Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Summoning a Demon in Front of a Shaman? (1)
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"Ramon, the holy knights have entered first."
This was the story Parmon had heard while traveling around and saving knights.
The mountain peak was just a little further ahead.
But a thick wall of flames blocked the way in front of it.
"Are the mages' mana still intact?"
"They're all exhausted. They had to neutralize the banshee's cries while climbing up."
It would be ideal to follow right behind the church's forces and provide support.
Even in this hopeless situation before the flames, Parmon showed no worry.
"They're here."
The eyes of the surrounding knights and soldiers widened in shock.
It was because an utterly alien sight had appeared.
A wave formed between the flames.
Chwaaak—
A height at least twice that of a person.
Have you ever seen waves crashing in a mountain?
A single wave extinguished the fire and carved out a path.
It was the work of an elf who had suddenly appeared.
"I'm Irene, the leaf that guards the branches."
"You've finally arrived."
"We've been here for a little while already. I was just fulfilling Chris's request."
Closel and Parmon straightened up, looking relieved.
With the elves here, things would proceed smoothly now.
Parmon glanced around with a puzzled expression.
"There are so many of you..."
"Indeed."
The area nearby was already packed with elves.
It was a considerable number.
To put it bluntly, it felt like they'd brought half the forces from the elf forest.
"They've probably reached the people on the left and right flanks as well."
"Thank you."
Irene's response to Parmon's gratitude was lukewarm.
The surrounding elves were the same.
If anything, they looked slightly angry.
"Where are they?"
"...What do you mean?"
"The ones who tormented the elf's benefactor."
The enraged elves' voices soon erupted.
"How dare they touch Sir Chris!"
"My arrows will not forgive them!"
"Where is Sir Chris!"
The elves moved about furiously even as they shouted in anger.
The flames that had engulfed the surroundings rapidly died down.
Chiiik—
Steam rose where the water met the fire, but even that dispersed into the sky as the sylphs moved.
Irene glared up at the mountain peak with fierce eyes.
"Elves, clear the path."
Chaak—
Chaak—
It sounded as if a single person was moving.
The nearby mages let out groans.
An overwhelming amount of mana.
It was distinctly different from human mages.
It was because all the elves filling the area were handling spirits simultaneously.
"Does that mean they're all spirit wielders?"
"What absurd power."
If the mages were reacting to the spirits, the knights reacted to something else.
It was the content of what the elves were shouting.
"It's the benefactor's request!"
"If even a hair on Sir Chris is harmed, we'll all have to be pruned from the branch!"
Everyone was uttering words with the same meaning.
That meant the elves had truly come here for Chris.
Amid their exchanging bewildered glances, Irene's chilling voice cut through.
"Surround the necromancers."
Sasasak—
As soon as Irene finished speaking, the elves scattered.
It was an incredibly fast speed.
The mountain was on fire, but how many could keep up with elves in a forest?
Especially angry ones.
Suddenly, a massive roar echoed across the entire mountain.
Kuwaaaang—
Hwaruruk!
It was an impact wave strong enough to shake the ground.
Explosions were occurring everywhere.
Fires had broken out all over the mountain, leaving no spot unscathed.
Closel let out a hollow laugh.
"Hey, Ramon, if the elves hadn't come..."
"Hm?"
"Those flames would have enveloped us, wouldn't they?"
The elves' timely arrival and the explosions that happened right on cue.
Without them, the smoke from the burning trees alone would have debilitated a significant number of soldiers.
And that wasn't all.
If Chris hadn't brought the Pope and the holy knights, the casualties would have been even higher.
"This is my first time in a war like this."
In life, there are days when everything just works out.
Days when everything proceeds smoothly as if prepared in advance.
Today was such a day.
"It feels like all the luck is on our side."
This was like tossing a knife absentmindedly and hitting the target dead on.
If anything, it was even more so.
"At this rate, even arrows will miss us on their own."
Parmon shook his head.
"Isn't that exactly what's happening?"
Jeobuk—
Jeobuk—
The Pope, who had been treating wounded soldiers, approached the two.
"The church experienced the same. This is what I think."
"Please share."
"No matter how much humans plan, it's all according to the will of the gods."
It was truly a cleric-like statement.
However, the circumstances here were a bit different.
