375 - Regressor of the Fallen Family

Chapter 375 "D-damn it!" "Aaargh!" "Hold the line!" The forces of the Holy Nation were crumbling from every direction except the north. There was a significant difference in the total number of troops, and the number of knights was almost twice as many, making it impossible for a few soldiers holding their ground to change the course of the battle. "Hold the line! There is no retreat! We are the ones executing the will of God!" Harmon shouted relentlessly from the eastern wall, but the collapsing front line could not be stopped. 'Damn, it's faster than I thought.' Harmon gritted his teeth, looking toward the enemy's main camp. The sword demons and the mages of the biting wind had not even joined the fight yet. The 1st Legion's Egon Miller was slaughtering the priests and holy knights from afar, as if instructed to avoid direct confrontation with Harmon. 'I can no longer save my strength.' As he steeled himself... — The will of God descends here...! A resounding voice echoed in the minds of everyone present in Noviens. Instinctively, everyone's gaze turned skyward above the ramparts, where a woman in a pure white clerical robe hovered. "His Holiness the Pope!" "The Saintess!" "The Envoy of God!" In this dire situation, the soldiers of the Holy Nation cried out to her as if seeking salvation. In response, Illya, the Saintess, began to emit a radiant light from her entire body. — Warriors of God, punish the enemies of God! With her resolute voice, the Holy Nation's forces, pushed to the brink, experienced an instant transformation. "Wooaaahhh!" "The Saintess is with us!" "Our God is with us!" Those staggering found their balance; those who had fallen with severed limbs rose, clutching their mending wounds. Among the Holy Nation's forces, those known for their devout faith emitted a faint red glow from their bodies. "God has descended upon me!" Uttering a cry of madness with eyes turned crimson, they exhibited a burst of strength strong enough to overpower even the knights, albeit momentarily. "W-what is this!?" "Insane...!" The Imperial forces, who were gaining the upper hand, retreated with pallid faces, and the Holy Nation's troops, once overwhelmed, began to push back against their foes. At the heart of it, the priests and holy knights displayed extraordinary transformations. "Aaaaahhhh!" "He is coming to us!" "He is with us!" Priests and holy knights, tears streaming down their cheeks, emitted pure white light from their entire beings. A common priest displayed tremendous strength, throwing soldiers into the air, while holy knights drove back the Imperial knights with force several times stronger than usual. Blood-tears streaked their faces, and the ordinarily frail priests twisted their limbs grotesquely, yet seemed oblivious to any pain. A reversal in the momentum of battle. But outside the eastern gate, the command of the Empire smiled instead. "The Holy Nation is desperate. Galen!!" "It begins now. Do not worry." In response to the Sword's call, the Mage of the Biting Wind acknowledged, and the mage battalion of over a hundred began releasing immense amounts of mana on a large, pre-prepared magic circle. In its center, the Mage of the Biting Wind, bursting with extraordinary power into the air, shouted with glowing blue eyes. "The fundamental pattern of the divine barrier is akin to the black snake's magic." A blasphemous claim, one that would invoke fury if heard by the Holy Nation. Wuuuuung. "Let’s show them that human power can surpass God’s!" With that shout, the blue light originating from them began to infiltrate between the white light surrounding the Holy Capital. Pazzzzz. The clash of the pure white and vivid blue energies was potent enough to captivate the eyes of those drowning in the frenzy of battle. Most notably, a noticeable change came into view. "Wha-what?" "Aaargh!" "Ugh, my body..." "Why, why am I...!?" As the clash began, the Holy Nation's zealous fervor started to falter. The turning tide of battle swung once again. Chwaaak. "Aaargh!" Three Imperial knights, attempting to scale the eastern wall, were cut down with a single slash. Yet, the owner of that blade, Harmon, did not seem pleased. He could vividly feel the divine energy, which had been surging within him as if it would explode, gradually weakening. Though aware of the sword demons and carefully moderating his power, the surge of vigor left him feeling hollow. ‘So the Mage of the Biting Wind was busy concocting something like this...’ The scale of the mana harnessed for this magic was so formidable that even Harmon could not accurately gauge it. It must have involved not only the Mage of the Biting Wind and the Empire's mage battalion, but also an abundance of magic stones and artifacts. Initially, it seemed like a waste, neutralizing only the barrier effects with such tremendous energy; however, the resulting impact clearly revealed their true aim. "Behold the abominable act of violating divine miracles!" Alongside him, Line Harper, usually lauded for his calm and rational demeanor, was frothing with rage, his eyes red. He was not the only one. "To violate the sacredness!" "Do they not fear divine retribution!" "Decimate those heretics!" Everywhere on the ramparts, holy knights were wreaking havoc even more frantically than during the 'descent' of the divine barrier, and Harmon winced at the sight. Forgetting their command over the soldiers, their bloodshot eyes focused solely on attacking their enemies with a wild frenzy. Some, in their madness, even hurdled over the ramparts, charging headlong into the enemy lines. "To blaspheme against God! Unforgivable!" Their mindless actions bore horrific consequences. "Aaargh!" From all directions, swords pierced through their bodies. The exalted feeling, courtesy of what felt like divine possession, vanished, leaving them with a stark sense of loss. But to act out to such a degree? And these absurd outbursts weren't confined to just the ordinary holy knights. "Commander! Open the gates immediately and order a full-scale attack! We must sweep away those vile ones...!" "Get a grip!!" Smack. Harmon's fist collided with his lieutenant's jaw, causing Line to cough up blood. Yet with reddened eyes, Line continued to shout nonsensical words. "Those who dare reject God should face divine retribution...!" Smack. "Look at reality, you fool!!!" "Commander! The Gods have been insulted!!!" Despite receiving a punch so fierce it dented his helmet, Line only challenged more fervently. 