enough to kill her, I had managed to deal severe damage. The proof was the red mist that spurted from her body, it was a corrosive mist to prevent us from approaching her.

That mist was a real problem.

It drained life from nearby creatures to heal Zaffrada. So, whenever the red mist appeared, Kuna and I had to use magic to disperse it.

But that also disrupted our attacks, giving Zaffrada the chance to heal herself.

This pattern kept repeating throughout the fight.

We had the upper hand, but we lacked the final blow to bring Zaffrada down.

Meanwhile, the forest around us was descending into chaos.

How could we force her out as quickly as possible?

「Shirone. We’ve won.」

Kuna spoke just as I was wracking my brain for a plan.

She was looking off into the distance.

There, something enormous loomed.

It was a giant deer with golden antlers.

「THE DIVINE DEER OF THE FOREST HAS APPEARED?!」

Zaffrada shrieked.

The Divine Deer, Cernunnos, the god of Ceryneia, had arrived.

Normally calm and rarely seen, Cernunnos was the ruler of the seasons. It was said that when its horns shed, winter begins, and when they regrow, it marks the start of spring.

Even the gentle Divine Deer had been provoked by Zaffrada's atrocities.

As it moved, the trees parted, clearing a path for it to walk.

Even the greenmen came to assist us.

Cernunnos summoned countless light arrows around its horns and unleashed them upon Zaffrada.

She was overwhelmed by the sheer power and her defenses crumbled.

The Divine Deer’s strength was staggering.

The greenmen glowed with a bright green light, summoning winds that dispersed the red mist.

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Now, Zaffrada’s ability to heal was severely limited.

「It’s over, Zaffrada. Even the neutral forces have joined the fight.」

Kuna shouted.

Looking down at the battlefield, I saw the orcs had been defeated, and the goblins were fleeing in terror.

Even the Serpent Prince, who had been battling in the sky, was forced to retreat.

There was no way Zaffrada could continue the fight now.

「Huhuhuhu. This isn’t over yet. We still have Botis' poison! Prepare yourselves for the resurrection of the Wicked Beast!」

Zaffrada shouted as she withdrew.

She had chosen to retreat.

「What is this "Botis' poison" she’s talking about?」

I tilted my head as I asked Kuna.

「It might be referring to that, Shirone.」

Kuna said, her gaze fixed in a particular direction as she pointed her scythe.

A section of the forest was now enclosed by a dome of light.

That’s where the dwarf village should be.

「What is that supposed to be?!」

「No idea. But there's no way their plan ends there.」

I nodded in agreement with Kuna.

For now, we needed to regroup with Chiyuki and the others.

===

◆Black Haired Sage; Chiyuki

Botis had retreated.

We regrouped at Cartahaugh Fortress.

The orcs and goblins had already fled in panic, and the Serpent Prince, along with his army in the sky, had also pulled back.

In short, we had won.

Or at least, that’s what we thought…

「It seems even the angels can't break through that barrier, Chiyuki-san.」

I nodded in agreement with Rino.

We could see the angels attempting to shatter the barrier using image magic, but their efforts barely left a mark.

「Yeah, Rino-san. The Serpent Prince’s real target has always been the dwarf village. The attack on the elven capital was just a distraction to buy time and set up that barrier.」

「True, but what’s the point of it? I mean, sure, it cuts off reinforcements for the dwarves, but it also isolates their own forces.」

Everyone exchanged confused glances at Nao’s comment.

She was right. The Serpent Prince hadn’t sent any soldiers to the dwarf village.

The only ones who slipped through were the wolves.

And even though most of the dwarves’ military strength had been sent to help the elven capital, they had still left enough behind to defend their village.

That should’ve been more than enough to fend off the wolves.

Then, suddenly, I felt the earth tremble beneath us.

「What was that?」

Shirone shot up immediately.

「What was that wave just now?! Don’t tell me the Wicked Beast has awakened?!」

Nier, standing beside her, was equally shocked.

It felt as though the roar of a wolf had carried through the tremor.

Thankfully, the barrier remained intact.

「This… doesn’t look good, does it?」

Nao said nervously, watching the images before us.

「Calm down. There’s no need to worry. The snakes are definitely up to something, but they’ve made a huge mistake. They have no idea that the strongest defense is already waiting for them inside.」

Kuna smiled slyly as she gazed at the image.

She didn’t seem the least bit concerned.

What gave her such confidence?

I looked at the barrier, trying to understand her reasoning.

===

◆Dark Knight; Kuroki

A barrier suddenly appeared, trapping us inside.

Shortly after, the wolfmen began charging toward the dwarf village.

The dwarves and I gathered for a meeting.

Rena and the elves weren’t present, though. Not that they had any intention of joining. They were probably off watching Kouki during his voluntary training right about now.

「What do you think we should do, Our Great Father? Can we be defeated by such a small force?」

Dwarf King Arberon bowed his head as he addressed Heibos.

The battle had begun the moment Heibos, the god of the dwarves, descended to this village.

He must have been concerned, as the enemy had never advanced this far before.

「To be honest, I’m just as uncertain as you are. What’s your take on this, Dark Knight Kuroki?」

I tilted my head, pondering Heibos’ question.

Arberon wasn’t wrong—there was no way this village would fall to a mere group of wolves.

There was still a substantial golem army stationed here.

For now, defense wasn’t the issue.

But something about this didn’t sit right with me.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that their plan wasn’t just to block reinforcements by trapping us with the barrier. Something deeper was at play.

===

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