Chapter 518
The Civil War Is Over. (2)
Gartros turned his gaze to the left. Over there, a unit of troops was rapidly advancing with the aid of rampaging spirits.
Spirits were an unfair force on the battlefield. Fighting them was futile since the opposing side wouldn’t suffer any troop losses.
Moreover, spirits never truly died. As long as the spiritist remained alive and had enough energy, they could keep summoning them.
The advancing troops were so fierce and powerful that their allies couldn’t stop them. Even trying to send reinforcements from the center was difficult due to the interference of the mounted archers in the rear.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
Leading the charge was a figure clad in beautiful armor adorned with stag antlers.
Because that person was holding back four priests, their forces couldn't fight properly.
Gartros immediately recognized who it was.
‘The Guardian of the World Tree!’
Both the Holy Maiden and the Guardian of the World Tree had been long-standing enemies of the Salvation Church. Killing even one of them here would greatly benefit their cause.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he made his decision.
The side where the Holy Maiden was located was still barely holding on. The first thing to do was to deal with the unfair advantage of the spirits.
"Stop!"
Kwaaaaaah!
Gartros released a surge of black energy, instantly obliterating the spirits. As soon as they were gone, he charged straight at Ereneth.
Ereneth, who had already slain two transcendent beings and was in the midst of fighting the remaining two, turned abruptly at the sudden attack, extending her hand.
Flash!
A green flash shot from her palm, colliding with the black energy and exploding upon impact.
Kwaaaang!
A powerful shockwave erupted, pushing back everyone engaged in battle nearby. The two priests that had been restrained by Ereneth took the opportunity to retreat.
Ereneth glanced at her own hand. The recoil from the clash was immense. This newcomer was different from ordinary priests.
“So, you're that so-called High Priest?”
She had already heard from Ghislain about the presence of a High Priest.
Gartros, filled with rage, responded.
"Guardian of the World Tree. I will kill you here and now."
"Well, it's not like we need words between us anyway."
Kwaang!
At the same time, the two of them shot toward each other.
Kwaaaaaa!
Black energy burst violently from Gartros’ hands, spreading toward the advancing Northern Army.
His aim was to strike Ereneth while also reducing enemy forces.
"Certainly different."
Ereneth unleashed her energy with full force to counter him. If she allowed that wide-range attack to land, their troops would suffer severe losses.
Kuuuuung!
As the black energy clashed with the green light, a massive wave of power rippled outward. The two forces pressed against each other, as if locked in a battle of strength.
Gartros had deliberately chosen this method of attack. He had a plan in mind.
"Take care of the rest!"
At his command, the remaining two priests of the Salvation Church moved. With Ereneth occupied by Gartros, they were free to engage other enemies.
"Damn it."
Ereneth furrowed her brows.
She had already expended a considerable amount of energy summoning multiple high-level spirits to minimize their side’s losses.
Now, locked in combat with Gartros, she couldn't afford to disengage.
As the two clashed in a contest of strength, the priests of the Salvation Church advanced toward the breaching Northern Army.
But someone moved even faster than them.
Ziiing!
A brilliant light erupted from Kaor’s armor at the front of the formation. Though he had yet to reach transcendence, he maximized his combat strength by drawing upon the armor’s power.
Whoosh!
"Huh?"
One of the Salvation Church priests was taken aback. A warrior clad in black armor suddenly leaped toward him, slashing with a sword.
Kaaang!
The sudden strike was blocked, but there was no time to recover. A relentless flurry of sword attacks rained down with terrifying speed.
Kakakakakang!
The Salvation Church priest, lacking in skill, quickly became flustered. His opponent cared nothing for defense, ruthlessly targeting only his vital points.
It felt as if he were being ambushed by a starving beast.
"You bastard!"
How dare a mere knight challenge a transcendent like him?
The priest hastily blocked the incoming sword and prepared to counterattack.
Slash! Slash!
"Kuh!"
But before he could even strike back, more enemies swarmed in.
His ankle was slashed, his arm was cut, and his shoulder was wounded.
Their coordination was incredible.
The Salvation Church priest was too busy defending himself to counterattack, slowly being pushed back.
The other priest found himself in a similar predicament.
Dozens of knights in black armor had converged on them, leaving them no room to breathe.
And the number of knights blocking them was steadily increasing.
