Chapter 104: Premonition – Part 3

Chapter 104: Premonition – Part 3

Ciel organizes the healers, and they all cast [Detect Evil] on every single soldier in search of more heretics. Fortunately, the spell doesn't consume that much mana, so a single high-grade MP potion should be enough to recover their mana before the battle.

Meanwhile, we set up a tent and gather around a table, then we proceed with a grim meeting in which the girls and I explain my visions.

"Visions..." Jacques mumbles in thought, combing through his red beard with his claws. "I know that they're common among the Gifted, but only Léonne would know more about that sort of thing."

"But how did heretics get in the middle of your men?" Yunia questions Darcy accusingly.Ne/w novel chapters are published at novelhall.com

"Are you sure they're heretics?" He immediately deflects without flinching.

I frown in distaste and affirm, "It was fast, but I don't doubt what I saw, nor the feeling I had when I looked into his eyes."

"At the least, they're spies, or working for someone suspicious since they deserted without a single word," Yunia confidently points out.

"There haven't been any reports from the scouts about enemy movement. The imperials haven't even reacted yet to what happened here," Nen stiffly retorts, a bit intimidated by the atmosphere.

"What about their camp?" Jacques stoically questions.

"Nothing," I answer, and they turn suspicious gazes on me, so I explain, "I'm a summoner, so I'm watching both the camp and the ambush site." And that seems to appease them.

"I don't want to call off this operation just because two of my men decided to disappear!" Darcy angrily exclaims, gritting his teeth like an angry rat.

"At least one of them is an unregistered Master Porter since I can hardly believe that they walked into a [Gate] coordinate just by coincidence," Alissa calmly points out.

Darcy grits his teeth in anger, but even he can't go against that argument.

Jacques hums in thought, his stern look so fearsome that it even makes Allura a bit meek. "I'll call the Sworn Hunters. I don't want to call this off either, but neither can I ignore the warning of danger from Lord Wolf's vision," he calmly decides.

Anton quickly discusses something with Klein, then he comes over to me, looking so grim that he could pass for having [Intimidate]. He stops right behind me and hurriedly whispers into my ear, "Wolf. Commander Sandoro would advise us to retreat, right now."

Ever since I saw that pair of eyes, my gut keeps telling me that something bad is coming, but I can't defeat the heretics by running forever. I need to know what they're going to do, and this time, I won't just watch as they cast [Meteor] above me, I... no, we, my wives and I, need to counter them.

"I'll apologize to him later, but I can't go back now, though I can afford to switch you and Klein with other knights or Oritiki," I coldly dismiss Anton's concern.

"She doesn't want to leave, so neither will I..." He grumbles back.

I sigh softly and apologize, "I'm sorry that you got involved in this."

"Apologize to us by not dying," he grumbles again, and I snort softly, then he returns to his post.

Sandoro crammed plenty of training into everyone's heads, including the knights', about how to protect us from assassination, and the father-daughter duo already has a lot of experience with keeping the men steady to face off against organized bandit attacks, so while they don't have the same levels as the knights, they're still reliable in this situation.

"I'd like to know what everyone thinks of this operation," I ask through [Bind].

"I'm wary. I'd like to follow Sandoro's advice, but I don't want to abandon my family's men," Alissa anxiously replies first.

"I don't know what to think. I'm scared, but I don't want to run," Roxanne hesitantly admits.

"Same," Lina quietly agrees.

"I want to fight," Hana brusquely adds, determination dripping from her voice.

"Same!" Aoi energetically agrees.

"The cons of running are just too great," Yunia points out.

"Elaborate," I quickly prompt.

"We're set to make the Misty Foxes into close allies, so retreating here and now could damage our relationship since the heretics are after us, not them. Not only that, but I also agree that we shouldn't run from them because I know that we'll definitely meet them again in the future, so we need to learn how to face these heretics."

"Ciel...?" I hesitantly ask. Her mood seems grim, and it's making me a bit worried about her.

"We need to stay and fight," she sternly states, then her heart suddenly burns with righteous fervor. "These heretics need to taste our steel!" She angrily exclaims, then goes silent as she feels embarrassed about her outburst.

She might be having some sort of premonition like I did, so it could be the Gods telling us to fight, but I'm not sure, none of us are.

