Chapter 385: The Witch Treading on Flames

SWOOSH!

A fleeting afterimage flickered—and Monroe’s figure vanished without a trace.

“......”

Staring at the spot where Monroe had disappeared for a few seconds, Dimik spoke up again.

“Very well then. The eastern wall is Lord Monroe’s domain. As for the rest——”

“I’ll take the western wall.”

Hulim Heyerar raised her small hand, her voice calm and steady.

“Ehh?!?”

Everyone froze, their eyes widening in shock.

“Wait a minute, Hulim? This is no child’s play! Do you have any idea how many Rank A Demonic Beasts will be coming your way?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Hulim replied serenely,

“No matter how many come, it will make no difference......”

BOOM——!

A vast surge of magical power erupted from Hulim’s tiny frame, and the air high above twisted violently in response.

“Well then. I’ll be on my way.”

With that, Hulim’s figure also vanished into thin air.

“......”

Only a group of dumbfounded figures remained on the wall.

“Hey, Uno,” Liz Val asked in a daze, “that kid’s only fourteen, right? And she just got her Rank A certification......”

“You’re asking me? I’d like to know the answer too......”

The rest of the group exchanged glances, silently choosing to tuck their questions away for the time being.

“What about the other two directions?”

Dimik pressed on.

Though he already had a pretty good idea of how the assignments would go, he was merely going through the motions by asking.

“Yuris and I will team up!”

“Me too!”

“......Sigh.”

Dimik let out a helpless sigh, then announced,

“It’s settled then. Yuris, Uno, Liz—you three will defend the northern wall. Snook and I will stay behind to hold the southern wall.”

Yuris nodded silently, turning on his heel and heading toward the southern wall. As he walked, a whirlwind materialized beneath his feet, lifting him effortlessly into the sky.

“Wait up, Yuris! Don’t leave me behind~!”

“You perverted creep! Your voice is making me sick!”

A whirlwind rose up beneath Liz and Uno as well, carrying them aloft.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“Shut your trap, old hag!”

“Don’t call me an old hag, you sadistic pervert!”

“Hah?! What did you just say......”

As the sound of their bickering faded into the distance, only Dimik and Snook remained atop the wall.

“......Do you think they’ll be okay?”

Dimik asked worriedly, his gaze fixed on the direction the three had gone.

“We don’t have time to worry about them right now. Don’t forget—we’ve got the heaviest pressure to deal with.”

“You’re right......”

Dimik nodded, turning his gaze back toward the horizon.

Facing the bloodstained wind blowing from the battlefield, his eyes slowly transformed into golden vertical slits.

“When was the last time I fought this hard......”

......

On the front lines of the battlefield, every adventurer held their breath, their eyes locked nervously on the surging black tide approaching from the distance.

“Russell, are you scared?”

Eileen asked, half-teasing.

“Sh-Shut up! Me? Scared?!”

Russell retorted loudly, his voice cracking slightly.

“......But your voice is trembling.”

“Huh?!”

Russell froze, instinctively raising his slightly shaking hand to touch his mouth. But he quickly realized what he was doing and turned his head away,

covering his mouth as he said,

“You must have misheard! There’s no way I’m scared!”

“It’s okay,” Eileen smiled, patting him on the shoulder. She held up her own trembling hand, adding, “I’m scared too.”

Russell glanced over at her, and for the first time, he noticed that despite the smile on her face, the fear deep in her eyes was impossible to hide.

“Eileen, you......”

“Eileen. Russell.”

Lucian suddenly turned around, his voice steady and reassuring.

“Don’t be afraid. I’ll be at the front to protect you both.”

He raised his shield and one-handed sword, rapping the blade lightly against the shield.

CLANG! CLANG!

The crisp, clear sound seemed to encourage them, calming their racing hearts a little.

Frots spoke up at that moment,

“I do have a trick for overcoming fear, you know. When you’re scared, just think back to your most embarrassing moments. The sheer mortification will drown out the fear—and fill you with courage instead.”

“Really? There’s a trick like that?”

Russell and Eileen immediately followed his advice.

“Let me think... My most recent embarrassing moments,” Russell muttered to himself, “got laughed at by those jerks at the guild today, caught cheating yesterday, got drunk the day before and stripped down to his underwear by some street thief, the day before that... Last week I got beaten by Hulim——Wait a second! Why do I have so many embarrassing moments?!”

THUD!

Suddenly, Eileen—her face bright red—punched Russell square in the jaw, sending him flying.

THUMP! THUMP......

Russell rolled several times across the ground before picking himself up, covered in dirt and grime. He clutched his aching face, protesting loudly,

“What was that for, Eileen?!”

“Nothing! I just thought you were being too noisy! Hmph!”

With that, she turned her face away, refusing to look at him.

Lucian and Frots exchanged a glance at Eileen’s crimson cheeks, then silently averted their eyes. They both knew the real reason Russell had gotten punched—but to avoid triggering a shy outburst from the young woman, they chose to keep their mouths shut.

ROAR——!

The shrill, ear-splitting howls of demonic beasts drew closer and closer.

The adventurers could already see the sharp, bared fangs of the creatures at the very front of the horde.

SIGH——

Lucian closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

When he opened them again, his entire aura had shifted—sharp, resolute, and unyielding.

“Stay close behind me. Get ready to charge.”

At his words, the three members of his party tensed up, tightening their grips on their weapons. Thanks to the little interlude just now, the fear in their hearts had retreated to the back burner, replaced by surging fighting spirit.

“CHARGE——!”

Someone shouted the battle cry first.

In an instant, the adventurers surged forward as one, charging headlong toward the demonic horde.

“OOOH!”

“We’ll fight these monsters to the death!”

“Fight till our last breath!”

“Kill! Kill! Kill......”

ROAR——!

Seeing the adventurers charging toward them, the demonic beasts were stirred into a bloodthirsty frenzy, unconsciously picking up speed.

The distance between the two sides shrank rapidly.

Just as they were about to clash in a ferocious melee——

“Ninefold Magic Array—Inferno of Burning Purgatory!”

BOOM——!!!

In the blink of an eye, a colossal wall of flame erupted from the ground before everyone, its blazing heat radiating terrifying temperatures that swept toward the demonic tide.

ROAR——

Countless shrill, agonized screams rang out across the sea of fire—only to fall silent moments later.

All the adventurers skidded to an abrupt halt, staring dumbfounded at the scene before them.

What in the world was happening?

“Up in the sky!”

An adventurer shouted, pointing upward.

Everyone craned their necks to look—and there, hovering high above the sea of flames, was a young girl. She held a silver wand in each hand, like a legendary witch treading upon the sea of fire.

For a moment, the adventurers were completely transfixed by the breathtaking sight, and silence fell over the battlefield.