Chapter 399

The giant saw it.

A single fly, heading towards it.

It was an eyesore.

Because it exuded a somehow unpleasant annoyance.

So, the giant swiftly picked up a rock and threw it at the approaching fly.

*WHOOOOOOSH!*

The large rock was launched as if to shatter everything it collided with.

However.

The fly was still flying unharmed.

It had dodged it at some point.

“Krooooooo!”

The giant was enraged.

From a while ago, nothing had gone right, and it was full of infuriating things.

*Thump, thump, thump, thump!*

The giant, unable to overcome its anger and rampaging, frantically threw rocks.

*Whooosh! Whooooosh!*

But each time, the fly dodged nimbly.

“Kwaaaaaaa!”

The giant’s enraged roar.

But it was just throwing a tantrum; there was nothing the giant could do.

Because the fly had already approached the giant’s vicinity.

And the giant didn’t know.

That the insignificant fly was the ultimate predator capable of swallowing it whole.

“Hmm, I was trying to save my strength as much as possible.”

Riviera muttered.

She knew.

That this fight was not everything.

The real fight was with the Heavenly Lord.

And even she couldn’t properly fathom how strong the Heavenly Lord would be.

That was why she had intended to conserve her strength if possible.

“But I guess it can’t be helped.”

This monstrosity couldn’t just be left alone.

It had to be shattered when it could be shattered.

Because it was an eyesore just by looking at it.

“Kwoooooooar!”

The giant suddenly swung both its arms wildly.

It looked clumsy, but these were attacks that could turn a mere human into a bloody mess with just a graze.

It was the terrifying power brought by its overwhelming physique.

But Riviera flew around, dodging all those terrifying attacks.

And.

“Hmph.”

Riviera finally cast her magic.

A blood-red beam shot out from Riviera’s hand.

A seemingly insignificant magic.

It seemed even more so because the opponent was a giant.

However.

*CRRRRAAAAAACK!*

When the red beam hit its abdomen, the giant fell backwards with a loud crash.

As if knocked down by a powerful force.

*THUUUUUUUD!*

“K-Kwoooar?!”

The giant, groaning in pain and bewildered.

It seemed to completely fail to understand why it had ended up like this.

“K-Kruuuuuuu!”

However, it soon let out an enraged roar and stood up again.

“Tsk, unnecessarily tough.”

Riviera grumbled.

Blood magic, cast with full intent from the beginning.

Its power was enough to shatter even a steel golem.

But that monstrosity was different.

It flaunted its unscathed body, as if insisting not to be compared to mere golems.

“The Heavenly Lord has created some interesting things.”

If this was the case, she had no choice but to use more power.

Until that monstrosity shattered.

“They say there’s no stone head that won’t break after ten strikes.”

Riviera earnestly asserted through a very strange proverb, as if to show that she too was a proud graduate of the top academy.

This time, her hand drew a spear of blood.

A long spear that looked several times larger than her small body.

She brandished it spiritedly and then charged straight at the giant.

“Kwoooooooar!”

The giant, of course, tried to shoot Riviera down intensely.

A tightly clenched, massive fist.

That fist swung wildly, threatening Riviera’s life.

“Haam.”

However, Riviera, even yawning nonchalantly, nimbly dodged the frenzied punches.

And.

“Physical magic.”

Uttering words that felt somewhat awkward, she thrust the spear of blood into the giant’s chest.

*CRRRRAAAAAACK!*

“Kuooooooar!”

Letting out a screaming roar, the giant helplessly tumbled backwards.

*THUUUUUUUD!*

The giant lay on the winter earth once again.

It fumbled to get its massive body up, but Riviera was not watching idly.

Riviera had already approached the giant’s overwhelmingly large head.

She then mercilessly and repeatedly stabbed the giant’s skull with the spear.

*Thwack! Thump! Thwack! Thump! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*

A sound of impact that sent shivers down one’s spine.

“Ke-Kek! Kek! Keeeeek! Keeeeeeeeek!”

A bizarre roar, never heard before, erupted from the giant’s mouth.

Even without understanding the meaning, anyone could realize that it was feeling immense pain.

*Thwackthwackthwackthwackthwackthwackthwackthwackthwack!*

Then.

*CRACK!*

Finally, the giant’s skull couldn’t withstand it and shattered miserably.

Like a broken watermelon.

*Shudder!*

The giant trembled violently.

But it was the final struggle before death.

Soon, the giant went limp.

Only then did Riviera’s hand stop.

“As expected.”

She muttered with satisfaction.

However, blood was flowing from her palm, as if it had been scraped.

The giant, with its own toughness, had managed to inflict one small blow.

Though it was a meaningless story, as it itself had been completely shattered.

“Oops, no time.”

Riviera, tapping her head, moved towards the north city wall again.

* * *

“Well done, thank you!”

As soon as Riviera approached, Elaine said with a bright smile.

But Riviera immediately blurted out.

“This isn’t the time.”

“Huh?”

Elaine blinked her wide eyes.

“What do you mean by that?”

“It’s best to go to the academy quickly now.”

“To the academy? W-What about here?”

“It’s fine here now even without Miss Top Student.”

Riviera still called Elaine “Miss Top Student,” even though it had been a while since she graduated.

She had to consider it fortunate that the nickname had changed from “Miss Rival” to “Miss Top Student.”

Anyway, that statement itself wasn’t wrong.

As long as Elaine defended without major damage and Riviera shattered the biggest problem, the giant, the North Gate was not a force that would fall to the undead army.

