Chapter 744

Chapter 744

Decide. (1)

Crash!

Osval grinned as he smashed an orc’s head with his massive hammer.

"Ha! Osval the Man! Once again, I prove what it means to be a man!"

Osval was in an excellent mood. Anyone could tell that the war was about to end in their favor.

Safety was guaranteed, and they were about to achieve victory and fame. What could be better than that?

On top of it all, the elves surrounding him were without exception beautiful.

Osval’s nose twitched. After performing so valiantly, the elves would surely be drawn to him.

"Osval the Man! I’m finally going to get married! And to a beautiful elf, no less! Today, I’ll make my move boldly!"

With this firm resolve, he immediately flirted with the elf fighting beside him.

"Lovely lady. Would you join me for some tea after the battle? I am Osval the Invincible Man."

The male elf who received Osval’s flirtation immediately scowled. He was now experiencing the intense emotions that humans often described.

Still, he couldn’t bring himself to get angry at someone who had come to help them. Respecting Osval’s preferences, the elf silently walked away.

Watching the elf leave, Osval smiled.

"Pffft! So shy. Was I too bold? But fortune favors the brave! Puhuhuhuhut!"

In any case, he was having fun.

The battle had shifted so decisively in the elves’ favor that Osval could afford such leisurely antics.

The high priests of the Salvation Church were growing anxious. Munaref was grinding his teeth as he scanned the battlefield.

"That human bastard! I should’ve killed him back then!"

All of the black mages had been wiped out. The tide of battle had completely turned.

He had known the man was strong, but he hadn’t expected this level of strength. Clearly, the man hadn’t been fighting at full power back then.

Yet hope was not lost. The power that the human had just displayed was immense. But no matter how strong he was, after expending so much energy, he would surely be too exhausted to move properly.

"I must kill him and turn the tide!"

If they killed the summoner, the Death Knights would disappear. If that happened, the orcs would regain enough strength to fight the elves.

Munaref tried to slip away immediately. But things didn’t go as he had planned.

"Where do you think you’re going!"

Boom!

Two Elf Elders blocked Munaref’s path with unyielding persistence.

They, too, clearly understood the current situation. They had to protect the human who had come to aid them. Only then could they secure victory in this war.

At first, the Elf Elders had been captured by the priests of the Salvation Church, but now the roles were reversed, the priests were the ones trapped by the Elf Elders.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Elf Elders relentlessly drove the priests back without holding back their strength. Though the priests were stronger than the Elf Elders, they began to falter in the face of this relentless assault, thrown off by their own panic.

The priests grew increasingly desperate. If things continued like this, they would not only lose the war but also risk their own lives.

Munaref, in particular, was even more anxious.

'I… I must create an opportunity for Him to move...'

At the moment, a very important figure from the Church had come personally to confront the Great Chieftain of the Elves.

But if the war continued this way, the situation would become unfavorable for Him. Cold sweat trickled down Munaref’s face as he racked his brain for a solution.

'There’s no choice. Even if I have to sacrifice a few...'

Just as Munaref resolved himself and started to move—

BOOOOOOOOOM!

An enormous roar erupted. Even the Elf Elders and the High Priests of the Salvation Church, who had reached the level of Transcendents, were shaken by the sheer force of the blast.

The heat of the battlefield vanished in an instant. Everyone turned in shock toward the source of the roar.

High above in the sky, darkness churned. At its center was a massive hole, as if something had pierced through it.

Fwoooosh...

The swirling darkness soon took on the shape of a human.

It was a cold-faced middle-aged man wearing a black robe like the other priests.

But one thing set him apart: even though he stood still, black mist swirled and writhed endlessly around him, cloaking his body.

Silence fell over the battlefield. The man who had suddenly appeared and now floated wordlessly in midair radiated an overwhelming sense of oppression through his mere presence.

Ghislain narrowed his eyes when he spotted him.

'That bastard...'

