Even though it was still daytime, the sky was covered with dark clouds, casting a shadow over the empty field that looked like a chaotic painting.
“Save me!”
“Waaah, mommmm!”
“This way!”
“Prioritize evacuating the people!”
As magical beasts began to pour out of the Forest of the Demon Realm, surprisingly, the first to react were the Paladins of Batian.
Following the commands of the Sun God Helios, they had been preparing for the end and immediately headed to the frontline upon hearing the news of the dangerous magical beasts emerging from the forest.
They were certain this was the calamity mentioned by the God.
Despite calling themselves Paladins, they had merely been polishing their swords and partaking in simple training and prayers every day.
Seeing this as their chance to shine and put their faith into action, they swung their swords and hammers with a burning passion.
Phew! If I knew this would happen, I should have turned down that honorary Paladin title!
And then there was another Paladin here.
A boy with blonde hair dressed in golden robes. Ares Helias, who had inadvertently gained the title of honorary Paladin during a school trip to Batian, was now fulfilling his duty.
He thought being an honorary Paladin would only bring good things.
From school expense support to stable job placements, it was an offer that could only be enticing to a boy from a rural village.
However, looking at this scene, he couldn’t help but regret his choice.
I miss Arni.
Due to an unusually long vacation, Ares thought of wanting to see his girlfriend and infused his sword with power using the imprint on his hands.
As the power of Helios began to swirl around his sword, the Paladins, Knights, and Clerics around him couldn’t help but cheer and step forward.
Though there weren’t only Helios’s believers here, the beautiful sight of their God being with them was enough to fill them with strength.
But if you asked whether that would be effective, well…
Five villages near the Forest of the Demon Realm had already vanished. Considering the proximity to the forest, the security was great, and the guards were top-notch.
But compared to the invading magical beasts, they were like a puppy playfully barking at a dragon.
Truly nightmarish strength.
Each of the magical beasts was not just an ordinary lackey; they possessed power comparable to knights and were hard to read in their characteristics.
For instance, Demina, with the face of a goat, was particularly threatening simply because she could charge and take sharp turns while walking on two legs.
This type could be somewhat dealt with.
But suddenly spewing acidic saliva from their mouths, ambushing through the underground, or transforming into mist, these troublesome abilities kept them at bay.
Fwoosh!
“Hey, kid.”
“…Uh?”
An old woman approached Ares, who was spreading the power of Helios like a sort of symbol.
It wasn’t just Ares who hadn’t noticed how close she had come; the surrounding Paladins were also startled.
But the old woman casually reached out her hand. Since she had passed her staff to her successor, she leaned on an antique-like staff.
“The creatures living in that forest are basically weak to sunlight. Now, I’ll help you, so let’s see what you can do.”
“Wait, who are you…?”
At Ares’s confused shout, nearby Paladins tried to subdue the old woman. However, once her hand touched Ares, the light of Helios emitting from his sword began to shine even brighter.
“Wha—how?”
“Helios’s power is heavily condensed inside you. I merely channeled your mana into your blood. Tsk, tsk, why didn’t you practice properly?”
Although the power given by Helios was immense, it was insufficient for a boy like Ares to unleash.
The old woman’s words felt like receiving a sharp jab when you’re just trying to catch the waterfall spilling out of a tiny hole.
As Helios’s power spread across the battlefield like beams of sunlight, the movements of the magical beasts actually slowed down.
The magical beasts that had lived for centuries in the darkness of the forest squinted their eyes.
Gulp! Who… who are you?
Ares asked, gripping his trembling sword with both hands, and the old woman answered with a chuckle.
“I am the Grand Witch… well, just a retired witch now.”
Having exerted herself due to the Priestess of Time, when Adriana warped to Daniel, she was resting in a tavern in a village outside the Forest of the Demon Realm.
From retirement plans to how to maintain the witch lineage, she had many worries, but all that became irrelevant.
Because the Forest of the Demon Realm was in complete chaos now.
The Grand Witch speculated that the reason this chaos erupted was that the barrier protecting the forest had vanished.
The throne of the forest is empty.
The Grand Witch had come to that conclusion.
The tyrant Sharcarl was dead. That was somewhat manageable, but the king, Kurika, was dead, which was catastrophic.
Two beings who could forcibly hold back these instinct-driven monsters had disappeared.
Of course, the magical beasts living in the Forest of the Demon Realm wouldn’t just start rampaging on their own. The walls had merely crumbled; there was no urgent need to venture out.
Someone is provoking the magical beasts from within the forest.
Who that was remained unclear. Like setting a house on fire to drive the children away, someone deep in the forest was pushing the magical beasts.
