"Grrrr!"
Hellnik, who had been slammed into the ground, sprang up and immediately stretched out his hand.
Boom!
A surge of black energy shot out, striking Parniel.
Thud!
Although Parniel spread her holy power in defense, her body was lifted and pushed backward.
Despite her power of supreme opposition, she couldn't fully withstand Hellnik's overwhelming force.
Grind.
Parniel clenched her teeth. Darkness that dared to push back the sanctity of the Goddess—how infuriating!
Furious, she swung her mace with all her strength.
Boom!
"Grrr!"
Even Hellnik, who had remained unscathed against blades, couldn't entirely withstand the blow and had his head twisted sideways.
Yet, Hellnik seemed largely unbothered as he counterattacked immediately.
Boom!
Parniel was pushed back once again. But, as expected of one of the continent's strongest, she endured the pain and swung her mace again.
Boom!
The two continued exchanging relentless attacks.
Hellnik unleashed spells upon Parniel, who withstood them all and closed the distance. Her sheer defensive power was monstrous.
Hellnik found it irritating.
"Keheh... Let's see how long you last!"
Boom!
Hellnik swung his fist at Parniel.
Even with her holy power, she struggled to endure his sheer strength. Between his powerful magic and incomprehensible physical might, Parniel was gradually pushed back.
But Hellnik wasn't unscathed, either.
Sizzle!
Where Parniel's holy power touched him, Hellnik's body began to burn.
The layers of divine energy were slowly penetrating the torrents of mana surrounding Hellnik.
The residual holy energy in his body disrupted his ability to gather and recover his mana.
Seeing this, Ghislain's eyes gleamed as he spoke.
"Yulian."
"Got it."
Certain parts of Hellnik's body burned more intensely—specifically, the spots where they had previously wounded him.
The two focused their attacks on those areas.
Slash! Rip!
The attacks connected. They weren't deep, but the fact that they landed at all was crucial.
Sizzle!
The wounds widened, and black smoke poured out violently. The energy from the Orbs of Life, desperate for release, began escaping through the openings.
"Grrr…"
Hellnik realized he needed to eliminate the ones in front of him quickly.
Though he still had plenty of power, the energy granted by the Orbs of Life was dissipating over time.
Boom!
Bones erupted from the ground, filling the area, while dozens of spheres in the air unleashed deadly beams.
With his mind clearing as the Orbs' power faded, Hellnik concentrated his remaining energy in a smaller area.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The attacks were still devastating, but with Parniel's presence, the situation had changed.
"Oh Goddess!"
Shine!
Brilliant light radiated from Parniel, imbuing her allies with divine protection.
Even Ghislain and Yulian couldn't avoid every attack perfectly. However, the holy power allowed them to endure strikes that would have been crippling before.
For Parniel, who was used to fighting while taking blows, it was no different from her usual style.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The battle grew fiercer. Even with Parniel, possessing supreme opposition energy, the three were slowly being pushed back.
Hellnik's strength overwhelmed even three of the continent's strongest working together. Yet, the one feeling the most anxiety was Hellnik himself.
'It's that damned holy power keeping me from finishing them off.'
He could feel his energy fading. Recklessly expending power made it inevitable.
Though the energy granted him the upper hand, his opponents were too formidable to kill quickly.
Holy power remained the greatest issue. Both the Salvation Church's energy and his own were vulnerable to it.
The spells Hellnik cast repeatedly dissipated under the influence of the holy power.
This inherent disadvantage was why Parniel had been the one to stop Hellnik in Ghislain's past life. Of course, neither of them knew that.
"Grrr… just a little more…"
Whoosh!
Hellnik, who had been pressing the three back, suddenly retreated. Though they were panting heavily, the three still had fierce determination in their eyes.
They knew Hellnik's power would eventually run out.
"Try handling this."
Crack!
Hellnik began compressing his energy inward. Instead of expelling the unstable energy, he was forcing it to condense.
The three's expressions hardened. Hellnik was clearly about to use a technique so dangerous it could jeopardize his own life.
Roooaaar…
An immense concentration of energy built up. The flow of power was so intense it was visible to the naked eye.
Pop! Crack! Snap!
Hellnik's body began to rupture, unable to withstand the strain.
Seeing this, Ghislain shouted grimly.
"Yulian!"
"Understood."
The two moved like lightning and ducked behind Parniel. Her massive frame was perfect for the two to hide behind in a line.
Without needing words, they communicated their intent through a single glance.
