“Gaaaghk!” Amelia cried out as she arched backward at the waist.
The pain was rising from the very tips of her toes as if her very nerve endings were being chewed upon. Her internal organs all felt like they were being flipped upside down. And it felt like her Core was shattering. Amelia’s head had bent backward along with her waist, and dark, bloody froth spilled from her wide-open jaws.
Amelia wasn’t the only one to have suffered such an assault. Behind her, dozens of liches were spasming in their seats and twisting their bones in agony as they screamed in pain. All these liches had recently raised their levels by sucking out the souls of the lower-leveled black wizards who weren’t qualified to become liches.
The liches might now possess bodies that were no longer physically capable of spitting out blood, but that didn’t mean they were free from pain and injury. The shock of the blow just now was strong enough that it had even been transmitted to the liches’ most vital possession, their life vessels.
That was just how powerful the last attack that had struck the barrier had been.
Just the spells that were being shot at them by the Wise Sienna alone had been enough to set them gritting their teeth in pain, but that attack just now… the impact was so agonizing that it felt as if their souls were being torn apart.
If that attack had been made using magic, it wouldn’t have been as life-threatening as it was, but since it had been made using divine power, it was a whole other story.
‘This is absurd,’ Amelia internally wrestled with her own feelings of denial as she coughed up even more blood.
Amelia had both Vladmir and the dark power drawn from her contract with the Demon King of Incarceration on her side. The barrier was also created using the dark power of Destruction. Even for the Wise Sienna, breaking through the barrier with magic alone would be impossible.
As for divine power? Fine, Amelia would admit that the Light was the antithesis of dark power. However… it wasn’t like the God of Light himself could descend to take care of them.
So even if their opponent was the Hero or the Saint… was it really possible for them to push this barrier, which had had so much power invested into it, to the brink of destruction with just one sword strike?
‘The barrier hasn’t been destroyed yet,’ Amelia told herself as she swallowed a mouthful of blood and tightened her grip on Vladimir.
After Amelia gripped Vladmir with both hands and held the staff above her head, her sinister dark power stirred as a magic circle appeared surrounding her. The liches also brought their hands together in a seal as they resumed reciting a chant.
The sword of Light wielded by Eugene had split open the barrier, creating an opening that was as large as the sword’s slash. However, Eugene couldn’t completely destroy the barrier with just that.
His eyes still shining with light, Eugene glared down at the slash-shaped opening. He saw that the dark power making up the barrier was already beginning to stick back together as the barrier was being restored.
Eugene raised the Holy Sword once more.
Whoooosh!
The circle of Light that had appeared over Raimira’s back grew even larger. The sky, which had been overcast due to the influence of the dark power below, was illuminated by this circle of Light.
Amelia and the liches didn’t just stay still during all of this. After the surface of the barrier began bubbling like it was boiling, a spike of dark power was suddenly shot toward Raimira.
[Eeeeek!] Raimira yelped in shock.
Naturally, Raimira tried to dodge it, but Eugene’s voice stopped her before she could move, “You don’t have to dodge it.”
Suppressing her fear, Raimira stayed where she was.
Eugene didn’t swing his sword directly at the attack. However, he did think about blocking it, and that alone was enough. All of the light now surrounding them obeyed Eugene’s will, so when Eugene had this thought, the light immediately moved to block the spike.
Of course, the retaliation from the barrier didn’t end with just one shot. Spikes were fired out one after another, and blades struck out from the barrier like whips. However, none of them managed to reach Raimira.
Screeeeech!
The sword of Light struck the barrier once more. Taking into account the previous backlash, Amelia and the liches had strengthened the barrier even further, but it was of no use. This time as well, the sword of Light managed to split apart the dark power of the barrier.
Grrrrrrrrrrrr!
Just as Eugene was about to deliver another strike with the Holy Sword, something huge rose up from inside the barrier.
[Kyaaah!] Raimira screamed in surprise.
Her screams weren’t unwarranted. The terrifying and disgusting head of a centipede could now be seen flying towards them. Due to Eugene’s successive attacks, the head of the Centipede Mountains had finally been driven into taking action personally.
“Hey now,” Eugene muttered in faint surprise.
In the past, this demonic beast had once been mistaken as an actual mountain range, and currently, it had managed to completely enclose the entirety of this huge city. The Centipede Mountains’ head was just as gigantic as its body, and it almost looked like it could swallow a dragon like Raimira in a single bite.
The corners of Eugene’s mouth curled up in a grin. He didn’t feel any fear or intimidation when faced with this gigantic monster. Instead, he felt a sense of gratitude. To think that it would actually come out in person from behind that solid barrier that was proving so difficult to break through.
