100 – Land of Spectres. (6)
Quaang!
I ran. It felt as if the wind had taken hold of my body. Crazy. It wasn’t just my heart beating fast to the point where my body felt hot, thanks to Asti’s supplementary magic.
With each step I took, the ground exploded beneath me, propelling my body forward. Surely, I had only taken one step, yet the surrounding scenery changed in an instant.
The spectres, seemingly due to their fading emotions from their past lives, continued their next actions without hesitation, even in the face of my violent assault. In other words, it meant that they unleashed corrupt divine power as if they were mad.
However, none of it touched me. Before they could unleash their attack, I had already reached them first.
I swung my sword. The sword imbued with magical power sliced through the spectres’ bodies.
Normally, the spectres would disperse into the air and need to be reconstructed, but the magical power endowed within me is the power to turn the impossible into possible. As I cut through their bodies, their souls gradually withered away.
Their expressions couldn’t be described as comfortable. From their faces stained with hatred, the least I could say is that their hatred had subsided. That level of observation seemed appropriate.
But defeating them didn’t mean it was over. I fended off the fierce strikes from the ghost knights, who were infused with corrupted divine power, coming at me forcefully.
Kaang!
The sound of metal clashing echoed through the battlefield. It was clear that the tactics of the commander, who was leading the way against the ghost knights, were exceptional. As seen from the fact that the ghost knights’ swords weren’t severed but rather repelled.
Since facing Estée, I’ve felt my abilities rise considerably. Is it due to the worldview where experience makes you stronger? Although I borrowed the power of the candlestick, even I was surprised by how much my abilities had become stronger.
Adding Asti’s supplementary magic on top of that, my current strikes are truly displaying a powerful force to be reckoned with… To withstand it.
It wasn’t an easy place, after all.
I need to change my thinking a bit. I wouldn’t be able to avoid defeat if I continued to charge recklessly like a madman. If Asti’s supplementary magic hadn’t been there… I might have felt a chill down my spine.
As soon as I thought that, the ghost knights suddenly summoned something.
Right. If they’re called knights, they’re usually mounted on horses. Especially if they’re ghost knights.
The men withdrew and then prepared their stance, summoning their ghost mounts from the air.
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-“hehehehe!”
The sound of the ghost mounts’ hooves echoed, and the momentum of the ghost knights became even stronger.
An evil aura dispersed like smoke, and the way they formed a formation couldn’t be compared to before. The situation on the battlefield swiftly changed.
The spectres, too, lingered around the commander, pouring their power into him.
Perhaps realizing how dangerous I was as a presence after my charge just now, they decided to act together and support the strongest commander instead of being individually smashed.
At that moment, Adrian shouted to me.
“Fall back!”
It seemed that he realized I had sprung forward too much. I obediently followed Adrian’s orders. I myself knew that I was simply in a situation where I couldn’t deal with an unlimited number of enemies.
As soon as I fell back, Adrian once again unleashed the divine protection from the heavens. The semicircular shield that enveloped our allies brightly illuminated the surroundings, preventing the spectres from approaching.
Even the specters, knowing that they would not be able to achieve their goal if they approached this barrier rashly, simply observed and guarded us.
-Whirr.
The sound of the ghost horses can be heard. It seemed like those who were just about to charge forward were throwing a tantrum. Then, a brief confrontation ensued.
* * *
-He’s stronger than I thought.
Even Asti, who had pushed his way forward just a moment ago, was staring at the commander with a surprised expression.
-How strong exactly?
-If you only look at the commander, he’s not that strong. But with the Ghost Saint and the Ghost Lady… Even though it sounds strange, with them joining forces and boosting his power, he can be considered quite formidable, right?
-…I see. Even with the support of my auxiliary magic, my sword could barely withstand him.
-He’s also imbued with corrupt holiness, and the commander is skilled as well. But the Ghost Queen is doing something interesting. She managed to unite those who fought to the death against each other.
-In the end, everyone is equal before death.
-That’s right. Everyone is only fair in the face of death. Those who used to be saints or ladies of the faith have turned into ghosts due to their betrayal and hatred towards the Holy Empire… There’s no reason for them not to join forces now. After all, they’ve become ghosts under the rule of the Ghost Queen.
-It’s a despicable situation.
-Indeed. In the end, the problem was those who betrayed them. If they had peacefully rested in peace, the commander wouldn’t have been able to deploy such strong ghost knights, right?
