Sheriff Chatin (Part 2)

Chapter 42: Sheriff Chatin (Part 2)

With time being limited, Pei Renli had not chosen spells based on personal interest. Everything was geared toward real combat, filling in his weaknesses as much as possible.

With offensive spells, he naturally needed defensive spells as well. Otherwise, with his scrawny build, he simply would not be able to hold his ground.

Unfortunately, there were not many low-level defensive spells. At present, Pei Renli had only learned Mage Armor.

Back when they had encountered the kobolds, he had cast Mage Armor just to be safe. The spell could remain active for at least an hour, which was why it had blocked this blow at the crucial moment. If he had needed to cast it with runes now, there would have been no time.

But although it had blocked the attack, the pressure imbued in the warhammer was like a massive boulder, pinning Pei Renli firmly in place. He could not even move his feet to dodge.

Sheriff Chatin immediately began swinging his hammer at Mage Armor again and again. Layer upon layer of sparks slid down the curve of Mage Armor. The force was so tremendous that Pei Renli had to half-crouch and brace one hand against the ground just to barely avoid being crushed down. Only his fingers could move.

If only your fingers could move, which one would you choose?

He did not know what others would choose, but Pei Renli chose his middle finger...

Though the people of this world could not understand what raising a middle finger meant, that did not stop Pei Renli from laboriously drawing an S-shaped symbol with it.

"Tch!"

A fierce flash erupted the next instant. Sheriff Chatin clicked his tongue in irritation, Pei Renli already gone from his sight.

Then he felt something brush against his leg. Without hesitation, he raised it and kicked.

Flash lasted only an instant. As the light faded, Sheriff Chatin saw Pei Renli flying away from the kick he had just delivered.

He had put his full strength into that kick, and with the greaves on his legs, it was not necessarily any weaker than a blow from his warhammer.

The Mage Armor protecting Pei Renli gave off a sound like shattering glass, turning into a pile of fragments that vanished without a trace.

Koura and Kaya, who had rushed over, hurriedly reached out to catch the flying Pei Renli. The three of them nearly tumbled into a heap.

Sheriff Chatin was about to press the attack when a sharp pain suddenly stabbed through his leg.

Looking down, he saw a broken shortsword embedded in the back of his greave—right in the calf, as it was commonly called. That thrust had been made with deadly force, nearly punching straight through Sheriff Chatin's lower leg.

Anton had snapped that shortsword, reducing it from a sword to dagger length. But the upside was that its formerly dulled edge had been violently torn apart, leaving behind many sharp points.

Everyone had assumed Pei Renli would use Flash to flee, but in truth, in that instant, he had viciously driven the shortsword in his hand forward.

The agonizing pain and injury to his leg left Sheriff Chatin somewhat unsteady on his feet. Naturally, the planned pursuit could no longer happen. At that moment, Pei Renli shouted:

"Now!"

Eve, who had moved aside earlier, took advantage of Sheriff Chatin's inability to move and completed her final gesture.

"Shattering Soundwave!"

The roaring wave of sound was like a heavy truck barreling along at full speed, or a cylindrical gale. The ground in its path was crushed with great, eye-catching cracks.

When Sheriff Chatin sensed something was wrong and turned toward Eve, he met Shattering Soundwave head-on!

The all-pervasive soundwave pierced through his armor and through the defenses of his enchanted gear. Blood burst from beneath his skin and poured from his nose and mouth, as though he had been struck by countless invisible fists.

Sound-based damage was among the hardest kinds of magical damage to defend against. It possessed powerful penetrating force by nature. To ensure she could truly hurt Sheriff Chatin, Eve had chosen this spell.

Rubbing his faintly aching chest, Pei Renli sighed in relief at the sight. Getting kicked had not been part of the plan, but at least his quick response had achieved the intended result.

And even if one Shattering Soundwave had not finished Sheriff Chatin off completely, it should at least have beaten him down to a sliver of health. This was supposed to be in the bag.

But thinking something was "in the bag" was, more often than not, practically the same as raising a flag.

"You meddlesome adventurers, cough cough!"

Sheriff Chatin spat out a mouthful of clotted blood. He looked miserable, but he had not given up.

Reaching into the small pouch at his waist, he pulled out a thumb-sized glass vial filled with some kind of orange powder. Unlike the powder of Orange Paradise, this one was dark orange, while the latter was light orange.

To use a similar comparison, it was like the difference in color between Mirinda and Fanta.

A term sprang into Pei Renli's mind.

—Orange Elixir.

Before Pei Renli and the others could react, Sheriff Chatin had already poured the powder into his mouth. Then, without hesitation, he reached down and pulled the shortsword out of his leg, letting it fall to the ground with a clatter.

Such a large and complicated wound should have bled without stopping. Yet everyone watched as the wound left by the withdrawn blade bled barely at all, as if his muscles had clamped it shut to prevent blood loss.

Orange Elixir could vastly enhance physical abilities in a short period of time. Put simply, taking this stuff was almost like a boss entering its second transformation in a game!

"You first!"

Warhammer in hand, Sheriff Chatin blurred before their eyes. By the time his figure came into focus again, he had already charged to Eve's side.