Because the one causing all this was just a single person's power.
Parmon readjusted his grip on his sword.
"Now it's time to end it."
Pfft—
A laugh escaped involuntarily.
How could it not?
Arch spirit wielders, grand mages, sword masters, the Pope.
And most of the forces surviving.
"A complete victory."
"Send all the death knights forward!"
"Uh, which direction?"
Chaos.
There was no other word to describe the situation.
It was utterly incomprehensible.
"Elves have appeared from all directions centered around this location!"
"The holy knights up front have almost made contact!"
"Soldiers appearing from the right and left flanks! We don't have enough undead!"
Reports marking the peak of the unfavorable war situation continued.
"Including the Pope, key figures are heading this way..."
"...Is there more coming?"
"That's everything in the report."
They couldn't fail the plan now.
They had set the entire mountain ablaze, so the accumulation of sacrifices should have increased.
But once again, his thoughts missed the mark.
"...No change."
There were slight changes.
The undead and fire were attacking them, so there were casualties.
But not enough to notice.
"..."
He felt completely bound hand and foot.
The necromancer began stuffing items into his subspace pocket one by one.
The others did the same.
At a time when they couldn't leave clues or traces behind, the subspace pocket was the safest method they couldn't check.
"Proceed with the summoning as planned. Everyone, throw yourselves in to buy time."
"My whole body hurts."
When work piles up, stress builds.
The root of all diseases.
But I have too much work. Way too much.
"If I were a Great Shaman, it'd be different."
"...Great Shaman?"
"If you live as a shaman long enough, you'll end up connected to all the gods through fate."
I tried explaining to Serena, but I didn't even have the energy for that.
On top of already being exhausted, I was hiking up a mountain. Of course I had no strength left.
The good news was that the rain ritual had been quite successful.
All the clouds in the sky had turned pitch black.
Rain would pour down soon.
"Any separate updates?"
"Everyone's reached the peak."
Serena hesitated for a moment before adding,
"They also reported that many survived."
She seemed to have figured out what I was worried about.
She said it first before I could even ask.
"That's good enough."
The mountain peak was still shrouded in darkness.
The only change was a single streak of blue flame visible.
It was the blue fire I'd heard about before.
"No wonder it's mesmerizing."
The fire that started appearing during the rain ritual.
Just looking at it brought a sense of calm.
If the fire on the mountain burned the flesh, this one affected the soul.
Whiric—
Ding-a-lang—
"Uncle, snap out of it."
I'd seen this person's corpse on the way up.
A knight under Count Nordin.
"Where'd you leave your arm?"
-...!
Honestly, what could I say?
Losing one arm was one thing, but why stab the remaining one into a tree?
Seeing that arm fixed in place with a dagger made me uneasy.
It was the signal Count Nordin had told me about.
He'd said souls were entranced, so look for body signals.
Knight types were such stubborn pains.
"That's why you can't die on schedule. You must've lived at least ten more years..."
-...
"Rest now. It's almost over."
I didn't expect him to rest just because I said so.
This was a guy who'd impaled himself with his sword to avoid collapsing from the fire.
What would death change for someone like that?
He was just as stubborn in death.
"You're just gonna confirm the count's alive and then go? Got it?"
Nod.
"There are headless spirits too, so don't worry about them. They won't die twice."
Nod.
"You held out till the end, huh."
The other spirits were probably entranced by the flames and climbing the mountain.
This guy died last, so he's at the bottom.
"My workload keeps growing."
Even standing still, I could feel the worries and anxieties emanating.
How was I supposed to resolve all of them?
Suddenly, a foul, ominous presence rose from the mountain peak.
Something dirty and grotesque.
Ssuk—
Luna, who had been resting her head against my back, lifted her head.
Her expression was blank, showing no agitation, just like when she saw Pope Uncle last time.
Soon, calm babbling followed.
"Zau."
"Tightrope?"
Luna flailed her arms toward the holy sword.
Come to think of it, Luna was a saintess.
She must be sensing something again.
The original owner of the holy sword was Luna too.
"Zai!"
"Trivial spirits?"
"Pu!"
"Puk?"
A laugh came from Luna.
"Kyaak!"
I could roughly picture it.
"Serena, let's fly up."