CHAPTER 38 – ANTI-MAGE ARROW
LYSANDER FARADEISS
The sharp pain in my chest pulsates like an inferno, each throb a cruel reminder of the agony coursing through me. It's as if my muscles are submerged in hydrogen peroxide, every cell in my body screaming in protest. The air in my windpipes thickens, choking me, and when I attempt to expel the suffocation, a disconcerting sight greets me—black blood spills from my mouth.
My focus shifts, and there, the source of my torment is unveiled—a vicious arrow protrudes from my back, a sinister infiltrator that has likely pierced my left lung and fractured at least one rib. Yet, the true menace lies not just in the physical realm but in the insidious disruption it wreaks upon my mana flow. It's a tangible creation, but its impact extends beyond the material, causing my magical conduits to short-circuit, rendering me mute in the language of spells. Even my protective first-level magic barrier, a bastion I thought impenetrable, succumbs to the ominous influence of the enigmatic arrow.
"I-Impossible," I manage to murmur, disbelief and pain entwined in my voice.
Glancing backward, I discern Maggie in her Partial Dragon Form—her once magnificent green wings now scorched, adorned with minor scratches on her resilient face and shoulders. Despite the visible toll, she remains a force to be reckoned with. Her left arm reveals a wristbow, the weapon that delivered this unexpected onslaught.
"This arrow," Maggie explained with a tone of malevolence, "is a specialized weapon crafted to extinguish mages with substantial mana reserves. The mightier the adversary, the more potent the impact of this Anti-Mage Arrow."
I grimaced, turning my attention to Maggie as I extended my arm, ready to channel mana through my right hand. However, the moment I attempted to cast a spell, the wound responded with a searing throb, unleashing instantaneous and unbearable pain throughout my entire being. "Gaaaah!"
Without warning, a forceful kick struck my back, sending my body crashing to the unforgiving floor. My face met the cold embrace of the cement. The perpetrator revealed himself as the crimson-haired Johnny, his eyes filled with disdain as he regarded me like a loathsome insect.
"So, you claim to be an Erudite from the future," Johnny taunted, "but it seems you've met your match."
I knew I couldn't contend with them without my magic. Devoid of weapons, my physical strength and agility were intricately woven with my spells. Desperation set in—I had to extract the malevolent arrow disturbing the mana within my body to stand a chance.
Struggling to reach the arrow embedded in my back, my efforts were abruptly thwarted as Johnny's kick connected with my chin. "Gwah!" I cried out, my body involuntarily somersaulting to the other side.
"He deserves a slow, painful death, Johnny. And he might provide us with good information," Maggie declared coldly, readying her wristbow and loading it with another Anti-Mage Arrow. With precise aim, she unleashed a series of shots—one to my left shoulder, another to my right leg, and a third to my left abdomen.
Agony engulfed me as black blood seeped from the wounds. The Anti-Mage Arrow, insidiously efficient, converted my mana and blood into a sinister black goo. Panic set in. This relentless assault could prove fatal.
"Guh... ghhhh!" I desperately tried to vocalize my pain, but only incoherent noises escaped my lips as the poison spread, corrupting even my windpipes. My esophagus clogged with the encroaching black ooze, rendering my attempts to scream futile.
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Johnny advanced methodically, his gaze fixed upon me. His foot poised to descend upon my face, a moment before the inevitable impact, a bluish light erupted.
“Nova Blitz!” A soothing, familiar masculine voice resonated.
When my vision cleared, a radiant elf with golden hair and eyes stood before me. Her intense gaze met mine, and with a gentle touch on my aching chest, she began invoking healing magic.
“Thank goodness we made it in time!” Hiraya exclaimed with tears of joy. "Are you feeling better?”
“H-Hiraya?” I stammered, disbelief flickering in my eyes. “W-Why are you here?”
The return of my ability to speak signaled the effectiveness of her healing magic.
“I thought that you were acting strange, so I asked Alris to tail you. We lost you when you left Tasty Town, but the explosions and the light in the skies gave us an idea where you were,” Hiraya explained.
The revelation was a blow to my pride. Not only had I failed to detect their surveillance, but the unexpected rescue came from the very adversaries I sought to evade. It was a bitter pill to swallow—Hiraya and Alris, of all people, coming to my aid. My wounded pride festered, leaving me grappling with the realization that I'd nearly chosen death over this kind of survival.
Hiraya, with delicate precision, extracted the arrows embedded in my body and began to apply her healing magic to my wounds. However, when she attempted to help, I shook her off with a groan.
"Get off me," I muttered, my pride wounded and my internal turmoil on full display.
"…Okay," Hiraya acquiesced, her frustration evident as she bit her lip. "If you don't want me to help, at least rest first and put pressure on your wound to stop the bleeding."
"Don't you order me around, you bitch," I snapped, glaring. "I know what to do. I'm not a kid."
"I-I'm sorry," Hiraya apologized, bowing with her elven ears pointed down.
My attention shifted to the ongoing battle. It was Alris who had launched a surprise attack against Johnny, an act that I begrudgingly admitted had saved my life. Part of me resented that he hadn't left me to face my fate.
Alris and Johnny engaged in a fierce struggle—sword against werewolf claws, their teeth gritted with seething rage. The battlefield became a canvas for their clash, each move a testament to the intensity of their conflict.
"Damn it. I knew this was an ambush!" Johnny exclaimed.
"Step aside, Johnny!" Maggie roared, leveling her wristbow at Alris, loaded with another Anti-Mage Arrow.
Johnny agilely leaped back on his werewolf legs, creating distance. Maggie seized the opportunity and unleashed her ultimate projectile. However, just before the cursed arrow could find its mark, Hiraya swiftly gestured, conjuring a green wind missile made of mana.
"Wind Arrow!"
The Wind Arrow, with precision only an adept mage could muster, intercepted the Anti-Mage Arrow, redirecting its path away from Alris. Witnessing this, Maggie's frustration ignited, and she redirected her wrath towards the elf.
"You're an annoying one!" Maggie cried, unleashing a barrage of Anti-Mage Arrows, determined to overcome the elusive elf.
"Oh, sorry. Did I offend you in any way?" Hiraya purred, her teasing evident as she drew her pistol from her holster and expertly shot down every arrow that Maggie released.
The battlefield erupted into chaos—a symphony of clashes between dragons and knights. Alris faced off against Johnny, their weapons colliding in a dance of steel and claws. Meanwhile, Hiraya skillfully countered Maggie's feathered darts and arrows with her precise gunfire.
Frustration gnawed at me as I remained incapacitated, a spectator to the intense clashes unfolding around me. Yet, within my helplessness, a realization dawned—a twisted opportunity presenting itself. Hiraya and Alris were deeply engrossed in their battles, leaving an opening I hadn't initially planned but couldn't ignore.
I could charge towards Hiraya and seize the chance to eliminate her. In doing so, I would rid the future of one Dragon Lord. The dark path lay before me, tempting with the promise of altering fate.
I stood up, my knees shaking with the effort, and bolted forward towards the defenseless Hiraya. With a ruthless determination, I seized her chest, channeling the remaining shreds of my strength into a speed-cast magic to bring an end to her life once and for all.
"Baryon Blaze!" I unleashed the deadly spell, the incantation a sinister whisper in the chaos of battle.