I don't know if I should say that Rouse, who was trapped in the battle against Shim as a human, was abnormal.
Or rather, he was a user of Age of Gods magic, capable of unleashing physical abilities unmatched by humans through "breaking the limits of the soul." For Shim to withstand his blow was truly extraordinary.
However, the match lasted only a moment. Shim warned, and the move of the strongest man in the church who had just cornered the warriors was about to be activated—his Age of Gods magic.
“—Soul Charge!”
“──!”
Soul magic that directly sends shock waves to the soul, accompanied by the dark night magic of Ross, creates fluctuations.
Soul magic exploded, and among the warriors who were unable to escape, the lower-ranking soldiers rolled their eyes and fell down. Even the captains were staggering or fell to their knees.
"Guoo ...
"Can you still bear this?"
Shim roared with all his might and thrust his axe forward. Although Rouse was sent flying, his words contained a hint of surprise and admiration.
Despite this, Ross was of course unharmed. He readjusted his posture in the air while swinging his good friend - the "Holy Hammer", one of the Seven Holy Weapons of the Church.
Then, dark night magic arced like a knife, striking Shim. The Holy Hammer's "Magic Conversion Impact" ability took advantage of Shim's moment of inactivity after exerting all his strength, sending him flying without a chance to dissipate the impact.
“Ugh! Gu!”
Shim used his battle axe instead of a crutch, barely holding on to his knees, and turned his gaze to the battlefield.
Thanks to their enhancements, they didn't suffer many casualties in the battle against the White Light Knights. However, due to Rouse's presence alone, the lower-ranking soldiers couldn't go to the front lines, and many of them fell unconscious.
Those at the rank of captain could withstand the "Soul Charge" with their strong mental strength, but they also lost their focus and consciousness, and could only barely keep their lives in the face of the White Light Knights.
"Your Majesty... do you still need some time... Well, I don't want to think that your Excellency's rest time has been taken advantage of, but..."
The Knights had launched sporadic attacks before. Each time, a dense fog barrier was immediately deployed, allowing the Warrior Captains to force the enemy to retreat without direct intervention. However, this time, the precise manipulation of the fog and its increased density might have been the result of an attempt to inflict heavy casualties.
Despite such concerns, Shim still switched consciousness and gave orders.
"No choice! Give up the first defense! Retreat to the shallow area of the sea of trees (second defense)!"
The battlefield plains served solely as a means of combat to prevent damage to the forest. While the white fog simulated the environment within the forest, neither the trees of the forest could be used for aerial combat nor the poisonous plants and traps could be used for guerrilla warfare. In other words, the Orcs' true strength lay within the forest.
The Federation Army was strong enough to fight back even on the plains, but with even the Knights of the Three Lights deployed, they couldn't care less about the damage to the sea of trees or the burden on the Queen.
Under the fierce attack of the White Light Knights, the battle line had been pushed back a lot. Since they had retreated to a position where the trees in the sea of trees were vaguely visible, under Shim's command, the warrior group began a spectacular retreat.
"Lord Rouse! Where is Miko-sama!? If Miko-sama is not here, please allow me to burn down the sea of trees!"
After boiling the white mist, Airem, who was originally concentrating on maintaining the battlefield, gave some advice to Ross.
If the forest was an obstacle, then simply burning it would be enough; it was a very simple and effective tactic. Since they had never even reached the forest, it was only natural that Alem would want to take advantage of this opportunity.
However…Ross didn't answer immediately. Some were desperately retreating, carrying their unconscious companions on their backs. The White Knights attacked them, while others fought to stop them. Seeing them and their hometown, Ross was speechless…
"...Lord Royce?"
Hearing Airem's flat call, Royce sighed quietly without letting anyone notice.
"Souls whose rank cannot be confirmed as Age of God Magicians! Permitted for incineration! Push the front lines forward!"
"As you command!"
Airem's mouth twisted, and he raised his hand. Then, the area where the infernal fire had banished the white mist shrank, replaced by a blazing white star that seemed to burn the very air itself.
"Don't even think about it—[Spray]!"
Shim raised his battle axe and slashed down. This was a technique where the impact of the blow on the ground spread outward, directly striking a distant target; it was known as a "long-range strike."
But of course, Ross would not stand idly by. He used a magic shock wave to dig up the ground along with the "spray".
