Chapter 762

“Waaaaah!”

Encased in dazzling divine light, over two thousand soldiers surged toward the hill. With a proud smile, I warmly welcomed the Holy Legion charging toward us.

Most emitted the golden divine light unique to the Astraea Church Order, but among them were occasional flashes of the Menes Church Order’s blue, the Shaulite Church Order’s crimson, and the Elpinel Church Order’s silver-white divine light.

They must have gathered all available forces from the northern Holy Kingdom.

The lineup was nothing short of spectacular.

Hundreds of battle priests and paladins, over ten high-ranking paladins, and even Seilon, the Golden Seilon, the strongest paladin of the Astraea Church. This was an elite force capable of deciding the outcome of this battlefield.

Even Nidhogg, who would have been impossible to face with a similar number of knights, couldn’t display its former majesty against paladins due to its nature as a monster using dark magic.

“The Holy Legion…!”

Tersillius let out a deep sigh.

It was a sigh mixed with self-reproach for underestimating me, a barbarian, and despair at having no way out.

“Astika, was it…?”

The dragonkin wore similar expressions. Understandable. Exhausted and wounded, even facing high-ranking paladins, let alone Seilon, would be overwhelming for them.

This would be their grave.

“Right, my introduction is a bit late.”

I casually pulled down my top and revealed the holy mark on my chest, then greeted them with a knightly bow and a bright smile.

“The Saintess of the Goddess of Order and Justice, Astraea. Hasallur Median ‘Astika’ Ai-shan Gi-or von Landenburg. Quite a mouthful, isn’t it?”

“You…! You deceived us!”

Ereneisia, furious, charged at me, swinging her sword.

I parried her blade with Durandal and smiled, gently correcting her misconception.

“Deceived? I didn’t lie. I said we couldn’t defeat it in our ‘current state.’ The only way left was for ‘you.’ I clearly said that.”

Yes. I only said that we had to cooperate to defeat the Insect-Dragon, not that we had to defeat it alone.

If the Holy Legion hadn’t arrived, we would have had to form a temporary alliance to defeat the Insect-Dragon.

An alliance that would inevitably collapse, with someone betraying at any moment.

But…

“However, since the premise has changed, the conclusion naturally changes too, doesn’t it?”

I pressed down on her blade with my left hand, overpowering her with strength, and smiled.

My mechanical arm, which always outputs a constant strength regardless of my stamina or energy, was an overwhelming advantage in this situation where everyone was exhausted.

“You… despicable trickster…!”

“Why so angry? It was a ‘temporary alliance’ anyway. Just think of it as ending a bit earlier.”

I looked down at Ereneisia, who was slowly bending her knees under my pressure, and smiled with a blood and sweat-streaked face.

The temporary alliance was only proposed because we couldn’t defeat Nidhogg alone. But now that we can end this situation with our own strength, of course, the temporary alliance must be dissolved.

“And this… think of it as your life ending a bit sooner.”

“Stop talking nonsense!”

Ereneisia bent her knees completely, lowering her body, and spun to dislodge Durandal, kicking my leg.

The boot, with its sole torn off, ripped apart, and a heavy thud echoed through my calf.

Well… it didn’t hurt much.

Rather, Ereneisia seemed bewildered, as if she had kicked a steel tower.

“Is this… the Blessing of Invulnerability? Rotholandus’s?”

“You know it well. Have you experienced it before?”

I lifted Durandal, which had missed and struck the ground, and grinned.

The Blessing of Invulnerability, which prevents wounds from ordinary blades and halves the damage of strikes.

Though its output was weakened due to being wrapped in fur leather, it could easily block a tired woman’s kick. A bruise might form, though.

“Then you understand now. It’s your time to die!”

“What…!”

Ereneisia, with a desperate expression, tried to create distance. As I took a big step and swung Durandal to sever her neck,

“Ereneisia!”

“This old man!”

“In this situation, even you must…!”

The fairies and dragonkin, united in heart and mind, all charged at me.

“Ha, pathetic brats.”

Beating up a single woman with a group of grown men was a despicable and vile act, unacceptable for a Saintess of Order and Justice.

【 Kraaaaaaa! 】

Even Nidhogg, startled by the swarm of unpleasant enemies, decided to kill us first before deciding whether to flee or fight, charging forward with its gaping maw.

“Hasallur!”

Naturally, our party urgently threw themselves to block the other races.

Damien’s greatsword blocked Beherikes’s spear, and Ereneisia, trying to create distance and draw her bow, hastily rolled to avoid Asha’s lance.

“Dwarf wench, how dare you!”

“Elf scum’s explosive spear-!”

Amidst mutual disdain, their killing intent clashed in a circle.

“Hasallur, sir!”

“Don’t you dare touch our lord!”

Nigel and Jahan, even with their exhausted bodies, blocked the guardian Iberfalos and three patrols, thrusting their crimson slaughter sword and crackling spear at the enemy.

“Roar, Crimson Slaughter Sword!”

“Ah, yes, you too! Eberond’s Holy Spear!”

The next moment, literal lightning bolts poured from their weapons. The power of the lightning, amplified five times by Ophelia’s high-level magic.

“Ah.”

Four fairies turned to ash without even a scream.

Even the guardian couldn’t evade. How could one dodge lightning coursing through the body and flames pouring over it?

With a blinding light, scorching flames, and thunderous winds, the deafening roar echoed through the mountains.

A truly terrifying power, an attack so destructive it was hard to believe it came from Nigel and Jahan.

Perhaps… the spirit energy their weapons had absorbed, the mana of fire and lightning, was released all at once.

“No, this is…”

“What on earth…?”

Seeing the two who displayed such destructive power not smiling triumphantly but staring dumbfounded at their weapons.

“That sword…! I thought it might be dragon scales! Hand it over!”

