Chapter 1294: On the Defensive
We hastened our mission of eliminating the giant fiends, but the situation had worsened by the time we were done.
When faced with all four fragments of the Evil God, Chariot had been forced on the defensive.
The Tear Gland and Malice had pinned Chariot down with a barrage of evil energy pellets, as the whip-like strikes of the Blade Tail and explosions from the Flame Sac whittled down its barrier of divine energy.
Chariot’s once gleaming armor was now blotted with black spots, meaning it was sustaining damage faster than its regeneration rate. The incarnation of the divine sword had been pushed into a corner.
Maleficent and Persona were nowhere to be seen. All I can say is that they’re probably still alive as long as the poison mist hasn’t dissipated yet.
Should we go ahead and help Chariot with the fragments? Or would it be better to search out Maleficent and support him?
However, we soon lost our chance to decide.
「!」
『No way... This is bad!』
The four fragments had gathered together and began releasing vast amounts of evil energy. It all flowed into a single location, forming a giant black mass in the sky.
More and more energy was poured in, eventually resulting in the creation of a sphere containing a terrifying amount of both evil and divine energy.
In other words, it was similar to the evil-divine energy I use. Follow current novels on novelb((in).(com)
The fragments coordinating against us was surprising enough, but now they’re trying to pull off some kind of combination attack! This was clearly a bad sign.
Just how much of a disaster would it be if we let them continue unchecked?
Of course, Kareid and Maleficent weren’t just twiddling their thumbs. They launched another offensive in a desperate attempt to stop the fragments from releasing any more evil energy.
Yet for some reason, the fragments had forsaken any attempt at defense or regeneration. They refused to stop at any cost, even if it meant exposing themselves to the full power of the divine swords.
『Run! Get as far as you can!』
I shouted on instinct, and all of our comrades immediately broke into a sprint.
There was no hesitation. It’s as if they already knew this was the only option. Perhaps their instincts were telling them the same thing.
I opened a Dimension Gate to a point outside the city walls, where Sibylla and the others were waiting. Of course, this was no coincidence.
「Sibylla! Over here! Quickly!」
Fran gathered Sibylla and the other Red Knights, who obediently followed. Perhaps they too had sensed the impending crisis.
And so, the moment of destruction arrived.
The accumulation of evil-divine energy had finally reached the critical point. The giant ball in the sky distorted, before collapsing outright. That instant, it turned into a violent explosion.
Or rather, the vast amount of condensed evil energy flooded outward so quickly that it was practically an explosion.
「Nn...」
Nevertheless, this sight was truly terrifying.
The location that was once the royal capital had been transformed into a wasteland. Thousands upon thousands of buildings had vanished, and the bare earth was deeply gouged and overturned.
The castle, aka ground zero, was of course completely gone, along with the towering walls that once protected the entire city. There was literally nothing left to indicate that a city had once stood here.
What about the Red Knights we didn’t reach in time? I could faintly sense Madred and Roza, so at least those two seem to be alive.
That said, there was no time to relax. The fragments responsible for the tsunami wouldn’t even give us the time to breathe a sigh of relief at our survival.
「This is bad.」
Forrund muttered the short sentence, and we all turned to look at the horrifying sight.
「Kareid!」
Chariot must have suffered considerable damage from the tsunami, and the fragments didn’t let up the pressure one bit.
The Blade Tail had impaled Chariot’s torso and hung the mech in the sky for all to see. The red giant was exposed to a concentrated beating from the other fragments, as more and more chunks of its mechanical body fell off.
「The divine sword is... losing...?」
Amanda murmured the frightening truth in a hoarse voice. Her spirit seemed to be wavering in this hopeless situation. At this point, it’s only a matter of time. We have to run.
Fran bit her lip and embraced my still damaged blade.
But that moment, a lively sound echoed through the battlefield as if to push back the despair.
Pwooon! Pwooon!
Where is it coming from? My detection skills seemed to be malfunctioning, so I had no idea what was going on.
Was someone playing a trumpet or something?
Pwoooooooooon!
An especially long trumpet note passed through the battlefield, Fran and the others pointed their gazes northward.
「...A lot of people over there.」
「A cavalry division? There’s even more people behind them too.」
『You’re right...』
There were countless banners fluttering atop a hill to the north. Beneath those banners stood knights clad in silver armor, lined up in a row. Their numbers exceeded 3,000.
The most fitting word to describe them would probably be “majestic”.
Moreover, I saw knights equipped with red armor behind them. Could they be additional Red Knights? Sibylla, who had come to Fran’s side, scanned the view with astonishment.
「That’s... the banner of the North Conquest Duke!」