The Runesmith
chapter-393

“What are you doing? Stop playing around Wench!”

“You’re one to talk, your ‘army’ of undead is being very useful~”

“Fool! Just watch!”

The cultists did not appear to be fazed by the confrontation with the defenders. Even as their most potent member was being pushed back by the Guild Master and their undead forces were being vanquished, their confidence remained intact. Roland wasn't certain whether it was false bravado or if they truly possessed greater power, but he knew he had to take everything seriously.

Soon, he realized that the necromancer had more tricks up his sleeve as he began rapidly chanting to resurrect his forces. A significant portion of the area started to glow green as the previously defeated undead began to reassemble themselves. The skeletons rose again, and the ghouls which burned away under holy attacks, had their flesh restored. It was a potent healing spell aimed at the deceased bodies, revealing the true power commanded by this Lich. As long as he was present, these abominations would not be easily defeated.

While this was unfolding, Roland didn't merely sit idly by and allow his enemies to strengthen their forces. His awareness extended throughout his entire compound, and his eyes darted across various monitors inside his helmet to evaluate the situation. Behind him, a somewhat anxious Bernir was assisting the four adventurers in getting back on their feet. The cultists had been unable to prevent their awakening but were now directing their attention toward the helmet, which was believed to be the source of the spell disruption.

His assistant had become a target for their malice, but fortunately, there was some distance between the malevolent cultists and the other guests. Roland believed that if they could hold out for a few minutes, the guests would be able to escape to safety. Once inside the escape tunnel, they could make their way quickly toward the city, where the soldiers should be advancing. He was uncertain about the speed at which the trained soldiers could arrive and whether the Solarian church would dispatch clerics to assist them. It was wiser to assume they were on their own and had to deal with the enemy combatants independently.

“Oho, they are rising up! You’re not that bad Mr. Necromancer~”

To his dismay, some of the cultists were enjoying themselves as their forces regrouped. The assassin woman had previously displayed an unusual skill that rendered her body somehow intangible. Roland, with his heightened senses and the numerous golemic eyes throughout the area, witnessed Lobelia's arrow passing through her head. Even Agni's flames, imbued with divine energies, appeared ineffective against this skill.

He had identified her class as an unknown evolution. Among the various assassin classes, this particular trait was likely an inherent part of this skill. Allowing devastating attacks to pass through her body seemed overpowered. However, skills like these often came with drawbacks. The woman probably couldn't sustain it for an extended period or had limited uses. Perhaps, the key to defeating her was to force her to continuously use this skill or use an extended attack which would persist until the skill was undone. The biggest problem was performing this without getting stabbed by those two cursed daggers.

The time for battle had arrived, and Roland assessed the most strategic approach. Considering the peculiar skill, he was uncertain about his friend's ability to effectively combat it. They likely didn't understand why their combined attacks had no impact on the cultist woman.

Agni, Lobelia, and Armand were all early-level tier 3 combatants with stats below that of this cultist woman. Allowing them to attack her might yield disastrous results. To achieve true victory they would have to coordinate their attacks in unison and then strike when the opportunity arose. Instead, they would probably carry out their usual tactics without being able to seamlessly work together against an opponent with a stat advantage.

With the Eldritch Warlock already locked in battle with the guild master, Kovak the Necromancer became the next viable option. Ordinarily, Roland would have preferred to face him himself, as they shared a somewhat similar array of attacks. The opponent was a spellcaster who relied on numerous minions and provided long-range support. Roland could employ a similar strategy by utilizing the large number of golems and turrets available. Controlling them remotely had become quite effortless, allowing him to emulate summoner-type classes.

However, that was not his sole source of strength as he possessed a more extensive array of abilities than most. Even at close range, he presented a formidable adversary, and his sturdy outer defenses made him hard to injure. It made more sense to provide support for his three friends using the golems while concentrating on dealing with this frenzied woman personally. Kovak, being a spellcaster, had lower physical stats, and if Armand could close the distance, defeating the necrotic mage would not be an insurmountable task given his physical prowess.

“Agni, take care of those undead. Armand, Lobelia can you do something about the necromancer? Leave that woman to me.”

“Sure thing! But what about those guys?”

Asked Armand while pointing at the rising undead and other hooded members from the cult entering through the now wide hole in his wall.

“Awoo!”

“Leave them to Agni, undead monsters are his speciality and don’t worry, you won’t be fighting alone.”

