I Have a Task Log

Chapter 298: Chapter 297: A Resolute Sacrifice

A golden ball of light shot from Orelia’s fingertips. The Guiding Bolt flashed across the underground hall and exploded against the Demon’s chest, causing a condensed point of light to appear on the Chain Demon’s back.

Colin steeled himself.

He stared hard at the Chain Demon’s back and made a gesture. Silvery mist seeped from the seams of his armor, carrying him where he willed, as it always did.

The instant before the silvery mist in front of him could dissipate, Colin began Casting again.

His shimmering blade blazed as bright as a thousand suns within the underground hall. A radiant golden light traced a perfect arc through the air, and hidden within that golden glow was a red light emanating from the sword itself.

Enhanced Radiant Sword!

CLANG!!

A spray of brilliant sparks flew to every corner of the hall. The sound of steel clashing, grinding, and rending the air was painfully loud.

Thanks to the weapon’s effect, the sword strike was devastatingly powerful.

The chains coiled around the Chain Demon’s body were severed clean through. The broken ends glowed with a faint red light and hissed with white smoke, like molten iron.

The Holy Energy of the Radiant Sword pierced the wound like a dagger, attempting to blind the evil creature.

The Chain Demon’s powerfully muscled back twitched violently.

As Colin ducked to evade, he made a gesture and cast Silver Light Sharp Words.

The Chain Demon spun around with an elbow strike, but Colin was prepared and dodged it.

The damn Demon’s blood-red eyes visibly turned a faint gold. The creature’s sight had been stolen by Colin’s Magic.

The light of the Radiant Sword gathered on his blade once more.

Colin slashed horizontally again, gutting his opponent.

A black, viscous liquid like tar spilled from the Chain Demon’s stomach. Unwilling to yield, the Demon swung its arm again, its chains lashing out in the direction of the attack.

Having already foreseen this with Attack Prediction, Colin dropped to the ground and backhanded another Radiant Sword into his opponent’s lower abdomen.

The swinging chain stopped dead in mid-air before whipping downward.

Colin rolled right, but his left shoulder was struck squarely twice.

He landed two more backhanded strikes on the Demon, the effect of Radiant Sword continuing to rob the creature of its sight.

Though blind, the Chain Demon could still fight back.

Colin was hit a few more times, but with his adrenaline pumping, he barely felt the pain. His mind was consumed with a single thought: kill the damn Demon in front of him.

"Ha!"

They fought for a while longer. Just as the unsteady Chain Demon was about to strike back, Orelia, who was standing behind it, shouted and charged.

The young girl jabbed the sharp, lower tip of her Kite Shield into the back of the Chain Demon’s head, knocking the creature to the ground for good.

Seeing the Chain Demon go still, Colin said urgently, "Quick, look for a Magic Array! This Demon was probably summoning its superior!"

"I see it, Mr. Colin! It’s over here!" Orelia quickly turned and ran off into the distance.

From above, Ale started yelling, "I’m coming down now!"

’There’s no time to wait for her,’ Colin thought, hurrying after Orelia.

Even after chugging several Healing Potions, Colin still felt weak.

It might have been the effect of his Refuse Death Specialty. Though his steps were steady and fast as he ran, his calves were still trembling—in fact, his whole body was shaking.

It wasn’t long before he saw the glowing Array in the darkness.

The Array was much larger than the one in the tomb above, and its pattern was far more complex.

Even though Colin’s Perception Attribute wasn’t high, he could still smell the acrid stench of sulfur.

He sprinted forward, getting ahead of Orelia.

Just as he neared the Array, Colin felt a sudden, violent blow to his head, as if he had run full-tilt into a wall. He was thrown backward, slamming onto the ground.

"Mr. Colin!" Orelia cried, rushing to her companion’s side.

"Don’t use your Divine Arts yet. We might be in for more trouble," Colin said, quickly getting up and feeling the air in front of him.

He soon felt a transparent, glass-like film in front of him. When his fingers touched it, faint ripples spread across its surface.

"Is this a Demon’s Protective Magic?" Colin muttered.

No matter how hard he pushed, he couldn’t get past the film.

Just as Colin made the gesture to use Misty Step to get inside the Array, the film flashed with red light—and he suddenly found he couldn’t speak the Spell.

He really couldn’t.

For the first time, Colin truly understood the feeling of having a fishbone stuck in his throat. The Spell he wanted to cast felt like a stone lodged in his gullet, unable to move up or down. He was completely unable to use his Magic.

’It feels like a Protective Array meant for mortals.’

’This Tier Three Magic works based on bloodline,’ Colin thought. ’It was originally a powerful tool for Priests of the Mortal World to fight Evil Demons... which means that I, a mortal, probably can’t get through.’

Just then, inside the barrier, the outer edge of the Array lit up with a red glow that slowly began to move toward the center.

Then, the places the red light touched began to seep blood, as if it were a living creature that had been slashed open.

"That’s a Summoning Array... and it’s already been activated."

Orelia’s calm voice sounded beside him.

"It’s fine. Let’s go back and give Kase a Potion. He must have just fainted. Battier and the others, too. Hurry, hurry..." Colin said, turning to run back. But he quickly noticed no one was following him.

When he looked back, Colin saw the Tiefling reaching her hand toward the Array.

And the transparent film that had barred his way offered no resistance to her small, trembling hand.

Orelia’s bloodline was indeed purer than that of a typical Tiefling. That was why, back in Three Bays City, she had been able to see the Demon’s secret message when Colin could not. Her ability to pass through the Demon’s Protective Array now only confirmed it.

But that wasn’t the point!

Donkexes’s warnings about Arrays echoed in Colin’s ears.

"Orelia! The Array is already active! It’s too late!" he yelled, lunging to grab the small, timid Little Priest.

His fingertips brushed against her palm, but Orelia stepped into the Array anyway.

Colin rushed to the barrier and pounded desperately on the film of the Protective Array.

But he was completely unable to break through the Array, and Orelia paid him no mind.

She calmly approached the Array and began reciting a prayer, one word at a time.

As if she were singing a hymn in a sun-drenched church filled with fluttering white doves.