Chapter 72 - The Existence Proof of a Creation Soul (6)

No one would argue that the situation was a clear disadvantage.

The enemy I had to face in this 『Star in the Shadows』 was the First Astro of Ad Astra. A considerable foe.

The situation was even worse than when I faced Gabriel. In Gabriel's case, I was at least fighting with Serene, so didn't we have the upper hand in terms of overall strength?

But now, I had to face that powerful First Astro in a one-on-one battle.

Considering that even a fully prepared Arien at this point in time would have a hard time against her… In terms of strength alone, it was like hitting a rock with an egg.

However, I don't fight battles with no chance of winning.

As such, there was a clear path to victory in this battle as well.

First, it was a good thing that this battle had a different nature from the ones I had experienced so far.

Until now, the battles had been all-out wars where I had to clearly suppress or defeat the opponent, but this time, it was a battle of attrition where the only goal was to hold out.

‘The fact that I can be conservative and just endure is a significant advantage.’

Of course, considering the opponent's combat power, it wouldn't be an easy path, but this was better than nothing.

‘Even with D-rank Stamina… well, I should be able to last for 15 minutes.’

That was the razor-thin calculation I came to. If I couldn't, I'd have to make it happen.

There was one more optimistic factor in this battle. And that factor was that I wasn't Stella's only enemy.

‘Because Arien is holding the rear.’

Yes, the enemy Stella considered most important right now wasn't me. It was Arien.

That was certainly the correct judgment. In terms of combat power, I was at a level that couldn't even be compared to Arien.

The common perception would be to conserve combat power in the fight against me and then face Arien.

Besides, with the factors suppressing Arien’s magic use being eliminated one by one, she would have no choice but to be more cautious.

Because of this, Stella would not try to pour all her strength into me.

She would want to deal with me as efficiently as possible and conserve her strength.

And pour that conserved strength into Arien.

If I exploited that gap, it wouldn't be impossible to hold out against Stella for about 10 minutes.

Besides, Stella's strength was considerably reduced due to the barrier she had set up outside.

‘It’s not in the realm of impossibility.’

I made that calculation.

Tat-!

As the battle began, the homunculi charged at Stella's command. But not all of them charged—.

Whoooosh-.

There were also homunculi preparing magic from the rear.

‘Vanguard and mages. A classic combination.’

I had experience dealing with this combination before.

It was the assassination attempt I experienced on the way from the Enlight estate to the academy.

‘The combination of assassins back then was a swordsman and a mage.’

Clang-!

I parried the weapon of a charging homunculus.

At the same time, I didn't forget to be wary of the mage preparing magic from behind.

Yes, I was confident in this setup. It was the battle formation I had experienced the most.

But there was one thing I hadn't quite anticipated.

The battle formation itself wasn't bad. It was thanks to the fact that the specs of the homunculi's afterimages, summoned by Stella's dream, weren't that high.

Of course, they would get stronger over time, but let's set that aside for now.

Slice-.

I closed in on a homunculus with a long spear, getting inside its range where its spear was ineffective, and slashed it deeply.

In an instant, I completely neutralized one of them.

However, there was one problem.

Tat-!

Completely unfazed by that, the other homunculi continued to attack.

‘I expected this, but… they don't flinch at all.’

In a battle against people, when a scene of such overwhelming suppression occurs, the enemy is bound to be shaken.

It was the same when I escaped from the assassination attempt at the Enlight estate. When I took out two of them in an instant, weren't they flustered and shaken?

But the homunculi had neither fear nor hesitation.

Clang-.

“Keuk…”

To be honest, this kind of swarm tactic or endurance battle wasn't my specialty. With D-rank Stamina, there was a limit to how many consecutive battles I could fight.

Not that having a life-or-death showdown with Stella would be any better.

And just as I tried to shake off a homunculus that was clinging to me—.

Boom-!

In that moment, I saw it. A huge beam of light pierced through the homunculus… and pierced my side as I was engaged with it.

“Keoheok…”

Yes, this was the problem.

They had no such thing as hesitation.

They don't hesitate to be caught in an ally's attack.

They don't hesitate to involve an ally in their own attack.

It was a completely different kind of battle from before, where the sole purpose was to break through past them.

‘In a drawn-out fight, their strengths are revealed like this…’

I quickly checked my wound.

“Damn, it…”

And I could see that a huge hole had been torn in my side.

Blood was already gushing out uncontrollably.

…Yeah, well. I never thought I would walk a path of roses.

I was used to this.

[ System : You have overcome death times. ]

If there was any consolation, it was that the pain was less than when I faced Gabriel.

And so, I died.

Again and again.

Again and again.

I was growing numb to death.

No, I was already numb.

***

Watching the battle drag on longer than expected, Stella thought.

-Do you really think Arien-ssi chose me based entirely on emotion?

The words the boy, now fighting her summoned beings, had said right before the fight.

