SWNOVELXO Chapter 518
Chapter 518: The Civil War is Over (2)
Gathros looked to the left. There, aided by rampaging spirits, a troop was swiftly penetrating through the ranks.
Spirits are an unfair force. Fighting against them doesn’t deplete the opposing troops at all.
Moreover, the spirits don’t really die. As long as their summoner is alive and has enough energy, they can keep appearing.
The troops breaking through were incredibly fierce and powerful, preventing our forces from blocking them effectively. Even when support tried to rush in from the center, the archer cavalry in the back made it difficult.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
At the forefront was someone adorned in beautiful armor with deer antlers.
This person had four priests held captive, rendering our forces unable to fight back properly.
Gathros recognized who it was at a glance.
‘Guardian of the World Tree!’
The Saint and the Guardian of the World Tree were both long-standing foes of the Salvation Society. Eliminating either of them right now would greatly aid his ambitions.
After a brief hesitation, he quickly made a decision.
The side with the Saint was barely holding out. He needed to deal with the unfair power of the spirits first.
“Stop!”
Boom!
Gathros unleashed a torrent of black energy, instantly obliterating the spirits. The moment the spirits vanished, he charged toward Ereness.
Ereness, who had already killed two superhumans, suddenly turned her body and extended a hand toward the oncoming enemy.
Flash!
The green flash that shot from her hand collided with the black energy and exploded.
Boom!
A powerful shockwave erupted, forcing everyone in the vicinity to stagger back. The two priests held captive by Ereness took the opportunity to pull back.
Ereness looked at her hand, feeling immense backlash. The one who just appeared was no ordinary priest.
“Are you the priest?”
She had heard about a priest from Ghislaine.
Gathros replied, filled with rage.
“Guardian of the World Tree. I will kill you here.”
“Indeed, there’s no need for conversation between us.”
Boom!
The two launched themselves at each other simultaneously.
Boom!
Black energy surged from Gathros’s hands, spreading toward the aggressively advancing Northern Army.
He intended to strike Ereness while simultaneously thinning out the enemy ranks.
“Certainly different.”
Ereness gathered her strength to counter it. If she were to take that wide-scale attack head on, it would mean significant damage for her allies.
Whoooosh!
The black energy and green light collided, sending massive waves rippling outward. The two forces pushed against each other as if they were testing their strength.
Gathros deliberately took this approach. He had his own plan.
“Quickly take care of the rest!”
At his command, the two remaining priests of the Salvation Society moved. They left Ereness to Gathros and now had the opportunity to face others.
“Oh dear.”
Ereness frowned.
To reduce our side’s casualties, she had already summoned several high-level spirits and was in a state of considerable energy depletion.
She couldn’t easily retreat while facing Gathros.
While the two were engaged in a struggle of strength, the two priests of the Salvation Society surged towards the breaking Northern Army.
However, someone moved faster than the priests of the Salvation Society.
ZING!
Light erupted from Kaor’s armor at the front. Though no superhuman yet, he leveraged the power of his armor to maximize his fighting ability.
Swish!
“Huh?”
The priest was taken by surprise when a figure in black armor suddenly leaped up and swung his sword.
Clang!
The sudden assault was blocked, but there was no time to gather one’s wits. The sword came flying with incredible speed.
Clang, clang, clang!
The skill of the Salvation Society priest was woefully inadequate. His opponent targeted only vital points, neglecting defense entirely.
It felt like being ambushed by a starving beast.
“You bastard!”
How dare a mere knight charge at him, a superhuman! The priest of the Salvation Society hurriedly blocked his sword and attempted a counterattack.
Slash! Slash!
“Gah!”
Yet before he could counter, several more enemies leaped in. His ankles were slashed, and arms and shoulders were cut too.
An astonishingly effective technique. The priest of the Salvation Society was pushed back, desperate to block all the attacks.
Another priest was in a similar predicament. Dozens of knights in black armor had surrounded him, leaving him unable to think straight.
And the numbers of those knights kept growing.
