1021: Falling Star

Ashwrath, Mea, and Fran began attacking the giant antidemon to grab its attention. Though it had ignored us to chase the rest of the army earlier, Ashwrath could not be ignored so easily.

Now it’s coming after us.

Meanwhile, Orfalve was steadily preparing our counterattack operation. We were originally planning to retreat, but Ashwrath’s arrival meant a change in plans.

Our new goal was to support Ashwrath and crush the antidemon with all our might. Thanks to him, we now know that there’s no escaping the purple barrier either way.

Come to think of it, pretty much all of Gordicia’s top forces were here right now. Especially the divine sword wielders: Ashwrath, Mea, Sophie, Adol, and Ajisai. Well, Mea’s Lind and Ajisai’s Berserk were probably incapable of full activation, and Adol was still out cold.

Even so, two divine swords ready and waiting was more than enough. In addition, we also had Orfalve and Jayne of the Seven Sages. Guys like Hilt, Fran, Seliadot, Quina, Zefmate, and Chelsea were plenty strong too.

Our plan was simple.

First, we regroup our forces under Orfalve. Then Ashwrath can drop the decoy role, unleash Gaia, and start focusing his energy.

Fran and the others stall for as long as necessary, before backing off when Ashwrath gives the signal. We pulverize the giant antidemon with the full extent of Gaia’s might, and if it’s still not dead, the rest of us attack with whatever we’ve got.

But only if everything goes smoothly……

「Tch! This hugeass is starting to act weird.」

「So much mana!」

The giant antidemon had been chasing Ashwrath while firing mana blasts at him. But now, it suddenly stopped and remained motionless.

However, we could see something ridiculous going on inside. Vast amounts of mana and evil energy were being focused at the center of its body. Meanwhile, the mana supply from the Abyss Eater had increased too.

I think it’s getting double the mana as it was before. However, all of this additional mana was condensed into the center of the ball.

In an attempt to interrupt this mana compression, we all launched serious attacks along with Ashwrath. However……

We only managed to crack the outer shell and damage a part of the creature’s flesh. The important part at the center barely even took a scratch. It seems this massive amount of condensed mana acted as a psuedo-barrier all by itself. Not even Ashwrath’s land magic could manage anything more than a small crack. We needed an all-out attack from a transcendent, something like Adol’s “Evil God Slayer”.

Realizing this, Ashwrath raised his blade and shouted.

「Divine Sword Release!」

Gaia’s true form was revealed, turning into an enormous hammer-like figure. Once again, we witnessed the power of the Grand Earthblade, Gaia. Seeing it this close only reinforced the terror of the divine swords. Though frustrating, this superweapon also felt incredibly reliable.

That said, the giant antidemon’s aura was no less impressive than the divine sword. There was no way for us to rest easy.

「Fran, get back! Doraaaaah!」

Ashwrath took a step forward and swung Gaia down. Though the blade never reached the giant antidemon, it was struck by an invisible force.

This crushed the giant antidemon’s body from above, cracking the land as it sank. The earth underneath caved in, surrounded by ravines several meters wide.

「Nrrrgh……!」

「UUUOOOOOOH!」

Ashwrath grit his teeth as he put more force into his grip. Meanwhile, I could see both his hands and Gaia shaking under the pressure, almost being pushed back.

On the other hand, the giant antidemon was emitting a high-pitched screeching noise as it spilled mana randomly into the air.

Though Ashwrath’s field of super-gravity distorted our vision, we could see the antidemon’s super-concentrated mana enveloping its body like a cloak of lightning. The surrounding area was already a land of death that no one sane would dare to set foot in.

Then, an enormous explosion.

The clash between two opposing forces blew everything away. Not even Fran, who hurriedly retreated, could hold her ground.

Fran got sent rolling along the ground, but I managed to catch her with telekinesis and heal her wounds with magic. Shards of the antidemon had flown by us like shotgun pellets, penetrating her barrier and injuring her.

『You okay?!』

（……I’m fine.）

Though Fran took plenty of damage, it was not enough to knock her out. She stood up slowly, wiping the blood off her face.

Our friends met similar fates, though I could tell they managed to survive. But what about Ashwrath, who was right in the middle of that explosion? Was he okay?

『Ashwrath is…… still at the same spot. He hasn’t moved a step!』

「Nn.」

Perhaps he put up some kind of barrier, but Ashwrath was still standing and completely unharmed. He turned to look up at the sky and squinted his eyes. Following his gaze, I saw a pea-like dot far above us.

That dot was the giant antidemon.

It somehow flew all the way up there by utilizing a burst of released mana.

A huge crater had been created at the place where the antidemon was originally located. The depth of the crater indicated that the explosion’s force was truly enormous.

Was it trying to run from us? No, this was no attempt at escape.

「Everyone! Run! Run as fast as you can!」

Ashwrath shouted. Immediately after, the giant antidemon started its descent. We could see the shimmering of the mana released behind it.

The sight reminded me of a meteor.

The idea was probably similar to the Skydive Sheathes of Wind that Fran used all the time. A power-focused attack combining the kinetic energy from free-fall with acceleration from releasing mana. The only difference was that Fran focused everything into a slash while the giant antidemon was simply going to smash down with its immense weight.

Seeing the panic on Ashwrath’s face, the destructive force was obviously no joke.

『Fran! We need to run! Staying here will just hinder Ashwrath!』

（……Got it.）

Though frustrated, Fran nodded her head and ran off. Meanwhile, I could sense the divine mana flaring up behind us. It seems Ashwrath intended to intercept the antidemon.

『Go even further, we’re still in danger here!』

The reaction from my Crisis Sense skill told me to keep running.

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