Naktura was currently in a state of great excitement. He was, by nature, a dark mage who enjoyed destruction. War was the very value of existence for a dark mage, and the reason he lived. However, having been confined in a dragon’s lair for so many years, he had been forced to suppress that desire. And now, the moment he came out, to be faced with such a large-scale battle!

‘This is too much fun!’

Chewing on the thrill inside, he thought once again that it had been a good decision to follow the Julien Mercenary Corps. But that enjoyment was not something he could show carelessly. Extending his staff, he let out a voice full of majesty.

“Petty mortals. Today, your souls will forget even to scream within my flames!”

Paaaaaaaah!

A massive fireball fell into the midst of the Empire army, which had been thrown into confusion. It was such a sudden attack that no one was able to respond.

Kwaaaang!

“Uaaagh!”

A pillar of fire shot up as an enormous blaze engulfed the Imperial forces. The flames did not simply burn—they stretched out in all directions like a living beast, melting everything away.

Count Pherington attacked Ghislain and shouted.

“Mage! Deploy the magic barrier! Block the spell!”

The Imperial army knew that Astion was a 7th-Circle mage. That was why they had brought a considerable number of mages with them. Although half of their mages had already advanced toward the sea, the remaining ones hurriedly deployed a magic barrier.

At the strong, pressing force, blue ghost-fire rose from Naktura’s eye sockets.

“With this meager skill, you dare try to stop me?”

It seemed the opposing side also had a 7th-Circle mage, for quite a powerful magic barrier was deployed. But an 8th-Circle mage knew how to break through even that strength.

Drrrrrr!

As Naktura drew up more mana, holes began to appear throughout the barrier. Through those gaps, he began firing spells indiscriminately.

Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaang!

Although the power was significantly weakened, it was still more than enough to deal with ordinary soldiers. Bursting flames and lightning ceaselessly shattered the Imperial army’s formations.

Ghislain had not summoned only Naktura.

Kuuuuung!

Black mana rippled, and from within it crawled knights clad in black armor.

One hundred Death Knights.

The moment they were summoned, they scattered in all directions and began slaughtering the Imperial soldiers.

From various places came the shouts of Imperial commanders.

“Knights to the front! Block them! Quickly! Priests, begin the attack!”

The knights at the head of the Imperial army confronted the Death Knights. Behind the knights, a bright light spread.

Paaaaah!

“Oh Goddess, eradicate these wicked beings!”

Along with the priests’ prayers, divine power swept across the battlefield. The Imperial forces also knew that Astion was a dark mage. That was why they had brought priests as well, to unleash divine power.

It was indeed effective.

Naktura, who had been firing spells from the air, was startled.

‘Huh? What’s this? Why are there so many priests?’

Naktura was in a very bad mood. The divine power was focused more on him than on the Death Knights. Already struggling against the magic barrier, he now had to busy himself protecting his own body. The Death Knights, though receiving less divine power than him, also had their movements dulled.

But Ghislain was not the only one in the Julien Mercenary Corps.

“Spirits of the earth! Unleash your wrath!”

Kurrurururung!

The earth spirits summoned by Ereneth tore through the ground and rose up. Each time those massive arms swung, the ground collapsed and soldiers were sucked below.

With such things happening simultaneously in dozens of places, the Imperial forces could not get their bearings.

“It’s a spirit mage! There’s a spirit mage!”

“Mages! Seal the spirits!”

“It’s a superhuman-level spirit mage!”

Ereneth brushed back her hair with a proud expression.

“Hmph. Trying to go after our Blessing Stone. I already gave that to Deneb.”

The training she had undergone in the frigid land had been extremely effective. Unlike other elves, who leisurely built up experience in the forest, Ereneth had received tremendous support and had grown rapidly.

Thus, having reached the rank of superhuman, she appeared as a powerhouse the Imperial army had not anticipated.

Kwaang! Kwaaaang! Kwaang!

The spirits Ereneth summoned now targeted the mages positioned at the Imperial army’s rear.

“Bind the spirits! Quickly!”

The mages hurriedly reduced their magic barrier and focused on restraining the spirits’ movements. Thanks to the divine power, the lich’s magic had already weakened.

Even so, they could not completely block all attacks. The Imperial formations continued to collapse.

Through those gaps, Julien and Kyle charged in. Following right behind them were Osvald and the mercenaries.

Paaak!

The moment they joined the battlefield, the knights who had been clashing with the Death Knights crumbled helplessly. Through the resulting openings, the Death Knights pushed forward again, cutting down the Imperial troops.

