"Spread out." Crusch shouted as he saw the White Whale's movements.
Among them, only the Sword Demon Wilheim charged against the current, taking this chance to leap onto the White Whale, grabbing his treasured sword and leaving deep cuts on its body.
Wilhelm's actions gave the expedition a surge of confidence. Everyone picked up their weapons and rushed at the White Whale, while the mages unleashed wave after wave of spells.
The attacks continued for two minutes, but the group quickly realized something was wrong. No matter how much they attacked, the White Whale's position in the sky did not change at all.
Watching Wilhelm fight with all his might, everyone else felt confident. Ferris came over to Crusch's side. "The old Wilhelm really is amazing."
"Strange," Crusch said, frowning.
"Why?"
"In theory, the White Whale should have been brought down by our attacks. That would have been the perfect time to strike, but it's completely still in the air." Crusch felt a chill run down herspine.
Wilhelm alone reached the White Whale's eye. He slid across its body like skiing, leaving almost no real damage, yet the eye—undoubtedly a fatal weakness—was within reach.
Without hesitation, Wilhelm plunged his blade into the White Whale's eye, blinding it.
This attack enraged the White Whale completely. Its eyes turned red, a massive mist erupted from its body, refilling the fog that had been dispelled, and its body shot higher into the air.
Wilhelm fell off the White Whale as a result. The others quickly prepared their dispelling magic to clear the mist once again.
"It's about time to clean up the mess." Ren pulled his hood over his eyes and headed toward the retreat path used by the others.
But Crusch and her team were filled with despair. When they cleared the fog, what met their eyes were three White Whales.
One White Whale had already been impossible to bring down; now there were three.
"This is over. How could we possibly win?" One person dropped their weapon.
Following him, more and more weapons fell to the ground, and morale hit rock bottom.
The White Whales in the air weren't about to let the demoralized troops escape.
Two of them dove toward the ground, releasing the Mist of Annihilation, while the one at the highest point roamed and attacked without descending.
The number of fighters kept dwindling. Even the Sword Demon Wilhelm was swallowed into the White Whale's belly.
Crusch took a deep breath and shouted, "Pick up your weapons! Retreat while fighting and you might survive! Don't fight, and you're dead for sure!"
As Crusch's slash cut through the mist of the White Whale, everyone on the scene picked up their weapons and began to retreat.
Thanks to Crusch's decisive action, the casualties this time were minimized.
But she knew that the Royal Selection had nothing to do with her now, and no one would support her.
As dawn broke, on the way back in the carriages, many were injured and walked with their heads hung low. They didn't know the names of the dead, but they knew how many had set out, and now, less than half had returned. The losses were heavy.
And Wilhelm was still inside the White Whale, with death likely.
"Lady Crusch." Ferris looked at her, worry in his eyes.
Crusch's expression was heavy as she faced the group. "Thank you all for your help and support. I am sorry for those who died. Everyone here, come to me directly to receive your rewards."
She didn't mention the exact amount, but Ferris knew it wouldn't be small. Even though the White Whale mission had failed, Crusch had not given up on the Royal Selection, even if her chances were slim.
Soon, however, a new obstacle appeared on their path. A tall man in a hooded cloak stood before them, exuding a strong witch's aura, surrounded by corpses.
The group was forced to stop. Crusch stepped forward to face him. "Who are you?"
"Who am I?" the man said casually. "I see, you don't recognize my outfit. But I know you. Candidate for the Royal Selection. Whether it's to eliminate disasters or to gain merit, your courage is commendable. But in the end, it is only the courage of a common person. All that remains is this pile of corpses."
"Enough chatter. Answer my question—who are you? If you don't, I'll cut you down." Crusch wasn't willing to waste more words.
"Oh? You'll cut me down if I don't answer? How bold. But tell me—what if your slash has no effect on me?" The man, Ren, raised a finger and grinned.
"I said stop talking or I'll strike." Crusch swung her sword at Ren with a fierce slash.
"Not falling for it? Well, that's fine." The slash passed through Ren as if he were just an illusion.
Crusch's eyes widened in shock. Ferris looked equally stunned.
In truth, Ren had dodged the attack at a speed beyond the limits of his body. To anyone watching, it appeared as though the slash had passed right through him. Their eyes had not caught the moment.
"Didn't I tell you? Your attacks don't work on me. Why don't you listen?" Ren sighed.
The people at the scene were completely despairing. They saw that Crusch had no way to deal with the enemy.
Ferris swallowed hard. At this moment, he had never hated being a healer more, unable to help Crusch in any way.
Suddenly, a scream came from not far away. A short, sullen boy was slowly walking toward them.
"Eat, chew, gnaw, swallow, bite… no matter how you eat, you'll never be full. Though just a stray dog, at least it can feed." Lye spoke with madness in his words.
"Who are you?" Crusch gripped her sword and took a deep breath, trying to calm her mind.
"The Sin Archbishop of Gluttony of the Witch Cult, Lye Batenkaitos."
"The Sin Archbishop of Greed of the Witch Cult, Regulus Cornias." Ren, being cautious outside, naturally gave a false identity.
"Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, huh? Perfect, you can redeem yourselves through this criminal." Crusch raised her sword and pushed Ferris aside, glancing at him.
The two of them had lived together for many years and shared great understanding.
Ferris knew Crusch wanted him to go back and find help. He realized staying would be useless and immediately fled.
At this moment, he could only think of Sword Saint Reinhardt.
"Huh? You can't even take down our pet, and you want to fight us?" Lye sneered.
"One got away. Aren't you going after it?" Ren looked at Lye.
"First, let's eat her. The way she resists must taste exquisite." Lye didn't care if anyone escaped; he only cared if his target was gone.
"You're facing me." Crusch swung her sword twice, one toward Ren and one toward Lye, as if trying to block them both.
"Sometimes it's annoying. The weak don't know the gap between themselves and the strong." Ren sighed, picked up a wooden stick, and swung it at Crusch.
A slash shot straight forward. Crusch dodged awkwardly, unable to believe it. She could sense swordsmanship from a simple wooden stick. As expected, the slash split a distant carriage in two.
"Thank you for the meal, Crusch Karsten." Lye took the chance to approach Crusch and devour her existence.
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