NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 613
Chapter 613: A Big Issue Has Been Resolved. (2)
Boom!
Parniel swung her mace.
It was a simple swing, but in that instant, the air seemed to rip apart, and the surrounding monsters exploded outwards in all directions.
“Huuh!”
Boom!
Flesh and blood poured down like rain. She advanced a step forward with a fierce expression.
The ground trembled and cracked as if it were wailing in agony. The monsters staggered as if caught in a typhoon.
Parniel’s gigantic mace cut through the sky again.
Bang! Bang! Boom!
Every time the mace was swung, shockwaves hammered the surroundings. The bodies of the monsters converging in the center were torn apart, bursting in all directions.
As time passed, Parniel’s attacks grew more ferocious. She was single-handedly facing waves of countless monsters, overwhelming them.
Even the elite Ruthania Army found themselves momentarily dazed by her terrifying might.
In their eyes, Parniel looked like a living calamity.
Boom!
Parniel’s mace descended from the sky, crushing a troll’s head into a pulp and smashing its body to the ground.
Kraaah!
The crazed monsters, witnessing her immense power, were undeterred. They simply charged at her driven by instinct.
“Huh…”
Parniel glared at the oncoming monsters, gripping her mace tightly.
On either side, wizards were tirelessly casting spells. Thus, she only needed to deal with the monsters converging in the center.
As she summoned her divine power, her body began to glow brighter. The sight drove the monsters into a frenzy.
They no longer cared about the fortress. Astonishingly, all the monsters nearby were solely fixated on Parniel.
Kraaah!
A frenzied ogre charged wildly, swinging its massive club.
Although Parniel was large by human standards, it paled in comparison to the ogre.
Yet, she blocked the ogre’s club with her thick biceps.
Boom!
A thunderous crash erupted, revealing an unbelievable sight.
The ogre’s giant club shattered like a thin twig. The fragments scattered like rain.
Amid the debris, Parniel stood firm like a mountain. Not a single hair swayed, and not even her toes moved.
“Grk?”
The ogre, unable to comprehend the situation, looked down at its broken weapon for a moment.
In that instant, a light flashed in Parniel’s eyes.
Shwing!
With a sharp sound slicing through the air, Parniel’s mace moved like lightning.
Boom!
The ogre’s massive body burst apart like rotten fruit. The sounds of bones shattering and flesh scattering filled the battlefield.
Parniel gripped her blood-soaked mace and charged forward again.
Krahh!
Powerful divine energy spread wide around her. The more it expanded, the more the monsters shrieked and recklessly charged at her.
Seeing this, Parniel narrowed her eyes.
‘These fools, could it be…?’
A strange sensation struck her as her divine power swelled. It still felt like a faint tickle, but she was undeniably sensing something.
The divine power wielded by the saint Parniel resembled the essence of a goddess.
Therefore, unlike other priests, she was more attuned to the subtle energies penetrating her divine power.
‘Enough, thinking comes later.’
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Parniel momentarily halted her thoughts and swung her mace. There were simply too many monsters rushing at her.
Thanks to her overwhelming might, the monsters at the center could no longer approach the fortress. They were all held back by just one person.
Boom!
Even with the monsters clinging to her, not a single wound marred her body. Even if she were to get hurt, she healed in an instant.
Parniel stood stoic like a steadfast iron tower, facing innumerable monsters.
This was her true power, honed from her former life battling Helgenik’s legion of corpses.
A defense that seemed impenetrable, and the destructive power stemming from her divine power was beyond the reach of anyone among the continent’s elite seven.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
But she was still human. As the fight dragged on, her divine power waned, and her stamina inevitably fell.
The number of monsters coming at her was far greater than what had already arrived. Continuing to fight alone was impossible.
Just then, a loud cry echoed from above the fortress.
“Help the Saint!”
The fortress troops moved sideways.
The monsters could no longer ascend towards the center. Now they only had to deal with the monsters climbing up from the sides, barely able to cope with magical attacks.
From the space cleared at the center of the fortress, over a hundred individuals dressed in priest robes emerged. It was Piote, along with priests dispatched from each temple, and the priesthood that had followed Parniel.
