Chapter 350: Don't Do Anything Stupid and Just Go (1)
Chapter 350: Don't Do Anything Stupid and Just Go (1)
The moment they charged into the Gate.
The first thing that met their eyes was a vast wasteland, its surface swarming with the demons of Hell and demonic beasts.
Beyond the horizon of monsters—a sight so dense it was enough to make one sick—stood a massive structure of an unfamiliar architectural style.
Upon seeing it, Patrick remarked, “Whoa, talk about a blast from the past. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a palace like that.”
Calling it a mere palace didn't do justice to its sheer scale, but it certainly resembled the architecture of the Central Plains.
April approached Patrick and asked, “Young Master. Is the Outer God in there?”
“It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?”
“Understood.”
In that case, she simply had to do what needed to be done.
April stepped forward, raising her sword, and shouted at the top of her lungs.
“Knights of the Schneider Duchy, follow me! We take the vanguard!”
At her command, the Double Dragon Knights assumed a wedge formation. And then…
“Move out!”
“Waaaaaaaah!”
“Crush them all!”
Becoming a single, massive arrow, they charged forward without hesitation and collided with the demonic beasts of Hell.
Boom! Crash!
The demons and beasts actually faltered, taken aback by the sheer ruthlessness of their assault.
Following closely behind, the others leaped forward a beat later.
“Let’s go!”
“Break through!”
The individuals gathered here were, at the very least, 4-star knights. They were people who would be considered first-class knights anywhere they went.
As they pushed forward as one cohesive unit, their explosive power was truly terrifying.
“Roaaaaar!”
“How dare mere humans…”
“Aaaagh!”
The demons and beasts filling the wasteland were slaughtered so miserably they almost seemed pitiable.
However, that one-sided offensive did not last long.
“Die!”
Justin Late.
Leading the knights of the Atronia Kingdom, he was fighting more bravely than anyone.
Though he usually suppressed his temper to teach students and govern his territory, his sword was now unleashing an explosive, destructive force as he returned to the front lines after a long time.
Just as he was carving through the demonic beasts and advancing…
“Hm!”
A chilling sensation washed over him.
Instinctively, he layered Aura onto the shield he raised. That reflex…
Boom!
“Urgh…”
…saved his life.
Justin retreated a few steps and steadied his stance. Then…
“Ho, you have some skill. I thought you were just a boar that had been shot in the head.”
“You bastard.”
Justin glared at the enemy before him.
Standing there was a man with blood-red eyes shimmering with killing intent. The moment Justin saw the man equipped with claw-like weapons mimicking animal talons on both hands, goosebumps erupted across his body.
He’s strong.
“Professor!”
“We’ll help you!”
“Stay back!”
He barked at the students trying to join in, stopping them in their tracks, and gripped his sword and shield tightly.
A 7-star knight, the pride of the Atronia Kingdom.
The most powerful enemy in the life of Justin Late, the Indomitable Knight, stood before him.
Without taking his eyes off the foe, Justin spoke.
“Are you an apostle of the Outer God?”
“Hehe. In the Martial World, I was known as the Soul-Stealing Demon Lord.”
“…”
Like I give a damn.
He thought it inwardly, but he couldn't afford to speak recklessly.
This is dangerous.
Justin Late was also a 7-star knight, a superhuman who had reached the Supreme Realm. Yet, the person before him seemed to be on an entirely different level.
The sense of crisis—the feeling that he could die at any moment if he let his guard down—made his skin crawl.
The situation was similar elsewhere.
“Kh….”
“Dammit… move!”
The continental powerhouses who had been leading the charge began to grind to a halt, as if they had hit a wall.
The ones blocking their path were the Demon Warriors of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
Having crossed the world’s barrier while enslaved to the Heavenly Demon, these were Demon Warriors from the cult’s absolute golden age.
None were below the Demonic Pinnacle, and some were even approaching the level of Demonic Detachment.
The strongest among the continental knights tried to stop them, but…
“Ugh….”
“What the hell is this…?”
Things weren't going well.
And Justin Late was no exception.
“Hahahaha! You struggle quite well!”
