Overlimit Skill Holder
Book 5: Chapter 22.1

** Lev Magic Empire – Red Gate Frontline **

「GOOOOOO!!!」

Dante shouted despite himself, looking at the Black Sky Pirate displaying a power that he can never achieve. But instead of being jealous of that power, he wholeheartedly desired to defeat the giant beast which threatened the logic of this world as soon as possible.

Lark’s hand was trembling, holding the towering blade which boasted the power to cut End Fang’s thick, burly neck.

At the instant when the black blade was swung down toward the defenseless neck, End Fang’s body jolted, as if electricity ran through its body.

「Tsk.」

Lark clicked her tongue with her blood-smeared mouth. She intuitively knew that End Fang’s restraint had been lifted.

The black blade, which had much less mass than metal, was heading for End Fang’s neck.

『GURURAA!!』

End Fang turned its body upside down and caught the blade with its jaw.

Lark was surprised by the hardness of the teeths which could stop the sharpness of【Shadow King】.

「HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!」

Lark tried to lower the black blade with all her might, but it didn’t budge.

「Don’t give up!」

Dante shouted, unable to do no more than support Lark.

However, the outcome was determined in a few seconds.

Pakii—.

The strongest blade created by【Shadow King】, shattered like glass.

The shattered blade immediately turned into smoke and disappeared into the air.

Lark fell down to both knees and placed both hands on the ground to support her body

「Are you okay!?」Dante asked, holding Lark’s shoulders to support her.

「…Run… away…」Lark whispered.

「!」

End Fang was finally able to stand up again. It then proceeded to stomp on the ground repeatedly. Probably to crush the soldiers who were attacking.

The impact from the stomps ran across the ground like an earthquake. Dante supported Lark’s body, and carried her up to her feet.

「We’ll both run away.」he said.

「…………」

Lark’s skin was turning deathly white, and she didn’t even have the strength to muster a reply. Her eyes were staring at the ground vacantly.

「Godamnit!」Dante shouted.

Holding his shield in his left hand and Lark in his right hand, he started running.

There was no choice but to withdraw.

There was no doubt that the strongest person in the battlefield was the Black Sky Pirate Lark. And that Lark was no longer able to move.

「DAD!!」Non called out, from behind a building in the direction Dante was running in.

「Huh……?」

Dante felt his sight darken.

It wasn’t long before he realized that the sun had been blocked.

「What the!?」

End Fang jumped over Dante’s head and landed in the direction he was heading in.

The ground shook due to the impact of landing. Dante stopped on the spot.

「Non, run away!」

「What about you, dad!?」

「I will try to escape too!」

「O-Okay!」

Non, whom Dante would protect even at the cost of the entire world, escaped from there. End Fang didn’t even care to register Non’s existence, so she was safe.

The problem, however–.

「…Of course you would target us.」

Although one of End Fang’s eyes was crushed, the remaining three eyes were glaring at Dante and Lark with blazing fury.

End Fang was indeed wary of Dante’s “Reflective Mirror”, but it was much, much more wary of Lark. It recognized Lark as the greatest threat.

「I have no other choice but to stand my ground.」

Dante readied his large shield and pondered a means of escape while considering the remaining activation time of “Reflective Mirror” – or he tried to, at least.

「–Huh?」

The ground in front of him swelled up, and a stone bullet was fired out of it. He hurriedly defended the attack with his large shield, but the next second, End Fang was already rushing towards him.

(Activate! Activate! Activate!)

As opposed to the right forefoot which was injured earlier due to “Reflective Mirror”, End Fang swung down its left forefoot instead. Dante activated “Reflective Mirror” once again, and a film of mana enveloped his body – just in the nick of time.

「W-What!?」

But End Fang’s forefoot stopped just in front of Dante.

A sizzling sound which signalled the consumption of the catalyst rang out. When all the catalyst was consumed after a short time, the mana film covering Dante disappeared.

(This monster… has intelligence!?)

An unexpected【Earth Magic】attack, and a follow up with a rush towards Dante. All the while, End Fang was observing Dante’s behavior. It was trying to figure out under what conditions the attack would be reflected.

If it was continuously reflected, then the stone bullet should have been reflected as well. But it wasn’t. This means that only strong attacks are selected and reflected—in other words, the reflection cannot last forever.

「Guha!」

With the mana film deactivated, Dante was easily blown away by End Fang. Dante was sent flying more than 10 meters, bouncing and rolling across the ground a few meters more. His shield landed a distance away, with a rattling noise.

Lark was lying on the ground before End Fang. The opponent who crushed its eye.

『GURURURURU—』

End Fang opened its jaw wide and was on the verge of swallowing Lark whole.

『!!』

Startled by something, End Fang pulled back its head. Right then, a flaming arrow flew by its nose tip

『GURUAAA!!』

A small-scale magic would not be able to damage End Fang, but the tiger jumped backwards to completely dodge the fire arrow.

End Fang’s judgment was correct.

Although the size of the fire arrow was small, when it hit the ground where End Fang was previously standing, it caused a large explosion.

「—I made it in time. It was the last second, though…」

A boy stood in front of the collapsed girl, spreading his hands to protect her from End Fang.

When he turned his gaze to the girl, his expression turned bitter.

「You gave your all, right…」

Reiji knelt on the ground and reached out his hand to Lark, whose hollow gaze wandered all over.