Chapter 581
Yeah, just one of me is enough. (1)
Jerome smirked as he looked at the priests floating in the air.
“If I had been any later, things would’ve gotten really bad.”
Healing his wounds and recovering his mana had taken quite some time. Even now, he felt like he had cut it close.
Fortunately, he had arrived just before the fortress was completely overrun. Now, he had to hold the line here.
“It was the right choice to chase only these guys.”
There was a reason Jerome had relentlessly pursued only the 1st Legion.
It was because of the strategy Ghislain had shared with him just before their departure.
> Stall them as much as possible whenever you spot the enemy. But if any of them are heading toward the stronghold, focus solely on them. If things don't go well, prioritize defending the stronghold.
Jerome had stirred up chaos by interfering with both the 1st and 2nd Legions, carefully observing their movements.
When he confirmed that the 1st Legion was heading toward the stronghold, he had continuously hindered them.
He hadn’t been able to check the direction of the 3rd Legion, but there hadn’t been time for that. If the 1st and 2nd Legions were moving separately, he had planned to track them again.
Fortunately, his instincts had been correct. In the end, only the 1st Legion had arrived here.
Now, he had to help the allied forces stop them.
“I’m not just good at slowing people down.”
Rumble…!
As Jerome stretched out both arms, the ground in front of the fortress trembled, and dozens of massive boulders began to levitate.
The battle was still raging. The Atrodean Army was closing in.
“Go!”
Boom!
The boulders shot forward at incredible speed, crushing a portion of the Atrodean Army.
Boom! Boom! BOOM!
“Gaaahhh!”
The Atrodean Army had been struck by a sudden catastrophe. Victory had been so close that they never expected such a devastating attack.
Count Biphenbelt’s face hardened.
“That bastard again…”
That nuisance had returned. How much time had already been wasted because of him?
He wanted nothing more than to kill him on the spot, but Jerome’s strength was not something to be taken lightly.
“Seal that man’s magic immediately! Be prepared to risk your lives to stop him!”
They hadn’t been able to stop him completely before. But even reducing his power would be enough. The battle had already shifted overwhelmingly in their favor.
As long as that man was restrained by the priests, they could wipe out the fortress’s forces.
Marquis Gideon, upon spotting Jerome, also shouted loudly.
“Magicians, suppress the enemy mages! Ensure that Sir Jerome can fight freely! Be ready to give your lives!”
Jerome was their only remaining hope. Until reinforcements arrived, they had to endure alongside him.
And for that, Jerome needed to move freely.
The magicians understood Marquis Gideon’s command. Realizing there was a chance to survive, they brightened up, encouraging one another as they shouted.
“Don’t hold back your mana!”
“Attack while focusing on dispelling the enemy’s magic!”
“Expand the mana barrier further!”
The allied mages were truly risking their lives. They poured all their strength into expanding the range of the mana field.
Every time the Atrodean mages attempted to dispel the magic, they intercepted it.
If Jerome fell, they would all die anyway. Knowing this, the allied mages even drew upon their life force.
The desperate resistance left the Atrodean mages flustered.
“This… this is absurd…!”
From the beginning, the allied forces had a slight advantage in magical prowess. The Atrodean mages also had to defend against the spells cast by the allied mages.
Busy dispelling every magic attempted within the mana field, they couldn’t focus all their power on Jerome.
Kwaaaaaa—
The sheer force of their magic spread across the battlefield like an all-encompassing wave. The sudden interference of Jerome shifted the tides of battle for both sides.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
Before anyone realized it, Jerome was fighting alongside the priests. However, his strength was slightly different from when they had first met.
“Heh, as expected, having allies makes things easier.”
Even though the Atrodean mana field was active, the restrictions on magic weren’t as severe.
It was proof that the enemy wasn’t properly dispelling his spells. At most, they were only causing slight mana interference.
That didn’t mean it was entirely easy either. No less than six priests had latched onto him.
Their battle was different from that of ordinary superhumans. While soldiers clashed on the ground, they fought in the skies above.
Freely moving in midair, they fought more fiercely than ever before.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaang!
