Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity
Chapter 209
The Talos that poured out from the Gates of Hell were being annihilated by the fierce black magic attacks launched by Niketa and the warlocks from the Sky Island.
-Kwaaaaaraaaa!
Every time the skeletal dragon exhaled its pitch-black breath, countless beings of Chaos were obliterated.
*Boom!* *Boom!* *Bang!* *Kwang!*
-Keeyaaaak!
The warlocks of Florence unleashed their black magic attacks.
The black flashes exploded, sweeping away the monsters flowing out of the Gates of Hell.
Black magic had originally been created to combat Talos. From the beginning, it was designed for this purpose.
As if proving this fact, the Talos were helplessly destroyed by the black magic, leaving only their remnants to fall.
Thus, the sky was protected by the warlocks with black wings and the silver witch riding the skeletal dragon.
Now was the time.
Aden infused his voice with mana and shouted to the allied forces.
It was a cry that was very typical of Aden.
“What are you all spacing out for?! Hurry up and advance! Let’s close that damn hole today and enjoy some sunshine under the blue sky!”
“Waaaaaaaah!”
Knights, priests, mages, mercenaries—everyone shouted as they charged forward, without distinguishing between one another.
Thus, the grand war against Talos commenced.
* * *
In the sky, the warlocks of the Sky Island fought against the swarming Talos emerging from the Gates of Hell.
However, breaking through the Talos that had already descended to the ground and advancing to the royal castle was left entirely to the dedicated force, who pushed forward like a single spear.
The assault force, led by the divine beast Fenrir, who carried Aden on its back, galloped forward.
*Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!*
The intense vibrations from their charge shook the earth.
The outskirts of the royal capital, Immortalitium.
-Kraaaaaaah!
-Kyaaaaaak!
Nearly a thousand monsters roared as they faced the allied forces.
There were beasts that seemed like a mix of plants and animals, creatures with tentacles instead of any discernible form, and others with grotesque shapes that were hard to describe in words...
“Talos!”
“Gah! How can such horrific beings exist?!”
Just the sight of them twisted their expressions.
The entire horde of these underground world monsters was vile, dreadful, and grotesque. The creatures before them were low-ranking Talos.
‘But even low-ranking ones can’t be underestimated.’
These were monsters born from Chaos and nurtured by Chaos.
They were merely beasts driven by simple instincts, yet each possessed astonishing regenerative abilities and strength.
These were beings comparable to the monster Leonberger, who had once wrecked the royal banquet hall by itself.
Of course, Aden, being an Advanced Sword Master, could easily sweep them away...
‘But right now, I need to conserve my strength as much as possible. I have to face Kalsis.’
Even at this moment, Kalsis was regaining his power as a Demon God.
To confront him, Aden needed to reserve as much strength as possible.
But there was no need to worry.
Because Aden wasn’t alone here.
The commander of the Mage Division, Hendrickson, raised his staff and pointed forward.
“Fire!”
The mages, who had gathered their magic and completed their chants, simultaneously fired their spells at the enemies.
*Shhhhooo!*
Flames, lightning, flashes—various spells were unleashed, emitting a dazzling array of lights as they descended upon the horde of low-ranking Talos.
*Kwakakakakwang!*
Explosive blasts erupted.
-Kyaaaaaaah!
The magic burned, froze, pierced, and shredded the beings crawling out from Chaos.
The wall of monsters crumbled, opening a path.
Next, it was the turn of the knight regiment led by the Border Count of Sedus.
“Cut them all down and advance!”
“Waaaaaah!”
The knights’ radiant Sword Auras scattered.
*Swish!* *Slash!* *Swish!*
The sword strikes sliced through the remaining low-ranking Talos’ flesh and bones as if they were tofu.
The creatures, already weakened by the magical bombardment, were slaughtered before the knights’ swords and trampled under the hooves of the charging horses.
The allied forces swiftly overcame the outskirts of the capital.
-It's easier than expected, my great lord.
“Well, this is just the beginning. The real problem lies ahead. This battle is a race against time.”
They had to advance as quickly as possible and finish the battle as swiftly as possible to minimize casualties.
The closer they got to the royal castle, the thicker the dark magic would become, and stronger Talos would appear.
By the time they reached the Black Thorn Fortress, the dark magic would be so thick that even breathing would be difficult for anyone not at the Master level.
Therefore, they needed to exert full force now, while the enemy was still manageable, to eliminate as many powerful Talos as possible and turn the tide in favor of the allied forces.
The real challenge was just beginning.
-Kuooooo!
-Kuhohohohong!
-Kkakakakakak!
After passing the outskirts, larger beings began to appear among the lower-ranking monsters.
These were much larger and more distinct in shape compared to the earlier low-ranking Talos.
There was a monstrous hound with three heads that spewed sulfuric fire, a creature with a human face but the body of a bird, and a monster with a human-like upper body but the lower body of a serpent.