“Kh….”
Justin was busy defending against the enemy who attacked ferociously, swinging the beast-like claws on both hands.
The enemy used a style he had never encountered before, making them incredibly difficult to handle.
In times like this, usually…
—If you’re not sure, back off and create distance. Don’t just rush in blindly; do some scouting.
The teaching of a former student came to mind.
Well, he hadn't exactly taught that student anything, so calling him a "student" was a bit of a stretch.
But that’s easier said than done, isn’t it?
If he backed off here, this monster would fall upon the allies behind him.
This was a knight order handpicked from the Atronia Kingdom. Half of them were his former students.
And he was supposed to retreat?
“I can’t do that.”
Justin gritted his teeth and pushed forward instead.
Crunch! Stab!
The enemy’s attacks clawed at his body, but he didn't care. True to his title as the Indomitable Knight, he pushed forward with dogged persistence.
Not yet. A little further…
He had to get within a definitive striking range.
Enduring the agonizing pain, he finally reached the desired distance.
“Haaap!”
Justin’s full-power Aura Blade erupted toward the enemy…
“I thought you’d do that.”
It was then.
The opponent moved with a bizarre fluidity he had never seen before, taking Justin’s flank.
With a sickening smirk, the man said, “You foolish bear. Die.”
A terrifying sensation gripped him.
Watching the enemy’s attack fly toward his heart from an angle he couldn't counter, Justin felt the approach of death.
However…
Crack!
The sound that followed wasn't the sound of his heart being pierced.
With a sound like a watermelon shattering, the head of the man trying to kill Justin exploded.
And the person who appeared before Justin was…
“Stop fighting like a brawler.”
“Young Master Schneider?”
Patrick had appeared out of nowhere, blowing the enemy away and saving Professor Justin.
Patrick spoke with a face full of irritation.
“We’re already short on combat power as it is. Don’t you value your life?”
“No, I was just….”
“Don’t make excuses… Argh, what’s going on over there now?”
Justin tried to offer an excuse, but Patrick had already leaped away again.
Turning into a flash of light, Patrick shattered the head of an unnamed Demon Warrior, saving the life of a knight who appeared to be from the Empire.
Even after that, Patrick continued to flash across the battlefield, frantically assisting his allies.
Watching that sight, Late let out a sigh.
“He lives a busy life. Truly busy.”
In a way, he was remarkably consistent.
Whether he was causing trouble at the Academy or now, as the strongest man on the continent, Patrick hadn't changed a bit.
Then, his disciple Alex spoke from behind.
“Professor. We’ve stopped moving.”
“We can’t have that.”
Late gritted his teeth again, swinging his sword to sweep away the enemies in front of him.
To make good use of the life Patrick had extended, he had to move at least one step further.
* * *
This is troublesome.
Patrick was literally rushing east and west, moving frantically as he flashed across the field.
The explosive momentum from the start had already died down.
Since they had gathered elite forces, they could somehow handle the demons and beasts of Hell, but the Demon Warriors mixed in between were more of a problem than expected.
Those bastards hid among the demons and then appeared wherever there was a major 7-star power, attempting to take out the core of the allied forces.
Patrick was constantly running around to stop them, but at this rate…
“Master. This is getting difficult.”
Persona, who had approached him, spoke.
Standing back-to-back with Patrick, she…
“Haaaaaaaaah!”
With a powerful shout, she infused her saber with a massive amount of Aura and swung it.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The destructive power was immense.
Her saber techniques were still lacking. However, the vast energy she had accumulated as a dragon gave her strikes terrifying weight.
Furthermore, the saber techniques of the Hebe Peng Family prioritized power first, power second, and power third.
Her strike completely cleared the surrounding area.
Having bought a moment of time, she spoke to Patrick.
“Master, you must make a decision.”
“I know.”
Patrick frowned, deep in thought.
It wasn't wise to waste energy in a war of attrition while their progress was stalled.
Even if it meant considering potential casualties, Patrick had to move forward. But…
If I leave now, can they even last thirty minutes?
He couldn't even guarantee that.
