Chapter 62: Shadows Over the Chaotic Square
Around the chaotic square, on the terrace of a half-destroyed building, there were people watching the scene unfold.
“Jepita.”
“What is it, Edga.”
“Why not deploy high erosion beasts right away?”
“What was our purpose?”
Jepita countered Edga's question.
“To spread fear and chaos... and despair.”
“Right. Do you know when people fall into despair?”
“When the terror of death looms right before their eyes, isn't it?”
“Half right.”
Jepita simply answered quietly.
“So the other half is wrong.”
“When the terror of death looms right before their eyes, if there's even a sliver of hope, humans can rise up. Humans are resilient, after all. But... the moment that hope is shattered, humans lose the will to resist. Despair swallows them whole.”
“Ah.”
Edga seemed to grasp something.
“You mean, first stir a faint hope with low erosion beasts, then crush it with stronger ones to deepen their despair?”
“Exactly. That's how their despair will cut deep.”
“But won't that just give them time? Even if Solemnute lets their guard down, we can't ignore the strength of the capital guard and imperial knights. They won't take much damage.”
“I know.”
“Then why?”
“Because this isn't our all-out war. What's our true goal? Isn't it the resurrection of our lord?”
“Yes.”
“For our lord to resurrect, we need something greater than human deaths. Profound despair, terror, and chaos. Of course, the negative emotions from human deaths are intensely potent. But they're fleeting. If that one survives, if they live on, they'll harbor constant unease toward us. That will nourish our lord's resurrection.”
“I see.”
“Even with the forces we've prepared, we probably won't scratch Solemnute. At best, a few will die. But the anxiety and fear lingering in the survivors' hearts, the despair from the ever-growing erosion beasts... those will be etched into their souls. Do you understand now?”
“Yes. Thank you for enlightening this fool, Jepita.”
“Now that you get it, good. Come on, let's prepare ourselves. Who knows what variables might pop up.”
“Yes!”
The situation wasn't good.
Ashytara kept moving her feet, drawing up her divine power. Fierce flames erupted, incinerating the low erosion beasts blocking her path. Solem's basic saint law of ignition. Not a high-tier spell, but Solem's divine power boasted superior firepower to any other saint law, making it easy to burn low erosion beasts.
But Ashytara gritted her teeth.
Not good. Too many erosion beasts swarming in. If only I had a weapon...!
Maintaining saint laws continuously drained mental and physical stamina. Losing stamina here could leave her powerless in the critical moments ahead.
Yet Ashytara kept drawing up her divine power. Right now, she had to push forward, even if it meant overexerting herself. Securing weapons would vastly improve their situation. Thanks to the grueling recent training at Solemnute Adem, the knight faculty students' skills had risen sharply. They were now desperately blocking the erosion beasts targeting their flanks. Divine powers of all kinds swirled in a frenzy.
How long had she run? Ashytara realized the smithy was close. She pressed on. Burning away the countless attacks from the erosion beasts, she fixed her gaze ahead. The rear—she trusted Ludenberg Lavante to guard it.
Ludenberg swung his pitch-black sword, Liberra. Clean sword strikes cleaved through the erosion beasts' hearts. He perfectly defended the rear using his expanded senses. Even though more erosion beasts charged from the front, Ludenberg didn't waver. Each swing felled five or six low erosion beasts, spilling their repulsive blood in chunks.
Though he'd borrowed the absurd body of the Starting Knight, he'd already faced down a highest erosion beast. Mere low erosion beasts weren't enough to instill fear after all he'd endured.
Not good. Bigger ones are definitely coming. We need to reach the smithy fast.
“Not much farther! Just a bit more!”
As he thought that, Ashytara's shout came from ahead. Ludenberg, who had been guarding the rear, finally looked forward—and there it was, the smithy displaying all manner of weapons.
But there was a problem: countless erosion beasts swarmed right in front of it.
“Damn...”
Ashytara, at the lead, let out a groan.
Could they really push through that horde and seize the smithy?
No. Don't think like that. They're just low erosion beasts.
She steeled her resolve. Divine power was strength bolstered by faith in the god and oneself.
Solem, grant me the power to overcome this trial.
She quelled her urgency and banished the fear knotting her heart. What bloomed then was a brilliant flame born from her very spirit—stronger even than the one she'd used while running. Cloaked in these intensified flames, Ashytara confronted the erosion beasts charging at her.
The grotesquely mutated erosion beasts hurled themselves at her with savage fury. Some bared blackened, rotting teeth and claws; others lashed out with hideous tentacles and spines sprouting from their bodies; still others swung fists armored in tough hides. Their forms varied, but their ferocity was palpable.
Yet none of it instilled fear in Ashytara. She recalled her training with Ludenberg. Flames enveloped her fist. Imperial martial arts. Her proficiency paled compared to Lavante greatsword techniques, but in this moment, it suited her best. No gear to protect her hands? No time to worry about that. Relying solely on her still-immature saint laws risked the beasts targeting the civilians behind her.
She needed a sure way to suppress them. Ashytara stomped the ground. A thunderous boom rang out as the earth cratered and flames surged. The erosion beasts lunging at her burst into flames, scattering as ash. She then smashed the head of a wolf-like erosion beast charging in, dodging the follow-up tentacles and spines with agile movements.
But the wave of erosion beasts didn't end there. Soon, a humanoid one—its fist covered in tough hide—swung at her. Ashytara met it with her own fist, empowered by Solem's divine power. Her blazing punch melted the hide and shattered its arm.
Watching Ashytara fight desperately to protect them ignited resolve in the other knight faculty students. They rallied to her, blocking the front-line erosion beasts.
“Over here! We need support!”
“Those with Terra divine power, raise barriers around us! You can do that much, right?”
“Anyone with Mare divine power? Who can heal? We've got wounded!”
The flank students were the same. Regardless of rank, they took every action they could, actively engaging the erosion beasts and moving busily.
“Please... please hold.”
The civilians caught in the middle could only pray they wouldn't break through.
Ludenberg kept swinging his sword from the rear of the formation. An endless wave of erosion beasts. Tentacles and spines flew at him.
Whether in the Trial World or here, why do erosion beasts love spines, tentacles, chains, and the like?
Slicing incoming tentacles, Ludenberg pondered. Many erosion beasts used claws and fangs like beasts, but oddly, more sprouted all sorts of things from their bodies to attack. Probably because such unpredictable strikes worked well on humans, catching them off guard.
No, not the time for idle thoughts.
Ludenberg shook off the distraction, focusing solely on butchering the erosion beasts before him. He severed tentacles, deflected spines, and neatly bisected hearts time and again—yet the wave didn't thin. How many were coming?
Everyone fought fiercely, front, flanks, everywhere. Thanks to Ashytara and the students' valiant efforts, the group inched forward. The smithy was right there.
But in that instant, the space before Ludenberg's eyes tore open grotesquely with a deafening roar.
Crrrack—Kieeeek!
A chilling rift sound, followed by a scream-like shriek. What emerged was a mid erosion beast, several times larger than the lows. Its savagery, utterly unlike the lows, pressed down on everyone there in an instant.
The students whipped around to the rear, faces paling at the sudden ferocious pressure.
At least it was somewhat fortunate—no mids appeared on the front or flanks, so this seemed to be the only one the Salvation Cult had assigned here.
Ludenberg eyed the scene, considering his next move. His duty now was to safeguard the rear. It wasn't just an assigned role; it was part of his promise to Ashytara. She wanted to protect these people; he wanted to protect her. What she wished for was for everyone here to reach the Terra cathedral safely. Amid those who didn't trust him, for the girl who alone believed in him.
Ludenberg raised his sword.