“What are these?! How can there be so many knights?!”
The two priests of the Salvation Church were flustered. Nearly a hundred knights were charging at them.
Kaor grinned savagely at the panicked priests.
"As expected, you guys are ridiculously bad at fighting."
The assault unit led by Kaor included as many as two hundred Fenris Knights. Aside from the half that Ghislain had taken with him, all of them were here.
Every one of them was at least of intermediate knight level. Many had reached the advanced level, and Kaor himself had ascended to the highest tier.
The former Mad Dogs members all followed behind Kaor, while the remaining hundred knights pushed back the surrounding enemies, creating space.
The Salvation Church priests and the Delfine Forces had no choice but to retreat gradually.
Boom! Boom! Booooom!
The battle grew increasingly intense.
Even if they lacked skill, a Transcendent was still a Transcendent. The Salvation Church priests unleashed their energy, sending knights flying.
Although they suffered wounds due to the sheer number of enemies attacking them, as long as they took them down one by one, they were not entirely unmanageable.
Boom!
"Ugh!"
Kaor was finally struck and sent tumbling backward. His face, hidden beneath his helmet, twisted in frustration.
‘Damn it, why am I the only one who isn't a Transcendent?!’
He had broken through numerous walls to reach the highest tier, but this final wall was impossibly vast and insurmountable.
What irritated him even more was that Gillian, fighting on the other side, was demonstrating the full might of a Transcendent.
"If I break through, I'll be stronger than that old man!"
Kaor roared and lunged at the priests again. Though he was knocked down repeatedly, he exuded a relentless fury as he swung his sword.
"Damn it! Damn it! I'm stronger!"
"This lunatic, what the hell is he saying?!"
The Salvation Church priest was shaken by Kaor’s relentless assault. His armor was dented, and his body was covered in wounds, yet he kept charging forward.
Even when they tried to kill him, he refused to die. Because of him, they couldn’t fight properly.
Boom!
Kaor was sent flying again. The knights, too, were beginning to collapse as their armor was gradually torn apart.
Even if the Salvation Church priests were incomplete Transcendents, surpassing their sheer strength and speed was nearly impossible. Not even armor could bridge the gap.
Boom! Boom! Booooom!
As their allies fell, the Salvation Church priests unleashed their full area-of-effect attacks. Ironically, this worked better for them.
More than half of the Fenris Knights who had been fighting them had fallen. At this rate, they would all be rendered combat-incapable.
Of course, the Salvation Church priests weren’t unscathed either.
“Pant… Pant… These lunatics.”
"Why won't they just die?"
The priests wore exhausted expressions. No matter how many times they knocked them down, the knights charged at them like rabid dogs.
As a result, they, too, were battered and covered in wounds.
The problem was that just when they thought those damn knights were finally dead, they would rise and fight again. For mere knights, they possessed far too much mana and were equipped with absurdly superior armor.
At this rate, they would be the ones to tire out first. The priests steeled themselves and gathered their energy.
"We'll kill them all in one blow!"
Their pride as Transcendents had been shattered, and now their eyes burned with madness. Even if it meant taking out their own allies, they were prepared to unleash greater power.
The knights rose and charged once more, while at the same time, the priests released their energy.
Kwaaaaaaa!
From the priests' bodies, thousands of strands of dark energy erupted. At that very moment, behind the knights, a brilliant light flared.
"Goddess, hear me!"
Zzzzzing!
The light instantly engulfed the surroundings. It was the divine power released by Piote, who had been hiding within the ranks.
Kwakwakwakwa-booooom!
The dark energy released by the Salvation Church priests collided with Piote’s divine power.
"It… It worked. We succeeded."
— “Priest, you must heal the knights and block the Salvation Church priests' powerful attack.”
This was the order Amelia had given him.
To effectively counter the enemy’s power, she had meticulously assigned roles to each individual.
Until his turn arrived, Piote had hidden himself among the Northern Army soldiers. And now, he had seized the perfect opportunity.
Kwaaaaang!
The divine light clashed against the dark energy, instantly neutralizing both.
But the priests’ attack had been completely nullified.
"W-what is this…?"
The priests were still in shock when Kaor charged in again.
Ka-ga-ga-gak!
His sword sliced through a priest’s body. At the same time, the knights of Fenris all sprang to their feet and rushed forward in a mass.
