Chapter 1412. Aina Peneloti (3)

"Commander?"

First Life Commander Jin looked dumbfounded. Second Life Commander Jin was one thing, but First Life Commander Jin revealed a face I had never seen before.

‘But... it's understandable...’

He knew the demon was an unknown monster, but there had to be limits to its power.

Despite that, the monster was something far beyond what he could imagine, so his mind came to a screeching halt.

First Life Commander Jin’s blank gaze was fixed right beside me.

Just one step away—no, only a few centimeters away from me was a scorched mark. It was where the bolt of black lightning had landed. Everything next to me was blasted away. There was a thick wall right beside me earlier, but not anymore. Instead, it was replaced by a huge gaping hole.

Thanks to the mana storm raging like a typhoon, we couldn't see anything except for the swirling mana in the air.

He realized that our forces were in the eye of the storm. They were completely isolated. The spot struck by the bolt of black lightning still crackled and buzzed.

It wasn’t strange at all that he lost his composure.

‘Almost dying wasn’t even the real problem.’

If what I had seen was right, he would have died without leaving any traces behind had he not dodged the attack with superhuman reflexes.

He fell into that abnormal state not just because he almost died. I'd say the fact that he couldn't understand the being before us had contributed to it as well.

He liked to act as if he enjoyed danger, but in the end, he was still a human being.

Feeling fear toward something he couldn’t comprehend was only natural. He was different from others, so I was sure it was more apparent to him that the existence before us was something he couldn't analyze.

He was undoubtedly a genius with an exceedingly high comprehension level as well as a fundamental grasp of magic, but despite that, he couldn't analyze the being before us.

‘Maybe he can do it in five years, but today, it's impossible. It's not strange that he's shocked.’

Second Life Commander Jin had truly attacked with the intent to kill. No matter how one looked at it, he tried to kill First Life Commander Jin. If First Life Commander Jin had reacted even a bit slower, he would have been reduced to mere dust.

Whether he understood that he had nearly erased his entire first playthrough or not, Second Life Commander Jin in front of us was still showing off his charisma with an outstretched hand.

"Commander?"

Crackle. Crackle.

"Commander?"

Crackle!

I couldn’t help but talk urgently.

"Commander! I’m saying this just to be safe..."

— ...

"You know that if First Life Commander Jin dies, you'll have to take his place. You know that, right?"

— ...

"You know that, and you are still trying to kill him, right?"

— ...

"You do know that you have to stay here in his stead if he dies, right? You haven’t lost your mind, right? You’re not just lashing out without thinking about the consequences, are you?"

— ...

‘That bastard must have really lost his mind for a moment.’

He had been through many stressful events recently. From my perspective, First Life Commander Jin's behavior was also irritating.

‘He must’ve been triggered the moment he saw him.’

It proved just how mentally exhausted he was, so I could understand his actions to some extent, but I never imagined he would actually slam lightning down on him right away.

I was worried that he couldn't hear my voice, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

It wasn’t exactly fortunate, but he seemed to have come to his senses once he realized that he would have to clean up after First Life Commander Jin if the latter ended up dying here. Naturally, his overwhelming presence diminished a bit, and he finally spoke.

— Of course... I know.

"What's up with the late reply? Ah, there must’ve been a brief disconnection."

‘I shouldn’t tease him right now. I should give him a way out.’

— ...

"But still, why did you attack him that hard? These guys are weak right now, and someone like you only has to attack a bit harder for them to die instantly. I know you're overestimating First Life Commander Jin, but he’s not at that

level

yet. Same for Kim Hyun-Sung.

"At least you didn’t attack the ladies, so I guess you knew what you were doing, but make your attacks weaker. They can’t even move now."

— ...

"Anyway, you're really quick on the uptake. How did you immediately grasp what someone wants and prepare everything for them right away? I was honestly a little worried, but it was so perfect that even I was surprised.

"How did you do that? I know you wrapped yourself in mana, but I have no idea how it works. What was that black lightning spell anyway? I didn’t know you could use something like that."

— ...

"I knew you were knowledgeable in magic, but you're at a higher level than I had expected. At this point, you could just work as a mage. Why are you even sitting in the office, stressing yourself out? There aren’t many people who can keep up with you."

— It’s basic knowledge.

"For someone like you, I guess. For most people, even if they focus on magic for their entire life, they won't achieve as much as you've achieved. Moreover, you can handle the rear, the front, and even use your brain.

"Can you perhaps become a ranger or an assassin, too?"

— I can't.

"Ah..."

— But I did learn basic archery.

"Really? Basic archery? You sure you can't actually shoot better than Yu Ran, can you? Do you know how to use other weapons, too?"

— I learned the basics. Swordsmanship, spear arts, and other weapons as well. I learned the fundamentals of basically everything. In the end, everything has the same origin.

"But you mainly use martial arts."

— There’s no particular reason for that. I only chose the most comfortable way to fight.

‘This jerk seems to have relaxed a bit now.’

"B-but martial arts is a bit..."

—

Hmph

. I think I know what you’re thinking, so stop worrying about pointless things.

He was truly quick on the uptake. I worked so hard to set him up as a boss monster, so it would be absurd if he suddenly performed Chinese martial arts.

The debuffed allied soldiers wouldn’t notice anything strange, but even so, details mattered

a lot

in moments like this. Commander Jin chose the bow, but it was probably because we just talked about it. Regardless, it was a fitting choice.

