"Kaaak!"
There were countless Riftborn. Most of them were smashed apart by Elena's hammer strikes, but a few managed to cling to her body.
"Kwaaaang!"
However, even those were sent flying by her hammer. Elena's body was unscathed, without a single wound.
Having holy power meant that her muscle density and structure were completely different from those of ordinary people. As her holy power increased, her physical durability also grew stronger.
The Riftborn couldn't even inflict proper wounds on her body, which had also mastered the mana cultivation technique.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
Elena had no interest in learning delicate skills. For some reason, she wasn't particularly talented in that area.
She had come to realize that her body was quite unique, so she swung her hammer while enduring most attacks head-on.
"Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!"
Every time her massive hammer swung, the Riftborn exploded and flew away madly.
It was so destructive that even the path left by a war machine wouldn't seem out of place.
The knights of Fenris, who had experienced countless battles, couldn't help but marvel at her extraordinary destructive power.
"This is a good stress reliever!"
When Elena shouted ferociously, the knights fighting alongside her showed expressions of exasperation.
Regardless, Elena grinned widely as she looked at Arel.
'How about it? Isn't your noona cool? Super strong, right?'
Arel lowered his gaze and subtly distanced himself. He was a bit scared.
Elena's combat style was becoming more and more like Parniel's by the day. Parniel looked at her with a satisfied smile.
Belinda, watching Elena, shook her head.
"Lady Annette never fought like that."
It seemed the holy power had gone to Elena, but the combat sense had been inherited by Ghislain.
If one person had possessed both, they might have become the strongest on the continent. That was the regretful part.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaang!
As always, the Lutania army easily overpowered the Riftborn. As Elena grew stronger, the combat power of the Lutania army increased proportionally.
When the battle ended, the Fenris knights surrounded Elena and shouted.
"Princess of Destruction! Princess of Destruction!"
"Don't call me that!"
When Elena shouted with a vicious expression, they all ran away.
Elena had always dreamed of being a graceful lady. But now, with such a strange nickname attached to her, her dream felt far out of reach.
Instead, that gracefulness had gone to Rachel.
The daughter of Gillian, she was no longer the sickly child of the past. Over the years, she had grown into a magnificent knight second to none.
Dressed in shining white armor, her figure in battle resembled an elegant swan.
Thus, her nickname became "Swan Knight."
It was a fitting name for someone with a virtuous character and a gentle, constant smile.
"Swan Knight! Swan Knight!"
The knights cheered again for Rachel. She waved her hand awkwardly with a wry smile.
Seeing this, Elena, the "Princess of Destruction," lowered her gaze sullenly.
Unlike Elena, Rachel did not have holy power. Thus, she compensated for her lack of strength with technique.
Rachel trained diligently, and fortunately, her talent for flexibility allowed her to master excellent skills.
"Wow, like father, like daughter."
Ghislain was also very pleased with Rachel's performance.
Rachel's skills grew day by day. While her environment helped, her passion and talent made it possible.
Ghislain generously taught Rachel advanced swordsmanship and mana cultivation techniques. Her father, Gillian, also gave her pointers whenever he had time.
Ghislain looked at the dejected Elena and shook his head.
"Ugh, she's the clumsiest of the clumsy. Who on earth does she take after?"
Elena's ability to learn techniques was abysmal. Strangely enough, this created a synergy with her holy power.
Without overthinking, she would recklessly smash everything, and her overwhelming force was on par with the Saintess of War, Parniel.
There was no hesitation from overthinking. She just acted. Her monstrous body made that possible.
Though she might struggle against a superior opponent, her raw power was unmatched for large-scale massacres.
"Princess of Destruction! Princess of Destruction!"
"Swan Knight! Swan Knight!"
The entire Lutania army chanted the two nicknames, praising their achievements and celebrating their growth.
Not only Elena and Rachel but also the knights and soldiers grew stronger with each battle.
As they became stronger, their brutality also increased.
They slaughtered their enemies without leaving anyone alive, earning the nickname "The Army of Demons" from their foes.
Crunch!
"Graaaah…"
Ghislain's axe cleaved through the neck of the rebel leader.
