Chapter 240

(1)

Heavy silence hung in the space.

Beyond the vast swamp stood an Undead, his red robe billowing in the wind.

Lord of the Immortals, Astevan.

As Noah faced the calmly burning blue gaze, she unintentionally swallowed hard.

‘…The real deal starts now.’

After pushing through all obstacles, she had finally arrived at her destination. The only thing left was to confront Astevan and defeat him.

Noah recalled the information she had gained from the original story during her fight against Astevan. It was to be of some help in the upcoming battle.

‘The first attack will probably be…’

A curse of fear.

Illusions caused by necromancy.

Dark magic that isolates the opponent.

It had to be one of the three.

As she was critically analyzing his action patterns based on her experiences from the original story,

Boom! Rumbling!

Suddenly, the ground shook violently.

So violently that she could barely stabilize herself.

“W-What is happening? An earthquake?!”

“Is this Astevan’s doing?”

The group lowered their postures.

They did this to avoid falling. Meanwhile, they looked at Noah, assuming she would know the cause of this phenomenon.

“Noah?”

But there was no reply.

To be precise, she didn’t have the luxury of answering. Noah was currently sitting down, preparing her spell.

A moment later, nine talismans scattered in all directions. As all the talismans were engulfed in flames and turned to ash, the earthquake surprisingly came to a halt.

“The shaking has….”

“It seems to have completely disappeared.”

“What just happened?”

The group asked back, puzzled.

Finishing her spell, Noah took a short breath and responded.

“This is Astevan’s necromancy.”

“Necromancy, you say?”

“Yes. It creates an illusion effect over a specific area, trapping those within it in various confusions.”

In reality, the ground had not been shaking at all.

Knowing this fact from the original work, Noah had burned off the necromancy that clung to her group using the talismans.

On the other hand, while Noah seemed indifferent about it, the others reacted differently.

“How did you know that?”

Particularly, Delia’s eyes widened in disbelief.

It was only natural. What Noah had quickly figured out was something Delia, who could observe the flow of mana, had not noticed at all.

“I’ve experienced it a few times.”

“What? Experienced it?”

“Sorry, I’ll explain everything later. For now, let’s focus on the fight with Astevan.”

As Noah said, there was no time to waste focusing elsewhere; all attention needed to be on Astevan. Delia nodded, trying hard to suppress her curiosity.

Just then, Ulan narrowed his eyes.

“So is that an illusion too?”

“Huh? Which one?”

“The swamp seems to be moving.”

Before them lay a massive swamp.

Indeed, the whole swamp was wriggling, just as he said. Then, suddenly, high waves began to rise from the center of the swamp.

Pitch-black waves.

Feeling an inexplicable sense of unease, Delia immediately gathered the magic power of the stars.

“…Everyone, behind me!”

This time, it wasn’t an illusion.

With the conviction that she had to block it somehow, she began chanting a protective magic spell. But at that moment, a shout stopped her from acting.

It was Noah’s voice.

“No, don’t worry about those waves!”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Even if they touch your body, they just feel uncomfortable. There’s no real effect. What we need to be cautious of is the fog beyond those waves!”

The fog obscured from view by the waves.

What merely looked like an ordinary fog was actually called ‘Fog of Decay.’

One of Astevan’s unique spells, a black magic horrifically causing decay upon contact.

‘And the worst part is, there’s more.’

Once the body starts decaying, it cannot be healed, even with divine power. The only solution is to cut off the rotting parts.

Hence, they could not allow the fog to fill this space. Noah immediately turned to Laurea and shouted.

“Laurea! Please chant the prayer of purification quickly! We must purify it before the fog engulfs this entire area!”

“Leave that to me!”

It was then that Ian stepped up instead.

Laurea believed it would be wise to preserve her strength for the fight against Astevan.

After Ian finished his response, he immediately knelt on the ground and offered a prayer.

“O Divine Being. O My Star. Give me the power to defeat the evil that defies you!”

Did he notice it, perhaps?

With the pitch-black waves came the fog of decay, aiming directly at him. But it couldn’t stop Ian. Noah’s countermeasures were much quicker.

Wham! Wham! Wham!

The talismans scattered in all directions.

As the barrier she created blocked the fog, the prayer of purification was completed.

Then something incredible happened.

“The fog is…!”

The fog that had come so close evaporated as if it vanished into thin air. Moreover, the waves and even the black swamp evaporated in an instant.

In that moment, the entire group realized.

They had to follow Noah’s lead if they were to achieve victory, regardless of the specific reasons.

“Next is necromancy!”

This situation repeated itself again and again.

Noah quickly countered all of Astevan’s attacks, even predicting the spells he would use next merely by observing his actions.

Thanks to such contributions, the group steadily approached Astevan’s throne.

There was a distance of around a hundred steps left.

Witnessing this scene, Astevan’s blue gaze wavered like a candle in the wind.

【Wh-What is this—.】

Of course, he couldn’t help but be flustered.

The dark magic and necromancy he had utilized until now were all unique spells he had researched and crafted alone, one of a kind in the world.

Besides, he had not been out of the abyss for long. In other words, this was the first time he had employed these unique spells.

【But how do they know?】

Moreover, it wasn’t just about knowing the existence of the unique spells; he had detailed knowledge about their effects and how to counter them.

It was enough to drive someone insane.

Just then, Astevan’s attention was unexpectedly captured by someone.

【That’s—.

A black-haired girl commanding the heroes at the center of the group. One of the greatest threats from the Abyss along with the divine agent of stars—a variable, as Rakus had mentioned.

