110. Padix Kingdom (5)
110. Padix Kingdom (5)
'I don't have much time. I have to win as quickly as possible.'
The drug's effect doesn't last long.
30 minutes. It has to end within 30 minutes.
One might wonder why the duration is so short for a drug.
But this isn't talking about the drug's duration.
It's talking about how long a human can endure.
The drugs that A-rank and above adventurers carry are so powerful that they release the limits the brain imposes on the body.
Normally, humans only use as much strength as their body can handle without strain.
But the drug administered now removes those limits, allowing explosive power far beyond normal.
The problem is that because of those released limits, the more power you use, the more your body breaks down.
The hero raised the sword that had always brought him victory.
==
Leah's attacks were simple.
Summon creatures from her body, or transform parts of her body into creatures to attack.
Each individual attack was strong enough to kill an ordinary person in one hit, but her combat style was monotonous.
It was like someone who didn't know how to fight, fighting.
At first, her speed was so overwhelming that they couldn't do anything and just took the hits. But after being administered the drug and seeing the attacks a few times with their own eyes, they grew accustomed to it.
Through that monotony, the hero party was able to dodge and block Leah's attacks.
With perfect coordination between the hero and the archer, the hero's sword eventually severed one of Leah's arms.
'I cut it!'
Through his unique ability, Soul Slash, any enemy struck receives critical damage the moment they're hit.
'Is she dead?'
Through his unique ability, he could tell how much damage had been dealt to the soul he'd cut.
And through that ability, he sensed that the soul of the being he cut had been obliterated.
But the being in front of him stood completely intact.
The hero's gaze turned to the severed arm.
The severed arm twitched on the ground as if in extreme pain, then crumbled and disappeared.
'It's not a single entity. That thing is made of countless creatures clustered together.'
He had fought a similar monster before.
One where he clearly sensed a soul being destroyed, but another soul existed within it.
It was like a chimera, a monster created by forcibly fusing two monsters in demon experiments.
That's why the hero instantly understood the state of the being in front of him.
The problem was the endless swarm he'd felt while fighting creatures so far.
Even the number of creatures that attacked the Padix Kingdom exceeded ten thousand.
Ten thousand was a small number for ordinary soldiers, but ten thousand creatures, each possessing strength surpassing a single knight, was a completely different story.
Worst case, the body of that being contained the souls of over ten thousand creatures?
'No, I shouldn't think about the worst case now. I need to think about winning!'
His attacks were starting to land, and his unique ability was activating.
The hero didn't stop; he swung his sword toward Leah again and again.
==
"Haaah...! Haaah...!"
Even though their limits had been released by the drug, the hero and the archer were gasping for breath.
Their attacks had struck Leah hundreds of times.
They cut off her arms, split her body, slashed her head, pierced her heart.
Leah, as if feeling no pain, regenerated all the damage from every attack with a calm expression.
No, he wasn't even sure if it could be called regeneration.
The hero's genuine Soul Slash and the archer's life-sacrificing attacks all hit Leah—attacks that would be fatal to humans, monsters, demons, and demonfolk alike—and she just returned to normal as if time had been rewound.
And as if those attacks did no damage at all, Leah's own assault never diminished.
Even relying on the drug's power, their bodies had already surpassed their limits and couldn't fully execute the commands from their brains.
The archer's hand creaked.
"Ugh!?"
Just as Leah's attack passed the hero and archer and flew toward the healer—
Bang!
Red flames burst forth, burning the creature.
"Cough—!"
The mage, who had been collapsed on the ground, now held his staff in his hand.
He grasped his hazy consciousness and plunged the drug into his own thigh.
The mage staggered to his feet.
The healer, completely drained of mana and holy power, was bleeding from her eyes, nose, and mouth.
"Everyone— we will definitely overcome this."
Even though she had used her own life force to save the mage, her body didn't waver.
Neither a saint nor a nun, but a healer blessed with a holy power loved by the goddess, she clasped her hands together as if in prayer and closed her eyes.
