Chapter 239
—Once again, I repeat! 10 km to the southeast. Archbishop Glashalabolas and Salecius, along with an unidentified force of 2,000, are on the move! If this continues… we have our heroes completely surrounded by forces advancing from three different locations!
Heroes are completely trapped.
The Goddess Church is tightening its grip.
The Haelion’s squad and Kello’s force, who went out for a search, are in a perilous crisis.
And from the shadows of all this chaos, a male voice flowed through a Familiar.
—I’ll take care of Sabnak. I’ll leave the orders for the rest of the force to the second-in-command.
No sooner had this announcement been made than a gale swept through, as if a projectile had just whizzed past, and the fleeting figure of Haelion could be seen speeding out.
With Wyvern wings attached, Haelion exuded power that didn’t lag behind even that of the Archbishop, revealing a clear intent to take out the enemy.
‘The Jephar force has intruded. What’s happening here?’
Liam, assigned to Kello’s direct squad ranked 8th among heroes.
Composed of 20 squads, each with 5 members, Kello’s unit was tasked with handling Salecius, who appeared from the south.
Amid the aerial assault, Salecius and Glashalabolas split into two directions.
The unidentified force of 2,000 they led also split in half.
‘Speaking of Salecius… that would be Alicia’s older sister…. The Archbishop who put her mentor, Charlotte, into a coma and led her teammates to their doom.’
As Liam sprinted, the grip in his hands tightened.
Unconsciously, his brows knitted together in a frown.
‘They were all… really good people…. No matter how much she is Alicia’s sister, I cannot forgive the things she has done.’
Once a mentee of Charlotte alongside Alicia and Emily, Liam had already developed feelings for them.
That was, until Salecius decided to wipe them out.
‘Alicia’s squad was headed towards Bifrons, right? So, the probability of encountering Alicia first seems low….’
Liam worried about the scenario of Alicia meeting Salecius.
Alicia still doesn’t know her sister has become an Archbishop. Once she learns, it’ll hit her like a ton of bricks, just like in the original story.
‘And if she finds out it was her sister who harmed her mentor Charlotte and her teammates… it’ll be even worse….’
Therefore, the current situation could be deemed ‘somewhat’ lucky.
Getting trapped is ridiculously dangerous, but at least the risk of Alicia coming face-to-face with Salecius is low.
Liam could easily imagine the shock Alicia would face once she learned the truth.
He was thankful that they were heading towards Salecius rather than towards Alicia.
Of course, avoiding a confrontation isn’t a fundamental solution, but for now, he judged that the timing was just too early.
But at least for now, it was deemed too early.
“Everyone, focus up! The opponent is the Archbishop and an unidentified entity! Archbishop Salecius is my team’s responsibility, so I leave the 1,000 troops to you!”
The one-eyed swordsman Kello shouted with a booming voice.
Even while moving at high speed, his words were delivered without distortion.
In this moment, they were getting closer to the enemy in real-time.
They were about to collide.
“Fight! Fight to survive! The blood spilled by all humanity due to Altife is already enough!”
With that, the hero drew his sword.
And soon, they clashed.
—Flash!
In an instant, all the light in the world extinguished and then returned.
Kello and Archbishop Salecius’s swords clashed fiercely, creating a sound that could tear ears apart.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen you! You’re the one imitating that hero, Altife!”
『…….』
Salecius swung a gigantic sword without the slightest change in her expression.
As pale as a dead corpse, her skin was marred by twisting blue veins, almost as if to prove she was alive.
Salecius manipulated her sword covered in red aura as if it were an extension of herself, simultaneously casting curse magic to create illusions.
However, Kello was among the top heroes in the hero ranking. With his seasoned swordsmanship, he countered and sliced through the curse’s illusions.
—Clang, clang!
With every clash of their swords, the red aura cut through everything, making a riotous sound.
Salecius and Kello.
The aura they created fiercely battled as if competing for who was more robust.
Kello’s teammates attacked Salecius, synchronizing perfectly due to their long practice.
Meanwhile, behind Salecius were a mysterious group of troops on the move.