“Sienna,” Eugene called out Sienna’s name in a low voice as he raised the Moonlight Sword he was holding in his other hand.
Down below them, Sienna was still shooting her spells at the barrier. Although she wasn’t able to physically hear his voice, Sienna nodded her head once Eugene’s intentions were conveyed with Mer’s help.
“Uh-huh,” Sienna nodded firmly as the galaxy hovering behind her underwent a transformation.
The countless stars began to rotate, creating hundreds of Circles. Sienna’s eyes sparkled like colorful jewels, and Frost left Sienna’s hand to start floating in midair.
“Oh…,” Balzac and Rynein both gasped in awe.
Just like how Maise had felt the presence of god coming from Eugene while standing in the midst of that light, Balzac and Rynein, who had been accompanying Sienna, also felt like they were in the presence of a god. All the mana that existed within this space was moving according to Sienna’s will.
Soon, Sienna turned her indomitable will to fashioning a spell. Through the use of Absolute Decree, Sienna’s iron will could determine the effect that her spell would have in advance.
At the same time, Eugene also began to fall downwards. This was to prevent Raimira and the others riding on her back from getting caught up in his attack.
Raimira quickly stammered, [B-benefactor, what should I—?]
“Just close your eyes and count to ten,” Eugene instructed.
The mere sight of the next scene might cause some psychological harm to a child’s mental state. Of course, Eugene was well aware that Raimira wasn’t really a child, but even so… was something like physical age really all that important? Eugene felt that what would be occurring next would be a disgusting sight for children and adults alike.
[One…,] Mer also did the same thing as Raimira and began to count to ten with her eyes closed from inside the cloak.
Eugene chuckled as he heard her voice and tossed the Holy Sword back over his shoulder. The discarded Holy Sword didn’t fall to the ground but instead began to float amid the light.
Eugene held onto the Moonlight Sword with both hands. He then activated his White Flame Formula, summoning up his black flames.
[Two….]
Eugene layered up the Empty Sword. A large, dark mass that in no way resembled flames now clung to the blade of the Moonlight Sword.
[Three, Four….]
The dully glowing mass moved to the tip of Eugene’s sword.
[Five….]
Eugene swung the Moonlight Sword. The dark lump left the tip of his sword, then fell down towards the Centipede Mountains' wide open mouth.
Demonic beasts didn't possess higher intelligence. But that said, they still possessed survival instincts. Since it didn’t know what that dark lump was, the Centipede Mountains instinctively felt that it was something that shouldn’t be swallowed.
So, the Centipede Mountains tried to avoid it. However, its dodge failed. The Centipede Mountains was frozen in place the moment it tried to twist its body out of the way. It felt as if the world itself was exerting a tight grip on its entire body. The force holding the Centipede Mountains in place was so immense that it couldn’t be explained any other way.
[Six….]
Finally, the dark lump fell directly into the mouth of the Centipede Mountain.
[Seven….]
Cracracrack!
It was hard to hear what happened next. The max-layered Empty Sword tore apart the Centipede Mountains’ head, and then, as Eugene had intended, it continued to fall down through the extremely long body of the demonic beast.
Sienna prepared her next spell, but the Centipede Mountains was already dead from Eugene’s attack. The moonlight and flames wrapped within the layers of the Empty Sword tore their way down through the corridor of the deceased Centipede Mountains’ body and fell all the way inside the barrier. At that moment, the barrier couldn’t help but be weakened.
Right then, Sienna stretched both hands forward.
Whiiiiiing!
Mana swirled in front of Sienna’s hands. Once again, she invoked her Absolute Decree. What Sienna had desired was simple and irresistible destruction, and her magic brought her wishes to fruition.
Boooom!
A huge wave burst forth from Sienna’s hands. The spell that had been created for the sole purpose of destruction swept over the ground, crushing space itself into pieces as it advanced forward.
Rynein and Balzac, who were watching all of this take place from behind Sienna, widened their eyes in shock. From their perspective, everything that existed in front of Sienna was suddenly twisted and torn into pieces. It looked as if the world itself was being torn apart by invisible hands.
All this happened just as Mer and Raimira reached nine in their countdown.
The Centipede Mountains lost its head, and the raised section of its extremely long body was shattered from inside. Then, as its tough carapace, flesh, and body flew apart in all directions and disintegrated, Eugene leaped back through space, returning to his perch on Raimira’s back once more.
[Ten.]
When Raimira and Mer opened their eyes, Eugene was once again holding the Holy Sword. Before the two could say anything to express their surprise, Eugene swung the Holy Sword. As the Saint led the priests in a chant, the light surrounding them transformed into a sword that mirrored Eugene’s movements.
