Fran started breathing heavily now, probably because she wasnât in good shape in the first place.
Another reason was that the antidemons kept getting stronger and more aggressive, just like during the battle for Castel.
ăFran! Keep at it!ă
ăNnâŠâŠ!ă
We canât turn our backs on them for a single minute. If we ever do, theyâll easily break through the walls while weâre gone.
There was almost no support coming from the adventurers, aside from a few ranged blasts coming from atop the walls.
Frankly speaking, those were pretty much a drop in the bucket.
They did, however, play a role in improving Franâs morale, since it proved that she had allies on her side.
Thatâs when Urushi suddenly moved into action, enlarging his entire body.
ăUrushi, no! That size will just make you a bigger target!ă
ăGrrrrrr!ă
I shouted to stop him, but Urushi retained his size.
With the entrance of the giant ten meter wolf, the antidemons concentrated their attacks on him. Urushi covered himself with black mana to enhance his defenses, but it wasnât nearly enough to nullify the damage.
Even so, Urushi rushed forward to crush antidemons under his claws and fangs.
ăFran, letâs get back while we still can. Drink a potion and eat something.ă
ăBut we have to save Urushi!ă
ăUrushi is pushing himself to give you a break! Donât waste his resolve!ă
ăUrushiâŠâŠă
ăIâll use life magic to mitigate your exhaustion. Weâre heading back to the wall.ă
ăOkay.ă
Fran gave a small nod after taking another glance at Urushi, who was bleeding after eating a direct hit from a cannon-type. Even so, Fran didnât voice her concern again.
She knew Urushi would pull through.
ăHang in there, Urushi!ă
Fran muttered a prayer, and in response, Urushi howled loudly.
ăGraaaaaaaah!ă
ăGyiiiiiiii!ă
ăGrrr!ă
ăGshaaaaaah!ă
Urushi, now at his maximum size, continued his fierce exchange with the antidemons.
On one side were the antidemons, covering the entire plains to swarm their target. On the other, a giant jet-black wolf valiantly fending off the overwhelming numbers.
It almost looked like an entire nest of ants attempting to take down their prey. Their battle for survival was a spectacle so fierce and powerful that we could not help but watch.
Urushi continued his resistance without a single step backwards, even though the antidemon horde looked as if they might swallow him up in the blink of an eye.
A swing of his claws crushed ten antidemons. His fangs crunch down on another ten. Each swing of his tail, each kick from his legs, all knocking antidemons down like dominoes.
ăUrushi is super cool.ă
ăYeah.ă
This filled me with relief, but also anxiety at the same time.
Because thereâs no way Urushi could get through this unscathed. His injuries were clearly starting to accumulate, yet he continued slaughtering the antidemons without any sign of retreat.
All of this so that Fran could get some well needed rest.
I would have to respond to such loyalty. Fran was lying on the ground with her stealth activated, so I continued treating her with healing and life magic, while giving her a telekinetic massage.
Then I gave her a rice ball and some juice to fill her empty stomach. Even such a small thing would improve our combat duration significantly.
ăGrrrrrrrrrr!ă
ăUrushi, amazing!ă
ăYeah!ă
Heâs been doing great so far, but now Urushi stepped it up a notch. He cloaked himself in mana so dense that it was visible, then charged directly into the horde.
He must have sensed that some antidemons were attempting to bypass him. In order to grab their attention, he decided to go completely serious regardless of the costs.
His plan worked, as the antidemons began another fierce assault on him.
ïŒMaster, ready yet?ïŒ
ăAlmost. Just wait a little longer.ă
ïŒNnâŠâŠïŒ
Franâs worries were understandable, as Urushi started bleeding heavily after taking another concentrated barrage, staining the earth in red.
While Fran continued staring at Urushi, I focused on my spells. Though life magic couldnât heal injuries as quickly as healing magic, it was extremely effective at remedying exhaustion.
ăPhewâŠâŠ Alright! Good to go!ă
ăNn!ă
Immediately after hearing my words, Fran grabbed me and dashed out at max speed.
She readied me as she flew above the ground.
ăHaah! Get away from Urushi!ă
ăOra!ă
Franâs swordsmanship and my spell eliminated the antidemons surrounding Urushi. This created a gap, if only for a brief moment, so Fran and I jumped in.
ăUrushi! Itâs your turn to rest! Heal your wounds!ă
ăWoof!ă
ăAnd take this too!ă
ăWoof woof!ă
I threw a whole roasted boar out of my storage. Of course, this was no ordinary boar, but a monster boar nearly five meters long.
I was saving it for one of his later meals, but he can have it now. Urushi caught the roasted boar in mid-air and dove into the shadows as he fell.
ăWhile Urushi rests in the shadows, weâll grab the antidemonsâ attention.ă
ăNn!ă
I had hoped the antidemons might be surprised after Urushiâs sudden disappearance, but they appeared unfazed. After immediately recognizing Fran as their new target, they all rushed at her instead.
We were surrounded by knight-types with black horns, black swordsman-types, and black archer-types, the guys that gave us a ton of trouble at Castel.
So it seems theyâre already serious.
Fran movements seemed very light after the break, since she danced around the air while slashing at the antidemons.
Itâs been about thirty minutes since Fran and Urushi first charged into the horde. Our reinforcements should be arriving any second now.
And yet I didnât sense anyone approaching. The number of people covering us from the wall had doubled, but not much else.
Could it be that the Dragon King started trouble elsewhere? Or some other incident? Are we really not getting anyone else?
I started getting a bit anxious, but thenâŠâŠ
Pororon.
The beautiful sound of a harp echoed through the battlefield.