Chapter 98

98.

***

“What is the meaning of this? Step aside!”

Myna’s sharp cry echoed throughout the main camp of the Imperial Army.

The woman, who usually maintained a gentle expression, was rarely showing anger.

Despite the furious expression on the Saint’s face, the commanders and priests of the sect desperately gestured with their eyes, but Barnel, standing in Myna’s way, didn’t flinch and shook his head.

“Marching into the battlefield now would be nothing but a death sentence, Saint Myna. The battle had already started before you arrived. And even the Imperial Army can’t protect you if you go into the chaos of emotions.”

Myna fiercely retorted to Barnel’s calm explanation.

“Then you’re just leaving them to die?”

“We’re doing everything we can to push back the Liberation Army, but as you can see, it’s not easy to break through.”

As the commander said, the Imperial Army was colliding with everything they had in an attempt to push back the Liberation Army.

The cavalry of the Imperial Army also disrupted and shook the side of the Liberation Army, and all the troops swung their swords to rescue the knights who were isolated within the Liberation Army.

However.

Even with decreasing manpower due to the great battle, reinforcements from the Liberation Army kept streaming in.

Now, about 70,000-strong forces had occupied the Rude Plains, and the Imperial Army could not break through the thick human wall.

Cain continued to swing his sword while isolated behind enemy lines.

“Has it already been two days in that state? This is already a situation no less than a miracle! Do you even know who this person is?”

“Of course, that’s why the Empire is also doing everything it can to figure out a solution.”

“Then!”

Feeling frustrated, Myna shouted loudly and took a moment to regulate her breathing.

“So… I will go out myself. The original plan was for me to nullify Jade’s legitimacy, wasn’t it? I’ll convey it directly to the people. I’ll tell them to stop the war. So move aside, please…!”

“…That place is dangerous. For the sake of the sect, wouldn’t it be better if you recognized your position? If by any chance you die, there will be great chaos.”

As the protective guards surrounded her even more tightly, Myna turned her head sharply.

The fiery gaze of the Saint pierced the knight, who gripped his sword tightly but then quietly bowed his head.

How could she be sent to that madhouse?

Whether it’s because of the Empire or for any other reason, exchanging the lives of outsiders and the Saint was simply an unreasonable act.

Even the trusted holy knight turned away, causing Myna to feel dizzy and sway. It was certainly not part of the plan for things to worsen like this.

“Lady Saint!”

From among the priests and knights who hurriedly supported her, she caught a glimpse of Cain.

The battlefield was far away and filled with many people, but she found him instantly.

‘Cain…’

The young man with black hair swung his mana-imbued greatsword.

‘I need to go.’

Amid the remnants of the annihilated knighthood, Cain’s lonely struggle was seen, prompting Myna to throw herself toward the guards.

***

This is an incredible experience.

And it’s an experience I never want to repeat.

“Die, heretic!”

“The blood of Rojar…! I’ll avenge you by killing you!”

“…Huh.”

With a light swing of his sword, one of the Liberation Army members lunging ferociously was chopped in half.

An invisible gust of wind spread following Calion’s path, cutting down five or six more members of the Liberation Army before disappearing.

With every step, I trampled through puddles of blood.

The flames slowly consumed the corpses, and the greasy smoke and smell of roasting flesh slowly dispersed in the air.

The surroundings were as if cloaked in fog, filled with a ghastly red light.

There was no time to dwell on thoughts, and after a few more swings of Calion, I slowly regulated my breathing.

‘How many… or rather, how long has it been?’

The cycle of the surroundings brightening and dimming roughly gave me an idea that a day had passed.

The trouble is, I poured all my attention into the act of swinging my sword from the middle of that point onward, making it difficult to gauge what was happening around me.

‘I’m still within the encirclement, though.’

Despite the view being entirely blue, my surroundings are red.

Perhaps this is what the term ‘bloody battlefield’ feels like.

I slice through enemies rushing at me like moths attracted to a flame, sever the necks of mana users who take the opportunity to attack, and…

Since dealing with the Ten Sword Demons, there’s been a slight change in my sword strikes.

