Before long, the battlefield was gathering forces one after another.
Celin, who had rushed out earlier, was attempting to break through, engaging in fierce combat with flesh masses.
Every time an explosion echoed, flesh and blood scattered, but unlike Ian, her charge was sluggish. The gap in their abilities was clear.
Nevertheless, Celin still had a desperate look on her face.
Fortunately, since it was a path that Ian had already cleared, it seemed that Celin’s life was not in danger. Only the remaining enemies were slightly sluggish.
On the other hand, Elsi had no reason to take a long route.
Instead, it was better for the mage to secure a wide field of view. Supporting fire from a distance was, after all, the mage’s primary role.
This was no different for a battle mage specialized in rapid casting.
Until now, Elsi had been responding to the rapidly changing battlefield in close quarters. However, if she were given time, she could cast more powerful and wide-ranging magic.
Though how effective it would be against that ‘Corpse Giant’ was uncertain.
Even while biting her lip in anxiety, Elsi fiddled with the potion vial in her pocket.
She had to do her best, even if it seemed impossible.
For she had entered the battle with that resolve.
And there was also a woman who had rushed out before Elsi but was still unable to make sense of the situation.
It was the Lady Virgin Saint.
Of course, this was entirely due to someone persistently holding her back.
After the Lady Virgin Saint had burst forth, a man had repeatedly blocked and detained her.
It was her knight, Yulen.
If it were up to her, she would have liked to ignore Yulen and leave, but the Lady Virgin Saint was a priestess, and Yulen was a swordsman. He was in no way a match for her in physical abilities.
In the end, the Lady Virgin Saint lost her patience and revealed her true nature.
“Yulen, are you not going to step aside?! If something happens to Ian, both you and I will die…”
“Sister… please stop it now.”
However, Yulen continued to block the Lady Virgin Saint’s way.
His attitude signified that he absolutely could not let her go.
That was only natural.
He was her knight, and protecting her safety was his top priority.
He could not send the Lady Virgin Saint into a battlefield that looked terrifying at a glance.
Of course, it was possible to convey divine power even from a distance.
It meant that there was no need to be close to the target for combat support.
But it was not the same for healing.
Healing was a meticulous task that needed to consider the specifics of the injury’s location and condition. Doing this from afar was impossible.
And right now, what the Lady Virgin Saint prioritized more than anything was Ian’s life.
With the man she loved on the brink of death, she could not stand idly by in the rear.
Rather, she was on the verge of madness.
“Yulen, this is an order. If you don’t step aside right now, I will formally bring you to trial later…!”
“Yes, yes, go ahead and bring me to trial… Sister, wouldn’t I want to save Ian as well?”
Yulen said this with a look of exasperation.
No matter how he tried, the Lady Virgin Saint showed signs of looking for a way to slip away, leading him to persuade her in an even more pleading tone.
“But the weight of responsibility we carry is different, isn’t it? For others, if they die, it’s just that, but if you die, what happens?”
Only then did the Lady Virgin Saint flinch and show a slight reaction.
Her discontented pink eyes shot a glare at Yulen.
Yulen had to stifle a dry laugh.
It was astonishing to see the once proud and aloof sister become this way.
He was confused whether to express admiration or anger.
Yet all Yulen could do was fulfill his duty.
“The political repercussions of the Lady Virgin Saint’s death are unimaginable. Naturally, the believers of the Heavenly Deity Sect would face much chaos… How many people will have to die or be injured in the meantime?”
“…So?”
“It means that you cannot act this way, Sister.”
Yulen’s words were logically sound.
Even the Lady Virgin Saint could only slightly roll her eyes without being able to retort.
Finally, seeing a glimmer of communication with the Lady Virgin Saint, Yulen let out a sigh of relief. He promptly continued with his eloquent speech.
“Sister, distinguish between public and private matters… You used to be good at that. Calculating gains and losses to make political judgments.”
The Lady Virgin Saint momentarily shut her mouth and looked away.
Her eyes were fixed on the Corpse Giant standing in the distance.
Over there, her first love was still fighting for his life.
The Lady Virgin Saint silently bit her lip.
Fearing that the Lady Virgin Saint might shove him aside and flee at any moment, Yulen had no choice but to dig deep into an old story, despite his embarrassment.
“You promised, didn’t you? That we orphans would create a world where no one suffers… Sister, I still believe that promise. I would do anything to fulfill that dream…”
“…Yulen.”
The Lady Virgin Saint’s low whisper.
Yulen instinctively realized upon hearing her steady voice.
Ah, this won’t work.
“What is that creature?”
“…It is one of the demonic gods’ retinues.”
“But the Lady Virgin Saint of the Heavenly Deity Sect and her knight are retreating while a man utterly unrelated to the Heavenly Deity Sect fights against that monster?”
Yulen tried to think of a rebuttal, but he soon let out a deep sigh.
He could no longer find a way to break the Lady Virgin Saint’s stubbornness.
The Lady Virgin Saint struck the troubled-looking Yulen with the final blow.
“Obey.”