“What the hell! Why are there so many knights?!”
The two priests of the Salvation Society were flabbergasted. Almost 100 knights were charging towards them.
Kaor grinned ferociously at the flustered priests.
“See, you all are rubbish at fighting.”
The rushing squad led by Kaor included 200 Knights of Penris. Aside from half led away by Ghislaine, the rest were right here.
They were all skilled at least intermediate rank. Many had even reached the advanced level, and Kaor had reached the highest rank.
All members of the former Wolfhound followed Kaor, while the remaining 100 pushed back the surrounding foes, creating space.
The priests of the Salvation Society, as well as the Delphine Army, could only continue to be pushed back.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The battle grew increasingly intense.
Even lacking skill, a superhuman is still a superhuman. The priests of the Salvation Society flared their energy, sending knights flying.
Despite getting wounded from the sheer number of attackers, they gradually began to eliminate them one by one.
Boom!
“Gah!”
Kaor also took a hit and fell back. His face, hidden behind the helmet, was twisted with frustration.
“Damn it, why am I the only one not a superhuman!?”
He had crossed the threshold of the highest rank several times, but this wall felt truly enormous.
What irritated him more was that Gillian, fighting on the opposite side, was flaunting the might of a superhuman without restraint.
“If I cross this wall, I’ll be stronger than my old man!”
Kaor snarled as he lunged back at the priests. He had been thrown down multiple times, but he glared hatefully as he swung his sword.
“Damn it! Damn it! I’m stronger!”
“What the hell is this lunatic saying?”
The priest of the Salvation Society was dumbfounded by Kaor’s relentless assault. His armor was crumpled, and his body was covered in wounds, yet he kept rushing in.
Even while trying to kill him, the guy was infuriatingly resilient. This lunatic made it impossible to fight properly.
Boom!
Kaor fell again. The knights too began to fall as their armor sustained damage.
No matter how much of a half-baked superhuman the priests of the Salvation Society were, they couldn’t surpass the strength and speed of their opponents. The armor couldn’t close the gap either.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the allied forces dwindled around them, the priests of the Salvation Society unleashed their area-of-effect attacks freely. Ironically, this was better for them.
The Knights of Penris they faced had seen over half of their number fall. At this rate, they would all become combat incapable.
Of course, the priests of the Salvation Society weren’t faring well either.
“Huff, huff… these relentless bastards.”
“Why won’t you die?”
The priests of the Salvation Society wore horrified expressions. They had sent numerous opponents flying, but these mad dogs kept charging at them.
Thanks to this, they too were left with injuries all over, becoming battered wrecks.
The problem was that just when they thought the maddened knights had died, they would rise and keep moving. The knights had too much mana and their armor was exceptionally sturdy.
At this rate, they would nearly exhaust themselves. The priests steeled themselves and drew upon their energy.
“I’ll kill you in one shot!”
They were also trapped in a state of pride as superhumans, their minds turned wild. Even if it meant wiping out their allies, they would unleash their full strength.
The knights charged again. At the same time, the priests unleashed their energy.
Boom!
Thousands of strands of black energy erupted from the priests’ bodies. Simultaneously, bright light burst from behind the knights.
“O Goddess!”
Crash!
The light instantly enveloped the surroundings. Phyote, who had been lurking to hide amidst the ranks, unleashed his divine power.
Boom!
The energy unleashed by the priests of the Salvation Society collided with Phyote’s divine energy.
“Y-yes! It worked. Success!”
— The priests must restore the knights and block the powerful attack of the Salvation Society priests.
Amelia had given him that command.
She had detailed each person’s role like this to counter the enemy’s forces effectively.
Phyote had hidden among the Northern Army troops until it was his turn. He had finally caught the perfect opportunity.
Boom!
The light of divine energy, crashing against the black energy, soon dissipated, but the priests’ attack was nullified as well.
“What, what is this…?”
As the priests wore confused expressions, Kaor charged in again.
Clang!