The temple knights surrounded them, standing guard.
Leading the priests, Piote closed his eyes and offered a prayer.
“O Goddess, grant your servant the grace to vanquish the darkness.”
The priests behind him repeated his words in unison.
“Grant us your grace.”
Fwoosh!
Piote’s hair began to shimmer silver. A powerful divine energy radiated from his body.
Divine power also emanated from the priests praying behind him.
The divine power spread wide, enveloping the soldiers engaged in battle with the monsters. Among them, Parniel received the most divine energy.
Parniel grinned as she grasped her mace.
“This is good.”
A powerful divine energy surged through her entire body.
The strength poured out by Piote, boasting divine power rivaling that of a saint, along with over a hundred priests, had filled Parniel with immense power.
Now she became the strongest “Saint of War” more potent than anyone else.
“Huuh…”
Taking a breath, Parniel swung her mace once more. She bravely strode forward without fear.
Kraaah!
The rushing monsters began to flock towards her. Even flying monsters swooped down to attack her.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Parniel swept the monsters away without hesitation. Her strength and speed were so remarkable that the number of monsters charging her surpassed those climbing the fortress now.
The soldiers on the fortress, finding a moment of leisure, could hardly believe what they were witnessing.
“Is that really the power of the Saint…?”
“They said being with the priesthood made one invincible; it was indeed true.”
“Piote and the priests are incredible too. To think they could fight back with just this many.”
The soldiers also showered Piote, who was silently praying, with the same praise.
His figure, absorbed in prayer, appeared genuinely divine and beautiful, evoking a sense of awe one could hardly approach.
The divine power enveloped everyone. In this sacred festivity, all found the strength to fight even harder.
The soldiers’ morale soared higher than ever.
“Waaah!”
“We can win! The goddess is with us!”
“We are the strongest army in the continent!”
The soldiers’ cheers echoed thunderously. Hearing their shouts, Piote smiled faintly.
His heart swelled with gratitude towards the goddess.
“Oh Goddess! Thank you so much! Thank you! I am endlessly grateful!”
Originally, the operational blueprint had Piote spearheading the charge alone. He wouldn’t die as long as he had divine power attracting the monsters.
The divine power would be supported by the priests and Parniel. While he held the line, other forces could safely engage the monsters—it was a brilliant plan.
Piote had opposed it in fright. However, everyone else hinted for it to proceed.
The one who saved him was Parniel’s simple words.
—“I’ll just go out and fight myself. It’ll push the monsters back faster.”
Piote’s martial skills had also risen to a commendable level. With powerful divine energy and the relic’s strength, he became strong enough to challenge cockroaches.
He could face superhumans, but he couldn’t match Parniel’s level of destructive prowess.
Thus, in the end, it became Parniel who led the charge.
With a subtle smile playing on his lips, Piote offered up his grateful prayers to the goddess and to Parniel.
“Waaah!”
Kraaah!
The soldiers’ cheers and the monsters’ cries continuously resonated across the battlefield.
And what rang louder than those sounds was the noise of Parniel destroying everything.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Before long, Parniel found herself far removed from the fortress, battling the monsters. All the monsters were focused solely on her.
Because of this, the catapult crews, archers, and wizards could attack the monster’s rear.
Kraaah!
The number of monsters dwindled faster than ever. They had to help Parniel, now isolated up ahead.
Tenant galloped down from the fortress, spear in hand. Behind him, twenty thousand mobile soldiers stood ready.
“Supporting the Saint!”
Whoooom!
A strong, massive steel door, even sturdier than the fortress walls, began to creak open.
As soon as the door swung wide, Tenant and the mobile troops shot forward like arrows.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
Thanks to Parniel successfully luring and pushing the monsters back, there was ample distance.
Accelerating, the mobile troops raised their spears before impact.
Zing—!
Magic energy surged, shooting fireballs from the mobile soldiers’ spears. Twenty thousand fireballs detonated upon the monsters ahead.
Boom!
Kraaah!