"I'm still feeling a bit vulnerable though, so I think we need more men," I confess.

"Bringing an army would be inconvenient, so perhaps someone with more raw power, like Silvano," Yunia suggests.

Alright...

After the roll-call is complete and everyone has been checked, we discover that the two who disappeared were just veterans who had recently been reassigned to the 24th, by chance. The person who made that decision was Nemie, the Elder of War, someone who regularly gets checked for heresy through [Detect Evil], so unless there's some big conspiracy between him and the temple, it was just a coincidence that they were there, just like how I first saw those eyes in the middle of a crowd of people at the Turn of the Wheel.

Considering all that bullshit about the Threads of Fate, my destiny, and Shade, I don't believe in coincidences anymore.

Though, the next time I see those eyes, I need to react with [Discharge] and immediately [Equip] that [Gate] "Scrubber" tool I have to prevent their escape. I can't let them escape again without at least interrogating them.

Silvano saunters into the tent with his usual annoying smirk, then stops before our chairs and kneels. "Your Highness, I've answered your call," he greets politely, but his tone is still annoying.

"Rise," Yunia coldly orders.

He obeys and turns to me. "I'm happy that you've chosen me to aid you in this battle, but Sandoro asked me to relay the fact that he's opposed to your decision."

"Noted," I tersely reply.

Léonne joins us with the Sworn Hunters, so I get to see her ride elephant-Jacques, which is quite amusing.

She's taking my vision very seriously, which I find very reassuring. I don't like to base my decisions on gut feelings, but I can't ignore what I saw, and the fact that the two spies teleported away the very moment that I noticed them is very telling.

The bait caravan will be reaching the ambush site very soon, so we double our marching speed to get there in time. The Sworn Hunters will work together with our Lordsguard since it's extremely unlikely that they're heretics. They've sworn to serve the Chief only, so unless Jacques and Léonne betray us, they're as trustworthy as our own knights.

We leave the valley, and I notice how the rough terrain looks like modern Verdun with a few suspicious sword-shaped imprints in the ground and spikes of rock everywhere.

"I think this was the site of an ancient battle between the Symbol of Might and a God-Ruler," Alissa explains through [Bind].

Scary...

Fox-Nen slows down and shares a few words with Fox-Montague, his older brother.

"Things sure got serious, huh," Montague casually comments, barely having to raise his voice due to the almost entirely silent werefox army.

"I've never seen the Chieftess this serious," Nen quietly replies, though Alissa can still hear them.

"Try not to drool as you watch them fight," Montague teases and shows his fangs in a frightening grin.

"Try not to trip and get your hollow head caved in by a rock," Nen bites back and returns to his post.

"So he can exchange a bit of banter..." Roxanne curiously mumbles through [Bind].

"Only if Alissa isn't nearby," Hana wisely points out.

I sigh and give them both a light poke. "Put on your war faces, girls," I calmly urge them to focus.

"[Sir, yes, sir!]" Roxanne playfully replies in English, then we drop the levity and gradually enter into a trance as we focus on the battle to come.

Now that I can use any spell up to level 50, there's a specific one that interests me quite a bit, so I make some changes to my skill allocations to give me access to it. [Blessing Magic]'s [Haste] is a very powerful spell, but it doesn't last long, so Blessing mages rarely actually use it since they're typically non-combatants who stay far away from the front line.

I test [Haste] a few times, and it feels like it slows down time for everything around me, allowing me to do anything I want at double the normal speed without actually requiring me to spend twice as much energy. It's an odd spell, but it's really powerful.

Our skills are like this now:

