Turning Chapter 1137

Chapter 1137

"Sir Zuckerman...!"

As Nathan Zuckerman reached the rocky basin, he was confronted with a scene that looked like a dust-filled whirlwind raging. That wind was, of course, caused by the flying monster group, and the Peletta Knights who had lured them from Jilbang to here were somehow sticking together and enduring that wind in a disheveled state.

Among the members who recognized him and rejoiced, Nathan Zuckerman spotted those panting with their armor completely stained with blood. Even at a glance, their injury level didn't look good.

"I'll take over, so please withdraw immediately. I'll draw the monsters' attention."

"Understood! But..."

Those who had been rejoicing looked bewildered when they saw the number of people who appeared behind Nathan Zuckerman.

"Is this all the reinforcements? Did something happen at Peletta Castle...?"

"Don't worry, we came with this number because we judged it to be sufficient. Don't look back and just go as soon as there's an opening. ...Now!"

Nathan Zuckerman drew his sword unhesitatingly towards the sky. At the same time, a stream of blue aura split the whirlwind and pierced through the monster group.

---!

A light like a miracle.

The blue sky was revealed in the parting and disappearing dust.

The monster group screamed in pain at the perfect and overwhelming attack that was unbelievable to have been created with just one sword. Taking advantage of the moment when the wind stopped as the group scattered in a hurry, Nathan Zuckerman leapt off his horse without hesitation and handed the reins to the injured.

"Go quickly!"

"Ah... Aah...!"

The knights who had been blankly looking up at the sky as if not knowing what had happened finally came to their senses and followed his order. As those who came with Nathan Zuckerman also handed over their horse reins, the injured knights mounted them in turns and kicked off.

Among them, Brugg, their leader and the one with the biggest injury on his back, spoke with difficulty.

"...Nathan. Those creatures, they're not ordinary cunning...! They persistently target their prey and pour attacks from the sky, so please be careful..."

"Yes. Don't worry about me. I'll see you at the castle when this is over."

Nathan Zuckerman slapped the horse's rump before Brugg could finish speaking. The horses neighed and galloped back the way they had come.

Nathan Zuckerman was now left with five subordinates. The knights looked at Nathan Zuckerman. They, who had looked somewhat anxious until coming here, now had bright expressions like half-drunk people, captivated by the swordmaster's aura they had just witnessed.

"Sir! What should we do now?"

"Avoid attacks and wait."

"Pardon?"

The knights blinked in surprise at the unexpected answer.

"You mean we're not going to attack those creatures right away like before?"

Nathan Zuckerman slowly shook his head at those words.

"Look carefully. See if any of them died from the previous attack."

"...Ah."

Only then did the knights realize that no monsters had fallen from Nathan Zuckerman's attack. Some of them seemed to have difficulty moving due to the unexpected attack, but that was all. Looking at the entire scattered flying monster group, they didn't seem to have taken much damage.

'How can this be...'

To have taken only that much damage from such a tremendous attack.

Those monsters knew how to use the open space of the sky truly freely. They also seemed to know well that no matter how powerful an attack was, it was enough to just avoid it.

The shadows of the monster swarm, gradually gathering again and starting to form a circle, dyed the ground black. Nathan Zuckerman felt the killing intent of the monsters circling as if targeting his head and recalled Yuder Aile's words.

'You can launch attacks into the sky with aura, but the efficiency won't be good compared to the amount of power used. Because the sky is full of space for them to avoid. If you ignore that and keep launching, it might be possible to deal with them somehow. But is there any need to do that?'

'...'

'If there's a lot of space to avoid, just make it so they can't avoid.'

'So they can't avoid.'

As Nathan Zuckerman muttered lowly, Yuder Aile nodded.

'Yes. I will create the best moment for you to attack from here.'

How could that voice be described?

It was a voice as if he could naturally do so, like the sun rising and the moon setting. Something beyond words like confidence or arrogance existed there.

'Sir Zuckerman, until then, focus on conserving your strength and avoiding attacks. It's enough just to be with those who will act as bait, drawing the creatures' attention on the ground. If it seems dangerous, I'll send a signal from here, so it shouldn't be too difficult...'

"Ugh... The wind...!"

"We can't see the monsters well again because of the dust wind!"

Nathan Zuckerman raised his head. The wind raised by the monsters, who had regrouped again, grew into a strong whirlwind like before. Due to the wind that had grown by sucking in the surrounding dust, even the monsters right above their heads were hard to see clearly.

It seemed the creatures were quite displeased with losing their original prey and being injured by the newly appeared humans.

Just as the knights were groaning in a situation where it was difficult to even gauge when attacks would pour down, let alone survey the sky above.

-Woong...!