Even in this kingdom, priests of the Salvation Church were scarcely seen. In fact, the rebel forces themselves were steadily dwindling.
Brushing his blood-soaked hair back, Ghislain muttered.
"What are these bastards planning?"
He could roughly guess that the Salvation Church was consolidating its forces. The intelligence reports indicated the same.
However, the decline in rebel forces made no sense. While the Salvation Church gathered its main forces, the rebels should have been holding the line.
The more territory the rebels held, the harder it would be for the allied forces to regroup. The rebel forces should have been stalling them.
Even now, the movement of the allied forces was accelerating. With both the Salvation Church and the rebels shrinking, it became much easier for the allied forces to end the civil war.
"Could they be aiming for a quick, decisive battle?"
That wouldn't be easy either. With the scale of the conflict now at a world war level, one or two victories wouldn't end it.
Retreating their forces now, while slightly disadvantaged, would only invite further disadvantages. They would need to reclaim their bases and establish new supply lines.
It would be better to leave the rebels to hold their ground while using their main forces to support other regions.
"Hah... They're definitely up to something."
Originally, Ghislain had been the one challenging them with his knowledge of the future.
But now, the future has changed. Having been soundly defeated by him, they had become the challengers.
This time, it was Ghislain who needed to block their schemes.
"We're moving to the next kingdom. Let's wipe out the remaining ones a bit faster."
Without knowing the enemy's exact intentions, the best course of action was to continue eradicating the Salvation Church's forces.
With the allied forces gathered, they could eventually strike the enemy's base with overwhelming strength.
The ever-strengthening Lutania army rapidly moved, clearing out rebels in various kingdoms.
And surprisingly, the Turian Kingdom's forces, thanks to Yulian's achievements, were advancing at a pace no less impressive than that of the Lutania army.
***
Sardina Kingdom, too, was driven into a crisis, pushed back by the rebels.
Being a kingdom near the center of the continent, the Salvation Church had paid significant attention to it.
Amidst this chaos, Ghislain's Lutania army struck the rebels from behind.
The rebels, who had formed their frontlines to avoid the Riftborn, were utterly helpless against the Lutania army, which emerged by breaking through the Rift.
The Sardina rebels eventually gathered in one place to escape the Lutania army.
Marquis Aldred, the leader of the rebels, gnashed his teeth.
"Damn it, it was almost over! Who would've thought those lunatics would break through the Rift!"
Although the superhumans of the Salvation Church had suddenly withdrawn, Aldred thought it was not an issue. His forces were the strongest in the kingdom anyway.
However, the problem lay in being so focused on the civil war that he was unaware of the surrounding developments. Though he'd heard rumors of the Lutania army rampaging, he hadn't taken them seriously.
The result was catastrophic. All his frontlines had collapsed in an instant, leaving him with only one small fortress.
"My lord! You must retreat!"
"We've received word from the Salvation Church instructing us to head to the Atrode Kingdom!"
"With our current forces, we cannot stand against the Lutania army!"
Hearing his strategists' advice, Marquis Aldred decided to flee. Though 80,000 soldiers remained, he could not muster the courage to fight the Lutania army.
The opponent had too many superhumans. With only one superhuman under his command, Aldred could not hope to stop them.
Marquis Aldred made a bold decision.
"I will take 10,000 elite soldiers and escape this kingdom. The remaining forces will hold this place against the Lutania army."
He chose to sacrifice 70,000 soldiers as a diversion to buy time for his escape.
The 70,000 soldiers, unaware of the plan, stayed behind at the fortress, while Marquis Aldred left under the pretense of intercepting the enemy.
Dudududu!
They rode hard to evade the Lutania army advancing from the eastern direction.
Fortunately, the Atrode Kingdom lay to the southwest of Sardina. They could reach it safely after crossing a few kingdoms.
A day after Marquis Aldred's escape, the Lutania army surrounded the fortress.
"Just destroy it."
Ghislain gave the order without hesitation. Soon, hundreds of catapults began hurling stones.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
The Fenris catapults boasted tremendous range and power. The enemies within the fortress were too overwhelmed to respond effectively and focused solely on defense.