SpoilerWolf Ryder Skill ReportPhysicalSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSword Use17+13Spear Use12+3Polearm Use12+4Dodge12+8Parry14+6Block7+8Shield Bash4+1Battlefield Perception8+2Muscle Explosion4+1Acrobatics13+2Ekrano Style (creator)4MagicalSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSense Mana0+6Mana Control3+17Mana Recovery0+0Mana Efficiency8+7Reduced Mana Cost8+7Mana Overuse Resistance5+4Blackout Resistance0+1Fire Magic1+4Earth Magic2+3Water Magic4+1Wind Magic1+4Electric Magic6+14Light Magic2+13Space Magic7+23Summoning Magic8+32Blessing Magic28+22Nature Magic2+18Conjuring Magic1+4Spirit Magic0+3Illusion Magic0+2Golemancy0+10Redirect Mana (creator)6Sense Soul (creator)6Soul Manipulation (creator)9Godly Language30+5Dragon Transformation (innate)7Equipment System5+5MiscellaneousSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelDancing0+1Cooking0+4Andraste Language4+6Dismantling0+4Piloting0+3Massage0+3Oral Technique0+1Mana Body (innate)4InfoNameWolf RyderAge17RaceWeredragonHP100MP1825Magic Power780Level57StatsStrength15Endurance17Dexterity12Speed15Intelligence22Wisdom18Willpower19Charisma17Piety17Perception17Sanity14+4OtherStatus Effects'NONE'Titles'Nickname "Good Luck", Blessed by the Goddess of Knowledge, Golemancer, Scholar of Rabanara, True Noble, Lord of Escanso, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, Shapeshifter, Protector of the Last Crown'Affiliations'Helios (Fellowship), Alissa Ryder (Wife), Hanafuria Ryder (Wife), Roxanne Ryder (Wife), Lina Ryder (Wife), Ciel Ryder (Wife), Aoi Ryder (Wife), Yulania Ryder (Wife), Servant Blood Slaves'Companions'Alissa Ryder, Roxanne Ryder, Hanafuria Ryder, Ciel Ryder, Lina Ryder, Aoi Ryder, Yulania Ryder'Crimes'NONE'Alissa Ryder Skill ReportPhysicalSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSword Use9Bow Use41Parry6+4Dodge2+8Sense Presence12Hide Presence2+8Enhanced Olfact5Enhanced Hearing5Hawk Eyes6Muscle Explosion5Quiet Steps5Quiet Action4Enhanced Stamina2+3Enhanced Reflexes2+8Tracking3MagicalSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSense Mana1Mana Control1+7Reduced Mana Cost5+0Mana Efficiency7+0Fire Magic1Earth Magic5+0Water Magic1Wind Magic1Light Magic1Space Magic1Conjuring Magic1Illusion Magic1+14Fox Transformation (innate)7Equipment System6+4MiscellaneousSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelHousework3Cooking4Cleaning2Washing5Riding2Oral Technique4Pain Resistance2Hand Technique2InfoNameAlissa RyderAge17RaceFox-type WereanimalHP100MP1120Magic Power550Level57StatsStrength13Endurance19Dexterity24Speed20Intelligence14Wisdom16Willpower17Charisma16Piety17Perception19Sanity18OtherStatus Effects'NONE'Titles'Blessed by the Goddess of Love, Blinding Arrows, True Noble, Lord of Escanso, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, Protect of the Last Crown'Affiliations'Wolf Ryder (Husband), Helios (Fellowship)'Companions'Wolf Ryder, Roxanne Ryder, Hanafuria Ryder, Ciel Ryder, Lina Ryder, Aoi Ryder, Yulania Ryder'Crimes'NONE'Roxanne Ryder Skill ReportPhysicalSkill NameLevelDagger Use2MagicalSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSense Mana1+3Mana Control8+32Reduced Mana Cost20+5Mana Efficiency10+10Mana Overuse Resistance4+1Fire Magic30Earth Magic1+0Water Magic7+33Light Magic1Space Magic3+12Conjuring Magic5Alchemy1+9Potion Brewing12Poison Brewing2Redirect Mana1Equipment System4+6MiscellaneousSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelHousework1Cooking1Cleaning1Washing1Riding1InfoNameRoxanne RyderAge22RaceSuccubus-Type Demon RaceHP100MP2960Magic Power1280Level57StatsStrength10Endurance12Dexterity12Speed9Intelligence18Wisdom20Willpower17Charisma17Piety11Perception12Sanity14OtherStatus Effects'NONE'Titles'True Noble, Lord of Escanso, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, Protect of the Last Crown'Affiliations'Wolf Ryder (Husband), Hanafuria Ryder (Wife), Helios (Fellowship)'Companions'Wolf Ryder, Alissa Ryder, Hanafuria Ryder, Ciel Ryder, Lina Ryder, Aoi Ryder, Yulania Ryder'Crimes'NONE'Hanafuria Ryder Skill ReportPhysicalSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSword Use31Spear Use18Bow Use10Two-Handed Sword Use10Polearm Use6Dagger Use4Shield Bash2+7Block1+14Parry10Dodge12Tatesomu Style2+8Muscle Explosion8Battlefield Perception10Taunt3Intimidate3MagicalSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSense Mana1Mana Control7Reduced Mana Cost7+0Mana Efficiency2Fire Magic1Earth Magic1Water Magic1+0Wind Magic1+0Light Magic1Space Magic1Conjuring Magic1Illusion Magic5Equipment System6+4MiscellaneousSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelHousework2Cooking1Cleaning1Washing1Riding3Massage1Pain