Chapter 350: Libra (6)
Chapter 350: Libra (6)
“Brothers and sisters! Ravish the men, and ravish the women too! Make them give birth as much as those knife-ears have killed! In the name of the Mother of a Thousand Breasts and a Thousand Cocks!”
It was a truly grotesque and vulgar cry, but it was the sound of the Great War—thought to have ended three hundred years ago—reigniting.
As if they had never been lost in carnal lust, the cultists and monsters cast aside their prisoners and charged. The sheer number of them emitting bloodlust all at once was quite intimidating.
Of course, we weren't exactly lagging behind.
“Do you intend to show such shameful weakness here in Yggdrasil of all places? The Mother World Tree is watching! Everyone, take up your arms!”
Waaaaaaaah!!
Using a roar loud enough to make the very atmosphere vibrate as a signal, the two sides clashed, each side howling the name of their respective 'Mother.'
“Bring it on!”
Of course, my mom is the one who’s going to win.
*
A fierce back-and-forth struggle ensued for some time.
The army of Ugly Prosperity was strong, as expected. Individually, the units were somewhat mediocre, but as buffs and debuffs continued to stack, they became a handful to deal with.
That didn't mean they were unstoppable, though. There’s a way for everything.
While I took a moment to recover my mana circuits, which had been overworked from casting Punishment, succubi and incubi with bat wings suddenly took to the air in the distance.
Since the barrier was up, they wouldn't be able to cross the fortress walls no matter how high they flew, but… they had a different goal in mind.
Their innate racial trait, Charm, had been further strengthened by the Blessing of Ugly Prosperity. They were likely trying to utilize that output.
The barrier covering the walls of Yggdrasil was strong against direct physical impact, but it lacked the ability to block intangible Authorities.
If that surprise attack succeeded and neutralized those providing fire support from atop the walls, the tide of battle would turn in an instant.
However, this was a pattern I already knew.
Since my mana circuits weren't fully recovered yet, high-grade magic was out of the question. But that didn't mean intermediate magic lacked power.
“[Chain Lightning!]”
Lightning fired from the tip of my staff struck an incubus squarely in the body. Then, the flashing bolt arced, leaping to a nearby succubus, and then to another beside her.
It was an ordinary intermediate spell, but one reinforced by various means, including Spirit Language and my equipment. Mere rabble wouldn't be able to withstand it.
“Aaaaah!”
“Ugh, eeeeek!”
“Everyone, fall ba— Gaaah!”
In an instant, half a dozen succubus-type monsters turned into charred lumps of coal and plummeted. It might have been intermediate magic, but its output was several times higher than normal; unless they were Archbishop-class or higher, surviving was impossible.
However, there were so many of them that it was a bit much for me to handle alone. The elf commander, well aware of this, shouted in a booming voice.
“Archery units! The succubi have taken flight! Make them your priority! If you can’t hit their heads, aim for their wings! Focus solely on bringing them down as quickly as possible!”
Just as cautioned beforehand, the commander handled the succubi's surprise attack without panic.
He told them to aim for the wings if necessary, but most of them would likely sink their arrows into heads or necks.
The fact that elves were master archers was as famous as their beauty, after all. I heard that in the past, they used to imbue their arrows with all sorts of spirits to fire them in various ways…
Now, Aura had taken that place. The variety was gone, but the raw power had actually increased.
Arrows fired in straight lines rather than parabolas rained down like a monsoon upon the succubi that had just taken flight.
Swoooooosh!
“Kyaaaah!”
“Damn it! Get back down! The surprise attack failed!”
“Just go back to what we were doing—absorbing the incoming magic and the barrier!”
Only after their front lines were decimated did they hurriedly land on the ground. Feeling they had overextended, they began to retreat, mingling among the swarms of goblins.
It was a shame, but the archer units couldn't do much about them once they were down there.
…Though it was a different story for other units.
“Those harlots have finally stepped forward! Cut them all down before they can escape! Show them the spirit of the Empire!”
Led by their Knight Commander, an Aura Expert, the Azure Silver Knight Order of the Levantine Empire kicked off the ground at a speed faster than horses.
Compared to elves, humans were relatively more resistant to Charm. Being knights made their resistance even stronger, and they were further bolstered by all sorts of mental defense artifacts and potions that temporarily suppressed sexual desire.