However, there was no way she could accept that as it was.

“No, but still, we don’t know how the situation will turn out…”

“The situation has already erupted.”

“E-Erupted?”

“The other gates won’t be able to hold out much longer and will be breached soon.”

It was accurate information, as she had already assessed the situation on the other sides before coming to the North Gate.

“T-Then that’s even more of a problem, isn’t it? The North Gate is also in danger!”

Elaine’s urgent voice rose.

If the other defensive lines were breached, the enemies would flood into the Holy City like a wave.

Then the North Gate would also be in danger.

Because they could be attacked from both front and rear.

“No, it’s fine. The enemies aren’t targeting here. It’s the academy.”

Riviera stated firmly.

Even so, it wouldn’t be easy to move based solely on that assertion.

However.

Elaine remembered.

That Max had said the same thing in his letter.

That if defending the North Gate became difficult, they should come to the academy.

Of course, the North Gate hadn’t been breached.

But in the current situation, the value of defending the North Gate had significantly decreased.

Because enemies would be pouring in from the other gates.

“…Hmm, alright. I’ll do that. What about Riviera?”

“I have other things to do.”

“Other things to do?”

“Yes. I need to be Max’s eyes.”

Elaine immediately understood the meaning of those words.

Max, preparing for a surprise counterattack from underground.

But being underground posed a problem.

The inability to quickly grasp the situation on the surface.

However, if someone on the surface acted as his eyes instead.

Max, who was more adept at situational judgment than anyone, would surely be able to respond quickly and appropriately.

“Yes, I’m counting on you.”

“Me too.”

The two of them quickly exchanged glances.

Glances filled with more emotion than words.

Glances possible only because they were friends.

Elaine winked and moved first.

A faint but clear smile lingered on Riviera’s lips as she watched.

* * *

South Gate.

The South Gate was collapsing.

Because of the undead army pushing in with sheer numbers?

Or because of the giant’s terrifying stone-throwing attack?

Those two reasons existed, but what decisively brought down the South Gate was fratricide.

The 2nd Holy Knights, stationed in Hilai, the second city of the Church.

How could they, who absolutely could not move without the Pope’s order, be here?

A middle-aged man with a kind-looking impression.

It was because of Elden, an executive of Red Rain and also a bishop of the Church.

Elden, whose specialty was mental manipulation.

He had been subtly taking control of Hilai for a long time in preparation for the day of judgment.

He hadn’t dared to come near the Holy City because the Saint was there.

That, ironically, turned out well for him.

Because he was able to remain safe and unscathed when chaos erupted in the Holy City due to Armin’s incident.

And finally, he had come to the Holy City like this, leading the forces he had taken control of.

“Hahaha, good! It’s a holy war! If you can lead this holy war to victory, you will enjoy eternal happiness in heaven!”

Elden shouted, laughing.

Words so absurd they were preposterous.

But it didn’t seem to sound that way to the 2nd Holy Knights.

“Holy war!”

“Only for the holy war!”

“God is with us!”

“Wipe out all the demons!”

Shouts engulfed in madness.

They genuinely believed that this battle was a holy war against demons.

Because the mental manipulation, subtly performed for a long time, had corroded their brains.

The fanatical charge of the 2nd Holy Knights.

Because they were members of the same Church, the defenders’ response couldn’t help but become passive.

That created the current situation.

A situation on the verge of collapse.

*Clang!*

Eventually, the South Gate was forcibly opened by the invaders.

“Haha, well done! Charge straight into the academy, which is overflowing with wicked demons!”

Elden’s satisfied shout said it all.

* * *

West Gate.

The situation there was no different.

Because it was hell in a different sense.

“Kuaaaaaaa!”

“M-My eyes! My eyes!”

“I-I can’t see anything! D-Daaaaamn iiiit!”

Holy Soldiers with black blood streaming from their eyes.

Anyone could tell that they were not in a normal state.

It was poison.

A very cruel and terrible poison.

And that poison had been spread on the bodies of the undead army.

The undead were basically resistant to poison.

So, the poison spread on the undead had spread, and the Holy Soldiers facing them at the front had been poisoned.

A vicious but effective method.

The one who created that hellscape was a grotesque man.

A man wrapped in bandages all over his body.

Hound, an executive of Red Rain and a poison master.

The worst poison master, said to be able to combine and use all the poisons that exist in the world.

“Hmph.”

Hound watched the collapsing West Gate with an indifferent expression.

Because it was a matter of course.

By his poison, the city gate would collapse, the academy would collapse, and in the end, even the Saint would collapse.

Sister Marianna, watching the scene with bloodshot eyes.

As if she could no longer stand by, she reached for her sword, but someone stopped her.

A white-haired old man.

It was Sigmund, the second-in-command of the Guardian Knights and, with the first-in-command position vacant, the de facto leader of the Guardian Knights.

“Without a way to counter the poison, it’s just a meaningless action.”

“But…”

“We must retreat for now. And then find a way somehow.”

“…”

Marianna couldn’t answer.

Because she couldn’t deny that it was meaningless if nothing changed even if she went out and sacrificed herself.

“Even so, how…”

“Honestly, I don’t know either. But isn’t there someone you believe in? Perhaps that person can offer some solution.”

“Ah.”

Marianna’s eyes blinked rapidly.

Although the Saint was in the worst condition, that person was definitely there.

That person could be trusted.

Because even the Saint had acknowledged him.

If it was that brother…

Marianna’s hands clasped tightly.

“Understood. Quickly.”

* * *

The situation desperately called for the strength of one person.