Ch.169Chapter 169: Eastern Decisive Battle (37)

# Chapter 169: Eastern Decisive Battle (37)

Standing on Lilith’s platform, Valt received the small box handed to him by Lisa.

Inside the box, the ‘Eye of Glaceon’—a jewel with a piercingly blue hue—sat emanating a cold chill.

Valt’s golden eyes gazed down at the jewel.

“Is this the solution?”

“Yes, it’s an artifact given by Baron’s soldier. It can freeze the river. Then we can properly counterattack.”

Though it was practically stolen, Lisa didn’t bother adding that explanation.

Lisa hurriedly explained.

“But the problem is mana. They say it’s an artifact that consumes so much mana that it requires twenty 5th-circle mages. What do you think, Valt? Can you do it?”

The mana equivalent of twenty 5th-circle mages.

Even as she said it, Lisa found it absurd.

She had brought the artifact thinking Valt might be able to handle it, but he didn’t look well.

He appeared more exhausted than she had ever seen him.

“You don’t have to push yourself. The fog has lifted, and King Jerdin is going to eliminate the Orc King. Even if we lose ground here, once the Orc King is defeated…”

“Then it will be too late. Everyone here will die.”

“……”

Valt didn’t want to abandon the troops here.

It wasn’t because he had grown attached to them after fighting together briefly.

It was their spirit and warrior’s honor that moved his heart.

“But in your current state, your life could be in danger.”

If Valt were in perfect condition, it might be different, but if the current Valt used that much mana, he could face mana depletion—or in his case, physical exhaustion that could be life-threatening.

“Everyone is risking their lives. Lisa, Arias, Lilith. Didn’t you risk your lives to bring this?”

The moment they approached Valt had been extremely dangerous for them too.

Since Valt wasn’t in a position to use Amrit communication, they had no choice but to dive into the middle of the battlefield.

They had faced numerous spear attacks from the orcs, but they didn’t bother mentioning it.

As Valt said, everyone was risking their lives.

“Besides, I have this.”

What Valt showed was the special recovery potion that Ramrfo had obtained for him.

But even that wasn’t a cure-all.

“I need time to recover my strength. But I’m not sure if they can hold out down there.”

Valt’s gaze fixed on the fierce battle at the river mouth where he had been.

After the fog lifted, the orcs’ landing had accelerated.

The swamp Valt had created had long been neutralized, swallowing thousands of orc corpses.

Just then.

[Valt Gerung!! Do what you must do!!]

Lisa and Arias simultaneously turned with surprised expressions to look in the same direction as Valt.

There, a knight was looking directly at Valt’s group, shouting using his aura.

“I need time! Can you hold out?! No!! You must hold out!!”

Valt also replied to that voice using his mana.

Callex, a royal knight of the Oscar Kingdom.

Instead of directly answering Valt’s shout, he adjusted his helmet and muttered.

*Clank—*

“Is there even a choice, Barbarian Prince? That is my duty.”

He was a powerful knight who had reached the threshold of mastery, but he wasn’t someone who had natural talent with the sword from the beginning.

He was just a boy who admired knights and wanted to protect his homeland and people.

Born in a small village called Osodam in the Oscar Kingdom, he lost his parents and villagers to an orc raid in his childhood.

If not for a knight who happened to visit Osodam at that time, Callex’s life might have ended there.

Callex followed the back of that nameless knight.

And now.

Callex finally felt like he had become that knight from back then.

‘At last I can see your back, nameless knight.’

Even though dried orc blood clung to his helmet and armor, even though his mouth was parched with unbearable thirst, even though he could no longer feel the arm holding his sword.

A smile formed on Callex’s lips.

He naturally called out to those fighting alongside him.

“Soldiers of Oscar!! And comrades defending the East!!”

The shout of the master-level knight spread in all directions.

*Crack—!*

While crushing the skull of an approaching orc, Callex’s cry continued.

“I, Callex of Oscar! For twenty-four years as a knight of Oscar! I have lived my entire life as a sword protecting only Oscar!”

*Slash—!*

Callex cut down another orc.

“But now! I, Callex, will become a sword protecting the East! Comrades, will you let this green nightmare trample your families and friends?!”

*Swoosh—!*

Splitting another orc in half, Callex howled his final words.

“Fight! My comrades, my name is Callex Wellon! Born a commoner, granted the surname Wellon by the king, I am Oscar’s highest sword and the sword standing at the forefront of the Eastern Alliance! I will be the first to die!!”

And at that moment, Callex’s sword began to blaze.

Aura Blade.

Proof that he had seen the end of the sword.

[For the East!!]

Callex’s sword fell vertically upon the orc general who had just landed from a raft and was charging.

The orc general, unable to resist Callex’s Aura Blade, was instantly split vertically.

Even in the chaotic battle, his cry and prowess caught everyone’s attention.

The nations represented here were diverse.

