I Kidnapped the Hero's Women-Chapter 280: War for Survival (4)

Rumble.

As the dust cloud dispersed, the silhouette of the ancient being slowly emerged.

Its golden barrier flickered—then vanished.

[I am impressed... I thought you were nothing more than worthless savages, but you had quite the power hidden away.]

At first, he’d assumed it was a flame or laser attack.

But when the strike soared high enough to pierce the heavens and then came crashing down toward him, he realized it was neither.

What even was that?

Did that really come from a human body?

At the very least, it was a power that hadn’t existed in the civilization of the past.

"Even my Boom Boom Thunderclap Ultra Legend Maximum couldn’t scratch it."

"It’s Boom Boom Thunderclap Maximum Legend Ultra...!"

Meanwhile, Aslan gave a helpless laugh, unable to hide his bewilderment.

The only attack ever recorded to destroy the Academy’s Orb of Trials.

Undoubtedly the strongest strike in the Empire.

And yet the barrier had withstood it head-on.

The sheer durability was absurd.

Even rusted and falling apart, this thing must be lost technology...

Despite its ragged appearance...

It had the ability to control monsters, unleash blinding light, and a barrier strong enough to tank a national-level strike.

A monstrous machine capable of overwhelming an entire army single-handedly.

We’re short on power...

But they were woefully underpowered to deal with it.

Sylvia had to focus on keeping Aslan safe and couldn’t join the fight.

Charlotte had exhausted her mana and was recovering.

The Grand Duke and his forces were already wounded and fatigued.

They needed reinforcements.

"You looked like you'd never seen aura before."

[...Aura?]

"It’s what we call the strike you just got slammed with. It’s the result of refining human strength to the absolute limit."

[So in the absence of sufficient science, individual power evolved to compensate. That would explain your primitive caste system. I suppose it's hard for you to imagine, but we...]

"Adopted democracy?"

[How do you know that? There's no way you savages could even comprehend the concept of equality!]

"Oh. You’re curious about that? Isn’t it obvious? Try thinking it through for yourself."

[Wait... are you also from the past—?]

Aslan activated his skill, Sinister Smile, curving his lips in a cryptic smirk.

Even when he wasn’t planning anything, that smile alone made it look like he was.

So much so that even the Empress, who could practically read his mind, would grow suspicious when she saw it.

[No... That can’t be. The world ended before the transfer-of-consciousness technology was invented. What are you!?]

"What do you think? I’m just buying time."

[...!?]

Who I really was?

That didn’t matter one bit.

What mattered was that I had bought a few precious moments with this pointless conversation.

And that should be just enough for the others to catch up.

[Lightning!?]

Dark clouds gathered in the sky.

A bolt of thunder crashed down on the ancient one—and Vanessa descended with the Holy Sword Tempest in hand.

Caught off guard, the ancient’s golden barrier activated in an instant.

The blade of Tempest failed to pierce it and was repelled.

He didn’t even register the attack... The barrier activated on its own. That means it’s an automated system. Judging by the focal point of the barrier’s curve... the component must be located around the chest.

It didn’t inflict damage, but it yielded a clear result.

As the ancient being staggered backward, Vanessa, Irene, and Yuri gathered at Aslan’s side.

"Have you waited long?"

"We had plenty to talk about anyway. You could’ve taken your time."

"Such bravado..."

"Aslan. That barrier isn’t some special thing. It’s made of mana. It can be disabled with dark magic."

"Even so, I doubt it’ll be easy, Irene. It seems like the barrier only appears briefly when under attack—then vanishes again..."

Unlike the mechanical body, the barrier was made entirely of mana.

Which meant it could be neutralized with dark magic.

But the problem was timing—targeting the short-lived barrier with perfect precision was nearly impossible.

You’d need to scatter its mana at the exact instant it activated—dead-on pinpoint accuracy.

Aslan quietly explained the plan to Irene, Vanessa, and Yuri.

"So if we keep pounding on it, we can create an opening for you to shatter the barrier, right?"

The odds of hitting that brief window were slim, but—

With enough attempts, slim odds could be turned into certainty.

Yuri stepped forward, rubbing the engagement ring on her finger.

Vanessa and Irene checked their weapons and moved to flank her.

Relentless pressure. Relentless attacks.

They exchanged a look—no words needed.

All three were seasoned fighters. They knew exactly what the others were thinking.

Three of them would attack in an endless cycle.

A hundred strikes, a thousand—it didn’t matter.

All it would take was one successful hit.

If Aslan could neutralize the barrier with perfect timing,

And then they shattered the component behind it—

The rest would be easy.

[I can guess what you’re planning.]

Watching them spread out and slowly approach, the ancient being chuckled darkly.

One opponent who used anti-mana.

Three fast-moving attackers.