Roland responded by extending his arm toward the area where Kovak stood. The man had made a significant error by advancing into the midst of the shattered runic automatons. Despite having seen the turrets reconstruct themselves, he seemingly disregarded it, especially after the appearance of the Sunlight Wolf. Roland, on the other hand, was pleased, as he could now resurrect the fallen golems that were positioned amidst the enemy forces.

The field vibrated with mana energy that extended in a cone from where Roland stood. Even if his enemies could witness the effect taking shape, they were powerless to halt it. Electrical discharges began to occur as the previously shattered components moved towards each other. Broken spider legs reassembled into functioning parts and reattached themselves to their destroyed bodies.

Much like Kovak's ability to resurrect his army of undead, Roland demonstrated his power to do the same with his army of runic creations. In no time, all of his previously demolished constructs were restored to their full working order. Their magical weaponry bristled with readiness, aimed directly at their astonished occult adversaries.

The battlefield had dramatically shifted in Roland's favor, and his resurrected creations stood as a formidable force, ready to defend their master and strike back at those who had dared to threaten his compound. Kovak stood in momentary shock as he gathered his energies to form a more powerful mana mantle to protect himself from the first mana blasts coming his way.

Roland wasn't finished; he continued his assault. The enemies had rushed into his compound recklessly, charging forward without much consideration. He was relieved that he was up against untrained cultists who relied on deception and an illusory relic for their easy victories. It was clear that these individuals were not well-versed in combat tactics and had entered an area filled with powerful explosives. Now that they were deep inside, he could activate the upgraded runic mines.

Previously, he had to deactivate most of them out of fear that people working in the compound might accidentally trigger them. At Tier 2, it had been impossible for him to create smart mines, but now it had become a reality. Even if the children from the orphanage were to run around or disturb the metallic parts that the runic mines were constructed from, they wouldn't activate. Disabling them was as simple as snapping his fingers, and attuning them to mana patterns was also an option.

The ground began to explode, and along with it, the lesser cultists and undead monsters charging forward. With his current understanding of divine rune emulation, he could also add an extra punch against his enemies. Even if it was pseudo-divinity, it proved effective in bestowing the usual debuffs on the undead zombies and skeletons. Combined with the regular explosions, they were swiftly being obliterated, with only the limited number of Tier 3 minions managing to stay on their feet.

"How is this possible? Did we walk into a trap orchestrated by the church? Is that man a Solarian paladin?"

Kovak cried out in anguish as he witnessed his minions being decimated by the ongoing magical explosions. He harbored a profound resentment for anything associated with divine mana, and the entire area was suffused with it. The tides of battle were shifting rapidly in Roland's favor. As the runic mines detonated, the once-confident cultists were thrown into disarray. The necromancer, Kovak, struggled to maintain control of his undead minions, who were being wiped out in the explosions, and the Eldrich Warlock was still locked in a fierce battle with Aurdhan so he could not offer them any aid.

Lobelia, Armand, and Agni swiftly adjusted to the evolving circumstances. Armand, propelled by his formidable physical strength, charged toward the necromancer, swiftly closing the distance. Even if there were some remaining undead creatures and cultists in his path, his controlled frenzied skill allowed him to forcefully push through. Lobelia remained in stealth, waiting for an opportune moment to strike.

Agni, the flaming wolf, also joined the effort. He unleashed a torrent of divine flames in a coordinated attack with the golems. Their bodies were constructed from flame-resistant alloys, designed for deep dungeon exploration and monster hunting. Although it might be considered friendly fire, the automatons stood strong and continued to launch their attacks at any opponent they could spot.

However, there were still a lot of enemies for them to get through until they arrived at their destination with the most troublesome one not suffering from any of the bombs or magical blasts. The pale elf woman remained untouched by the chaos and instead charged for what she perceived to be the most fun opponent.

“Are you the leader? Want to have some fun~?”

Despite making it a priority to maintain his focus on the elven assassin, she managed to close the gap in an instant. Compared to someone like Emmerson, she was far more agile and nimble. While she might not have been able to withstand many hits, landing one on her would prove to be quite challenging.

She suddenly appeared nearby and darted toward him in a peculiar zig-zag pattern. Both of her blades were infused with a type of cursed energy that she intended to thrust into his body, much like she had done all those years ago. Roland vividly remembered how agonizing it had been to experience one of those attacks. Back then, she hadn't even been putting in much effort, and it was evident that the pain would be far more excruciating to endure or heal from if he were to be struck again.