Conversion1Dismantling4Oral Technique1Fire Breath (innate)5Summon Wings (innate)8Draconic Body (creator)6InfoNameHanafuria RyderAge24RaceFire-Type DragonkinHP100MP940Magic Power455Level58StatsStrength19Endurance25Dexterity11Speed15Intelligence12Wisdom16Willpower21Charisma18Piety12Perception10Sanity17OtherStatus Effects'NONE'Titles'One Thousand Strikes, True Noble, Lord of Escanso, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, Protect of the Last Crown'Affiliations'Wolf Ryder (Husband), Roxanne Ryder (Wife), 'Helios (Fellowship)'Companions'Wolf Ryder, Alissa Ryder, Roxanne Ryder, Ciel Ryder, Lina Ryder, Aoi Ryder, Yulania Ryder'Crimes'NONE'Ciel Ryder Skill ReportPhysicalSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelGlaive Use1+29Sword Use4+5Parry6+9Dodge4+11Block9+6Imperial Hasterrum Style2+3Muscle Explosion2Battlefield Perception1MagicalSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSense Mana2Mana Control6Reduced Mana Cost3+2Mana Efficiency3+4Wind Magic14+26Fire Magic1Light Magic10+30Space Magic3Conjuring Magic1Diagnosis7Redirect Mana2Equipment System5+5MiscellaneousSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelFirst-Aid3Housework3Cooking2Cleaning2Washing1Riding1InfoNameCiel RyderAge22RaceHumanHP100MP1310Magic Power800Level57StatsStrength14Endurance15Dexterity17Speed18Intelligence16Wisdom22Willpower16Charisma19Piety25Perception13Sanity21OtherStatus Effects'NONE'Titles'True Noble, Lord of Escanso, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, Protect of the Last Crown'Affiliations'Wolf Ryder (Husband), Lina Ryder (Wife), Helios (Fellowship), Templar Knights (Honorary Member), Temple Priestess (Former Member)'Companions'Wolf Ryder, Alissa Ryder, Roxanne Ryder, Hanafuria Ryder, Lina Ryder, Aoi Ryder, Yulania Ryder'Crimes'NONE'Lina Ryder Skill ReportPhysicalSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelHammer Use5+25Axe Use10+15Throw2+7Parry1+9Dodge4+6Block2+13Muscle Explosion2Shield Bash1+1Battlefield Perception2Dwarven Pride Style4Enhanced Speed4+1MagicalSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSense Mana1Mana Control7Mana Efficiency4+1Fire Magic1Earth Magic1+9Water Magic1Wind Magic1+0Light Magic1Cursing Magic13+7Space Magic1Conjuring Magic1General Enchanting7+13Magic Tool Carving2+8Equipment System6+4MiscellaneousSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelGeneral Blacksmithing4Sewing4Housework1Cleaning2Washing1Math4Riding1Stonebody (innate)8InfoNameLina RyderAge16RaceDwarfHP100MP1225Magic Power540Level57StatsStrength8Endurance8Dexterity13Speed12Intelligence16Wisdom15Willpower18Charisma13Piety13Perception14Sanity16OtherStatus Effects'NONE'Titles'True Noble, Lord of Escanso, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, Protect of the Last Crown'Affiliations'Wolf Ryder (Husband), Ciel Ryder (Wife), 'Helios (Fellowship)'Companions'Wolf Ryder, Alissa Ryder, Roxanne Ryder, Hanafuria Ryder, Ciel Ryder, Aoi Ryder, Yulania Ryder'Crimes'NONE'InfoNameAoi RyderAge2RaceAzurite DragonHP200MP1370Magic Power340Level39StatsStrength18Endurance22Dexterity7Speed14Intelligence9Wisdom9Willpower18Charisma13Piety7Perception11Sanity19OtherStatus Effects'NONE'Titles'True Noble, Lord of Escanso, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, Protector of the Last Crown'Affiliations'Wolf Ryder (Husband), Helios (Fellowship)'Companions'Wolf Ryder, Alissa Ryder, Roxanne Ryder, Hanafuria Ryder, Ciel Ryder, Lina Ryder, Yulania Ryder'Crimes'NONE'Yulania Ryder Skill ReportPhysicalSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSword Use3+12Two-Handed Sword Use2+18Parry4+11Dodge5+10Silent Shadow Style4+6Battlefield Perception3+7Enhanced Reflexes6Sense Presence2Hide Presence4Muscle Explosion5Quiet Steps2Quiet Action6Enhanced Stamina2+3MagicalSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSense Mana3+7Mana Control6+4Mana Recovery3+2Mana Efficiency2+8Reduced Mana Cost1+4Fire Magic1Earth Magic4+1Electric Magic1+0Light Magic5Spirit Magic21+19Illusion Magic10Space Magic6Nature Magic5+10Conjuring Magic1Weaverism2+28Redirect Mana1+0Equipment System5+5MiscellaneousSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelRiding5Acting3Dancing2InfoNameYulania RyderAge18RaceGolden ElfHP100MP1090Magic Power540Level60StatsStrength13Endurance16Dexterity19Speed17Intelligence16Wisdom18Willpower16Charisma22Piety14Perception21Sanity17OtherStatus Effects'NONE'Titles'True Noble, Lord of Escanso, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, Protect of the Last Crown'Affiliations'Wolf Ryder (Husband), 'Helios (Fellowship)'Companions'Wolf Ryder, Alissa, Hanafuria, Roxanne Succubus, Ciel, Lina, Aoi'Crimes'NONE'[collapse]

