403. Soul Night (4)
403. Soul Night (4)
- 1 -
Behemoth was faster than expected.
When I'd spotted it in the distance, it had merely looked like a mountain on the move, so I hadn't truly grasped its speed...
Kwakwakwang —— !!!
Once the distance closed, the thing shot past us in an instant, moving at a pace that was hard to believe for its colossal bulk.
"Master!"
"I'm not the problem. We have to chase it...!"
The aftermath shattered the roads, and uprooted trees were sent flying, blocking our path.
Even though we smashed through rather than trying to avoid everything, it still took quite a bit of time.
In the end, by the time we reached Nyutardon, the city in the eastern part of Hilsa...
"Kuaaaak——!!"
"Run!!"
"Save me, sis...!!"
...the place was already completely in ruins.
The scene unfolding before my eyes was hell itself.
Corpses trampled beyond recognition by those giant hooves, people groaning in agony trapped under half-collapsed building debris, and survivors shrieking in panic at the sight of it all.
It felt like my heart was twisting inside.
This wasn't a mistake we had made, but it was a scene we might have prevented if we'd been just a little faster.
"Shue, Saya. Go on ahead."
"Yes. Master."
"Follow slowly."
I gave the order to the two retainers guarding my sides.
To save the city, the two of them—with the greatest speed and most overwhelming strength among us—needed to go ahead and draw the creature's attention.
Kwang!!
Pachit —
Shue kicked off the ground and shot forward, vanishing and leaving only a red afterimage, while Saya unfurled her giant golden wings from her back and soared into the sky.
Right after, Evangeline, who had noticed my state of mind, was the first to offer words of comfort.
"Master. You need not feel guilty. This is a scene born of the foolishness of those two and the arrogance of those who stood by and watched."
"Yeah. It's fine. I just..."
I nodded slowly.
"...I am simply enraged that I could not protect my people. Gather your strength. I will be using it soon."
"Yes."
After meeting her eyes as she gave a reliable nod, I turned my head back.
Dagak dagak...
Behind us, a contingent of troops was following, kicking up dust.
It was an army composed solely of elites and superhumans dispatched from various nations, in addition to the monster army I had created and fostered over time.
As a result of everyone riding their horses at a swift gallop, thick drops of sweat were running down their faces, but...
Their eyes shone with resolve.
A small army.
There was no second army.
We were inside Hilsa. Supply wasn't an issue.
Serica, Ran, and the forces including them had headed in a different direction, not here.
'I can't let Adriana die.'
[Strategic movement is needed to deal with the second pursuer, Tiamat, who is rampaging in the Holy Kingdom.]
[The Holy Kingdom's army alone is insufficient.]
That was the advice of Alraune Queen Nirvana and her aide, Ran.
'Of course, it seems another 'entity' will arrive soon, but...'
That was purely speculation, and I had a duty to protect my allies.
Dispatching troops wasn't a recommendation; it was a necessity.
It was only natural to commit the maximum available forces to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.
'Whatever happens, Ran should be able to handle it well.'
And even if that wasn't the case, I had something else I trusted.
'For now, let's focus on here.'
I turned and rose into the air, drawing everyone's attention.
"All hands, attention."
""Ha!!""
With a thunderous battle cry, I pointed at Behemoth right in front of us.
"The calamity summoned by fools stands before our very eyes."
I slowly flew over the army, making eye contact with each and every soldier as I whispered.
I imbued my voice with magic so it would seep directly into everyone's souls.
"I know how much the continuing wars have worn you down. Some of you might even resent me. You may think this is a war that wouldn't have happened if I weren't part of it."
A heretic, a nail that sticks out—getting hammered down is the common sense of the world.
Whether that is right or wrong is always a secondary issue.
But the superhumans and monsters shouted at the top of their lungs.
"No!! You have always been right!"
"Indeed! Lady Libertas is the savior of this era!"
A cry full of heartfelt sincerity.