His sword sliced through the priest’s body. At the same time, all the Knights of Penris sprang back up and surged in again.
“What in the world is happening?!”
“That divine energy restored them!”
The priests of the Salvation Society shouted in shock.
Most of them had clearly been depleted and knocked down. Yet now, they attacked with the ferocity as if it were their first charge.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The priests were busy defending against the knights’ attacks. They had expended too much energy in that last strike.
Just when they thought they had blocked one, another sword came flying in from elsewhere. As they blocked one attack, the next assailant would come charging at them. Overwhelmed by sheer numbers, they could only keep getting pushed back.
Getting help from their nearby allies was impossible.
“Push through!”
The remaining knights and cavalry of the Northern Army surged in, pushing their allies back significantly.
With the momentum on his side, Kaor swung his sword relentlessly.
“I’ll take down just one!”
Kaor fixated solely on a single priest of the Salvation Society. His eyes were half crazed as he struck down fiercely.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Of course, the priest wouldn’t go down easily either. He deflected the charging knights while continually blocking Kaor’s sword.
The priest was disoriented. He was too busy fending off attacks while simultaneously trying to strike down the knights coming at him.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Kaor gritted his teeth and swung his sword. It almost seemed like madness was creeping into his demeanor.
The reason was simple.
“Damn it! Why just me?! Why is it only me?!”
His mad inferiority complex blinded him to everything else.
So lost in swinging his sword that he forgot about the surrounding situation.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
“Huh?”
“Ugh!”
Kaor and the priest of the Salvation Society were startled at the same time.
Somehow, the arm of the priest who had been blocking Kaor’s sword was cleanly severed.
It was true that the onslaught of knights significantly drained the priest’s energy. But that didn’t mean he could be so easily cut down.
It was certainly fleeting, but Kaor’s sword had apparently been tinged with the aura blade.
Kaor’s face filled with ecstasy.
“I-I’m finally a superhuman too!”
In truth, nothing much felt different, and there was no strong sensation of crossing a threshold that time.
Still, Kaor charged in confidently.
“Die!”
The priest of the Salvation Society instinctively reached out to Kaor, having no choice but to allow the attacks of other knights. That lunatic had been the most bothersome.
Boom!
“Gah!”
Kaor again went tumbling back. The aura blade didn’t manifest at all.
Just moments ago, he had been in a frenzy triggered by his inferiority complex, venturing only a foot over the line without realizing it.
“Argh! So infuriating!”
Bloodied Kaor stood up with a furious expression.
It was natural since he hadn’t yet established his own realm. It was just a coincidence that happened amid the chaos.
Still, that was something. It was significant that he had tasted even a moment of it.
“I have potential too! Cough!”
Kaor spat out blood as he charged again. The priest’s face was now pale with terror.
“T-this crazy bastard…”
He had allowed too many attacks from other knights. His energy had been drained significantly.
No matter how much of a superhuman he was, facing over 100 highly skilled knights at once was a tall order.
Boom! Slash! Stab!
The energy of the priest was almost completely depleted as he continued to allow attacks. The knights shifted in and out, minimizing damage as they exchanged blows.
It might be seen as overly conniving, but this was the most effective method to catch a superhuman.
This was the deceptive attack Ghislaine had trained them for, and they executed it brilliantly.
With such underhanded tactics, the priests’ bodies were becoming increasingly ragged.
“Gah…”
“Ugh!”
As their fighting technique faltered, they couldn’t overcome this situation. There were no allies nearby to help them.
Thunk!
Kaor kicked the staggering priest in the chest and knocked him over. He immediately plunged his sword into the now-weak priest’s neck.
Stab!
“Grrr…”
One priest was thus killed. The remaining priest was also swiftly slaughtered amidst the ambush.
Panting heavily, covered in blood and filth, Kaor shouted with his sword raised high.
“Damn it! Superhumans aren’t anything special! Cough! I killed them all!”
“Wooaah!”
With that intense proclamation, the assault squad fighting alongside him erupted in jubilant cheers.