Chapter: 267
“Everyone! Commence the battle─!!”
With Commander Ms. Eve’s declaration ringing through the frontline, those eagerly waiting for the signal sprang into action.
But to call them ‘those’ feels a bit off.
Since, according to the operational plan, the one in charge of leading the attack was none other than me.
To erase my tension, I swallowed hard, stepping forward in front of the ranks of people.
“Sigh─”
I inhaled deeply.
As I gathered strength, flames crackled and ignited all over my body.
Perhaps it was due to having gotten used to wielding the powers I had gained through recent events.
In the beginning, controlling the flames was no easy task, but now it was simple to conjure flames much larger and hotter than before.
With flames of this magnitude, I could turn any demonic beast into ashes in an instant.
However, that was merely a reference point from when I hadn’t yet awakened the power of the witch.
“─Ha.”
I exhaled the breath I had been holding.
A few days ago, I realized that I had never tried to unleash my full power after awakening the witch’s strength.
Thinking back, it shouldn’t be just this level of power.
Evangeline, the Witch of Wrath, single-handedly burned the World Tree while opposing Astra, who possessed powers contrary to miasma; there was no way my power, having inherited the legacy of the Witch of Wrath, was only this much.
So I muttered to myself.
It’s insufficient; your power is not only this much.
Thus, I urged myself to burn bigger, burn hotter.
As if reprimanding myself.
Then I felt a surge within my cells bubbling up.
Crash─!
The roaring flames within me went silent.
The flames that devoured all fuel without leaving even soot or smoke burned silently and fiercely.
These flames were far hotter than before, and it was inevitable.
What made my flames burn hot was always anger.
Now, facing an enemy trying to consume the precious world that validated me, they were approaching.
“─I won’t let you touch it.”
With a quiet murmur filled with that anger, I expelled it towards the front.
“This city, I will protect!”
A storm of flames erupted.
───────!
The overwhelming firepower and size of the flames painted my surroundings a blinding red.
As the sudden onslaught of fire engulfed everything, the screams of the demonic beasts were drowned out, and silence swept through the previously chaotic battlefield.
Then, perhaps due to the intense heat, I could hear the sound of dry saliva being swallowed amidst the silence.
“……Crazy.”
“……I’m really glad it’s our side.”
Voices filled with admiration emerged as they gazed at the flames that burned mercilessly and vigorously.
They seemed relieved that the flames were not directed at them; I could feel their glances filled with relief turning towards me.
“Since there’s no sound, they must be knocked out…?”
“……Might be true, even this level of an attack should do that.”
After a moment of silence caused by the flames, the battlefield regained some vigor.
My display of overwhelming firepower had lifted the fallen morale.
However, even in such a situation, my expression did not lighten.
Indeed, I had shown a power that would astonish me.
But I also knew that my opponent was not someone who would easily fall to such a display.
Just after that thought,
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■─!!!!!
With a thunderous roar, the Witch of Gluttony, engulfed in flames, reemerged.
Immediately, the color drained from people’s faces as they saw her return.
“……She’s, she’s unharmed.”
“How could she take that kind of attack without a scratch…?”
It was because the Witch of Gluttony appeared to be entirely unscathed.
A single blow containing my unparalleled firepower had failed to leave even the faintest injury on her.
As people were left dumbfounded by that reality, Ms. Eve’s voice rang out loudly.
“Don’t panic! Everyone knows that the Gluttony Witch has regenerative abilities!”
Right, the reason the Gluttony Witch seemed unharmed after my attack was simple.
It wasn’t that she didn’t take damage; she had simply “regenerated” from it.
The problem was that her regenerative abilities were incredibly powerful.
“……Experiencing it firsthand is baffling, really.”
The Gluttony Witch crawled out of the flames as if annoyed.
Seeing that sight, a wry smile escaped me.
I could tell, as I was the one who conjured the fire.
The flames were continuously scorching her body in real time.
Yet the reason she appeared completely unscathed was that she regenerated from all damage the instant it occurred.
Anyone who heard about her ability to devour and convert everything around her into miasma would think that was her most formidable power.
However, the most potent ability that the Gluttony Witch possessed was none other than that regeneration.
As you know, Yoon Si-woo’s sword, possessed by Lucy, the Witch of Arrogance, has the ability to “cut anything it touches.”
It’s an ability like a spear that can pierce any shield, worthy of legends.
Yet despite that, Yoon Si-woo was ultimately defeated by the Gluttony Witch in the original story, unable to do anything against her.
Everything-piercing as Yoon Si-woo’s sword was, it could not slice through the Gluttony Witch.
To be precise, it was cut, but the blade could never penetrate her flesh.
If Yoon Si-woo did manage to cut through her outer layer,
The Gluttony Witch would immediately regenerate from that cut, healing the wound as soon as it was created.
Before Yoon Si-woo’s sword could advance past her outer skin.
Then, Yoon Si-woo’s sword would just find itself cutting through her outer shell again, leaving it looking as if it were forever stuck and accomplishing nothing.
That monstrous regenerative ability seemed to defy the very laws of the world, effectively rendering the Gluttony Witch invincible and immortal.
It felt impossible to defeat something like that when spoken of.
Honestly, when I heard that I had to face something so overwhelming, the feeling was dire.
But I wasn’t watching a novel.
If I gave up, if I couldn’t bring that thing down, the world I lived in would come to an end.
That’s why I had to find any way to win, no matter what.
I was standing here for that reason.
So I opened my mouth.
Even against the Gluttony Witch, who remained unscathed after my ultimate strike, I wouldn’t give up and yelled towards our only hope.
“Silvia─!!”
“Yes!! Everyone, now’s the time!!”
The voice of Silvia, responding to my call.
