Curse Return: Swordsmith Start

Chapter 216 Intervention

"What's so great about bullying such a small child! You sadistic woman who likes intestines, you overturned the whole table and canceled everything just because the reservation was messed up, are you a child? You should cherish your life! You don't know how painful it is to be disemboweled, do you? I know very well!!"

'

...What are you talking about?

"Alright, let's buy some time—go, Parker!!"

"This is quite a show. As payment, I'll grant your request."

The smug voice responded to Subaru stomping his foot, and Elsa, snapping out of her daze from the "clown" performance, realized something was wrong and looked up.

Where she stood, she was surrounded by more than twenty icicles with sharp tips.

"I haven't introduced myself yet, miss. My name is Parker—maybe just a name, take it with you to the afterlife."

Then, ice pillars from all directions slammed into Elsa's entire body like cannon fire.

I

'

Intertwined icicles billowed white mist, obscuring the figure in the black coat amidst the frigid storm.

The speed of the icicle far exceeded what could be seen in the alley; it was barely possible to catch the moment of impact with the naked eye.

The sharp tip can easily pierce through the human body; the transparent bullet will surely be stained red with blood.

Moreover, it possesses the fundamental property of freezing, affecting people without their knowledge. Naturally, this causes a sharp drop in the surrounding temperature. There are at least twenty icicles; a hit from one would be fatal. However...

"Did you take them down!?"

As it turns out, saying this often doesn't lead to good results—thankfully I was prepared. I originally didn't want to bring it because I thought it was too heavy, but now it seems that wearing it was the right thing to do.

As if piercing through white smoke, Elsa, her black hair dancing, leaped into view.

Wielding a scimitar, his body, moving with the lightness of a swallow, showed no signs of injury.

After taking off the black coat, she was only wearing a black bodysuit, which made her look no different from before except for adding to her allure.

"Could it be that the coat was so heavy that it made him more agile after taking it off!?"

Don't novels and anime often have this kind of plot?

"That explanation is interesting, but the truth is simpler. My coat was woven with a spell that can only be used to exorcise demons once, which is why I survived."

After politely answering Subaru's question, Elsa lowered her stance, raised her sword, and charged forward, the blade aimed directly at the fake Satella who had just unleashed her ultimate attack.

Subaru's expression was strained; judging from her casual attitude of revealing information, she had no intention of taking the people in front of her seriously at all.

The scimitar pierced straight into the fake Satella's chest, a thrilling scene that made Subaru want to scream.

but-

"Don't underestimate those who use elven magic; they are terrifying enemies."

The silver-haired girl clasped her hands together in front of her chest, unleashing a multi-layered ice shield that easily blocked Elsa's scimitar.

Elsa, whose attack was blocked, immediately rolled backward to dodge, but small ice pillars kept falling into the ground beneath her feet, seemingly chasing after her.

The instigator was Parker, who stood next to the silver-haired man, waving his arm like a commander.

Separating attack and defense—essentially a two-against-one situation—is precisely where the Spirit Master's troubles lie.

One side attacks while the other defends. One side can buy time with simple magic depending on the situation, while the other side unleashes a powerful attack... making it very difficult to deal with.

Countless ice blocks appeared one after another, dancing freely indoors.

However, amidst that icy violence, Elsa's actions far exceeded the realm of humanity.

Spinning, its body close to the ground as if lying on the ground, sometimes ignoring gravity as it runs and dodges on the walls.

If it is determined that even so, one cannot dodge, one will use a dagger to shatter the ice, crush the white crystals and make them vanish into thin air, and deal with the opponent's attack with overwhelming skill, with combat skills that are unparalleled.

"You seem quite used to fighting, even though you're a girl."

Elsa's performance could only be described as divine, even impressing Parker who was attacking her.

"Oh dear, it's been so long since I've been treated like a girl."

"In my opinion, most of my opponents are like babies. No matter what, you are very strong, so strong that it's pathetic."

"I am truly unworthy of such praise from the elves."

Honestly, he was full of praise and joy, but his movements were not slow at all; his curved blade swiftly shattered the ice blocks that were surrounding him.

The number of ice blocks launched should be close to a hundred, but apart from the initial attack, none of them hit Elsa's body directly.