Originally, it felt like the resistance of an explosion tearing bodies apart, but when wrapped in white light, it felt like effortlessly cutting through grass, splitting bodies apart.

I instinctively understood.

The white light Calion was wrapped in is mana.

At the age of 21, I’ve finally become a mana user.

However, unfortunately, I don’t have the time to purely rejoice and must continue the battle.

My enemies in front of me remained the same, and their fiery intent didn’t waver.

Witnessing such a massacre might make anyone falter, but the Liberation Army charged forward like they were possessed, burning with their fervor and belief.

Even as three enemies cut down by a single strike had increased to seven, it remained the same.

Is this what fanaticism looks like?

I don’t know much about the Liberation Army’s leadership, but at the very least, this confirms the joint citizens’ faithful devotion to the Bright Sect.

Though it’s a little strange to verify faith in this way…

“…In the name of Sora.”

“I shall end this humble servant’s journey here.”

With that small muttering, the Liberation Army that had distanced themselves began attacking again.

This time, mana users were mixed in because the hidden presence of mana users was clearly felt.

With a firm grip on the white-light blazing Calion, I swung it horizontally.

Swish!

There was no sound of steel colliding as Calion touched an enemy.

Only the soft sound of cutting through something soft was faintly heard. Most enemies barely held on to their lives and screamed in pain while dying, and their cries over the deaths of comrades and the horrifying scenes only filled the battlefield.

“This… this can’t be…”

Hopeless-looking mana users drowned in blood.

I glanced briefly at their vacuous pupils and looked around again.

The Liberation Army, after one assault, would retreat a little while firmly maintaining the encirclement.

Probably checking if I’m exhausted, huh?

Even in such a frenzied state, their calm behavior suggests these Liberation Army members are certainly crazy.

‘Not bad.’

When they observe me, I get a bit of respite.

This gap has been one of the driving forces allowing me to continue the endless battle.

Even with the brief rests, my body remains in optimal condition.

One could call it a superhuman privilege.

Drip.

Chirp!

I easily dispatched the rushing Liberation Army member along with the steel net, causing their previously frantic voices to abruptly disappear.

“…”

“…”

Though there are so many people, it becomes strangely quiet when no one speaks.

‘Come to think of it.’

Despite my body being in optimal condition, my consciousness slowly blurred as I casually scanned the surroundings.

‘The members…’

The shouts of the knights that used to stimulate my ears like white noise, and the clashes of weapons, are no longer heard.

“…”

I see the banner of Fahlenberg submerged in puddles of blood.

Around it, knight armors without heads lay coldly scattered.

When I looked elsewhere, similar scenery was visible.

Broken swords.

Armor soaked in blood.

A blond knight holding on to the sword stuck in their stomach with widened eyes.

‘Milene.’

I recalled her awakening during the battle against another of the Ten Sword Demons from my faint memory.

The first mana user of the knighthood.

It seems Milene stepped into the superhuman realm first.

The talent awakened through training seems to have fully exploded during this fierce battle.

It was truly something to celebrate, and under normal circumstances, a grand party would have been planned. But.

‘The members… they’re all…’

Even while desperately swinging my sword to break out of the Liberation Army’s encirclement…

They’re all gone. All of them.

“Because of my decision… I should have gone alone… Instead of leading the knights?”

Or maybe, because I failed to anticipate Barnel’s tricks?

‘…It’s only hindsight, though.’

No, no.

Let’s not rationalize it.

Reading the flow of the battlefield, objectively analyzing the combat power of the knights, and predicting the plans of the hostile marquis.

Assessing the strength of the Liberation Army and analyzing the situation of the Rude Plains battlefield, then deducing the optimal plan for victory and survival.

It’s not a difficult task.

I’ve been negligent, and now the result is here.

The total annihilation of the knights is due to my inadequacy. What a fool.

“…Huh.”

Regulating my racing heart, I took a light breath.

The view that was turning red returned to its bluish hue.

The blurred consciousness became a little clearer.

Chirp!

Taking advantage of the gap, the head of a Liberation Army member trying to sneak up disappeared.

“Ah, demon.”

I turned at the small whisper.