'What a pitiful sight.' Harmon felt at a loss for words momentarily, but fortunately, the enemies managed to jolt Line back to reality. "Die!" "Enemies of the Empire!" Slash! "Aaaargh!" Harmon sliced through the Imperial knights scaling the rampart with an annoyed swing of his sword, then grabbed his lieutenant by the collar. "Do you think opening the gates and fighting to the death will satisfy the Gods?" "But, what of this anger, this loss, how do I... What, what!?" Perhaps it was Harmon's intense demeanor. Line Harper quickly regained his senses. "Wh-why did I say such things…?" Realizing the nonsense he had spouted out of anger, Line was embarrassed. But Harmon did not give him time to wallow in regret. "If you've come to your senses, start directing the soldiers! The formation is breaking down!" Just as Harmon commanded, the defense was collapsing everywhere due to the berserk holy knights and frenzied priests. At least the holy knights had an advantage in a momentary increase in power during the 'descent.' "You fools, don't you fear...! Argh!" "The divine punishment you will face...! Agh!" Unlike the priests, whose madness was merely suicidal without any significant power aside from divine force. "Priests!" The sight quickly dampened the morale of the Holy Nation's troops who still held onto reason. "Get them back to their senses, now!" "Y-yes!" Watching his lieutenant hurriedly wave a flag, Harmon heaved a long sigh. Though familiar with the aftereffects of the 'descent' from literature, the severity was unexpected. Almost everyone seemed to have become fools in an instant. 'Could this be from the forced interruption of the descent, or...' Even amidst the urgency, Harmon couldn't help but recall the recent experience. The recoil of divine power retreating from his lieutenant's mind, affected unconsciously by the force he exerted. It was eerily similar to the sensation of Tracy’s mana a while back... ‘No! Stop such blasphemous thoughts.’ Harmon shook his head to dispel the chilling imagination, though the ominous feeling lingered stubbornly in his heart. To rid himself of that unsettling notion, Harmon swung his sword relentlessly at the approaching enemies. He deliberately avoided looking at the other sections of the wall. Given the distance, it wasn't likely he'd see anything, anyway. ‘I must trust the vice commanders to handle things.’ Thankfully, the chaos began to settle down. It seemed the vice commanders met Harmon's expectations splendidly. Yet, just when the formation of the Holy Nation was about to stabilize again, the once perfectly balanced white and blue hues in the sky solidified, ceasing any movement. At that moment, the power of the holy barrier visibly started to fade. "What is happening?" "Our divine power is vanishing!" The morale of the Holy Nation's troops, painstakingly rallied, plummeted once more. Harmon, his face darkening, glanced at the enemy's main camp. ‘Did they anticipate all of this? Damn it!’ He realized he had to do something, anything, to turn the tide once again. Then, a booming voice rolled out from the enemy lines, echoing across the battlefield. — Oh, divine sword! Let’s cross blades once more! From afar, the root cause of this crisis approached. The Sword Demon. And his timing was impeccable. 'They must have a plan, but...' There was no reason not to respond. ‘I am not the same as before.’ Steeled with determination, Harmon watched the opponent rapidly close the distance almost instantly. Like a weightless phantom, Tris darted over the heads and backs of the soldiers scaling the wall. But before he could even land atop the rampart, a dazzling, silvery aura fell from above with such force it seemed like it would split the fortification. "Gasp!" Boom! Rumble. Even the shockwave made the wall tremble as though it was hit by an earthquake. Tris was hurled back to the base of the rampart. "Ugh!" "Aaaargh!" "Catch them!" The intense force sent the surrounding knights tumbling. That was the first full-power strike Harmon delivered since the war began. Despite crashing hard into the ground, Tris stood up with a composed demeanor, though his face was slightly tense. "As expected..." Despite no visible injuries, Tris's gaze, fixed on the slightly trembling tip of his beloved sword, was heavy and settled. ‘So you’ve truly grasped it.’ Changed fundamentally over mere months. Before, he had held a faint advantage, but now even that couldn't be assured. Even after hours into the battle, having poured out his energy. ‘I must eliminate him here.’ Progress like this in just a few months among those at such an echelon was unthinkable. The resolve to kill the Sword here became unwavering. "For the Empire!" With a resounding shout, Tris soared into the air once more. A mist of red aura emanated from his entire body as he rushed forward. The aura rapidly clung to him, extending in a 10-meter radius, forming a massive sphere. This enormous red sphere, reaching nearly the height of the wall, rose and dominated a peak on the rampart, creating a bizarre sight. But within that sphere, every soldier and knight of the Holy Nation was cut down, pouring blood from their necks or hearts. Without even a scream, they fell, as if precisely 'just enough to kill' had been slashed. Then, as the red sphere of death settled onto the wall, a streak of pure white light sliced through it, felling the Imperial knights in rapid succession as well. In that instant, a space exclusively for them formed on the eastern wall. The two extraordinary figures glanced at each other with lethal smiles. "It seems you have a new trick since last time," Tris remarked. "I could say the same for you," Harmon replied. As Tris suggested, Harmon appeared as though he wielded not a sword but a bolt of white lightning, an extraordinary sight. The situation differed vastly from a few months ago when they fought impulsively, each holding something back. Now, both had revealed a secret technique, one visibly exhausting for both. 'This battle will not end with both of us walking away unscathed like last time.' With this shared thought, the two superhumans clashed fiercely.