As we approach the ambush site, the soldiers all grow increasingly quiet, so much so that the clopping of our horses and the footsteps of the Chimeras start to seem surprisingly loud. The enemy doesn't appear to have werefox scouts, so even this amount of noise isn't enough to alert them to our presence.

Hana mounts Aoi, and the two of them join the mounted warriors, who detach from our column to go around the enemies and begin a pincer maneuver. The terrain is thick with rock spikes here, so the footmen split up into multiple groups to use all the available paths to the ambush site.

Nen, Darcy, and Montague stay with us, and we proceed up a narrow path that leads to a small group of imperial raiders, then we stop just out of sight and wait as the mounted warriors maneuver around.

Both the enemy ambushers and those in the camp still haven't shown any sign that they know about our imminent attack, so we have to wonder if the two werefox spies were even related to them.

After a few minutes of waiting in absolute silence, Darcy unfurls a small Misty Fox flag, a cute orange fox in a gray, misty field with a small square tower in the upper-left corner, the symbol of the Town Hunters. He sticks it into a slot on the back of his armor that keeps it firmly secured and ensures that it doesn't get in the way of combat.

Our flag is much larger, so we need someone to be dedicated to holding it up, and Hukarere gets the honor of that role.

I watch as the mounted warriors finish getting into position, then Léonne activates her Emergency Ring, giving the signal for Darcy to begin the attack.

Six mages and I pull out our [Gate] "Scrubbers", and we all activate them at the same time.

"SCRUBBEEEEER...!" An imperial mage screams at the top of his lungs.

"ATTACK!" Darcy gives the order, and we rush up the path.

I sigh tiredly, but I barely have to force myself at all to flood my mind with visions of dragons fucking, then I start to picture the scene when my draconic cock pierced a woman's pussy, when my blades split skin open and drew blood, when I fucked an entire army's worth of women all by myself, when I was face-to-face with death, drenched in my own blood as I fought to live another day.

I get a boner as my heart is flooded with draconic energy, and the dragon inside of me assumes control of my body.

It's time to kill, once again.