Could it be a specific ancient beast? Or the end?
Various hypotheses floated around, but the only thing the Grand Witch could do at the moment was to help the naive messenger of the God beside her.
Ugh, it’s been ages since I breathed the outside air.
A hulking magical beast emerged, slinking between the black trees. Clad in green armor, it scanned the surroundings with a halberd slung over its shoulder.
Just that alone was enough to instill unintended fear in the humans fighting on the battlefield.
The Grand Witch narrowed her eyes, unable to hide her surprise.
“Ancient beasts too?”
Beasts driven by instinct deemed it possible to leave the forest. But ancient beasts were different.
They had oaths with the witches and had agreements among themselves, so it was uncommon for them to wander out without a good reason…
Though the Grand Witch’s voice was unlikely to have reached him, the armored beast recognized her and began to cackle.
“Grand Witch! Today I can finally claim the neck that you’ve been squirming around!”
“W-we need to stop that beast!”
Even without the Grand Witch shouting in a fuss, others sensed that this beast was far more dangerous than the rest.
The emerald-colored Narboros.
Wearing green armor and shouldering a halberd, he did not display the fierce and unique abilities like the other beasts.
However, every time he swung his halberd, a few knights died, and no one could stop those heavy steps.
“You pathetic bug who has been living under the shadows of the king and tyrant! Both the king and tyrant are gone now! There’s no need to uphold your rotten oath with us witches!”
Ugh!
The Grand Witch let out a melancholic groan.
Even in the past, when the gods kept witches in check, witches had been powerful enough to form pacts with ancient beasts.
But as time passed…
With generations of witches continually replacing one another, they inevitably grew weaker due to being tethered to the limited space of the Forest of the Demon Realm.
However, the magical beasts were different.
They hadn’t replaced generations, and as time passed, they grew stronger.
Now, the balance of the pact could be deemed completely shattered.
Narboros continued to push forward as if he was opening a path. The situation felt more than just real.
The other magical beasts followed suit, trudging ahead without caring about anything. Before they knew it, they had entered the midst of the knights and were surrounded, but no one’s sword could pierce his emerald armor.
Gah!
“Oh God!”
“Damn you! Damn you!”
The knights desperately leaped at Narboros, trying to land a blow, but…
“Shut your buzzing! Fly away, flies!”
With just a heavy gesture of his hand, they fell one after another.
Just how could Narboros be this strong…
The Grand Witch felt dizzy and devastating despair. Narboros was indeed a strong magical beast. But if you asked whether he ranked among the stronger ancient beasts, that wasn’t the case.
There were still stronger magical beasts eagerly awaiting with their tongues out inside the forest.
Just their emergence would wreak havoc on the battlefield.
The tyrant and king had vanished.
As a result, the ancient beasts below were preparing to leap as if they were to become kings themselves.
Narboros had already come close.
The Paladins, ranked higher than the knights, rushed in, and unlike the knights, they managed to endure a bit or even leave scratches on his armor, but…
“How dull!”
They too just flew away like rag dolls after a few swings of the halberd.
This was the consequence of the peace they had due to retreating from practical combat, where the knights and Paladins had only been dueling among themselves in Batian.
“Huff, ugh!”
Even Ares, radiating the power of Helios, trembled while staring at Narboros. He was scared and shivering, yet strangely, he didn’t want to run away like before.
Looking at the Grand Witch beside him, he wanted to ask for help, but just as he was about to open his mouth…
Blue light poured down between Narboros and the Grand Witch.
“Warp?”
The Grand Witch muttered in confusion. But soon, upon seeing who emerged from the halo of light, she let out a sigh of relief.
“Grand Witch! Are you okay?”
Adriana, who had seated herself a tad too early in the Grand Witch’s position, had quickly grasped warp magic after a few practices, and her warping skills were razor-sharp.
“I’m not very accustomed to battlefields.”
Claiming that her specialty was assassination, she didn’t retreat but instead pulled out two daggers, the white-haired assassin, Sen.
Last but not least, the sharp-eared elven woman, the very embodiment of beauty with her flowing blonde hair.
Eris looked up at Narboros right in front of her, pulling out her sword and staff.
“I am Eris Anen Seriere, Guardian of Yggdrasil. I have one question for you.”
“Looks like a fun one has arrived!”
Thud!
Narboros’s halberd swung down toward Eris, but she had already vanished from that spot.
In her blue eyes, the imprint of the Goddess Artemis sparkled.
With a cold voice, Eris wielded both her sword and staff and asked, “Is there the Earliest Apocalypse within that forest?”
