Chapter 763

The combat power of the Holy Legion was actually more modest than any force that had come to the Sky Mountain Range.

Although they had deployed an army of two thousand, among them, only Seilon was a strong enough warrior to scale the walls.

If they had faced Alvheim, which had dispatched more than six guardians, or the Dragon Kingdom, which had nearly eight winged dragonkin, they would have been annihilated in no time.

“O Astraea! The Scales of Order, who vanquish evil and uphold justice! Grant your servant unwavering will to protect!”

However, it was they who now dominated this battlefield.

“Sir Damien, your injuries are severe! Leave them to us!”

“Followers of the dragon! The time has come for you to face judgment! Repent and accept your death!”

The two non-human races, who had arrived with overwhelming force, had already inflicted near-total destruction upon each other after mutual slaughter.

“Gasp… gasp… get away…!!”

Only a handful of remnants remained, and even they were so exhausted that they couldn’t even flee, let alone fight.

It was as if the old saying, “It’s not the strong who survive, but the survivors who become strong,” had been proven.

“These weak, short-lived races dare…!”

“Is this… my end? I can’t accept it! I won’t accept it!”

Ereneisia and Beherikes, who would have torn apart high-ranking paladins in a single strike under normal circumstances, were now rolling on the ground, struggling against them, but the overwhelming disadvantage was evident as their wounds continued to pile up.

“…I surrender.”

Macaoros simply raised his hands and surrendered. It seemed he had decided it was better to be a prisoner and save his life rather than struggle in vain.

“Accepting the outcome is also elegance. Rather than flailing about so pathetically, it’s more beautiful to admit defeat gracefully.”

…Or maybe he just didn’t want to roll around on the ground struggling.

In any case, thanks to the high-ranking paladins joining the fray, the battlefield was quickly being cleaned up.

The party, who had been fighting with their last ounce of strength, retreated to treat their injuries and replenish their depleted energy. I, too, sat down on the corpse of a fairy to rest after receiving Durandal from a paladin.

【 Kraaak! Krk, Kyaaaaaaak! 】

As I watched Nidhogg, writhing and howling like a beast, swept away by a golden wave.

—-

Nidhogg, who had once been a terror when facing fairies and dragonkin, was now being beaten one-sidedly, even though it had grown stronger than before.

This was due to a critical factor in combat: the weakness of compatibility.

Though it took the form of a dragon, Nidhogg’s essence was an amalgamation of countless insect-like monsters.

The golden divine light emitted by the Holy Legion, the radiance of the goddess that purified and burned away evil, was nothing short of a deadly poison to Nidhogg.

Truly, there’s no one better than paladins for dealing with monsters.

All the effort to restore the Holy Kingdom was worth it.

During the Exra-shapel battle, most of the paladins and priests, aside from Lacey, were away hunting monsters, leaving us helpless… but now it’s different.

With two thousand Holy Legion troops gathered from the Astraea Church Order, all Nidhogg could do was scream and struggle in vain.

“Haaaaaa!”

Every time Seilon swung his thorn-covered longsword, Nidhogg’s scales turned to ash, and its flesh was deeply gouged.

The Barrier of Magi, drawn from the Lake of Magi, was swept away by the Light of Judgment in an instant.

Hundreds of golden chains wrapped around its body, tightening and emitting intense heat, while the paladins’ Blades of Order sliced through its scales like tofu, carving it apart.

【 Goaaaaaaaa! 】

Nidhogg, unable to move and suffering the agony of its lower body being torn to shreds, roared as it looked up at the sky.

– Kyaaaaaaah-!

Dozens, hundreds of magic circles spread across the void, and the hands of specters wailing in agony poured out like a wave.

Black skeletons crawled out from the Lake of Magi, and the scattered corpses of fairies, hacked and torn apart, rose with gurgling groans, staggering to their feet.

“Soul Extraction Technique…! A truly vile demonic magic!”

But even that was nothing more than a futile struggle.

As the high priests of the Elpinel and Astraea Church Orders shouted and unleashed the Blessing of Purification, a dazzling divine light illuminated the surroundings, sweeping away the horde of specters.

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

“Grrrrr…!”

The resurrected specters burned and collapsed.

The Magi that had forcibly animated their dead bodies was purified and scattered, and the forcibly summoned souls were released with their final screams.

