First Outer World Story Series: The Black Mist that Devours - Chapter 46
Translator: MadHatter Editor: MadHatter
(Third person POV)
“Hahhhhhh!”
Ryo, with a dagger in her right hand, was ready to slash at the nearest Yukijin, while pouring her fighting spirit into it.
Of course, a mere dagger would not be capable of inflicting even a scratch on a heavily armored opponent, unless the attacker aimed for a gap in the armor. However, the dagger in Ryo’s hand was not an ordinary dagger. It was a magical dagger constructed by Kurokiri from the scales of Cuélebre that resided in “White Mist and Black Swamp Forest,” a dungeon that he created by himself and the dagger harbored the power to automatically repair itself even if the blade chipped unless it was broken, which enhanced its sharpness each time it happened. And its initial sharpness was such that it can cleave a steel plate with ease.
Nonetheless…
Clink!
“Huh!”
“Hah! Such a dagger will not work against this ?Frozen Silver Armor?!”
Accompanied by a high-pitched sound and Ryo’s astonished voice, the silver armor the Yukijin man was clad in successfully repelled the scaled dagger of Cuélebre.
?Frozen Silver Armor? was the name of the skill granted to the Yukijin, a skill that produced armor that was both strong enough to withstand rifle fire at close range yet light enough to be worn as fabric clothing (but has the same mobility range as conventional full-body armor).
“This time, the attack comes from my side! ?Simple Ice Weapon Creation?!”
“Damn!”
In the hands of the Yukijin man, a sword comprised of ice was conjured, and it was swung vigorously towards Ryo, whose weapon has been repelled and her movement halted.
“I won’t let you do it! ?Small Shield Barrier?!”
Meanwhile, Tachikabe intervened between the two of them and obstructed the ice sword with the barrier generated in his hand, drawing them into a state of confrontation.
“Tsk!” “Hmph!”
Then, Tachikabe and the Yukijin man simultaneously separated from each other.
“Haa!” “Yah!”
And at the same time, Houki and Chirito charged at him with their daggers made of the same Cuélebre as Ryo’s. However, in contrast to Ryo’s first blow, Houki and Chirito aimed at the joints of the armor, the parts that cannot be covered due to the structure of it.
“That’s not… ugh!”
“I did it!”
Although Houki’s attack was dodged, Chirito’s attack slashed him in the elbow, albeit at a shallow depth.
“Don’t you underestimate me! ?Simple Ice Weapon Creation?!”
The Yukijin man, though, was incensed by the attack, and he lunged at the two of them with swords made of ice in both hands.
“Whoa, whoa!” “Ha!”
While Chirito was in a panic, Houki steadfastly handled the incoming attack. Nevertheless, not all of the attacks could be dealt with, and the two were slightly wounded and pressed back. However, Tachikabe would periodically step in to support them, which would bring them back into a competitive state.
That armor is much more problematic than I expected. I wonder if there is a way to break it…
Ryo watched the situation while musing. She wondered how can they penetrate the defensive capabilities of that armor.
While recovering with ?Heal?, we should leverage the force of the dagger made of Cuélebre and launch a prolonged offense… Well, that is not possible. We are in no position to be fighting so patiently. What we need is firepower. Firepower that can effortlessly destroy that bizarrely solid armor. Speaking of which, what is Aria doing…
When Ryo has reached that conclusion, she turned her attention to Aria. And there lay the figure of Aria, single-handedly fighting against two Yukijin.
————–
Aria sought an opening while avoiding attacks from the skill of the Yukijin group. It was right after Ryo and the team burst out into combat that Aria spotted the Yukijin striving to breach the front line from an inconspicuous position, which was why she came in close contact with them to stall their advance.
Naturally, given the disparity in numbers, Aria assumed that stopping their movement would be enough. However…
“Is that all you can do? ?Mist Plosion?.”
“No…!” “Don’t you dare underestimate me…!”
Bang!
“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”
With the declaration of Aria’s skill, the two Yukijin were blown away.
Truthfully speaking, for Aria, who has been born as a demon who hunted people, their abilities would have been beyond a letdown. If it were not for the out-of-dungeon correction and poor attribute compatibility, the battle would have already concluded with Aria’s victory.
Now, you may be wondering why their armor, which was so effective in blocking rifle bullets, was rendered ineffective against Aria’s attacks. To be frank, the answer was quite plain: the ?Frozen Silver Armor? had high physical defense, yet its magical defense was not only low, or rather, it was completely non-existent.
“Phew. Well, I don’t have the hobby of tormenting the lower ranks, so let’s draw this to a close, shall we? ?Mistbolt?.”
Aria released a ?Mistbolt? directed at the pair, who were still immobile due to the damage sustained from ?Mist Plosion?. The arrow then pierced the heads of the two, resulting in their movement ceasing.
————–
Ryo realized that Aria had finished them off. She now recognized how their armor can be broken through, which was evident by observing the Yukijin. The Yukijin that were currently pressing them were never committed to assaulting, and some of their attacks were distinctly avoidable.
Yes, if Yukijin could repel any attack, there would be no necessity to evade.
Then…!
Leaving the dagger aside, Ryo started running and approached the Yukijin, who was being held back by Tachikabe and the other three through the small opening that has been formed.
“Lady Ryo!?” “Ryo onee-chan!?” “What are you planning to do!?”
“Hah, I have no clue what you’re up to, but I’ll be your opponent!”
“Here I come!”
While the three of them and Yukijin were screaming, Ryo dropped to her waist and pulled out her right hand. That hand was in the form of a palm heel with mist concentrated in it.
As if to stretch out all the energy in her body at once, Ryo thrust a palm heel strike towards the Yukijin’s abdomen.
“?Mist Slap?!”
“No way… gah!!”
In one blow, the Yukijin was sent flying widely, shattering all of his body armor before being punctured in the throat and chest by another human being, thus ensuring a definite death.
Ryo then conveyed a piece of information to the entire battlefield, which was delivered in her distinctive high female voice.
“Beware, those of you who battle with magical attacks! Their armors are powerless to resist magic!”
“So that’s how it is!” “Alright!”
“What!” “Damn it!”
The effect of the information Ryo relayed was drastic.
When Ryo pointed out the vulnerabilities in their armor, the intelligent Yukijin began fleeing, while those who were overconfident in their armor’s might were sure to be taken out one by one.
Nevertheless, even the intelligent Yukijin were not successful in escaping merely because they attempted to do so. After all…
“‘Prepare to fire! Fire!’”
The unit under the command of Otachi Mamoru was stationed at the tunnel’s entrance as an ambush, and following his orders, the Yukijin were greeted with a barrage of gunfire and marksmanship skills.
And the battle, in which the Demon King of the north side drew the first use of Yukijin, has ended in victory for the defending front line side, with Houki, Chirito, Tachikabe, and Ryo each advancing a level.
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Check out other Outer World Story series in order: Outer World Story: The Black Mist that Devours (First series), Outer World Story: Pumpkin Sorcerer (Third series), Outer World Story: Basilisk of Ice Sculpture (Fourth series)