There was no wavering in that cry, no one just being swept along.
For them, that 'secondary issue' seemed to matter more.
"Thank you."
I smiled gently and nodded.
"But listen. This war is the last one. After this war ends, I will absolutely hold them accountable. Whether it be the Holy Emperor of that Holy Kingdom! Or even..."
I tensed my throat and flicked the wrist of my raised hand.
Hwaak —— !
My magic poured down like black sunlight, instantly restoring their depleted stamina.
Regardless of whether they were human or demon, horse or beast.
"...The Goddess up above."
I turned around and pointed forward again.
Toward Behemoth.
"All hands, advance."
Esther, who was right below me, raised her sword high and repeated the order.
"Advance——!!!"
""Ha!!!!""
The combined army began to advance, shaking the very earth.
- 2 -
「Gwangpo (Mad Rampage)」
Kwang ——— !!!!!!!
A giant body standing 40 meters tall.
That massive body, which would be difficult to even stagger under normal circumstances, was momentarily lifted into the air.
It was due to the red shockwave bursting from below.
'...Huh?'
Behemoth, its head forced upward toward the sky, widened its eyes in shock.
It could not understand why the scenery of the sky was suddenly unfolding before its eyes, nor what was happening to it right now.
But that only lasted a moment.
- Kuoooooaaaaa!!
An intense pain surging from its lower jaw shook its entire body.
A violent sensation it hadn't felt in a long time.
But it was by no means a welcome sensation.
'Those hero bastards...!'
Because this sensation reminded it of those 'powerful bugs' who had attacked it just before it was sealed.
『It hurts!!!』
Kwakwang!!!
A front paw slammed down neurotically, and the intact city wall collapsed into powder.
But the 'red bug' it had targeted had already leisurely slipped away from that spot.
『Where are you hiding!!』
Kwarreureung...!!
As it twisted its massive body this way and that searching, the city walls and buildings crumbled even more severely.
Shue was not one to miss such an opening.
「Hongnong (Rainbow Pus)」
Kwang — Kwang — Kwang — !!
A crimson force pierced through the collapsing buildings, melting everything in its path as it advanced.
Kwadeudeudeuk!!
It accurately struck Behemoth's front leg as it was recklessly overturning the city.
- Kuooook!!!
A second roar of pain shook the entire city.
So immense was the sound and the 'power' behind it that nearby citizens collapsed clutching their heads just from hearing it.
"... Tch."
Shue clicked her tongue.
'Hongnong' was one of the particularly powerful mana application techniques she could use.
Even after being hit by that, the damage Behemoth sustained was merely its thick outer shell melting a little.
In other words, the pain Behemoth was complaining about amounted to little more than 'throwing a tantrum.'
The problem was that it threw that tantrum with a 40-meter-tall giant body.
'Is it too difficult here?'
If she continued to fight it inside this city, the aftermath alone would sweep away and kill all the remaining survivors.
But pushing it too far outside too soon would put her in danger instead.
'What to do...'
Just as Shue was contemplating how to deal with Behemoth—
「Sohondanjang (Soul-Rending Sorrow) - Deungwollueum (Frozen Moon Tear Sound)」
"「Nakhwa (Falling Flower)」."
Kwareureureung——!!
A lightning bolt struck.
A bolt carrying a blue hue and glowing a blue-green, a 'heavy' bolt as if the light itself possessed mass.
Kwajijijik—!!!
Several horns that jutted out like armor on Behemoth's back collapsed and shattered.
- Kuooak!!!
A monstrous roar naturally followed.
Saya, who had soared back up after tearing through the monster's back, grimaced.
"What a sound...!"
Behemoth was merely screaming, but due to the immense mana within its body, that sound exerted an authority close to 'fear' in itself.
It was fortunate it was just thrashing now; if it ever grasped the concept of channeling mana into its voice, the potential damage was beyond prediction.