The medium and large monsters managed to withstand the flames of magic, but the small monsters fell with every hit.
Twenty thousand fireballs were launched three times in rapid succession. The monsters rushing towards Parniel were swept aside by the unexpected assault.
Before the monsters could regain their composure, Tenant and the Penris Mobile Army attacked them.
Boom!
The tidal wave of monsters collapsed. The Penris Mobile Army pressed on relentlessly.
At the forefront, Tenant radiated an intense aura blade as he charged ahead.
Monsters were pierced through by his spear as they stumbled into him, not sparing even the larger ones.
Thud thud thud thud!
The mobile troops lost momentum as they faced medium and large monsters. But their assault was far from over.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
Out of nowhere, Lumina and the archer cavalry burst forth, attacking the sides and rear of the monsters.
Fwoosh!
A rain of arrows fell, carefully avoiding allies, showering the monsters. The archer cavalry drew the attention of nearby monsters, moving continuously.
“Waaah!”
Following close behind, the fortress infantry also rushed out. Wizards and priests joined the fray to assist their allies.
The catapults now only targeted the monsters’ rear. Everyone was working together in astounding harmony.
And at the center of it all was Parniel, leading them all with overwhelming might.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Ruthania Army reached a staggering hundred thousand. With their full force, the already diminished monsters had nowhere to flee.
The spot where the tidal wave of monsters once surged had been completely enveloped by the Ruthania Army.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that there was practically no damage taken. Parniel had willingly stepped forward to take on the most dangerous tasks.
And as a bit more time passed…
Boom!
Even the last remaining large monster had its head smashed by Parniel’s mace.
“Huuh…”
Boom!
Parniel set her mace down and exhaled heavily. Her body was stained red from the blood spilled by the monsters.
The soldiers began to lower their weapons one by one, murmuring.
“It’s over…”
“To have slain this many monsters.”
“I knew we could do it.”
Despite the arduous battle, they had never doubted their victory.
Their pride in being the continent’s strongest army.
That very conviction was what empowered them to fight to their limits.
Tenant raised his spear high and shouted.
“We have won!”
“Waaah!”
As always, the soldiers cheered loudly, filled with joy.
They directed their praise towards Parniel, the hero of their victory, who had bravely risked everything.
“As long as the Saint is with us, we are invincible!”
“The goddess is always with us!”
“O Goddess! Bless the Saint!”
Everyone joyfully expressed their gratitude, yet Parniel’s stern expression remained unchanged.
She was lost in thought, recalling the strange energy she had felt while fighting the monsters.
‘Why…?’
She knew that the monsters were being manipulated by dragon magic.
However, it wasn’t merely magic at play. There was a secretive energy within the monsters that no one else could detect.
Only the saint herself had managed to faintly sense it.
Amidst the cheering of the people, Parniel gazed down at the corpses of the monsters for some time.
*
Thanks to the conjunction of superhumans, wizards, and the infantry from the front fortress, each fortress had successfully held back the monster wave.
There were hardly any more monsters left in the Shadow Mountain Range.
Following the difficult battle, the victors rejoiced. Especially the people from Turian, whose happiness was at an all-time high.
The monsters from the Shadow Mountain Range had relentlessly nibbled away at the kingdom until now. With most of those monsters gone, it was cause for celebration.
They would likely resurge over time, but if they could eliminate the cause—the dragon—there would be no need to worry.
Ghislaine, upon receiving the news of victory from each fortress, smiled brightly.
“Good, a significant issue has finally been resolved. Time to prepare for the next steps.”
She intended to leave just enough support troops behind to handle the dragon’s appearance and send everyone else to exterminate the remnants.
Here would only need to be superhumans and wizards available to confront the dragon.
To gather all commanders for a briefing, Ghislaine enjoyed a long-deserved rest.
And then, she dreamed again. The frequency of her dreams had increased recently.
But this dream felt a little different from the usual.
“That’s….”
As always, the Human Alliance and the Salvation Society were clashing. That part was unchanged, but there were unfamiliar figures joining the fray.
The expression of Ghislaine, watching their battle in her dream, began to harden.