Chiiiiik!

Because of the divine power filling the battlefield, black smoke rose from various parts of the Death Knights’ bodies. Even so, they were upper- to top-ranked knights. Though weakened by the divine power, ordinary knights or soldiers still could not stand against them.

Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaang!

“Uaaagh!”

Shattered shields, broken spears, and screams mixed together in chaos.

The Imperial army, with its formations already broken, could no longer make use of the advantage of numbers. The commanders’ shouts scattered before they could reach the soldiers, and the few orders that did get through were so jumbled that their meaning was hard to grasp. They were now holding out with numbers alone, no longer with strategy.

At that moment, the commanders positioned on the Imperial army’s two wings began to move.

“So that one is the man called Julien.”

“And that one is Kyle?”

Julien and Kyle’s movements were outstanding. Unleashing Aura Blades as they massacred the Imperial troops, they were impossible not to notice. The wing commanders were also superhumans sent by the Empire. They charged toward Julien and Kyle.

Kwoooooooom!

When the superhumans clashed, an enormous shockwave erupted, blasting away all the troops nearby.

Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaang!

Members of the Julien Mercenary Corps and Imperial soldiers instinctively backed away. If they got caught in a superhuman battle, not even their bodies would remain.

Thanks to that, the Death Knights found it even easier to move. They targeted the scattered Imperial troops, while the mercenaries now followed in behind the Death Knights.

“The man Osvald! Will crush the enemy in revolutionary fashion!”

Osvald shouted loudly even as he began gauging when it might be time to run away.

And around that time, Darentz—who had been merely watching—moved.

“Go. Kill the saint.”

At his gesture, the assassins of the Crips used the confusion to slip in stealthily. Around Deneb, there were only Marika, wearing her mask, and the six assassins who followed her.

The Crips assassins abandoned the Imperial army entirely, focusing only on finding a way to somehow get closer to Deneb. And at last, dozens of assassins succeeded in closing the distance, built on the sacrifice of their allies. Even in the midst of it, Deneb stood with her eyes closed, hands clasped together in prayer.

Paaak!

The assassins leapt in at once, intending to hurl their daggers at Deneb. But Marika, who was at Deneb’s side, moved faster.

Pook! Pook! Pook!

Her robe fluttered, and dozens of daggers connected to her body shot out, piercing through the assassins’ bodies. The daggers moved like snakes, piercing even the assassins coming in behind.

Even after killing dozens in one stroke, Marika’s expression did not change in the slightest. She swept her sharp gaze around, then soon fixed it on one side.

At that moment, Deneb spoke in a quiet voice.

“Goddess. Bestow Your blessing upon the swords and shields of those who fight for You, so that You may wash away their wounds, break their fear, and fill them with immortal courage.”

Paaaaaah!

Divine power burst out from Deneb’s body like an explosion. But it was different from the light unleashed by the Empire’s priests. Her light seeped only into the members of the Julien Mercenary Corps.

As silver radiance wrapped around their bodies, their wounds vanished in the blink of an eye. Attacks from ordinary soldiers could not inflict even small injuries upon them. Even if a strong attack caused a wound, it healed almost immediately.

Right now, the Julien Mercenary Corps had gained recovery and defense of an incomparably high level.

After confirming the light radiating from her own body, Marika spoke.

“Stay here and guard Deneb.”

At her words, the remaining six members nodded.

Marika turned her head again and spoke to Lionel, who wore a dazed expression.

“Get a hold of yourself. If you don’t want to fight, then at least make sure you guard Deneb here. Otherwise, you’ll never even get to meet the Pope.”

Lionel still could not bring himself to join the battle. After all, he had originally been a knight of the Empire.

At Marika’s words, Lionel nodded. He could not allow Deneb to die here.

He raised his shield and stood in front of Deneb. Like his other comrades, it was difficult for him to go forward and kill Imperial soldiers, but he intended to protect Deneb no matter what.

Marika let out a deep breath and scanned the surroundings again.

‘There’s no immediate threat to Deneb right now.’

Thanks to Ereneth, the Imperial army was now in chaos from the middle ranks all the way through. In the meantime, the Julien Mercenary Corps was steadily pressing forward, tightening the pressure on the enemy.

Marika’s gaze fixed on a single point.

The moment she set her target, her body shot forward like an arrow.

Chaeang!

Darentz, who had been hiding among the Imperial army and watching for an opening, bared his teeth.

“You… you came looking for me without fear.”

“……”

“Fine. I was going to kill you here anyway, so this works out well. I’ll make you regret daring to challenge me.”