“The three-headed hound of Hell, Cerberus!”
“The seductive songstress, Harpy!”
“There’s even a Lamia!”
These were monsters of the underground world that had only been told of in legends.
Talos with species names were strong enough to maintain their kind even in the underground world, filled with Chaos and death.
This meant they were on a different level compared to the low-ranking ones defeated earlier.
In the sky, the Harpies sang a mind-bending song, while on the ground, the Hellhound spewed sulfuric fire and the half-human, half-serpent monster exhaled a poison that could melt rocks.
“Kyaaaak!”
Some of the allied forces screamed as they were hit by these attacks.
But it didn’t last long.
At that moment, Muscleless from the Frozen Autonomous Corps stepped forward.
“Do you think that screeching can confuse my mind, honed together with my muscles?!”
*Pshiiiiik!* His muscles swelled, tearing his clothes apart.
The explosive, well-defined muscles he had maintained swelled with a powerful presence.
*Fwoooosh!*
An aura like a shimmering heatwave emanated from his entire body.
It wasn’t Aura.
It was the pure life force and aura of muscles, refined through relentless training!
“Feel the power of my Muscle Pose, you monster!”
Muscleless swung his fist toward the flock of Harpies in the air.
“Muscle Cannon!”
*Kuwaaaaat!*
The energy emanating from Muscleless’s body condensed into his fist and was fiercely fired into the air.
-Kyaaaaak!
*Bang!*
The Harpy exploded.
The Harpy flock, hit by the energy cannon, screamed as they plummeted.
Their feathers scattered like pigeons struck by a shot put.
Aden shouted in astonishment.
“What the hell is that...?!”
He had never heard of or seen such a bizarre technique before.
What was even more bewildering was that there wasn’t even a trace of mana in Muscleless’s attack.
It was purely the power of the body.
No, it was the power of muscles!
“Muscle Cannon!”
Muscleless continued to unleash the concentrated power of his muscles.
*Bang! Bang! Boom!*
Each time, the Harpies scattered their feathers and exploded with a ‘bang!’, and the dead Harpies fell from the sky.
“As expected of Sir Muscleless!”
“Let’s kill them all!”
“Waaaaaah!”
Thanks to him, the Frozen Autonomous Corps was filled with high morale and fought fiercely against the Talos.
Though they were once just a band of bandits, they had endured hellish training and the pain of giving up their sense of taste, eventually gaining skills that rivaled those of regular knights.
But among them, there was one who stood out even more.
Aden looked at a certain human with disbelief in his eyes.
“I knew he had talent, but who would have thought that anchovy would transform like that...”
The captain of the 5th Division of the Autonomous Corps, the unfortunate thin bachelor, Banner.
However, he was no longer a thin man.
-Kieeeeeek!
“Hahaha! Come at me, you snake!”
A muscular young man over three meters tall laughed heartily.
Yes, it was the same Banner who used to look like he would topple over if you so much as touched him.
*Smash!*
Banner grabbed the Lamia’s tail tightly.
Then he swung with all his might.
*Thud! Thud! Bang!*
The Lamia, whose body was ten meters long, was mercilessly slammed into the ground left and right.
-Kieeeeeek!
The Lamia could only scream helplessly as if it were a snake being beaten unconscious by a snake hunter.
What on earth had happened to turn that scrawny, sickly man into such a monster capable of slapping an ogre?
It was all thanks to the new trait that had blossomed in Banner, awakened through the Mandrake that Aden had given him.
[Monster Within]
A trait that temporarily pushes all physical functions to the extreme, allowing the user to exert immense strength and harden their entire body while berserking. However, once the trait is deactivated, the user experiences extreme fatigue.
-While using this trait, the user's disposition temporarily changes to the opposite of their original nature.
Banner’s unique trait allowed him to temporarily display astonishing strength and defense.
*Crack!*
Banner’s fist crushed the head of the unconscious Lamia.
“Uwooooh! I’m overflowing with power! Khahahaha!”
Banner, who had transformed into something like an ogre, burst into maniacal laughter.
Normally, Banner was a timid man with extremely low self-confidence.
But under the effect of the trait, he turned into such a berserker during battle.
Fenrir muttered in either admiration or lamentation.
-I've never seen such monstrous humans before, except for the former master and his comrades in ancient times... Where on earth did the great master find such people?
“Right? It’s truly amazing.”
Aden shrugged his shoulders.
After all, they were just bandits in the mountains until recently.
“O Lord of the Sacred Fire! We praise You, and may Your blessings be upon this place!”
“O Guardian of Justice and Law! Grant steadfast mental armor to Your warriors who fight for justice!”
*Fwoooosh!* A divine light erupted.
The priests of the Sacred Fire Order healed and invigorated the allied forces, while the priests of the Lawful God Church dispelled the mind-bending power in the Harpies’ songs.