Saya sent a telepathic message to Shue.
- Shue! We can't do this here! We have to drive it far away! I'll lure it!
- I was thinking the same. Don't even think about doing it alone.
Soon, Shue, who had leaped out from the ruins, charged toward the flank of Behemoth as it roared at the sky.
「Pokryu (Waterfall Flow)」
Kureureureung —— !!!
A red light swirled and gathered around Shue once, then soon became a massive current that followed behind her back like a cloak.
Clad in that current, she launched herself forward with a powerful spin.
『Heueuk...?!』
By the time that destructive blood-red vortex caught Behemoth's eye, it had already burrowed deep into its side.
Kung —— !!
Kwakwakwang!!
Behemoth's massive body lurched heavily.
As that gigantic body staggered, what was beneath it could not remain unscathed.
The already cracked city wall completely collapsed, and the corpses of people were crushed into pools of blood.
"Damn it...!"
It was a successful attack.
But Shue muttered a curse under her breath and twisted the trajectory of her attack.
Kwajijijik!!
The blood-red vortex scraped across the giant's back.
Immediately after, Behemoth's massive body began to glow darkly.
[Your power is clearly overflowing, but if you use it recklessly, there won't be anything left to eat. So be careful.]
'Tia told me not to use it recklessly...!'
She recalled Tiamat's warning, but...
She was already plenty angry, and it hurt so much.
She couldn't hold back.
Under the giant bull's skin, mana compressed to the point of materialization pushed up against its hide.
Then, between the bumpy, protruding armor, holes like volcanic craters began to form.
"Fall back, Shue!!"
Saya's warning came a little too late.
Behemoth was already letting out a roar filled with rage.
The sight of a body the size of a large fortress glowing with mana was mythical in itself.
- Kuuaaaaaaa —— !!!
『I'll kill you!!!』
Underneath Shue, who was stepping back through the air, the craters covering the beast's hide all spewed fire simultaneously.
Kwakwakwakwang —— !!!
Barrages exploding in all directions.
But those shells weren't just flames.
They were calamity itself: a mixture of acidic bodily fluids that melted everything they touched, spores that spread deadly poisonous gas upon explosion, and cursed fragments that corroded the ground.
That despair-inducing magic, viscous and clinging like bodily fluid, rained down upon the surface and began melting and destroying everything it touched.
"The city...!"
The problem was that this wasn't precisely aimed at one spot.
Shue and Saya desperately moved and deflected some attacks, but they were insufficient to stop the rain of despair covering the entire city.
That was when.
"「For the will of humanity is the very touch of God.」"
The 'black sunlight' poured down upon them.
- 3 -
Peolleok — !
『Kihii —— !』
The five-headed dragon flying in the sky plummeted toward the ground.
On the faces of those looking up at the sight, deep despair was etched.
Kwachang! Kwadeudeuk!!
"Cough...!"
"Keheok!"
The priests who were evacuating the citizens quickly cast defensive barriers upward, but they were already reaching their limits and shattering one after another.
"A little, just a little faster...!"
The saintesses, disregarding all dignity, were being carried on the backs of holy knights and practically flying... but before they could arrive, everyone here would be dead.
Right at the moment everyone was certain of that—
Ppuuuu ——
Kwajik — !!
Tiamat's giant form lurched heavily.
『Keheok — ?!』
Wings, back, arms.
Pain spreading throughout its entire body.
And, sensed from above, an incredibly familiar presence of mana.
'No way...'
Tiamat turned its eyes to the sky.
Peolleok —
Reflected in its eyes were five pure white pairs of wings.
『Hey.』
The owner of those wings was twisting one corner of her mouth up into a smile.
『Long time no see. Monster lizard.』
"No way..."
Adriana stared at the scene as if she couldn't believe her eyes.
It was a hope born suddenly from within despair.
"An angel...?"
A retainer of the Goddess had descended.
Without any omen, without any 'oracle' at all.