As if to prove their thorough preparation wasn't in vain, the Imperial knights charged forward, taking the Evil God’s Authority head-on.
With thick armor and superior physical abilities, all further enhanced by Aura, they displayed a breakthrough power closer to tanks than men.
Even if their physical abilities were currently being suppressed by the Authority of Ugly Prosperity.
“Hey, big brothers? Instead of sword fighting, why don't we play something more fu— Aaaaah!”
“Oppa… Gaaaaah!”
“It doesn't matter if they're men or women! Charm isn't working! These guys are eunuchs!”
Every time the silver metal flashed, the succubi collapsed one after another without being able to put up any proper resistance.
This happened because they were a race specialized in Charm to begin with, and since all the Authorities they received were focused in that direction, their direct combat power was on the lower side.
Seeing the succubi—who were considered high-level assets—being swept away so pathetically, the goblins threw themselves forward to try and stop the knights…
But no matter how much their physical abilities were enhanced by the power of Authority and additional buffs, a goblin was still just a goblin.
Unless they were high-ranking variants, it was nearly impossible to stop the charge of elite knights.
In fact, the Levantine knights simply rammed through at full speed or threw casual punches, sending most of the goblins flying helplessly into the air.
It looked like popcorn popping. It would be perfect if they could wipe out the succubus unit just like this… but it seemed the enemy wasn't going to let that happen.
A figure descended between the frantically fleeing succubi and the pursuing knights.
She had purple hair with sheep-like curved horns peeking through, small bat wings on her back, and a tail with a heart-shaped tip—a quintessential succubus.
In terms of appearance, at least. The energy radiating from her was anything but ordinary.
A Cardinal of Ugly Prosperity. The Voluptuous Wilhelmina.
Swaying her unrealistically sized breasts and hips, she spoke in a languid voice.
“Oh my? You handsome big brothers. Stop bullying the children, it’s bad for your image. Let’s play with people of the same level. How about it? I can accommodate anything you want.”
“Everyone, get into formation! She’s Cardinal-class! Hold out until the Commander arrives!”
“You’re acting so cold now that I’m here? Do you big brothers really prefer the little ones? I’m still quite fresh myself…”
“Do not make eye contact! No matter how well-prepared we are, a Cardinal-class opponent is not someone we can handle at our level! Stop the pursuit and focus only on holding your ground!”
“…Hmph. So that’s how it’s going to be? If you big brothers won’t play with me, I guess I have no choice. Yes. I’ll just have to play with you. Right. That sounds better.”
The flirtatiousness vanished from Wilhelmina’s expression, replaced by a chilling aura.
Twitch!
From beneath her short skirt, a club the size of a forearm surged upward.
It was a truly disastrous sight. However, since the Azure Silver Knight Commander arrived almost at the same time, I could leave the rest to him.
Maintaining the mana I had gathered to intervene if necessary, I looked elsewhere.
Just then, I spotted a mass of flesh the size of a small hill. It wasn't that they had made another meat tree or anything like that. It was simply a mass of tentacle monsters clumped together.
They are called tentacle-types because of how they look, but such a classification doesn't actually exist. Strictly speaking, they should be called hive-mind monsters.
One individual is one tentacle. But when dozens of tentacles gather, they can bind limbs and forcibly plant seeds into a host.
So, what happens when thousands, tens of thousands of tentacles gather? The answer was right before my eyes.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Instead of slithering, the creature bundled its tentacles into two thick pillars like legs, pushing its body upward and forward.
Every time its massive frame hit the ground after being suspended in the air, an impact that shook the earth was felt.
This was only possible because it was a monster composed entirely of muscle, save for its reproductive organs. If it swung that raw strength against the barrier, the barrier might hold for a while, but eventually, parts of it would shatter.
Furthermore, the digestive fluids oozing from the tips of the tentacles were not to be ignored.
Normally, it would only be enough to melt some clothes, but when concentrated like that, it would be potent enough to dissolve flesh.
The fluid wouldn't damage the barrier, but it would be a major obstacle for those heading out to take down that mass of tentacles.
However, this was also one of the situations we had anticipated.
In H&A, there were many cases where you couldn't stop them because their forces grew too large and bloated… but they weren't at that level yet.
Rumble—
A low cry echoed from deep underground. A massive amount of divine power surged, and then, the roots of the World Tree burst through the earth.
An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. And for tentacles… tentacles!