Chapter 502
Destroy It? (3)
Piote tightly shut his eyes and thought.
‘Ugh... Why are the operations in this territory always like this?’
Thanks to Juana's Blessing, he was able to nullify all attacks. Even that powerful Equidema couldn't leave a single scratch on him.
Of course, the stronger the attack, the more divine power it consumed. But Piote’s divine power had grown so strong that even Parniel would be astonished.
Thus, he had taken on the role of blocking attacks so that Ghislain could focus all his strength on escaping.
While Kaiyen momentarily froze in shock, Ghislain reached out his hand.
Kwaaang!
“Guhk!”
A powerful impact struck Kaiyen in the stomach. As he staggered, Ghislain took the chance to sprint forward once again.
Gartros unleashed his full strength, relentlessly attacking the fleeing Ghislain. The other priests of the Salvation Church did the same.
They were determined to kill Ghislain on the spot.
Kwaang! Kwaaang! Kwaang!
Dark energy shot toward Ghislain’s back like streaks of light. But they were all blocked by Piote, who was clinging onto Ghislain’s back.
“What the hell is that thing?!”
Gartros, while in pursuit, wore an expression of disbelief.
His attacks were strong enough that even a superhuman couldn't easily withstand them. He had absorbed more life force than anyone else in preparation for a battle against the Shadow Knights’ commander.
Yet, the woman clinging to the Count of Fenris’ back was taking his attacks without a single injury!
Of course, Piote was merely gripping his hands tightly together in prayer, eyes closed.
‘Please, save me…’
He was always prepared to die for his god, but honestly, this wasn’t how he wanted to go.
The attacks were so powerful that every time he was struck, large chunks of his divine power were drained.
“Lord… At this rate, I’m going to die…”
Before, he had nearly died from overwork. Now, he was about to die a violent death.
Ghislain laughed as he ran.
“You’ll be fine, you’ll be fine.”
Each time he blocked or dodged an attack, he had no choice but to expend a considerable amount of mana.
But thanks to Piote, he could now focus all his energy on escaping.
“No, seriously, I’m going to die…”
“You’ll be fine, you’ll be fine.”
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaang!
Ghislain confidently reassured Piote as he sprinted.
Just a little farther. Piote would be able to hold out until then.
Even the enemies were momentarily hesitant, startled by Piote’s absurd durability. That hesitation widened the gap even more.
Kaiyen’s face hardened as he resumed his pursuit of Ghislain.
‘That was definitely divine power. Is that the Holy Maiden who recently joined them?’
It was widely known among the Kingdom Army that Parniel had joined the Northern Army. The Ducal Family had, of course, received this information as well.
However, the woman’s appearance was completely different from the reports, making it difficult to be certain. Even her combat style was different.
After Piote had been identified as a man, Raul had downgraded the importance of the intelligence, which had only added to the confusion.
‘Still, they won’t be able to hold out for long.’
It was an unbelievable ability, but there was no way it could last indefinitely. Gritting his teeth, Kaiyen continued his chase.
Gartros was the same. Though briefly startled by the opponent’s strange abilities, he quickly regained his composure.
“Don’t let them escape!”
As long as they kept up the pursuit, they would win. All they had to do was chase them until they tired out. If their side could endure longer, they could capture them.
Kwaang! Kwaaang! Kwaang!
The chase continued with no time to even breathe. But thanks to Piote, Ghislain was able to maintain some distance from his pursuers.
Not long after, another figure appeared.
Fwip!
“Young Master!”
Suddenly, darkness spread thickly as Belinda emerged, running alongside Ghislain.
She swiftly flung over a hundred daggers at their pursuers.
Ssshhhhh!
Each dagger was infused with Aura Blade. They zigzagged unpredictably through the air, seeking their targets.
Kaiyen’s eyes widened at the incredible technique.
As the Kingdom’s Strongest Swordsman, he infused his sword with a massive amount of mana and swung it.
Kwaaaaaang!
With a single slash, a dozen daggers were shattered. Though many still hovered around him, he used that brief opening to break through at once.
However, the other Salvation Church priests and knights were not as fast as Kaiyen.
“Hurry and cut them down!”
Kagagagagakang!
They momentarily halted their steps, busy deflecting the daggers that flew toward them with relentless precision, like living serpents.
Gartros, witnessing Belinda’s technique, felt his heart plummet and instinctively drew in an excessive amount of power.
Kwaaaaang!
