The Cursed

The sound of the bowstring being drawn wasn't very loud, and combined with the noise of the Cursed falling, it shouldn't have been heard by anyone.

However, any tiny movement, if it occurs in groups, will definitely be noticed!

Tus nervously turned his head to look around, even glancing at the high platform, but there was nothing there, just emptiness.

That's strange, where did the sound come from?

Tus was enveloped by an unseen sense of panic, while Fingel, who was confronting the Cursed not far away, glanced around and revealed a knowing look.

"Mr. Fingel, what exactly happened—"

Before anyone could even ask a question, the Cursed had just landed on the roof suddenly unleashed a black aura. A crimson flash streaked past through the gaps in his helmet, symbolizing his hunting desire. Combined with his small giant-like physique and heavy armor, he clearly displayed the demeanor of a top-tier hunter.

It makes one wonder what kind of person is beneath that armor, or if there is someone inside.

The Cursed's heavy armor was covered with old marks left by swords and blades, and his Greatshield and Greatsword were also covered with scars left by battles. He also carried a basket full of all kinds of weapons on his back. At first glance, he was a ruthless machine born entirely for killing.

[Strength Balance] Authority activated, the level of the Cursed was enhanced to C++.

"Hoo hoo, he seems pretty strong." Fingel wielded his dual swords with impressive skill, as if showing off his technique. His personal habit was to announce his name while showing off his skills before the fight started.

But the Cursed clearly didn't care about such formalities. His heavy body floated in the air as if he had a permanent Levitation Spell, and he charged forward with his Greatshield on his head, like a runaway dump truck.

The dragon car will steadfastly accompany people, though sometimes it may take a different form.

Tus and his men dared not take this head-on; a direct hit would likely leave them broken into pieces. So the Guzha Squad scattered and fled, but they were quite disciplined and not too panicked while running away.

"Matilda, it's yours now." Fingel said, and his figure vanished instantly. With his shield gone, the Cursed rushed towards Matilda's face, who was also a large, steel-clad woman.

"Um."

Upon seeing this, Matilda instantly raised her arms to block. Her armor seemed to come alive and transformed, her forearms widening and thickening, and her lower body transforming into a support pillar that shot towards the ground, as if she were going to withstand the impact head-on.

A dull thud rang out. The Cursed, known for its strength, was unstoppable. In the blink of an eye, it sent Matilda flying dozens of meters backward, her feet carving deep furrows into the ground!

Her body trembled slightly, and her condition could not be seen through the armor, but it must have been difficult for her to withstand the "dragon chariot". She threw a punch to fight back, but it was dodged by the Cursed suddenly retreated.

"Tsk, because it was floating in the air, it was not immediately apparent that it was retreating."

She raised her hand and pulled a long staff from the spine of her armor. After several transformations, it became a weapon resembling Wolf Tooth Club. It clashed fiercely with the Greatsword of the Cursed. The two burly, power-type fighters exchanged blows several times in an instant, and the battle was quite intense.

The Cursed's moves are wide and powerful, and the explosive power is pleasing to the eye. Matilda also likes this fighting style, and at this moment she neither dodges nor avoids, but only attacks and blocks.

"Wow, they're evenly matched!" exclaimed the members of the Guzha Squad.

Aleya tilted her head; in her eyes, it wasn't like that at all. It was clearly Matilda who was overwhelmed by the power of the Cursed.

What terrifying power! I'd better just watch from the sidelines. With that thought, Aleya sat down to the side, hugging her knees.

People asked in surprise, "Are you just going to watch?"

At this moment, Fingel's figure finally reappeared, but instead of attacking the enemy from other angles, he appeared a dozen steps behind the Cursed, unable to hit him with his twin swords.

The instant his eyes met Fingel's, Tus suddenly heard the other's voice in his mind.

[Don't just stand there like idiots. Take everyone to the high platform over there and take out all the invisible enemies.]

An invisible enemy?

No wonder he only heard the sound of the crossbow being drawn but didn't see the enemy.

Since Fingel had spoken, Tus quickly led his men to flee, knowing that the other party's order had two meanings.

One option is to actually send them to kill the hidden monsters.

Secondly, they're about to start showing off, so they need to run away quickly to avoid getting caught in the crossfire!

When the Guzha Squad reached the steps leading to the platform, Fingel began his performance.

"Take this! Take this!"

His shouts were passionate, and as his hands flew, his twin blades transformed into endless sword light, enough to shred even the smallest insects into powder.

However, he stood still.

This makes him look more like he's doing gymnastics than fighting.

It even felt somewhat funny and comical.

However, the Cursed fighting Matilda suddenly sensed something, abruptly turned his head, and actually abandoned Matilda's provocation, rushing towards Fingel.

This reaction suggests that Fingel is far more threatening than Matilda.

Fingel's twin blades began to glow and heat up, with sword energy constantly flying in all directions; he couldn't stop now.

Tus, who had taken cover behind the obstacle, excitedly announced, "Here it comes! Mr. Fingel's ultimate technique, the powerful Weapon Skill that earned him the name 'Flash'!"

"Legend has it that when he was a novice adventurer, he suffered severe brain damage from a cult's artifact while protecting his companions. From then on, whenever he got serious into battle, he could only stand still and had difficulty controlling his attack direction and stopping. As a result, he was abandoned by the original team and remained depressed for a long time!"

