SWNOVELXO Chapter 584
Chapter 584: Annihilate the Enemy. (1)
The first to regain his senses was Marquis Gideon.
“Grab him! Hurry, Jerome!”
The knights, who had been waiting behind, rushed out and lifted Jerome.
As they laid him down, Marquis Gideon ran over and took Jerome’s hand.
“Jerome! Pull yourself together! Call the priests and wizards! Quickly!”
Jerome was in a terrible state. His usually lively and cute face was pale, as if death was looming over him.
Blood was streaming from his nose and mouth, and his chest was heaving alarmingly.
Gideon shouted in horror multiple times.
“Jerome! Stay with us!”
“Ah… Pa…”
Jerome clutched his chest in agony. Clearly, there was something wrong inside him.
Soon several priests and wizards rushed in. The priests were the first to channel divine power toward Jerome.
Fwaaah…
A white light spread, healing Jerome’s wounds. Although he regained some color, his condition still looked critical.
One of the wizards who rushed in spoke urgently.
“It looks like a mana rupture. Let me take a look.”
He was a 6th Circle Mage guarding this fortress. The mage immediately infused Jerome’s body with magical power.
As he examined Jerome, the mage gasped in surprise.
“W-what! The circle is about to break! How could this happen…?”
The mage was flustered. Typically, a circle wouldn’t break from an ordinary shock.
Even using more than one’s limit would usually just deplete life force; the circle itself wouldn’t shatter.
“Just how powerful a spell was cast…?”
That miraculous spell had undoubtedly shaken the very source of magic.
Hearing the mage, Gideon spoke urgently.
“W-what should we do?!”
“For now, we need to stabilize the circle by infusing it with magic.”
“Do it! Hurry!”
Other wizards joined in, channeling magic into Jerome’s body.
Protecting the circle of an 8th Circle Mage was no easy feat. Forgetting that they were in battle, they constantly poured magical power into Jerome.
This was an uncharacteristic act for selfish mages. But all of them were genuinely trying.
It was a display of respect for the great magician who had shown them miracles.
In stark contrast to Jerome, who was on the brink of death, Gathros barely survived as Jerome’s magic faded away.
The massive figure composed of black energy had already vanished. He was floating in the sky in his original form.
“Gah… Gah… I’m alive. But why…?”
For reasons unknown, the sacred relic had saved him.
Why had it spared him, a being with energy opposing divine power? Especially someone who was the leader of those opposing the goddess.
Gathros, gasping for breath, suddenly clutched his chest and laughed heartily.
“Hahaha! I see! It’s not my time to die yet! This must be the will of the gods!”
It couldn’t be explained otherwise. His deity had shown him a new miracle.
All the energy he had gathered had dissipated, and even half of his original strength was gone, but it didn’t matter.
With Jerome down, who would stop them now!
Gathros gritted his teeth and shouted.
“Attack! Right now! Crush those bastards!”
The Atrode army, who had been dazed by the shocking magic, snapped back to reality at Gathros’s words.
Similarly, Count Bifenbelt, who had also been stunned, regained his composure and shouted.
“Everyone, advance!”
Victory was within reach. They needed to push forward without hesitation.
The wizards of the Atrode army were the first to act.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“The magic is working! Push forward!”
The high-level wizards of the Allied Forces were too preoccupied with healing Jerome. Although the remaining wizards were trying to fend off attacks, failed spells were erupting everywhere.
“W-what…?”
As the fortress troops began to be hit by magical attacks, the allied wizards were thrown into confusion. To block magic, they would have to cease Jerome’s treatment.
But stopping the healing would mean Jerome’s circle would break entirely, leading either to death or him becoming a vegetable.
Faced with this dilemma, Marquis Gideon made a decision.
“Focus on healing Jerome.”
“W-what? Then what about the fortress?”
“Thanks to Lord Jerome, the priests have lost their strength. We’ll hold them off with the remaining troops.”
“Commander… If we suffer magical attacks, we won’t stand a chance. Our soldiers are already at a disadvantage!”
Gideon nodded, then replied with a serious expression.
“Then heal Jerome while you escape.”
“Commander…”
“Lord Jerome is a vital asset to the Allied Forces. We must save him at all costs.”
Losing the fortress was not a problem. When the Ruthanian army returned, they could certainly deal with the Atrode army.
But if the Atrode army occupied this place and joined forces with other legions, that would be an issue.
“Our army is also split at the moment. If they seize this place and consolidate their power, the Ruthanian army could take significant damage. We need Lord Jerome here to minimize that damage.”
Marquis Gideon was still uncertain about the situation on the battlefield. Both the enemy and allies were moving rapidly, and accurate reports weren’t reaching them.
The one who had come to deliver news, Dark, had vanished while hiding and watching the fight.
“Then perhaps we should all retreat together…!”
One of the wizards shouted, but Gideon shook his head. If the 1st Legion left this place, even greater problems would arise.
“There are still kingdoms where the rebellion hasn’t been suppressed. There are remnants of the Salvation Society as well. If the Atrode army escapes this place to avoid the Ruthanians, they will surely become their focal point again.”
The main force of the Atrode army and the surrounding rebels had gathered in the Kingdom of Grimwell. But some distant kingdoms were still battling against the rebels and rifts.
