[The crystal golems exuded an ominous aura, but upon losing their life force, they reverted to ordinary crystals. These were crafted into many ornaments, greatly aiding the treasury of the Pani Kingdom.]
[As monsters from the depths of the Forest of Demonic Beasts, the crystal golems boasted formidable defenses. Even when knights imbued their attacks with mana, they could only inflict minor scratches. Their high magic resistance made our fight against them even more challenging…]
Boom!
As Parniel swung her massive mace, the charging crystal golems shattered into countless fragments.
"Hmph, their defenses are weak," she remarked bluntly.
At her nonchalant comment, Ghislain looked exasperated.
"Don't you think your strength is just too overwhelming?"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Ghislain also swung his sword at the incoming crystal golems.
The crystal golem withstood even the Aura Blade. Even Ghislain couldn't cut it cleanly when he normally(?) slashed at it.
But as he drew upon more power—
Boom!
With each swing, the crystal golems exploded into shards.
Watching this, Parniel muttered, "Not much of a difference."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Yulian, Gillian, Tenant, Kaor, and the other superhumans all effortlessly dealt with the crystal golems.
The soldiers and mages had no need to lift a finger. Their only role was to stand guard and protect the laborers from potential attacks.
Even among those who weren't superhumans, some stepped up to fight.
"Hyaaah!"
Boom!
Elena swung her giant hammer with all her might. Her mana levels were only comparable to those of a knight.
Thus, the crystal golems merely staggered under her blows instead of shattering.
"Ugh! Why won't you break?!"
Gritting her teeth, Elena put more force into her swings. Normally, she wouldn't exert herself this much, but given the opponent's durability, she had no choice.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With each strike of her hammer, cracks began to spread across the crystal golems. Unable to slice through them like knights, she simply smashed them apart with brute force.
Her lack of superhuman strength made her attacks rougher. Each time her blows landed, fragments of crystal sprayed in all directions.
Watching this, the soldiers instinctively leaned back and muttered,
"Whoa…"
"Poor golems…"
"As expected of the 'Princess of Destruction'..."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Thanks to the superhumans, hundreds of crystal golems were annihilated in no time.
The lifeless shards emitted a brilliant blue glow.
Ghislain rotated his shoulder and commented, "Man, this is pretty dull."
It didn't even feel like a warm-up. He hadn't used half his strength.
No matter how dangerous the Forest of Demonic Beasts was, it couldn't pose a threat to warriors who had slain dragon.
Ghislain looked at Yulian and smirked.
"What do you think? Pretty easy, right? Feels like a vacation."
"...Hmm."
Yulian hesitated for a moment. Calling this a vacation didn't feel quite right, but it wasn't particularly difficult either. Eventually, he nodded.
The forest stirred something within him. Its aura and the presence of its monsters felt strangely familiar.
'How odd.'
Yulian assumed it was because of the dragon's energy that now resided within him. Otherwise, there was no reason for the forest's ominous aura to feel so familiar.
The peculiar monsters served as an intriguing spectacle. Yulian remained at ease,
Unaware that he was experiencing such emotions for the first time.
With the crystal golems cleared, the work resumed swiftly.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
As trees were felled and the perimeter secured, Jerome, scanning the surroundings, remarked, "Hm, the interference with magic power is getting stronger."
The deeper they ventured, the harder it became to see into the distance. Jerome found it puzzling.
Even as an 8th-circle mage, he couldn't fully grasp the energy permeating this forest.
Something was definitely there, yet he couldn't pinpoint it.
Magic worked fine, but his long-distance vision was being distorted by some unknown force.
"Would it look different from above?"
Ghislain shook his head.
"There's no point in going up. That's why we're not using balloons right now."
"Why not?"
"There's something up there that attacks."
"How do you know?"
"Well... we tested it before."
Drawing from records he had seen in his past life, Ghislain made up an excuse.
Still, Jerome seemed curious enough to check for himself and started levitating.
"I'll take a quick look."
"Suit yourself."
Someone like Jerome wouldn't be easily taken down. There was no need to stop him.
Rising higher, Jerome marveled at the view and gasped.
"Wow."
The forest stretched endlessly. Even from his vantage point, he couldn't see its boundaries.
Dense, towering trees obscured the interior, shrouding it in darkness.
It was a region truly deserving of the title "Demon Realm."
Excited, Jerome floated a bit farther. His curiosity about the forest's center grew.
'Maybe I'll just peek a little.'
Since they'd need to clear a path eventually, he decided to scout ahead.
But as he moved forward—
Whoosh!
A massive tree, uprooted entirely, hurtled toward him at breakneck speed from the forest's center.
"Whoa!"
Jerome dodged in shock. A moment's delay, and he would have been skewered.
"W-What?"
Whoosh!
Before Jerome could collect his thoughts, another tree came hurtling toward him. With no other choice, he descended quickly.
"What was that? What's attacking us?"
"I don't know, but it seems like there's something huge lurking around," Ghislain replied.
"Whoa… it's not another dragon, is it?"
The speed of the flying trees was no joke. Even as a superhuman, Jerome barely managed to dodge them.
Ghislain smirked and shook his head.
"No way, it's not a dragon. If it were, we'd already be dead."
While the creature was certainly powerful, it wasn't on the level of a dragon. There was no need to panic before even seeing it.
