A Decision Must Be Made (1)
CRACK!
Osval grinned widely as he smashed an orc's head with his massive hammer.
"Krah! I am Osval! Once again proving what it means to be a man!"
Osval was in an exceptionally good mood. Just by the looks of it, the war was clearly turning in their favor.
Victory seemed certain, and safety was guaranteed. On top of that, fame was within reach. Could there be a better situation?
Moreover, the battlefield was filled with elves, not a single one of them lacking beauty.
Osval's nose twitched. After such a performance, the elves were sure to show some interest in him.
'At last, I am getting married! To a beautiful elf, no less! Today, I make my bold move!'
With firm resolve, he immediately flirted with an elf fighting beside him.
"Lovely lady, would you care for a cup of tea once the battle is over? I am Osval the Unmatched."
The elf who received Osval's flirtation—a male elf—immediately scowled. He was now experiencing the intense emotions humans often spoke of.
Still, he couldn't bring himself to lash out at someone who came to help them. Respecting Osval's "preference," the elf quietly walked away without a word.
Watching him leave, Osval smiled to himself.
"Pfft! So shy. Was I too bold? Still, fortune favors the brave! Puhuhuhuhu!"
Regardless, he was having a great time.
Things had tilted so far in the elves' favor that Osval had the luxury to flirt mid-battle.
The high priests of the Salvation Church were becoming increasingly anxious. Munareff ground his teeth as he looked around the battlefield.
'That damned human! I should've killed him when I had the chance!'
All the dark mages had been slain. The tide of war had completely turned.
He had known the man was strong, but not this strong. Clearly, he hadn't even used his full power back then.
But hope wasn't completely lost. The power that human had just displayed was massive. No matter how strong, after expending that much energy, he'd be too drained to move.
'If I kill him, the tide can shift!'
If the summoner died, the death knights would vanish. If that happened, the orcs might regain the strength to face the elves.
Munareff tried to withdraw immediately. But things didn't go the way he planned.
"Where do you think you're going?"
BOOM!
Two elven elders blocked his path relentlessly.
They fully understood the situation. They had to protect the human who had come to aid them—only then could they win this war.
Where once the elven elders had been restrained by the priests of the Salvation Church, now the tables had turned.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM!
The elders unleashed their strength without holding back, pressing hard against the priests. Though the priests were stronger individually, they began to lose ground due to panic.
The priests grew increasingly desperate. At this rate, they wouldn't just lose the war—they might lose their lives as well.
Especially Munareff.
'I have to buy that person time to act...'
A very important figure had come from the Church to face off against the elven Grand Chieftain.
But if the war kept progressing like this, even he would be at a disadvantage. Munareff started sweating, desperately searching for a solution.
'There's no other way. Even if a few of us must be sacrificed...'
Just as Munareff made his decision—
KWAAAAAAANG!
An earth-shattering boom rang out. Even the elven elders and Salvation Church priests, who had reached the level of superhumans, were shaken by the force.
The heat of the battlefield instantly died down. Everyone turned with shocked expressions toward the source of the explosion.
High in the sky, darkness swirled. At its center, something had torn a gaping hole through the gloom.
FSSSHHH...
The swirling darkness soon began to take the shape of a person.
A middle-aged man with a cold expression, dressed in the same black robes as the other priests.
But one thing set him apart: black mist endlessly writhed around his body even as he stood still.
The battlefield fell into silence. The man said nothing as he floated midair—his mere presence radiated overwhelming pressure.
Ghislain's eyes narrowed.
'That man...'
He had seen him in his dreams. One of the four priests stronger than any other in the Salvation Church.
Their power was enough to change the course of a battlefield on their own. Even Ghislain, who had ascended further in magic, would struggle to face one of them without his true body.
'An Apostle.'
One of the four Apostles who served the Adversary had appeared here.
The Apostle stared straight at Ghislain. To him, Ghislain was the one who had ruined this war—the worst possible obstacle.
He wanted to kill him immediately, but he couldn't spare the energy right now.
Ghislain didn't avoid the Apostle's gaze. A crooked smile tugged at his lips.
'Wouldn't mind having a go at him...'
Unfortunately, he had very little strength left. Truth be told, even at his best using Astion's body, it would be hard to win.
But his fighting spirit made his body twitch.
He believed a fight had to be fought to truly know the outcome.
Even so, he held himself back. This wasn't his fight. He needed to stay calm.
There was someone else meant to face the Apostle here.
"Everyone, fall back."
Iraniel's calm voice echoed across the battlefield. Despite their momentum, the elves retreated at the sight of the Apostle.
Grrrr...
The orcs only growled and didn't pursue. They too knew how terrifying an Apostle was.
Even the Yulian mercenary group, who had been watching from the sidelines, read the mood and followed the elves' lead.
FSSHHH...
Ghislain also withdrew his death knights. There wasn't much time left to maintain them anyway.
As both sides pulled back, a vast space opened up in the center of the battlefield.
Step. Step. Step.
Iraniel walked slowly toward the open space.
With each step, sprouts burst from the ground, vines rising to wrap around her body.
Rrrrrrrr...
The vines transformed into armor that clung perfectly to her form. Her face was soon covered by a wooden helm, and antlers sprouted from her head.
ZZZING—!
Green light burst from her eyes and the gaps in her armor.
The light enveloped her, and spirits stirred up powerful winds behind her.
Facing the Apostle, Iraniel asked,
"I am the one who bears the breath of the World Tree, born when its first leaf fell, forever living with the forest—Iraniel, Grand Chieftain of the Elves. Darkness that has come to this place, state your name."
