Chapter 197: Fighting the oni

Except Alisha, all the party members jumped down from the edge. Vlad and Hugo landed directly on their feet under the force of gravity. Raphael used his space manipulation to distort the height difference, reaching the ground in the blink of an eye.

Seraphina ignited flames on the moistened ground below her, which reduced the speed of her descent.

As soon as the squad landed, the eyes of the oni suddenly opened, sending a ripple of mana outward. It fluttered the hair and clothes of the squad.

’Wh-what an intense mana...’ Vlad gasped inwardly, feeling goosebumps all over his skin.

Its black eyes with pale yellow sclera stared intently at the intruders. It grabbed the long sabers beside it and rose to its feet.

No unnecessary growl or scream left its mouth. In an instant, it bolted towards the squad, each step shaking the ground beneath it.

"It is fast," Hugo gasped, lacing his saber in jade-green Sword Aura.

He had only finished his words when the oni had already reached them, swinging both blades in a wide horizontal arc, from either side.

Tang!

Hugo’s weapon struck against one blade while Vlad stopped the other, already lacing Éclair in crimson Sword Aura.

The strength behind the oni’s swing was far greater than the duo had anticipated.

Hugo instantly went airborne from the collision. Vlad managed to hold his ground for a while before he was also sent skidding backward for a few feet.

Raphael had already teleported himself and Seraphina by then, the duo standing before the distant opposite wall behind oni.

"Lady Seraphina, this oni is too fast and powerful to be a Rank Four," Raphael muttered, his eyes trembling slightly. "It is close to an Early-Stage Rank Five monster."

"Focus on supporting the team," Seraphina ordered, her pink eyes fixed on the oni, who was clashing against Vlad and Hugo in the distance and seemed to be overpowering both of them. "With all of us fighting together, it is not unbeatable."

Hugo released a burst of wind from his palm towards the incoming blade of the oni in an attempt to slow its swing.

It did not work at all. The blade cleanly sliced through the air, reaching his neck.

Hugo placed his palm against the flat of the saber while holding its hilt with the other hand to protect himself from the unstoppable strike.

Just as it was about to strike him, a voice came from the opening in the high wall.

"Two Ring Spectral Magic: Flashbang!"

A bright light erupted, painting the entire cave white with its blinding radiance.

The oni’s eyes instinctively closed, the movement of its blade slowing slightly as it felt the piercing pain in its eyes.

The momentary distraction was enough for Hugo to retreat beyond the range of the oni’s blade.

As for Vlad, he used this chance to dodge the attack that was launched at him.

He skillfully moved past its arm, hurled himself high into the air, and brought down his blade in a diagonal slash.

Its skin was unbelievably tough. Vlad used the same amount of Sword Aura that had cleanly sliced the troll in two, yet his sword barely pierced the oni’s skin.

Only a shallow mark was carved along the movement of the blade. The sword had only reached its chest when Vlad saw its gaping mouth, with spear-like fangs coming for him.

Its teeth bit into empty air as Vlad was suddenly pushed back by his cape.

"Thanks," Vlad said to Raphael, landing on the ground. Raphael had teleported behind him and pulled him back at the last moment.

The effect of Flashbang vanished, returning the cave to its usual brightness, caused by the Eye embedded in the high ceiling.

"Don’t let your guard down even for a moment," Raphael muttered as he moved his fingers into a claw-like gesture. Barely visible threads hung from the fingers of both his hands, seemingly disturbing the space around them.

Vlad and Hugo nodded, reaching either side of him as the trio prepared for another round.

The oni opened its demonic eyes, staring at the trio with murderous intent.

It was about to launch itself at them again when Seraphina’s voice came from behind the oni.

"Three Ring Pyro Spell: Inferno Chains!"

Four large magic circles, nearly the same height as Seraphina, materialised above her. From each of them emerged massive amber chains.

They shot through the air towards the oni like living serpents. Each of them coiled around its limbs, holding it in place.

Smoke rose from the skin where the chains contacted the oni, the air filling with the burning smell of flesh.

"GRRRR..." The oni growled, staring back at Seraphina over its shoulder with narrowed eyes.

At the same time, Alisha also cast her spell from the edge of the tunnel.

"Three Ring Spectral Spell: Barrage of Prism Distortion!"

Numerous prism-shaped pieces of glass materialised around the oni, covering it from all sides.

Its vision and sense of distance had completely distorted. It could see numerous figures of Seraphina, Vlad, Raphael, and Hugo in every direction it looked. In one direction, they seemed far away, while in another, they appeared right before its face.

It tried to attack those that seemed closer, but its limbs were completely bound by the chains. Each struggle only caused the chains to rattle and grow even hotter, burning its tough skin.

"Let’s go!" Raphael ordered Vlad and Hugo.

The oni could feel them coming because of the mana radiation released by their bodies, but its eyes were completely betraying it, making it difficult to pinpoint their locations.

The trio bolted forward, spreading out to attack from different directions.

Hugo grabbed his saber with both hands and muttered,

"Wind Saber Art: Gale Fang!"

From the horizontal swing of his blade, a crescent-shaped, razor-sharp blade of energy shot forward.

It struck the oni’s torso, piercing its skin for several inches and splattering its crimson blood across the ground.

From the middle, Raphael shot his thin threads forward, coiling them around both of its wrists.

He channeled his silver-colored aethar mana into the threads, which began bending the space around them, making their way into the oni’s skin.

’Senior Hugo can already manipulate his Sword Aura to release named skills,’ Vlad murmured inwardly, his tone laced with admiration. ’No wonder he is only a step away from becoming a Marshal Knight. And Senior Raphael... he is manipulating the space around the oni’s wrists to sever its hands. While everyone is holding it back, I should use this chance to finish it off.’

Bolts of crimson lightning danced around his feet as he bolted towards the oni, breaking the sound barrier.

The crimson aura around his blade, which had been waving like vapours, began turning solid, its translucent form becoming opaque. Its edge became so sharp that the sound of whistling air echoed as Vlad swung his sword, straight for the oni’s neck.