A black aura erupted in all directions, scattering the daggers.
Sweat trickled down Gartros’s forehead as his expression hardened.
“Shadow Knights' Commander!”
He recognized this technique—it was the same one used by the Shadow Knights' Commander.
Though Gartros had never met the commander in person, he had witnessed the devastating aftermath of that technique. The thought that his most feared adversary had appeared sent a chill down his spine.
‘No…’
The technique was undoubtedly the same, yet something was lacking. If it had been the real Shadow Knights' Commander, several people would have died instantly.
Could it be that they’ve raised a successor?
It was then that he noticed the new figure running alongside Ghislain.
Kwang!
Gartros resumed his pursuit. He had to catch that person and uncover their identity.
The momentary hesitation had caused the gap to widen again. The other priests were already struggling to keep up.
"These arrogant wretches dare use such tricks…!"
His mind boiled with rage at the slippery enemies who kept slipping away like eels. He wanted nothing more than to capture them and tear them limb from limb.
At least Count Balzac was still keeping pace. If he could just delay them for even a moment, Gartros would close the distance in no time.
But then, as if someone had been waiting for this very moment, two figures stepped in front of Kaien.
Ereneth and Vanessa.
"Good. We've gained enough distance."
Thanks to Belinda’s attack, the gap had widened further.
At Ereneth’s words, Vanessa extended her hand.
Ziiing—! Ziiing—! Ziiing—!
Her specialty, multi-casting, was activated.
Dozens of magic circles formed in midair, radiating powerful mana.
Then, a barrage of lightning rained down from the magic circles.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwaang!
The lightning struck indiscriminately.
The elites at the front managed to avoid death, but several priests of the Salvation Church were hit and sent sprawling.
Others had to either block or dodge the magic, slowing their pace.
Only Kaien managed to maintain his speed, dodging all the strikes, while Gartros simply charged through, taking the bolts head-on.
"These bastards…!"
Kaien was starting to feel uneasy.
The sudden attack had significantly slowed down their pursuers.
Only Gartros was keeping up with him now.
Rumble…!
Then, a massive wall of rock suddenly rose before him.
It was an earth elemental summoned by Ereneth.
"Hmph!"
Kwaaaang!
Kaien tightened his grip on his sword and shattered the wall in one strike.
But the moment he broke through, a giant fire lizard appeared in front of him, spewing flames.
"Damn these petty tricks!"
Boom!
Seething with fury, he stomped the ground and swung his sword.
Paaahk!
The fire spirit was cleaved in half, dispersing into flames. His sheer strength was overwhelming—even capable of cutting down spirits.
But by now, Ghislain and his group had already gained even more distance.
As Kaien followed them with his eyes, something caught his attention in the distant sky.
"A hot air balloon?"
It was one of those flying machines he had only heard about in rumors.
Although it was his first time seeing one in person, he knew exactly what it was for.
He could not let them escape.
If they boarded that balloon and took off, they would be completely out of reach.
Gritting his teeth, Kaien poured all his strength into his sword.
Drrrrrrk!
As he sprinted at breakneck speed, the veins in his arms bulged grotesquely.
His sword, now engulfed in a blue glow, trembled violently.
Then, he hurled it straight at Ghislain’s back.
Paaaaah!
The sword tore through space, ripping apart the air as it flew.
Whether they dodged it or blocked it, they would be forced to slow down.
However, Ghislain and his group paid no attention to the monstrous sword flying toward them.
There was someone else designated to deal with it.
Parniel had appeared without a sound, infusing divine power into the mace in her hands.
Her thick arms bulged with veins as well.
She swung her mace with all her might at the incoming sword.
Kwaaaaang!
A deafening explosion shook the ground as the sword shattered into pieces.
Drdrdrk!
Parniel glanced down at her tingling, twisted arm and let out a savage grin.
Her mace had been reduced to fragments.
So this is his strength…
As expected, the title of Kingdom’s Strongest Swordsman was no empty boast.
A part of her wanted to charge in and fight him right away, but she suppressed that desire.
No matter how strong she was, even she couldn’t take on so many superhumans and an army of 100,000 alone.
Parniel immediately turned around and followed the group. As she spread her powerful divine energy, invigorating everyone, their speed increased significantly.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaang!
Kaien and Gartros gritted their teeth as they chased after them, but as if mocking them, walls of earth continuously rose, and lightning rained down.
Though the attacks were not powerful enough to be a direct threat, each time they broke through or deflected them, the distance between them widened little by little.
