Chapter 540
Change of Plans. (2)
"Krghhh!"
Helgenik, who had been slammed into the ground, suddenly sprang to his feet and reached out.
Kwaaaah!
A surge of dark energy violently erupted, striking Parniel.
Kwoom!
Parniel spread her divine power in defense, but the sheer force lifted her off the ground and sent her flying backward.
Despite possessing the energy of the divine, she couldn’t completely withstand Helgenik’s overwhelming power.
Grit.
Parniel clenched her teeth tightly. Darkness that could push back the holiness of the goddess? Unforgivable!
Enraged, she swung her mace with all her might.
Kwaaaang!
"Urgh!"
Helgenik, whose sword had remained unscathed all this time, finally had his head jerked aside from the force.
Yet, as if unfazed, he immediately counterattacked.
Kwaaaang!
Parniel was pushed back again. However, as one of the Seven Strongest on the Continent, she gritted her teeth and endured the pain, swinging her mace once more.
Kwaang!
The two relentlessly exchanged blows without pause.
Helgenik’s spells rained down upon Parniel, but she endured them all with her body as she steadily advanced. Her durability was simply monstrous.
Helgenik found this infuriating.
"Khh... Let’s see how long you can hold out!"
Kwaaaang!
He closed in on Parniel and swung his fist.
Even with divine power, the sheer force of his strike was nearly unbearable. Parniel, struggling against his overwhelming magic and inhuman strength, was gradually forced backward.
But Helgenik wasn’t unscathed either.
Sizzle!
Wherever Parniel’s divine power touched him, his body began to burn.
The layers of divine energy surrounding her were steadily seeping into Helgenik's very essence.
The lingering divine power in his body continuously disrupted his ability to concentrate his energy and recover.
Seeing this, Ghislain’s eyes gleamed.
"Julien."
"Yeah."
There were specific spots on Helgenik’s body where the burns were particularly severe the wounds they had inflicted on him earlier.
The two focused their attacks on those areas.
Slash! Crack!
The strikes landed. They weren’t deep, but what mattered was that they worked.
Sizzle!
The wounds tore open further, and thick black smoke billowed out. The energy from the Orb of Life, desperately searching for an escape, began to leak.
"Krghh…"
Helgenik realized he had to get rid of these nuisances immediately.
He still had plenty of power, but as time passed, the energy granted by the Orb of Life was dwindling.
Kwaaaang!
Bones erupted from the ground, filling the battlefield, while dozens of orbs in the air fired deadly rays of destruction.
As the Orb's energy drained and his mind cleared, Helgenik concentrated his remaining power into a smaller area.
Kwakakakakakakwang!
The attack was still devastating, but with Parniel now in the fight, the situation had shifted.
"O Goddess!"
Paaaaah!
A brilliant light radiated from her body, granting divine protection.
Even Ghislain and Julien couldn't completely evade every attack. However, thanks to Parniel’s divine power, they could endure the attacks better than before.
As for Parniel, she had always fought by taking hits head-on, so this wasn't anything unusual for her.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
The battle between the four grew even fiercer. Despite Parniel, whose energy countered Helgenik's completely, joining the fight, the three of them were slowly being pushed back.
Even with three of the Seven Strongest on the Continent working together, Helgenik was still overwhelming them with sheer power. And yet, it was Helgenik who was growing anxious.
‘That divine power… it's keeping me from finishing them in one blow.’
He could feel his energy gradually fading. It was only natural he had been unleashing his power without restraint.
While this power allowed him to maintain the upper hand, his opponents were too skilled to be easily killed.
That divine power was the biggest problem. Neither the Salvation Church’s power nor his own could stand against it.
Countless spells that Helgenik unleashed into the surroundings were repeatedly neutralized by the divine power.
Because of this inherent counter, even in Ghislain’s past life, it had been Parniel who held Helgenik back. Though neither of them knew that.
‘Tch… just a little more…’
Paaat!
Helgenik, who had been relentlessly pressing the three of them, suddenly stepped back. The three warriors, despite being out of breath from exhaustion, still had fire in their eyes.
They knew that in the end, Helgenik’s strength would run out first.
“This try blocking this.”
Drdrdrdrk!
Helgenik began condensing his energy within his body. Instead of releasing it immediately, he was gathering it with force.
The expressions of the three fighters hardened. It was clear that Helgenik was preparing to use a technique so dangerous that even his own life would be at risk.
Gooooooo…
An immense energy was condensing, so powerful that its flow was visible to the naked eye.
Puk! Puk! Puk-puk-puk!
Soon, Helgenik's body began rupturing in multiple places, unable to withstand the immense pressure.
Seeing this, Ghislain’s expression hardened as he shouted,
“Julien!”
“Yeah.”
The two of them moved like lightning… and hid behind Parniel. Her massive frame was the perfect size for them to stand in a line behind her.