This was bad. He had thought that the continent’s best knights would be able to stall for time against the Demon Warriors of the Heavenly Demon Cult. But…
They’re struggling much more than I thought.
It was a matter of experience rather than skill.
The knights of the Pangemonia Continent, accustomed to strength-versus-strength battles, were flustered by the unique techniques of Central Plains martial arts and couldn't display their full potential.
For Patrick to push ahead, they needed to be able to hold their current positions.
As it stood, the moment Patrick left, the line would collapse.
What should I do?
As Patrick was agonizing over the choice…
“Fire!”
Twang-twang-twang-twang!
Following a command in a familiar voice, the sound of plucked strings echoed across the battlefield. And then…
Boom! Boom! Crash!
Terrifying explosions rained down on the enemy formation.
“Oh, brother-in-law!”
Patrick looked over happily to see Kyrios commanding the Elven archers.
While everyone else had been charging forward, Kyrios had been organizing the ranks from the rear, leading the Elven warriors.
And now, the terrifying Spirit Arrow bombardment of the Elves was showing its worth.
“Ugh… those bastards…?”
“Avoid it! That power is not to be ignored!”
Even the Demon Warriors of the Heavenly Demon Cult faltered and retreated before the Spirit Arrow barrage.
Indeed, just as the knights of Pangemonia were unfamiliar with Central Plains martial arts, the Demon Warriors were unfamiliar with attacks utilizing Elven Spirit Magic. Furthermore…
“O Yupinel, descend upon this land.”
“Sacred Field!”
The 12 Paladins, the pride of the Holy Kingdom, unleashed their trump card.
Using Divine Power, they created a divine domain on this land.
In a battle between humans, it was meaningless. That was why they hadn't used it during the war against the Empire.
But when the opponent was the kin of demons, the story changed drastically.
“Roaaaaar!”
“Aaaagh!”
The demons and beasts that entered the Sacred Field screamed in agony as if they were being burned alive, hurriedly scrambling to escape.
Those who failed to escape in time melted away under the divine power, leaving not even a drop of blood behind.
With this, it might be doable…
Patrick immediately ran to the Paladins maintaining the Sacred Field and asked, “Uncle Oiros. How long can you keep this up?”
“The Sacred Field is a grand miracle. Even with all the Paladins giving their utmost, it cannot last very…”
“Argh, I asked how long! Can’t you just get to the point?”
“…We can manage about forty minutes. But that is only if we do not receive a strong impact from the outside.”
“That’s enough. Focus on this. First Sage!”
Patrick shouted urgently.
At his call, the First Sage appeared from the sky.
“What is it?”
“Please hold out while actively using long-range magic. You have to protect the Paladin uncles from those bastards while they hold the field.”
“Will that suffice?”
“It will.”
The First Sage nodded and said, “I shall do my best.”
Good.
With this, the minimum preparations were complete.
While the allies held their ground at the Gate’s entrance, Patrick just had to break through to the Heavenly Demon.
The minimum number of people for that was…
“April, Persona, Catherina, Cannonier, Riman, Elione, Tutan!”
The seven people called by Patrick approached quickly.
April Schneider, the second strongest on the continent after Patrick.
Persona, the Dragon Lord.
Catherina bin Yuzef, who had awakened the power of the Spirit Royal Family.
Cannonier Grass, the Guardian of the Tower of Truth.
Riman Sierra, the next Guardian.
Elione Schneider, the strongest of the existing Elves.
Tutan, the strongest of the Orcs.
These seven were the team Patrick had selected.
Normally, he would have taken a few Paladins as well, but seeing the situation, they had to be left here.
“We’re heading in now. Persona!”
“Yes, Master.”
Persona’s body was enveloped in light as she grew in size.
She transformed from a beautiful woman into a dragon with shimmering pitch-black scales.
As soon as Patrick’s group climbed onto her back, she spread her wings without hesitation and took flight with a powerful beat.
The seven-member strike team, carrying the fate of the continent, flew at high speed toward the Heavenly Demon’s palace.
“Wash your neck and wait, you Heavenly Demon brat!”