Colin was completely disoriented.

A fist slammed into his stomach, and a searing pain shot from his gut to his brain. It felt like his organs had been kneaded together and thrown into a meat grinder. A sour, bitter taste filled his mouth.

When he came to his senses, Colin found himself lying on the ground.

’But this is definitely not the time to be lying down...’

He could clearly see the Centurion standing over him, its Bronze Short Sword hanging in the air and aimed right at his heart!

His dizzy mind cleared in an instant, and a bit of strength returned to his body.

Colin quickly pulled himself together, made a hand gesture, and the Shield spell took effect instantly.

A transparent shield appeared beside him.

PING!

The blade fell. The moment it touched the Magic Shield, the transparent Spell Shield began to vibrate violently. Even so, the spell’s power could only slightly deflect the Bronze Sword’s path.

With a sharp CRACK, the blade still pierced Colin.

He felt a sharp pain in his upper abdomen, as if his organs were being squeezed and crushed. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The Bronze Sword had pierced his upper abdomen, which was covered by his Plate Armor, and the tip of the blade had completely sunk into his body.

’Am I going to die? Is there really no escape this time?’

Colin was stunned.

"No! You damned bastard!" Kase’s voice came from not far away.

Colin had no time to worry about his teammate’s situation. He had only one thought... ’I must be in the Refuse Death state now!’

He gripped his Giant Sword with both hands and played his final card.

The flaming blade struck out like a nimble snake, aiming for the Centurion’s spine. With a loud CLANG, the weathered Bronze Breastplate was instantly pierced by the enhanced Emerald Flame Sword.

That strange sensation traveled back into his palm again. Colin was one hundred percent certain he had hit his target.

The next moment, a golden Light Ball and three golden flames shot past him, striking the Centurion’s chest one after another.

The Bronze Breastplate was completely shattered by the blows. Nearly all of the Centurion’s ribs were broken, and the flaming Giant Sword was still embedded in its spine.

’It’s Guiding Bolt and Scorching Ray.’

’Orelia must have finished off the Winter Wolf Skeleton that jumped over there.’ Colin breathed a sigh of relief.

He cast Silver Light Sharp Words again, drawing the Centurion’s attention and redirecting it to Kase behind him.

"AARGH!!"

Kase roared, and his axe swung. The skeleton’s head, still in its Helmet, was chopped clean off and sent flying high into the air.

’It’s finally over...’

The Half-Orc’s face appeared in his field of vision. "Colin? Are you okay?"

"I feel like I’m not hurt... no, wait... my ribs are broken." Colin touched the spot where he’d been hit. He didn’t feel any sticky liquid, just waves of sharp pain.

He grabbed Kase’s arm to have him help him up.

First, he looked around. The routed Barbarians were gradually shaking off the magical fear. They activated their Frenzy state again and surrounded the few Skeletons that had pursued them.

Although the fighting looked intense, it shouldn’t be a problem.

The few remaining Barbarian skirmishers were sneaking toward the Skeleton in the distance that looked like a Caster but hadn’t done anything the entire time.

Colin took another careful look at the spot where he had been lying and, sure enough, found a Bronze Fragment.

"Looks like the Bronze Sword broke when it stabbed me." Having survived the ordeal, Colin managed a smile. "My god, the way that thing was using it, this sword should’ve broken long ago."

"Dammit! Curse these piece-of-shit Skeletons and their piece-of-shit empire! Goddamn pieces of shit!" Kase cursed angrily, then continued swearing nonstop in the Orcish tongue.

"You wait here for a bit. We’re gonna go smash those damn pieces of shit!"

"Calm down. We made it through this time."

Even though Colin said that, Kase was still furious, muttering curses as he walked away.

Colin sat on the ground, watching the battlefield in the distance.

A dozen enraged Barbarians were ganging up on four Skeletons. Even though their opponents were much stronger than any single Barbarian, it was hard for them to fight effectively when so outnumbered.

Not to mention, with Orelia and Ale freed up, they could provide magical support.

It was obvious that the end of the battle was only a matter of time.

Ale raised her palm, and another golden Flaming Arrow shot out, shattering the skull of the last Skeleton on the field—the Standard Bearer.

The battle had finally drawn to a close.

Orelia, who had taken out her medical supplies, hurried over with Ale following close behind.

The Priest was completely unscathed, but the Dragon Vein Mage beside her hadn’t been so lucky.

The sleeve on her right arm was completely torn, revealing a vicious bite where the flesh was laid bare. Tiny, indistinctly colored scales were visible around the wound—no doubt the handiwork of that Winter Wolf Skeleton.

But even so, her expression remained blank.

"Mr. Colin, can you take off your helmet?" Orelia asked.

Colin sighed. "I can."

He struggled to remove the slightly bent Helmet and looked at it.

The metal eye sockets and nose guard had been hammered inward, and the inside of the Helmet was caked with frozen blood.

Although he couldn’t see himself, Colin figured his nose must be in pretty bad shape.

"By the way, did that Skeleton over there attack you with magic?" Colin asked, taking advantage of the lull.

"That was the legion’s attendant Priest."

Ale replied, "Because all the Gods of the Ancient Empire of Ora Kaim are dead, the prayers it recites have no effect. But the Skeleton hasn’t realized that yet."

’So it’s just a cheerleader?’

Colin breathed a sigh of relief.

If these enemies had been alive, his small team plus the Barbarians would have been no match for them. Luckily, they’d probably been dead for several thousand years.

As Colin was thinking, the sweet scent of malt drifted to his nose.

"Mr. Colin, take a drink first." Orelia had already brought the Dwarves’ strong liquor to Colin’s lips.

Colin tentatively took a sip.

The liquor was sweet, with notes of malt and oak barrels. He couldn’t taste any bitterness or harshness, and it went down smoothly.

But a few seconds after he drank it, Colin felt a wave of dizziness, and the sharp pain in his chest also lessened considerably.

Orelia broke a splint into the right shape, deftly unfastened his Armor and clothes, and set his broken ribs with bandages and the splint. Then, she snapped his crooked nose back into place.

The sudden motion made Colin’s nose sting and his eyes water uncontrollably.

’It’ll feel better tomorrow after I get some healing with Divine Art,’ he comforted himself.

After she was done, Orelia started treating Ale’s wound, calling out to Kase in the distance as she did.

「A while later.」

Ale, her wound now bandaged, looked at her torn sleeve. She then took out two lodestones from her Magic Material Bag and pressed them against the fabric.

Following an incomprehensible spell,

golden sparks ignited on the torn sleeve. She flicked them away, and the rip in the fabric was restored to its previous state.

"Is that the Repair Technique?" Colin asked groggily from the ground.

"Yes." Ale then reached out and pressed the materials against his chest.

A spark of light flashed, and the dented Plate Armor returned to its original shape. She then did the same, repairing Colin’s bent Helmet.

"That’s a pretty convenient cantrip," Colin said.

Ale added, "This cantrip can repair large-scale damage. Minor issues like wear and tear or rust still require manual maintenance."

"That’s still pretty good."

After replying, Colin, feeling slightly better, tentatively tried to stand up.

Driven by curiosity, he picked up the broken Bronze Sword from the ground and examined it.

He could clearly see a new nick on the broken edge of the fragment.

’This must be the nick I made when I parried. Who says I’m always unlucky?’

He picked up the Bronze Sword and took a close look at the blade.

’Wait, why is there another nick on the part of the blade that didn’t break?’

’Could someone have helped block it as the blade came down?’

’But... how is that possible...’