The allied forces, who had been in a brief state of panic, regained their senses.
“O children of the great gods of slaughter and death! Perform the sacred rites for Him!”
“Kyaaaah! It’s slaughter time!”
“Offer blood sacrifices to the God of Slaughter!”
To the priests of the Slaughter Cult, slaughter was a sacred act that glorified their god and proved His existence to the world.
The priests, mad with bloodlust, charged at the Hellhound Cerberus and the mid-ranking Talos.
Their weapons, enveloped in blood-red holy power, shattered the heads of their enemies and slaughtered them mercilessly.
“We can’t leave everything to the Slaughter Cult!”
“O Lord of the Sacred Fire!”
“For the God of Justice and Law!”
The monks of the Sacred Fire Order, led by Priest Bali, swung their spears.
The Holy Knights of the Lawful God Church, led by Saint Master Liliana, unleashed sword strikes infused with white holy power.
The divine power of the gods repelled the dark magic and purified the evil beings.
*Kwaaaang!*
A slender priestess with blood-red holy power struck Cerberus in the abdomen with her delicate fist.
The impact spread from the abdomen to the entire body in an instant.
-Kek!
The three-headed hound of Hell, who had earned such a fearsome name, whimpered and was sent flying.
“Kyaaaah! As expected of Sister Spica!”
“She took it down with one clean blow!”
“Sister Spica is the best!”
“...”
Spica Lunious.
She was the one who had almost wiped out her own church with her own hands due to the schemes of Chaos.
‘Yet no one resents me...’
Even the Saintess Merida had forgiven her, and the members of the Slaughter Cult had laughed, saying they found it amusing.
Even though she had been enchanted by the cursed sword, the fact that she had tried to eliminate such comrades due to her old grudges made her feel an indescribable sense of guilt and shame.
If it weren’t for the life that Saintess Merida had saved by sacrificing her lifespan, she would have considered ending her own life.
‘I will prove that Merida’s choice was not wrong.’
She would do her utmost to prove that the life Saintess Merida had pulled back from death was not a mistake.
As she renewed her resolve, Spica glanced at the silver wolf running at the forefront of the allied forces and Aden riding on its back.
He was the benefactor who had saved her and resurrected Merida.
‘Why...?’
She had only seen him for the first and last time during the holy war at the Slaughter Tower.
But for some reason, he felt strangely familiar.
And along with that, she felt an inexplicable surge of emotions.
Regret, and guilt.
Such intense emotions welled up inside her.
‘Why?’
She didn’t know what she wanted forgiveness for, nor did she understand why she felt this way.
And she had a hunch that she would never know, which made her expression even more complicated.
The allied forces advanced like a storm, breaking through the outskirts of the capital and pushing through to the midsection in one swift move.
But a greater trial stood in their way.
-We are hungry for blood.
-Kuhuhuhuhu, we shall paint the world in destruction!
Humanoid monsters with horns and wings similar to bats gleamed with red eyes.
These were high-ranking Talos.
They were on the same level as Mephisto, whose soul Aden had subjugated in the Sacred Fire Order.
‘But capturing Mephisto was only possible due to a series of coincidences.’
To defeat a high-ranking Talos, one had to be at least at the Master level.
And there were nearly a thousand of such beings standing before them.
But there was no problem.
This was also something they had anticipated.
Aden shouted.
“Elise! Use it!”
“Got it!”
The little saintess riding the massive golden wolf’s back gleamed with determination.
“Hyah!”
With a shout, Elise unleashed a radiant golden holy light from her body.
The overwhelming amount of divine power surged high into the sky.
The priests were stunned.
“My goodness! Such immense divine power!”
Even those who weren’t priests were awestruck by the incredible sight, unable to believe their eyes.
The golden divine power that soared high into the sky began to take on a form.
*Fwoooosh!*
It was a ‘hand.’
A massive hand made of sacred fire that brought to mind the Giant Lord Nephilim.
-The God of Justice and Law strokes His cheek as if experiencing phantom pain, saying, “That dreadful thing again…”
-The God of Slaughter and Death reminisces about the old days, enjoying the memories!
-The Lord of the Sacred Fire boasts, saying, “That is my exclusive technique, ‘Hand of the Flaming Buddha.’”
The Hand of the Flaming Buddha.
A technique of the Lord of the Sacred Fire that Elise had acquired during the first Great War.
Elise raised her small hand high.
*Rumble...*
And just like that, the hundred-meter-tall hand of flames was also raised high.
“Smack!”
Elise swung her hand down.
Just like slapping a mosquito stuck on a wall.
It was nothing more than that.
*Rumble...!*
In perfect synchronization with Elise’s hand movement, the enormous hand of sacred fire slammed down on the heads of the Talos.
The high-ranking Talos blinked blankly.
-...Damn, what the hell?
Those were their last words.
*Kwaaang!*
The golden flaming hand struck them down.