This strike didn’t just cut through the barrier like the previous attacks. This time, the barrier was finally shattered to the point that it could no longer be repaired. The barrier that had covered all of Hauria was overrun by the light and completely destroyed.
As for the rest of the body of the Centipede Mountains, which was still enclosing the entire city, after the Empty Sword that it had swallowed finished wreaking its destruction, Sienna’s spell also reached the demonic beast’s tough exterior. Immediately, the shockwave of her spell propagated throughout the Centipede Mountains’ entire body. Sienna took a brief moment to catch her breath before spreading her arms wide open.
Cracracracrack!
A demonic beast that had been alive for the past three hundred years, no, that had been alive for much longer than that, the Centipede Mountains finally met its end as it literally exploded into pieces. First, cracks like spiderwebs spread over its entire body, then it exploded in a loud bang, leaving nothing behind.
“Aaaaaah!” Melkith let out an excited scream at this sight.
Melkith had yet to use her Infinite Force because she felt it was too early for it, but after seeing this scene, she couldn’t hold back any longer.
As she let out another loud cheer, Melkith raised both arms in the air. The spirit summoners of the White Tower of Magic who had been following her immediately acted in response to the shout from their Tower Master.
Pachik!
Accompanied by an eye-watering flash of light, Melkith’s Infinite Force was fully activated in a combination of flames, earth, and lightning. But no, things didn’t just end there. The spirit summoners of the White Tower of Magic then called up the various spirits they each controlled and fused them into Melkith’s Signature.
“Unite!” the spirit summoners all cried out together.
This was the White Tower of Magic’s Supreme Spell, Union Force.
This was almost too much power for even Melkith to control. It was enough to make her lose her mind. However, with her strong mental power and determination, Melkith managed to wrest control over Union Force’s power.
Crackle, cracrackle!
Each time the Spirit Giant’s body swelled even larger, it was accompanied by the sound of something cracking within Melkith. No, this wasn’t the sound of something cracking; it was the sound of something expanding.
[No, it can’t be!] Tempest suddenly let out a cry of great despair as Wynnyd began to tremble within the Cloak of Darkness.
The intuition that Tempest had been struck with just now also happened to reach Melkith. She realized that her mental limits had expanded past a point that she had once believed was far off from her.
Having managed to overcome the limits of what she once thought she was capable of, Melkith cried out with a feeling of ecstatic omnipotence, “Come, oh Storm! Come, Spirit King of the Wind!”
[Aaaaargh!] Tempest desperately screamed in refusal but ultimately couldn’t disobey the call of being summoned.
The body of the towering Spirit Giant swayed on its feet. At the core of the spell, Melkith stood with her arms held wide open, waiting to meet the soon-arriving storm.
Grrrrrrrawr!
The storm arrived with a roar. The huge storm soon swept over the Spirit Giant. Floating in the center of the storm, Melkith gathered her outstretched arms together, embracing the wind blowing towards her.
Crackle-boom!
The storm coalesced in an eye-watering flash of light. Right at that moment, the greatest and most powerful spirit summoner in all history, both past and present, was born — the Great Spirit Summoner who had conquered lightning, earth, flames, and even the wind.
This was Melkith El-Hayah. She stretched out one hand while feeling a long-awaited ecstasy. Right now, Melkith had managed to reach the perfection that lay at the end of her path as a Spirit Summoner.
“Omega Force…!” Melkith cried out as her new Signature was born.
Then, without any hesitation, Melkith extended a fist.
Her outstretched fist summoned a storm of wind and shot out lightning. When she took a step forward, she caused an earthquake and sparks erupted.
So what about the army of undead? Or the demonfolk?
“They are nothing!” Melkith mocked.
And that was indeed the case. Those gathered here were all high-class demonfolk with ranks among the top fifty in all of Helmuth, but even with their subordinates behind them, they were no different than ants to the current Melkith.
No matter how many ants were gathered together, ants were still just ants. Melkith stomped on these puny ants as she erupted in loud peals of laughter.
“Th-that’s… insane…!”
The other Tower Masters were also astonished by Melkith’s overwhelming majesty.
Jeneric, who had fully grown his Yggdrasil into a colossal tree, was forced to lift up the roots of the tree to avoid the earthquakes caused by Melkith. Lovellian was also shocked as he controlled the demonic beasts pouring out of his Pantheon and had to move his demonic beasts elsewhere to avoid Melkith’s rampage.
“Haaaah…,” Hiridus sighed in disbelief.
