Chapter: 267
“Everyone! Battle commence─!!”
As the declaration of battle from Commander Eve resounded across the front lines, those who had been waiting for this very moment sprang into action.
In fact, calling them “those” feels a bit off.
After all, the role of initiating the attack as per the operation plan fell to me.
I swallowed once to suppress my nervousness and stepped forward into the ranks of people.
“Hss─”
I inhaled.
As I drew strength, flames surged and crackled along my body.
Perhaps it was because I had gotten used to wielding the powers I had gained from all that had happened before.
At first, controlling the flames had not been easy, but now I could effortlessly produce flames much larger and hotter than before.
With flames of this magnitude, I could easily reduce any lesser demonic beast to ashes.
However, this was merely a benchmark when I had not yet awakened the power of the witch.
“─Hah.”
I exhaled the breath I had taken in.
It was just a few days ago.
I realized that I had never truly unleashed my full strength after awakening the power of the witch.
Thinking back, it simply could not have been just this much.
The Witch of Wrath, Evangeline, had single-handedly burned the World Tree while confronting Astra, a force opposing magic—there’s no way my power, having inherited that lineage, could be merely this much.
Thus, I muttered to myself.
That it was insufficient, that my true strength was far greater than this.
So, I needed to burn bigger, burn hotter.
I spurred myself on, scolding myself inwardly.
With that, a feeling of boiling urgency surged within my cells.
Chik─.
The crackling sound of the flames that had been roaring within me vanished.
A flame that burned silently yet violently, consuming everything that acted as its fuel without leaving behind soot or smoke.
The heat of the flames was substantially greater than what I had conjured before, and rightly so.
What always fueled my flames was my fury.
And right now, a foe was approaching before my eyes, one intent on consuming the precious world that affirmed my existence.
“─I won’t let you touch it.”
With a small mutter infused with that anger, I exhaled towards the front.
“This city, I will protect.”
A storm of flames erupted.
───────!
The overwhelming heat and size of the flames seemed to dye everything before my eyes in red.
The terrible screams of the lesser demonic beasts, caught off guard by the sudden downpour of fire, were swallowed whole, leaving an eerie silence that enveloped the battlefield.
Then, perhaps due to the intense heat, dry gulps echoed in the silence as everyone struggled to moisten their dry mouths.
“……Crazy.”
“……Thank goodness it’s our side, seriously.”
Voices filled with awe followed as they gazed at the relentless flames that showed no sign of extinguishing.
It was a great relief that the flames weren’t directed towards us. I could sense the mixed expressions of relief directed toward me.
“Considering there’s no sound, did it collapse…?”
“……That might be it. No matter what, that was an insane amount of firepower.”
For a brief moment, silence reigned due to the flames, filling the air of the battlefield with newfound vigor.
The overwhelming firepower I had demonstrated lifted the morale that had been waning.
Yet, even in such a situation, my expression remained clouded.
Though I had displayed an astonishing strength, I knew that the opponent was not one to be taken down so easily.
Just after I had that thought,
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■─!!!!!
With a booming roar, the gluttonous witch, once engulfed in flames, re-emerged.
And upon seeing her reappearance, the expressions of those around turned pale in an instant.
“……She’s unharmed.”
“How can she be unscathed after taking such an attack…?”
The gluttonous witch looked remarkably intact indeed.
The strike, imbued with the sheer firepower of my abilities—fire that should not be trifled with—had left no visible marks on the witch.
As people began to look aghast at this realization, Eve’s voice roared with authority.
“Don’t be flustered! You all know that the glutton has regenerative abilities!”
Right, the reason the gluttonous witch appeared unscathed after my attack was simple.
She hadn’t simply avoided damage; she had regenerated the injuries she had endured.
The problem lay in the fact that her regenerative ability was exceedingly formidable.
“……Experiencing it first-hand, it’s truly absurd.”
The gluttonous witch clawed her way through the flames, clearly displeased.
The fear stemming from the gluttonous witch was due to the cumulative effect her abilities created.
Through her gluttony, she could absorb magic, and through the magic she absorbed, she regenerated endlessly, becoming a being close to immortality.
But what if we could prevent the witch from accumulating any magic at all?
Then, she would turn from an insurmountable foe into a foe we could potentially defeat.
It’s a ludicrous idea to try to purify all that magic on that grand scale, but we had Sylvia with us.
Unlike in the original tale, her powers—enhanced by the World Tree’s strength—had given us hope.
Now, the glutton’s gluttony was essentially negated.
My attack had already turned the surrounding lesser demonic beasts to ash, and Sylvia’s holy ground was purifying all the magic around.