Eventually, Ghislain and his group safely reached the vicinity of the hot air balloon.
Fwaaa!
"Grab on, quickly!"
Gillian shouted loudly, throwing down a rope from the balloon.
The rope, infused with mana, shot out rapidly. The moment Ghislain and his companions grabbed hold of it, the balloon began to move immediately.
Onboard the balloon were five 6th-circle mages who had been captured as prisoners. As they poured their mana into the balloon, it rapidly gained speed, escaping at an incredible pace.
Seeing the balloon ascend rapidly and flee, Gartros was left in stunned disbelief.
"This can't be..."
It was now too late to catch up. Not only had he failed to kill Count Fenris, but they had also lost everything.
"That bastard... That bastard..."
Gartros clenched his teeth in rage. Never before in his life had he experienced such humiliation.
Even in the past, when the entire forces of the church had been mobilized, and he had been defeated by the commander of the Shadow Knights, he had not felt this disgraced. That time, at least, his opponent had been powerful enough to justify the loss.
But this time? That bastard had infiltrated the royal army in some absurd manner, brazenly stolen their possessions, and escaped.
Even with numerous powerful individuals and an army of a hundred thousand, they had been useless. No one could stop that lunatic madman.
"Kraaaaaah!"
Gartros' eyes turned bloodshot as he let out a furious roar. Never in his life had he been so thoroughly toyed with, and he could not endure it.
Despite the many years he had spent cultivating self-discipline, his fury was uncontrollable.
The priests of the Salvation Church all watched Gartros nervously.
They knew that while he was usually composed and benevolent, when enraged, he became more ruthless than anyone else.
But it was not just Gartros who was seething. Kaien, too, stood in place, his eyes closed.
'Ghislain Ferdium.'
Because of a single man, everything kept going wrong. More and more powerful individuals were gathering around him.
'I should have killed him then.'
Back at that banquet, he should have found a way to kill him no matter what.
At the time, they had wanted to take over the kingdom naturally, avoiding political risks. That was their mistake. The entire ducal family had made a grave miscalculation.
That bastard had grown at an unimaginable pace and had now become their worst enemy.
"Let's go back."
Kaien turned away with a heavy expression. It was too late to change things now. Instead of wasting time on regret, it was better to focus on how to capture and kill that bastard.
Gartros asked grimly,
"And the king?"
With the royal treasure lost, there was no longer any reason to appease the king. The short question carried the weight of asking what they would do next.
"It does us no good to fight him now."
There was no benefit in battling the royal army here or killing the king. It would be better to use the royal army to crush the Northern Army together.
That was not the only reason to keep the king alive.
"The king is still useful. To survive, he will undoubtedly kill even more people and enforce even harsher tyranny. Later, when we eliminate the Northern Army and take over the kingdom, his actions will be a great help."
The more the king rampaged, the more the people would yearn for a new leader. When the ducal family seized the kingdom, the people would welcome them with open arms.
Though Marquis Branford had fallen from power, there were still many local lords and nobles who did not support the king.
As his tyranny continued, they too would defect to the ducal family's side.
Gartros nodded at Kaien's words.
"Then let's do that. In the meantime, I will focus on securing relics from other kingdoms by any means necessary."
"Understood."
With that, the two concluded their discussion and departed.
When Berhem learned that Ghislain had escaped, he erupted in fury.
"I will kill that bastard! That traitorous scum! How dare he humiliate me like this! Spread the news across the entire kingdom! From this moment on, the House of Ferdium and anyone associated with them are enemies of the kingdom! They are traitors!"
Even that did not seem to satisfy him, so he turned to Viscount Domont.
"Chamberlain! Inform all the commanders of the Allied Forces! Order them to attack the Northern Army immediately! The kingdom, not the Northern Army, is the one they allied with!"
"...Yes, Your Majesty."
Viscount Domont's face darkened. The Allied Forces had formed an alliance based on the influence of Marquis Branford and Count Fenris.
Even aside from that, there was no way the Allied Forces would aid them now, given that their own kingdoms had suffered greatly because of the Salvation Church.
But Berhem was so furious that he was coughing up blood, making it impossible to argue with him at the moment.
The commotion only ended when Berhem finally collapsed from exhaustion. Thus, the royal army and the Delfine forces had to return without gaining anything.
At some point, the 3rd Infantry Company of the 2nd Legion of the royal army had disappeared entirely, but no one paid any attention to them.