The only Archmage of the Rainelle Clan, Raymond.
He was likely at the core of that large magic circle.
Despite this, he spoke without showing any signs of struggle.
Elsi was still in a daze.
“Are you just going to let Prince I-an die like that? We can only keep that monster bound for a few minutes.”
Upon hearing this, Elsi hurriedly took out a potion and drank it down.
A bit of magical energy was returning to her dry veins.
Intense pain surged through her torn blood vessels, but Elsi couldn’t even feel that properly.
Seeing Elsi’s wary expression, Raymond smirked.
“You’re still lacking manners. If the clan’s elder helps you, you should express your gratitude.”
“I-I’m not from ‘Rainelle’…”
“You are Rainelle.”
Raymond’s tone was as flat as ever.
There was a strong conviction in his voice.
As if confirming an unchangeable truth.
“Because you are Rainelle, you’re stubborn and temperamental. Tsk, tsk, I wonder how you plan to raise children when you get married later…”
“…Master!”
But Raymond’s scolding was nothing but noise to Elsi right now.
She was poised to rush to I-an immediately.
It was Raymond who restrained her.
“Arthur, rushing in recklessly will only drain our energy. I’ve invested most of my magical power into the spell binding that monster, so we won’t have to worry for a few minutes.”
“And what about after a few minutes!”
In Elsi’s urgent rebuttal, Raymond merely gestured toward something.
As Elsi turned her gaze in that direction, Raymond added.
“Elsi, didn’t I tell you? To become an Archmage, you need to broaden your perspective… You’ve just started to taste your limits, so you need to focus on this from now on.”
A brilliant white light was swirling there.
Someone was kneeling and praying.
Silver hair, pale pink eyes.
Raymond continued calmly, his hands clasped behind his back.
“Once that ritual is complete, we’ll immediately charge in with Haster and the retainers of the Yuridina Clan. We’ll clear the area and just take Prince I-an.”
As he spoke, he let out a bitter smile.
“…This is also a talent. Everyone who was trying to escape has gathered here.”
His overly optimistic tone suddenly threw Elsi into a state of anxiety.
Would that actually work?
The man who certainly must have considered all those powers said the following.
‘We must abandon the territory.’
Whether that man was right, or whether the Master who faced that monster was correct.
It was time for the results to be revealed.
The Lady Virgin Saint’s complexion had turned pale.
She was incredibly anxious that I-an might die.
Now she realized how intense and terrifying anxiety could be.
Only after the magic troops of the Rainelle Clan came and conveyed their rough plan, and after the chains of the brain descended from the sky, did the Saint let out a sigh of relief.
Yulen looked at the Lady Virgin Saint who was beginning the ritual with a disapproving gaze.
He asked.
“…Sister, can’t we leave a bit behind?”
“Emmanuel.”
It meant she would act according to the Lord’s will.
In other words, it meant she wouldn’t leave anything behind.
Yulen immediately placed his palm on his forehead and let out a groan.
“Oh dear, after using that precious blood, you still couldn’t capture the minion of the Evil God? And what did you even manage to save, just a low-ranking noble of the Empire?”
“…We can defeat the minion of the Evil God.”
At the Lady Virgin Saint’s faint rebuttal, Yulen smiled slyly.
It was a look that only appeared when he was genuinely angry.
“Stop the nonsense and let’s grab I-an the moment the ritual ends… Okay?”
The blood was immensely valuable as a sacrificial offering.
Furthermore, the one presiding over this offering was the Lady Virgin Saint.
Even a minion of the Evil God wouldn’t be able to escape unscathed.
Still, Yulen looked extremely skeptical. Although the Lady Virgin Saint felt a bit irritated by this, time was of the essence.
She recited the prayer she had prepared in advance.
“Lord, your lamb is in trials and tribulations… Please take pity on our sins.”
A white light began to form a circle.
This symbolized the world and the sun, Arus.
“I believe that life, death, and trials are one within your will. Therefore, as your beloved daughter, I humbly plead…”
A horizontal line was drawn across the circle.
This symbolized the earth and scale, reflecting the fairness of Arus.
“As it is in heaven, let your grace be engraved on earth!”
Lastly, a vertical line was drawn.
This symbol represented humanity, a creation of Arus, and the sternness of the Heavenly Deity which judges good and evil.
Thus, the white cross was completed.
The completed cross began to vibrate violently.
Light rushed like a storm, and a column of light fell straight from the sky.
The miracle occurred right after.
Kuuuuuuuuh!
The Corpse Giant, which had not moved until now, began to thrash its body uncontrollably. The once solid chains of the brain were snapping apart.
The blizzard cleared, and dazzling sunlight poured down from the sky.
Just touching that golden light caused the wicked beings to scream. Except for the clumps of flesh and corpses hiding in the shadows, all the minions of the Evil God melted away.
