Chapter 396: Come at Me! (2)
Chapter 396: Come at Me! (2)
Reckless Roar.
The Evil God who bears the mortal sin of wrath. He is a simple existence, practically the embodiment of violence itself.
He was the one who had previously raised a massive army of Greenskins to invade Solaris. He had come dangerously close to actually toppling it, but…
I had interfered midway through, and Solari, seizing that opening, had gone on a rampage and wiped out half of his vast forces.
He had managed to escape secretly with the help of Boiling Silence, just as he had when he first invaded.
But now, look at this sight.
There were so many mountains that there was no visible horizon, but regardless, monsters and cultists filled my entire field of vision. There were so many of them that, thanks to the torches they carried, the pitch-black dawn didn't feel dark at all.
Even if the snowball effect hadn't rolled in his favor, this army seemed even larger than that of the relatively intact Ugly Prosperity.
Of course, that didn't mean it was dangerous.
Cardinal-level cultists and large monsters are certainly strong… but not to the point where I, having grown by defeating two Evil Gods in a row, would feel threatened.
Above all, I wasn't alone here.
There were my companions, who had been getting significantly stronger lately, as well as the fortress walls and siege tools built over a long time by top-tier craftsmen.
No matter how much the dwarves might dislike Fay, they weren't fools who would just sit idly by and let an Evil God slaughter them.
…Right?
I felt a tiny bit uneasy, but this should be manageable. If anything, this was more of an experience point event than a crisis.
I wondered what kind of system reward I’d get for repelling this raid.
It was a bit premature, but with a heart already pounding in anticipation, I spoke.
“Iris, Professor Iona. You two, follow me.”
“What exactly do you intend to do, Master?”
“You know, you know… Yandel, do you realize your expression looks re~ally evil right now? Anyone who didn't know you would’ve been terrified.”
Iris tilted her head with a slightly exasperated look, while Iona chuckled and pointed toward Lyubvina.
I shrugged at the two of them and let out a sigh.
“That’s harsh. All I was thinking about was some aerial bombardment.”
“Hmm… firing wide-area magic from the air is certainly an effective tactic. Especially since the three of us can prepare Advanced Magic while flying. However, there is a serious problem with aerial combat, is there not?”
“You mean being targeted by everyone at once? You don't have to worry about that this time. …Their long-range capabilities are pathetic.”
Since Reckless Roar is a combat-focused Evil God, the authorities he bestows are simple and powerful.
They make you incredibly tough and incredibly strong. On top of that, they grant stamina that never tires until the battle is over.
That miraculous level of physical enhancement was a miracle and an authority in itself… but it didn't grant long-range abilities.
Flying high solved most of the problems.
Just as Ugly Prosperity could hold an advantage over most intelligent beings—especially Elves and Beastkin.
Reckless Roar might be strong against melee warriors or sturdy fortresses, but he has poor compatibility with high-ranking mages.
“I don’t know how they multiplied their numbers, but we just have to pour out that much more magic.”
“Hmph… you make it sound as if defeating an Evil God is an easy task.”
“But if the one saying it is Student Yandel, the story changes, doesn't it?”
I smirked at their positive reactions and added, “I appreciate the trust, but I’m not saying it’s perfectly safe. They know they’re vulnerable at a distance, so they’ll have prepared in their own way. Things like javelins or ballistae.”
“Javelins are one thing, but ballistae… are monsters capable of handling tools that well?”
“No. The cultists, who have become as strong as monsters, will be the ones firing them.”
That was the case when I faced them at H&A. As long as you watched out for a few long-range methods, they were nothing more than sturdy sandbags.
Of course, there were existences that could flip the entire situation.
An Apostle, or the direct descent of Reckless Roar.
They can kick the air with pure strength to achieve pseudo-flight, and they are so massive that they can reach the flight height limit just by stretching out a hand.
If they show up, you have to brace yourself… but…
“Whether it’s appointing an Apostle or a Descent, it’s not something the current Reckless Roar can do.”
Not just anyone can become an Apostle, and a Descent was only possible because Ugly Prosperity’s authority was unique.
Reckless Roar, who has no special talents other than raw power, would have to honestly tear through his seal to come out, which is virtually impossible in the current situation.
After all, he started this war much earlier than scheduled, so he wouldn't have been able to weaken the seal much, and he had wasted the power he did have back at Solaris.
“Carla, Elisha, Helena, guard the walls. Senior Fay… please evacuate to a reasonably safe place. Lyubvina? Can I count on you?”
“…I will make sure Lady Fay is kept safe.”