The mounted warriors reach the enemy first, and they trample through the imperials, either slaughtering them or forcing them off the cliff they were poised above.

Hana barely even has to do anything since Aoi's mass is simply too great for the small numbers of men to even slightly slow her down.

A group of imperials appears further up the path ahead of the other girls and I, and the enemy immediately forms a shield wall to halt our advance.

"Golems!" I call for their attention, and they raise their huge boulders. "LAUNCH!"

I'm not sure if the imperials are frozen in fear or just bravely stupid, but they attempt to block the boulders with their shields, and the huge force of the impact blows them off the cliff, breaking their formation.

We trample through the rest of them like a Border Collie smashing through a sandcastle, and we burst out the other side, right in front of over twenty archers.

The Lordsguard all have enchanted shields, so the hastily-fired arrows are diverted up into the sky or down towards the ground by our [Wind Shield]s, and now, we're behind enemy lines, so all hell breaks loose.

On the other side of this shallow valley, the rest of the enemy soldiers are getting trampled by the beast foxes and their riders.

Silvano doesn't even bother to cast [Earth Armor] or [Amplified Reflexes], he just [Rush]es through the archers and continues down the wide path towards the other enemy shield walls, which are currently blocking the rest of our footmen from advancing up.

I throw a [Discharge] at a group of mages who were trying to use [Ritualism] to cast a big spell at us, then Nen tackles the archers, forcing a few of them off the cliff and disrupting their attack.

"So many..." Lina grumbles through [Bind].

I decide to advance with Roxanne and the golems, easily overwhelming the few defenders we encounter with our firepower. We need a clear path for Silvano to retreat.

The footmen are now approaching the hill, so we only need to hold on for a bit longer.

Silvano bursts into the main shack, and the robed mage points his finger at him. I instantly get a bad feeling about it, so I get Alissa to instant-cast [Ghost Lights], [Pacify], and [Daydreaming] on him, all at the same time.

The heretic mage grunts and lurches forward, then half of the shack simply crumbles away into dust without a single trace of a spell, leaving only a huge crater in the floor, which barely missed Silvano.

"KILL HIM!" Alissa shouts as she runs from five Clones.

Silvano turns into silver lightning, and in the next instant, the mage's head tumbles from his shoulders, but that's not the end of him. Silvano casts [Earth Bullet] on the head, then he stomps on it until it splits open and his foot smashes through the man's brain.

"UUGH!" Silvano groans in disgust, his warped face now looking somewhat similar to a Hobgoblin's.

Alissa immediately smells the scent of corruption wafting from the crushed head, but the mage really should be dead from that kind of damage. "RETREAT!" She orders him and flees from the shack.

Silvano follows her, and they easily lose the Clones that were chasing after them, then we meet up in the alleys just as I finish carving out a path for him.

"RETREAT! DON'T ENGAGE THE UNDEAD SOLDIERS!" I order Silvano, and he grimly nods, then Alissa, Roxanne, and I [Fly] back towards Ciel and the others.

I summon four fire elemental-wives, then I order them to set fire to everything and ensure that the heretic mage's corpse is turned entirely into ash.

Our foot soldiers finally pour in, and the enemy's resistance crumbles.

The girls can't hold back a swarm of nearly thirty Clone Soldiers by themselves, and only Ciel seems to be leaving any lasting damage on them, so I think it's time for me to use Patrono.

A stray Clone Soldier reaches the footmen and immediately uses [Searing Blade] to slice through two werefoxes. The Clone is simply too fast for them to retreat in time.

FUCK!

I [Fly] back to them and cast repeated [Lightning Bolts] at the Clone, but he doesn't seem to feel a thing and simply continues barreling towards our Lordsguard.

"CAUTION!" Anton bellows as he points at the Clone Soldier.

Klein shoots an [Arrow of Annihilation] at it, and the spell penetrates his shoulder, but even though the armor seems to have absorbed most of the attack, his right arm is now almost entirely useless.

"IT'S WOUNDED! KEEP IT DOWN!" A female Lordsguard shouts, and four of them quickly drive their spears into the joints of the Clone's armor, locking his arms in place and immobilizing him, though he's so heavy that they can't actually push him down.

