Transmigrated to a Dark Fantasy World of SSS-Rank: King of the Void-Chapter 69: The Land of Ash [8]

The specter was sent flying into a wall, shattering the bricks and vanishing into the darkness inside the building. Marco got back up immediately after, raising his sword and launching himself toward the wall.

"Cover me, Azel!"

"I know, golden boy," Azel replied, drawing his bowstring once again.

Monar clicked his tongue in annoyance. He raised the sphere of light and crushed it. The light wrapped around his body once more, and the magic circle beneath his feet expanded. The enhancement finally covered Marco, who engaged the specter inside the house.

The building was very dark, and there were dozens of objects where a specter could hide. Sure enough, one of those objects—a large piece of debris—came flying straight at him. He reacted instantly, swinging his sword in a cross slash and shattering the stone into pieces. However, that was nothing more than a distraction planned by the specter, which appeared before him and attacked without mercy.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Metal rang out within a fraction of a second. Sparks flashed, filling the scene, and the powerful gusts of wind generated by their movements struck in all directions.

From outside the house, Mitsuki watched in disbelief. The specter turned out to be more than they had all expected, and Marco was no less impressive. It was clear at a glance that his power didn’t focus on destruction, but rather on discipline and absolute control over his body’s movements.

If Jeanne had been the one fighting the specter, the entire town would’ve been reduced to nothing but a crater. That was where the difference between two warriors lay—similar in power, but different in execution.

Mitsuki shifted his attention to Monar, who remained focused while supporting Marco. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

’Damn it... If only I could do something on my own, I wouldn’t be this frustrated watching from afar. None of my abilities are useful in a fight at that level; I don’t have the strength or the endurance—much less the skill of a warrior.’

So how could he fight something that looked invincible to his eyes? There was no immediate answer. Nor was there time to stop and think, as a light arrow suddenly flew past Mitsuki’s eyes, which perceived the object as if the world had slowed down. It passed near Monar’s neck and finally struck the nearby alley.

Confused, Monar and Mitsuki looked at Azel—the one responsible.

"Don’t get distracted. There are two more things near you," the archer said, gesturing with his head while pointing toward the alley.

Both looked in that direction, and there they found them: crawling along the ground as if they were shadows—but they weren’t, not really. They were made of pure ash, like small clouds of dust fading into the darkness. At first there was only one, standing still at the entrance of the alley, but the second appeared walking calmly, taking the shape of a small girl around four years old.

The shadow beside her did the same, rising up and taking on a form eerily similar to that of her "sister." Their hollow white eyes stared silently at Mitsuki and Monar. Their intentions could be felt in the gloomy air that filled the area.

’Are those... children...? They look like ash statues, but they’re different from the ones I’ve seen before.’

At this point, it wasn’t surprising that the creatures of this world had all kinds of variations in their abilities. But this didn’t sit well with Monar, who complained:

"Damn it. I can’t move right now, otherwise..." He looked toward the small house, where bursts of wind battered the walls. "Marco will die."

Mitsuki felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing the dark elf’s statement. He realized he had his weapon, which seemed like an excellent choice for situations like this, but just in case, he glanced at Azel, who appeared busy aiming at the house.

Crash! The walls were blown apart as the specter shot into the sky. Marco leapt after it in pursuit, though he didn’t look too good now. He had several shallow cuts across his face. Almost a second later, Azel followed to provide some support, leaving Monar and Mitsuki alone.

"What—?! Where is he going?!"

"Marco needs protection. I can still grant him enhancements with my magic as long as he doesn’t move too far away, but I can’t leave this spot or the spell will be canceled. That’s why Azel went with him. They both trust that we can handle these specters."

’That makes no sense! What can a mage who can’t move and a weakling with a shotgun do against damn ghosts with strange powers?!’ The fear was palpable, but it seemed there was nothing to worry about.

"Don’t be afraid. Those small statues are quite weak—E-rank at most. Besides, look at them carefully; they haven’t attacked yet. That means they’re just as intelligent as the other specter. They know that if they attack carelessly, I can kill them in a single blow—but they also know that if I do, Marco will be killed."

No matter what they did, they were cornered. However, there was still one option that gave them the advantage.

Mitsuki looked at the small statues, which returned his gaze with cold darkness. Then, he tightened his grip on the shotgun’s barrel. "So what should we do? We can’t defend ourselves like this."

Monar shook his head.

"I can’t—but you can. I need you to protect me and defeat those specters. I’ll take advantage of my active spell to give you a bit of a boost as well. With that, you—an adventurer with just enough energy to be considered E-rank, the weakest—will be able to climb one more step toward power."

"More power...?"

"Yes. Right now, there’s no one better suited for the job than you. You may not know this, but Arcane Magic is the greatest weakness of specters. You’re perfect for this!"

Monar’s arguments were valid. Mitsuki had also resolved to throw himself into danger to gain power. Now life was giving him that opportunity—he couldn’t let it slip away.

’I’m perfect for this, huh...’ Hearing the praise filled him with confidence. ’I mean, is there even anything I’m not perfect at?’

Though it seemed he might have fed his ego a bit too much. He stepped forward toward the statues, placing himself in front of Monar to protect him. He didn’t look him in the eyes, but this time, he felt he could be honest.

"I’m not very good at fighting, but my aim is pretty good, I think. I’ll do whatever I can."

The dark elf smiled and extended his hand toward Mitsuki. "That’s the spirit. You sound like a real adventurer."

This was Mitsuki’s battle.