“Good. Then, let’s go.”
I placed one leg on the fortress wall and crouched slightly.
Crack.
A gruesome sound echoed from within. Along with the sensation of being changed down to my very roots, wings sprouted from my back.
Following that, I manifested my horns and tail, completing my Dragonification, and glared forward with senses that had become far sharper.
“Let’s see what you’ve got.”
I threw myself into the air.
*
The wings created through Dragonification actually have a flight function.
Of course, I wasn't literally flapping them to fly; they were a kind of mana organ that automatically lifted and steered my body when I infused them with mana.
I had known about this ability since I tested it right after the wings first appeared, but this was the first time using it in actual combat.
“This is better than I thought.”
I particularly liked that I could focus entirely on offense and defense without having to worry about the mechanics of flying.
Nodding to myself, I focused my gaze on the approaching army. The first thing I saw was a dwarven woman at the front.
“Is that Astrid?”
I couldn't see her face or expression clearly, but given the circumstances, it could only be her. Seeing as she wasn't being attacked by the surrounding monsters, it was certain she was a traitor.
However, it would be a waste to target her first.
I was currently hidden by Invisibility, but it would break the moment I cast a proper spell. It would be a waste to use the first strike—the one guaranteed to land a heavy blow—just to take out Astrid.
There might be symbolic meaning in killing the traitor… but right now, I needed to focus on reducing their actual numbers.
Besides, judging by the aura she was giving off, she was Archbishop-class at best. If so, there was a high chance she’d just get caught in the crossfire and die while I was spamming wide-area magic.
I flew a bit further to aim for a spot where large monsters or high-ranking cultists were concentrated.
“Huh?”
Now that I looked closer, the monster composition was a bit strange. I hadn't noticed immediately because of the red glow of the torches, but the proportion of Greenskins was lower than expected.
Instead, beast-type monsters, amorphous monsters, and rag monsters that looked like chimeras were mixed in throughout.
“Those are from the Confused Unity lineage…?”
Now I understood. I had wondered how even the fast-breeding Greenskins could have multiplied this quickly, and this was how.
They had joined forces with Confused Unity to invade.
Both were Evil Gods who had suffered heavy losses because of me, but if they combined their forces, it made sense for them to have an army of this scale.
Come to think of it, did the system warn me to be careful because the remaining Evil Gods were now seriously considering me a peer? So this is what it meant.
To think that two combat-focused Evil Gods, who seemed like they would never cooperate, would scrape together every bit of their respective armies to work together.
Normally, this was something that would never happen.
“Ssshh. This is a bit troublesome.”
Void Feast, the representative authority of Confused Unity, allows for long-range attacks, but not to the point of reaching us at this height.
However, the chimeras under Confused Unity were a different story.
Since they were modified for specific purposes, there were bound to be some specialized for long-range combat within that massive army.
I paused and looked at Iris and Iona, explaining the slightly modified plan.
“So, rather than taking risks by staying put and pouring out magic like we originally planned, let’s hit and run. We’ll just launch one-sided attacks and then pull back.”
“Understood.”
“Yep, yep. You mean we have to keep moving without stopping once we cast the first spell, right? Got it!”
We each took our positions and began chanting. Mana began to surge. The fierce current swirling around us shattered the thin veil of Invisibility.
In an instant, the afterglow of mana spread into the surroundings.
The spells weren't finished yet, but the mere gathering of this much mana was enough to exert a heavy pressure on those below.
Even though it was dark and hard to see, the monsters looked exactly toward our position.
As the cultists interspersed among them gave orders, the monsters began to form ranks with military precision.
They’re faster than I thought. At this rate, a few shots might fly our way before the magic is complete.
So, I took a deep breath.
There was no need to hold back like I did at the Yarnshard mansion.
I let out a roar, pouring in my overflowing mana and my razor-sharp will.
“[COME AT ME——————!!]”
An intangible pressure weighed down on the ground below. The enemies caught in the Dragon Fear stopped what they were doing and began to tremble.
The weaker monsters flattened themselves against the ground, and even the stronger ones couldn't help but flinch.
In that opening, it was only natural for Iris and Iona’s magic to be completed.
“Elemental Burst!”
“Tepes…!”
A massive white explosion blanketed the ground, and blood-red stakes rained down among the panicked enemies.
Thorn patterns erupting from the stakes pierced through living monsters and cultists, greedily drinking their blood.
Just as small flower buds began to form at the tips of the vines consuming the battlefield amidst the screams.
“Punishment.”
A giant sword resembling a cross plummeted from the sky.