That wasn't all. The Lutania army's mages mercilessly unleashed their spells.
Since Marquis Aldred had fled with his mages, the rebels had no means to block the magic attacks.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
"Arghhhh!"
Inside the fortress, the endless screams of the rebels echoed. They couldn't even muster the will to fight back, being struck one-sidedly.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
The relentless barrage of stones and spells quickly reduced the fortress to rubble.
But Marquis Aldred, who had led the rebels, did not return.
Soon, a white flag rose above the fortress.
"Hm, cease the attack."
At Ghislain's command, the attack halted. Shortly after, the gates opened, and the remaining soldiers in the fortress emerged, disarmed.
Realizing they had been abandoned, their fighting spirit completely crumbled.
Ghislain thoroughly crushed his enemies, but only those who resisted to the end. Those who surrendered were carefully investigated and, if found innocent, were incorporated into his forces.
These surrendering soldiers, if without major issues, would likely be reorganized into the Sardina Kingdom's army.
"Send a messenger to the Sardina Kingdom's army. Tell them to investigate the captives and take them away."
There was no need for Ghislain to take care of them personally. He only needed to keep watch until the Sardina forces arrived.
However, there were always those Ghislain would never let live, even if they surrendered.
These were the leaders of the rebels who had joined hands with the Salvation Church.
"I'm going to hunt down Marquis Aldred."
Having learned that Marquis Aldred had fled the fortress the previous day, Ghislain immediately led his mobile army in pursuit.
There was about a two-day gap. Considering the enemy would move swiftly, the distance between them would be considerable.
"Increase the pace! Catch him and kill him before he crosses the border!"
Dudududu!
Spurred on by Ghislain, the mobile army pushed their horses to the limit.
As expected, Marquis Aldred, thanks to his bold decision, had managed to flee a great distance.
At this rate, he would soon cross the border. On the other side, allies of the Salvation Church awaited him, giving him hope for safety once he crossed.
But he was unaware. The rebels across the border had already been completely wiped out.
And, by coincidence, he encountered the 20,000-strong Turian Kingdom army, who were advancing toward Sardina after finishing their task.
The two armies, unable to determine whether the other was friend or foe, remained in a standoff.
Marquis Aldred stepped forward and shouted, "Who are you? This is Sardina Kingdom territory! Identify yourselves!"
Marquis Gidion of the Turian Kingdom army also stepped forward and replied, "We are the Turian Kingdom army, having joined the allied forces! Which side do you belong to?"
Hearing Gidion's words, Marquis Aldred frowned. If a fight broke out here, it could jeopardize his plans.
The opposing force also outnumbered his own. Thus, he decided to lie.
"We are the Sardina Kingdom army! We are urgently pursuing fleeing rebels, so please clear the way!"
Without giving them time to think, he ordered his forces to move.
Marquis Gidion, flustered, hastily withdrew his troops. The enemy's forces approached too boldly and confidently.
It was then that Yulian suddenly charged forward on his horse.
Dudududu!
"Huh? Wha— Lord Yulian!"
Marquis Gidion shouted in shock. The Turian soldiers were also thrown into confusion.
But Yulian, with a cold expression, galloped forward. His sword already glowed with an icy blue light.
"That—that lunatic! Stop him!"
At Marquis Aldred's command, a knight standing beside him leaped into action.
This was the only superhuman among the rebels. Feeling Yulian's overwhelming aura, he had no choice but to step forward.
The two closed in on each other rapidly. The rebel superhuman leapt from his horse, unleashing an Aura Blade.
"Die!"
It was an attack meant to kill in one strike. The Aura Blade's intensity was so great that the air around it visibly distorted.
But Yulian did not make any particularly flashy moves. From atop his horse, he merely swung his sword gracefully.
Swish.
Thud.
The superhuman charging at Yulian was cleaved in two, his body falling to the ground with his sword.
[T/L: I am in dire need of support. I will give discount to all those who will buy the rest of the chapters all together, so please support me the reader on my webnovel platform and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]