Anton rushes over to them to finish the Clone off since it can't swing its halberd anymore, but the monstrous undead still manages to flick its wrist and use [Searing Blade] to decapitate one of my guard girls.

NOOOOO!

"UNDEAD! STAY BACK! THEY DON'T GET WOUNDED!" I bellow at the top of my lungs, and I crash against the back of Clone. It feels like I just hit a solid wall, though the Clone does get tipped over.

I cast [Haste], and the world slows down around me, allowing me to quickly cast successive [Spirit Lights] as I use my tentacles to shove the shining balls of light into the Clone's armor.

Just as I begin to feel the stress of overusing my body taking its toll, the Armor starts to be affected by the spells and convulses, giving me enough time to use my own [Searing Blade] to decapitate it, then I dispel [Haste].

"DESTROY THE HEAD!" Anton howls and sinks his poleaxe into it, then someone casts [Earth Bullet] at the back of the blade, forcing the poleaxe deep enough to split the head open, and the smell of undead corruption quickly invades our nostrils.

"We're in a bit of a pinch, here!" Hana angrily complains through [Bind].

The girls can't hold on any longer, so they use [Fly] to escape the swarm of Clone Soldiers, and I unsummon the Nalusa before it can die under the Soldiers' assault.

I look over the battlefield and feel a horrible ache in my chest. Flames roar throughout the whole of the shantytown, and the imperials are all but defeated, but our footmen are now encountering the Clone Soldiers, and they're getting sliced open immediately upon meeting the monstrous Soldiers.

Jacques can stomp them down with his hulking mass, but he can't go against more than twenty of them on his own. Ciel can also deal with them, but again, not by herself. Roxanne can kite them, but that would take too long, and I want to minimize casualties. Even Yunia has trouble with the Clones since it's definitely not a good idea to use [Soul Blade] against [Searing Blade].

Darcy starts to bark out orders, and the footmen hastily retreat, but the Clone Soldiers are giving chase.

I move the "cursor" in my soul space to [Equip] Patrono, but something stops me.

And in the very next second, a divine light suddenly blinds everyone and makes the Clone Soldiers recoil in agony.

"AAAAAAH!" Ciel shrieks as energy gushes out of her like a waterfall. After a brief second of panic, she immediately understands the divine Blessing that has been bestowed upon her and grasps the unending well of power. "A BOON FOR THE WORTHY!" Her triumphant voice echoes through the battlefield.

She channels the borrowed power into [Judgment] as she raises her glaive, and the clouds are pierced by a blade of pure, divine energy, then she slams her blade down, and everything turns into dust.

Intermission 27

"Report."

"The Oracle's Premonition was correct, but the assassins were spotted before they could activate the bomb."

"[Monster Summoning]?"

"Unconfirmed, but likely."

"A third failure is unacceptable. Stop the assassination attempts until we know more."

"Understood. Also, the Automaton Soldiers failed their duty, and though the Gods interfered, it was likely that they'd have failed anyway."

"Allocate more resources to the Oracle. Her Premonitions are still our best tool."

Announcement

Hall of Fame of Patrons

The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:

Prince PreownedFIN.

Prince Creamy Spinach.

Lord Andrew Meyers.

Lord Samuel Lim.

Lord Bill.

Lord Novgarod.

Lord Michale Erwin.

Lord Bakerdea.

Lord Maurice.

Lord Empyrean.

Lord Mattirro Draca.

Lord Colorblind.

Lord Fullmoon.

Lord Sean Drake.

Lord EESDESESESRDT.

Lord FrostyCube.

Lord Mike Bartter.

Lord Cardinal Steiner.

Lord Krawn.

Lord Warwulfv.

Lord Jorge Franco.

Lord Christopher Welsh.

Lord DJ.

Lord Philip.

Lord Tenebris Lupus.

Lord ImportantNPC.

Lord The Tallest Joshua.

Lord Copey Dunt.

Lord Dracopuppy23.

Lord Freddie.

Lord Cidant.

Lord Stellerbattle.

Lord GoodKat.

Noble Salty Panda.

Noble Mild Fracas.

Noble Aclys.

Noble Shawn Plumley.

Noble CarlBaxter.

Noble Yeuromain.

Noble Brandon Lai.