F-ranker Sword Saint: My Soulbound Sword is Secretly SSS-tier!-Chapter 241: Let Her Cook

"Switch!!" Caleb roared, stabbing at the neck of a Forsaken Legionary and cutting its head off a moment later.

Only then did he retreat to catch his breath for a few seconds.

He and the party leaders were not allowed any breaks, and if not for the fact that a few of them had leveled up, including Thrad, perhaps even they would’ve fallen already.

The crucible of the battle for The Crown’s relic was simply too punishing.

Needless to say, more than a few dozen Damnedlings had already perished, and those who remained standing were still fighting, having just barely gained the needed vitality and energy to continue thanks to a timely level up.

Their suffering from the continuous battles had finally borne fruit at the critical moment.

Thus, the battle lines of the Egress Army were relatively stable for now, and they would probably be able to hold on for at least a minute or two before faltering again.

Unfortunately, not everyone who was still surviving had leveled up.

Some, like Caleb, felt as if their abominable lungs — if they even had it — were burning; their hands and legs felt like lead, and they wanted nothing more than to rest for a minute, at least.

But such a thing was not an option for them, sadly.

The lines would totally crumble without them holding key points of the formation...and the Condemned Centurions.

They had no choice but to at least resist the level fifty-five elites, even if they’re about to collapse from exhaustion, as the alternative would be an entire row of decimated comrades.

The party leaders wanted to fall, but they could not.

They really could not.

Unfortunately, some were destined to, as the rejuvenation of leveling up wouldn’t grace them in time...and Aesyn were among these people.

The frontlines had become chaotic. It was impossible for Caleb and Lesha to help everyone.

Not to mention, they themselves needed help.

Aesyn, barely able to manage a clumsy block on the approaching stone blade from her left, was sent staggering a few steps.

Then her legs failed her, and she was left kneeling.

She would’ve hurried to stand up and defend herself if she could.

But it was simply impossible, given her current stamina. She could stand, but not fast enough.

The veteran elf closed her eyes and gritted her teeth in both acceptance and frustration.

It was unfortunate, but it seemed that her survival wasn’t written in the stars.

Not that there were stars in Limbo...

Then, just when she had accepted her fate, she felt something pass her by from behind — fast and lethal.

Aesyn instinctively opened her eyes, and the moment she did, she recognized it.

Salvation.

There, in front of her, stood a shimmering silver princess, cutting the heads of an entire row of Forsaken Legionaries with a single swing of her silver flyssa.

It would’ve been perfect had the words she had spoken the next moment been a bit more pleasing to the ears.

"Well, what are you waiting for, long-ears? Why not stand up and get yourself to safety, hmm? Recover well and return to battle once you’re ready."

Elara was so at ease fighting the pawns of the wraith army that there was no problem for her to talk to Aesyn while taking their heads.

At least for now...as she was still fairly fresh.

It was difficult to tell how she would fare when exhaustion settled in.

The veteran elf was in no mood to mind the SSS-ranker’s slight rudeness, as she was far too tired for such energetic side concerns.

She didn’t care much, either.

Aesyn dragged her battered self off the battlefield to recover.

Meanwhile, Caleb was dumbfounded by Elara’s arrival.

"Y-You! Shouldn’t you be helping Onimaru?!" he asked in a slightly anxious tone.

Of course, Caleb was happy that they now had a reliable SSS-ranker, who could also use her Sword Skills without problem, fighting side by side with them.

Her presence alone would save many wretched lives.

Only, there would be no point to their resistance here if they failed to defeat The Crown and retrieve the relic.

At most, they would die a little later than they should’ve, and Sigrun...she will die with them.

"Oh can you at least sound a little more composed? You’re the commander, are you not? You’re also older than me, are you not? So why do you always sound like a quacking duck?" was Elara’s displeased response, clicking her tongue before she proceeded to explain.

"A-A quacking..."

"Well, to summarize, the enemy used a Sword Skill that marked Onimaru, and so only he could damage the vexing thing. There was a higher chance that I would only hold him back, so I left and helped you guys instead."

But that wasn’t the only reason.

If she wanted, she could stay, and Elara was skilled enough to be of minimal help instead of getting in the way.

However, she decisively made the difficult decision after recalling that there were still pieces of the chessboard that had not shown themselves, namely, the field boss in the kitchen and the demonic jester.

Elara took pride in not only her skills with the sword, but also her smarts, most specifically her sharp memory.

She remembered everything that was discussed before they left Egress, even if she only attended one meeting.

So, if what the Veshari said was correct, then those Swordspawns would introduce their blades soon.

And she was right.

Elara caught a glimpse of one of the two as she was sprinting down the stairs.

There, at the back of the enemy formation and being allowed to the frontlines by the tide of furious wraiths was a tall and muscular wraith with a peculiar belly.

If her calculations were correct, then...

Sure enough, the moment she slew another handful of Forsaken Legionaries, the enemy formation before her parted.

==

[(Field Boss) Toras, Hearthwarden of Netherstone Keep Lv. 58]

HP: 60,000 / 60,000

==

"Why, hello there, Hearthwarden Toras. Have you tried being cooked in battle? If not, then allow this princess to grace you with the experience."