"What is happening?!"
"That divine power even restored their strength?!"
The priests of the Salvation Church cried out in horror.
Most of the knights had been exhausted and barely able to stand. And yet, they were now attacking with the same ferocity as when they first engaged.
Kaang! Kaang! Kaang!
The priests struggled desperately to fend off the knights’ onslaught. They had spent too much energy in the last exchange.
Whenever they managed to block one attack, another sword would come flying at them. If they deflected one strike, the next knight would immediately charge in. With so many enemies swarming them, they had no choice but to be pushed back.
It was impossible to rely on their allies for help.
"Push them back!"
The remaining knights and cavalry of the Northern Army crashed into them like madmen, forcing the priests’ allies far away from the battlefield.
Kaor, having seized the initiative, relentlessly swung his sword.
"I'll beat just one bastard to death!"
Kaor locked onto a single priest of the Salvation Church and refused to let go. His eyes were nearly rolling back in madness as he rained down strikes.
Kaang! Kaang! Kaang!
Of course, the priest didn’t go down easily. He parried Kaor’s attacks while also fending off the other knights.
The priest was overwhelmed. Blocking the relentless attacks alone was exhausting, and he had no time to counterattack.
Kaang! Kaang! Kaang! Kaang!
Kaor clenched his teeth and swung his sword with a crazed look in his eyes.
There was only one reason for his madness.
"Shit! Why just me?! Why am I the only one?!"
Blinded by a raging inferiority complex, he saw nothing but his own fury.
Amidst his wild slashes—
Kaang! Kaang! Kaang! Ssskak!
"Huh?"
"Urgh!"
Kaor froze for a moment, as did the priest.
At some point, the priest’s arm previously blocking Kaor’s sword had been cleanly severed.
The priest had already been drained from dealing with the knights attacking him like a pack of rabid dogs. But even then, he shouldn’t have been cut down so easily.
For a brief moment, Kaor’s sword had undoubtedly been coated with an Aura Blade.
A euphoric expression spread across Kaor’s face.
"I... I finally became a superhuman!"
Truthfully, nothing seemed different. He didn’t feel like he had broken past any barrier.
But Kaor charged forward with confidence nonetheless.
"Die!"
The priest had no choice but to let the other knights’ attacks land on him as he reached for Kaor. That man had been the most troublesome from the start.
Kwaang!
"Kehek!"
Kaor was sent flying backward once again. His Aura Blade had completely vanished.
A moment ago, in his frenzied, inferiority-driven trance, he had unknowingly dipped his foot into the realm beyond his limits just for a fleeting instant.
"Aaagh! This is so frustrating!"
Covered in blood, Kaor sprang to his feet, his face twisted in rage.
He had yet to fully establish his own world. This was simply a fluke born from chaos.
But still he had gotten a taste. And that was all that mattered.
"I have potential too! Cough!"
Kaor spat blood and lunged forward once more. The priest’s face was now deathly pale with terror.
"Y-You insane bastard...!"
Too many attacks had already slipped past his defense. His strength was fading fast.
Even for a superhuman, fighting over a hundred elite knights at once was an impossible feat.
Kwaang! Ssskak! Puk!
Weakened beyond recovery, the priests could no longer defend themselves. Meanwhile, the knights used a hit-and-run strategy, rotating their attacks to minimize damage.
To an outsider, it was an utterly shameless tactic. But against a superhuman, it was the most effective method.
It was the Coordinated Strike Technique that Ghislain had trained them in for moments like this. And they executed it to perfection.
Under that merciless assault, the priests' bodies were gradually reduced to tatters.
"Ugh...!"
"Gahk!"
Their combat skills were insufficient to turn the tide. There were no allies left to save them.
Puk!
Kaor kicked the staggering priest in the chest, sending him tumbling to the ground. Without hesitation, he plunged his sword into the priest’s throat.
Puk!
"Grk...!"
The priest died just like that.
The remaining priests were soon overwhelmed and butchered.
Standing amidst the bloodied corpses, Kaor lifted his sword and shouted,
"Shit! Superhumans aren’t so special after all! Cough! I killed every last one of these bastards!"
"Uooooohhh!"
At his triumphant declaration, the surrounding assault troops erupted into a thunderous roar.