He had seen him in a dream, he was one of the four priests far stronger than any other member of the Salvation Church.

Their power alone could turn the tide of battle. Even with the magic Ghislain had mastered and the higher realm he had reached, facing one of them without his true body would be an uphill battle.

'Apostle.'

One of the four Apostles serving the Adversary had arrived here.

The Apostle stared intently down at Ghislain. From his perspective, Ghislain was the greatest obstacle who had ruined this war.

He wanted to kill him on the spot, but he couldn’t afford to expend his power on him just yet.

Ghislain didn’t avert his gaze from the Apostle. The corners of his mouth twisted.

'I’d love to take him on...'

Unfortunately, he had almost no strength left. No, even at his peak, using Astion’s body, victory would have been unlikely.

But his fighting spirit kept making his body itch to move.

He always believed that one couldn’t know the outcome of a fight until they tried.

Still, he had to hold back. This wasn’t his fight. He needed to stay composed.

There was someone else here who was meant to face the Apostle.

"Everyone, fall back."

Ilaniel’s low voice echoed across the battlefield. Even though the elves had the upper hand, they retreated without resistance upon seeing the Apostle.

Grrr...

The orcs merely growled and did not pursue the elves. They, too, understood how terrifying an Apostle was.

Even Julien’s mercenaries, who had been idly watching, glanced around cautiously before following the elves.

Fwoooosh...

Ghislain also withdrew the Death Knights and fell back. In any case, there was not much time left to maintain them.

As both sides retreated, a vast space opened up on the battlefield.

Step. Step. Step.

Ilaniel slowly walked toward that space.

With each step she took, sprouts burst from the ground and vines rose to wrap around her body.

Rumble...

The vines transformed into armor, molding tightly to fit her figure. Soon, her face was also covered by a wooden helmet, from which a pair of stag antlers rose.

Bzzz―!

From her eyes and the gaps in her armor, green light blazed forth.

That green radiance enveloped her body, and spirits stirred up a fierce wind as they followed behind her.

Facing the Apostle, Ilaniel spoke.

"I am the one who bears the breath of the World Tree, born when the first leaf of the World Tree fell, and destined to live eternally with the forest. I am Ilaniel, Great Chieftain of the Elves. The darkness that has come here, state your name."

The Apostle remained silent for a moment, then slowly opened his mouth.

"I am the hand that prepares the coming of the Black Revelation and the one who heralds the Covenant. I have received His third blessing and spread His will. I am the Prophet Rahmod."

Rahmod replied without expression and extended his hand.

At that same moment, Ilaniel’s movements grew lighter. Before long, her body became a beam of light shooting toward Rahmod.

BOOOOOOM!

A fierce crash rang out as the two figures jolted from the impact. But neither gave an inch.

Ilaniel immediately swung her hand like lightning, slashing Rahmod’s side.

Even though his body was split open, Rahmod did not bleed. Instead, black smoke-like darkness welled up from the wound and wrapped around Ilaniel’s arm.

Crack!

The darkness gripped her arm tightly and began to twist. Though she tried to pull her arm free, it wouldn’t budge easily.

In response, Ilaniel grabbed Rahmod’s face firmly with her other hand.

Grab!

"You won’t die until I’ve drained every bit of your strength, will you?"

"......"

Boom!

With that, she dove downward, slamming Rahmod’s head into the ground.

BOOOOOM!

The ground shattered as Rahmod’s head was driven deep into it. It was an attack that would have killed an ordinary Transcendent on the spot.

But Rahmod was not dead. Instead, he sprang to his feet, exuding streams of black energy as he launched an assault on Ilaniel.

Boom boom boom boom!

In an instant, hundreds of streaks of black energy struck Ilaniel’s body. As she retreated, she extended her hand.

Thud!

A spirit of stone burst through the ground, shattering it as massive stone pillars shot toward Rahmod.

With a wave of his hand, countless streams of black energy surged up from beneath Rahmod’s feet, grabbing, pulling, and shattering the stone pillars.

