SWNOVELXO Chapter 540
Chapter 540: Operation Change (2)
“Grrr!”
Helgenik, who had been slammed to the ground, suddenly sprang up and reached out his hand.
Boom!
The aura of darkness surged violently, striking Parniel.
Thud!
Parniel spread her divine power before her, but her body was pushed back as if weightless.
Despite possessing the energy of a supreme being, she couldn’t withstand Helgenik’s tremendous strength.
Gritting her teeth, Parniel thought, how dare the darkness push back the divinity of a goddess!
Furious, she swung her mace with all her might.
Bang!
“Gah!”
Even Helgenik, who had shown no signs of injury, couldn’t help but turn his head upon receiving her blow.
However, he appeared unaffected and immediately counterattacked.
Boom!
Parniel was pushed back again. Yet, true to the toughest among the continent’s seven champions, she endured the pain and swung her mace once more.
Bang!
The two continued to attack each other relentlessly.
Magic unleashed by Helgenik poured toward Parniel. Through sheer tenacity, she absorbed the blows like an absolute wall of defense.
Helgenik wasn’t pleased by this.
“Let’s see how long you can endure!”
Boom!
Helgenik approached Parniel, swinging his fist.
Even with her divine power, she struggled to hold her ground against Helgenik’s might. She was gradually pushed back by overwhelming magical force.
Yet Helgenik was not unscathed.
Sizzle!
As Parniel’s divine power made contact, parts of Helgenik’s body began to ignite.
Divine energy penetrated the layers of Helgenik’s aura.
The remnants of divine power within him continuously disrupted his ability to concentrate and recover.
Ghislaine, witnessing this, gleamed with excitement.
“Yulien.”
“Right.”
There was one area on Helgenik’s body that was burning particularly fiercely—the site of previous wounds inflicted by both of them.
They decided to focus their attacks on that spot.
Slash! Crack!
Their strikes hit. It wasn’t deep, but the critical aspect was that it connected.
Sizzle!
As the wound gaped, black smoke surged forth. The energy of the core jewel was leaking out.
“Grrr…”
Helgenik felt he had to eliminate the foes before him quickly.
Despite still being energized, the core jewel’s life force was diminishing with time.
Boom!
Bones shot up from the ground, filling the surroundings, while dozens of spheres in the air unleashed death rays.
With the core jewel’s power leaking away, a clear-headed Helgenik concentrated his energy into a tight area.
Boom! Bang! Bang!
Although still powerful, when Parniel joined, the situation changed.
“Great Goddess!”
Bam!
Brilliant light radiated from her, granting her divine protection.
Even Giselle and Yulien, despite their skill, couldn’t evade every attack. But thanks to the divine power, they could endure better than before.
As for Parniel, her fighting style was to take hits head-on, so this was no different for her.
Boom! Bang! Bang!
The battle among the four intensified. Even with Parniel’s divine energy joining them, the three were still being pushed back bit by bit.
Even with three of the continent’s seven champions attacking, Helgenik’s strength was overwhelming. Yet, it was Helgenik who felt the anxiety.
‘That divine power prevents me from killing her outright.’
He could feel his energy draining away slowly. It was only natural since he was expending his power recklessly.
While he maintained an advantage, the opponent’s level was simply too high to take down easily.
Indeed, divine power was the main issue. Both the Salvation Society’s power and his own were weak against it.
The numerous spells Helgenik unleashed also flickered out against the divine power.
Due to this elemental property, Parniel had blocked Helgenik in Ghislaine’s past life as well. Neither of them were aware of this.
“Grr… just a bit more….”
Boom!
Helgenik, who had been driving the three into a corner, momentarily fell back. The three were panting heavily yet still burned with determination in their eyes.
Because they knew Helgenik’s energy would run out first.
“Try blocking this!”
Thud!
Helgenik began condensing power within his body. He was gathering energy he needed to burst out quickly.
The expressions of the three hardened. Helgenik was clearly about to use a technique that could threaten his own life as well.
Hoooom…
They could feel an immense energy coalescing, so much so that even the flow of energy was visible to the naked eye.
Crash! Bang! Boom!
Soon, Helgenik’s body began to crack under the strain.
Seeing this, Ghislaine shouted with a stern expression.
“Yulien!”
“Right.”
The two moved like lightning… hiding behind Parniel. Her massive form was perfect for concealing the two.
Even without a detailed conversation, they understood each other with their gazes.
Parniel turned around with a baffled expression.
Ghislaine offered an awkward smile.