Kaaang!

Darentz thrust out his dagger with lightning speed.

Marika dodged to the side and counterattacked, but Darentz just as easily evaded her strike.

Skeak! Skeak! Skeak!

Each time the two brushed past one another, Imperial soldiers nearby collapsed without knowing why. Marika and Darentz had killed everyone who got in the way of their movements.

The more they did so, the deeper the Imperial army’s confusion grew.

Count Pherington was drenched in sweat at the disastrous state of the Imperial forces.

This was a mistake. I should have anticipated more possibilities.

He had never even imagined they would throw the Sacred Stone, humanity’s treasure, into the sea. The problem had been thinking only about persuading them into handing it over somehow.

Even now, the formation needed to be reorganized. But the mage before his eyes was the problem.

Kaang! Kaang! Kaaaang!

No matter how much he swung his sword, he could not inflict a single wound on that man called Astion.

He had already received intelligence that the man was good at close combat. But he had never thought the man would be stronger than himself, who had reached the pinnacle of the sword. After all, at the core, he was still a mage.

Yet, this was no mage by any standard he knew. In all the world, he had never seen a mage fight like this.

“Kh…! So you weren’t a mage after all!”

How could it be that someone had better technique than himself, a Swordmaster!

He had long since dismounted—because this was not someone he could face from horseback. And yet, before they had clashed more than a few times, he was being pushed back. Worse, it did not even seem like the opponent was fighting at full strength.

Kaaang!

Ghislain knocked aside Count Pherington’s sword and smiled.

“I am a mage. Do you think you could handle it if I started casting spells?”

“What?”

“You know I’m a mage, and yet you still haven’t managed to kill me. What are you going to do about that?”

“You can’t possibly be…”

Count Pherington’s face turned pale. He could guess exactly what his opponent intended by those words.

Bwoong!

In an instant, Ghislain’s body floated into the air. From his body, an enormous surge of mana exploded outward.

“You can’t leave a mage free to do as he pleases.”

Paaaaah!

In an instant, hundreds of fireballs formed around Ghislain. This eruption magic he had created—each and every one now possessed tremendous power, for he had reached the 8th Circle.

Count Pherington looked back and shouted loudly.

“Mages! Reinforce the barrier!”

“It’s already too late.”

With Ghislain’s cold words, the hundreds of fireballs shot toward every corner of the Imperial army.

Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaaaang!

The sky above the battlefield turned red as swathes of Imperial soldiers vanished in an instant.

The magic barrier of the Imperial mages had been considerably weakened—they had poured their strength into blocking Ereneth’s spirits.

They had thought it would be fine since the lich was pinned down by divine power.

But they had overlooked Ghislain’s presence.

While fighting Count Pherington, Ghislain had simply been waiting for the moment the barrier weakened. And at last, he had succeeded in unleashing a massive area-of-effect spell.

Count Pherington’s face twisted.

“T-this can’t be…”

This was the terrifying thing about mages. Given the opportunity, they could slaughter ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ hundreds or thousands in an instant.

It seemed everything up to now had been just to create this opportunity. In just these few exchanges, more than half of the Imperial army had been wiped out.

“You bastard!!!”

Count Pherington lost all reason to his rage. He leapt high into the air and swung his sword down at Ghislain.

The massive Aura Blade tore through the sky as it fell.

Gagagagagagak!

But Count Pherington’s Aura Blade did not cut through Ghislain’s body. It had only barely managed to split the shield condensed from 8th-Circle mana.

Had he been in a calm state, he might have followed up immediately or withdrawn swiftly. But right now, he had given himself over entirely to anger.

Failing with an all-out attack, he froze, unable to grasp the situation.

And in that moment—

Ghislain’s staff swung like lightning, smashing into Count Pherington’s head.

Kwaaaaaang!

Count Pherington’s body crashed into the ground, sending earth and stone flying.

Landing, Ghislain immediately leapt onto the horse Count Pherington had abandoned.

Hiiiiiing!

The horse shook and tried to throw off the unfamiliar rider. But when Ghislain punched it in the face, it instantly became docile.

Mounted on the horse, Ghislain stretched his hand to the side.

Jiiing—!

Space split open, and a single black spear slowly emerged.

Kardnakh. The spear that guides death to the enemy.

Thud.

Gripping it tightly, Ghislain looked over the chaos-stricken Imperial army and smiled cruelly.

“From here on, the persuasion begins.”

Hiiiiiing!

With a sharp neigh—

The horse carrying Ghislain kicked off the ground and began to gallop.