The Apostle paused in silence, then slowly spoke.
"I am the hand preparing the coming of the Black Revelation, the herald of the Covenant, the one who received the third blessing of the One, and the prophet who spreads His will—Lahamod."
Without changing his expression, Lahamod raised his hand.
At the same time, Iraniel's steps grew lighter. Her body suddenly transformed into a stream of light and shot toward Lahamod.
KWAAAAANG!
A powerful explosion erupted as the two clashed. But neither budged an inch.
Immediately, Iraniel swung a lightning-fast hand, slicing open Lahamod's side.
Though his body split, no blood spilled. Instead, black smoke-like darkness rose from the wound and grasped her arm.
CRACK!
The darkness gripped Iraniel's arm tightly and began twisting it. She tried to pull away, but it wouldn't come free.
So Iraniel grabbed Lahamod's face with her other hand.
GRAB!
"You won't die until I wear you out, will you?"
"........"
BOOM!
With that, she dove down and slammed Lahamod's head into the ground.
KWAANG!
The earth shattered as Lahamod's head was driven deep into the ground. It was the kind of blow that could instantly kill even the average superhuman.
But Lahamod did not die. Instead, he sprang up, black energy surging violently from his body as he launched an attack at Iraniel.
BANG-!
Hundreds of streams of black energy struck Iraniel in an instant. She staggered backward and extended her hand.
KUUUUNG!
A rock spirit erupted from the ground, shattering the earth. Massive stone pillars shot toward Lahamod.
With a wave of Lahamod's hand, countless streams of black energy rose from beneath him, grabbing the stone pillars, pulling them down, and breaking them apart.
From Iraniel's fingertips, dozens of wind blades exploded forth. They tore through the air as they flew at Lahamod.
Lahamod's body trembled several times. The darkness surrounding him blocked the incoming blades.
The darkness that blocked the blades spun like a vortex and soon formed into sharp spear points that launched toward Iraniel.
KWAANG!
Iraniel was pushed backward. But unfazed, she stepped forward once more, unleashing her energy to the fullest.
KWAANG! KWAANG! KWAANG!
The two clashed head-on without a moment's hesitation. Neither dodged, neither retreated.
A pure collision of power. All that remained in the air was a singular, overwhelming desire to overpower and defeat the other.
With each blow charged with their energy, the ground split and the air tore apart. Black mist and green essence collided hundreds, thousands of times, wrapping around the two.
Breath of the spirits and darkness intertwined, clashing endlessly. The storm of energy from the two consumed everything around them without rest.
Iraniel's armor was cracked and broken in multiple places. Lahamod's robe was shredded in several spots, from which black mist continuously leaked.
KWAANG!
Suddenly, Iraniel distanced herself and summoned a massive bow into her hands. As if responding to her, the spirits and nature around her fell silent.
As she drew the bowstring, an overwhelming force began to gather.
At the same time, darkness swirled at Lahamod's fingertips.
From within it, a grotesquely twisted black spear took shape, made purely of his energy.
PAAK!
The arrow of light Iraniel fired shot straight toward Lahamod. With a storm-like force, Lahamod hurled the spear.
Light and darkness collided in the sky.
BANG-!
The heavens split, winds roared, and the entire battlefield twisted. A blinding flash spread, followed by a thunderous explosion that shook the earth.
Light and darkness tangled, creating a vortex, and from its center, a massive shockwave exploded outward.
"Kh..."
Both of them staggered as they took the brunt of the blast. But as if nothing had happened, their eyes lit up once more as they hurled themselves toward each other again.
BANG-!
Their battle resumed. They fought each other with brutal intensity.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Everyone on the battlefield watched in a daze as the two fought.
Even for superhumans, this level of combat was unheard of. It was a battle that could only be described as a war of gods.
The Yulian mercenaries, in particular, were the most shaken.
"W-Wow... H-How can a person fight like that?"
"How strong do you have to be to do something like that?"
"I can't believe what I'm seeing..."
Osval glanced sideways at Ghislain and murmured,
"Osval, the Man... I've never seen someone stronger than you before, Boss."
To which Ghislain snorted and replied,
"If I had my real body, I'd be stronger than that."
"......Yes, sir."
They all nodded, though they clearly didn't believe it. They knew Ghislain was strong, but what they were seeing now was on an entirely different level.
Ghislain didn't bother defending himself. None of them had ever seen him go all out against a single opponent—so their doubt was understandable.
'If it's one-on-one, I always win.'
That's how Ghislain had always lived. And he had already proven it by taking down Idun.
Explaining would only make him look petty, so he simply twitched his lips and stayed quiet.
BANG! BOOM! BOOM! BANG!
The battle seemed like it would never end. But Ghislain, with a sharp eye, sensed that Iraniel was beginning to gain the upper hand.
'Are we really about to take down one of the Apostles here?'
If Lahamod lost his strength, escape would be difficult. The future would differ from what it once was, but that wasn't a bad thing.
The fewer powerful enemies the Salvation Church had, the safer their own side became.
But Ghislain didn't let his guard down. The Salvation Church was full of underhanded tricks. Against them, carelessness was a fatal mistake.
As he watched the battle, Ghislain's expression suddenly hardened.
'I knew it...!'
Gripping his staff tightly, Ghislain sprang into action.
What he saw as he ran—
Four high-ranking priests were detonating their own bodies.
BOOM-!
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