"If we continue with this number in a war of attrition, we should be able to win... but I'm uneasy."

Subaru looked tense; having been killed twice, he had every reason to worry about the woman's strength.

"That girl in black's movements are unusual. That being said, don't think that two against one is a sure thing... The key to victory is how long the elf can remain visible."

"Whoa, you're right... but the problem is, it's almost five o'clock now, isn't it!?"

In the first world, Parker fell asleep a little after sunset.

However, this battle started at dusk. Although it hasn't been long, isn't using magic to wage a war of attrition like this just depleting the stored mana?

Now he's starting to hate himself for activating the conservation of energy.

"It's so hard to be happy, it would be boring if I didn't focus on this."

Elsa murmured as she twisted her body to avoid the icicles, confirming Subaru's concerns and taking her words to heart. Puck flicked his beard with his hand.

"It must be tough being a popular guy, because the woman won't let you sleep. But staying up late is bad for your skin."

He deftly deflected Elsa's provocation, but Parker's words did not contain any denial.

Is it really nearing its limit?

Anxiety was burning Subaru's spirit, but a turning point came at that moment when Elsa suddenly stopped moving.

Parker winked deftly at the motionless Elsa with his dark, shiny eyes.

"It's about time it came to an end. Aren't you tired of seeing the same old show?"

"Feet?"

Looking down, the reason became clear: Elsa's right foot was stuck to the frozen floor.

The shattered ice fragments accumulate and spread, completing the task of freezing Elsa's steps.

Yue Ren's expression shifted slightly. Unlike the others who were delighted that the enemy was trapped, Yue Ren was thinking from a different angle. Such a small area was enough to temporarily restrict the movements of someone with Elsa's level of skill. The elemental intensity and visual effects in this world were better than in the No-Job World.

Through his magic eye, he discovered that the elements seemed to be maintaining their effects with a conscious will. So that's it; the upper limit of living things is higher than that of inanimate objects...

If the magic in the jobless world is pure energy, then the mana in this world is something that can evolve. The user and the mana are somewhat like the queen ant and the ant colony, making them more efficient.

"I'm not just randomly scattering ice cubes, meow."

'

"...Have we fallen for their trap?"

"This is a difference in experience, but I still have to commend you. Good night."

Parker straightened his chest, his small body swaying slightly on the girl's shoulder.

It was almost like a pose for unleashing a finishing move, with both hands outstretched and then concentrating the highest level of magic power that had never been used before—Subaru saw it too.

Magic is no longer in the form of ice; it is simply emitted as pure destructive energy.

The blue and white light froze everything in its path, turning the warehouse of stolen goods white in one go.

The energy shot through Elsa and struck the entrance to the loot storage. The crumbling door was blown away, and the freezing aftershocks were beyond measure, leaving only ice behind after the aurora passed by. The loot, furniture, and cabinets were all frozen to the ground.

Of course, if caught in a direct hit, humans would inevitably turn into ice sculptures.

The power was terrifying, but even the areas not touched by the beam of light were frozen, and energy dissipated... was it intentional or...?

While the Yue people were deep in thought, the reality was far from optimistic.

"That's a lie..."

'

"It's not a lie, ahh, this is amazing, I thought I was going to die."

Of course, that likely refers to a direct hit.

"...You're a girl after all, I can't admire what you did."

The special move was dodged, but Parker's words did not contain any anger beyond the literal meaning.

His tone was purely one of dissatisfaction with Elsa's behavior.

—Blood dripped onto the frozen floor, emitting a faint steam.

Subaru saw it all.

The source of the blood was Elsa's right foot. Slightly off the path of the ice magic, she was standing barefoot, and her right foot was losing a lot of blood.

This is understandable, given that the entire sole of her right foot was cut off.

"I made a mistake in my haste; I accidentally cut too much. But that was really dangerous."

"Even so, it must hurt a lot."

"Yeah, it hurts. But it's amazing, this is what it feels like to be alive, and..."

Under Parker's caring words, Elsa, who was nodding in a daze, pressed her bleeding foot hard onto the ice block next to her without hesitation.

The cracking sound of the air produced a beautiful tone in Elsa's throat, which she then used to slash at the surface of the ice.