Dozens of blades of wind erupted from Ilaniel’s fingertips. They ripped through the air, flying straight toward Rahmod.

Rahmod’s body swayed several times. The darkness around him blocked the incoming blades.

The darkness that had fended off the blades began to spin like a vortex, then transformed into a sharp spearhead that shot toward Ilaniel.

Boom!

Ilaniel’s body was pushed back. But she stepped forward again as if unfazed, exuding even more energy.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The two clashed head-on without a moment’s hesitation. Neither dodged nor retreated.

It was a pure collision of strength. Their every move was driven by a singular intent, to overpower and defeat their opponent.

With each strike imbued with their energy, the ground split open and the air was torn apart. Black mist and green energy collided hundreds, thousands of times, swirling around both fighters.

The breath of the spirits and the darkness intertwined, endlessly crossing and intertwining. The storm of energy they unleashed showed no sign of stopping, engulfing everything around them.

Ilaniel’s armor was shattered and broken in several places. Rahmod’s robes were also torn here and there, black mist continuously leaking from the gaps.

Boom!

Suddenly, Ilaniel created distance and a massive bow appeared in her hand. The surrounding nature grew silent, as if responding to the spirits.

As she drew the bowstring, an immense energy began to gather.

At the same time, darkness swirled at Rahmod’s fingertips.

From that swirling darkness emerged a grotesquely twisted black spear, formed entirely of his own energy.

Crack!

An arrow of light shot from Ilaniel’s bow, flying toward Rahmod. With a storm-like force, Rahmod hurled his spear.

The arrow of light and the spear of darkness collided.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The sky split apart, winds howled, and the entire battlefield was distorted. A blinding flash erupted, followed by a thunderous explosion that shook the land.

Light and darkness intertwined, creating a vortex from which a massive storm burst forth.

"Gh...!"

Both of them staggered, their bodies absorbing the intense shockwave. Yet, as if nothing had happened, their eyes blazed once more as they charged toward each other again.

BOOOOOOM!

The battle between the two resumed once more. They attacked each other with relentless ferocity.

Boom! Boom! BOOM!

Every being on the battlefield watched them in a daze.

Even a Transcendent could not fight like that. It was a battle worthy of being called a duel of the gods.

The members of Julien’s mercenary corps were particularly shaken.

"W-Wow... H-How can a person fight like that?"

"Just how strong do you have to be to wield that kind of power?"

"I still can’t believe it even though I’m watching it happen..."

Osval glanced at Ghislain and muttered.

"Osval the Man... this is the first time I’ve seen someone stronger than you, big brother."

Ghislain snorted in response.

"If I had my original body, I’d be stronger than that."

"...Yes, sir."

Everyone nodded, though their eyes betrayed disbelief. They knew Ghislain was powerful, but the fight they were witnessing was on an entirely different level.

Ghislain didn’t bother trying to explain. None of them had ever seen him go all out against a single opponent, so it was understandable they wouldn’t believe him.

'If it were one-on-one, I’d beat them all.'

That was the mindset Ghislain had always lived by. Hadn’t he proven it when he defeated Aiden?

He refrained from arguing, twitching his lips instead.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

It felt as though the battle would never end. But Ghislain could sense, ever so slightly, that Ilaniel held the upper hand.

'Are we going to take down an Apostle here?'

If the Apostle exhausted his strength, escaping would be difficult. The timeline would diverge from what had originally happened, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

The fewer powerful members the Salvation Church had, the safer their side would be.

Yet Ghislain remained vigilant. The Salvation Church was full of cunning tactics. Letting one’s guard down against them was dangerous.

As he watched the battle unfold, Ghislain’s expression suddenly hardened.

'As expected...!'

Clutching his staff tightly, he immediately sprang into action.

What he saw as he charged forward—

Four High Priests were detonating their own bodies.

BOOOOOOOOM!

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