“Hmm? This is… could it be…!”
The roar of the counterattack barrage abruptly ceased as the "Sky Canopy" unfolded, and only then did the apostle hear that sound. It could be argued that the hail of bullets just now was actually intended to mask this sound.
The reason for the need to conceal it was because the apostles were familiar with this tactic. Hajime had used the same method when confronting the apostles before.
““““““──♪””””””””
It was a hymn. The "Hymn of Domination," which could halt the enemy's movements and weaken them.
(A song used to praise God and restrain heretics was actually used to bring down God's apostles. Humph, how evil!)
The new Pope Simon maintained the solemn demeanor and temperament of a clergyman, but in his heart he was laughing mischievously like a little kid who had played a successful prank.
Even though Aiko and Yuka only think of him as a "funny and sharp-tongued old man," his abilities are more than enough to qualify him for the position of Pope.
"Lord Simon, please shoot down those evil god's vanguards."
"Hehe, of course no problem."
With a clang, Simon pointed the sacred staff in his hand towards the ground.
This staff can remotely control and activate another pedestal-shaped artifact, which can integrate and amplify the power of the hymn.
"This is one of humanity's trump cards. Savor it carefully—'Tianluan'."
A huge crimson magic circle appeared on the pedestal. The magic it activated was—
The sublimation magic "Forbidden Zone Release" increases the stats of multiple allies dramatically.
And conversely, the sublimation magic "Talent Seal" drastically reduces the stats of multiple enemies.
"Information about the target of interference" is the essence of sublimation magic. However, the difficulty of adding to the target's information and completely rewriting it is a world of difference.
However, this time, the target is an Apostle. Even if there are thousands of them, there is only one target, and Hajime has a reference Noin. Therefore, with Kaori's help, it is possible to transform the sublimation magic into a divine artifact.
As for the results, they are very significant.
"What!? Half... No, more than that!"
The strong silver light emanating from the apostle's body suddenly disappeared without a trace, and was replaced by a deep red light. His ability values in all aspects dropped sharply, and his movements were hindered.
The human coalition on the ground began to cheer, their momentum soaring. Even if they were reluctant, the apostles were forced to face the unbearable fact—the various ability values of all the soldiers in the coalition had increased dramatically.
"But the result remains the same."
The apostle said so. Because even if the ability value dropped below 40%, it would still be ten or a hundred times greater than that of humans.
However, it was a fact that had to be acknowledged that the ability had been reduced to such an extent that it was probably not enough to break through the defense of the "Sky Canopy" and the counterattack artillery fire.
"In that case, we can attack from the side."
While it's not completely impenetrable, there's no need for the apostles to put in the effort. The Sky Canopy's strong defense stems from its concentrated power directly above.
Two thousand apostles separated from the group, the rest continued to bombard from above, while the others circled beneath the "sky canopy." The target of this ground assault force was, of course, the choir.
The meteor shower with silver tails drew a graceful curve in the sky, descended to the north, and flew at a low altitude.
"General Gaharud, the command on the scene is entirely at your discretion. Good luck."
"oh!"
This man, although he was the general and the emperor, rode a huge warhorse into the front line and was not afraid of death at all.
Facing the horde of apostles approaching from the front, the human coalition's general, Jaharud D. Horusha, wore a ferocious smile, like a beast finding its prey. At the same time, he pulled down the windshield of his helmet.
Gaharud drew his sword and raised it majestically.
"All firing units, listen up! Aim ahead! Raise your weapons!"
Not only the archers stationed in the fortress and the corridors, but even the legions in the front row raised their rifles at the same time.
The magazine is a rotary mechanism, and reloading requires replacing the entire cylinder, making the gun itself quite simple to use. The magazine itself holds six rounds of electromagnetic acceleration power. Furthermore, the ammunition used is a large-caliber explosive round designed for enhanced physical performance.
"Brave warriors, rejoice! This is your golden opportunity to make your mark in history! — Launch!"
The commander-in-chief's voice not only showed no fear, but also undisguised passion, prompting the soldiers to transform their tension into fighting spirit.
The height of the "canopy" is about 60 meters.
The barrage formed by the individual firing of tens of thousands of people at a limited height was so dense that it could be described as a wall. Furthermore, without having to resist gravity, the bullets themselves could maintain a certain power.