“Sorry.”
Yulien maintained a cool, composed expression and remained silent.
“…”
Even he thought this was the best method. That kind of attack didn’t permit distance to escape.
The only one here who had a chance of surviving such an attack was Parniel.
“Grr!”
Parniel gritted her teeth and unleashed her divine power to its peak, leaving nothing but a speck of divine energy within her.
Zing!
A massive shield of light formed before her.
Boom!
Then a thunderous explosion resounded as an incredible force erupted from Helgenik’s body.
Dark energy, coming with the momentum to pierce anything, collided with the shield of light.
Flash!
No sound could be heard. Light and darkness merely canceled each other out upon impact.
The backlash rushed in from behind.
Boom!
Even though Ghislaine and Yulien were flung to the sides, Parniel absorbed the entirety of that powerful force.
Thud!
As she exhausted all her power to withstand it, she collapsed.
Black energy that resembled flames emanated from her body. Yet life still remained as a thin breath lingered.
For one who boasted the greatest defensive power on the continent to fall from a single attack was truly unbelievable.
Of course, Helgenik’s body had also turned to rags as a result.
“Gyaaaa!”
Helgenik writhed pathetically, unable to withstand the backlash of power. Black smoke surged from the torn and shredded parts of his body.
Ghislaine, who had been thrown back, propped himself up with his sword.
Blood flowed from his lips. Simply being hit by the backlash had made him feel nauseous.
“Whew… what an insane power. He’s still alive after using something like that?”
Helgenik was a top-tier wizard on the continent. Thanks to his adept magical manipulation skills, he was able to unleash such a tremendous attack.
However, he likely couldn’t use it twice. After all, his body was a complete mess now.
Now it was feasible to engage him in battle.
Ghislaine turned to Yulien and said.
“We should take revenge for Parniel, right?”
“…He’s not dead yet.”
Yulien, too, had a thin trail of blood at his lips. Yet he had no trouble moving.
Swiftly, Ghislaine scooped up Parniel and hurled her to safety. It was dangerous for her to be dragged into the fight while unconscious.
With a tinge of guilt, the two rushed back toward Helgenik.
Slash!
Now, they could strike anywhere. Helgenik could no longer fend off their attacks.
“Gyaaa!”
Overcome by the aftereffects of his rampaging energy and newly inflicted wounds, Helgenik shrieked.
But his vast power had not entirely vanished.
Boom! Bang!
Tremendous magic continued to rain down in all directions. Helgenik needed to eliminate the two while his power still held.
Although Ghislaine and Yulien were forced to struggle, they didn’t shy away. They had to drain Helgenik’s energy as quickly as possible.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As the battle among the three raged on, the fight with the corpses was drawing closer to its conclusion.
“Lemme gooooo!”
Boom!
Elena cleared away the undead with overflowing stamina. The mobile army trampled the corpses, advancing at an incredible pace.
With Helgenik occupied with the three, the undead merely flailed at their foes. No further reinforcements or resurrections were happening.
The undead, having lost their immortality, could no longer instill fear. They were turned to ashes with each strike from divine-invoked weapons.
“Just a bit more push and we’ll clear them out! Let’s go!”
In response to Ghislaine’s shout, the mobile army surged forward unabated.
Kaor was off to the side, slashing through the undead while conducting an experiment.
“Come on out! Aura Blade! Show yourself! Ugh, why won’t you appear!”
Perhaps due to the enemies being too weak, no matter how much he swung his sword, the Aura Blade wouldn’t manifest.
The wizards followed the mobile army, not holding back in casting their spells.
Bang! Boom! Bang!
The massive horde of undead, once thick on the plains, was now thinning substantially.
Undead, unable to employ any strategy or tactics, stood no chance against a well-organized military formation and indiscriminate spells.
Ghislaine, who was in command, shouted once more.
“Got it! Now disperse and take out the remaining undead!”
There was no need to stay gathered to wipe them out; there were simply not enough left.
Especially in the central area, Parniel had wiped them out thoroughly with her divine powers.
To begin with, Parniel was assigned to this area because her powers were well-suited for protecting allies and clearing the undead.
Even with Helgenik exhibiting unexpected strength, she had already taken care of a significant portion of the undead before he joined.
While the mobile army pushed forward vigorously, Piote and the priests hurriedly treated the injured soldiers in the rear.
Especially urgent was the treatment of Jerome, whom Belinda had carried in.
Bam!
Jerome was riddled with wounds, and on top of that, Helgenik’s dark energy was invading his body.