"Ugh! Narcissus, the captain of the thousand! Stop him!"
Rouse rushed forward, and Shim gave orders while taking his fierce attack.
The immediate response came from a Sen-man male. Sen-men are a race skilled in archery, and he was a captain qualified to lead a thousand warriors—Narcisse Falk. He had been aiming at the White Light Knights and the Confederate soldiers, but now, along with dozens of his most talented followers, he turned and rapidly fired at Airem. Dozens of arrows pierced through the gaps in the crowd, hurtling towards Airem.
However, those arrows were also shot down.
"Repent!"
And they were shot down by the same dozens of arrows. However, unlike the arrows of Narcissus and his men, those steel arrows pierced through them all, regardless of friend or foe. Furthermore, those steel arrows were quite strange: they turned mid-air and descended directly from above Narcissus and his men.
The unique magic "Arrow of Atonement"—a granting magic that, once fired, pursues its target. Its wielder is one of the few surviving members of the former Knights of White Light, a brigade commander who, having learned from his near-maddening regret, has further evolved his unique magic—Leleye Agathon.
The native shield troops managed to catch the arrows and prevent damage, but no one was able to stop Airem.
"Ugly beasts, accept the purification of the sacred flame!"
Finally, a massive star of white flame was released, approximately twenty meters in diameter. It burned the atmosphere, emitting a resounding roar before landing on the outer edge of the forest.
“Back off~~!”
Before Shim could shout, the soldiers had already moved away from the landing site at an astonishing speed, but many soldiers had lost consciousness, so it was too late to evacuate completely.
I thought that hundreds of soldiers might be burned along with a corner of the sea of trees... but at this moment...
"The time for atonement has come—Aegges!"
A man's voice rang out, and the white flame star split into four. Then, it shrank in size as if forming a whirlpool, finally becoming the size of a child.
If it were this size, it would be easy for an orc warrior with excellent physical ability to dodge it.
As a result, the white flames that landed on the outer edge of the forest erupted into a small-scale flame, burning only a very small part of the forest and not causing much damage.
“Wha-what!?”
Airem, who was absolutely confident in his own unique magic, was speechless with his eyes wide open. The other White Light Knights seemed to be in the same state. The battlefield was silent as if time had stopped.
Ross stepped away from Shim, his sharp eyes not daring to be careless as he looked towards the sea of trees. Then he saw—
"Oh my, I can't even eat it all. As expected of a division commander. I tried my best, it's so frustrating."
Behind the thick fog, a man appeared with frivolous words that were out of place on a battlefield.
“…Human?”
Ross was a little surprised and couldn't help but blurt out.
The man lacked any of the typical Beastmen physical traits. His longish black hair, stubble, and sharp eyes gave him a rugged, wild look; he clearly looked like a human. Why would a human male emerge from the forest, a place forbidden to all but Beastmen? Confusion and agitation spread throughout the crowd at this impossible event.
The man seemed to be enjoying the reactions of Rouse and the others.
"That's right, I'm a human, the most powerful person in the church."
The man had a frivolous smile on his face. He swung the strange weapon on his shoulder, and a whistling sound was heard. It was a huge black sickle that was as long as a man's height.
The blazing white flames drifted as if carried by the wind, and were then absorbed directly into the scythe that glowed blue.
The Holy Flame, which should have remained unextinguished without Ereim's will, was easily extinguished. This fact made the White Light Knights gasp.
On the battlefield filled with a strange atmosphere, everyone was on guard and observing the situation. The first to react was Shim, who had a slightly complicated expression.
"Wachasso... Thank you! Brothers, retreat quickly!"
Hearing the roar of the chapter leader, the orc warriors came to their senses and rushed into the sea of trees one after another.
I originally thought that the White Light Knights would come to their senses and give chase, but...
Instead, they began to get nervous.
But that's no wonder, because they were so impressed by the name mentioned by Shim.
"You... you're the 'Knight Hunter'."
"Oops~ I've been discovered. I wanted people to think I was some powerful and mysterious man."
"Knight Hunter" Bart Wachas shrugged as if confirming what Rouse said.
For the church, that name was the number one enemy that must be fought, and it was also a symbol of fear.
In recent decades, he has escaped countless heresy hunts by the church, killed countless knights, and annihilated countless local churches.