The Blue Tower Master, Hiridus Euzeland’s Signature spell was his Connect. This spell was able to strengthen the wizards of the Blue Tower of Magic while they were connected to Hiridus. To put it simply, through this connection, he could temporarily raise the level of the wizards from the Blue Tower of Magic. When Hiridus cast Connect, the wizards under him could cast spells of a higher Circle than they usually could.
Hiridus’ Signature was a spell that strengthened the wizards belonging to his Tower of Magic rather than strengthening himself. This was also an incredibly powerful spell in its own right, but when he looked at the current Melkith, it didn’t seem all that great.
‘Why have the heavens granted such immense power to a madwoman like the White Tower Master?’ Hiridus sighed once more.
Although it went beyond all common sense, Hiridus still felt fortunate to have such a powerful Spirit Summoner as an ally. If Melkith were to ever become an enemy… just how terrible would that be?
This was originally a battle in which the allied forces began with an advantage. However, Sienna and Eugene had already destroyed the barrier and killed the Centipede Mountains by exploding it into pieces. Then, Melkith had unexpectedly completed her Omega Force.
As a result of all these factors, this battle lost all of its variables. As if Sienna’s Absolute Decree had been applied to it, their victory in this battle had already been decided.
“Let’s go!” Ivatar roared out.
This barren, blackened land around them had been rendered lifeless by dark power. This place was far away from the World Tree and their home forest.
However, right now, Ivatar and the warriors of the Zoran Tribe could sense the presence of the forest in this lifeless desert. It was because of the spirits summoned by Melkith and the other spirit summoners. The vitality brought by the spirits began to infuse this barren, blackened desert with life once more.
Thanks to that, the warriors of the Zoran Tribe had grown stronger. The various blessings that they possessed made their bodies lighter and amplified their strength. At their head, Ivatar charged forward, wielding an axe in both hands as his warriors followed behind him.
“Let’s go!” Alchester shouted.
Whether it was Kiehl’s standard or that of the White Dragon Knights, Alchester couldn’t spare any attention for them. All that Alchester could see right now was the battle that lay ahead.
Now that the Centipede Mountains had perished in an explosion, the walls of Hauria had been revealed. Alchester’s steed charged forward, and the White Dragon Knights followed his lead, letting out loud roars.
Alchester held his sword up high. It was the Red Dragon, a sword that had been given to Alchester as a gift from Ariartelle.
A dragon’s mana emanated from the sword. It was a considerable amount of mana that seemed almost endless, much more than what Alchester himself possessed. Alchester used the Dragonic family’s secret technique, the Empty Sword. The dragon’s mana was first converted into sword-force and then compressed into layers.
Fwoosh!
A massive Empty Sword formed over the sword that Alchester was holding over his head. While swinging the dozens of meters long Empty Sword, Alchester charged toward the city walls.
Leading Shimuin’s Violent Tide Knights, a group of cavaliers all armed with Exid, Ortus shouted, “Let’s go!”
This wasn’t the sea, and this wasn’t a place where any waves should exist. However, Ortus could sense the force of a huge wave washing over this desolate desert. Everyone gathered here was part of a wave moving forward into the new era.
‘I, too, am a part of what is happening here,’ Ortus thought excitedly.
If this were in the past, he wouldn’t have gotten hung up on something like this. Originally, the man known as Ortus Hyman was a petty individual whose priorities didn’t match his power or status.
But that was no longer the case. During the battle against the Demon King, in the midst of all that happened, Ortus had seen the Hero. He had learned what a Hero truly was and had become fascinated by that radiant young man. So now, Ortus wanted to be a part of the waves that Eugene was creating.
That was why Ortus was here.
“Let’s go!” Aman Ruhr roared.
As the snow wolves charged forward, the Beast King Aman opened the way while swinging his great sword. This land was the exact opposite of the snowfields they called home, but that wasn’t all that important.
Aman was a descendant of the Brave Molon. He carried the bloodline of a great warrior, and that blood was currently boiling hot.
Aman let out a bestial howl.
The Brave Molon wasn’t able to come here, but Aman knew just how much the brave former king had wanted to take part in this war. That was why the men from Ruhr needed to work even harder.
On behalf of their former king, who wasn’t able to take part, everyone from the Kingdom of Ruhr must prove themselves worthy. They had to prove just what kind of country Ruhr truly was and how brave the warriors of that northern country, which had been personally founded by the Brave Molon three hundred years ago and had remained standing up until now, truly were.
“Let’s go!” Ivic shouted as he released the arrow from his bowstring.
After shooting his arrow, he immediately stabbed forward with his spear.