Jerome’s Mana Blade shone with an intense golden hue, unlike usual.
If he was pushed back here, it was over. So, he poured even more mana into it than usual.
The Mana Blade glowed as if alive, fluidly following Jerome’s movements and slicing through the air.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
Though Jerome’s attacks rained down like a storm, the priests weren’t easily overwhelmed.
“You think we’ll just keep getting pushed around by you?!”
“Fall back!”
“All we need to do is hold him here!”
The priests knew they were weaker than Jerome. They had already fought him several times.
That was why they fought cautiously, covering for each other.
Kwaaaaaaa!
A dark aura emanated from them, spreading like mist and devouring the space around them. Their plan was to maintain distance and attack from a stable position.
As long as they kept Jerome restrained, they had the advantage. Their overall combat strength was greater, and the allied forces had already been significantly reduced.
Jerome, realizing their intent, smirked.
“You still don’t understand me, do you?”
Mocking the priests for merely evading, Jerome dismissed his Mana Blade and waved his hand.
Bright orbs of light burst forth from his body, scattering in all directions.
Seeing this, the priests’ expressions hardened.
“Block it!”
However, the orbs of light spread even faster. They fell like meteors, striking various points within the Atrodean Army’s camp.
Boom! Kwang! Kwaaaang!
"Uaaagh!"
The Atrodean Army, which had been advancing once more, was torn apart by the light orbs crashing down from all directions.
Though similar to the divine spells used by the Priests of the Salvation Church, Jerome was able to wield them with much greater freedom.
With no other choice, the priests rushed toward Jerome. However, he now evaded them, scattering his magic in all directions as he moved.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
As Jerome's magic rained down, the Atrodean Army’s formation collapsed in an instant. They wanted to advance further, but they simply couldn’t.
In the end, the priests had to expend even more of their energy, desperately trying to protect the soldiers.
Fwoooosh!
Before anyone noticed, an enormous fireball flared to life above Jerome’s head, its flames roaring as it rose.
While attacking the priests and soldiers, he had been gathering mana separately to create it.
The priests were taken aback when they saw the fireball. It was obvious at a glance it wouldn't be easy to block. If that thing fell on the soldiers, the devastation would be catastrophic.
In a panic, the priests quickly gathered to stop Jerome.
Swish!
"Ugh!"
But the massive fireball did not fall upon the soldiers. Instead, it shot straight toward the closest priest.
Kwaaaaang!
The fireball collided with the priest and exploded. Engulfed in flames, the priest began to burn.
"Graaaagh!"
He let out a scream of agony.
Even after desperately channeling his energy to extinguish the flames, his body had already melted to the point where his bones were visible.
Gasping for breath, the priest realized that his life was hanging by a thread.
"It… it won’t heal…."
As long as they weren’t instantly killed, priests could use their energy to recover from most injuries.
However, the wound he had sustained was so severe that no amount of energy could heal it. On top of that, the immense magical power still lingered in his body.
"Amazing…."
For someone who had reached the realm of superhumans to die from a single spell… Staggering, the priest began to fall from the sky.
Before his death, he scattered his remaining energy into the heavens.
Thud.
And just like that, he crashed to the ground and died.
The black mist in the sky consumed his energy, growing even denser.
Then, from that darkened sky, another flash of light erupted.
Kwarururung!
A bolt of blue lightning streaked down in an instant, striking another priest.
Kwaaang!
"Keugh…."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Green light orbs shot from Jerome’s hands, relentlessly pursuing the priests and striking them down.
Jerome's magic was dazzling beyond belief. Fire and ice flew in all directions, and lightning pierced through the air.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
Each time the priests were hit directly by the spells, they suffered immense shock. Their bodies were either riddled with holes or had their bones shattered.
Despite everything, they were still alive because they had done their best to evade attacks and protect themselves.
However, the slightest lapse in vigilance would result in them falling victim to a lethal spell.
Rumble!
Before they knew it, another priest had been caught in a gravity spell, his body crushed to death.
Now, only four remained.
The priests' faces gradually became stricken with fear.
If they got too close, they would be the ones to die, but if they tried to keep their distance and fight safely, their soldiers would be the ones to fall.