Nevertheless, he wouldn't allow her to approach him without offering any resistance. This was his domain, and he was at his most potent when surrounded by his runic machines. With so many of them at his disposal, before the woman could reach him, the entire area lit up like a Christmas tree. Turrets emerged from the ground, golems rallied to his side to support him, and his floating cubes went into overdrive. All of these creations unleashed their long-range spells while he began moving backward to expand the distance.

He couldn’t see any tier 3 combatant that he faced before to be able to resist this much firepower but somehow, the pale elf was able to continue charging. The turrets, golems, and floating cubes unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks, creating a deadly web of destruction that would have overwhelmed any ordinary opponent. However, Jezryna's intangible state allowed her to gracefully evade each spell and explosion, weaving through the deadly storm unscathed.

Her agility and skill were beyond anything Roland had ever encountered, and it was clear that defeating her would be a formidable challenge. As she drew nearer, Roland knew that he needed a different approach to counter her unique abilities. The pale elf remained undeterred, her cursed daggers at the ready. With fluid grace, she closed the distance between them and lunged at Roland, her blades aimed directly at his heart. Her sly smile and mocking tone only added to her unnerving presence.

"You can't escape, darling. You're going to feel what real pain is like."

Roland promptly assessed his options. His golems and turrets, despite their formidable firepower, were ineffective against an intangible opponent. Nonetheless, during the attack, he noticed a few intriguing patterns. Although she could allow energy beams to pass through her body, occasionally she would instead evade them. This evasion happened at regular intervals, and if he was correct, he had just pinpointed the weakness of this skill.

As a result, instead of relying on basic damaging spells that used standard mana, he opted for a more creative approach. Roland saw limited utility in employing elemental attacks against human targets, as it tended to slow things down. His primary advantage over conventional mages was the rapid activation speed of his runic spells, which became even faster with simpler attacks. While a fire blast might be more intimidating than a mana blast, it consumed more mana and caused more damage to the components. However, this didn't mean he couldn't switch things up when needed.

So, when the daggers approached, rather than forming a conventional shield using blue mana particles, he melded multiple elements together. Fire and wind swirled around his body, enveloping him completely the moment the woman attempted to launch her attack. Even with his entire armor engulfed in a swirling torrent of flames and enhanced by wind blades, he stood his ground.

As it turned out, the skill she used had a duration of no more than a second. After it ended, there was a short cooldown period. This meant that inside the blazing inferno, she would sustain damage as soon as the skill's cooldown was over. Additionally, there was a second weakness: to inflict damage on her targets, she needed her skill to not be active. Even if she could thrust her hand directly into his chest without resistance, the moment her skill was active again, she would also be engulfed by the flames.

The woman, of course, wasn't born yesterday and realized what Roland was attempting. Instead of plunging into the swirling flames, she halted her advance and began a tactical retreat. However, her opponent wasn't about to let this opportunity slip away. Her skill had been used, and there was a small window for him to damage her now.

Realizing there might not be another chance, he decided to go all out. The runes on his armor lit up, and a series of effects unfolded. Behind the woman, large slabs of rock erupted from the ground and hurtled in their direction. A prison of rocks closed in on the two, as he opted for mutual destruction. If he had to harm himself to defeat this enemy, he was willing to take the risk.

Shortly after, a colossal magical explosion rocked the entire compound. Windows shattered, and nearby windmills began to crack under the pressure. The other combatants engaged in battle took a moment to turn and witness a cloud of debris hurtling in their direction, followed by a thick cloud of black smoke. The molten rocks inside indicated that a tremendous amount of heat had exploded in the epicenter at which some of them were staring.

“Y-you… you bastard!”

A single word was uttered by the woman, the light happy tone no longer present.

“Not quite what I was going for, but this should be enough…”

The clearing explosion was accompanied by another voice. Within the dissipating smoke, a figure clad in a smoking suit of armor emerged, protected by a shield of mana but also displaying some cracks. However, these cracks were rapidly resealing themselves, while Roland himself was enveloped in a protective blue shroud of mana.

He had detonated himself along with his opponent in a desperate attempt to defeat the pale woman with a powerful attack. Much to his disappointment, the elf had managed to propel herself out of the explosion's epicenter by kicking off his chest. She was then launched outside through the thick slabs of rocks to safety, but it had come at a cost.

Her body was riddled with wounds, and one of her feet was severely mangled. Blood flowed from her mouth and nose, a clear indication of the substantial damage she had sustained. With one of her feet injured, her primary forte, which was her speed, had been negated. While he might not have defeated her yet, the momentum of the battle was clearly in his favor…