Parniel turned back with a look of exasperation.
Ghislain gave an awkward grin.
"Sorry."
Yulian remained silent, maintaining his cool and stoic demeanor.
"..."
Even he knew this was the best option. There was no escaping this attack by creating distance.
The only one who could possibly survive the attack here was Parniel.
"Grrr!"
Parniel gritted her teeth and unleashed her holy power at its peak. She left not even a speck of divine energy unused.
Buzz!
A massive shield of light formed in front of her.
Boom!
An explosive roar echoed as Hellnik released a monstrous surge of energy.
The torrent of black energy, which seemed capable of piercing anything, collided with the shield of light.
Flash!
No sound could be heard. Light and darkness collided, canceling each other out.
The shockwave followed soon after.
Whoosh!
Even though Parniel bore the brunt of the force, Ghislain and Yulian were sent flying to either side.
Thud!
Parniel collapsed as she exhausted all her strength to withstand the attack.
Her body emitted faint, burning black energy. Yet, she was still alive, her faint breathing continuing.
For someone with the continent's greatest defensive power to fall to a single attack—it was an unbelievable display of strength.
Of course, Hellnik paid the price as well. His body was left in shreds.
"Aaaaargh!"
Hellnik writhed in agony, unable to endure the backlash. Black smoke erupted violently from his torn and ruptured body.
Ghislain, who had been thrown far, rose to his feet, planting his sword into the ground for support.
Blood trickled from his lips. Even the shockwave alone had left him reeling.
"Phew… what insane power. And he's still alive after using something like that?"
Hellnik was one of the most skilled mages on the continent. His precise mana control had allowed him to execute such a devastating attack successfully.
But it was unlikely he could do it again. His body was in ruins.
Now, the fight was winnable.
Ghislain looked at Yulian and said.
"We've got to avenge Parniel, don't we?"
"…She's not dead yet."
Yulian, too, had a thin line of blood running down his lips. Yet, he showed no sign of being unable to fight.
Ghislain quickly picked up Parniel and hurled her far away. It wouldn't do for her to get caught in the fight while unconscious.
Feeling a slight pang of guilt, the two turned back to Hellnik.
Slash!
At this point, it didn't matter where they struck. Hellnik's body could no longer withstand any attacks.
"Aaaaargh!"
Hellnik screamed in pain, unable to endure the aftermath of his energy surge and the fresh wounds inflicted upon him.
Still, his overwhelming power hadn't completely dissipated.
Boom! Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Hellnik continued unleashing tremendous spells in all directions. He knew he needed to kill the two before his energy ran out.
Ghislain and Yulian had no choice but to fight a grueling battle. Even so, they didn't back away. They had to exhaust Hellnik's energy as quickly as possible.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As their fight raged on, the battle against the undead was also nearing its end.
"Hiyaaah!"
Boom!
Elena used her boundless stamina to sweep through the undead. The mobile army crushed the remaining undead with incredible speed.
With Hellnik occupied by the three, the undead simply flailed at whatever enemies were in front of them. There were no reinforcements, no more resurrections.
Without their immortality, the undead could no longer inspire fear. Each time a holy-imbued weapon struck them, they burned and fell.
"Just a little more! Keep pushing!"
At Gillian's command, the mobile amty advanced relentlessly.
A little ways away, Kaor was cutting through the undead on his own, conducting experiments.
'Come on! Aura Blade! Just come out! Why won't you work?'
Perhaps because the undead were too weak, no matter how much he swung his sword, his Aura Blade wouldn't manifest.
Behind the mobile army, the mages unleashed magic without holding back.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The once-dense field of undead, packed so tightly it filled the plains, was now thinning to the point that only scattered groups remained.
The mindless undead, unable to use any strategy or tactics, couldn't stand against the organized formations and relentless magic of the army.
Gillian, commanding the forces, shouted again.
"That's it! Scatter and finish off the stragglers!"
There was no longer any need to group up to wipe out the remaining undead. They weren't numerous enough to warrant it.
In particular, the central area had already been cleared by Parniel's overwhelming holy power.
Parniel had initially been stationed here because her abilities were ideal for protecting allies and purging undead. Even though she had joined the fight against Hellnik due to his unexpected power, she had already cleared a significant portion of the undead beforehand.
While the mobile army pushed forward, Piote and the priests worked tirelessly at the rear to treat the wounded.
The most urgent case was Jerome, whom Belinda had carried back in her arms.
Shine!
Jerome's body was covered in wounds, and the dark mana Hellnik had left in him had burrowed deep.