So the only thing left was to wear down the magic the gluttonous witch held within her until it ran out.
“Now’s the time! All-out attack─!!!”
With Eve’s shout, a barrage of magic was unleashed towards the gluttonous witch.
“Everyone, unleash your prepared spells!!”
“Yes─!!”
Including the spells from the newly crowned head of the Ninehart family, Dwight Ninehart, and the archmage Martina Ivanova, the “Grand Magician of the Elements,” the magic brigade unleashed their spells.
“How dare you tread upon the ground where my family resides?”
Natalia Eloise, the commander of the Astra Unit, who wielded control over water, led the psychic corps in long-range attacks.
“……Even without Si-woo, I will protect this.”
The flames of the Witch of Wrath, Scarlet Evande, flew ceaselessly toward the gluttonous witch.
■■■■■■■■■■■!!!!!
Amidst the relentless barrage, the gluttonous witch emitted painful cries.
While it seemed she bore no wounds, these attacks were steadily sapping away her magic.
If we continued to strike until the witch collapsed, we could win.
And everyone thought this as they continued their assault.
“Everyone hold on just a bit more!!”
“If anyone is tired, switch out, switch out!”
In a battle where the fate of humanity hung in the balance, everyone poured their every ounce of strength into the fight.
Three hours passed.
The gluttonous witch was still as vigorous as ever.
“Are you alright? If you’re tired, switch out!”
“I’m still fine…!”
Amid the struggles of everyone, the attacks did not cease.
Half a day slipped by.
The gluttonous witch remained unyielding.
“Are you going to be okay…? Don’t push yourself too hard…!”
“I can still… still do this…”
The battle that began at dawn had continued until the sun began to set.
People could not hide the fatigue in their faces, although the gluttonous witch remained lively.
Despite this, the fighters kept their resolve burning, continuing their assault.
They pressed on and on, until…
The dawn appeared ahead.
It had been a full day since the fighting had begun.
“Huff, huff… Is it, alright…?”
“Huff… huff… I… can still… do it…”
“……She fainted. Move her.”
Many fell unconscious from exhaustion.
Yet, the battle went on relentlessly.
Damn it, the gluttonous witch was still, still alive.
“……Is everyone alright?”
“……We’re fine. We have to be fine.”
“Good……”
Even under circumstances where we felt we might crumble from fatigue, we did not utter words of surrender.
Because if we gave up, this world would meet its end.
Thus, no matter how exhausted or painful it became…
Even if blood vessels in our eyes burst, nausea threatened to consume us, and it felt like the veins in our bodies were ablaze.
We did not lose heart against the gluttonous witch, who was still as strong as ever.
We planned to fight until the very limits of our endurance.
But at that moment.
“Cough…”
Sylvia coughed up blood.
“Sylvia…! Are you okay?!”
As I rushed to check on her, her complexion appeared pale and sickly.
Seeing me rush in, Sylvia cried while pouring tears and blood.
“Scarlet… I’m so, so sorry… I tried to hold on… but I can’t… take any more…”
She tried to endure further, but it was beyond her limits.
Hearing her apology, laden with frustration and regret, I finally realized.
Everyone was pushing themselves to their limits, but Sylvia bore the greatest burden among us.
Wasn’t it her role to fully absorb the magic the witch dispersed?
I bit my lips and gazed at the gluttonous witch.
Though her size had somewhat diminished from earlier, she still appeared robust.
With that resilient form, I questioned in frustration.
Why was she still so intact?
Sylvia, reduced to such a state, yet the witch remained unharmed.
I pondered this, only to stumble upon a realization.
That the witch had been generating magic endlessly even while sealed.
Even when almost on the verge of death, she had enough energy to sustain her barriers.
Her existence itself was akin to a form of infinite energy.
And Sylvia had to shoulder that burden alone.
Perhaps from the very start, it was an impossible task.
How could a mere human ever contend with infinity?
I sighed at the thought and looked up at the sky.
The sun had risen, the stars had faded.
In the distance, I saw the witch emitting magic once more, as if waiting for the stars to dim, recovering her strength after depleting the surrounding magic.
“Ah…”
At that sight, the heart I had been trying to endure broke.
“……Was it, truly impossible?”
And as if to confirm that there was no longer any hope for us, Eve’s murmured voice echoed.
The words “surrender” flickered in the minds of the once-heroic faces as despair took hold.
Then, gazing upon our desolation, Eve spoke.
“While it’s not certain…”
She stated.
“……There’s still one way left.”
It wasn’t over yet; it was too early to give up.
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