Chapter 466: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility (4)
“Keuk…”
Dentaria, whose heart had been pierced, spat out blood as he dropped down.
The black aura that surrounded him surged toward his heart, desperately attempting to heal it.
But there was no restoring a completely shattered heart. Even as the black aura sought to substitute for it, the energy that had pierced through his heart obstructed its efforts.
“This… this power…”
The energy of Ereneth was a force of nature, a fundamental power that composed the world. Though it wasn’t divine power, it still countered the unnatural black aura.
‘That elf…’
In his fading consciousness, Dentaria finally remembered who that elf was.
‘The Guardian of the World Tree…’
Few elves in existence wielded such immense power. And among them, there was only one who used a bow of such tremendous size.
The Guardian of the World Tree had been at odds with the Salvation Church for an unimaginably long time. If Dentaria had recognized the elf’s identity sooner, he wouldn’t have fought her like this.
‘How is this possible…?’
Despite being a sworn enemy of the Salvation Church for eons, Dentaria hadn’t immediately thought of her due to one crucial detail:
The ‘curse’ that their king had inflicted on Ereneth. It bound her to the World Tree, making it impossible for her to leave.
Thus, Ereneth had always sent her subordinate elves to do battle. Knowing this, the Salvation Church hadn’t concerned itself with her movements until now.
Yet, here she was, appearing on the Northern battlefield.
‘I have to… inform them…’
If they had known Ereneth had emerged into the world, they would have devised a completely different strategy. At the very least, Gartros, who currently led the Salvation Church, would have been present.
Another unforeseen variable. Just how many variables were there surrounding Count Fenris?
Boom!
Dentaria’s body crashed to the ground, shattering on impact. The black aura could no longer protect his lifeless form, dispersing into the world.
“Dentaria!”
“You wretched woman, how dare you!”
The remaining two priests, both furious and disoriented, roared. It was only natural; they had fought alongside Dentaria for years in their quest to build a new world.
But the power the elf had displayed also planted fear in their hearts.
She had unleashed that devastating attack while avoiding countless strikes. And that bow…
“Surely not…”
“The Guardian of the World Tree?”
These two priests were high-ranking members of the Salvation Church. They, too, finally realized the elf’s identity.
“Haa…”
Ereneth exhaled deeply as she stood tall once more. The black aura that had briefly flared around her gradually subsided.
In the moment she had released her arrow, she had failed to avoid or block the priests’ attacks and had taken their strikes head-on.
Even for a half-transcendent, the force had been overwhelming. Ereneth had been sent flying backward.
From the perspective of powerhouses like her and Ghislain, those priests might be considered incomplete transcendents. Yet, their strength was immense enough to make such distinctions meaningless to most.
Fortunately, the damage she sustained wasn’t critical enough to cause serious trouble.
“For a half-transcendent, you put up a decent fight.”
Fwoosh!
Ereneth nocked another arrow and drew her bowstring. As her energy surged, an arrow of light formed once more.
Lacking combat experience against such opponents, the two priests hesitated momentarily.
‘W-What do we do?’
‘The records say she’s an invincible opponent.’
‘But our attacks worked, didn’t they?’
‘Should we fight? If we attack together, can we win?’
Their hesitation proved fatal.
Thwack!
“Gah!”
Another priest’s heart was pierced. The speed was too overwhelming to block or evade.
“R-Recovery… it’s not working…”
The priest clutched his chest in agony before collapsing.
Ordinarily, they wouldn’t die so easily due to the black aura. Even with damaged organs, the aura could sustain their bodily functions temporarily and aid recovery as long as their breath remained.
This reliance on their power had bred overconfidence, making them slow to react even after witnessing an ally’s death.
Thud!
The lifeless priest fell. Only then did the last surviving priest notice Ereneth aiming her bow again. He panicked and turned to flee.
From afar, Count Mathes of the Delfine forces shouted.
“Charge! Save the priest and—”
But someone moved even faster.
“All units, attack!”
Fwoosh!
At Claude’s command, hundreds of stones hurtled toward the Delfine forces from the Northern army’s camp.
Claude had already prepared everything, waiting for the perfect moment.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Aaargh!”
The barrage of stones shattered the Delfine forces’ formation before they could properly respond.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The terrifying aspect of the Galvaniium catapults crafted in Fenris wasn’t just their mobility. Their reload speed, several times faster than standard catapults, was a decisive factor in determining the battle’s outcome.
While waiting for the Delfine Forces, the Northern Army relentlessly launched stones they'd scraped up from the surroundings.