Judging from what had happened just now, Eve's spells were the only thing that could truly threaten him. Orange Elixir had a limited duration, so naturally, he would take Eve out first.

In her haste, Eve seemed to have cast some sort of protective spell. A transparent shield field lay between her and Sheriff Chatin, but the enhanced strength was too overwhelming. The instant they made contact, the protective spell was shattered.

The warhammer slammed directly into Eve's left hand. The impact sent the already slender-looking Eve crashing to the ground headfirst.

"Stop!"

Kaya and Koura had not been standing around watching. They had rushed in the moment Sheriff Chatin moved, but they had still been too late to relieve Eve.

Sensing the attack from behind, Sheriff Chatin's speed had likewise increased dramatically. Pei Renli had not even seen how he turned around. All he could see was the warhammer hurtling toward the two women at a speed they could not possibly handle.

Then came two crisp cracks—the wail of bones, perhaps.

Kaya was struck in the shoulder and sent flying sideways. Koura was more agile and avoided the vital spot, but her thigh was hit. Though she was not knocked away, the injury to her leg left her unable to move as nimbly as before.

The Orange Elixir's effect was ridiculously powerful. In a single exchange, all four of them, who had still been barely able to put up some resistance moments ago, were sprawled on the ground, utterly unable to fight back.

Pei Renli had suffered the lightest injuries, but that kick still made him feel as though his internal organs had all shifted out of place. Besides, even if he had been completely uninjured, it did not seem like he could have done much.

"Demon King, your subordinate is ready."

With his face pressed against the ground, Lavna's voice came from within the shadows.

She had been hiding in the shadows and watching all along. She had not acted because Pei Renli had said that unless it was truly unavoidable, she was not to reveal herself.

But now, it seemed they really had no choice but to rely on Lavna's help.

[Pei Renli, can you hear me?]

Just as he was about to have Lavna make her move, Pei Renli heard Eve's voice. It seemed to echo directly inside his mind rather than entering through his ears.

This was a Message spell, a low-level spell that could transmit information without making a sound.

He hurriedly looked toward Eve, and she gave him a furtive nod.

[I have almost no magic power left. I can only try to trap him for a moment. Use that chance to think of something.]

Big sis, what am I supposed to think of?!

The recipient of a Message spell could only listen and could not reply, so Eve had no idea what Pei Renli was thinking.

At that moment, the young lady hostage who had been hiding behind the door quietly poked her head out. She happened to see Kaya lying beside the doorway and pushed her hard, hoping she could get back up.

"Of course, I haven't forgotten about you either."

Chatin raised his warhammer once more, its pitch-black shadow like a dreadful Grim Reaper cast into her pupils.

"If you want someone to blame, blame these adventurers. Since you found out, I can't leave any of you alive."

"Steel Restraint!"

At the instant the warhammer was about to fall, Eve slammed her palm against the ground.

An exquisite magic circle immediately lit up beneath Sheriff Chatin's feet. Eight steel chains created by magic sprang from the circle, winding around his limbs and weapon as if they possessed minds of their own.

But there was no telling how much use Steel Restraint would be, because Sheriff Chatin could shatter the chains with the slightest movement. With the Orange Elixir's enhancement, his physical abilities were simply outrageous.

Yet the moment the spell appeared, Kaya and Koura sprang up despite their injuries. Though they did not know why Eve had used Steel Restraint, one thing was certain: she wanted to hold Prosecutor Chatin in place.

They had reached the end of the road. The only thing they could trust was that their companions had a way out.

They threw their full weight around one of Chatin's arms and one of his legs, clinging to him like two oversized accessories.

"Get lost!"

The gap in physical ability was simply too vast. With a powerful shake, Chatin not only snapped most of the chains, but also flung away Kaya and Koura, who had exhausted their last scraps of strength.

"Give it up! Lie down obediently, and I'll at least give you a quick death!"

Chatin roared as he tried to raise his warhammer, only to realize that Kaya, whom he had just thrown aside, had taken the chance to clutch it and drag it away.

And at almost that exact moment, Chatin, who had believed victory was already in his grasp, sensed a threat.

From behind and to the side!

He turned his head and saw Pei Renli somehow forcing himself upright behind him.

His body coiled like a spring...

Chatin noticed Pei Renli, but in that instant, only his head could turn, because several chains still had not been torn apart.

The strike had to target the body's centerline...

Pei Renli clenched his right hand into a fist and held his left hand at his side, his fingers rapidly tracing glowing runes through the air. There were more runes this time than ever before, but he drew them faster than he ever had.

The lower body drove the upper body, the upper body drove the arm—strike with the feeling that you want to gouge out the target's flesh with your hand!

Silently reciting the punching technique taught by his schoolteacher, Pei Renli completed the final stroke of the runes left by his left hand at the exact moment the chains binding Chatin snapped completely. His clenched fist crashed into Chatin's unarmored flank.

—Thoom!

The blow had hit squarely. Under normal circumstances, no matter how refined Pei Renli's punching technique was, the difference in their physical abilities meant he could not have dealt any real damage.

