Chapter 224
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 224
Chapter Title: Northern Calamity (4)
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"Any surviving troops?"
Jun's question drew a shake of the head from the old knight.
"There are some following from the rear... but as things stand, they won't be in any shape for battle."
He meant they'd barely scraped by in the last fight, with injuries too severe to fight again.
"I see. Then keep moving as is. We'll hold them off here."
"You will...? If I may ask, who might you be?"
"White Whale Mercenary Corps. We were hired by Lord Ron."
"White Whale Mercenary Corps...?"
They'd made a name for themselves lately, but not enough to reach this far north.
He asked Jun several times if they were sure, but Jun answered with magic instead.
"Our Sun"
⟨ Hour Sun ⟩
"Hah...!"
A simple incantation, and a small sun rose into the sky overhead.
This magical miniature sun poured out warm energy, soothing the refugees' fatigue.
"Here. A scroll infused with magic. Should last about half a day."
"A spell this powerful... lasting that long?"
"Yeah. Now go, hurry. The refugees are in bad shape. Save as many as you can."
"Truly... thank you!"
The old knight's eyes reddened as he bowed to Jun and led the refugees onward.
"Tch. If we'd had more time, I could've healed their wounds too."
Eleanor sighed softly.
As a priestess of the God of Healing, the injured among the refugees must have pained her.
But with enemies hot on their heels just half a day away, they couldn't afford delays.
Better to reach Ron's territory a day sooner.
"So, Captain. What's the plan from here?"
"Like I said. We grab their ankles right here."
"Hm. The terrain... looks pretty decent."
Just four of them holding back thousands.
It sounded impossible, but none of the four doubted Jun's plan.
"First, sow chaos in their ranks. Second, take out key targets. Got it?"
"Of course."
"Aiden, you're with me. Maya handles the VIP assassination. Eleanor, support from the rear."
Jun scanned the terrain and narrowed his eyes.
"Half a day. Just hold them for half a day."
The sun, hidden away, rose leisurely between the mountain peaks.
And on the ground, an army of crimson-black shadows revealed itself.
Step. Step. Step. Step.
Marching through the mountains, they advanced without a hint of disorder, even amid the thick dawn mist.
Like perfectly calibrated machines.
Boundless stamina, silently executing orders—amid them loomed a massive shadow.
Mega Clover.
The monster with elongated arms sniffed at the mist-filled air.
Grrr.
Sensing something unpleasant, it growled, and the relentless march halted in an instant.
Thud. Boom!
They stopped as one, raising massive square shields to the front.
At the same time, thousands of glowing eyes pierced the white mist ahead.
"Good instincts."
A voice echoed from within.
"But you should've noticed sooner."
A massive surge of mana rippled through the air.
Rumble rumble rumble――!!
The unchanged army began to kneel.
Thousands of soldiers collapsing as if drained of strength.
The voice's owner stepped through the mist before them.
"Works like a charm."
"Is this... a new spell from you, Senior?"
"Yeah. Took some work to set up."
Mana Drain: Cloud Convergence Mist Gathering
"Clouds gather, mists converge"—the fog filling the mountains was Jun's doing.
Infused with mana drain. The foes were unknowingly siphoned of vast mana reserves.
Once enough accumulated, it converted to mass, crushing their bodies.
"Fighting these guys isn't much fun."
"Haha, you've grown a lot, Aiden. Finding it boring to handle enemies so easily."
Jun pointed to one side and spoke to Aiden.
"But don't let your guard down yet. That one's yours."
"That guy..."
While most soldiers knelt, one knight in heavy armor stood firm on both legs.
"A Thousand-Man Brigade Captain."
"Level 6?"
"Yep. An irregular one, at that."
"Strong, then."
Aiden drew his Luminous Edge, eyes gleaming.
The kid who'd struggled against a single Outer Wolf two years ago was gone.
Now a seasoned Level 6 warrior, Aiden faced the crimson-armored knight with anticipation.
The foe knew its turn, drawing its sword.
Boom!
It slammed the banner from its back into the ground.
Crimson-black mana swirled around it.
"I'll handle the grunts. You take the captain."
"Got it."
Dozens of soldiers regained strength from the swirling mana and rose.
'Can buy maybe an hour or two at most. Gotta thrash them as much as possible in that time.'
Holding back thousands naturally guzzled mana.
Even at six circles, Jun's circuits couldn't sustain it forever.
They were barely holding thanks to the magic circles he and his team had set across the mountains over the past half day.
'Not a tactic we can repeat. Already burned through too many mana fluids. Gotta squeeze every advantage here.'
Jun eyed the massive shadow through the mist.
A monster towering so high you had to crane your neck.
The army's siege beast, Mega Clover.
Maya bore the task of killing it.
'She's on the move by now.'
Maya, hidden in the mist, would be gliding silently toward her target.
Jun focused on his role.
