Chapter 231: At the End of the Wait
Chapter 231: At the End of the Wait
A castle shrouded in a veil of light.
In the heart of this fortress, which stubbornly refused entry to all manner of wicked hordes, a woman knelt atop a soaring tower.
She had shimmering white hair, skin so translucent it seemed one could see right through it, and features so beautiful they looked as if they had been sculpted by a god.
Yet, the expression on that face was one of agony, resignation, and profound exhaustion.
It was only natural.
For she… Saintess Clara, was single-handedly holding back an encroaching legion of chimeras.
And she had been doing so for over three hundred years.
Indeed, Clara was well aware that she was merely a remnant thought.
She knew that the real "her" had died long ago, that her soul had turned to ash without receiving anyone’s salvation, and that… in the end, her prayers had never been heard.
Clara knew all of this all too well.
It was something normally impossible, but Clara could manage it because her mind had once been linked to a transcendent being.
Yet, even knowing everything, even after repeating the same span of time for three hundred years, she still prayed.
She had grown used to the pain of wringing out her holy power, but she could never grow used to the despair that carved out her heart.
And a desperate person is bound to cling to something.
By now, Clara had reached a point where she didn't even know what she wanted anymore, but one thing was certain.
Today, too, she would perish while defending the castle.
And after that, she would repeat this never-ending day. Just as she had for three hundred years.
Clara’s eyelids, which had been closed in prayer, slowly fluttered open.
Her glass-marble eyes, devoid of any spark of life, took in the landscape beyond the fortress walls.
Even looking down from such a height, the legion of chimeras seemed endless.
She knew. It wasn't that there were no reinforcements; it was simply that no help could ever reach this far.
After all, who could possibly break through that many monsters to reach the fortress?
Even if they did reach her, there was no guarantee they wouldn't suffer the same fate as the holy knights who had died before her while trying to protect her.
Was it because of the peculiar stench of the chimeras wafting up here, or was it for some other reason?
Suppressing the urge to gag, Clara closed her eyes again and gripped the medallion she had cherished since her days as a novice nun.
She gripped it so hard that blood seeped from her palm, dripping down the medallion.
Even so, Clara did not let go of her clasped hands.
Despite all the impossibilities, she had not yet abandoned her faith. She still yearned for salvation.
Though her holy power was being consumed in real-time, Clara whispered a prayer to recover even a fraction of it.
"Though the world be submerged in darkness, the sun shall rise again. O Righteous Light, I praise Your name. Light the path with the inner flame and gui—"
BOOOOOM—!!
"—guiiiide?"
A thunderous roar echoed from the distance. Clara, who had been mid-prayer, squinted one eye open.
A brilliant feast of magic was pulverizing the dark masses. Someone had come here. They had made it all the way here.
Clara’s frozen heart began to beat again at an event that had never happened before.
And when she saw a giant lion’s paw descending from the sky, she began to hop up and down on the spot.
"H-Holding out... always wins in the end!"
In that moment, she looked strangely similar to a certain goddess.
*
I jammed my staff into the gaping maw of a chimera.
Crack!
I heard the sound of sharp fangs snapping.
The creature, which had a head resembling a snake, gagged and tried to spit the staff out... but this was a special metal staff made by Fay.
Its mana conductivity was a bit low, but its durability was top-notch. Since the creature's jaw strength wasn't that great due to its oral structure, it wouldn't be able to break it.
The thing spat venom from its one remaining fang in a desperate struggle. Of course, a puny water-gun-level attack like that couldn't pierce the protection Helena had cast on me.
Realizing too late that its judgment was flawed, it hurriedly swung a thick, hooved arm.
But it was already too late.
"Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt."
As I blasted it with successive lightning spells, it convulsed violently and collapsed, smoke billowing from its mouth.
At first, one shot was enough, but now it takes three or four to kill them.
This was proof that we were getting closer to the fortress where Clara was. It was because the strongest ones were stationed at the front to break through the wall of holy power the Saintess had erected.
Because of that, once we reached the front of the castle gates, mid-bosses of the "Lord" class would appear in droves.
Of course, I’d already told everyone the strategy, so they’d handle it themselves.
"Whew..."
I took a light breath and looked around.
I didn't have the luxury to use big skills anymore, but I wasn't exactly struggling either.
Helena and Gilbert were leading the way, acting as the frontline tanks and damage dealers, steadily carving a path.
Iris and Iona were providing fire support from slightly behind them.
Carla and Elisha were handling the enemies lunging from the sides and rear so the others could focus solely on advancing.
I was moving between the center and the rear, supporting those two.
I’d always put together glass-cannon parties full of mages, but seeing such a balanced party now, the stability was insane.
The pace had slowed down a bit after Iona’s Blood Fall wore off, but considering the level of the monsters had gone up, we were making smooth progress.
How long did we continue advancing like that, maintaining our formation?
Suddenly, something massive dropped from the sky at high speed.
"Helena!"
Seeing the thing targeting Helena, who was radiating an unmistakable holy power, Gilbert hurriedly swung his greatsword.
CLANG!
"Urgh."