She used ice to block the sole of her foot, a crude method to stop the bleeding, and incidentally paired it with a uniquely styled pair of high heels.

"It's a little awkward to move around in, but it's enough."

Elsa, wearing ice boots, laughed even more happily as she tapped her hard footsteps.

Subaru was already speechless with shock at her unabashed self-harm and fighting addiction, but the biggest blow came from the fake Satella, who was her enemy.

"Parker, are you alright?"

"Sorry, I'm so sleepy. I underestimated her. I'll disappear once I've used up the mana."

Parker's voice, responding to the girl's whispered question, lost its composure for the first time.

Beside the silver-haired cat, perched on its shoulder, a faint glow emanated from its body, appearing so blurry it seemed about to disappear, signifying that the time had come.

Yue Ren narrowed his eyes.

The energy flow doesn't seem to be voluntary, so is that a flaw of the elven mage? The contracts of this world... seem to possess immense power.

He could sense that the elf named Puck was not weak, but his current underperformance... was due to being restricted.

"I'll figure something out myself. You should rest today, thank you."

"If anything happens to you, I will abide by the contract. If it's urgent, you have to call me out even if it means squeezing out Ou De."

After leaving behind a warning, Parker's body suddenly turned into mist and disappeared.

Subaru bit his lip as he watched an important combatant leave the team, but some people were even more disappointed and heartbroken than Ang.

"Oh dear, it's gone. That's such a shame."

It was Elsa, who had just fought to the death.

Elsa brandished her scimitar again and walked toward the silver-haired girl with a loud, rhythmic gait.

Ice pillars began to appear around the latter, but their number was significantly less than when Puck was there, suggesting that the elves' combat power was necessary for the white-haired girl.

The Yue people expressed their helplessness. Without that elf, the difference in combat power had become enormous. It seemed that the time for watching the show was over.

Like Yue Ren, the people around him were also preparing to take action.

"That's about enough. We can't just stand by and watch."

Grandpa Rom gripped his stick tightly, ready to fight.

"I don't know how much of a chance we have, but if watching from the sidelines only means missing an opportunity... you know that, right, Felt?"

"I understand, I won't run away. It's time for me to make a difference."

Despite the relentless barrage of ice projectiles, they were all shattered by Elsa's swift sword dance.

Using an ice shield to defend against Elsa's dance-like slashes, the silver-haired girl unleashed a combo while simultaneously freezing her feet to slide and dodge attacks by millimeters. She then used ice pillar barrages to create distance again. Her movements were swift, but it was undeniable that she was already at a disadvantage.

To change the situation, assistance is essential.

"After shouting loudly, Luo Yiluo joined the battle."

The raised stick swung down with great force, and Elsa crouched down to dodge, the stick lightly touching the hair on the back of her head.

Ordinary people might think that all they need to do is be more precise, but only the person in charge knows that it's just a matter of not wanting to put in the extra effort.

"Oh dear, forcing your way into the dance is so rude."

"If you want to jump so much, I'll let you jump as much as you want! Come on, jump harder!"

The barbed club advanced, its attack range shifting from a line to a point. The strange attack immediately aimed for Elsa's throat, but instead caused Rom's throat to stiffen.

"W-How is this possible?!"

"Because you're strong, that's why I can do it."

Elsa stood gracefully at the tip of the extended stick.

Only someone with a surreal sense of balance could master this skill; before the perfect equilibrium crumbled, Elsa swung her knife to the side.

The position is at Rom's forehead; a direct hit would sever his head.

"Don't even think about things going your way!"

Ferut took the opportunity to throw a knife, but it was clearly not strong enough to complete the rescue.

"Snap—"

The sound, though not of metal clashing, made everyone present widen their eyes.

"It's my first day in this country, and I still don't want to see any blood. I wonder if Miss Elsa could grant me this small wish?"

With one hand he gripped the specially made curved knife that was within reach, making Rom break out in a cold sweat, while with the other hand he held the short knife that Felt had thrown at him.

Before anyone could react, the black-haired youth appeared in the center of the battlefield in an instant and resolved the deadly crisis.

This scene made everyone's eyes widen in astonishment, no less than when a modern person sees someone force an aircraft carrier's engine to stop with their bare hands, without causing any damage to the surrounding area, and then make it turn around instantly.