Chapter 525 The Foe That Escaped

Whoosh——!!!

A terrifying beam shot straight toward them.

Shing!

Hena flashed in front of Prarlulu and loosed an arrow as powerful as a light cannon.

Boom!

The two attacks collided midair, erupting in a massive explosion.

“…Damnation!”

His strike blocked,

Goruzaan grew restless.

But he was anxious for more than one reason.

In their brief clash, he had realized the Heroes’ strength had improved drastically since their last meeting—he might not defeat them now.

“Don’t run! Take this spear——!”

Whoosh!

The sound of cutting air came from behind.

Russell had actually thrown his Holy Spear like a projectile, hurling it straight at Goruzaan.

Goruzaan’s pupils shrank; he dodged to the side at once.

The next instant, the spear flew past his shoulder.

Though the attack missed,

the dodge left him vulnerable—and the Heroes closed in and surrounded him.

Clang!

Arthur struck at him without hesitation.

Shing!

But the blow was blocked by a spiked, armored tail that suddenly jutted from Goruzaan’s back.

The tail coiled like a serpent; after blocking the strike, it lunged for Arthur’s neck.

Arthur flicked his sword upward.

Clang!

He blocked that attack as well.

Hum——!

As Goruzaan and Arthur exchanged blows, a magic circle unfolded above Goruzaan’s head.

He snapped his gaze upward, and six scarlet eyes blazed with light, shattering the circle.

At the same time, six enormous eyes materialized behind him,

rapidly gathering fearsome magical power.

Boom——!

Six beams locked onto one Hero each and raced toward them.

“Holy Shield, guard us——!”

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Hum!

A massive golden shield shadow appeared in the sky.

All the Heroes leaped back, taking cover behind it.

Boom!

The shield’s surface shuddered violently under the assault.

But when the attack ended, the shield was unbroken—and it slammed down hard toward Goruzaan.

Goruzaan was forced to retreat repeatedly.

Six eyes began to gather power behind him once more.

Before he could launch a second attack,

Squelch——!

A spear suddenly pierced through his body from behind.

“Ugh!? When…?”

Goruzaan stared down at the spear, shock and disbelief filling his eyes.

Damnation!

Did he plan this from the moment he threw it…?

In the next breath,

he seized the spear tightly.

Rip!

He tore it out violently

and hurled it far away.

But the second he threw the spear,

Whoosh——!

An arrow pierced his body once again.

“…Pah!”

Goruzaan spat up a mouthful of black blood.

“Bastard……”

Gritting his teeth through the pain, he turned toward Hena.

That woman—she was behind the shield a moment ago… how?!

I’ll kill you first!

Goruzaan clamped his jaws, his fading eyes locking onto Hena.

But……

Shing!

A afterimage flickered in the air.

In the blink of an eye, Hena was back behind the shield.

“……”

Thud!

The giant shield crashed into Goruzaan,

slamming him straight into the ground.

Boom——!

Moments later,

a mushroom cloud rose from the earth……

“Good thing we’re far from the main battlefield. Otherwise, we couldn’t have fought this freely.”

Arthur sighed at the ravaged landscape.

Aralond lowered his shield and said:

“Him moving on his own made this easier, but…… that strike wouldn’t have killed him for sure. We can’t give him time to breathe.”

“Understood.”

The Heroes aimed their weapons at the fallen Goruzaan, ready to deliver the finishing blow.

Russell’s Holy Spear even flew back to him.

He caught it firmly, twisted the tip, and aimed as well.

“Surprised? My spear can be thrown too!”

Just as they prepared to attack,

Shing! Shing!

Two figures suddenly lunged at Prarlulu and Aralond.

“I knew you’d interfere!”

Aralond spoke calmly.

As he spoke,

Hum——!

A huge magic circle unfolded beneath everyone’s feet.

“Not good!”

“It’s a trap!”

The two High-Rank Demons paled and tried to flee at once.

But it was already too late.

The magic circle on the ground rose into a barrier, trapping everyone inside.

Rustle……

Ika stopped flipping through her grimoire at that moment.

She had never intended to attack Goruzaan—she had been preparing this trap for the two demons all along.

“Bastards, if that’s how it is……”

“Lord Goruzaan, we strike together! We can break through just like last time——”

The two demons’ voices died in their throats, cut off abruptly.

They stared dumbfounded at the spot where Goruzaan had lain.

There……

not a trace of Goruzaan remained!

“No way!? He escaped?! When did he get away?!”

The Heroes were equally stunned.

Aralond’s gaze turned heavy.

A crafty bastard…… was he pretending to be injured this entire time? The second we were distracted by these two, he fled.

If that creature really got away, he’ll be a nightmare later……

But……

they couldn’t chase him right now.

“We’ll deal with you first.”

As Aralond spoke coldly,

the Heroes’ eyes locked onto the two High-Rank Demons.

“……”

“……”

Cold sweat trickled down the demons’ spines.

Then,

Boom!

The battle, briefly paused, erupted once more.

……

“He got away…… should we chase him?”

On an unassuming hill,

several figures hid in concealment, closely watching the Heroes’ battle.

“No. Hunting down a fleeing foe is also a lesson the Heroes must learn. We shall watch their performance for now.”

“Well, suit yourself…… if you, the instructor, say so, I’m happy to just watch.”

“Oh, it looks like it’s over——”

At the same time,

on the battlefield they watched.

The two demons’ corpses lay upon the ground.

Yet the Heroes felt no joy from victory.

“……That bastard! We’ll never catch him now!”

Russell snarled in frustration.

“Ugh, damn it! How could he be so sneaky?!”

“It can’t be helped. Battle is full of the unexpected.” Arthur sighed.

“I know that, but…… it just makes me angry!”

“……”

The Heroes stood dejectedly. Even Aralond fell silent, his brows furrowed in thought.

Only Ika and Hena seemed unaffected.

Ika was always indifferent, no matter what happened.

Hena, meanwhile, simply did not understand why the others were upset……

She tilted her head,

then stepped close to Prarlulu.

“Prarlulu, are you troubled?”

“Mmhmm…… of course we are. The main enemy got away.”

“Got away?”

Hena tilted her head in confusion, her ears twitching.

“Then why not chase him?”

“That’s the problem! We have no idea where he ran!”

“You don’t…… huh?? Hena, you know——?!”