Normally, it was a thought she could ignore. But—.

Bang-!

The boy was clinging on quite well. Of course, the boy never gained the upper hand, but he was excellently fulfilling his primary objective of delaying time.

Whoooosh-.

Stella drew up her mana, strengthening the combat power of the homunculi.

The magic would become more powerful, and the physical abilities of the homunculi would also rise exponentially.

But even so, the boy continued to hold out.

Bang-!

The pistol, which showed its unique, formidable power, was the biggest threat.

Whenever the pistol was fired, four or five homunculi that had charged in to impede the boy's movements were easily reduced to dust.

‘The quality of the equipment itself doesn't seem that high, but to have that kind of output.’

She could surmise that his magic circuit must have been perfectly tuned.

That was one piece of knowledge the girl had acquired while living as Tyrion's homunculus.

Fwaaat-!

That sword, which seemed to be enchanted with the ability to reflect magic, was also incredibly annoying.

Stella's homunculi were not primarily focused on close combat; their strategy was to tie down the enemy with close combat and finish them off with powerful magic.

However.

Thwack-!

The magic fired by a homunculus for the finishing blow was repeatedly deflected by that sword.

But the most annoying thing among all the boy possessed… was the boy himself.

‘He's too used to fighting homunculi.’

Fighting homunculi was not common. In the first place, homunculi were strictly controlled by the authority of the Magic Tower.

For a battle to occur, the steps of systematically creating and organizing homunculi for combat were essential.

But since that itself was difficult to happen within the current system, it was normal to have no experience fighting homunculi…

And it was also normal to struggle in a battle against homunculi due to that lack of experience.

The fighting style of humans, the unhesitating habits of monsters. Since the combat of homunculi was a mixture of these two, one should have failed to adapt at first.

But the boy was different.

Clang-!

One homunculus charged at Rain. Its purpose was to obscure the fact that magic was being cast from the direction it charged from.

In short, it was an operation to create a blind spot in the direction the magic was being cast.

Slice-!

Rain cut down that homunculus as it was. Yes, up to this point, it was within the realm of normalcy.

However.

Tat-!

Rain immediately threw his body and left the spot. And right after that—.

Kwaang-!

The magic that Stella's homunculus had been casting struck the spot where Rain had originally been.

If he had hesitated for even a second, that beam of magic would have pierced him.

His movements were as if he was used to dealing with homunculi.

Mages of the underworld often used homunculi in battle. The authority of the Magic Tower did not reach the underworld.

Rain's movements were reminiscent of the veteran knights who cleaned up the dirty work of such an underworld.

‘It's not good to consume too much mana here.’

All in all, the battle was dragging on unexpectedly.

Considering that Arien was waiting behind, wasting mana was not an option.

Hadn't she already consumed a considerable amount of mana creating the barrier?

Anyway, as the tedious battle dragged on, various distracting thoughts filled Stella's mind.

‘Why?’

And the thought that most cluttered her mind among them was…

-Do you really think Arien-ssi chose me based entirely on emotion?

It was that one phrase, mentioned earlier.

***

My 365th regression. I had now become quite accustomed to fighting homunculi.

In fact, I was holding out for the longest time compared to all previous attempts. About 8 minutes, maybe?

‘I can see it.’

I felt like I could grasp their inhuman movements as if they were in my hands.

Homunculi act according to cold reason. Solely to achieve the objective of victory.

Such a clear objective meant straightforward movements.

Clang-!

Suddenly, a homunculus forced a fight with me. And that meant.

Bang-!

To quickly eliminate that homunculus, I fired the 『Outlaw』 in my left hand.

The homunculus vanished without a trace.

And what was revealed in the spot where the homunculus disappeared was.

Whoooosh-.

The magic cast by a homunculus mage was flying towards me.

Clang!

I swung the 『Spellbinder』 in my right hand and deflected the magic.

Kwaang-!

And that deflected magic directly hit another homunculus that was approaching me.

In this way, I was fighting quite well.

But the difference in specs was absolute.

Thwack-!

The sword swung by Stella's homunculus hit my 『Outlaw』, sending it tumbling to the floor.

If I had been a little slower, it would have been my wrist.

“Dammit…”

And then.

Gagagak-!

Another homunculus was pressing me from the front. Its power was not something I could parry.

‘…At this rate, its strength must be at least B-rank…!’

Thud-.

“Keuk…!”

In the end, I couldn't withstand the force and had to kneel.

There was no strength in my arm. I wondered if a tendon had snapped. I couldn't feel anything, so I didn't know.

‘…Do I have to use that?’

I was wracking my brain. I had thought the homunculus would surely come to finish me off, but…

Ssk-.

“...?”

Instead, the homunculi were backing away from me.

And.

Step.

For some reason, Stella was walking towards me as I knelt.

And to me, Stella opened her mouth.

“I have a question.”

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