But do not forget: he had used a spell.

The instant his fist connected, magical power erupted from it. Staring into Chatin's slightly panicked eyes, Pei Renli shouted:

"Force Fist!"

The surging force field activated at once, bursting from Pei Renli's arm like a rocket and replacing his feeble physical strength as it slammed into Chatin.

Like most force-field spells, Force Fist's power lay chiefly in its tremendous impact. Chatin, clad head to toe in armor, was sent flying over ten meters as though struck by a truck, crashing with a boom into the glass-walled greenhouse behind him.

As sheets of glass shattered and fell, the clattering crackle was mixed with several sounds like breaking bones, along with Chatin's scream.

Pei Renli had no way to see exactly what state Chatin was in, because after throwing that punch, he very decisively planted his face into the ground...

Once a spellcaster's magic power was completely depleted, they would fall into a brief state of paralysis. But magic power recovered little by little at every moment, and after a short rest, walking at least should not be a problem.

Kaya helped the face-down Pei Renli up with one hand and had him sit aside to rest first. The other three dragged their injured bodies toward the greenhouse. They had to make sure Chatin was no longer a threat.

Chatin, blasted away by a single Force Fist, had long since lost his earlier high spirits. Fallen shards of glass left his face covered in splinters and glaring bloodstains. One leg and one arm were bent at strange angles from the direct impact—definitely broken.

The side of his waist that had taken the hit directly had caved in, and the bones were most likely shattered into fragments.

"You... you..."

He was not dead, nor had he even lost consciousness, mainly thanks to the Orange Elixir.

Seeing this, Koura immediately drew an arrow from her quiver and gripped it in her hand, intending to finish Chatin off with a strike to the neck.

"Wait, we can't kill him."

Kaya reached out to stop Koura.

"We aren't judges. Killing him would bring us a lot of trouble."

Killing an ordinary person was completely different from killing a peace officer. This was a feudal society, after all. Even if Chatin was the lowest-ranking peace officer, he was still an official.

"You don't dare kill me!"

A wild grin spread across Chatin's blood-smeared face.

"You don't dare! Kill me, and you make an enemy of Curtain Star City!"

Kaya ignored Chatin and continued trying to persuade Koura.

"Even if we don't do it ourselves, Curtain Star City's laws won't allow him to live."

"The law? I'm sure he has someone above him. He won't receive a fair trial."

It seemed Koura had noticed something too. Whether they killed him or not, they were already inviting trouble. Rather than let Chatin get away with it, they might as well kill him here and now.

Kaya hesitated at that, but killing an official was no small matter, and she could not make up her mind.

Whenever disagreements arose in an adventuring party, they were generally settled by vote. So Kaya turned to Eve, wanting to know what she thought.

Still clutching her broken arm, Eve merely shrugged expressionlessly, indicating that she abstained.

"Could you listen to me for a moment?"

After resting briefly, Pei Renli could barely stand again. He staggered over and crouched beside the immobile Chatin.

"We truly aren't judges. We have no right to declare anyone guilty."

Chatin seemed to know Pei Renli would say that. A few adventurers with neither power nor influence would never dare provoke a major city like Curtain Star City.

"But...!"

Koura still wanted to argue, but Pei Renli waved a hand to tell her to stay calm.

He untied the small pouch on Chatin's body. It looked as though he intended to loot some spoils, but in truth, he merely took out a bottle of the remaining Orange Elixir.

"Wait, hey! What are you doing?!"

Ignoring Chatin's panicked cries, Pei Renli flicked his hand and pulled out the bottle's stopper, letting the medicinal powder spill onto the ground and mix with the dirt.

He casually tossed away the bottle, stood up, ignored Chatin completely, then turned to help the hostage who seemed to be some young lady, signaling for everyone to leave.

"I won't let you get away with this! As long as I'm still alive! Just you wait—"

The door closed, sealing Chatin's voice behind it.

Once outside, compared with the rotten stench of that room, even the sewers felt fresh to Pei Renli.

"Is it really all right to just leave him like that?"

Koura still seemed worried.

"Though you scattered the medicine powder all over the ground to disgust him, that doesn't solve the problem. If he really survives, he'll definitely look for a chance to take revenge on us."

Pei Renli did not answer. Instead, with a flick of his hand, he produced another bottle of orange powder as if performing a magic trick.

That was right—the dark orange bottle.

He pulled out the stopper and poured all the powder into the sewer's murky current, tossing the bottle in after it.

Eve asked in surprise, "The stuff you scattered in front of Chatin just now... wasn't Orange Elixir?"

"Let's go. We still have a young lady to escort home. I feel like we took a huge loss on this job. I wonder whether the reward will even be enough to repair my weapon. I only have one shortsword."

The hostage young lady, her face bruised and swollen, leaned against Pei Renli's shoulder and could barely walk. Hearing that, she hurriedly said, "Please rest assured, my father will certainly pay you all a satisfactory reward."

"Really? That would be wonderful. I've been terribly short of money lately—I can barely afford food."

Pei Renli's tone was as relaxed as ever, as if he had tossed everything that had happened that night into some corner of his memory, never to open it again...