‘Based on their mana, they are not tied to Altife. Then could they be followers of a goddess, like the Formist, even though they’re human?’
Liam, unable to tear his gaze away from the intense battle between Salecius and Kello, dashed toward the force that was beginning to come into view.
The total number of heroes accompanying Liam was 100.
Charging forward fearlessly, they displayed bravery, be they students or active-duty warriors.
“Don’t hesitate just because they’re not Altife! That hesitation is what they’re aiming for!”
Seemingly sensing Liam’s moment of hesitation, a hero taking command in Kello’s place shouted.
It was a rallying cry, meant to inspire and alleviate guilt.
“Waaaaaaah!!”
As if understanding the commander’s words, the heroes roared and rushed in.
It seemed like each person shouted loudly as if they were ten, and a force beyond imagining roared through the forest.
‘Okay, let’s be honest… Now is not the time to hesitate. If I die here, it will mean nothing.’
Liam resolved to temporarily ignore the emotions within him.
Even if they were human, they were clearly enemies. If he didn’t strike, he would be struck.
Determined, Liam picked up speed.
Close-range, mid-range, long-range, support.
The heroes formed their ranks according to their roles.
Leading alongside the commander was Liam. The shapes of the enemies reflected in his eyes.
At that moment, when both forces took in each other’s positions—
—Boom!
‘Uh…?’
What would those seeing this for the first time think of that object?
They would recognize it as a weapon… at least.
After all, the high-density magic cannon that stretched out from over there pierced right through the upper body of the hero in command.
Yet, in the world where this story takes place, where magic, not technology, had progressed, it was considered a rather ‘alien object.’
And ‘they’ were holding it.
Yes, not just one.
It is not.
All 1,000 soldiers.
“A cannon…? No, no. That’s a ray cannon…?”
Liam, who had been watching cartoons and movies since childhood, could guess just from its appearance.
The barrel had a design that was quite futuristic, not fitting for a fantasy world.
People were holding unique artillery pieces, reminiscent of a Gatling gun, without any supports.
As if they were controlled by something… perhaps by artificial spirits, like Erlich.
Their eyes looked lifeless, as if their souls had been taken.
Their bodies were merely fulfilling their given purpose.
“Everyone, cast defensive magic! Concentrated fire is coming!”
Someone shouted. Probably the next in line after the suddenly deceased hero.
Just one shot had been fired.
That single shot easily claimed the life of the commanding hero.
Assuming the magician had failed to cast a defensive spell, they were certainly no rookie. At the very least, they were probably the leader of a team.
…But what if 1,000 barrels with such power began firing?
Could they really withstand it?
—Tskwaang! Tskwawawaw!
It was as if the archbishops were collectively firing magic cannons.
A shockingly heavy mass of mana collided with the shield created by 99 heroes.
“Hold on! Hold on somehow!”
“Haahhh!”
“Don’t stop! Pour out your mana!”
The heroes fought desperately to defend.
The magicians cast combined defensive spells, while the archers and swordsmen supported them.
The martial artists created protectors, resisting with all their might.
—Crash! Crash!
Layers upon layers of mana shields were constantly breaking and regenerating.
It was essentially a fight between spear and shield.
However, the 1,000 barrels divided the unit into ten rows and began firing in sequence.
Gradually, the shield was overwhelmed, and the last 100 barrels broke through it completely.
“Everyone scatter!”
The dense magic cannon not only shattered all defenses but also charged through the forest.
Anything that even slightly touched its end was obliterated, leaving a gaping hole in the center of the forest.
“Gah! Gah!”
Liam barely crouched down to avoid the magic cannon.
He surveyed the surroundings with wide-open eyes.
Bodies lying around without upper bodies.
Either caught in tree branches from afar or buried in the dust of the ground.
Those were definitely once heroes.
Those who had clearly been alive were quickly ripped apart and killed.
What had been 100 heroes had already decreased to 87.
“Get up! We need to handle this before the next shot!”
Someone cried out again.
Liam also exhaled a trembling breath and stood up to rush forward.
