Chapter 90

“Gasp… Gasp…”

It was true that the power of the monster had weakened.

However, the beast of the end, made entirely of magic, could only be defeated by completely purifying that body and inflicting a serious wound that would prevent regeneration… A method to bring it down with a fatal blow even before it could regenerate was the only option.

Even though the saint, Aria, had personally entered and weakened the monster, it was still insufficient.

It was clearly evident how the monster had continued to regenerate despite being weakened; it was enough to understand why it had been called a calamity in the past.

No matter how much it was attacked, it would regenerate.

Even in its weakened state, the areas attacked by the sacred sword took much longer to recover, almost to the point of not recovering at all. However, it was clear that it was slowly but steadily regenerating from attacks by Valencia and Arhen.

Seeing this kind of stubborn resilience, despite Aria pouring divine power directly into it, made me feel as if I were losing my mind.

It made me wonder if the previous hero had not defeated the monster but had instead sealed it.

Perhaps there was no other choice but to seal it.

‘No…’

If this continued, there was a high possibility it would lead to a prolonged war of attrition.

Normally, wars tended to last long, whether the target was monsters or people, but we were up against at least an advanced monster.

Even though our numbers were vastly greater, we had to be cautious in this war. We were suffering greater losses as this war dragged on, unlike the monsters that were simply invading us.

The biggest problem was that, in my current state, there was no way to capture it.

A single great blow… I lacked a powerful strike that could bring down that monster.

It was not an opponent that would fall just from blindly gathering and releasing divine power.

And…

“It’s so cold…”

Stella shivered in the cold.

It wasn’t just Stella.

Most of the soldiers present were shaking in the cold as well.

A fierce blizzard was raging due to the monster’s power.

‘Aria…’

When Aria’s power was strongly emanating, it had been so clear that the weather was clear without any blizzard; but that was only temporary.

As Aria’s power weakened and the magic emanating from the monster gradually grew stronger, the previously ceasing blizzard began to rage once more.

It was a power that trully resonated to be called the beast of the eternal winter.

Would we really be annihilated without being able to rescue Aria, who was being devoured?

Arhen and Valencia were struggling, but most were unable to withstand the changing weather.

Fortunately, they were not showing signs of being pushed back by the monsters, but just to be able to hold back the monster’s attacks in this harsh weather was already at an impressive level.

In a situation where we could not expect to push back, if the state of affairs continues, we would inevitably be the ones to lose.

That should not happen.

I gritted my teeth.

I was dissatisfied with the current situation of holding back and waiting in the rear, waiting for an opportunity to bring down the great beast of the end.

If I had a technique that could deliver a single powerful blow, if I knew a technique that could sufficiently harm that monster, I would not have to be in this position.

It was because I didn’t have such a technique that I was trying to conserve my strength and wait for the perfect opportunity to unleash all my power in a single blow.

In a situation where everyone else was doing their best, I felt wrong about being the only one in the back, waiting for an opportunity.

I knew it was unavoidable…

At that moment,

Kraaaahhh!

The monster suddenly roared and lifted its enormous arm.

Regardless of whether there were monsters in front of it, it seemed intent on smashing us down with its heavy foreleg to clear the obstructed path.

“Wha, what?!”

“Run!!”

The soldiers caught in the shadow of its foreleg screamed and frantically tried to flee, but those who had positioned themselves to face the monster could not escape.

As those fleeing were unable to get away and were too busy pushing each other, the monsters began to break through the crumbling front lines.

Kwahhh!

Finally, the foreleg of the monster came crashing down on the ground where the shadow had been cast.

The cost of the crumbling front was enormous.

No one was injured by the previous attack, but the other soldiers who had fled were left defenseless and were soon attacked by the other monsters.

Not only that, but several monsters began to infiltrate the rear through the panicked soldiers.

If this continued, the entire formation would be shattered.

“Reform the line!”

The commanding squad leaders shouted orders to regroup, but it was already too late.

“This…! Stop!!”

Arhen, watching this unfold, cast the spell once more.

However, having already cast magic to stop thousands of monsters, including the beast of the end, it was much weaker than before.

“Cough… my magic…”

But even a brief moment of stalling was sufficient to regroup our positions.

In the little time allotted, we managed to take down the rampaging monsters and restore the crumbling lines.

“The front line…”

We almost lost the entire front line.

Had it not been for Arhen’s magic, we would have suffered catastrophic damage.

Arhen’s expression showed that he felt as if this was the last time.

“Cough…”

“Are you okay?!”

Arhen finally could not hold on and collapsed on the spot.

“I’m sorry… I’m out of magic…”

Everyone seemed to be at a loss for words at Arhen’s admission of running out of magic.

He had already used a spell to hold off the advance once, not to mention casting various elemental spells for bombardment.

It was hard to imagine that a small amount of magic was used for such a wide area with thousands of monsters present, especially to hold back the gigantic one.

If that were the case, even a single use would consume a significant amount of magic; considering that he had to use another spell to get through the last situation, it would be extraordinary if he wasn’t depleted.

Stella, perhaps from using magic continuously, also seemed to be struggling.

Of course, there were still plenty of mages firing spells.

They had organized in lines to maximize efficiency, allowing one line to fire and the next line to follow up, attempting to buy time to recover their magic and hurl more spells.

Yet, it was evident that both the speed and power were diminishing.

Now even Arhen was out of magic.

I looked ahead.

Many monsters lay slain, their bodies strewn across the ground.

Compared to the massive numbers we first faced, it was undoubtedly a significant reduction.

However, for the reduced numbers, many on our side were also incapacitated.

The front line was still fierce, but if it continued into a battle of attrition between humans and monsters, we would inevitably be the ones to lose.

Only moments ago, had we not come close to losing our balance.

“What should we do…?”

I saw no way to resolve this situation.

If I could bring down that monster, we wouldn’t have to struggle so hard… but with my current strength, it was impossible.

– Evan…

Esther called me in a sorrowful voice.

Even with Aria sacrificing herself to weaken the monster, could we not win this war?

Was this how powerless we truly were…?

Evan looked down at the battlefield with a face full of despair.

The line that had been barely holding was starting to falter more and more.

As the magic emanating from the monsters grew stronger once again, the blizzard was intensifying.

Defeat was becoming nearly certain.

Would I have to give up like this…?

…

…

“I’ll try.”

No. I couldn’t continue to be pushed back like this.

Given the situation… it would be better to brace myself and finish it all at once.

“Arhen.”

“You…”

Seeming to realize what I was about to do, Arhen looked at me with an expression of disbelief.

Yes, I understand.

I know this is a crazy thing to do.

Even if the realm and the House of Elgar fell, it would be better to retreat from here and plan for the future.

But… I didn’t want to do that.

“I don’t want to run away.”

This was an opportunity made by Aria sacrificing herself.

Even if I ran away, Aria wouldn’t say anything, but if I fled out of fear without doing anything, it would be a sin that would prevent everyone here from looking Aria in the eye.

I wanted to do something.

No, I had to do something.

“Please.”

So that I can deliver a definitive blow.

“Send me up to face the monster.”

With my life on the line.