Chapter 711: Each Person's Fight (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 711: Each Person's Fight (1)
As Jin vanished from the battlefield, pulled away by the dimensional shift of Dipus Runcandel, his comrades remained in the heart of Ricalton, locked in a desperate race against time. The rescue operation was in full swing, though it was far from a clean victory.
"Aaaargh!"
"Ugh, hic..."
"Thank you... thank you so much...!"
Every time a member of the Barmul Alliance sliced open one of the hanging fruits, a cacophony of screams, sobs, and prayers of gratitude erupted. Each fruit held roughly fifty prisoners, but the reality was grim; only about thirty percent of those trapped inside remained alive. While some fruits contained a higher number of survivors, far more yielded no reaction at all, their husks revealing only the silence of the dead.
"I am Alisa Badger, Captain of the Tikan Guard! Come out and head toward the light over there!"
"Gilly McLoran of the Barmul Alliance. Please move toward the light. You must look after those who cannot walk yourselves. It will be difficult, but please remain calm."
"Hi there! I’m Nodab Sarsaeng. Any fan club members in the house? Ah, now’s not the time. Go that way, over there! We’re here to save you!"
"I am the Ghost Captain. See that blue light? Get there by any means necessary. Our mages and knights will protect you once you arrive..."
It was hell on earth. With that thought heavy in their hearts, the comrades ran without rest. Hundreds of fruits had already plummeted to the ground, yet the towering trees near the castle continued to shed more, as if the forest itself were weeping blood.
The blue light serving as the gathering point for the prisoners was a massive Record Window manifested by Valeria. She, along with Quaul, Enya, and Hedo, were tasked with protecting the survivors and gathering intelligence, rather than participating in the direct rescue.
"Valeria, Jin’s energy vanished the moment the signal flare went off. Is there anything showing on the Record Window?"
"She’s concentrating too hard to answer! Wait a second, I’ll read the Record Window for you."
Quaul answered on Hedo's behalf as he scanned the shifting lights. Just as he noted, Valeria was in a state of absolute focus, her mind entirely occupied with extracting records from across the battlefield, deaf to the world around her.
"Here it is. He moved via Dipus Runcandel and the Authority of the Evil God... Hmm, the name of the region Jin moved to hasn't appeared yet. The letters are starting to faintly assemble, so it should show up on the window soon."
Hedo felt a slight unease about Jin leaving the battlefield, but he wasn't overly worried. Unless the Evil God moved personally, there was no one in Huphester capable of killing him.
The Zipple and Kinzelo fleets are being delayed. That means they are also dealing with the Evil God’s army—specifically forces mixed with superhuman-level combatants... It’s unlikely Jin is handling all of them alone. Did the 4th Flagbearer lure Jin away for a one-on-one fight?
Nearly a hundred prisoners had already reached the vicinity of the Record Window, and far more were streaming across the blackened, scorched fields.
[Things are going too smoothly, Hedo. The forces of Chaos are nowhere to be seen, which is strangely suspicious.]
Quicantel spoke as she carefully lowered a fruit to the ground.
"Problems always seem to arise the moment someone says that, Lady Quicantel. Just like now..."
Hedo said, drawing his sword. He was staring at the main gate of Ricalton Castle. A woman dressed in black robes was walking out from within.
The Prophet, Ilina Runcandel.
Hedo immediately unleashed his Sword Tao toward her, but Ilina dispersed like mist before reforming and brushing off her clothes with a mocking smile. Hedo shrugged and put a cigarette in his mouth, as if he had expected as much.
[Damn it, you’re right. Based on the circumstances, that must be the Prophet.]
"A troublesome one has appeared. If it were a warrior or a mage, we could just fight them, but dealing with someone like that is usually easier for someone with special powers, like Jin."
[That must be why the 4th Flagbearer lured Jin away.]
The problem wasn't her raw combat power, but the disadvantageous situation. They had to fight while protecting the prisoners, and there were too many unknown variables regarding Ilina’s abilities.
[Heroes of the human world who have graced Ricalton with your presence. Are you enjoying the prisoner rescue?]
Ilina’s amplified voice echoed lightly across the battlefield. Hedo kept his gaze fixed on her like a nail, while the rescue efforts of the others slowed as the prisoners were seized by renewed terror.
[Since there’s no answer, I suppose it’s not going well. Well then, I’ve prepared a gift for you all!]
Clap, clap!
As Ilina clapped her hands, circles suddenly appeared in the center of the trees holding the prisoners. They were 'eyes.' Then, the trunks of the trees split sideways, sprouting arms and legs in a grotesque transformation.
[Crazy... Those weren't trees, but some kind of monsters?]
The creatures that had looked like trees until a moment ago were uncurling their bodies. The parts where the fruits hung resembled heads and hair, and as their legs—which had been buried like roots—unfolded, each monster stood taller than Ricalton Castle itself.
[These are the Colossal Divine Trees I created with the Patriarch’s help. You’ve all dealt with Grave Giants before, right? They’re similar. Except, they have humans dangling from the fruits on their heads. Think of them as... ornaments?]