As soon as I heard that, the starlight that Silvia and Astra’s people had created soared high into the sky and illuminated the land.
What was unfolding beneath that light was truly a sanctuary.
A sacred land illuminated by the stars.
As the sanctuary spread, the miasma surrounding the witch began to be purified by starlight.
■■■■■■■■■■■!!!!!
The Gluttony Witch wriggled as if irritated.
The reason the Gluttony Witch was to be feared lay in the synergistic effects produced by her abilities.
She could obtain miasma through consumption, and using that miasma, she could regenerate infinitely, becoming an almost immortal being.
However, what if we could prevent the witch from obtaining miasma?
Then the Gluttony Witch would transform from a foe who seemed insurmountable to one we could actually defeat.
Purifying all of that substantial miasma was fundamentally an absurd concept, but we had Silvia on our side.
Unlike the original, her powers, amplified by the power of the World Tree, had given us hope.
Now, the Gluttony Witch was essentially without her abilities.
My attack had already incinerated all the nearby demonic beasts, and Silvia’s sanctuary was purifying the miasma in the vicinity.
All that remained was to chip away at the miasma that the Gluttony Witch still contained until it was exhausted.
“Now! All-out attack─!!!”
With Ms. Eve’s shout, a barrage of magic fired towards the Gluttony Witch.
“Everyone, unleash your prepared spells!!”
“Roger─!!”
The mages, including Martina Ivanova, the ‘Grand Sorceress of Elements,’ and Dwight Neinhart, who had succeeded the previous leader of Ninehart, unleashed their magic.
“Aren’t you daring to tread where my family is?”
Led by Natalia Eloise, the Captain of the 3rd Squad of Astrafe, specializing in water manipulation, the psychics launched long-range attacks.
“……Even without Yoon Si-woo, I’ll protect them.”
The flames of the Witch of Wrath, me, Scarlet Evande, continually flowed toward the Gluttony Witch, alternately soaring through the air.
“■■■■■■■■■■■!!!!!”
Amid the unending barrages, the Gluttony Witch let out a painful scream.
It seemed she wasn’t suffering any wounds, but these attacks must surely be chipping away at her miasma.
So if we kept attacking until the witch fell, we could win.
Everyone believed that, and continued their assault.
“Everyone, just a little more strength!!”
“Anyone fatigued, switch out, switch out!”
This was a fight for the survival of humanity, and everyone poured every ounce of their strength into it.
Three hours passed just like that.
The Gluttony Witch was still standing strong.
“Are you alright? If you’re exhausted, switch out!”
“I’m still good…!”
Through everyone’s struggles, the attacks continued unrelentingly.
Half a day went by.
The Gluttony Witch was still intact.
“Are you okay…? Don’t push yourself too hard…!”
“I can still… I can still do this…”
The battle that began at dawn had reached the evening, and people could not mask the fatigue on their faces.
Unfortunately, the Gluttony Witch was still standing strong.
Even so, they continued to set their will ablaze and pressed on with the attack.
They kept attacking and attacking until…
Dawn came again.
It had been a day since the fight started.
“Guh, guh… Are you alright…?”
“Huff… huff… I can… fight…”
“……She’s out cold. Move her.”
Many fell unconscious due to exhaustion.
Yet still, the battle raged on.
Damn it, it was still going on, still.
The Gluttony Witch also remained standing strong.
“……Is everyone alright?”
“……We’re fine. We have to be fine.”
“Yeah…”
Even in the seemingly doomed situation where we felt we’d collapse at any moment, we didn’t dare mention giving up.
If we gave up, this world would meet its end.
So, no matter how exhausted and hard it seemed.
Even when blood vessels threatened to burst in our eyes, nausea clawed at our throats, and it felt like the veins in our bodies were on fire.
We did not despair against the still-vibrant Gluttony Witch.
We were determined to fight to the very limits.
But in that moment.
“Cough……!”
Silvia, coughed up blood.
“Silvia…! Are you alright?!”
I rushed over and checked her condition; her complexion was pale.
Upon seeing me rush to her, Silvia burst into tears, spitting blood alongside her tears.
“Scarlet… I’m… I’m sorry… I tried my best to hold on… but… I can’t anymore…”
Desperately trying to push through, but this was the limit.
Hearing her apology laced with frustration and remorse, I finally realized.
Everyone was pushing themselves to their limits, but among them, it had been Silvia who bore the brunt.
Wasn’t she the one responsible for fully handling the miasma spread by the witch?
I bit my lip as I looked at the Gluttony Witch.
It may have shrunk considerably, but she still looked quite well.
Watching the witch in such a state made me feel a mix of anguish and question.
Why was she still perfectly fine?
While Silvia was in tatters, how could the witch be so unscathed?
As I pondered this, I suddenly understood on my own.
This witch had been a being capable of creating endless amounts of miasma even while sealed.
Even when she seemed near death, she had enough energy to maintain her barrier.
Her very existence was akin to an unlimited power source.
Thus, Silvia had been left to shoulder that burden alone.
From the very beginning, it might have been far too much to ask.
How could an ordinary person contend against infinity?
I sighed at that realization, looking up at the sky.
The sun had risen, and the stars had begun to fade.
In the distance, the witch was releasing miasma once again, as if waiting for the stars to set, restoring the energy she had just consumed.
“Ah…”
Seeing that, my will to endure finally crumbled.
“……Was it truly too much to ask?”
Then, as if to signal the end of our hope, Commander Ms. Eve’s murmurs resonated.
In response to her murmurs, the faces of the once-resilient heroes began to entertain the notion of giving up.
And so, to us who were despairing.
“While I’m not certain,”
Ms. Eve spoke.
“……There’s still one method left.”
It wasn’t over yet; it was too early to give up.
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