As if proving that she wasn't an S-rank adventurer just because she was the hero's younger sister, a sacred light spread from the healer's body.
The light seeped into the hero party.
The power of the goddess—a power that only those loved by the goddess and capable of bearing it could use: [Sanctuary].
By borrowing a portion of the goddess's power, the healer felt her body, mind, and even soul being torn away in an instant, and she collapsed on the spot.
Because she was borrowing the goddess's power, the feedback on an ordinary human was not just considerable—it was extremely severe.
The power of the goddess gives immense strength to the good and deals immense damage to the evil.
But...
But why...
"Th-this can't be..."
"Wha-what is this—?"
"What the hell!!!"
The light emanating from the sacred Sanctuary the healer was using was also flowing into Leah.
Against evil, a sacred spear should appear and strike, but Leah was also receiving the goddess's power, just like the hero party.
"Ugh... ah, seriously...!"
While the hero party was in shock, Leah, feeling a discomfort like being molested, rubbed her forearm and shuddered.
She knew it was granting her power, but it felt like someone was slimy touching her body, and it was just unpleasant.
"Wh-why... why is the goddess's power..."
In a situation where the power of Sanctuary, which could completely turn the tide of battle, was also empowering Leah, the healer couldn't believe her eyes.
She wondered if she was hallucinating from losing her mind while using Sanctuary.
But it wasn't a hallucination.
When she blinked, the upper and lower body of her brother, the hero Leon, separated and flew apart right before her eyes.
As she screamed toward her brother, a creature burst out from the ground beneath the mage beside her, piercing him like a skewer.
In an instant, the mage's life force vanished. As she quickly grabbed her staff and stood up—
The archer, who had been trying to protect the healer, was devoured by a massive creature.
It all happened within mere seconds.
The Sanctuary the healer used was a power that amplified an individual's strength.
The stronger you are, the more powerful you become.
Sanctuary was certainly an incredible power, but the one who received more of that incredible power was Leah.
The precarious balance of the battle collapsed in an instant.
"Ah, ahhhhhhh!!!"
The healer screamed and stood up as her actions caused her comrades to fall in an instant.
Even though she should have been unable to move, she pushed past her limits and rose.
The healer realized she had awakened.
Power surged through her entire body, and the holy power and mana that had been exhausted moments ago overflowed more than ever.
She didn't know why that being received the goddess's power, but she was certain that the goddess had just given her a blessing to defeat that being.
First, she needed to use healing magic to save her comrades who might die at any moment.
But before that, to divert Leah's attention, she began preparing a powerful spell—
Creeeeak!
A sinister, terrible sound came from her left.
"Huh?"
==
Thud.
The healer, who had shown cockroach-like tenacity, collapsed onto the ground.
The healer had been emitting sacred light from her body.
Just the touch of that sacred light against my body made my skin crawl, so I genuinely tore her arm off.
I thought about killing her by just exploding her head to get rid of the holy power as quickly as possible, but I held back.
Many creatures, including Gluttony, had died at the hands of the hero party.
They were a hero party in name only, but their skill surpassed even Gwen's.
Fighting them, I think about 200 of the creature souls in my hive mind died.
So I plan to use these hero party humans to create stronger creatures.
Like Stacey, whom Gwen gave birth to.
"Ah..."
As I approached the collapsed healer, she trembled, shaking her head as she looked at me.
The healer, who had been radiating such brilliant light that I wondered if the goddess was descending, had lost all of that just from having one arm devoured.
I consumed the healer, who had lost all will to fight.
==
"Dammit...! When will the hero finally—"
The knight commander, who had been holding back the worm and the creatures, thought of his family.
His wife, who had always believed in him until he rose to the position of knight commander, and his son, who always took pride in him.
No matter how much he held the title of knight commander, with death approaching, he just wanted to run away with his family.
"Huh?"
The creatures moved.
Now that there were almost no troops left, the creatures stopped attacking.
And they began to enter the worm's mouth.
No one attacked the retreating creatures.
They were afraid that if they attacked, they would turn around and attack them.