Piote struggled to dispel the rampaging dark mana. Once it was eradicated, Jerome's wounds began to heal, but he still couldn't open his eyes.
Jerome had entered a state of mana burnout, unable to regain consciousness due to his completely depleted reserves.
Realizing his condition, Piote called out.
"We need the mages here!"
Vanessa and a group of mages, who had been providing supporting fire from the rear, hurried over.
"Everyone else, continue supporting the mobile army. I'll handle him," Vanessa said as she took Jerome's hand.
Guiding her own mana into his heart, she gradually restored his vitality. Jerome slowly opened his eyes.
Piote emitted another burst of holy energy to invigorate him.
"Are you all right?"
Jerome, looking at the transformed and radiant Piote, asked weakly.
"W-where am I…? Is this heaven? Are you an angel?"
Not wanting to be misunderstood, Piote deliberately lowered his voice.
"No."
"Even angels don't have nice voices, huh… So, this really is heaven? I think I lived a pretty decent life. I didn't do anything majorly wrong, just minor stuff. Let me confess my sins—"
"The battle isn't over yet, so save your confession for later. We're the Allied Forces."
"Oh…"
Hearing this, Jerome struggled to sit up. What he saw shocked him.
The vast undead army, being swept away before his eyes.
"H-how is this possible…"
No matter how strong an army was, this shouldn't have been achievable. Or at least, it would have required an unimaginable number of priests.
Hellnik was powerful and cunning. Even if strong opponents came, they wouldn't be able to defeat him, and the undead would keep resurrecting.
But the impossible was happening before Jerome's eyes.
"W-what happened to Hellnik…"
Piote answered him.
"His Grace is fighting the necromancer alongside Lord Yulian. The undead will be dealt with soon."
"His Grace?"
"Duke Fenris."
"Ah!"
Jerome broke into a bright smile. He had planned to visit the Fenris Duchy in Lutania. The army of legend had arrived, and they exceeded all expectations. They were overwhelming Hellnik's undead army!
But Jerome couldn't feel relieved just yet. He had to see Hellnik dead with his own eyes.
"I—I'll help! Hellnik must be dealt with quickly."
"With your body? Don't worry. The two of them are incredibly strong."
No one seemed particularly concerned. They believed Hellnik, no matter how strong, wouldn't survive the combined assault of Ghislain and Yulian.
Yet Jerome spoke urgently.
"Hellnik has powers he hasn't revealed yet. I need to confirm it myself."
"You can't fight in your condition. Your mana is completely depleted."
"M-maybe a mage could transfer some mana to me…"
Just then, Alpoi, who had been watching from a distance, strolled over leisurely. He had been keeping himself safe while casting spells sparingly.
"What's this? Is this the famous mage? Doesn't seem that impressive. He's no match for me, the '5th-Circle Mage Who Defeated a Goddess.'"
Hearing this, Jerome asked.
"You're a 5th-Circle mage?"
"Of course. Someone like you, lying on the ground after fighting a few undead, can't even compare to someone like me."
Alpoi, already arrogant by nature, had grown even more conceited recently. He'd gained a following of subordinates and believed every victory in the war was thanks to him—even though it wasn't.
"Well, since you're new, you'll probably end up under me. Let's get along."
Jerome smiled awkwardly and replied.
"Sure, let's get along. But I'm sorry—I need to borrow something for a moment."
"What?"
Grab!
Jerome grabbed Alpoi's wrist. Alpoi's face twisted in irritation.
"How dare a mere lowly mage touch the wrist of the '5th-Circle Mage Who—AAAAAH!"
In a flash, Alpoi's mana was drained at an incredible rate, leaving him shriveled and unconscious.
Vanessa gasped in shock. Forced mana transfer wasn't supposed to be this easy. To do it, one had to overwhelm the recipient's will and magic circle.
Absorbing mana from a 5th-Circle mage by force should have been nearly impossible.
Of course, Alpoi's abilities were half-baked, as his progress had been artificially boosted.
"I'll explain later. First, I need to help take down Hellnik."
Jerome expanded his vision-enhancing magic. He saw the two warriors battling the monstrous Hellnik in the distance.
"Hah!"
With a single breath, space warped, and Jerome's body disappeared.
And then—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Like a streak of blue lightning, Jerome appeared behind Hellnik.
[T/L: I am in dire need of support. I will give discount to all those who will buy the rest of the chapters all together, so please support me the reader on my webnovel platform and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]