They’d seen his barrier. It was obvious what they were aiming for.

They probably thought if they just kept hammering away, they could sneak in a single successful strike.

But the same applied on his side.

If he landed just three blows—one on each of them—it’d be over.

[You think this will go your way!?]

Irene, Vanessa, and Yuri leapt forward.

Their swords came at him in a flurry too fast for any non-Swordmaster to follow.

Dodging instead of using the barrier?

The ancient stepped back and avoided the attacks with ease.

But Irene circled around and landed a kick from behind.

Then Yuri darted in from the other side, leaving the ancient open.

Most attacks were dodged by sight.

But he couldn’t avoid all of them coming from three directions.

A slash from a blind spot struck him—and the golden barrier lit up.

Now!

Hope surged.

They could win this.

Irene, Vanessa, and Yuri began pressing harder.

Aslan focused his full attention, preparing to break the barrier the moment it appeared.

One. Failed.

Two. Failed.

Then, on the third flash of golden light—

"Khak...!"

The ancient drove his knee into Irene’s stomach, launching her away.

She tried to get up, only to cough up blood and collapse again.

Yuri paused—then clicked her tongue and turned away.

If she ran to heal Irene now, they’d both get incinerated.

One down.

The ancient snorted.

He’d been watching her closely, knowing she was slower than the others.

A direct counter, slipped in while under pressure.

Thinning the numbers came first—and now there were only two left.

[If the three of you couldn’t do it, what chance do two have? Surrender now if you value your lives.]

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

"Hah. Keep dreaming."

"Let’s see how long your arrogance lasts."

Even down one comrade, their spirits didn’t falter?

The ancient tilted his head, puzzled—

Just in time for Vanessa and Yuri to resume their barrage.

Too many openings.

With only two attackers, there were clear gaps in their assault.

Compared to before, it was easy.

The ancient saw every angle. No more blind spots.

No surprise attacks. No barrier activations.

No... something’s off. There are too many gaps...

But something about their movements was strange.

They weren’t maintaining the relentless pressure they had earlier.

It didn’t even look like they were seriously trying to strike.

Oddly inefficient—but whatever. It only made his job easier.

[Got you now, you little gnat.]

"Eek!?"

CRACK!

The ancient caught the Holy Sword Tempest in his hand and shattered it.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

Then kicked, breaking Vanessa’s leg.

Just as he opened his maw to fire a light beam at her—

[You came to save her, didn’t you, little brat?]

"Kh...!"

Yuri flew at him from behind.

He turned instantly and grabbed her throat.

With a crack, he twisted her neck—

But her breathing didn’t stop. Her bones instantly reset.

[What is this freak? You can’t survive a decapitation, can you?]

Crunch. Snap.

He broke Yuri’s wrists, her arms, her legs—then raised his hand to strike her neck.

Just before it came down, Yuri suddenly grinned.

"Heehee..."

[You’re about to die—what’s so funny?]

"Ever hear the saying ‘darkness lies beneath the lamp’?"

[...]

A cold shiver ran down his back.

But it was too late.

From the twitching shadow beneath him—

Charlotte emerged, holding the Jittery Jittery Sword in a reverse grip.

They were hiding her in my shadow the whole time!?

The ancient had never seen aura before.

So he wouldn’t know about the shadow-hiding technique.

Aslan’s real plan had been to smuggle Charlotte into the ancient’s shadow.

While the three of them feigned a desperate assault, pretending to hope for a lucky shot—

They had ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ moved Charlotte from shadow to shadow, staying out of sight.

It was the perfect timing.

A flawless surprise attack.

"Hiyahhh! Rapid Stabbing!!!"

The automated barrier system kicked in—but was instantly neutralized by anti-mana.

The blade of the Jittery Jittery Sword pierced the ancient’s chest.

"And now—Rapid Slashing!!!"

The barrier system completely shut down.

As proof, the ancient’s limbs were cleanly severed by Charlotte’s flurry of strikes.

Drained of all strength, Charlotte collapsed with a satisfied smile.

[Hehehehehehehe...]

They thought they had him.

But then came that bone-chilling laugh.

Had he still not run out of tricks?

Everyone tensed, their hands slick with sweat.

[Fine. Then let’s reset everything! You too shall perish and start over from the beginning!]

"...!?"

The ancient opened his mouth wide and fired a black beam into the sky.

It pierced not the clouds—but the void.

And then, the sky began to crack.

A pitch-black hole widened, and darkness began devouring the heavens.

"Ah..."

[The evil god 'Kali' says &$%@$%!@...]

Looking up at the darkened sky, Aslan’s skin crawled.

He could feel the same energy as Kali—

But it wasn’t just one.

It was thousands.

Hell.

What lay beyond that portal was hell itself.

And now, that hell was connected to this world.