“This…! Could it be our magic power!?”

"The greatsword I'm holding is different from the one I held in the Demon King's Castle. Don't you find it strange?"

The facts are just as the apostle speculated.

——The Demonic Sword of Returning Disaster.

This magic, which transfers magical energy to another object, is one of Kaori's specialty recovery magics. This sword allows this magic to evolve. By simultaneously utilizing sublimation, gravity, soul, and transformation magic, it absorbs magical energy from the opponent it strikes, stores it, and returns it to the user.

"The second thing you're wrong about is that I can still fight. The 『Holy Seal』 is activated."

Even though Kaori didn't seem to be using any magic, the wounds on her body began to heal at an astonishing speed, and the speed was comparable to Yue's "automatic regeneration".

The apostle stared at Kaori in confusion, then noticed that a black and silver magic circle had appeared on her chest without her noticing.

"That is……"

"It's my regeneration magic. As long as I have magic power, I can repair my body and equipment at any time."

There is no need to elaborate on who this magic was based on.

For a user of regeneration magic who could reach the Divine Essence Realm, achieving a state close to immortality was a piece of cake. Furthermore, Kaori had been staring at that person, her rival in love and also the object of her admiration.

"...Why activate it now? If you had used it from the beginning, you wouldn't have to suffer those injuries."

As long as Kaori continues to defeat apostles, she can continuously replenish her magic power, and both "Speed" and "Holy Seal" can be used infinitely, thus defeating more apostles. Logically speaking, there is no reason not to use them immediately.

The reason why the apostle deliberately raised this question may be to buy time and fundamentally revise his tactics.

They deliberately pretended to have more empty expressions than usual, which only highlighted their anxiety about their current situation.

Kaori mercilessly added insult to injury to the apostle who was in such a state.

"I was saying that if you thought I had reached my limit, you might stop like this."

"What……"

"The third thing you're mistaken about is the time limit and the number of casualties for Limit Break... Have you forgotten who I am?"

A rare confident and rebellious smile appeared on Kaori's face.

She switched to holding another large white sword in her backhand, pointing the tip of the sword towards the ground.

Just as the "Sky Canopy" was about to be breached, the white greatsword emitted a brilliant light.

"Awake, and protect—the Holy Sword of Gospel."

After he finished speaking, a drop of black and silver light fell from the tip of the sword to the ground.

The orb landed in the center of the coalition, several meters above the ground, and instantly radiated a massive radiance. A wave of black and silver light instantly enveloped the entire coalition.

Then, something magical happened immediately.

The wounds of all the wounded on the ground healed in the blink of an eye. Lost limbs and torn armor were instantly restored. People who had fallen to their knees, those who had been lying facedown, awaiting death, all rose to their feet.

Not only that, but what's even more unbelievable is that—

Even the soldiers who had already died stood up one after another.

"This is... an army-wide... resurrection of the dead..."

Even the apostles spoke so hesitantly, which shows how shocked they were.

Those who had truly felt death and lost consciousness now touched the injured parts of their bodies with a look of disbelief. Upon realizing their bodies had completely healed, they all blinked in astonishment.

When I saw my comrades running towards me, crying with joy, I realized that a miracle had happened to me.

Suddenly, an explosion of cheers filled the battlefield.

More powerful than the battle cry at the beginning of the war, the roar of mankind, filled with hope and fighting spirit, even shook the earth.

"Even if I change bodies, even if I fight on the front lines—I, Shirosaki Kaori, am the 'Healer' of the Demon King (Oddity) team, whose vocation is 'Healer'."

After saying this, Kaori turned the white holy sword she was holding in her backhand back to her forehand, and pointed it at the apostles as if to show off.

——The Holy Sword of Gospel.

This sword, specifically designed for healing, significantly enhances Kaori's regeneration and soul magic, and can heal only her own troops within a very wide range. With Kaori's abilities maxed out, she can resurrect even an army-sized number of targets within ten minutes of death, provided she supplies a large amount of magic power.