'Keep their eyes on me until Aiden takes the captain.'
Not easy, though.
The banner the captain had planted was expanding its crimson-black mana field even now.
More soldiers stirred to life.
They were already moving to encircle Jun.
"Not today."
Flame Rage
Endlessly spewing flames in a mad vortex orb
A blazing fireball vortex, vomiting flames nonstop, was summoned.
Normally, fire magic in fog would clash with the moisture, but not Jun's.
The two distinct elements from his circles ignored each other, fulfilling their roles.
Roarrrrr――!!
The troops raised shields against the instant blast of superheated flames.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Shields glowed scarlet from the inferno, but they held firm.
The distance closed steadily.
Once Flame Rage expended its flames and faded, spears shot through shield gaps.
Dozens thrust like pent-up rage toward Jun's head—but pierced only air.
Burning Step
Trail of flames on previous position
A path of fire marked where Jun had stood moments ago.
Brief exchanges flew, and the troops completed their encirclement.
"Even resists probing... Tch, already got countermeasures."
Something in the mana from that banner perfectly blocked the scouting flames of Flame Rage.
They'd dropped physical resistance for magical.
A hallmark of Thousand-Man Brigade elites.
Jun noted it briefly, then switched tactics.
Dark ice blooms under advancing foes' feet, binding legs
He drew some mana-drain aura from the air, converting it to ice.
Black ice flowered at the closing foes' feet, freezing their legs.
And then.
"Disaster of Light"
⟨ Disgester of Light ⟩
A massive hammer of light from the rear cleaved the mist, crashing into their center.
A holy spell devised by Saint Knight Bern. The struck earth screamed, flinging sharp shards everywhere.
But it didn't end there.
The mana-drain ice absorbed the shockwave, channeling it straight to the immobilized troops.
Crack crack crack――!!
Golden fissures spiderwebbed up their legs.
It spread from calves to whole bodies in moments.
"Magical resistance doesn't cover holy magic."
"Whoa. Packs a real punch."
Eleanor's satisfied voice came from behind—this was her first real test of the spell.
"Worth the effort, right, Captain?"
"Great spell. What about Maya?"
"Already moving."
"Good. Support Aiden then."
"Leave it to me."
Eleanor's holy magic enveloped Aiden, locked in fierce combat with the captain.
"Hoo...!"
The enemy gripped a two-meter greatsword, refusing to yield ground easily.
But in the season's final stretch, time with Sword Soul Aden had honed Aiden's instincts razor-sharp, never missing fleeting openings.
'Now!'
Charge
He kicked off the ground, surging forward like wind.
Eleanor's holy magic boosted his body, accelerating him further.
A single gust sliced the mist, aiming for the enemy's nape.
But the foe wasn't pushover.
It boldly discarded its sword, blocking with one arm.
Clang!
Scarlet sparks flew as Luminous Edge severed the wrist.
The perfect strike missed, but Aiden didn't panic—instead leaped back, then flowed like a breeze into a new stance and charged again.
The captain belatedly yanked its greatsword free, parrying Aiden's blade.
Clear advantage to Aiden.
Perhaps from that blow—the mana from the banner visibly weakened.
"That side's wrapping up soon too..."
As Jun said, the one-armed captain soon lost its head.
Only Maya left.
Jun slipped into the mist, tracking her presence.
Maya had already used Shadow Step to slip into the shadow dimension, reaching Mega Clover's front.
But sensitive to mana, the beast stomped toward her position.
Thud.
Maya burst from the shadows, hurling a dagger.
Thunk!
It struck the shoulder perfectly. A gleaming thread connected to its end tautened.
Infusing mana into the thread, Maya reeled in, closing the gap instantly.
"Once."
As she flashed past, Acander's fangs—now translucent—sliced the beast's hide.
"Four times will suffice."
Her vastly increased mana fueled her bloodlust as she muttered.
Groooar!
The flaying killing intent drove Mega Clover berserk; it pounded its chest with both fists.
Ignoring troops frozen at its feet, it swung a fist at Maya's direction.
Boom!!
The ground cratered, dust billowing.
But no resistance met the fist.
Target vanished.
Grrr?
As it tilted its head dumbly, light footsteps pattered behind.
Stealthy as a cat.
If not for the chilling bloodlust, even Mega Clover might've missed it.
Too late by then.
Maya, shifted through shadows everywhere, savaged its nape with dual blades.
In a blink, she'd tallied the remaining three strikes, then channeled mana.
Soul Rampage
Splatter!
The torn and slashed soul exploded under Maya's mana.
Mega Clover's massive frame slammed face-first into the dirt impossibly fast.
Soul obliterated.
"Target eliminated."
[Good. Return.]
The first defense and ambush both succeeded.
After, Jun and his team took out another Thousand-Man captain still lost in the mist before withdrawing.
Hours later.
The troops rising from the vanished fog beheld their ranks, slashed countless times by unseen blades.