Swordmaster Healer - Episode 87
TL: Boko
Editor: HungryPanda
Chapter 29: Pan-Dimensional Task Force (2)
Sung Joon instantly annihilated the twelve that followed behind the four assassins. Now, only one was left.
"L-Long live his Imperial Majesty!"
In order to forget his fear, he called out for the emperor, but on the contrary, that just made Sung Joon angrier.
His high-speed movement was like a flash, and the assassin couldn't block the sword heading towards him.
"AH!"
Sung Joon's swung sword struck the assassin's neck. The assassin yelled briefly, and as soon as he fell, Sung Joon raised his left hand and opened his mouth.
"Absorb."
His stamina and mana were replenished. Rishubalt didn't separately report on it, but his synchronization rate must've increased by a small amount.
Sung Joon closed his eyes and focused on his senses. He didn't sense any mana or presences within the vicinity.
"I've caught some enemies outside of your detection range, my lord."
Rishubalt, who had finished scouting and returned, reappeared and reported.
As he had expected, there were enemies outside of his detecting range. Sung Joon would have been able to sense them had they not been outside of his range and if they weren't high level assassins.
"Lead the way."
"Gladly."
Rishubalt took the lead and Sung Joon followed behind him.
Now, he was even used to this pitch-black darkness.
'I'll be able to use my full strength!'
He smirked, and ran through the dark corridor. It was so dark that a normal person wouldn't be able to see a thing, but Sung Joon's current sight was really clear.
"There's an ambush beyond the iron gate," Rishubalt said.
"I know," Sung Joon replied.
Sung Joon halted before the iron gate. He barely felt the presences and mana; one wouldn't think that there were several laying in wait, but they weren't able to fool Sung Joon's sharp senses.
'The inside's big…!'
He wasn't clairvoyant, but he felt wind coming from a small gap in the door, so it wasn't difficult to figure out how big the inside of the room was.
"Team Leader, it seems like the enemy's noticed."
"Since it's come to this, we'll launch a preemptive strike with dimensional leap! The first group will divert his attention by throwing daggers. The second group will quickly use their dimensional leap to attack the enemy!"
After the Team Leader finished speaking, the second group of the assassins immediately went ahead with their dimensional leap. The first group all together threw their daggers towards the iron gate.
The rushing daggers cut through the air, clad with a clear aura. They pierced through the iron gate like it was paper, and aimed for Sung Joon's vital areas.
At the same time, the ten assassins that had used their dimensional leaps appeared around Sung Joon from all sides.
"He shouldn't be able to avoid it easily!"
They had successfully passed through, and the second group Team Leader yelled out in a voice overflowing with confidence. However, Sung Joon sported a carefree smile. That wasn't all; he was also closing both his eyes.
"Are you looking down on us!?"
"Kill him!"
The ten thrown daggers aimed for his head, neck, heart, and stomach, while the other ten assassins got close and each aimed for a different location. To think that Sung Joon would close his eyes in such a situation!
"Healing Spray."
A white flash poured out.
"AH!"
"My eyes!"
He unleashed a Healing Spray within the immense darkness, radiating an intense light akin to a flare, and for a brief moment, impaired their vision.
"Don't panic! Focus your mana and regain your vision!"
They were well trained assassins, so they instantly regained their vision. However, it was only after their group attack had failed. In the second that they took to regain their vision, Sung Joon had parried the ten throwing daggers that had been rushing towards him.
"G-Good god…"
"Leader! You and the second group have to retreat immediately! He's no ordinary guy!"
The Team Leader hadn't lost his vision since he been a bit far away, and saw it. The sight of the ten daggers being parried.
He had a lot of combat experience, so when he saw that spectacle, he realized it immediately.
'We're no match for him…!'
Thick beads of sweat trailed down his cheek.
"Second group! Retreat immediately… Ugh!"
The instant the second group Team Leader gave the order, Sung Joon instantly closed the distance with his high-speed movement, and stabbed with his sword, piercing his chest.
As soon as Sung Joon pulled his sword out, the Team Leader vomited blood and collapsed.
"Attack together!"
"You idiots! Retreat immediately!"
The second group of assassins got into formation and attacked together again. The Team Leader felt uneasy and yelled, yet it didn't reach them.
"Since it's come to this, our first group will reinforce the second group!"
"Who decided that?"
Sung Joon smiled cynically. His sharp blade cut through the wind the instant his eyes gleamed.
"AH!"
"Ugh!"
The second group of assassins fell. It had been so fast that it seemed like his sword had split. The Team Leader's eyes hadn't even been able to see an afterimage.
"H-How can he be this fast…!"
He had seen the second group's annihilation with his very eyes, but he still couldn't believe it.
"We're retreating with dimensional leap…!"
The first group under the Team Leader's command still hadn't used their dimensional leap. The Team Leader had planned to join up with the main force that was coming this way, but…
"Gale Sword."
Sung Joon utilized his Gale Sword to instantaneously close the distance.
"AH!"
"Ugh!"
The assassins collapsed from the unleashed sword winds. Since they were skilled, they weren't severely injured by the attack, but it seemed like they weren't at the level where they could take it unscathed.
'I'll endure until my subordinates can stand and then we'll attack together!' the Team Leader thought.
The first group of assassins were injured from the sword winds, but their injuries weren't severe. A few of them were already pointing their weapons at Sung Joon.
'I'm killing them before others join in.'
Sung Joon clashed with the Team Leader's short sword and changed his stance. As soon as the Team Leader saw this change, he realized that something had gone wrong.
"Illusionary Sword."
Sung Joon calmly recited the activation words, and completed the technique. A part of its limitation had been released, so twelve illusionary blades attacked the Team Leader.
"AH!"