Wendy, who stood guard beside Claude, asked with a slightly worried expression.
"Wouldn't the chieftain be in danger?"
"She'll dodge just fine."
"......"
"And the more she stays at the front, the more their formation will collapse! Don't worry too much she's not someone who's going to die that easily! Hahaha!"
"True, she's not one to fall to catapult attacks, but still..."
Even the most skilled knights could be severely injured if hit directly by a catapult projectile. On unlucky days, death was a common outcome.
No matter how powerful Ereneth was, a direct hit could significantly deplete her mana. It wasn't called a weapon capable of destroying fortifications for nothing.
Though it hadn't been explicitly discussed, Claude believed that Ereneth would evade or block them skillfully.
And if not, well, too bad.
As stones poured down like rain, Count Mathes shouted in panic.
"Run, run! Quickly, charge!"
Although it was an anticipated attack, experiencing it firsthand revealed its overwhelming force.
To prevent such a scenario, three superhumans had been brought along, but two were already dead, and the third was retreating.
"Come back! Come back and attack the enemy!"
Despite Count Mathes' shouts, the priest continued to flee.
Ereneth began to chase after the priest.
Boom!
A massive stone flew towards her, but she swatted it away with one hand and briefly glared at her own army.
"They didn’t mention they’d be launching projectiles already."
Each time she deflected a flying boulder, her hands stung from the effort. With the sheer volume raining down, even she found it difficult to avoid them all.
"That guy, seriously..."
Since joining the Northern Army, her sense of composure had been oddly disrupted.
Ereneth resolved to have words about this once they returned and turned her focus back to the fleeing priest. For now, capturing him was the priority.
Leap!
Ereneth chased the priest into enemy lines and once again drew her arrow of light.
When Count Mathes noticed her charging toward them, he yelled.
"Kill her! Kill that elf first! Quickly!"
Eliminating an enemy superhuman was essential to have any hope of winning this battle.
It seemed she was pursuing the fleeing priest, but if necessary, sacrificing many allies to take her down was a price worth paying.
Numerous knights and soldiers charged toward Ereneth.
Clang!
The armor she wore began to crack under the knights' attacks. As expected, the knights of the South were highly skilled.
Mixed among them were warriors who seemed to be at least of advanced rank.
Ereneth had already expended significant energy fighting priests. Especially her use of the Elven Serenade, which consumed a tremendous amount of strength.
Even for a superhuman, battling numerous foes in the enemy's formation while exhausted was no simple task. And to top it off, that damned Claude was still hurling massive stones.
Remaining in this state would do her no good.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Corpses exploded, and screams echoed around her. Attacks came at her from all directions.
Unable to chase the priest further, Ereneth released her arrow.
Wham!
The fleeing priest felt a powerful wave of energy heading his way from afar.
Having already witnessed two deaths before his eyes, he twisted his body with all his remaining strength.
Slash!
"Argh!"
His shoulder blade shattered completely, and his arm fell off as he screamed in agony. Fortunately, he managed to avoid a fatal blow.
The priest used every ounce of strength to escape the battlefield. As befitting someone of superhuman power, his speed in fleeing was astonishing.
"Tsk."
Ereneth clicked her tongue in frustration and turned away. It was time to retreat.
Initially, the Delfine Forces had continued to charge despite the catapult barrage, but the diversion of troops to capture her had caused their formation to collapse.
It seemed Claude had anticipated this outcome and had initiated the attack accordingly.
While this was advantageous for the Northern Army, it was a nuisance for Ereneth, who found herself surrounded. Soldiers and knights closed in tightly, weapons raised.
Frowning, she spoke.
"Endless wind, answer my call."
Whoosh!
The wind gathered, forming the towering figure of a gray woman. A vortex surrounded her as the advanced wind spirit, Silairon, emerged.
As Silairon circled Ereneth, a fierce storm swept outward.
Whooosh!
"Ahhh!"
Knights and soldiers charging toward her were thrown backward or sprawled on the ground by the sudden gust.
The razor-sharp winds slashed through their bodies, leaving them bleeding profusely.
Ereneth didn’t stop there. Having already committed to using her strength, she decided to go all out.
"Flame that burns eternally, bring your fire here."
Blaze!
Flames materialized out of thin air, taking the shape of a massive lizard the advanced fire spirit Selahim.
The fiery lizard opened its jaws and unleashed an inferno, consuming everything around it. Selahim began incinerating the surroundings like a rampaging beast.
"Arghhh!"
Soldiers suddenly fell, burning from a surprise fire attack within their own camp. The flames spread to nearby areas, growing larger by the moment.