In other words, the group was restricted in how they could destroy the Colossal Divine Trees. A careless attack could shatter the fruits—and the prisoners inside—along with the monsters.
[This is going to be a headache. But Hedo... it seems that Prophet doesn't have the power to eliminate us directly.]
"I was thinking the same thing."
While most of the comrades were overcome by a sudden sense of urgency, Hedo and Quicantel calmly read the situation.
"It feels strongly like she’s playing tricks to buy time. By making the prisoner rescue difficult. That’s likely why the Chaos army is so small. If they engaged in a chaotic melee with a large force, the prisoners would be consumed too quickly, and we would lose our reason to fight cautiously."
[She’s probably not stalling for Dipus’s recovery, since he’s already engaged with Jin. Her goal must be the Evil God’s movements. Seeing her put on such an obvious show, they must be feeling a sense of crisis on their end as well.]
"Tactically, it would be better to abandon all the prisoners right now and advance to disrupt her intentions. But that wouldn't be Jin’s way."
[You’re already sounding like a member of the Barmul Alliance. You adapt quickly.]
"I’m just worried that if Jin is distressed later, Lady Sandra will throw a fit. Besides, advancing might lead us straight into a trap within a trap. It’s best to respond calmly until the temporary allies arrive. I’ve already thought of a plan."
Grooooan!
The Colossal Divine Trees began to advance. With every movement, a low-pitched, dark moan and the unpleasant sound of twisting wood spread through the air. One of them thrust a fist toward the ground. It was aimed at Rata, who dodged the attack with ease and even managed to save several prisoners who had been tossed aside by the shockwave.
However, not every comrade could do what Rata did. Those with relatively less martial prowess, like the members of the Youngest's Division, would have to risk fatal injuries every time they dodged an attack from a Colossal Divine Tree.
[Well then, I hope your meeting with the Colossal Divine Trees provides you with even more thrilling entertainment. I shall take my leave now.]
With those final words, the Prophet retreated back into Ricalton Castle.
"Lady Quicantel. Please bring Julian and the Black King Commander here."
Quicantel found them running across the battlefield in an instant.
"Julian, from this moment on, you are pulled from the ground-level prisoner rescue. Instead, move with the Black King Commander and harvest the fruits attached to the Colossal Divine Trees."
Julian would shoot down the fruits hanging from the monsters with the Lightning Bow Harmila, and Valkas would move them near the Record Window. Hedo planned to save the prisoners attached to the Colossal Divine Trees in that manner, utilizing Julian’s marksmanship and Valkas’s strength.
"Black King Commander, you don't need to bring the fruits all the way here perfectly. If you throw them from as far away as possible, I will catch every single one. You don't even need to be perfectly accurate; even if they fall slightly away from me, I can catch them by creating a wind with my sword."
"Understood."
Valkas momentarily wondered if such a thing was possible, but he nodded, remembering Hedo’s monstrous strength.
[Valkas is going to have a particularly hard time. He’ll have to focus on securing the fruits while also looking out for our allies.]
Excluding Hedo, who was a transcendent superhuman, Valkas was the only 10-star in the group, so he had to play a major role in protecting their comrades.
"That is true, but the Black King Commander won't be too overwhelmed. Because..."
Whoosh—!
Suddenly, Hedo stepped forward and sliced through the air. His Sword Tao, fired like a bolt of light, struck the wrist of a Colossal Divine Tree as it swung toward the ground. The monster had been aiming its fist at Mesa Milkano, but it was forced back, unable to withstand the recoil of the Sword Tao.
"Because I will be covering the entire battlefield and protecting our allies in this manner, from right here."
Hedo could not leave his position. The moment he moved, the prisoners gathered here would be as good as dead. Furthermore, the gathering point for the rescued would vanish, and Valeria and Quaul’s analysis would be disrupted.
[You really are a monster among monsters, Hedo. When you said a countermeasure immediately came to mind, I wondered what it was, but it was just pure martial power.]
The comrades were in awe, but Hedo felt a sense of regret. He thought that if he had been the one to face Dipus and Jin had been in this spot, the Prophet wouldn't have been able to pull such tricks.
They must have calculated that and lured Jin away from the start.
There were eight Colossal Divine Trees in total. Hedo did not miss a single one of their movements.
"Because it is just martial power, a moment may come when I reach my limit. Until then, let us save as many prisoners as possible and hold out until the alliance arrives. We also need someone to infiltrate Ricalton Castle. Mary Runcandel, the 7th Flagbearer, seems the most suitable for that."
[I shall relay the message.]
"Miss Enya, focus only on the rear from now on. I don't think I'll be able to pay any attention to the back at all."
"Yes, don't worry, Sir Hedo!"
As he made the Colossal Divine Trees falter a few more times with long-range support, the comrades were able to focus on the prisoner rescue once again. Hedo’s sword energy continued to spread like a shining thread between Ricalton Castle and the gathering point.