I Can Devour Monsters' SSS Talents

Chapter 708: The Laday He Wanted To Serve

The blue sword moved from the left.

Noah tried to turn his body, however, he was not fast enough, and the edge of the blade passed across his shoulder.

His clothes were torn, and blood flowed from a deep wound.

"Argh...!"

He fell backward, his injured shoulder struck the stone ground, and severe pain spread through his entire arm.

For a moment, the umbrella slipped from his hand and fell to the ground several meters away.

Vesperis stepped forward again.

The Inquisitor had not struck his head or heart yet, but his attacks were powerful enough to disable the young Frenchman.

Noah tried to stand up using his healthy hand, but his knee bent beneath his body.

’Damn it... I can’t...’

The whiteness in his eyes increased.

His memories were becoming impossible to reach one after another, and at the same time, Vesperis raised his sword for another strike.

But this time, the blade did not come down, instead, a short sound came from the south.

[ Thunder Ashen Step ]

Lian appeared in the sword’s path and raised his right hand.

[ Glacial Reaper Claw ]

The icy claws struck the flat side of the blade and changed the direction of the attack, instead of hitting Noah’s body, the sword entered the stone ground beside him.

Vesperis immediately moved his second sword, but this time, Lian was already prepared, and [ Core of the Fallen Star ] activated.

A short and concentrated gravitational pressure struck the Inquisitor’s body.

Vesperis was forced to take one step back to maintain his balance, and this opportunity allowed young Vorhelm to push him several more meters away from Noah with a strike from the right.

The Inquisitor landed on an undamaged section of the stone ground and held both swords in front of his body.

But Lian did not chase him, instead, he simply stood in place and looked at him.

Behind him, Noah was having difficulty breathing.

"Noah, stay behind me."

There was no answer.

Lian glanced at Rindo and Alicia, both were still standing in an unnatural state, their eyes had turned white, and they showed no clear reaction to the events around them.

He sent a new order through Hive Dominion.

’Three, go to Rindo and Alicia. Don’t let any attacks reach them.’

’Four, watch the knight’s movements, if he tries to get closer, stop him.’

Three answered from farther away.

’As you command, my lord.’

This time, there was not even a sign of his usual pride or complaints in his answer.

He had also realized that the situation had gone beyond an ordinary battle.

At the same time, the Bone Minstrel, who was standing at a safer distance, continued playing his music.

His gentle melody was still helping to reduce their physical injuries, but it could not provide a complete cure against the process of identity erasure.

Lian had understood this.

’First, I need to stop White Oblivion himself.’

But before that, he needed to get Noah out of his current condition.

The young Frenchman was on one knee behind him, his breathing was uneven, his left hand was trembling, and blood was still flowing down from his injured shoulder.

"Noah, can you hear me?"

Several seconds passed, and then a weak answer was heard.

"Yeah..."

"Good, focus on something specific, repeat your name in your mind or anything else you still remember."

Noah parted his lips but said nothing.

"Don’t let that creature decide who you are."

This advice was not going to remove White Oblivion’s power, it was only an attempt to help Noah maintain his awareness until they found a better solution.

But behind Lian, the young Frenchman was struggling with something else.

My lady...

Noah felt his memories disappearing into darkness one after another, he could still remember parts of his past.

But familiar faces, places, and even some important decisions in his life were gradually becoming unclear.

He bit his lower lip hard, and blood gathered in his mouth.

’No.’

’Not now.’

Among all the memories that were disappearing, one image still remained.

The image of a woman who had once stood in front of him and given him an order.

Noah tried to remember her face more clearly, but every time he came close, part of the image disappeared again.

’I have to...’

His breathing stopped for a moment.

’I have to do it.’

His gaze fell on Lian’s back.

Young Vorhelm was still standing between him and Vesperis.

Despite the presence of two Unholy and one Calamity farther away, Lian was still thinking about protecting his companions, and only a few moments ago, he had saved Noah’s life.

The young Frenchman looked at the back of the black armor for a moment, his fingers trembled slightly.

’He saved me.’

For several seconds, his decision became uncertain.

But then the memory of the order he had received appeared in his mind again, an order he had been waiting a long time to carry out.

’If I don’t do it now...’

His eyes became even whiter for a moment, and Noah clenched his teeth.

’I might never get another chance.’

He still did not know how many minutes or even seconds remained before he completely lost his awareness.

But he knew one thing.

Lian currently had his back turned toward him, his attention was focused on Vesperis, and the damage from the previous battles was still visible on his armor.

A better opportunity than this might never appear again.

Noah closed his eyes for a moment and then slowly took a breath, and the fingers of his right hand moved.

Two short blades came out from inside his existence ... more precisely, from within his soul in the form of light and took physical form.

Thin and sharp daggers.

Not the umbrella he had been holding as a weapon all this time, but the weapons he had chosen for his real fighting style.

He looked at Lian’s back one more time.

His lower lip was still covered in blood.

’I’m sorry...’

But he did not say this thought aloud.

Instead, he moved his body slightly forward, and moved.

At that exact moment, Lian noticed the change in the mana flow behind him.

Hmm?

But the distance was extremely short, and more importantly, he had not expected someone whose life he had saved only moments ago to attack him from behind.

The first dagger struck the connection between the armor plates, and a short metallic sound was heard.

The second blade moved from a lower angle and reached a part of his side where the armor had been damaged during the previous battles.

Those blades should not have been able to pass through ancient armor, two ordinary blades should not have been able to leave even a scratch on ancient armor under any circumstances.

But those two blades cut through the armor plates as if they were paper....

It was as if those two blades had been made specifically for such a purpose ... and there was only one weapon rank capable of doing something like that ... and it was not something that should be in the hands of a French student.

A sharp pain spread through Lian’s body, and for a moment, his movement stopped.

’What...?’

He slowly turned his head.

Noah was standing directly behind him, his eyes still had some of that unnatural whiteness.

But his hands were tightly wrapped around the handles of the two daggers, and the blades were pointed at Lian himself.

Young Vorhelm looked at them for several seconds, and at that moment, one of his old suspicions finally made sense.

’So that’s why...’

For a long time, he had felt that Noah’s umbrella was not the young man’s main weapon.

His movements during battle were too carefully calculated.

Sometimes, he looked at enemies from angles that were more suitable for a close-range fighter than someone who only fought with an umbrella.

But until now, Lian had found no clear reason to investigate further.

Now everything seemed clearer, the umbrella was only a cover for Noah’s real fighting style.

The young Frenchman was a dagger fighter, and now he had used those same daggers against him.

He looked at Noah’s face for a moment, there was no sign of happiness on it, there was not even a feeling of victory in his eyes, instead, there was only a difficult decision that he had apparently finally made.

Young Vorhelm parted his lips.

"Noah... why?"

But before he could ask another question, Noah answered in a rough voice.

"You asked me..."

His breathing trembled for a moment.

"You asked me who I wanted to serve."

The young Frenchman pressed his bloodied lip together....then continued.

"That woman..."

He paused briefly.

"Was Lady Victoria."

For a moment, all of Lian’s thoughts stopped, not because of the pain from the daggers, but because of the name he had heard.

He stared at Noah’s face for several seconds and then asked in a low voice.

"My step mother...?"