Even without speaking, they understood each other’s intentions with just a glance.
Parniel turned her head with an incredulous expression.
Ghislain gave her an awkward smile.
“…Sorry.”
Julien, maintaining his usual cool and composed expression, remained silent.
“……”
Truthfully, even he knew this was the best course of action. There was no way to escape from this attack by simply creating distance.
The only one here who had a chance of surviving this attack was Parniel.
“Kh!”
Parniel clenched her teeth, unleashing her divine power to its absolute limit. Not a single speck of it remained within her body.
Jiiiing!
A massive shield of light formed in front of her.
Kwaaaaaaaaaang!
A deafening explosion erupted as an immense surge of energy burst from Helgenik’s body.
A dark force, seemingly capable of piercing through anything, hurtled toward them crashing into the shield of light.
Flash!
No sound could be heard. Only light and darkness clashed and canceled each other out.
The aftermath came rushing in.
Fwoooosh!
Despite Parniel taking the full brunt of the attack at the front, Ghislain and Julien were still blown away to the sides.
Thud!
And having exhausted all her strength to withstand that immense force, Parniel collapsed on the spot.
A dark aura, like flames, rose from her body. Yet, she was still breathing, however faintly.
For someone renowned as having the strongest defense on the continent to fall from a single attack it was an unbelievable display of power.
Of course, the price was that Helgenik’s body was in shreds.
“Gaaahhh!”
Even Helgenik couldn't withstand the backlash of his own power and writhed in agony. Thick black smoke furiously erupted from his torn and ruptured body.
From afar, Ghislain planted his sword into the ground and pushed himself up.
Blood trickled down from the corner of his lips. Just being caught in the aftermath of the attack had been enough to turn his insides upside down.
“Hah… That’s some insane power. And he’s still alive after using that?”
Helgenik was one of the most skilled mages on the continent. Thanks to his precise control over mana, he had managed to unleash such a devastating attack.
But there was no way he could do it twice. His body was already in ruins.
Now, they finally had a fighting chance.
Ghislain turned to Julien and spoke.
“We have to avenge Parniel, don’t we?”
“…She’s not dead yet.”
Julien also had a thin trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth. But he could still move without issue.
Without hesitation, Ghislain swiftly grabbed Parniel and flung her far away. She was unconscious, and if she got caught up in the battle, it would be dangerous.
Feeling a slight pang of guilt, the two of them charged at Helgenik once more.
Swick!
Now, it didn’t matter where they struck. Helgenik’s body could no longer defend against their attacks.
“Graaaaagh!”
He screamed in pain, unable to endure the aftereffects of his rampaging energy and the fresh wounds accumulating on his body.
But his overwhelming power hadn’t disappeared completely.
Boom! Boom!
Massive spells continued to explode in all directions. Helgenik knew he had to kill the two of them before his energy ran out.
Ghislain and Julien were forced into a grueling battle, but they refused to back down. They had to drain Helgenik’s power as quickly as possible.
Booooom!
As their fight raged on, the battle against the undead was also nearing its end.
“Hyaaaaaah!”
Boom!
Elena, overflowing with stamina, tore through the undead with relentless force. The Mobile Corps trampled over them at an astonishing pace.
With Helgenik occupied by the three of them, the undead could do nothing but flail toward their nearest enemies. They no longer revived or received reinforcements.
Without their immortality, the undead were no longer a threat. With every strike of a weapon imbued with divine power, they burned and crumbled to ash.
“Just a little more! Keep pushing!”
At Gillian’s command, the Mobile Corps surged forward without hesitation.
Meanwhile, a short distance away, Kaor was slashing at the undead by himself, conducting his own little experiment.
‘Come out! Aura Blade! Just come out already! Ah, why won’t it work?!’
The corpses were too weak. No matter how much he swung his sword, no Aura Blade would manifest.
The mages followed behind the Mobile Corps, casting spells without holding back their mana.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaang!
The corpses, which had once densely packed the plains, had thinned out so much that they were now scattered sparsely.
With no ability to employ strategy or tactics, the corpses stood no chance against the precise formations of the army and the indiscriminate barrage of magic.
Gillian, who was leading the charge, shouted once more.
"That's it! Now, spread out and eliminate the remaining corpses!"
There was no longer a need to stay clustered together to sweep them away. They weren’t gathered in large numbers anymore.
The central area, in particular, had already been obliterated by Parniel’s overwhelming divine power.
Parniel had taken charge of this front from the start because her power was most suited to protecting allies while purging the undead.
She had rushed to the other battlefield when Helgenik unexpectedly unleashed his strength, but by then, she had already eradicated a significant number of corpses.
As the Mobile Corps continued their relentless assault, Piote and the priests were working swiftly in the rear, treating the wounded.
The most urgent case was Jerome, whom Belinda had carried over.