【—The Outsider.】

As Astevan recognized Noah, he instinctively sensed that she was the one who had comprehended his unique spells.

Realizing this right after, Astevan began to quietly draw upon his magic power while keeping the advancing Ulan’s group at bay.

His sole aim was singular.

To eliminate the Outsider.

2.

Meanwhile, at that time.

Noah calmly blocked Astevan’s onslaught while slowly closing the distance towards him.

Only about eighty steps remained to reach the throne.

Perhaps feeling irritated by the slow advance, Ulan turned to Noah, looking frustrated.

“Are we there yet?”

“Yes, we need to wait a little longer.”

Noah replied firmly.

Ulan made a face of impatience but didn’t contradict her. He had promised to follow Noah’s command in this battle.

“…Understood. I’ll wait.”

The thrill that ignited his entire body.

Ulan held back the urge to dash out and fight, clenching his jaws.

Seeing this, Noah sighed inwardly while glancing at him.

‘I get Ulan’s feelings too.’

Throughout all their previous battles, he had always been the first to swing his axe.

Whether against monsters or demon beasts, he had always been at the forefront when confronting the Lord of the Abyss. He had the strength and skill to do so.

‘But this time is an exception.’

The Lord of the Immortals, Astevan.

Unlike other lords they had faced so far, this one couldn’t simply be dealt with by ‘Master’s Domain.’

To be precise, extending the Master’s Domain would be pointless. Astevan could move freely within that space.

‘So I mustn’t act recklessly.’

Moreover, he could activate all types of magic and curses without incantation.

Thus, even if they approached by closing the distance with the domain, there was a high chance of being counterattacked by various magic and curses during the approach.

Noah had witnessed such scenarios countless times in the original work. Hence, rather than rushing in, she opted to take a gradual approach.

‘Still, so far, so good.’

The group understood their roles and followed Noah’s lead, allowing them to close the distance without incurring any damage.

‘Just a bit more…’

Once they got within the range to extend the domain, if they could create the ‘opening’ for a counterattack, then they would gain the upper hand from there.

And to create an opening, they needed to prepare a few things. Noah turned her attention first to the beast-hunter from the Myae race.

“Sven, please take this.”

“Huh? What is this?”

Five talismans.

Sven was familiar with these items.

Which looked similar to the ones he had used wrapped around arrows while fighting the Undying Minions.

“Do I just use them like before?”

“Yes, and I don’t doubt your skills, but you must hit at least three times.”

“…Three times?”

“It’s necessary to activate the spell.”

Preparation to create an opening.

Upon hearing Noah’s words, Sven raised an eyebrow, then snickered.

“Hmph, I’ll hit every single one. Just watch me.”

“Ahaha, yes. I’ll be counting on you.”

Noah laughed awkwardly.

Realizing she had touched on Sven’s pride through his reaction.

With that reliable assurance behind her, Noah then turned her gaze to the silver-haired girl who had been chanting defensive spells consecutively.

“Delia, I need a favor.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Prepare Extreme New Star.”

Extreme New Star.

A 7-star-level stellar magic spell that unleashes an enormous amount of magic over a narrow area—it’s a strategic spell.

To put it simply, it’s like packing the destructive power of a meteor shower into an area of about ten steps.

However, upon hearing Noah’s request, Delia wore a puzzled expression for a moment.

“But… magic won’t work…”

“I’ll figure that part out. Just be ready to use it anytime.”

Delia nodded, even though she didn’t know exactly how Noah would manage it. There was only truth in Noah’s words.

“Alright, I’ll prepare it.”

With this, she secured Delia’s cooperation.

Now all that remained was to convey these plans to Ulan, Kadel, and Ian. Noah was about to speak to the three.

But just then.

Wriggle!

Noah’s shadow moved in an instant.

However, it was such a tiny movement that she didn’t notice it. On the other hand, Ivella behind her was an exception.

“Noah! Watch out!”

Feeling the anomaly, she shouted urgently.

But before Noah could dodge, the shadow surged up much faster. Late to see it, Noah’s eyes widened.

“…!”

A multitude of shadowy spears shot out like arrows.

Shadow Spear.

One of Astevan’s unique spells, which in the original work had an instant death effect.

But there was no need to worry.

For now, Noah had powerful allies capable of blocking even instant death patterns by her side.

Crash! Bam!

The axe crushed the shadowy spears without mercy.

Shortly after, the axe’s owner spoke up.

“Are you hurt?”

“Phew, no. Thanks to you.”

Noah smiled in relief.

Then she looked closely at the shadowy spear that vanished into ashen remains.

Instant death pattern, Shadow Spear.

In the original work, it was usually used against the target with the highest aggro. So typically, that target was Laurea.

‘But I didn’t expect him to target me.’

Perhaps, it was because Noah’s previous predictions and countermeasures had bothered him.

Having finished her speculation, Noah chuckled.

This showed that Astevan was getting anxious, which meant Noah’s tactics were indeed effective.

‘Alright, let’s keep it up.’

They were almost there.

Slapping her cheeks to shake off distractions, Noah resumed analyzing Astevan’s spells.

After a while, the battle resumed.

Amid the floods of curses and necromancy, along with dark magic pouring from all sides, the group continued to push forward without faltering.

How much time had passed?

The distance between the two forces had shrunk considerably from the beginning. And at the moment they took another step forward, a familiar voice rang in Noah’s ears.

“It’s time.”

“Huh?”

“This will be the forty-ninth step.”

A hushed whisper from Ulan.

Though brief, Noah instantly understood what it meant.

This was Ulan’s domain.

In other words, it was a signal that they were ready to fight.

Chapter 55. The Great Battle