His uneasily moving eyes desperately sought the enemies.
As the foes came into full view, Liam finally recognized their identities. Though it was his first time seeing them in reality, he remembered them from the novels he had read.
“The artificial spirit unit led by Cardinal Jephar and the magical engineering cannons! This should only appear in the later parts of the story…!”
Those were people who had been forcibly cultivated as artificial spirits. A maruta unit that fed off their mana to the bone.
For Jephar, they were disposable tools with a limited number of uses.
—Unfortunately, recycling is not yet possible.
That was one of the lines spoken by that mad cardinal.
Zzzzt—.
A blue current flowed through Liam’s entire body.
The speed of nerve transmission sharply increased, and his body surpassed its limits, granting him strength he normally couldn’t manifest.
The ability from the status window. A special skill obtained from overcoming the death of a comrade and fear from Archbishop Zagan.
「Blue Lightning Blood」
Liam, who could finally handle that power convincingly, exploded forward.
Liam, now able to handle things, exploded forward with great force.
Especially with the swift heroes at his side, they sliced through the enemies.
*
Kuwaaang—!
Even from quite a distance, the noise and stench of the battlefield assaulted their ears and nostrils.
“We’re almost there. Everyone, stay sharp!”
The hero leading the five squads urged his teammates to pay attention.
They were originally supposed to head in the direction where Bifrons and his forces had appeared.
However, they were quickly heading south due to news that they were suffering from the forces of Cardinal Jephar, who appeared from the south.
—Tsuquagagagaaang!
What on earth was happening on the battlefield?
The forest seemed to scream, unable to contain its anguish.
They had mentioned that there were two archbishops appearing from the south, but judging by the repeating feeling of power, there must have been at least a hundred.
“What the hell have you created, Jephar?!”
Adel, the squad leader of Alicia’s team and ranked 42nd among the heroes, had heightened senses that allowed her to clearly perceive just how formidable the power was.
“The total amount of mana for each individual isn’t that impressive. However, their attacks are disproportionately heavy.”
It felt as if they used life force as a cost.
The unidentified enemies felt like a serious threat.
“…….”
Alicia, heading in that direction, also sensed the power they were emitting.
However, that was not the reason Alicia was furrowing her brows.
“Charlotte…”
Alicia recalled her mentor and her teammates.
The necklace she wore inside her clothes was a precious gift from Charlotte.
Thus, Alicia couldn’t forgive Archbishop Salecius.
At that moment.
“Everyone, scatter left and right!”
They sensed a massive strike coming their way unexpectedly.
A crimson aura-filled strike charged fiercely, cleaving through the forest and ground.
It was as if they were looking up at a scythe cutting the earth like an ant.
The group focused on dodging, and fortunately, there were no injuries.
In an instant, the scattered heroes hid in their spots and stared at the scene.
The forest, cleaved like a cake with a knife.
The cleaving strike had a man at its vanishing point.
The red-haired, one-eyed man was Kello, ranked 6th among the heroes.
Covered in dust, he murmured with a sinister smile.
“So, that’s your Liberation… You’ve become more human-like. Furthermore, that red aura is at an extraordinary level, and with your Unique Spell… You’re practically a high-ranking hero.”
Those words came out as Alicia captured her gaze on ‘her.’
The archbishop, who had easily swept away the thick dust cloud, revealing her presence.
The grotesquely writhing blue veins.
The lifeless and pale skin emphasizing her non-human nature.
All had vanished as if it never happened, highlighting what it would be like if she were human.
Now, she looked like a perfectly human woman on the outside.
Her revived white hair flowed like it had just swept down from the Milky Way.
It even bore a resemblance to her childhood self.
『…….』
The liberated Archbishop Salecius, wielding a great sword with a fierce crimson aura, had eyes that were as cold and rotten as if buried in the dust.
And Alicia, meeting her gaze, found that after a long time,
She could call out to the real person, not just a haunting illusion that lingered beside her.
“Un…nie?”
Of course, it wasn’t the reunion she had hoped for.