Fwaaah!
Jerome’s entire body was covered in wounds, and Helgenik’s dark mana had burrowed into him.
Piote struggled to extinguish the rampaging dark mana. Only after it was fully purged did Jerome’s wounds begin to heal, yet he still did not regain consciousness.
His mana was completely depleted he was suffering from mana burn, leaving him unable to wake up.
Realizing his condition, Piote called out.
"We need the mages here!"
Vanessa and a few other mages, who had been providing support from the rear, hurried over.
"Everyone else, keep assisting the Mobile Corps. I’ll take care of him."
Saying this, Vanessa took Jerome’s hand and infused a bit of mana, guiding it to his heart. Only then did Jerome slowly open his eyes.
Piote released another surge of divine power, revitalizing him.
"Are you alright?"
Looking up at Piote who, under Juana’s blessing, had transformed into a vision of beauty Jerome murmured,
"Is... is this heaven? Are you an angel?"
Not wanting to cause any misunderstandings, Piote deliberately deepened his voice.
"No."
"Even angels have bad voices, huh…."
"……."
"This is heaven, right? I think I lived a pretty decent life. I never did anything too bad. If I have to confess my sins…"
"The battle isn't over yet, so save your confession for later. We’re the allied forces."
"Ah…"
Hearing this, Jerome struggled to sit up. Then, his eyes widened at the sight before him.
The once-massive army of corpses was being wiped out.
"H-how is this even possible…?"
No matter how strong an army was, something like this shouldn't have been possible. Or rather, it might have been, but only if they had brought an overwhelming number of priests.
Helgenik was a powerful and insidious foe. Ordinary warriors couldn't even stand against him, which meant the corpses would have continued reviving endlessly.
Yet, the impossible was unfolding right before Jerome’s eyes.
"W-what happened to Helgenik…?"
That answer came from Piote.
"The Lord is currently fighting the necromancer alongside Julien. The corpses will be dealt with soon."
"The Lord?"
"The Duke of Fenris."
"Ah!"
Jerome's face lit up with a bright smile. Hadn't he intended to visit the Ritania Kingdom to meet the Duke of Fenris himself?
The army from the rumors had arrived. And it was more than just rumors it was beyond anything he had imagined. To think they could so overwhelmingly dominate the powerful legion of Helgenik's corpses!
But he couldn't be relieved just yet. He had to see Helgenik die with his own eyes.
"I-I'll help! We need to take down Helgenik as soon as possible!"
"How do you plan to fight in that condition? Don't worry. The two of them are incredibly strong."
No one seemed particularly concerned. No matter how powerful Helgenik was, they believed he wouldn't stand a chance against the combined assault of Ghislain and Julien.
Even so, Jerome spoke with urgency.
"Helgenik definitely has hidden power. I need to go and confirm it."
"You're in no shape to fight. Besides, you've completely run out of mana."
"If a mage transfers a little mana to me…"
Just then, Alfoi, who had been watching from the side, approached with a leisurely gait. He had been craftily using magic to keep himself out of harm’s way.
"What, is this guy the mage from the rumors? He doesn’t look that strong. Doesn't seem like he could match up to me ‘the man who defeated a god,’ a 5th-Circle master."
Jerome looked at him and asked, "You're 5th Circle?"
"Yeah, and that's a level so high that a weakling like you, who got taken down by mere corpses, couldn't even dream of reaching."
Alfoi had always been arrogant, but lately, he had become even more so. With many subordinate mages following him and victories in every battle he participated in, his ego had inflated further.
Not that any of those victories were thanks to him, but in Alfoi’s mind, it was all because of him.
"Well, since you're a rookie, I suppose you'll be working under me. Let’s get along from now on."
Jerome gave an awkward smile.
"Yeah, let’s get along. But sorry, I need to borrow something from you for a moment."
"What?"
Grab!
Jerome seized Alfoi’s wrist. The mage scowled in displeasure.
"How dare a lowly mage like you lay hands on ‘the man who defeated a god,’ a 5th-Circle AAAAAH!"
Alfoi's mana was drained at an astonishing speed. His body shriveled up, and he collapsed, unconscious.
Vanessa's eyes widened in shock. Mana transfer wasn't something that could be done so easily. To force it upon someone, you had to completely overpower their will and Circle level.
Absorbing the mana of a 5th-Circle mage against their will was almost impossible.
Of course, Alfoi’s will had always been weak after all, he had only advanced through the ranks with the help of others.
"I'll explain later. Right now, we need to focus on taking down Helgenik."
Jerome expanded his clairvoyance magic. In the distance, he saw two figures locked in combat with the monstrous Helgenik.
"Huff!"
With a deep breath, space distorted, and Jerome’s body vanished.
And then—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Like a streak of blue lightning, Jerome appeared behind Helgenik.