Chapter 154
Chapter 154
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: The Shadow of the Great Mountain Range (3)
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The spear blade sliced sharply through the wind and plunged precisely into its target.
“Kek!”
The fiend let out a grotesque scream befitting its hideous appearance before dropping dead on the spot. The spear tip had shredded its heart.
When conserving holy power was necessary, a physical spear was better than a radiant one. A thrust was a thrust, after all—it killed just the same.
Squelch!
Maira, the weapon’s owner, yanked the spear free. She pressed the sole of her boot against the dead fiend’s leg and shoved hard. The hefty corpse dragged across the ground, leaving a trail behind it.
“Anyone hurt?”
“No one, ma’am.”
One of the priests attending her answered. Despite his words, he didn’t look entirely unscathed, but at least no one was gushing blood right then.
“Hoo.”
Maira let out a heavy sigh as she surveyed their surroundings. Her eyes caught the crimson sun, as red as the splattered blood. It was just about to slip behind the mountains, making it look especially ominous.
“Let’s at least have a bite before we go.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
No one objected to Maira’s suggestion. Everyone was that exhausted.
They’d traveled light, so proper cooking wasn’t an option. The group gnawed on jerky and washed it down with water to sate their hunger and thirst.
Bishop Maira, two high priests capable of invoking the Miracle of Fortified Flesh, and five Silver-rank warriors hastily mobilized from the Doris Merchant Company, Abaka’s longtime fixture.
If this had been their standard regular convoy roster, it would have been overwhelming force. Especially with a Gold-rank equivalent bishop in the mix.
Yet this journey had been anything but easy.
“Your Excellency.”
One of the merchant company warriors hesitated before speaking up as the group’s representative. Maira, midway through wiping down her spear tip with a cloth, flicked her gaze toward him.
“Speak.”
“I hate to say it, but... perhaps we should turn back now.”
Fortunately for the man who’d mustered his courage, Maira didn’t snap at him. She merely gave him a steady look that urged him to continue, and he did.
“I’ve guarded regular convoys along this route dozens of times, but I’ve never seen fiend density like this. It’s blatantly abnormal.”
The Great Mountain Range spanned nearly two-thirds of the continent, making it one giant fiend playground. Abaka marked the start of its eastern spurs, so it was only natural for fiends to swarm there.
Regular convoys got hit several times a day. That much was expected.
But that was because convoys were massive, their lines stretching out long and thin—easy targets for fiends to spot and strike piecemeal, adding up to several attacks per day.
Here they were with fewer than ten people moving as a tight group, yet they were getting hit more often than a full convoy. It made no sense.
“We could camp here and fully recover our strength overnight, but we’re not equipped for that, and there’s no guarantee the fiends will play nice in the dark.”
“...You’re right.”
“We should return to Abaka, regroup properly, and try again. Pushing forward like this is too dangerous.”
“Does everyone feel the same?”
Maira glanced at the other warriors. Mindful of the optics, they didn’t raise their hands in eager agreement, but they nodded along passively enough. That was why they’d picked a spokesman in the first place.
The moon, a thin sliver barely filling the sun’s void, cast a hazy glow on her spear tip. Maira bit her lip faintly.
The fiend density was abnormal, no question. But it wasn’t so bad they couldn’t advance at all. A single Gold with seven Silvers shouldn’t be this fragile.
Still, these warriors weren’t her subordinates—they were Doris hires pulled for the emergency. They wouldn’t openly defy her out of fear of the Church, but they wouldn’t go all-in either.
Above all, the complete unknown of the frontier zone’s situation held her back.
What if the density ramped up even more the farther they pushed? What if they barely reached the first village only to find no place to rest?
That would be a real disaster.
Turning back to the city wouldn’t magically produce more Gold or Silver firepower, of course.
But Bronze auxiliaries were a dime a dozen. Mobilizing them could handle trash fiends and sentry duty, preserving the elite strength.
“...Alright. We’ll head back. Rest up a bit more, then move out?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
The warriors’ faces brightened. The priests subtly relaxed too, though they tried not to show it. They were just as worn out.
Maira hid a wry expression from the others.
Even rushing preparations back in the city, they couldn’t leave tomorrow. They needed forces numbering in the hundreds—not quite convoy scale, but substantial—and half-baked prep was worse than none.
And even properly equipped, they’d move slower than this pace, trading speed for safety.
For the impatient Maira, it was frustrating all around.
But what could she do? It was the best option.
Masking her inner turmoil, she waited for the group to regain some energy before turning their mounts around.
The return trip was at least easier in one way—no need for torches.
Retracing their steps meant the fiends weren’t leaping out as frantically as before.
Or, put another way, it was horrifying that they were crawling out again after the group had already swept through once.
About two hours into their retreat...
“Left flank! Multiple fiends approaching!”
“This is getting old.”
Maira clicked her tongue softly.
But no one took it seriously. Flocking in a pack just meant each one was weak.
Sure enough, the charging fiends were Noils.
Thirty-odd of them was a fair number, but to Silvers, they were just cannon fodder—a single swing apiece.
“Mind the horses!”
“Got it! Don’t worry!”
The five warriors dismounted swiftly and charged the Noils without waiting.
“Kek!”
“Grah!”
Squeals like barking dogs echoed nonstop. The Noil numbers thinned in seconds.
That was when Maira’s senses, idly watching the scene, abruptly picked up something off.
She whipped her head right—not toward the dying Noils on the left, but the opposite side. Her eyes widened.