‘Yeah, that’s much better.’

If he were to instantly cast a large AoE spell, these guys wouldn’t even know how to react and would just get swept away.

Second Life Commander Jin’s casting speed was extremely fast, so it was better for him to let them predict his actions by using a bow instead of casting spells. Of course, bolts of black lightning continued to fall around him. Second Life Commander Jin extended his palm, and the bolts of black lightning were sucked into his palm.

They took on the shape of an arrow, and as he took on an archer's stance, the mana wrapped around him manifested into a bow. I knew nothing about archery, but his stance was so steady I could tell he hadn't lied to me.

When he finally released the bowstring, an arrow made of black lightning shot out.

‘Oh.’

BOOM!

A thunderous explosion followed as the guards holding their shields were blown away all at once. When he stretched his hand out again, a long streak of lightning took shape once more. It looked far too long to be called a spear. In fact, I wasn’t sure whether it could even be called a spear. It was made of black lightning, and its shape wasn’t consistent. It crackled as it shifted, creating sharp edges suitable for slicing or stabbing.

How could anyone define something like that?

‘His style really is dramatic, seriously.’

"How come I've never seen you fight like this before, Commander Jin?"

—

Hmph

. It’s all pointless. It wastes mana, it’s loud, and it’s inefficient. Why would I bother doing all this to opponents who can be swept away with a single spell?

‘That’s true.’

It looked flashy, but it was the peak of inefficiency. He could just hurl the mana around him toward his enemies, and they would get wiped out instantly. I felt like there was no need for him to cast any spells.

He could simply drag them into close combat and release mana only at the necessary points. I had no idea why he summoned bolts of black lightning, but I remembered that his original fighting style had always felt closer to that.

He was the epitome of efficiency; he would use mana efficiently, make only the most efficient movements, and subdue the enemy with the fewest movements possible.

He was absurdly obsessed with efficiency, so it wasn't strange for him to prioritize in just about everywhere. However, Second Life Commander Jin was showing me a fighting style that was extremely unlike him.

‘Rational people always end up like that when a screw on their head comes loose.’

There was definitely a reason he summoned those bolts of black lightning.

Anyway, it was good news for the allied forces.

Just a few minutes ago, they believed there was no way to counter this at all, but now, they had discovered a tiny opening. The cowardly First Life Commander Jin, who would only react to dangers he believed he could overcome, smiled slightly at the sight.

He had analyzed Second Life Commander Jin's attack patterns.

‘It’s simple.’

He mainly used a bow, but for close combat, he would use what looked like a spear.

It was a

very

long spear, long enough that one could almost classify it as a ranged weapon. It remained unknown whether he had other attack patterns, but one thing was certain—closing the distance was advantageous.

‘He’s still a summoned entity. Second Life Commander Jin really designed a good boss.’

It looked simple, but in reality, it was anything but.

First of all, they had to avoid those arrows made of black lightning, and even if they managed to get close, they still had to dodge the constant lightning attacks.

If there was a silver lining, it was the fact that there was no need to actually defeat him. The goal was to stop the completion of the summoning circle, and even now, it was slowly drawing itself on the ground.

“Lady Peneloti, please tell me how much time is left until the summoning circle is complete,” First Life Commander Jin requested.

“...”

“Lady Peneloti?” he called out.

“Eight minutes and twenty-four seconds,” I answered.

“...”

“It’s exactly eight minutes and twenty-two seconds now,” I said.

The imaginary magic circle and hourglass in my mind were drawn in his head as soon as I replied.

Kim Hyun-Sung rose quietly, realizing there was no time to waste.

‘We have the fastest horse on our side.’

Kim Hyun-Sung.

Even First Life Commander Jin wouldn't refuse to make use of him. Gritting his teeth, he made his move.

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

First Life Commander Jin did the same. He lifted his finger, and the forces of the Republic moved out. It seemed they had shaken off some of the earlier pressure, but it wasn't because they resisted or had already adapted to the debuff. It was all because Second Life Commander Jin had released them from the debuff's clutches.

Their eyes had life in them again. First Life Commander Jin kicked off the ground, and together with Kim Hyun-Sung, they advanced while dodging the massive spear wielded by Second Life Commander Jin.

Of course, it wasn’t an easy path. Republic troops acted as shields, and spells were cast wantonly, but even so, the gap barely closed.

They weren’t stuck completely, but there were simply too many obstacles blocking their advance. And of all the factors getting in their way, the biggest one was the demon.

‘That’s it.’

The demon wasn’t aiming at them. The real threat was obvious.

The real threat was the one who could sense and see the summoning circle...

‘Aina Peneloti.’

The purple monster gathered a bolt of black lightning and drew its bowstring. The next moment, a jet-black arrow flew out at breakneck speed, piercing the commander of the guards holding a shield before flying toward me.

I blinked once, and the arrow was already right in front of me.

‘Ah!’

Just when I thought it was over...

BOOM!

Craaaaackle!

“...”

“...”

“Are you alright, Lady Peneloti?”

“...”

I saw Count Kim and First Life Commander Jin in front of me.

Kim Hyun-Sung’s arm was trembling, and it seemed that he had deflected the arrow with his sword. For some reason, First Life Commander Jin had one hand wrapped around me while his other hand was stretched out protectively before me.

‘This guy... How dare he touch me?’

Never mind the rest...

‘Why is he frowning like that?’

If I were to exaggerate a little, I'd say he looked like an evil spirit.