For that was the divine mission given by the Heavenly Deity.
In the end, Yulen raised his hands in surrender, murmuring.
“…Emmanuel.”
“If you don’t want to see me die, you must also give it your all.”
As she said this, the Lady Virgin Saint hurriedly stepped forward.
Her anxiety reached its peak, as if the blood vessels in her brain were entangling.
How, how can I save Ian?
She had crossed the threshold of life and death countless times.
Even though there was still room for her spirit, she could not think of a way to turn the battle that was about to go awry.
It was then that Yulen finally grabbed the Lady Virgin Saint’s shoulder.
Just as the Lady Virgin Saint was about to glare at Yulen with eyes full of life.
“…Do you really want to save Ian? No matter the cost?”
Yulen asked with a voice so grave that it left no room for levity.
The Lady Virgin Saint was momentarily taken aback, her mouth closing.
Yulen then asked her once more.
“Sister, every choice comes with a price… If you want to save Ian, you must pay that price. Do you have that resolve?”
“…I do.”
The answer came out without even a hint of hesitation.
Yulen silently glowered at the Lady Virgin Saint, but her pink eyes showed no sign of wavering.
Finally, he clicked his tongue and took something out of his pocket, tossing it.
The item that the Lady Virgin Saint caught by accident was a blood-red orb.
Realizing what it was, the Lady Virgin Saint gasped.
“Blood Essence?! Yulen, if you had something like this, you should have told me earlier…!”
“Do you know how hard it is to make that? You’re already thinking of using it right now, aren’t you?”
With Yulen’s grumbling, the Lady Virgin Saint momentarily fell silent, then soon broke into a smile.
“…Of course.”
Unable to stop the Corpse Giant?
If she had a sacrifice like a Blood Essence, it was a different story.
She was the most beloved virgin of the Heavenly Deity and one of the best priests.
She could save Ian.
Feeling that sense of relief, the Lady Virgin Saint felt as if she might collapse from exhaustion.
Unaware of how Yulen was grumbling at her appearance.
“Ah, this really won’t do… At this rate, my political position will be in jeopardy again…”
With a thud, the ground shook violently.
With the suddenly trembling earth beneath her, the Lady Virgin Saint’s frantic gaze turned toward the center of the battlefield.
There, she saw Ian being hurled away by the shockwave, rolling on the ground.
The Lady Virgin Saint immediately regained her senses.
“…Ian!”
And seeing the Lady Virgin Saint rush out in a panic, Yulen could only click his tongue.
She had previously acted as if she would remain single for life.
There was talk that late first loves were scary, and it seemed to be true.
Yulen’s feet pounded the ground, and as the two flesh masses turned to glance at the Lady Virgin Saint’s scream, countless fine lines were etched into their bodies.
Then, flesh and blood burst out explosively.
It was as if a brilliant sword had flashed.
Just like that, another man began to carve a blood-red trajectory into the battlefield.
However, not everyone grasped the situation.
From behind the Corpse Giant, it was hard to gather detailed circumstances. The massive body, comparable to a small mountain, blocked their view.
Thus, Yulnid’s soldiers could not accurately assess the situation.
If it were a short line, it might have been manageable, but they were leading an army of a thousand soldiers.
Even if they marched at a fast pace, it would take time to secure a proper line of sight.
Yet, the commanders like Celia and Alex could not afford to leave their positions.
Had either Celia or Alex rushed out first to assess the situation, Celia wouldn’t have been so aghast.
Upon witnessing the center of the battlefield, she froze.
In disbelief, an inarticulate sound escaped Celia’s lips.
“Uh, uh, ah… Senior Ian is…”
Celia’s finger pointing at the battlefield trembled.
Meanwhile, Alex merely smiled with a look of fascination.
“Indeed, he is quite the crazy prodigy. I too, in my youth, did not shy away from such impossible battles…”
“Senior Ian is on the brink of death!”
Of course, Alex’s hearty laughter did nothing to reassure Celia.
Upon discovering Ian, who was in tatters, she immediately bit her own nails.
However, it wasn’t the only thing making Celia uneasy.
Before long, peculiar signs of change were being detected in the sky as well.
Woooooo-!
The Corpse Giant let out a scream.
Mouths spread across the monster’s body opened all at once, releasing a horrific howl. The sight itself was gruesome enough, but the consequences that followed were even more brutal.
Staggering, torn corpses began to rise.
Body parts that could not find their own limbs wiggled, repeatedly exhibiting pitiful self-expression. Most of them were devoured by the flesh masses.
The larger-than-normal flesh masses split apart with a scream.
The flesh masses multiplied, and the once-neighbors, the corpses, moved haltingly.
And they looked up to the sky, howling.
Kieeeeeeeeeek!
The Corpse Giant burst into laughter, as if that howl was a symphony.
Surrounded by hundreds, no, thousands of foes in the heart of the battlefield.
There, a single man gripped his sword anew.
His golden eyes proved that his fighting spirit would not be extinguished.
Celia felt as though she might faint right then and there.
The heat of battle was finally reaching its peak.