Knights skilled in handling mana managed to extinguish or block the flames on their bodies, but the advancing soldiers weren’t so fortunate.
“Evacuate!”
“Spread out!”
Before a proper charge could even begin, Ereneth’s sudden intrusion threw the field into chaos.
Count Mathes shouted urgently.
“Mages! What are the mages doing? Stop it! Stop it, now!”
But the mages were helpless. They were already struggling to suppress the overwhelming mana pouring in from the Northern Army.
“It’s impossible! We’re focusing all our efforts on blocking the mana from Alfoi’s attacks!”
The Northern Army didn’t just have Vanessa. It was filled with other powerful mages.
Even excluding those left behind to defend their territories, there were still around a hundred mages present at the battlefield.
With all of them casting spells, the Delfine forces were too preoccupied with fending off the magical onslaught.
Fortunately, the Delfine forces had their own highly skilled mages. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to withstand the magic barrage, including attacks from the Northern Army’s 7th-circle mages.
“Th-this…!”
Count Mathes was at a loss. The superhumans he had relied upon were either dead or had fled.
Rocks rained down relentlessly, killing his troops, while a crazed elf ravaged his camp with fire.
Some cavalry had reached close to the Northern Army, but their numbers were too few after facing numerous obstacles along the way. Their formations were utterly broken.
In contrast, the Northern Army stood firm, shields raised in perfect defensive alignment. Even their knights were positioned to strengthen their defenses.
A charge wouldn’t break through under these circumstances.
‘What can we do…?’
As Count Mathes hesitated, the Northern Army calmly prepared for their next move.
Tennant, who had been standing by, spoke to Claude.
“I’ll take the field now.”
“Alright. But don’t reveal that you’re a superhuman. Play the role of an advanced knight, understood?”
“Understood.”
Although it diverged from their original plan, Tennant understood Claude’s reasoning. There was no need to reveal more cards when the outcome was already decided.
Kaor stretched his shoulders as he chimed in.
“Wow, the results are even better than expected. Originally, we were just supposed to assess the superhumans, kill as many as possible, and retreat. Did you plan for this too?”
Despite his relaxed tone, Kaor’s back was drenched in sweat.
‘What the hell is this elf? Is she crazy? Why is she so strong? Is she even an elf? Could she be a dragon?’
He had previously faced her and been soundly defeated, but he hadn’t realized she was this powerful. His pride refused to let him show fear.
Claude chuckled arrogantly in response.
“Well, being the Great Chieftain of the elves, I expected her to be this capable. That’s why I told you to kill as many as you could.”
‘Damn it. What is she…? This is terrifying…’
Claude’s back was also slick with sweat. He hadn’t anticipated she’d be this formidable.
Anyone could see that Ereneth was a monster. She had single-handedly slain two superhumans and severed the arm of another who tried to flee.
Even more astonishing, she was now summoning spirits amidst the enemy camp to massacre the Delfine forces.
And that wasn’t all. She deflected their catapult attacks mid-battle. Truly, she was a force to rival any noble lord.
It was no wonder that Ghislain, in his past life, had been among the Continent’s Seven Strongest. But none of those present knew this.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Argh!”
“Break through somehow! Make a path!”
“Take down the elf! Kill the elf first!”
The battle increasingly turned against the Delfine forces. The chaotic orders coming from all sides only deepened the confusion among their soldiers.
It was inevitable, with Ereneth wreaking havoc in the middle of their formation.
Those who managed to avoid the catapults and reach the Northern Army’s frontlines couldn’t even pierce the defensive formation. They were stopped by shields and swiftly killed by Kaor and Tennant.
Count Mathes trembled, his eyes twitching.
‘How could it come to this…?’
Defeat was certain. Now, he could only hope that the other divisions could capture the capital.
He had brought the largest army to crush the Northern Army, but unexpected factors had led to their ruin.
Grinding his teeth, he resolved himself.
‘I cannot retreat like this.’
A retreat could save many of his soldiers, given the sheer size of his forces.
But how could he return as the man who lost with three superhumans under his command? Punishment was secondary. His pride and honor were already in tatters.
He needed vengeance against the one responsible for this disaster.
“Stop the charge! Kill that elf! Halt the charge and kill the elf!”
Count Mathes shouted the same order over and over, his voice hoarse.
It was bad enough dealing with the Count of Ferdium; he couldn’t let this elf remain at his side. That suspiciously powerful elf had to be killed, no matter the cost.
Even if it meant the annihilation of the entire Delfine force.