The Liberation Army member whose eyes met mine took a step back. The fear in their eyes. The Liberation Army’s instinctive move to get away due to the detected fear made me nod.

Finally, it seems the fanaticism has peeled off and genuine emotions are settling in.

The return of reason indicates a good opportunity to clear the situation. This is the right moment to stop swinging my sword fervently, causing the encirclement to loosen due to their terror.

‘Good.’

I lowered my posture while slinging Calion over my shoulder.

“O, he’s coming!”

“I, I don’t want to die!”

Right as I was about to launch toward the bewildered Liberation Army…

I stopped my movement at the sudden thought that came to mind.

‘What was I doing again?’

What battle and what death were for?

‘To end the war in Calheighg early.’

The reason for hurrying was because the situation in the Northern Dukedom was strangely turning for the worse.

We need to quickly suppress Calheighg’s provocation to support the front lines.

As this war catches the attention of various nations of the Western Continent,

We must thoroughly crush Calheighg.

The war that will fall and end quickly with the fall of Calheighg.

‘A Saint will soon arrive, I recall.’

She mentioned it during our final talk before departure—it would take two days to arrive at the Rude Plains.

If Saint Myna arrives safely,

And she can manipulate the lie that the Liberation Army’s cause is all false.

If the Saint negates the fundamental principles of the Liberation Army uniting by the will of the gods, the war will cease to exist.

‘Two days.’

Has it been two days since mine and the knights’ struggle began?

It feels like quite a long time passed.

But to have been surrounded by the enemy for two days straight and swinging my sword. Even though I’ve reached the realm of a superhuman, that sounds impossible.

Still, I looked toward the Imperial Army’s main camp, just in case.

Luckily, I’m quite tall here, and thanks to my superhuman senses, I could confirm the Imperial Army’s main camp beyond the Liberation Army.

“Sain Myna?”

The unmistakable pink hair and pink eyes visible from afar—it’s Myna indeed.

She seems to be arguing with Barnel about something.

‘If two days really have passed.’

It makes sense that the members were all defeated.

“Ha…”

The sudden suffocating tension disappeared in an instant.

Within the clear mind, I quietly raised my head to gaze at the overcast sky.

‘Too many losses in this war.’

The war born from the interests of various nations has taken many lives.

The knights couldn’t escape death either, and they’re cooling down on this unfamiliar land of the Rude Plains.

‘Did I allow them to follow my will?’

The Goddess of Sun spoke.

Live according to your will.

Then, was this the right action?

‘Well…’

It was the best choice as Imperial envoys.

But much blood was spilled. Maybe it didn’t need to happen.

The once verdant plains are now stained red, and the skies are watched by creatures waiting to devour corpses.

Even if Myna exerts her healing power, those who have died will not return.

Unless, if it’s possible, it would have to be a miracle…

‘Miracle?’

The word came to mind absentmindedly, making me pinch my neck.

I momentarily forgot amid the intense battle.

The last step of this plan was for me to personally perform the miracle, alongside the Saint’s proclamation, completely discrediting the Liberation Army’s cause.

With Saint Myna’s endorsement, I become the Saint of the Bright Sect.

There’s nothing as definitive as the performance of a miracle, with the appearance of a second saint.

But, a miracle, huh?

I turned my head toward Saint Myna, leaving the Liberation Army, which was silently closing in.

I’m not sure if she saw me, but I felt as if our eyes met.

I smirked and turned my gaze back to the Liberation Army.

‘The limit of miracles is three times, they say.’

And that strength isn’t particularly strong either.

But what if I consume all the stacks at once?

“…”

I raised Calion, whose mana lights had disappeared, high.

Through prayer to the Goddess, I invoke the miracle.

The miracle is activated by my petition through prayer.

Recollecting Saint Myna’s teachings, I offered a prayer.

O Goddess.

You told me to follow my will.

And you kindly gave me a gift as well.

Let me enjoy the benefits of the gift.

I’ll offer my first prayer. I’ll get along well with the sect from now on.

So, let’s go back to normalcy.

“…I truly believe. Long live Sora.”

Recalling the image of the Goddess one last time, I muttered softly.

A brilliant light cut through the dull sky and showered down.

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