Neither choice was easy.
Unlike when he had been obstructing their advance or running away, that mage was now displaying overwhelming might.
Even so, the priests gritted their teeth and endured. They still had a way to capture Jerome.
“Whoa…”
Some of the allied soldiers gaped at the sight before them.
Jerome, battling beneath the blackened sky with flashes of light streaking around him, looked like a god.
Whatever else could be said, when it came to sheer presence, a mage was unmatched.
Jerome, who had been dominating the priests with overwhelming skill, frowned.
‘What are they scheming?’
Even the priest who had just died had scattered his energy into the air before perishing.
Now, the area around Jerome had darkened as if shrouded in storm clouds. The black energy thickened like a dense fog.
The priests continued spreading the black energy even as they fought. Those who died left behind every last bit of their energy before passing.
Snap.
Jerome flicked his fingers, unleashing a tempestuous wind from his body.
Whoooosh!
For a moment, the black energy was pushed back from his surroundings. But as the battle continued, the dark energy only grew denser.
‘These bastards… they’re scattering their energy while constantly retreating?’
It would take time for the dispersed energy to dissipate. The space around Jerome was beginning to resemble the mist within a rift.
If anyone else were in this area, they would have felt an oppressive weight crushing down on them.
‘They’re weakening.’
Not him the priests.
It was inevitable. They were shedding their energy as they fought.
There was another reason the priests were still alive.
‘Why hasn’t he shown up yet?’
Even as he fought, Jerome couldn’t focus entirely on the priests.
After taking this much damage, Gartros, the strongest among them, should have appeared by now. Yet, he was still nowhere to be seen.
That was why Jerome remained on high alert, scanning his surroundings.
“Fall back! Fall back at once!”
Instead, shouts rang out from all around as the Atrodean army began to retreat.
It seemed they wanted to clear the battlefield so the priests wouldn’t have to worry about maintaining their distance.
In other words, they intended for only the transcendents to fight without interference.
‘I need to kill the priests quickly first.’
Jerome struck the Atrodean soldiers with magic whenever he found an opening while fighting the priests. The enemy must have taken significant damage as well.
Now that the soldiers had withdrawn, he needed to kill the exhausted priests before Gartros arrived.
Fwoosh!
Mana blades surged from both of Jerome’s hands once again.
The priests looked utterly drained. He planned to rush in and cut their throats in one swift motion.
But then—
Kwoooaaah!
A mass of black energy suddenly began to gather in one place.
Soon, it stretched as if it were waking from slumber, taking on the massive form of a human. It looked as though the upper half of a giant being had emerged from a cloud of writhing black mist.
“What… is this…?”
Even Jerome, a mage who had reached the 8th Circle, had never seen such a phenomenon before.
This was no mere illusion spell. That thing was a being with both a tangible form and malice.
As the black energy shifted, its facial features became distinct. It was a face Jerome knew all too well.
“Gartros.”
The colossal figure of Gartros in the sky was nothing short of a dark god.
The Allied soldiers who had been watching Jerome fight from the fortress began to tremble.
“W-what is that…?”
“It’s a demon… That’s a demon!”
“Oh, goddess…”
Even though it had only an upper body, it was massive enough to block out the sky.
It could crush this entire fortress with a single hand.
Jerome had thought he was accustomed to seeing all kinds of monstrous beings. That had been a grave mistake. The enemy he now faced was something beyond reason.
The entity, wearing the form of Gartros, bared its teeth in a grin.
“It worked…”
The black mist rippling around Gartros’s form trembled as he spoke.
Just his voice alone sent waves through the air, filling the surroundings with an oppressive energy that constricted the soul.
Shhhhhhh…
Dark energy began to rapidly condense on Gartros’s forehead.
Seeing this, Jerome turned toward the fortress and shouted,
“Fall back!”
But the soldiers didn’t react immediately.
The moment they heard Gartros’s voice, fear had paralyzed them.
A black beam erupted from Gartros’s forehead, sweeping across the area.
Boom!
A brief explosion rang out, and Jerome’s body, struck directly by the black beam, plummeted from the sky.