“Right flank! Trolls!”
“Gah?!”
The priests, who’d been casually spectating the Noil slaughter, startled and turned—only to freak out more.
It was unmistakably trolls bounding down the steep slope.
And there were ten of them.
“Wh-what?!”
“Don’t panic! Drop the Noils and focus on the trolls!”
Maira bellowed loud enough to ring their eardrums, then leaped from her horse.
She left the physical spear behind. No room to conserve holy power now. Full throttle from the start.
Fwoosh!
By the time her feet hit the ground, a brilliantly glowing radiant spear had sprouted in her hand.
Maira rocketed toward the lead troll.
Truth be told, even she wasn’t calm.
Trolls were infamous and powerful fiends, even to civilians. Only top-tier Silvers could fight them one-on-one.
Usually they went solo or with a mate at most—not a threat to a group of eight Golds.
So what the hell was this? Not three or four, but ten. The trolls outnumbered them now.
Fiends had intelligence but no true intellect—their behavior was beastly.
And beasts staked out territories, narrow or vast, showing no mercy to intruders.
Humans could band together, but trolls had no such concept. Pack hunters were one thing; these weren’t.
“No way...!”
Maira gritted her teeth.
A grim answer—one known only to high clergy like bishops—flashed through her mind.
But speculation could wait. First, kill the fiends in front of her.
Crunch!
One strike pierced the first troll’s skull. Its regeneration couldn’t fix a shattered brain.
Whoosh!
Ignoring defense for a one-shot kill left her open to the next troll’s swing.
But Maira was no mere priest—she was a bishop, Gold-equivalent. Her specs outclassed trolls. Combat prowess aside, holy casters weren’t that fragile.
Crunch!
She barely deflected the attack, countering to drop the second troll.
Boom!
She had to block the third’s strike—no dodging that. The club that could pulverize a man sent a massive shock through her radiant spear.
Fortified by a miracle, Maira endured and felled the third.
She’d taken a bit of damage rushing, but it was worth it.
“Don’t engage head-on!”
“Damn these filthy fiends!”
The warriors finished the Noils and rejoined with the priests, making seven Silvers against seven trolls.
One-on-one, they were outnumbered but could hold. She’d pick them off one by one in the meantime.
That was the plan—until.
Whoooosh!
Instinct kicked in at the eerie sound.
Maira barely dodged a boulder like it’d been launched from a catapult.
But the unlucky horses behind her didn’t.
“Hiiing!”
Two were smashed to pulp on impact. Two more crumpled from the shockwave. The last four tangled in chaos.
Worse, she had no time to deal with it.
Up ahead, where the boulder came from, a fiend blocked the path.
And moments later, the same kind sealed their retreat from behind.
“Two... ogres.”
Despair cresting into detachment, Maira let out a hollow laugh.
Ogres—brutes so stupidly strong even Gold warriors dreaded them. She’d only seen illustrations, never live. Now two of them cordially blocked front and rear.
Her suspicions from the ten trolls were sadly confirmed.
This was impossible without someone deliberately herding the fiends.
She should’ve retreated sooner when the density spiked.
Or maybe not—given how they’d blocked the retreat like they were waiting.
“Fine, come on then!”
Maira roared defiance. Knowing it was futile, she charged the front ogre anyway.
Mocking them, the rear ogre just watched instead of charging. Numbers evened out.
But warriors and priests weren’t stronger than trolls individually. Balance tipped slowly.
And Maira couldn’t beat an ogre one-on-one. She could stall, but stalling meant losing here.
Strength ebbed away.
As death loomed, the face of the girl she thought of as a daughter flashed in Maira’s mind.
Shouldn’t have sent her on pilgrimage. No, she seemed blissfully happy, so that was right. Should’ve insisted harder she stop by on the way.
Just once more, if only—
“...?”
Maira blinked.
Her slightly blurred vision cleared instantly.
No illusion. Fighting with a radiant spear had delayed her notice.
Far behind the front ogre—blocking the Abaka road—a platinum blaze roared fiercely.
The ogre was facing Abaka, so the light came from there too.
Another bishop? No word of anyone coming, and none when she’d left Abaka. Otherwise, they’d have come together.
And that speed—what? It closed in impossibly fast. Literally like the wind.
“Raaahhhh!”
A scream-slash-battle cry echoed long across the night sky.
Even fiends sensed the anomaly now. The fight tacitly slowed; all eyes locked on the hurtling light.
Maira, with the sharpest eyes, gaped.
Wondering if grief was making her hallucinate—but no.
Lilia, engulfed in flames of light, was ‘flying’ straight at them.
Not quite—she touched ground sometimes—but her air time was unnatural. Lingering too long airborne.
Like a ship with sails billowing full wind? As if gusts propelled her back.
Before she could process, Lilia nearly reached the battlefield.
Thud-thud-thud!
She touched down briefly, kicked off hard—and now clutched a radiant spear.
The fiery miracle blazed sun-bright for an instant.
Slash!
By the time Maira registered Lilia’s motion, the ogre before her was headless.
She’d charged, leaped, slashed its throat—then spun midair and hurled her radiant spear with all her might.
Boom!
The air-ripping roar faded.
The rear ogre’s head was gone, neck sliced clean like space itself was carved out.
“Haa.”
Lilia landed lightly and sighed in relief.
Ignoring the eerie silence, she yanked out a radiant sword and beamed.
“Want me to clean up the trolls too?”
It took exactly thirty seconds.