-…That’s true.
-Anyway, Prach, you need to be careful too. Corrupt holiness is undoubtedly a troublesome force, no matter how you think about it.
-I know. I had a hard time dealing with it when I fought Esthe before, so I won’t let my guard down.
-hahahaha. Still, with my auxiliary magic, we should be able to win if we fight at a cautious level. We also have the support of the current Saint and the warriors of the faith, who seem to have considerable skills.
-For now… Is it better to target that commander first?
Asti glanced at me slightly in response to my opinion.
-No. It’s not a good idea to openly target him. If we prioritize, we should focus on strengthening the Grand Saints and the Ladies who enhance the ghost knights first.
-That makes sense…
Asti’s words were also reasonable. If I were to openly force my way in, I would first face their collaboration. They would make every effort to protect the commander.
-Let’s leave the ghost knights to the other warriors. They have to earn their keep too, right?
-That’s a valid point.
I conveyed the conclusion that I had reached after discussing with Asti to Adrian.
“Then let’s proceed as planned. For now, we will continue to maintain the Heavenly Protection. Of course, it will become significantly weaker as it spreads among individuals… If it seems dangerous, don’t hesitate to retreat.”
She accepted my proposal without hesitation.
“Understood!”
“Then, let’s go!”
The moment the semi-dome-shaped barrier gradually decreased and enveloped the paladin and my body. As I felt earlier, a distinct sense of distant calmness could be felt.
At the same time, the paladin and the ghostly knights collided. In that moment, I noticed the saints and holy maidens casting corruptive holy power towards the ghostly knights from behind.
Without hesitation, since the paladins were already holding off the ghostly knights, it was clear what I had to do.
I ran forward once again. There was no need to retreat this time. So…I just need to push forward.
Boom!
With a loud noise, the skeleton soldier blocking my path exploded. Along with it, the two ghostly knights who were blocking the paladins seemed to identify me as a more dangerous enemy and tried to turn their attention towards me.
But it seemed that the paladins also sensed that the ghostly knights had changed their target, and refused to let go of them easily.
While the paladins bought me some time, I swiftly moved towards the phantom saints.
If I can stop them from sending corruptive holy power to the ghostly knights, then surely the paladins and Adrian can gain the upper hand.
So there is no reason to hesitate. Although I diminished their numbers earlier, there were still plenty of phantom saints and holy maidens left.
Once again, I vividly realize how disastrous the previous leadership of the Holy Kingdom was. The reason they haven’t found peace until now is not just because of the commanding sorcerers or the ghost queen, but because the grudge against the Holy Kingdom runs deep.
So the previous strongest holy maiden sold her soul to the demon to destroy the leadership of the Holy Kingdom. Crazy people.
If this fact were to be revealed, the Archbishop and the Pope might dig themselves out of their graves.
Esthe the Holy Slayer was not just a hero in the Holy Kingdom, but a hero acclaimed in the entire continent.
…Well, that’s their business in the Holy Kingdom.
What I have to do now is simply…defeat the commanding sorcerers, saints, and holy maidens before me.
Strength flowed into the hand holding the sword. I took one step forward and imbued the sword with magic. I don’t know from when, but since the battle with Esthe, I started to feel that my sword was an extension of my own hand.
The sensation of my sword and myself becoming one. They say it’s a feeling a swordsman can reach when they reach a certain level.
Now I had that feeling. It seems that I seriously underestimated Frath’s talent. Basically, you can never reach this level without exceptional talent in this kind of sensation.
With this sword, I feel like I can do anything.
Quaaah!
I swung the sword horizontally. Mana poured out like waves from the sword, leading the corruptive holy power surrounding the saints and holy maidens to their rest.
At the same time, the corruptive holy power heading towards the ghostly knights was cut off.
“Push forward!”
Adrian shouted like a thunderbolt, right at that moment.
Taking advantage of the weakened ghostly knights, she gathered the divine power into the Divine Judgment, drawing upon the holy power into Deus’s Judgment. Unlike the purification light that required the power of the priests, she could use her own personal holy magic for large-scale combat.
The Hammer of Judgment.
As she held up the hammer, Deus’s Judgment gradually grew, becoming large enough to crush even a ghostly knight riding a horse.
“Haaah!”
With a shout of determination, she swung the hammer towards the ghostly knights.
Quaang!
With a loud noise, the body of the ghost knight shattered and scattered.
