Ping!

The arrow left.

From the loading to the firing, only a short moment went by.

The arrow, which Marcel Ghionea poured out his heart and soul into firing, cut through the air with a firm, steel-like will to reach its destination.

It went without saying that an arrow could not change its course once it was released and in the air. It would be a different story for someone like the Star of Pride, whose arrows were tied with a chain or Ayase Kazuki, who had the ‘Swallow Arrow’ skill that let him redirect his air-borne arrows. But at the very least, the Archer that just shot this arrow did not have such an ability.

However, Marcel Ghionea believed in himself.

His ‘Archer of Steel’ title was not just for a show. Ever since he entered Paradise, save for unavoidable circumstances like expeditions, he shot thousands of arrows every day to train his abilities. He did not skip even a single day.

Moreover, he felt it when the arrow left the string. A near-absolute confidence, even when considering the irregular movements of the Nests and the Spirits.

All he had to do now was wait for the result.

And so, the arrow finally entered the Nests’ range of attack. To a bystander unfamiliar with the circumstances, this might have happened in an instant. But for Marcel Ghionea, who was still maintaining his hyper-focus, everything was in slow-motion.

The sharp arrowhead tearing through the air and the seed and the sedges tightly tied to the arrow shaft were all clearly visible.

Dozens of tentacles flurrying every which way brushed past the arrow shaft by a narrow margin on multiple occasions. The spider web-like net, created by the tentacles as they moved to kill the desperately attacking Spirits, obstructed the arrow naturally.

However, even the most closely-stitched spiderweb has a gap. The arrow, flying in an arc, shockingly flew into this tiny hole and disappeared.

As the tentacles loosened up and separated, Marcel Ghionea clearly caught sight of an arrow brushing past a young Spirit and continuing onward without reserve.

Right, the steel arrow was still marching...