Piote struggled to eliminate the rampaging dark energy. Only then did Jerome’s injuries begin to heal, yet he remained unconscious.
He was in a state of mana burnout, unable to recover his senses.
Realizing his condition, Piote called out.
“We need the wizards to come help!”
Vanessa and several other wizards, who had been providing support from the back, rushed over.
“For now, let the rest continue supporting the mobile army. I’ll assist this one,” Vanessa said, taking Jerome’s hand. She infused a bit of mana towards his heart, causing him to slowly open his eyes.
Piote released divine energy once again, rekindling life within him.
“Are you alright?”
Jerome looked at the beautiful Piote, imbued with Juana’s blessing, and asked.
“Is this… heaven? Are you an angel?”
Not wanting to create any misunderstandings, Piote deliberately deepened her voice.
“No.”
“Even angels have a lackluster voice…”
“…”
“Is this heaven? I feel like I have lived a good life. I haven’t done anything particularly bad. Just some minor mischief. If I confess my sins…”
“The fight’s not over yet, so save your confessions for later. We’re the allied forces.”
“Ah…”
Upon hearing those words, Jerome struggled to rise. The sight that entered his view was astonishing.
The overwhelming horde of undead being swept away…
“Wha… how is this happening…”
No matter how strong an army, such a feat was unimaginable. Well, it could be done, but it would require a massive number of priests.
Helgenik was a strong, devious foe. Even formidable warriors couldn’t stand up to him, so the undead kept resurrecting.
Yet this unbelievable event was unfolding right before Jerome’s eyes.
“W-What happened to Helgenik…”
The answer came from Piote.
“The lord is currently fighting the necromancer along with Yulien. The undead will soon be dealt with.”
“Lord?”
“The Duke of Penris.”
“Oh!”
A bright smile spread across Jerome’s face. After all, hadn’t he himself intended to meet the Duke of Penris in the Ruthania Kingdom?
The rumored army was here. And it was indeed beyond the rumors! To overwhelm the undead forces of such a powerful Helgenik to this extent!
However, he couldn’t let his guard down. He needed to see Helgenik fall with his own eyes.
“I-I’ll help! We need to take down Helgenik quickly.”
“How can you fight in that state? Don’t worry; the two of you are incredibly strong.”
No one was particularly concerned. They believed that no matter how strong Helgenik was, he couldn’t withstand the joint assault of Giselle and Yulien.
Yet Jerome, with a worried expression, insisted.
“Helgenik definitely has hidden power. I need to check on that myself.”
“Right now, you can’t fight. Your mana is completely depleted.”
“If the wizard can lend me just a bit of mana…”
At that moment, Alfoy, who had been watching from the side, approached leisurely. He was casually using magic to shield himself.
“Wait, is this the rumored wizard? Doesn’t look too impressive. That ‘Man Who Defeated God of the Fifth Circle’ is probably far superior to this guy.”
Jerome, hearing this, asked.
“Fifth Circle?”
“Yeah, it’s a level so high you couldn’t even dare to glance at it while fighting these deadmen.”
The originally arrogant Alfoy had grown even more boastful recently. He believed it was due to his many subordinates among the wizards and his repeated victories in every battle.
Although it wasn’t specifically due to Alfoy, he nonetheless thought it was all because of him.
“Well, since you’re new, you’ll be coming under me. We’ll have to get along.”
Jerome smiled awkwardly.
“Sure, let’s get along. But I’m sorry, I need to borrow some strength for a moment.”
“What?”
Without further ado!
Jerome seized Alfoy’s wrist. Alfoy frowned in irritation.
“How dare you, a mere wizard, touch the wrist of me, the ‘Man Who Defeated God of the Fifth Circle’… Gyaaa!”
With an overwhelming speed, Jerome drained Alfoy’s mana, causing him to shrink and faint.
Vanessa gasped at the sight. It wasn’t easy to pull off mana transference like that. To do so forcefully meant overwhelming the other’s will and circle.
Thus, forcibly absorbing a Fifth Circle wizard’s mana was nearly impossible.
Of course, Alfoy’s will, having climbed this high primarily through others’ help, was effectively half-hearted.
“I’ll explain later. For now, we need to help capture Helgenik.”
Jerome expanded his sight magic. In the distance, he saw the two engaging Helgenik, who had transformed into a monster.
“Hah!”
With a breath, space twisted, and Jerome vanished from sight.
And then,
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Drawing lines like blue lightning, Jerome appeared behind Helgenik.