Chapter 326: It’s Not Easy Even If You Know. (2)
Whoosh!
Belinda spoke with a weary tone as she pierced through Grex, who was rushing at them from all sides.
“Young Master, do you think we can make it to our fortress?”
“Of course, don’t worry. We can definitely get there. With the two of you here, our chances have increased significantly. Oh, I could have made it on my own, but it’s true that having two people makes it easier.”
Belinda’s blood boiled at Ghislaine’s innocent reply.
“Seriously! Why are you always so confident! We can barely move forward at all right now!”
Both she and Gillian were running low on energy. It seemed like Grex had even multiplied since the beginning. There was no visible way to break through.
Yet Ghislaine smiled and swung his sword.
“Just a little more effort. We’re almost there, aren’t we?”
“We’re completely out of strength! We haven’t been able to advance at all since a while ago! I’ll find a way through somehow, so you two go ahead!”
“No, we’ve come this far together. Piote will help us.”
“What did you say?”
Belinda momentarily forgot to wield her dagger in shock at the unexpected words. Gillian was surprised enough to take a sharp breath.
Piote was a priest. He must still be tending to the injured. He didn’t have the ability or the skill to come all the way here to assist in battle.
But Ghislaine continued to grin.
“During times like this, you have to trust your allies. He’s not called a Saint for nothing. Oh, is it a Saintess?”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The chatter was cut short. The three of them gritted their teeth and fought against the Grex. Their stamina had dropped to the point where even breathing carelessly could become a problem.
There were ten priests, excluding Piote, stationed at the fortress.
These priests had tagged along with the army of the investment victims from the last war and had been captured by Ghislaine, unable to return.
Ghislaine had sent a letter to Bishop Porisco to obtain temporary deployment orders.
These unwilling participants, dragged all the way to the Forest of Monsters, were diligently using their Divine Power to support the soldiers from behind.
Amidst them, Piote rushed around, observing the knights preparing to engage.
‘I need to help.’
Although he was receiving combat training from Ghislaine, it didn’t help much in actual fighting yet.
Piote surveyed the battlefield again.
“Don’t retreat! Retreat means the end!”
“Push them back! Knock off anyone who’s clinging on!”
“The Lord is coming! Provide coverage!”
Everyone was fighting frantically. The number of monsters charging at them was enough to make one dizzy.
He had never seen such a scene of slaughter up close. His stomach churned as if he were about to vomit.
But he couldn’t look away. Fighting against the wicked was also a mission bestowed by the Goddess. The scriptures defined monsters as alien entities in this world.
The mages stood resolutely in place, their expressions stern. They seemed to be preparing something by refraining from casting spells.
Piote realized that this was something they could only use when the Lord arrived.
As he looked around, he spotted Alfoy lying on the ground, gasping for breath.
‘…He’s not dead yet.’
Piote was startled by the thought that popped into his head and shook it vigorously.
How could a priest serving the Goddess harbor personal grudges? Though he found Alfoy annoying, he had decided to forgive him, exhaling deeply and closing his eyes.
‘Oh Goddess…’
Since receiving the revelation, Piote’s body had undergone an incomprehensible change. His Divine Power had grown more fluid, and the amount multiplied rapidly the more he used it.
At first, he was perplexed, but soon realized it was a blessing bestowed by the Goddess. He believed that with this power came an equal measure of responsibility.
Divine Power began to surge from Piote’s body.
Rumble!
He didn’t know much about war. He was ignorant of when and how to fight.
But the Lord was isolated, and the mages were plotting their moment. The knights were trying to carve a path.
Before starting the operation, the Lord had called him aside and said:
– Truthfully, this operation is highly dangerous. The rescue team might not arrive on time. When that moment comes, I’ll need your strength.
– Me? What should I do?
– There will come a moment when the rescue team or our fortress’ troops are in danger. You need to help then. When I’m not around, you’ll have to rely on your judgment.
– I can’t read the situation! Please tell me when and how I should act!
In response, Ghislaine shook his head.
– I don’t know when that moment will come either. The situation on the battlefield changes constantly. But you’ll get a feeling for it. If you closely observe the flow of battle, you’ll know when to utilize your strength.