It was a fight they couldn’t possibly win.

—-

“Are you unharmed, Lady Astika?”

“I’m fine. These are just scratches.”

I pulled Tersillius’s sword out of my left arm and smiled at the Shaulite Church Order priest who was casting a Healing Miracle on me.

They had rushed over, startled by my blood-soaked appearance and the sword embedded in my left arm, but it wasn’t a wound worth worrying about.

Most of the blood covering me belonged to the non-humans, and my left arm, which had been pierced, was a prosthetic to begin with.

I had deliberately used that arm to grab Tersillius’s sword and lure him into a false sense of security.

If I had blocked with the frost-covered blade, he might have pushed through and aimed for my neck instead.

So, I intentionally let the sword pierce through the unarmored part of my palm and allowed the tip to pass through the gaps in the scales on my inner arm, making it seem like I had been impaled.

All to draw him in and finish him off.

“I’m fine now, so please focus on healing the others.”

The others’ treatment took priority.

Unlike me, who only had a few cuts and scrapes, Damien had suffered full-body burns, and the rest of the party had deep wounds that exposed their bones.

“Rest assured. We’ve already sent healing priests to tend to them.”

“Good. That’s a relief. Then, all that’s left is that guy…”

Feeling the crimson divine light gently healing my wounds, I used Durandal as a crutch to stand up.

“Wait, are you planning to fight in that condition? Leave the rest to us and rest, Lady Astika…”

“Just in case. When an opportunity arises, you have to push through.”

The Holy Legion, led by Seilon, was gaining the upper hand against Nidhogg thanks to their compatibility advantage… but judging by the way they were pouring out divine light like water, they would eventually reach their limit.

So, now that I’ve regained some energy, the best course of action is to help them finish off Nidhogg.

“You know what they say, if you want to steal, target a house on fire.”

“Huh? I’ve never heard that before… but shouldn’t such a person be caught and have their wrists burned?”

The healing priest tilted his head, asking as if wondering if I had hit my head too hard.

“No, that’s not what I mean. It’s a saying about exploiting an enemy’s weakness when it’s revealed.”

“Ah, that’s what you meant?”

The healing priest nodded, finally understanding.

“It’s like the sayings: when killing fairies, burn the forest first; when fighting dwarves, destroy the city first; when capturing a criminal, hang their family first.”

“Uh… yeah, something like that?”

Is that really the same meaning…?

I’m not sure. It sounds ten times more brutal than the saying about stealing from a burning house.

“Ah, and if possible, capture that fairy alive. We need to interrogate her.”

“Hmm… but capturing a guardian won’t be easy.”

The healing priest frowned, as if the order was quite troublesome.

“Why? She’s practically on death’s door. Just disable her and capture her.”

“Even in her weakened state, there’s no telling when she might summon a high-level spirit and cause chaos.”

Ah. Capturing her is possible, but keeping her captive is difficult. That’s not a problem.

“Cut off her limbs and rip out her ears. Then, all she’ll be able to do is bite.”

A fairy’s ears are like antennas for communicating with the World Tree. Removing them cuts off all the blessings from the World Tree.

Since most of a fairy’s combat abilities rely on the World Tree’s blessings, once those are cut off, all that’s left is a weak and frail body.

Like Ferne, who, after just one battle, was reduced to the level of Rana without her divine power.

And with her limbs cut off, even the swordsmanship she had honed for hundreds of years would be meaningless.

What can you do with just a torso and a head? It’s not like she can wield a sword with her tongue.

“Understood. I’ll relay your orders.”

The healing priest nodded and ran off to deliver my commands to Damien’s group.

“What…!? You, these filthy short-lived races…!”

Ereneisia, now aware of her impending fate, spewed curses filled with rage and hatred, thrashing about like a madwoman.

Perhaps she realized that if she lost here, her fate would be so miserable that she’d envy the dead Tersillius. Her face, visible through the blood, had turned deathly pale.

You should’ve just stayed quietly in the forest.

I looked at her final struggle with a mocking gaze, then slung Durandal over my shoulder and began to walk.

【 Kyaaaaaa――ahgak…?! 】

Nidhogg, who had opened its maw wide to spew black flames and gather Magi, now had a golden spear embedded in its gaping mouth, causing it to choke on empty breaths.

What followed was less of a battle and more of a hunt.