Although it is impossible to resurrect the dead who have lost most of their body, the time limit of the "Limit Breakthrough" pointed out by the apostle is completely different as long as Kaori and Aiko work together.

A magic sword that steals magic power, and a holy sword that heals its own troops.

These two great swords are indeed the most suitable weapons for Kaori, a "healer".

"...Even so...even so, you still have no chance of winning. The Lord's decision is absolute. It is a truth that cannot be overturned in this world."

The apostle said so, but did she really think so? She seemed to be trying to convince herself, could it be an illusion?

Kaori took a stance, her black and silver wings flapping. She stared at the apostle with a sharp gaze and responded calmly.

"Humanity will not perish. No matter what world we live in, it will never perish. Just as a frail boy could climb out of the abyss alone, so too, no matter what predicament humanity finds itself in, it will ultimately find a way out. Because humans don't know how to perish. As long as there's a desire to live, as long as there's at least one person they want to protect, the human will will undoubtedly conquer the mere 'absolute'."

The apostle's eyes met Kaori's for a brief moment.

Suddenly, the illusion occurred that the loud noise on the battlefield had disappeared. The atmosphere between them was like the calm before the storm.

"...Gibbant."

"?"

"It means 'seventh'. That's my identification number. I'm the only individual on this battlefield with a single-digit identification number."

"So...so?"

Why did this apostle specifically announce his name? She herself seemed to have no idea why.

But, for some reason, she just couldn't help but introduce herself.

Maybe... no, it must be her dignity as a "Valkyrie of God" that made her take such action.

"That is the title of the one who proves God's 'Absolute'!"

Gibbert swung his two greatswords to the left and right simultaneously, and his silver wings shone brilliantly.

Faced with her attitude, Kaori seemed to be touched, erupting with magic power, firmly asserting her will.

"In that case, I will definitely be the one to win!"

She risked her dignity as the "Demon King's Valkyrie".

The next moment, the army of apostles led by Gibbont and Kaori started fighting fiercely again.

The Valkyries of the two factions, each with their own reserved demeanor, danced a fierce dance of death on the battlefield.

Gibbont and other apostles seemed to have changed their battle strategy, focusing on defense and waiting for weaknesses.

Kaori killed the apostles one by one, and at the same time cast a large-scale recovery magic on the ground.

The two sides remained deadlocked for an unknown period of time.

In this black and red world, the sun is completely invisible and the passage of time is unfeeling.

The rate of Sky Canopy's recovery had noticeably slowed. Even if there were enough replacement parts, the engineers working on the repairs were probably reaching their limit.

The bullets for the personal weapons have been exhausted, and many of the large weapons installed on the upper edge of the defense wall are no longer operational.

The recovery magic was too late to rescue, and more and more soldiers could not be resurrected.

Now, it would not be surprising if the scales of victory and defeat tilted either way.

On the battlefield like a tug-of-war, everyone is fighting desperately.

Everyone believed that Hajime and his companions, who had entered the "Divine Realm"—the "Sword of the Goddess" to the allied soldiers—would definitely put an end to this, and fought desperately.

Just at this moment, changes occur that may tip the scales.

The first person to notice something was wrong was Liliana.

“…Huh? W-What is that…?”

In the external image showing the panoramic view of the battlefield, abnormalities can be seen at the foot of the collapsed [Sacred Mountain].

It seemed to be a black miasma... no, should it be said that it was a sticky liquid like mud?

As if the ground were liquefying, a foul black substance gradually seeped out from the remains of the sacred peak and from the cracks in the vast amount of earth and rock covering the royal capital.

Then...

—Oooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…

Terrifying screams that drove people crazy resounded all around.

This sound alerted the allied soldiers to something unusual. Each of them felt an indescribable chill and instinctively turned their heads towards the Sacred Mountain.