There were dozens of mercenary companies on this battlefield, and there were so many knights errant that it was impossible to memorize all their names. Ivic, who was in charge of leading them all, prided himself on being a first-class mercenary. But Ivic wasn’t the only one who thought that way. The mercenaries that he led, as well as the knights errant, all had high self-esteem and believed themselves to be one of the few who stood at the top of their profession.
Those who had managed to reach the top as a mercenary no longer placed earning money as their highest priority. They valued trust, contracts, and honor instead. They didn’t come here because they wanted to be paid for their services. No, they came here voluntarily for the sake of honor.
But was it really alright to expect them to give their lives for this honor? After all, where in the world would you find someone who was truly not afraid to die? Those who had come here weren’t looking for a place to lie down in eternal slumber. The only thing they wanted was victory. They came here to survive, to win, and to gain their honor.
“Let’s go!” Raphael shouted as Apollo accelerated forward.
Raphael’s divine power radiated light all around him. All the demonic beasts flying in the air had been eliminated. The other pegasus riders also flew forward, still following behind Raphael.
The black barrier had been shattered, revealing the city that had been occupied by the Demon King. The shadows had disappeared in the sky around the city, and all that was left was the light.
That’s right, it was the light. Their god truly had made his presence known, and he was shining his Light on the world through the deeds of the Hero and his Saint. Just look at that sight in front of them.
Raphael and the other paladins all had tears in their eyes. Oh, what a brilliant light. The Holy Sword Altair was shining magnificently.
“Let’s go!” Carmen shouted loudly as she clenched her fists.
The pegasi weren’t the only ones flying towards the city. The wyverns of the Black Lion Knights had also begun to advance.
There weren’t any demonic beasts left in the sky for Carmen to beat up, but even so, Carmen clenched her fists and started punching at the sky.
For someone trapped inside an egg, the egg was their whole world. In order to be born, they needed to destroy the world they were in. Looking at her appearance in the mirror, Carmen had felt like there was another her trapped in the mirror, someone who was in a completely opposite reality from her. If she stretched out her fist towards the mirror, her fist would touch the mirror, and at the same time, her fist would meet the fist of herself from another reality. Then, by going just a bit further, she would finally break through[1].
Carmen had once longed for the chance to be reborn. She had longed to have a new life. She had dreamed that she would enter a new world by breaking through the mirror.
But all of that was insignificant now. It had all been a misunderstanding on her part. Even without breaking anything, even though she had never been reborn….
Carmen grinned, ‘However, now….’
This wasn’t an egg. There wasn’t any mirror in front of her. This world was still the same old and shabby world as always.
However… after today, once they had won this battle, a new world would open up in front of them. Carmen was sure of that.
“Let’s go!” Ciel shouted as she followed behind Carmen.
It was all far, far too… dazzling. She couldn’t clearly see what was happening in front of her. Ciel had realized it once more. Just how far away Eugene was from her. Just how radiant he truly was. However, that didn’t mean she thought of herself as someone shabby in comparison. Because such miserable thoughts wouldn’t be of any help in catching up.
What Ciel needed to do was to keep her eyes fixed on what lay ahead, even if he was so dazzling that she couldn’t see him clearly.
“Let’s go!” Cyan shouted as he spurred his horse forward.
His eyes were on his father’s back directly in front of him as Gilead charged ahead of him. Beyond his father’s back, Cyan could see the city walls gradually getting closer and closer. Lifting his head, Cyan looked up at the sky.
High in the sky, there was a light so dazzling that it almost made you think that the sun had descended closer to the earth.
That was his brother.
“Let’s go!” Gilead roared, already covered in blood.
He wasn’t injured. All of this blood came from his enemies. Even if Gilead had added up all the blood he had ever seen in his life prior to this day, it would still be less than the blood he had seen since stepping onto this battlefield.
His sword, which he had already swung hundreds and thousands of times today, was put away for a few moments.
Instead, Gilead raised up a standard. It was the Lionhearts’ standard. This was the banner that Eugene had carried as the flagbearer when he started this campaign. The banner flapped in the wind as the Lionhearts galloped forward. Their manes fluttering, the lions rushed forward.
Gilead raised his head to look up at the sky.
The words that everyone was shouting.
Their cries were all directed to a single person.
Eugene nodded to himself, “Alright.”
His wings of black flames were outspread.
He could hear all the cries directed towards him from both the earth and the sky.
“Let’s go,” the Hero replied to them.
1. If all of this sounds familiar, we once learned of how Carmen first met Ariartelle. Carmen was serving as the young Alchester’s tutor and being kept under secret supervision by Ariartelle. While in the bath, Carmen suddenly shattered one of the mirrors Ariartelle was using to spy on her, and Ariartelle couldn’t help but show up in person to ask what was going on. ☜
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