The bracelet on Nathan Zuckerman's arm vibrated and flashed briefly.

He immediately gripped his sword tighter upon confirming it and issued an order.

"Scatter!"

Even in the bewildering situation, the knights quickly reacted to the familiar command. They instantly scattered in all directions through the dust.

Immediately after, several monsters folded their wings and descended at a terrifying speed, extending their claws towards where they had been gathered.

-Kwakwakwang—!

The impact was truly tremendous, with the claws and beaks that randomly hit the ground being so hard. The entire rocky ground shook and cried out. Nathan Zuckerman instinctively realized that the ground tremor he had felt at the castle was due to this attack.

When several creatures aimed at one spot and threw their bodies simultaneously, how could the ground endure without breaking?

However, since the place the monsters aimed at was already empty, they returned to the sky with irritated cries without gaining anything. Nathan Zuckerman nodded as he looked at the surprised knights who had returned.

'I understand what he meant by saying he'd make it possible for us to avoid.'

Although the monsters are hard to see from here, it would be much easier to grasp their movements from Peletta Castle. Of course, it would be nonsense to say that alone allows reading the monsters' attacks one step ahead, but Yuder Aile had accomplished that unbelievable task very accurately.

"Sir Zuckerman... What just happened? Just now..."

"There's someone supporting us from the castle."

"Pardon?"

"From now on, stay alert and keep circling around, then scatter immediately upon hearing the command and regroup repeatedly. Focus on moving as fast as possible while protecting your bodies."

Until the one at the castle 'gives an opportunity', that is.

Nathan Zuckerman didn't explain in more detail, but the knights read certainty in his eyes.

"Understood! Everyone move!"

The knights soon began to move in perfect unison as if they had become one body.

The momentum of the monster swarm circling, looking at the baits on the ground that seemed catchable but weren't, boiled up fiercely.

And six people were watching that scene from atop the eastern tower of Peletta Castle.

"Isias, Edin. The signal you just sent was a bit late."

Yuder opened his mouth towards the two people standing side by side with tense faces.

"You should have grasped by now how long it takes for the magical tool signal I gave you to reach there, so adjust a little faster next time."

"Got it!"

Isias, with her danger detection ability, could sense the moment the monsters were about to attack. Edin, with his 'sensitive touch' ability, could quickly grasp and respond to intentions just from the slightest reactions of those he touched. Yuder had tied the two together, making it so that whenever Isias detected an attack moment, Edin would immediately activate the signaling magical tool.

'This is much better than me activating the magical tool directly.'

Since it was their first time cooperating, the first signal went a bit late, but according to Isias's detection, fortunately, nothing dangerous seemed to have happened on Nathan Zuckerman's side.

'If we repeat this a few times, those creatures will start getting heated up.'

Stupid and simple monsters wouldn't fall for such provocation, but it's different for cunning ones that can move in groups. Because they're cunning, they tend to show strong reactions, unable to accept repeated failures.

Just like now.

"Yuder! The monster group has split! Two consecutive... no, three attacks...!"

While Isias was frantically detecting and shouting, Edin was sweating profusely, trying to accurately activate the magical tool consecutively. Yuder nodded as he watched the group of black dots in the sky that had started to show a different appearance from before, as they had said.

'Yes. Good. It's about time to burst it.'

Yuder looked down at the bow in his hand and opened his mouth.

"Ax. Persaila. Balmore."

"Yeah."

"Prepare as I said earlier. Start."

Ax's ability was 'power-infusing beads'. He could put sharp needle-like small weapons, sparks, water, and other things he recognized as 'powerful weapons' into small transparent bead-shaped membranes and throw them.

Persaila's ability was 'light emission'. She could temporarily burst bright light to obscure the enemy's vision.

Balmore had the 'explosion' ability. When he first joined, he used to trouble many people because objects he touched would randomly explode, but now he could make objects he wanted explode at the moment he desired.

'Although he's still not skilled enough to do it by time units, even a few minutes is enough.'

Light gathered in Persaila's hand.

Ax added his hand on top of hers to create a bead containing light.

Balmore placed his hand last on that bead to infuse it with explosive power.

"Yuder. Here...!"

"It's our first time making this, so I'm not sure if it turned out well..."

"We'll know when we check it."

Yuder gave a brief reply to the members who were worrying and sweating profusely, then took the light bead. He unhesitatingly stabbed the arrowhead he was holding into the bead, and for a moment the bead trembled as if it would burst, but fortunately, that didn't happen.

'Good.'

Yuder nocked the arrow. His arms spread out holding the bow without the slightest tremor. The fully drawn bow formed a beautiful arch. In the moment when everyone's gaze was captivated by that back figure.

"---"

Yuder lightly released the bowstring.