Macaoros, who had momentarily been distracted by the lightning bolts displayed by Nigel and Jahan, recognized the true nature of the crimson sword and lunged at Jahan.

Meanwhile, the black-scaled dragonkin, who had remained silent…

The dragonkin…?

‘Wait, where did this guy go?’

[ He fled. The moment you clashed with the fairy wench, he turned westward and quietly escaped. ]

Amazingly, he had slipped away unnoticed. Not just by me, but even by his fellow dragonkin.

Honestly. Like Hersh, do those with dark skin have some blessing to hide and escape well, regardless of race?

…Anyway, we fought the final battle.

Until Nidhogg thrust its maw toward us, in that brief moment of respite.

—

“Big head Bovis! I’ll split your skull in half!”

I kicked off the ground and charged, swinging Durandal at Tersillius, who tirelessly summoned spirits.

“Alvheim, be eternal!”

Tersillius, perhaps out of strength to summon a full spirit, summoned only a part to block me.

Namely, the arm of a rock spirit.

– Krrrr…!

The suddenly protruding rocky arm grabbed Durandal’s blade and pulled, while Tersillius threw a piece of wood at my right hand gripping the hilt.

A fragment of the Bow of the Divine Tree, made from a branch of the World Tree.

– Wood crack!

The next moment, the wood fragment expanded like a snake, wrapping around my fingers and forcing them open. The fairy’s power to control plants. Durandal slipped from my loosened grip.

“Oops…!”

There was no time to draw the Red Scale Saber. Tersillius was already thrusting his sword at my face.

“Wait, hold on!”

I stretched out my hands toward him, as if pleading for a moment’s pause.

Of course, he wouldn’t stop.

“I’ll carve out your tongue!”

Tersillius, confident he could finish me off, even wore a sinister smile.

And then.

“It’s over-!”

As Tersillius’s sword pierced my left hand and approached my head,

“Kenaz.”

A stream of fire erupted from my outstretched right hand, engulfing his face.

Rune Flame, unleashed at point-blank range.

A perfect counterattack, impossible to evade.

“Gah, gaaaaah!”

Tersillius screamed and collapsed.

The intense heat melted his skin like jelly, a fatal wound even ten Ranas couldn’t heal.

“I said wait. Why didn’t you listen?”

“Guh…!”

I stomped on his chest, crushing it, and smiled.

A trump card must be kept hidden until the very end.

Throughout this battle, I had been flying around, spewing flames, but I never showed myself chanting rune incantations or unleashing mana flames.

I planted the preconception that my fire used Life Force Technique as fuel, making them think it couldn’t be used now that my Life Force was nearly depleted.

The result is as you see—

“Guh… gaaaaah!”

With a smell reminiscent of roasted tomatoes, Tersillius’s death throes echoed pitifully. An appetite-inducing smell.

And then,

【 Krarararararaah! 】

Nidhogg, perhaps feeling the same, opened its maw like a child biting into a hamburger, casting a large shadow over me.

“Go ahead, eat up.”

I looked up at Nidhogg’s throat and sneered. No sense of crisis. Because—

“Lady Astika!”

The golden-armored paladin, radiating the halo of the scales, flew in like the wind, grabbed me, and swiftly retreated.

“Are you unharmed, Lady Astika!”

“…Yes. Thank you, Seilon. It’s been a while.”

I smiled, my face covered in blood, responding to Seilon’s voice as he held me in a princess carry.

Though I didn’t like the way he was holding me, thanks to his timely arrival, everything turned out well.

“You’ve worked hard. Leave the rest to us.”

Seilon wiped the blood off my face with his cloak, set me down outside Nidhogg’s attack range, and declared confidently.

Leave Nidhogg to the Holy Legion, rest, tend to your wounds, and recover your strength.

Overflowing with confidence.

“Alright, I’ll leave it to you.”

I nodded slightly and waved my hand.

“Thank you!”

Seilon bowed his head, then flew back toward Nidhogg, shouting at the Holy Legion forming ranks to surround it.

“Battle priests! Use the Weight of Sin to bind its movements! Paladins, unleash the Light of Judgment to destroy its wings!”

“Yes!”

As the priests raised their staffs, swords, and holy tablets in prayer, golden chains emerged from the air, wrapping around Nidhogg’s body like ropes.

The chains, touching the Insect-Dragon’s body, smoked and slowly crushed its scales.

【 Krrr?! Kaaah! Krarararara! 】

Nidhogg roared, twisting its body in discomfort.

With each twist, dozens of chains snapped and dissipated into light, but the battle priests immediately manifested hundreds more, tightening around its flesh.

It was like a prey caught in a net, except on an enormous scale.

Next, the paladins, kissing their longswords in prayer, raised them high and unleashed the Light of Judgment.

– Uuuuuuung!

The dark, cloudy sky opened, revealing a blue expanse, from which golden divine light rained down like a monsoon.

– Kwadrdrdrdrd!

Each beam was weak, only scratching the scales, but hundreds, thousands of them combined were powerful enough to shatter Nidhogg’s scales and tear its flesh.

“High-ranking paladins, cut down the dragonkin and fairies! This is the opportunity Lady Astika has created with all her might. Do not disgrace yourselves by missing it!”

Seven high-ranking paladins of the Astraea Church Order charged at the dragonkin and fairies fighting our party.

“Victory to Lady Astraea!”

“Glory to our Saintess, Lady Astika!”

Originally, they could only handle fairy patrols or wingless dragonkin, but with the enemy weakened, their arrival was a death sentence for the other races.

And Seilon.

“The Day of Judgment has come. I am Her spear and sword!”

Unleashing the full power of the Day of Judgment, bestowed by Astraea, Seilon swung his thorny sword at Nidhogg.

A scene both splendid and majestic.

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