The black mud erupted high up like a volcano, and after falling to the ground, it condensed together in the blink of an eye, forming something in the air.

That figure looked very familiar to Kaori.

"No way, this is... evil food?"

That's right, that giant slime-like creature that resembled a naked sea butterfly looked very similar to the Taiki monster that had put Hajime and the others in dire straits at the [Melkinen Undersea Ruins].

Kaori was clearly startled and stopped moving. Seeing her like this, Gibbont (the Seventh Angel) couldn't help but speak to her in a somewhat excited voice.

"As expected, he's still alive. Though his resurrection is a bit slow... Very good. As one of the master's collections, please fulfill your duty."

Gibbont said this as if she had been waiting for this moment.

Kaori looked at Gibberte in alarm. At that moment, the black evil food began to move. A terrifying number of tentacles extended from its body, and it rushed in all directions.

The tentacles penetrated deep into the rubble and immediately began to pulse, as if transporting something through them.

"This ancient creature is called the 'Evil Mother'. It can assimilate parts of its body with other creatures, turning them into its subordinates. This ability affects both living and dead creatures."

“This… could it be that…!?”

The Evil Food can multiply by devouring other beings. Conversely, the Evil Mother allows other beings to absorb her body, thereby increasing her own existence.

This ability isn't without limitations. Once her cells are separated, they attach to the target, reducing her size. However, this can be restored with a supply of magical energy. Those corrupted by the Evil Mother retain their original appearance and abilities, becoming her loyal children. Even corpses can be repaired with her cells, returning them to a state of near resurrection.

Such a terrifying power was displayed in the real world. Debris flew out one after another, and the dead monsters rose and roared.

Then, the second wave of monsters began to surge towards the coalition forces like an avalanche.

“No way… At this stage, the enemy actually has reinforcements!? Great… I’d like to show off, but honestly, this isn’t looking good…”

Gaharud, whose body was dyed red by his own blood and the blood of his enemies, could not help but break out in a cold sweat in the face of such a crisis.

New bad news follows.

The "Sky Canopy", which had been destroyed dozens of times, was breached again this time, and the alchemists finally couldn't hold on any longer.

The balance of victory and defeat began to tilt, and humanity was clearly at a disadvantage.

"Inform all commanders! Move divisions north! If monsters join the fray... stop them! "

Liliana's urgent order spread throughout the army.

Gaharud immediately gave the order, and the Kingdom Army and the Principality Army seemed to respond immediately.

However, the ones they were fighting were the apostles.

Changing formation and turning your back to the apostles when fighting them would reveal a fatal flaw, allowing the apostles' fierce attacks to cause severe damage.

"Everyone……!"

"If you dare approach, we will destroy the Choir with all our might!"

Kaori instinctively wanted to rush over to deal with the monster army, but Gibberte's sharp warning stopped her. Kaori stopped moving and gritted her teeth.

She had to stop. Even if she used 'Super Speed', by the time she had annihilated the monster army to a certain extent and rushed back, the choir would surely have been defeated. Moreover, after losing 'Sky Canopy', there were now five hundred more apostles concentrating their assault on the rooftops of the fortress.

Kaori's ability could certainly revive them, but under the enemy's onslaught, they might not be able to do anything. As soon as the hymn stopped, all the apostles' abilities would be restored in an instant.

The earth was shaking. The dust and sand kicked up by the advancing demonic army was like a tall and wide wall, approaching here.

A large number of monsters, numbering nearly ten thousand, roared at the same time, forcing the soldiers' spirits to the brink of collapse.

Furthermore, as long as the Evil Mother is not defeated, the monsters will continue to resurrect. Even now, new monsters are still rising.

Although I don't know the limits of the Evil Mother, I remember that when I first razed the sacred mountain, the number of monsters that fell from the sky must have been tens of millions...

In this way, the greatest advantage of the human coalition, which is numbers, may be overturned.

Such a future is filled with nothing but despair.

"Let me handle it!"

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