This physical and magical hybrid weapon, possessing excessive power, unaffected by the user's own abilities, unleashes its might on the battlefield.
Even the apostles could not escape unscathed.
If the apostle tried to fight back, he would be riddled with bullets. Even if he raised his sword to block, the force of the bullets would push him immobile. In the end, he could only wrap his body with silver wings and take a full defensive stance, barely able to withstand it for a while.
"That damned anomaly...how long will it try to stop me?!"
The apostle seemed to show a rare sign of anxiety.
Of course, the coalition forces must not know that the apostles before them had learned through their intelligence sharing ability that 200 apostles in the [Divine Domain] had been killed instantly.
However, the apostle's tone became angry, and the reason was definitely not just because of the defeat in the [Divine Realm].
Even though they adopted a spindle formation, using the outer units as human shields to force their way through, these "Apostles of God" were still being shot down at an unprecedented rate. No wonder even the apostles were anxious.
"Hahaha! You only know how to charge head-on? You're totally uninspired! Just wait and see how I, 'Destroyable Bardo Feldo', devour you all!"
The Hauriya tribe's foremost sniper, "Barudo Ferdo the Destroyer"—no, it should be Baru's younger brother—was already frantic with excitement. With one strike, an apostle, along with its silver wings, was pierced through, spinning and falling in mid-air.
"Bullets! Give me bullets! I can't wait even a second!"
“Ahhhhhh! What a dirty firework!”
Above the fortress, the Hauriya archers cheered ecstatically. The demihumans serving as the supply troops turned a blind eye. They did so to maintain their sanity and avoid being infected by madness. Or perhaps they simply didn't want to admit that they were demihumans like themselves...
Regardless, the anti-aircraft fire within the confined space was highly effective. The apostles fell one after another, like a fragile earthen wall peeling away from its surface.
"That's all for your little tricks."
The apostle murmured to himself.
Even under an overwhelming hail of bullets, the apostles only needed a few seconds to force their way to the center of the enemy camp.
They didn't fight back, defending with all their might, using their incredibly strong bodies as human shields. A large group of apostles willing to sacrifice themselves naturally had no reason to be unable to break through.
——At least, that’s what the apostles thought.
"Your Highness! The target has reached the designated line!"
"Very well. Then let's fight with the violence of numbers."
After this conversation at the headquarters, Liliana placed her hand on the communication orb used by everyone, activating the communication.
"Warning to all troops, we are now entering the second phase of the operation! Please activate the "Supergravity Limited Generator"!"
As her angry command rang out, the apostle's wishful thinking was immediately overturned, and his body began to fall.
"Is this... a gravity field!?"
Deep crimson orbs were placed throughout the position. The moment the soldiers in charge activated them simultaneously, a hypergravity field enveloped the area directly below the "sky canopy," preventing any objects from flying within the area.
Even the apostles would be pulled down to the ground by the powerful force of gravity, unable to unilaterally ravage them from heights beyond human reach. At the same time, this would also allow humans to better utilize their numerical advantage. Therefore, this gravity field could be said to be an absolute prerequisite for this war.
That being said, it's impossible to cover the entire vast airspace with a supergravity field. Doing so would be insufficient, and while it would have some effect on the apostles, it wouldn't be enough to deprive them of their ability to fly.
Therefore, the "Sky Canopy" is used to block the airspace and compress the effective range of the supergravity field to achieve the effect that can be used to subdue the apostles.
In reality, the apostles' ability to fly had now been successfully deprived. Immediately afterwards, a multitude of missiles, as if perfectly timed, descended upon the apostles, accompanied by a powerful prana shockwave that finally shattered their spindle formation. Individuals were blasted in all directions, and the following troops also scattered to avoid the barrage, falling to the ground in a wide, scattered pattern.
Waiting for them on the ground were the Allied soldiers who stood up and fought with the determination to die.
"Here they come! Don't be afraid of death! Overwhelm them with numbers! Kill them, kill them with all your might, and make those guys your achievements, passed down through generations to come!"
The arrogance of General Gaharud immediately spread to the entire battlefield.
As if in response to his command, earth-shaking war cries rang out from the battle zones of the kingdom, principality, and demihuman warrior corps.