The Team Leader was in high spirits from blocking seven of the twelve illusionary swords. However, the remaining five hacked away at his body, and he toppled to the ground as his blood spread.
"T-Team Leader!"
"It's your turn next."
Sung Joon raised his sword and fixed his stance.
Because he was using a high-rank technique continuously, he had consumed a tremendous amount of mana, but he planned to kill the rest of them and absorb their mana to replenish both his mana and stamina.
"AH!"
"Ugh!"
Sung Joon swept them away, and only corpses remained. Sung Joon had killed both the first and second group of assassins, and absorbed their mana and stamina.
"They're coming," Rishubalt said.
As soon as he finished his absorption, Rishubalt warned him. And Sung Joon nodded his head.
Crack-
A crack formed in the air and black garbed assassins poured through that crack. There were more than forty of them, but Sung Joon was relaxed.
'Around half of them are trainees.'
Sung Joon quickly scanned his surroundings. They had already formed their battle positions, and were preparing to attack together.
In order to make this battle go in his favor, he had to stop their movements.
'My killing intent won't be enough.'
He had utilized his killing intent just a little while ago, but the assassins' level was too high, so it wasn't very effective. Targeting the trainees with his killing intent would be more effective, but the problem was that the remainder were regular soldiers.
'If that's the case, this is my only option.'
Sung Joon's eyes gleamed. Despite the assassins getting close, Sung Joon didn't lose his composure.
He opened his mouth with a calm expression.
"Howl, Roel."
The sleeping Roel awoke.
Roar!
The Dragon Fear shook the interior of the clearing.
"Ergh!"
"Ugh!"
The trainees foamed at the mouth and fell, while the terrified assassins either dropped their weapons or stiffened, unable to move.
Though it was limited, it was still an Evil Dragon's Dragon Fear. It was an existence much too strong for them.
"Dragon Fear?"
The Defense Team Leader Ericsson paled. If their opponent was a Dragon, they would have to fight a ridiculous battle.
However, they couldn't retreat.
'We have to protect it without fail.'
That's because this place held the theoretical book on the dimensional leap. If the training camp was destroyed and the theoretical book was stolen, it wouldn't be possible to reinforce the Pan-Dimensional Task Force anymore.
"AH!"
"Ugh!"
However, it wasn't easy. Because of the effect of the Dragon Fear, the stiffened assassins and the trainees fell like scarecrows before Sung Joon's sword.
By the time they were released from the stiffening fear, more than half of their force, including the trainees, had fallen.
"Defense Team Leader! The enemy's too strong!"
"We need reinforcements!"
"When will the Imperial Army get here?"
Even amongst the fierce offensive and defensive battle, questions poured out. Since he couldn't even give them even one affirmative answer, Ericsson couldn't help but despair.
At some point, the outside space was severed, and even the Pan-Dimensional Task Force couldn't use their special dimensional leap to go beyond it.
'Is it really a Dragon…? It that's the case, then why…'
His mind briefly wandered, but he soon shook his head and raised his dagger. He didn't have the luxury to be thinking about something else in the midst of battle.
"Blink."
Whenever they struggled to build their attack formation, Sung Joon would use blink and widen the distance. And when that happened, Ericsson, as well as the rest of the Pan-Dimensional Task Force assassins went crazy.
"Throw your daggers!"
Ericsson thought that Sung Joon was too far, so he ordered his subordinates to throw their daggers in order to contain him.
Dozens of aurclad daggers flew from every direction, aiming at Sung Joon.
"That's quite a lot."
However, Sung Joon kept his calm. Of the two necklaces around his neck, Sung Joon took the one embedded with a red gem, raised it, and opened his mouth.
"Shield."
With the recitation of the activation words, the S-rank item, "Dragon's Protection', activated its ability to block long ranged attacks. Though the daggers were enveloped in aura, they weren't able to pierce through the field created by 'Dragon's Protection'.
"H-How is this possible!"
"He blocked all of this?"
Sung Joon saw the flustered assassins and smirked.
'S-rank items are indeed good.'
Several dozens of aurclad daggers would even be able to pierce through a high-rank defense magic. But he had blocked it, so the assassins couldn't help but be surprised.
"Slash!"
Now it was his turn. Sung Joon launched an aura slash, and after breaking the assassins' formation, used his blink to penetrate deep into their lines, and swung his sword crazily.
At a glimpse, it looked as though he was swinging his sword while in a trance, but his swordsmanship was in fact quite orderly.
"AH!"
However, the enemies were skilled and their numbers were many, so Sung Joon ended up being injured. When they saw Sung Joon momentarily falter, Ericsson laughed brightly.
"Good! Now attack all at once!"
"Blink!"
Sung Joon once again widened the distance. Although it cost a ton of mana, he couldn't help it if he wanted to stay alive.
"Heal!"
Sung Joon, who had widened the distance, healed his injuries, and returned to the battlefield. Before they could even express their shock at his healing, Ericsson, and the rest of the Pan-Dimensional Task Force assassins were annihilated.
Of course, Sung Joon didn't leave the battle unscathed.
His form was bloodied, and he had consumed an immense amount of mana and stamina. However, he had his 'absorption'.
"Absorb."
His mana and stamina were to some extent replenished, and Sung Joon used a part of that replenished mana to heal his wounds.
"Your synchronization rate has become 36%. If we add the clear reward, it seems like your synchronization rate will become 37%."
"That's good."
"Will you leave the Awakening Dungeon now?" Rishubalt asked. Sung Joon shook his head and opened his mouth.
"If my memories aren't wrong, the theoretical book on the dimensional leap should be here. Without that, they won't be able to train more troops."
"Wouldn't there be a locking magic formula?"
"I have this, don't I?"
And Sung Joon raised 'Anvel's Master Key'.
//