Furthermore, his weapon, the "Demon-Eating Scythe, Aegges," absorbs any magic it comes into contact with and returns it to the wielder, effectively negating magic. This makes him a divine weapon with superior properties. Therefore, some people outside the church call him the "God of Death."
"As a human being, why are you here?"
Ross stared directly at Bart, not allowing him to get away with it. Ross could see souls, so no lie could fool him. Bart knew this, so he put away his frivolous smile and answered seriously:
"Looking for a partner."
"..."
A silence unbefitting a battlefield filled the scene. Hearing such an unceremonious response, Airam's pupils constricted, and he felt ready to explode with rage. However, as Airam and the others unanimously decided, "The reason doesn't matter; we'll deal with him now," their spirits wavered as they glanced at Rouse.
Because Royce's eyes were wandering.
"Lord, Lord Ros?"
"...As hard as it may be to believe...his soul did not lie."
"Of course, this is the truth from my soul."
Claiming that he was in the sea of trees to look for a mate, Bart's expression was very serious, as solemn as a soldier about to go to the decisive battlefield.
After a beat, Airam and Lelaye shouted:
"Ugh, damned Knight Hunter! He even managed to deceive Lord Royce!"
"No, Vice-Captain Elem! It's most likely a divine weapon! I don't think anyone can resist Lord Rouse's power on their own!"
What! He already possessed a Holy Weapon-level artifact! Now he's even got one capable of resisting the leader's power!? Damn Knight Hunter, how could such a person exist!
The voices of the White Light Knights, a mixture of resentment and fear, echoed all around.
"...Is it so strange that I'm looking for a partner?"
Bart muttered dejectedly, "Do I look so unlucky in marriage...", but then he grinned.
"Boss Shim, we've almost retreated, and the barrier is ready. You should retreat too."
"Hmph, you're still as shrewd as ever, man."
Hearing these words, the White Light Knights suddenly realized that they had been fooled by a threat from someone who wasn't there, and whose words and actions completely ignored the atmosphere, and that they had been delayed for quite some time.
White mist erupted from the forest, unaffected by Erim's "Holy Flame" field, obscuring the view in an instant. Furthermore, a portion of the forest that had vanished suddenly sprouted vegetation, returning to its original state.
Bart and Shim disappeared as if swallowed by the thick fog and the sea of trees, and Le Laye shot arrows into the sky in anger.
"You're kidding! I won't let you get away!"
He fired arrows of steel, too powerful for Aegis to absorb. He unleashed three simultaneous, astonishingly rapid-fire shots, a nine-hit streak. Accelerated by wind magic, they resembled nine flashes of light.
However, facing the raging attack, Bart spoke very relaxed words.
"oh."
Bart took a step forward and casually spun Aegjes. In an instant, the arrow deflected as if it had avoided Bart and Shim.
With just this movement, the nine consecutive attacks were perfectly neutralized. Although some arrows had tracking abilities, their magic power was easily drained away, turning them into ordinary arrows.
At this moment, a knight crawled on the ground beside Bart and launched a surprise attack on Bart.
She was April Iropos, a captain of the rank. Like Lelaille, she was a survivor of the former Knights of the White Light. She possessed the inherent magic of "Revelation," which allowed her to intuitively understand the best course of action. She thrust her rapier forward, attempting to pierce Bart's heart.
"What a lively little girl."
"What!"
The fatal blow was easily deflected by an index finger.
Despite her shock, April attempted to pursue with the dagger she concealed, but in an instant, her instincts gave way. A chill ran down her back, as if an ice cube had been placed on it. She leaped back with all her might, as if the muscles in her legs were about to break.
With a whoosh, a gust of wind brushed past her bangs. No, it was the Grim Reaper's scythe passing before her eyes.
"Oh, you're still an intuitive little girl."
Bart spoke lightly, but he unleashed a kick on the unbalanced April with a force comparable to a warhammer, sending her flying horizontally like a cannonball. Royce seemed to take over from her, launching a last-ditch attack.
"call!"
"This guy is in trouble!"
The holy hammer swung down from above.
It was a destructive blow that would have trapped even Shim, who could absorb the impact, in place. However, Bart chuckled and blocked the blow with a clang.
He let the Holy Hammer hit the rotating Aegjes, and then changed the trajectory of the Holy Hammer according to the momentum of the rotation.
"Returning the favor."
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