Chapter 101: Victory and Farewell
A pillar of golden light erupted from the three holy swords and shot into the sky. A terrifying pressure, a pressure that seemed to make the very heavens and earth tremble, instantly descended upon the entire plain. The charging demon army slowed to a crawl under its immense weight. Even the unintelligent magical beasts, sensing a primal danger, let out terrified shrieks and tried to flee.
"Wh-what is that!?" a demon cried out, staring at the golden pillar that pierced the sky. A creature that should have been devoid of emotion now felt a flicker of fear.
"A Divine Strike!? But those bird-brains should all be dead." Another demon, its face grim, could feel a power from the light that was no less than that of a true Divine Strike. They had never imagined that, with the Sky-Winged gone, their enemies could still unleash such an attack. How had they done it?
But their questions were destined to go unanswered. It was too late to give the order to retreat. And many of them were hidden amongst the horde of magical beasts, waiting for the right moment to launch a surprise attack. Now, they were trapped.
On the high platform, Rhodes felt the immense power. Unlike before, when he had had to channel the power of Org through his own body, he was now using the magic circle to direct it into the holy swords. If he had tried to do it the old way, his body would have likely disintegrated after the spell was cast.
He slowly raised Org, with the 'Light of Ersten' and Athos circling around him. Three swords, three destinies, now united under his command.
With their power fully unleashed, he brought Org down in a powerful arc, aimed at the surging tide of the demon army.
BOOM—!!!
The world went silent, but was then filled with an even greater roar. A golden pillar of light, its power beyond description, tore through space and time and pierced through the entire demon army. In its path, the magically-resistant Scale-Fiends and the hidden demon mages were all reduced to dust the moment it touched them. The very earth was split in two by a deep, bottomless chasm.
With a single blow, a massive void was torn through the seemingly endless black tide. Nearly half of the demon army had been vaporized. The rest, now terrified, had momentarily broken free of their masters' control and had fallen into a state of utter chaos, countless of them trampled to death in the stampede.
On the high platform, the light faded.
The mages of the allied army all collapsed to the ground, completely drained. Only Rhodes and his party still had some strength left.
"It seems your spell was a success," Serie said, walking over to him. A smile played on her lips as she looked out at the溃retреating demon army. His 'false Divine Strike' was truly a masterpiece. To gather the mana of a thousand mages and unleash it was, in theory, possible. But the problem was finding a being who could withstand such a massive amount of power. Other than a god, no one could. So Rhodes had created a spell that could channel that power into the holy swords instead.
And the price they had paid was a small one. Both he and she had only used up about half of their mana, a far cry from the complete exhaustion they had experienced before.
"Now, we can finally go to the Godfall Land," he said.
With the threat to the front lines now dealt with, he could finally relax. After this devastating blow, the demons would not be able to launch another attack for a long time. And by the time they had recovered, he might have already slain the goddess. Without her help, the demons would be leaderless once more. It was a good thing the first Demon King had not yet appeared. A unified demon army would be a truly terrifying thing.
Just then, a roar of cheers erupted from the allied army.
The Dwarven King looked at the plain that had been split in two, and his great axe clattered to the ground. He stood there, his mouth agape, for a long moment before letting out a deafening roar of his own. "WE'VE WON!!! THIS IS THE POWER OF ORG!"
The Elven King stared at the massive scar on the land and let out a long sigh of relief.
That night, at the victory banquet, the cheers of the allied army were a stark contrast to their former despair. But in a quiet corner, away from the festivities, the heroes of the day were saying their goodbyes.
Rhodes and his party stood before the Elven King and the Dwarven King. The light of Org in his hand was a little dimmer, but it still radiated a quiet brilliance. Athos was in Serie's hand, a temporary loan from Rhodes, so that the elven miss could get a feel for being a 'true saint'. And the 'Light of Ersten' had been given to Norne. Perhaps, after their adventure was over, he would take it with him to the first human kingdom, where it would be worshipped as a holy sword for generations to come.
"Why not stay a little longer!? You're the guests of honor!" the Dwarven King said, clapping Rhodes on the shoulder with a force that made him stumble. "Well done, human lad! You have not brought shame to Org. To see those beasts turned to ash... it has eased a hatred I have carried in my heart for hundreds of years!"
The Elven King gave an elegant bow, his eyes also filled with a sincere respect and gratitude. "Lord Rhodes, and all of you, the elven race will forever be in your debt."
"There is no need for such formalities," Rhodes said with a slight nod. "Fighting the demons is the responsibility of all the races of this continent. But I do have one small favor to ask of you."
"Ask away."
"In ten or twenty years, a human nation will be founded. And when that day comes, I hope you will both acknowledge it."
The Elven King frowned slightly at his request, but the boisterous Dwarven King agreed without a moment's hesitation.
"No problem! And when it's your coronation, Lord Rhodes, I'll be there to cheer you on!"
Seeing that the Dwarven King had agreed, the Elven King also nodded. "The elves have no objection. I, too, will be there to offer my congratulations."
(End of Chapter)
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