He realized that now was exactly that moment the Lord had spoken of. It was the right time to use his power.
As Piote closed his eyes and reached out to the sky, radiant light began to burst forth from his hands.
Lines from the scriptures flowed from his mouth in a beautiful voice.
[Behold, you shall be made strong in that power within the Goddess. Put on the full armor that you may stand against the depraved.]
Bright light began to spread in all directions, enveloping the area around the fortress.
[The Goddess says, I have given you the power to trample them and to control all the abilities of your enemies, so no one shall harm you.]
“Oh Goddess… Please protect them.”
In the moment Piote opened his eyes.
Boom!
The spreading light suddenly vanished, leaving only a dazzling flash.
And right after the light disappeared.
“Wow! What is this!”
“I’m overflowing with power!”
“My wounds have all healed!”
The soldiers in the midst of battle gasped as they realized their own conditions.
They felt strength coursing through their entire bodies. Minor injuries healed instantly. Even the injured who had been lying in the back sprang back to their feet.
The overflowing power didn’t simply mean they had regained their stamina.
“What’s going on? Why is this happening?”
A soldier who had jumped up and pierced Grex’s head was taken aback, startled that he had achieved such an easy kill.
For a moment he felt as though he had become a Swordmaster. One thrust had utterly shattered Grex’s skull.
This phenomenon occurred for everyone present at the fortress. The soldiers’ spears grew stronger, and their arrows became powerful enough to pierce multiple foes.
But that wasn’t all. Waves of gentle light emanated from each person’s body.
“Gyaaaah!”
Boom!
“Huh?”
A soldier who got hit by Grex’s claws as they approached the stockade looked utterly bewildered.
Getting hit by such powerful claws that could dig into the ground should have ripped him apart. There were already several soldiers badly wounded from the same attack.
However, Grex’s assault was blocked by the light emanating from the soldier. The soldier suffered not a single injury.
“Ha, haha!”
The soldier laughed heartily as he sent Grex’s head flying with his spear. That changed everything. All those Grex no longer seemed frightening.
Moreover, bolstered by overflowing strength, their attack speed naturally increased.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
“Gyaaaah!”
The soldiers who gained confidence swung their spears madly without regard for their safety. Arrows rained down much faster than before, covering the battlefield.
At first, they were bewildered, but they quickly realized who was responsible for this miracle.
“The Saintess has performed another miracle!”
“The Goddess is protecting us!”
“Waah! Kill them all!”
The morale of the soldiers surged unimaginably.
Piote watched the scene, smiling despite staggering. Blood streamed from his nose, but he didn’t care.
“Alright… We should be able to save the Lord now.”
Talking to himself, Piote closed his eyes and collapsed.
Using such tremendous strength, there was no way his body could remain intact. Piote had undoubtedly exhausted himself to the point of having no power left to protect himself.
The dispatch priests from Juana, witnessing this, trembled in shock.
“W-What in the world…”
“How can a mere priest wield such power…?”
“C-Could the rumors be true?”
They had heard the whispers about Piote being a Saint, of course. Those who knew he was male scoffed and brushed off the stories.
They thought it was just the northern yokels exaggerating their Divine Power after having received it.
They themselves were considered highly revered by the uncultured folk, confined to dangerous tasks by Ghislaine.
But seeing this, they realized that this was no mere rumor to dismiss lightly.
“We… we need to report this…”
“Will they believe us? They probably won’t.”
“I don’t know…”
The strength Piote displayed was beyond what a standard priest should wield. While they hadn’t seen a Saint in person, such power seemed to require someone of that caliber.
The priests looked conflicted. They were envious and discontented that the lowly priest they had always disregarded had received such power.
‘No matter how unfair Divine Power is… Isn’t this a bit too unfair?!’
While the priests grumbled in jealousy, Piote’s miraculous strength temporarily shifted the tides of battle.
“Gyaaaah!”
The momentum of the Grex surged had faded. The number of monsters being killed outweighed those still alive.
And Kaor didn’t miss that brief opening.