Among them were even hostile countries.

But none of that mattered now.

Callex’s speech and his martial prowess ignited the hearts of the Eastern Alliance gathered here.

Without exception, everyone echoed Callex’s final words.

“For the East!!!”

“Uwaaaaaaaah!!”

The combined voices of each soldier roared like thunder, and the morale of the Eastern Alliance exploded.

Setting aside all conflicting interests, everyone united with the sole desire to protect the East.

At that moment, a miracle occurred.

The Eastern Alliance forces, which had been pushed back, were now pushing back the orcs.

A single knight had encouraged his allies and momentarily reversed the tide of battle.

Valt felt his heart grow hot watching this scene.

Without hesitation, he grasped the Eye of Glaceon.

“Impressive! Now it’s my turn.”

He had recovered his strength to some extent.

He could wait no longer.

Holding the Eye of Glaceon, Valt felt the small jewel frantically draining his mana.

‘Kuk, so this is truly an artifact.’

It wasn’t for nothing that it was kept in such a suspicious-looking box.

“Stand back. Hup!!”

Valt’s muscles tensed tightly as he gathered mana.

Valt’s arm began to swell, starting to contain tremendous mana.

But the swelling only lasted for the first moment.

Since the Eye of Glaceon absorbed Valt’s mana faster than his arm could swell, Valt’s arm quickly returned to normal.

Physical power to mana, elemental power to mana, life force to mana.

The Eye of Glaceon continuously devoured the mana being converted.

‘Damn… Did I underestimate the artifact too much? At this rate…’

Just as Valt’s hand holding Glaceon began to loosen.

A soft hand wrapped around Valt’s.

It was Arias.

“I’ll lend my strength too. Kuk!!”

“It’s dangerous, Arias. Let go…!”

But Valt couldn’t say more after seeing Arias’s face.

She was crying.

“No! Why must Valt always…! Don’t try to solve everything alone! I… I may be small, but I can help too!”

Then something amazing happened.

As Arias’s elemental power was added to Valt, his mana began to amplify.

And another hand covered theirs.

It was Lilith.

“How could a soul companion just stand by?”

The vampire’s life energy was also absorbed by Valt, causing another amplification.

Then Lisa’s hand covered them all.

“We can’t let Valt suffer alone! If we die, we die together!”

The Eye of Glaceon greedily devoured the mana of all four.

With the whirlwind and vibration of mana added, the situation became critical.

*Shuwaaaaaa—*

*Drrrrrrrr—*

“Kuuuuuugh!”

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

Their mana was already depleted.

“Kuk…! Something’s wrong! This much mana should be enough by now…!”

They had long surpassed the mana of twenty 5th-circle mages.

With Valt’s tremendous mana, Lilith’s mana close to 8th-circle, and Arias’s elemental power all poured in, there was no way it could be insufficient.

Was the method of use wrong?

The reason was unknown.

That’s because artifacts were shrouded in mystery.

The Eye of Glaceon didn’t stop devouring mana.

At this rate, all four could die from mana depletion.

The Eye of Glaceon had already become uncontrollable, and no matter how hard Valt tried to remove his hand, he couldn’t—the situation had become that dire.

‘At this rate, we’ll all die. A way to supply more mana…’

At that moment, an idea occurred to Valt.

“Do you all trust me?”

To Valt’s question, the three answered without hesitation.

“I trust you.”

“I trust you.”

“I trust you!”

Hearing their answers, Valt took everyone and jumped off Lilith’s platform without hesitation.

Lilith’s platform was on the verge of disappearing due to mana depletion anyway.

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

With hands wrapped around the Eye of Glaceon stretched forward, he used his last remaining elemental power to envelop everyone in a mana gauntlet.

Valt’s plan was to convert the falling energy into mana.

But suddenly, during the fall, Lisa shouted loudly.

“Uh, uwaaaaaa!! I, I never imagined such an end, but I enjoyed adventuring with Valt so much!! Even if I’m reborn, I want to adventure with Valt again!”

After Lisa uttered what sounded like last words, Lilith followed.

“Thank you for saving our race, Valt! I’m glad my final moment is with you!”

And finally, Arias.

“V-Valt, I love you!!”

“!!!”

“!!!”

As Lisa and Lilith were shocked by Arias’s bombshell statement.

The Eye of Glaceon was about to collide with the river surface.

The falling energy was enormous, and with superhuman concentration, Valt converted that moment’s physical force into mana.

And as the Eye of Glaceon collided with the river water, all the falling energy was converted to mana at that moment.

*Tuhwak—!*

The Eye of Glaceon, which had only been absorbing mana until now, suddenly began to release mana rapidly.

*Jeng—!*

*Jeojeojeojeojeojeng—!*

*Jeojeng!*

The released mana instantly began to freeze the river water.

*Jeojeojeojeojeojeojeojeng—!*