The Corpse Giant was no exception.
The melting Corpse Giant gradually reduced in size.
As it shrunk to around thirty percent of its height, it shrank further to a size less than half.
Even as the blizzard began to swirl again, the Corpse Giant knelt down without any reaction.
Seeing this, the Lady Virgin Saint clenched her fist.
“Alright!”
Now they could save I-an.
The magic troops of the Rainelle Clan moved busily.
Shadows cleared, and Celin was finally sprinting forward, while the knights of the Yuridina Clan charged across the land at full speed.
The Lady Virgin Saint fell, exhausted from her relief.
As the Lady Virgin Saint crouched down, she repeatedly patted her chest, giving Yulen a puzzled look.
Normally, this was when Yulen should have rushed out.
However, he remained completely still.
“…Yulen?”
As she glanced back, Yulen’s complexion was paler than ever.
The Lady Virgin Saint slowly followed his gaze.
There lay a grotesque mass of flesh that had melted and overflowed. At first, the Lady Virgin Saint couldn’t understand Yulen’s anxiety.
But soon, she had no choice but to realize it herself.
The writhing, melted flesh pulsated.
The Lady Virgin Saint’s eyes widened.
Could it be moving? Still?
She thought they could at least immobilize it for a while.
Even if it was a monster that regenerated infinitely, it had just been bathed in the divine power of the opposing Heavenly Deity. Naturally, it should remain down for a while.
But the opponent was not a being governed by common sense.
Suddenly, a massive arm rose from the mass of flesh.
Woooooohhhh—!
The giant body twisted and began to rise.
The knights of the Yuridina Clan, who had been charging ahead, stopped in surprise at this sudden movement.
It was the Corpse Giant.
Though its size had shrunk to less than half, its presence was still formidable. Every time the Corpse Giant screamed, the fallen bodies twitched.
A voice filled with disbelief escaped the Lady Virgin Saint’s mouth.
“It’s impossible…”
They had sacrificed a full stream of blood.
It was a treasure capable of reviving anyone who wasn’t already dead.
Moreover, the opponent had no means to resist, as it had been bound by the magic troops of the Rainelle Clan.
And yet, it had come back to life.
Could it be that monster was indeed immortal?
This sense of despair wasn’t felt only by the Lady Virgin Saint.
The refugees who had been watching the situation, the magic troops of the Rainelle Clan who were preparing to rescue, even the brave retainers of the Yuridina Clan halted their steps.
Panic was evident on everyone’s faces.
It didn’t take long before their mouths erupted into screams.
“…I-an!”
The Corpse Giant raised its hand in a frenzy.
Perhaps due to its reduced size, its speed seemed twice as fast.
Before they could respond, the Corpse Giant swung its fist.
The sound of crashing thunder echoed ominously.
If someone were to take that blow, they wouldn’t survive.
The Lady Virgin Saint screamed, Elsi’s eyes darted wide, and Ceria froze.
Then, just as Celin was about to hold her breath and shut her eyes.
A strange silence enveloped the battlefield.
It was truly an unexpected stillness.
Curious glances turned towards the Corpse Giant one by one.
With such a massive fist crashing down, there should have been an ensuing shockwave or noise.
The cause was soon revealed.
Slowly, the Corpse Giant’s fist was being pushed back.
It was an unbelievable sight to behold.
When considering sheer weight alone, there were very few humans who could push that fist away. So how could they withstand a blow infused with the strength of the Corpse Giant itself?
And yet, it was done.
The man stumbling to his feet gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot.
He muttered words he could not understand.
This is the conclusion.
Uooooo?
The Corpse Giant, seeming unable to comprehend, shook its head and gazed at its own fist again.
But no matter how much it looked, reality wouldn’t change.
It was being forced back.
Little by little, but undeniably.
The Corpse Giant could not accept the fact that it was being pushed back by a mere human.
Letting out a panic-stricken roar, it withdrew its fist and swung another.
Just before a new screech echoed through the air.
The man jumped up and nailed the ground.
The angle of collision was a direct hit to the fist. No one understood his intentions immediately.
It only became apparent through the outcome.
Crack! The Corpse Giant’s fist cracked.
No, it wasn’t just the fist.
Silver lines began to form all the way from the wrist to the forearm.
And in the next moment.
Keeeeeeeeeeek!
With a sharp scream, the arm of the Corpse Giant, made of hundreds of corpses, burst apart.
Amid the raining flesh, a man with black hair leaped.
He silently muttered again.
This is the solution.
Finally, he understood. How fierce the battle had been to reach this realization.
At last, the man spoke to the Corpse Giant as if spitting it out.
“…Let’s fight just enough for the suffering you caused.”
Grinding his teeth.
The man, who was on the verge of death, once again grasped his sword.