"But he eventually rallied and developed Weapon Skill tailored to his own characteristics, which is now known as the Gravity Slash!"

"His slashes will become faster and faster until they form a powerful gravitational pull that draws the enemy in. The sword energy that was previously slashed out does not actually disappear, but is frozen in the air. When the enemy is drawn in by the gravitational pull and cannot move, it will all fly back and burst out with tremendous power in one breath!"

"Wow, that sounds amazing!" the adventurer exclaimed. "Is he called Flash because his dual swords move as fast as light at the end? But if enemies are pulled in, can't they attack him too?"

"No, he's called Flash because—"

As Fingel watched the approaching the Cursed, a smile spread across his face, and he suddenly pointed the hilt of his sword at the enemy with his left hand.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that it was not a knife hilt, but half of a magic wand.

"[Flash Spell]!"

So that's what "flash" means!

A normal Flash Spell would unleash a blinding burst of light from the tip of the staff, making it a decent support spell. However, the Fingel used was...

"Wait, where's the flash?" the adventurer asked in surprise.

"This is Mr. Fingel's special skill," Tus said confidently. "His brain injury causes unexpected deviations when he uses Weapon Skill or magic, rendering many spells ineffective. However, the Flash Spell takes on an even more peculiar form in his hands!"

"A light source that emits a blinding flash right next to the enemy's eyes! Even with their eyes closed, it won't work!"

"Flash Spell is Mr. Fingel's guarantee for Gravity Slash and preventing enemy attacks!"

Everyone smiled, feeling confident of victory.

Fingel, on the other hand, showed a relatively bored expression, feeling that he shouldn't have used this move; it would be boring if the battle ended too quickly.

"Alright, while the enemy is blinded by the flash, Accelerated Slash your attacks and finish him off in one go. Or should we hold back a little? I want to fight a bit more."

Suddenly, he noticed that the people who had been cheering for him had fallen silent. Looking closer, he saw that Tus was pointing at him and shouting something in a panic.

What's wrong? Are you scared by my amazing performance?

Fingel looked ahead.

The Cursed Greatshield against the bridge of his nose.

"Thump!"

The blade flashed abruptly, Fingel flew backward like a tattered sack. The immense force caused him to lose his senses for a moment, but he immediately regained his composure and used Flash Spell again on the charging the Cursed, hoping to delay its advance.

"Pfft!"

The sound of flesh being pierced by steel rang out, Fingel crashed to the ground, landing right at Aleya's feet.

His eyes widened, and he uttered a surprised sound. This shouldn't be the case. Flash Spell should release a continuous flash directly into the eyes of living beings. Why is it ineffective against the Cursed?

Because the Cursed one is not human; you could even call him a walking suit of armor.

If you don't even have eyeballs, how could you possibly be blinded by Flash Spell?

This is an intelligence war.

"Aleya, help me, my butt hurts," Fingel said with a mournful face, looking pitiful.

Aleya glanced at Fingel, who was half his current height, pointed to his lower body hanging from a withered tree not far away, and said:

"Captain, your butt's stuck in the tree."

"Suddenly, I don't feel any pain anymore."

Just as Aleya was stitching Fingel up with straw, Matilda was fighting the Cursed again. Her companion's injury made her even braver, but unfortunately, her strength did not increase.

Tus and his companions dared not watch the show any longer and searched the high platform for any possible invisible enemies.

They tried every method imaginable, but couldn't find a trace of the enemy, as if the sound of the bowstring being cocked they had just heard was an illusion.

Where is the enemy hiding, and why haven't they launched an attack yet? Are they waiting for the right moment?

Just as everyone was getting anxious, a cry came from the sky. It was the giant eagle that had carried the Cursed earlier!

The Cursed slammed his shield down, knocking Matilda back. He then grabbed the giant eagle's claw and flew into the air. Was he trying to escape?

No, he was suspended in mid-air, as if he had issued some kind of command.

In an instant, small flames appeared in mid-air, Tus was surprised to find that these flames were actually flaming arrows!

Wait, if there are arrows, it means there's a weapon that can fire them. Based on the position of the arrows, we can deduce...

These crossbow bolts weren't on the platform at all; they were floating in mid-air. The enemies holding them could not only become invisible but also fly.

Just as he realized this, Tus heard the sound of a drawn bow behind his head. He instinctively turned around and saw an arrow enlarged rapidly in his field of vision.

"Smack!"

The words "The Cleansing Chapel" appeared before his eyes, Tus had been resurrected by the campfire, felt frustrated.

Not only did he fail to fulfill Mr. Fingel's request to kill the enemy, but he also died ahead of them. There were three people around the campfire, including him, which meant that many more people were still alive and fighting the Cursed.

Am I really that useless?

His companions came over and patted him on the shoulder as a gesture of comfort. Tus knew that now was not the time to be discouraged; he had to hurry over and rejoin the battle. What if the three of them together could help them win?

Having just run out of the Cleansing Chapel, Tus was about to parkour his way there when a simple, honest voice came from somewhere.

"Hey, hey! Is anyone there? Is anyone home?"

Who is speaking?

Tus turned around alertly, only to find that the sound was coming from...

The well at the church entrance?