Jerome let out a sigh of relief and muttered,
"Phew, I almost got myself killed trying to sightsee."
Though disappointed, there was no helping it. They had no choice but to press forward with the development project as a group.
While the laborers continued working, Ghislain called out to Lumina.
"What do you think? We've come deeper into the forest. Is it still speaking to you? Are you okay?"
"Yes, it keeps asking me to join with it," Lumina replied, her expression darkening.
Once again, Lumina had insisted on joining the expedition.
Previously, the forest had whispered ominous words to Lumina, urging her to become one with it.
Now, they all understood that these whispers were echoes of the Demon God's will and the voice of the Demon Realm.
Erenes had warned her:
— Be careful. That is the Demon God's will, scattered throughout the world. If you succumb to it, your mind will eventually be consumed by the same purpose as the Salvation Church.
Unlike the artificially created priests of the Salvation Church, Lumina was genuinely drawn to the Demon Realm's call.
Though the Demon Realm had been sealed, the Demon God's will lingered in the world. That's why the Salvation Church continued to grow, and its priests wielded such power.
Over time, this lingering will would grant their king the strength to revive—an ominous sign of the spreading influence.
Ghislain turned to Lumina and said, "Do you want to head back? It's okay if you need to leave."
Lumina shook her head. She trusted the people around her and wanted to listen more closely to the forest's whispers.
Perhaps they could uncover the Salvation Church's secrets through this.
Ghislain had initially tried to exclude Lumina from this expedition, but she insisted on coming, determined to be helpful.
To prepare for any unforeseen events, Piote continually cast protective blessings on her. Thanks to this, Lumina hadn't shown any significant abnormalities so far.
Once preparations were complete, the Northern Army resumed its advance.
Screech!
The Forest of Demonic Beasts lived up to its name. More and more monsters attacked as they advanced. At one point, thousands came charging in at once.
However, such numbers posed no threat to the battle-hardened Northern Army. No monster horde could overcome the sheer disparity in power.
This was the same army that had faced off against hundreds of thousands of riftborn. No matter what monster appeared, they crushed it and marched forward.
In fact, wounded soldiers were scolded by their commanders for being careless rather than facing any real danger.
Even the laborers shed their initial fears.
"As expected, they really are the kingdom's strongest army."
"Not just the kingdom—this is the continent's strongest army."
"No army can match the Northern Army."
The Northern Army had already been hailed as an undefeated force, and now they were simply proving it again.
Watching the scene, Ascon muttered, "This isn't the Forest of Demonic Beasts anymore—it's the Forest of Wimps."
Once again, Ascon avoided fighting and instead worked alongside the laborers, chopping down trees.
Thud! Thud!
Swinging his axe, Ascon grumbled nonstop.
"Ugh, why does this territory never run out of work? When will labor liberation finally come?"
He dreamed of a world without labor.
With tens of thousands of people pouring in, the densely packed trees were quickly cleared, creating vast open spaces.
Unsurprisingly, the forest erupted into chaos. Monsters, whose territories had been destroyed, swarmed toward the Northern Army in desperation.
Screech!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Most were simply wiped out by the superhumans. When monsters swarmed from all directions in overwhelming numbers, the mages and soldiers stepped in to handle the rest.
Mages, apart from providing occasional combat support, also proved to be excellent workers. They efficiently helped with logging and cutting trees into manageable sizes for transport.
Thanks to the mages, progress was swift, although the overall advance was still slow due to the sheer scale of the operation.
"Move faster!"
"The forward base needs more lumber!"
"Bring more carts!"
Laborers shouted as they hustled back and forth.
Gone were the days when the Forest of Demonic Beasts demanded absolute silence. Now, speed was the priority.
Tasks were carried out simultaneously—transporting logs to the rear, building wooden defenses, and collecting valuable resources along the way.
Even with overwhelming power crushing the monsters, the workload slowed their progress.
"Wow, what's this?"
"I can't believe this is here!"
"This place has everything! All the expensive materials are right here!"
Whenever they secured areas rich in rare herbs or minerals, the workers buzzed with excitement.
Ghislain, too, smiled in satisfaction. Rare herbs alone could fetch exorbitant prices across the continent.
The Northern Army spent nearly two months alternating between clearing the forest and fighting monsters.
Though their advance was slow, they steadily drew closer to the forest's center without encountering any major setbacks.
Reviewing notes from his past life, Ghislain thought to himself, "We're almost at the next point."
Before long, they reached a vast plain with few trees.
Given the forest's immense size, the sudden appearance of a plain didn't seem out of place.
Beyond the plain, dense trees loomed once more.
As they advanced, sharp-eyed scouts noticed something hanging from the trees.
"What's that?"
"Are those… people?"
"They look strange."
The objects resembled people wrapped in cocoons, hanging upside down.
Disturbed by the eerie sight, the soldiers grimaced and shifted into battle formation.
As the army drew closer, the cocoons began to twitch.
Ghislain turned and gave the order.
"Archers, mages, get ready. We'll strike first."
At once, the archers nocked their arrows, and the mages gathered their mana.
Ghislain raised his hand and commanded, "Make sure to wipe out whatever's hanging there."
Whoosh!
Without hesitation, arrows darkened the sky, followed by an array of magic attacks.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Screeeeech!
The cocoons burst open, releasing countless creatures.
The soldiers grimaced again at the sight.
Giant bats with human faces swarmed toward them.