The falling speed was so great that the impact drove Gilbert’s legs into the ground up to his ankles.
However, the defense itself was a success. The shield I’d cast in advance and the blessings imbued in his armor absorbed almost all the damage.
It helped that I’d warned him beforehand, too.
"Ho. You actually blocked that?"
The chimera that looked like a falling boulder unfolded its curled body while delivering a line straight out of a combat power scouter.
It had a bizarre appearance—part turtle, part armadillo, and maybe part drake.
The first thing that caught the eye was the lumpy carapace covering its entire body.
At a glance, it looked sluggish, but it was actually designed with precision so as not to hinder its movement.
Furthermore, its hardness would be incomparable to other chimeras.
Unlike the previous chimeras that looked like haphazardly stitched-together parts, this one had a naturalness to it, as if it had been born this way, despite its strangeness.
This wasn't some half-baked mass-produced model. It was a masterpiece that the fallen alchemists had poured their hearts and souls into.
This guy was the leader of this chimera army. Tarasque.
Well, it made sense he’d notice us after we’d caused such a ruckus charging from the rear.
That attack just now probably involved jumping high from a distance to reach a certain altitude, then using the unique geography of Cassis Valley to drop like a bomb from the sky.
...As you might have guessed from the fact that he can pull off such a tricky-looking attack, Tarasque was a creature made specifically for the conquest of Cassis Valley.
Aside from a carapace harder than mithril and strangely powerful, delicate leg muscles, he was just an average guy.
Outside of Cassis Valley, he’d be a bit lower in rank, but inside the valley, he was an incredibly broken chimera.
"I wondered who you were, and it turns out you're just a bunch of shiny bastards. You're the most impressive reinforcements so far... but you're a little late."
Tarasque pulled his lips back into a smirk. Behind him, creatures with appearances distinctly different from the surrounding chimeras appeared.
There were five of them. Each one was a special unit crafted with care, even if they weren't on Tarasque’s level.
They were the mid-bosses, essentially the sub-commanders directly under Tarasque.
As they appeared, the chimeras that had been lunging like madmen retreated. It was as if they were waiting for orders, or perhaps trying not to interrupt Tarasque’s conversation.
Tarasque, striking a pose with his arms wide open, continued.
"I have already crushed all of your kind, save for one. That remaining bitch will fall soon enough. Though you'll have to deal with me first."
He shrugged, pointing toward the fortress behind him. In fact, it was Tarasque who had killed most of the holy knights guarding Clara.
Imagine being hit by that falling attack just now while in the middle of a chaotic battle, exhausted from days of continuous fighting.
No matter how high-ranking a holy knight you were, you’d end up dead or near death.
However, I could only chuckle. This guy, who was acting all high and mighty just because he was invincible in this narrow valley, sure talked a big game for someone who ended up sealed in a dungeon.
He couldn't even resist the dungeon's rules, so his memories were stuck three hundred years in the past.
Monsters with strong willpower or a high status can partially resist the rules after being trapped in a dungeon, but Tarasque wasn't one of those cases.
I stepped out in front of Gilbert and spoke.
"I don't know. I don't really see it that way."
"...How unpleasant. To think a piece of trash without even the minimum qualifications would dare raise his voice before me."
"Man, for a nobody, you sure have a lot of bluff in you."
Of course, I understood what Tarasque meant.
Nowadays, an intermediate magician can act all important anywhere, but during the War of the Gods, they were in a bit of an awkward position.
But I was also serious when I said he was a nobody. That’s because Tarasque was a gimmick boss.
He looks invincible inside Cassis Valley, but if you know the strategy, he’s a guy you can take down even solo.
"Lord Gilbert. Let's do as we discussed beforehand."
"...Are you truly alright facing such a creature alone?"
When Gilbert, who had personally felt Tarasque’s attack, asked back with concern, I just shrugged.
"Of course. Don't worry about this side; please take care of Carla and Elisha’s side."
"Understood."
Gilbert retreated, his eyes still full of worry. Seeing that, Tarasque’s eyebrows twitched.
"You... you've lost your mind. If you want to die that badly, I'll grant your wish..."
"Save it."
Cutting Tarasque off, I pointed my staff at him with my left hand.
Then, with a smirk, I beckoned him with my wrist.
"Come at me. I won't use even a single second to take you down...!"
After delivering the line I’d always wanted to try once, Tarasque looked like he was about to explode with rage.
"You brat!"
An incensed Tarasque leaned his body forward. It was the preparatory motion for a charge using his leg strength.
It was fast and powerful, but since he couldn't change direction mid-way, it was the perfect pattern to counter.
After confirming that the other party members had formed a line to face the mid-bosses, I channeled my mana.
Just as the battle, which had briefly entered a lull, was about to resume—
FLASH—!!
Out of nowhere, spears of light rained down from the sky.
I looked up at the sky without lowering my guard against Tarasque. Dozens of Holy Light Spears were floating in the air.
And then, from the fortress where the light had vanished, a woman dressed entirely in pure white walked out with steady steps.
The moment I saw her face, my jaw dropped involuntarily.
...Noona? Why are you coming out of there?