Then, accompanied by a bombing-like impact and loud noise, the "Apostle of God" finally fell to the ground.
The apostle knelt on one knee in the center of the pit, with her head lowered, so her expression could not be seen.
"Surround them! Attack simultaneously!"
“Uoooohhhhhhh!”
The surrounding imperial soldiers rushed forward at the same time, their morale so high that they didn't even take the "Apostles of God" seriously.
Instantly, tiny silver light particles scattered in a hemispherical pattern. They were feathers. Enchanted with disintegration magic, the silver feathers shot out in all directions like grenade fragments.
Many wailing cries echoed simultaneously. The Imperial soldiers who had charged forward were ejected like a rewinding image.
"Don't back down! That's an unbeatable opponent!"
There was no need for the squad leader to shout such angry orders, as the next batch of imperial soldiers charged forward immediately.
"A mere human..."
The apostle slowly stood up, and in the next moment, he summoned two greatswords into his hands.
Even if their ability values dropped sharply and their ability to fly was taken away, the gap between apostles and humans was still like that between elephants and ants.
The hierarchy of existence itself is different—
The apostle's low murmur seemed to emphasize this point, venting his inner frustration and impatience with the various strategies of mankind.
Then, the silver sword light cut through the void.
The apostle spun his body like a dancer, simultaneously slashing and slashing, sending the Imperial soldiers flying. A terrifying crash echoed around him, and the heavily armored soldiers were sent flying like pebbles, crashing into the following soldiers and rolling on the ground together. Faced with such a result—
"……?Why?"
Instead, the apostles became even more confused.
This was no wonder. The apostle's slash was enchanted with disintegration magic, yet the soldier who was struck was not cut in half. This was impossible.
There was no chance of any impact sound, nor would it be ejected. Instead, it was cut in half on the spot, and two pieces fell to the ground - this was the scene that should have happened.
“…Ahem… We can hold it off… Everyone, we really can!”
"I saw the attack! It was still fast, but it was enough to avoid a fatal blow!"
The imperial soldiers who had been chopped off and sent flying stood up one after another. As for the soldiers who had been shot by the silver feathers, apart from those who had been shot through the head, almost none of them had been seriously injured.
The only thing damaged was the armor. Although the gap in the armor was deep, it completely protected the body within. The gap in the armor itself also glowed crimson and gradually healed.
Witnessing such a scene, the answer is self-evident.
"Could it be that……"
At this moment, the apostle noticed a huge figure approaching, a warhorse galloping towards them. Immediately, the apostle pointed his great sword at it and launched a disintegrating bombardment.
The horse rolled forward and fell, and the rider took advantage of the momentum and pounced on him.
“Uoooohhhhhhhhh!”
With the momentum of a ripping silk, a sword slashed towards the apostle's body. The apostle raised the greatsword to block, but the opponent's sword swung like a whip and changed its trajectory, pointing directly at the apostle's neck.
Even the apostles would be dumbfounded by such a unique sword technique at such an extreme level.
Jaharud D. Horusha—the strongest man that a military nation that prioritizes strength over all else—unleashed his ultimate move, precisely targeting the apostle's neck.
However, this was not a problem for the apostles, as their bodies were as hard as steel, and human strength and weapons could not harm them at all.
That's how it should be.
"──"
"On the battlefield, carelessness is a serious taboo... No, I think you underestimated the enemy."
Jaharud raised the corners of his mouth and smiled like a wild beast.
The apostle saw this expression from the air, because her head was flying in the air.
Why?—The apostle had no such doubt in his mind.
The long sword in Gaharud's hand, swung to the end, emitted a deep red light and vibrated with a humming sound, making the blade appear blurry. Seeing this scene, the apostle understood what had happened.
Even without a head, the apostle could still move. As long as they had magical energy, a decapitation alone wouldn't kill them instantly. Even with their head and body separated, as long as they could visually confirm their situation, they could continue to fight with precision.
The two greatswords flipped and slashed at Gaharud's neck like scissors, trying to chop off his head.
“Ouch, that was close!”
Even though the strike was incredibly fast, Jaharud dodged it with incredible reflexes. Furthermore, he thrust his sword forward, launching a counterattack.
"I heard that. Your 'heart' is in there!"
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