“Now’s our chance.”
The knights had already completed their charge preparations. They hesitated momentarily, surprised by Piote’s power, but it had only improved their situation.
The knights were also infused with the light of Divine Power. So they focused all their mana into their legs, leaving none for defense.
“Let’s go!”
Kaor and about 400 knights jumped off the fortress.
The charge of the Penris Knights could rip through a formation of thousands of soldiers.
Though they made no sound, the greater power of mana exploded from their legs.
Boom!
“Gyaaaah!”
Nothing could stop those charging with greatswords. The Grex were obliterated as they crashed through.
The knights didn’t look to the side. They only charged forward, piercing through the red barrier in front of them.
Meanwhile, the situation for the three of them was no different from those inside the fortress.
Ghislaine’s eyes were ablaze as he grinned.
“See? I knew Piote would deliver.”
Belinda and Gillian also smiled as they gripped their weapons tightly.
“Of course, Young Master had it all planned.”
“I will take the lead, my Lord.”
The trio’s stamina had returned to peak levels. While their mana hadn’t fully recovered, they felt strength beyond what they had before.
The Grex attacks couldn’t inflict wounds on Belinda and Gillian. They only needed to charge forward.
“Alright, let’s move. This power won’t last long.”
Boom!
With a swing of his sword, Ghislaine charged back through the Grex barrier. The other two followed suit, finally abandoning defense and rushing ahead.
Focusing all their might on the assault, they pushed through what had been a stalemate.
Crack, crack, crack!
“Gyaaaah!”
As if surrounding the Grex from all sides, Kaor’s knights and Ghislaine’s group surged towards each other.
Those Grex caught in between were torn apart. The surge of knights overpowered any threat posed by the Grex.
Although there were endless reinforcements of Grex, the support raining down from the fortress allowed the knights and Ghislaine’s team to steadily advance.
Finally, the knights and Ghislaine met in the midst of battle.
Boom!
Ghislaine, having blown away the Grex blocking their path, grinned wickedly.
“Why are these bastards still guarding the fortress?”
Kaor and the knights chuckled.
“We don’t listen to orders, just like our Lord.”
“Right, but thanks to that, we can go faster. Let’s move!”
With Ghislaine, Gillian, and Kaor leading the charge, the knights followed behind. Belinda quietly slipped in from the middle.
“Ugh, I’m exhausted. I really need a break.”
Boom!
The Penris Knights, led by Ghislaine, boasted an unparalleled breakthrough power, earning their reputation as the strongest in the kingdom.
They displayed an immense strength befitting their accumulated skills and fame.
The Grex couldn’t even attach themselves properly and were getting torn apart helplessly.
The active offensive from the fortress made it easy for Ghislaine and the knights to push through.
“Block the approach from behind!”
Galbarik shouted instructions from the fortress. Following his command, the positions of the catapults were adjusted.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Dozens of stones flew through the air at once, targeting the Grex chasing after the knights. Simultaneously, arrows hailed from the towers built on the fortress.
Thanks to that, Ghislaine and the knights safely reached the front of the fortress.
Just then, a cheer erupted from the fortress as if the skies were splitting.
“The Lord has arrived!”
“Give it just a little more effort!”
“Waah!”
As the soldiers cheered, Ghislaine and the knights ascended the fortress. They could easily climb using the ropes that had been lowered in advance after just a few dashes.
Ghislaine, covered in fatigue, beheaded the Grex attempting to follow him and shouted,
“Is anyone left behind?”
“No, Sir!”
The knights boisterously yelled as they spread out to assist the soldiers.
With Ghislaine’s return, the soldiers’ morale skyrocketed.
But still, the number of Grex was considerable. Despite their valor, the red tide that shook the forest and land had not yet receded.
It seemed that the blessing Piote had given was now losing its power, as the light emanating from the soldiers flickered faintly.
Now was the time to show their ultimate blow.
“Vanessa!”
As Ghislaine called out, Vanessa, who had been saving her strength until now, stepped forward.
Rumble!
At the same time, an immense amount of mana began to bear down on the area around the fortress.
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