Chapter 472 Bound?

On the ground, a faint glimmer of white light suddenly flickered.

It was barely noticeable.

Yet Ignir spotted it the instant it appeared.

SWISH——!!!

In the next heartbeat, a bolt of light shot upward from the earth at blistering speed.

Ignir threw every ounce of its strength into twisting its body, in the nick of time.

The white beam streaked past its scales,

leaving a sharp, stinging sensation in its wake.

But it had dodged.

It had successfully evaded the Bow Hero Hena’s direct strike.

"But——"

"This isn’t over!"

Ignir knew full well that this alone was not enough.

It had to lure the Hero away from the others.

"ROAR——?!"

It let out a "panicked" bellow, twisting in the air and darting away from Hena,

looking for all the world like a beast fleeing in fear.

BOOM——!

Yet its rage got the better of it, and it wheeled around repeatedly, spewing searing breath at Gulos’s faction below.

SWISH!

A second arrow flew.

Ignir dodged again.

Now that it had locked onto the Hero’s position, evading her attacks grew far easier.

"You worthless wretch! What in the blazes are you doing?! Finish it off at once!"

Two arrows, two misses—and Inasil flew into a rage, screaming curses.

Hena hesitated, her movements faltering.

The fiend dragon had put distance between them, and its reflexes were unnaturally fast. Firing arrows from where she stood would yield no results.

She had to close the gap.

But if she did that......

She would drift further from Inasil, defying his direct order.

What...... what should she do?

"Damn you! What are you dawdling for?! Attack now!"

CLICK!

The collar around her neck constricted suddenly, then loosened just as quick.

A warning.

If she hesitated any longer, something terrible awaited her.

In that moment, all thoughts of defying the order vanished from Hena’s mind.

BOOM——!

A sonic boom erupted where she stood.

Her white form vanished, closing in on the fiend dragon at an astonishing speed.

"If only...... if only I slay it as fast as possible!"

That was Hena’s only solution.

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Kill the fiend dragon with all speed, then race back to Inasil’s side at once.

Closer!

Now!

THUD——!

Hena skidded to a sudden halt.

She nocked an arrow once more, drawing her bow tight and aiming straight at Ignir.

At this distance, it could not dodge!

Die——!

Brilliant light gathered at the arrowhead in a flash.

High above, the fiend dragon saw itself locked onto by the attack.

Yet strangely,

this time, there was no fear or panic in the fiend dragon’s eyes—only calm, and relief.

Relief?

Why would it look at her with such a gaze......?

Time seemed to slow to a crawl in her vision, and the question flashed unbidden through Hena’s mind.

It was almost as if the beast was saying its work was done.

"At last, I’ve lured you out——"

The voice came out of nowhere, ringing out suddenly behind her.

Huh?

What......?

In her slow-moving vision, Hena wrenched her body around, her head snapping back.

Who?

How could someone be behind her?

"I’m sorry, young one. This is my fault. At the very least...... let an old woman free you with her own hands—Domain of Isolation!"

WHOOSH——!

Like a flurry of snowflakes, countless shards scattered and swirled through the air,

forging a cage around her in the blink of an eye.

The change happened so fast,

only two people noticed it the instant it did.

And then......

Without a moment’s hesitation, they raced forward at their utmost speed.

About two heartbeats later,

Inasil finally realized what was happening.

A look of utter disbelief crossed his face.

A third...... S-Rank!!!

"Bastards——!"

Rage exploded in Inasil’s chest. He snatched up the device that controlled the enslavement artifact without a second thought, his eyes blazing with malice.

"If you’re going to play dirty, then the Hero dies with you!"

BEEP!

He activated the kill command for the Hero.

Yet......

"Impossible......?"

Inasil froze completely, his body going rigid.

He stared at the unresponsive controller, his face draining of all color, growing paler by the second.

His trembling gaze lifted to the strange barrier surrounding Hena, and realization dawned on him.

CLATTER!

The controller slipped from his limp fingers, clattering to the ground.

Inasil crumpled to his knees, all the strength seeping from his body.

"It’s over. My future is completely ruined......"

On the other side of the battlefield,

Irus and Hulim Heyerar reached Hena and Laki at full speed.

The rest of Gulos’s faction mattered nothing now.

"GRRR!"

Locked in a standoff with Laki, Hena saw Hulim descending from the sky, and her fur stood on end in an instant. She spun around, desperate to flee.

But in the next moment,

THUD!

Just like before, Hulim slammed her into the ground, pinning her down.

"Huh......?"

Laki stared, dumbfounded, at the scene before her.

What in the world?

She took the girl down just like that?

That was way too fast!

I didn’t even see her move!

"GRR! It’s...... it’s you again! Let go! Let Hena go at once!"

Hena thrashed and struggled as she had before—but this time, Hulim would not release her grip.

"Please stay still."

Hulim increased her strength, pinning Hena down so she could not move an inch, then spoke:

"Irus, she’s all yours now."

"Mn."

Irus nodded, sinking to her knees in front of Hena.

"GRRR——!"

Hena bared her fangs at Irus, her face twisted in a fierce snarl.

"What do you want with me?! Hena’s not...... not scared of you at all!"

"Don’t worry. We won’t hurt you. We just need a little more time."

With that, Irus raised her hands to the enslavement collar around Hena’s neck, beginning to weave a spell to break its bonds.

The enslavement collar was far more than a simple band around the neck—it was tied to the wearer’s very life. Removing it required the utmost care, lest it endangerthe life of the one enslaved.

And so the three set to work: one to maintain the barrier, one to pin the Hero down, one to undo the collar—their full attention fixed on freeing the Bow Hero.

At the same time,

on the other side of the field, the dwarven legion, led by the Shield Hero Aralond, launched an all-out assault on Gulos’s faction. Coupled with Ignir, who had turned back to join the fray, Gulos’s forces were soon caught in a one-sided rout.

"Lord Inasil! We have to flee now! If we wait any longer, those S-Ranks will finish what they’re doing—and we’ll never escape!"

Fagu cried, his voice filled with panic.

"......Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

Inasil stared fixatedly in Hena’s direction, his heart burning with rage and bitter resentment.

"Bastards! You’ll regret this! I, Inasil, will not let this end here!"

BOOM!

Beneath the earth, a massive burrow worm burst forth from the dirt.

Inasil and Fagu leaped into its gaping maw,

and the worm dove back into the earth, vanishing without a trace.

The remaining monster horde, now leaderless and under siege, seemed to receive a silent order—they flew into a frenzy, charging in all directions in a desperate bid to break through the encirclement.

The ground was soon stained crimson with blood.

Amid the chaos of the battlefield,

no one noticed a faint aura deep beneath the earth, slipping quietly past the fray and vanishing into the far distance......

Inside the Domain of Isolation.

CRACK!

A soft sound rang out.

The enslavement collar that had bound the Bow Hero Hena for who knew how long snapped in two, clattering to the ground.

"......"

Hena finally stopped struggling. She stared at the broken collar on the ground, her face a mask of shock and confusion, her mind gone blank.

"It’s done." Irus let out a soft sigh of relief, smiling gently at Hena. "Hena, the thing that bound you is gone. No one can threaten you ever again."

Hulim loosened her grip, releasing Hena from her hold.

"Bound?"

Hena tilted her head, looking at Irus with pure confusion in her eyes.

"Yes, Hena." Irus said, her smile still warm. "You’re free now."

Yet the words Hena spoke next sent a chill through the hearts of everyone present.

"When...... when was Hena bound?"