Infinite Arrow-Chapter 50 - 48: Other Side

While the red-haired archer was fighting for his life to protect the princess from the assassins, the knights and the adventurers were left behind and were fighting the overwhelming forces of Ombra Fattoria.

SLASH–!!

The axe severed the man’s skull, splitting it in half and was thrown to his comrades as a small gift from the warrior who attacks brutishly yet somehow swiftly with it "They just keep appearing, huh?! These are some determined ’farmers’! Just like what the lad said earlier!"

Enrid shouted, loud enough to be heard from behind as the mage, Esther, continued casting spells that slowed down the enemies by applying frostbite. However, it also affects the warrior.

"You brute! Retreat, you’ll freeze!" She warns as she uses her staff to weave her spells on the air, casting them constantly. She looked behind and saw the knights struggling to keep up with the incoming enemy forces.

A bunch of soldiers jumped towards the female’s back while she was dealing with a soldier who held her foot to interrupt her from fighting but was instantly crushed by a giant Warhammer wielded by Reinar, the eleventh shield of the central kingdom.

"Thanks-!" She swiftly sliced the man’s hand off her foot as she dashed behind Reinar’s back to deflect the spears that were about to impale him.

"Esther–! Are you sure about Cliff?!" Reinar shouted as he focused on crushing enemies down with his heavy weapon, while Arnheid was tasked with finishing them off with her sword.

"He’s the fastest out of all of us! He’ll be able to catch up in no time!" Esther reassured the knights while vouching for Cliff’s speed. She has known this kid for a month now, so it wouldn’t be impossible for him to catch up immediately.

"I’ll be deducting a few platinum coins if she returns with an injured body part, Ms.Esther." She sternly said while cutting down her enemies with her long sword, they didn’t know that Arnheid had a sarcastic side, it baffled them for a few seconds before returning to fighting.

"Alright–! That’s a bet then, if–!" The mage was about to retaliate by offering what seemed to be another bet but was quickly interrupted by Enrid returning to her side, panting while his smile was plastered on his face. He looked at the emotionless Esther "What?"

"Nothing– What should we do? There seem to be more soldiers coming out our side, and you’re getting exhausted– must be showing your age!" Esther competitively teased the tensed warrior, who seemed to be taking this more seriously. He couldn’t even retort back.

"Yeah– I must be–"

"HELL NO, YOU AREN’T! DON’T YOU DARE ACCEPT THAT LIGHTLY, I’M WITHIN THE SAME AGE BRACKET AS YOU, DUMBASS!" Esther felt demotivated, it seems that her quip backfired on the two of them. The situation is pretty dire, an escape could be made but that would mean that the people would get endangered if they decided to hide within the city.

Esther scratched her head, thinking of many ways to solve this current situation. Yet, there was none. Actually, there is one.

"Everyone. It’s about time we start getting serious now... If we can’t endure anymore, isn’t it about time we let loose?" Bewildered, the three allies looked at Esther. Her idea was so random and wild, they couldn’t believe that it was her who said it, not Enrid or Reinar.

At the same time, they couldn’t deny it. They cannot hold on any longer, they need to finish it or they’ll die being overwhelmed. If they can’t kill them all, make them lose confidence during combat to make them retreat. That’s one of the psychologies in battles, and quite useful during war.

"So–, Do all of you agree?" Esther looked ahead, seeing a bunch of soldiers gather and swarm together to form a formation. Despite being fake, they can cooperate. However, against overwhelming power and might, cooperation will be shattered.

"Do you even have to ask?" Said the hulking tank before he held his Warhammer with both of his hands, suddenly closing his hands and starting to mutter something under his breath.

"Esther, give us thirty seconds. We’ll clear everything within our direction here." It wasn’t much of a suggestion but an order that she must obey or they’ll die. She closed her eyes as well, but her stance was different. Her sword was on the back of her head, resting on her shoulders while her knees bent down, preparing for a devastating strike.

She could feel both their spiritual energy and mana flowing through the air intensely like a raging storm appeared on a battlefield. The aura was immaculate. The Tank begins glowing white, while the swordswoman is releasing ripples of harsh wind out of her body.

The enemy from their direction began to move as well as the enemy from the other direction. A simultaneous pincer maneuver. The soldiers set their eyes on the prize, each of their eyes filled with greed and blood lust. No remorse.

Out of nowhere, the atmosphere became cold. The moment they exhaled, they puffed out cold smoke. The entire hallway changed, it wasn’t the same. Within a second, the entire hallway got crystallized and encased in ice. The friction got reduced, it became difficult to move around without slipping, and it made moving around painful. At the center of the hallway, a lone floating mage can be seen glowing like a lone star in the vast darkness.

"Rimestar, encase the world and let it become a frozen coffin for my enemies."

However, as time passed by, the lone star was accompanied by someone brighter. The Sun, holding a giant Warhammer. It radiated intense light. The ice reflected the light, covering the entire hallway with radiance.

"Sol, let your guiding light show the truth–!"

Suddenly, a bright flash of light filled the entire hallway, blinding all of the soldiers, even those who were on the stairs. A destructive spell created by a combination of spells that affects the surroundings and doesn’t damage the enemies. Both Ice magic and Light magic became a deadly combination that day.

The soldiers couldn’t see, they wanted to move but moving was already a pain. What they didn’t know was that their feet had been frozen alongside the ground, making them stuck "HE–"

Before they could scream, they could hear a person sliding on the ground the warcry of a warrior and the silent grunt of a swordswoman.

Within a swift motion, the warrior used the friction to travel faster toward a group of enemies and slashed all of their bodies into pieces "Whirlwind–!" Using the axe as a blender, the soldiers were the frozen ingredients. Perfect for a smoothie.

"Flash-Step Cyclone!" In a blink, all of the soldiers were beheaded at the same time on the right side of the hallway, including the ones that were on the stairs. With a combination of a movement skill and a sword skill, truly a veteran.

The entire inn became silent. Only the breaths of those who were alive are left and it took every single bit of their energy and mana to perform those amazing attacks. They all sat down, except for Reinar who stood tall and looked at everyone with a smile "Good job, everyone."

Esther and Enrid gave a simple thumbs up while they were sitting down, while Arnheid just nodded her head.

You’d think that the swordswoman would be more feminine, yet she acts like a tomboy sometimes. Nothing wrong with that though, it’s what makes her unique.

Reinar thought to himself before nodding back to Arnheid and replying to the other two with a thumbs up as well.

"What a mess..." Enrid stared at the floor at the end of the left hallway. A pile of frozen dead bodies, with countless limbs lying on the ground.

"Esther, babe! You gotta freeze all of this, we can’t clean them all like this!" Apparently, Enrid still has some energy left to make some jokes and share his humor. However, Esther just gave him a death stare. Her pupils are digging deep into his soul and an expression that wants to be left alone for a day or so. After all, this wouldn’t be possible without her contribution.

"Still– Ice magic, huh? Where’d you learn that? That’s pretty rare!" Arnheid made small talk, her eyes shining brightly from amazement. Just like that, the four of them got closer to each other without even noticing. They bickered and laughed, showing appreciation to everyone.

After a few minutes of talking...

"I’m sure that we’ve rested enough. I can’t help but get worried for her Highness and Cliff." Arnheid stood up, but not without using the wall to stabilize her footing and balance. The rest stood up as well, and Enrid came running to Esther who was about to fall back to the ground and caught her. Suddenly, he winked at her.

Unsurprisingly, she punched him in the face, lightly. She softly smiled before accepting his help to stand up properly.

Cliff, endure a little longer. We’ll be there soon.