Thus, it was incredibly crucial to hold the Atrode army here.
Fortunately, thanks to Jerome, the powers of the superhumans had been completely drained. It was now a fight worth risking their lives for.
“Move! I’ll hold them off, even if it costs me my life!”
“C-commander…”
“Hurry!”
Yelled by Gideon, some wizards began to haul Jerome and move.
It wasn’t easy to make a quick escape, as they had to constantly infuse magical power. Moreover, enemy spells that had failed to dispel were exploding behind them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The wizards carefully moved while casting defense magic.
Meanwhile, the Atrode army was climbing ladders up against the fortress walls.
Boom! Boom!
“Waaaaaah!”
Unlike the exhausted Allied troops, the Atrode army was full of strength and morale.
From the beginning, the superhumans had taken the lead, reducing the fortress’s forces. Their situation was bound to be better than that of the Allied troops.
On top of that, each individual’s skill was far superior. The Atrode army began to push the Allied Forces further.
Marquis Gideon swung his sword and shouted loudly.
“We can endure! Fight! We must protect this place!”
The Allied troops also rallied once more, thanks to the miraculous magic shown by Jerome.
Though the Atrode army was strong, their advantage diminished with the priests’ absence.
Yet still, the power gap was undeniable. With the wizards who could defend against magical attacks also gone, the atmosphere of defeat was increasingly heavy for the Allied Forces.
“Block it! We can hold them off!”
“We have to inflict as much damage on the enemy as we can here!”
“This may be the final battle! So let’s push ourselves a bit more!”
The Allied Forces fought fiercely and held their ground. They abandoned any thoughts of retreat. The moment they retreated, the enemy would immediately mount their horses and pursue them.
They were trapped in a dilemma. Unless the Atrode army voluntarily retreated, the Allied Forces had no other options.
Seeing the favorable turn of events, Gathros scanned inside the fortress.
Their victory was certain. But now, something more important had emerged.
“I must kill him… I absolutely must kill that guy.”
For the first time, Gathros felt the fear of death. No, it was a fear that transcended death.
The feeling of his existence being erased was horrifically indescribable.
Thus, Jerome had to die. In Gathros’s view, Jerome was the most dangerous individual in the Allied Forces.
“Neither the Duke of Penris nor Prince Turian could show such a miracle…”
Even their king wouldn’t be able to fully withstand that spell. This was the perfect opportunity to eliminate that dangerous individual.
“I found him.”
It was hard to search the fortress properly due to his weakened state. But he focused his mind and finally spotted the wizards carrying Jerome as they fled.
“Phew…”
It would be dangerous to dive in alone. His strength was already compromised. If enemy knights swarmed, it would be quite a struggle.
But it was something that had to be done, no matter the risk. Jerome was someone he alone could deal with right now.
“I can’t let them escape.”
Crack.
Gathros gritted his teeth and gathered the last of his strength. He would focus on killing Jerome quickly and escaping.
Gooooo…
The black energy he wrung out enveloped his body. He intended to dive in like light and strike him down in one blow.
But then…
Swoosh!
Something came flying from behind.
Gathros turned his head.
“A… Arrow?”
An arrow wrapped in red light was flying toward him.
Gathros’s expression twisted.
“How dare you with a mere arrow!”
There was no need to break this. He could just dodge it with a slight movement. He could dodge it, but…
Chills ran down Gathros’s spine.
That arrow was approaching him as if guided by the threads of fate.
And it was aiming right for his head.
Time seemed to stretch. The arrow sliced through the air at an agonizingly slow pace.
It was something he could easily swat away or dodge…
His body felt as heavy as lead, unable to move.
Thud thud…
As he struggled to move, his muscles screamed in protest.
“Urghhh!”
Gathros poured all his strength into his eyes, bloodshot.
As if suppressed by the pressure of the deep sea, his body wasn’t obeying his will.
No matter how exhausted he was, how could a single arrow send him trapped in this state?
“Urghhh… What is happening…?”
The world seemed to whisper to him.
You must take this arrow.
As the arrow approached, the flow of the world was compelling him so strongly.
“I! Will not fall for this!”
Boom!
Gathros unleashed the last of his energy in an explosion. For a brief moment, the flow of time returned to normal.
He turned his head to the side with all his might.
Crack!
The arrow grazed one of Gathros’s ears, shattering it. Flesh splattered, and blood sprayed everywhere.
Gathros panted, watching the direction the arrow had come from.
“The Duke of Penris… You dared to…”
The one racing towards him on a fierce black horse was Ghislaine.
He notched another arrow into his bow. This time, he wasn’t aiming for Gathros.
With a drawn bowstring, he smirked.
“Looks like our Jerome overexerted himself.”
Hearing from Dark, he had rushed in on his own with all his strength. First, he needed to draw their attention to himself.
Fwaah!
The red light began to coalesce around the arrow.
This wasn’t simply infused with mana like usual. His intense will was packed into the arrow, a true manifestation of his desire for the world.
Soon Ghislaine casually released the bowstring.
Thunk.
With a sharp sound, the arrow shot forth. Once it left Ghislaine’s hand, its form began to change in an instant.
Boom!
The red brilliance intensified, igniting like a living flame. It sped toward the backline of the Atrode army like lightning.
Soon the arrow reached the rear of the Atrode army.
Boom!