Ch.92The Beast That Heralds the End (3)

“Plock! Did you find the fairy there?!”

“No! I can’t see it!”

“Kuk… where on earth is that tiny fairy…!!”

It’s definitely alive since Life Detect confirms it.

There’s no way another living being could have entered this fierce battle.

The Hydra has fallen to Wrath’s hands, and the giant skeleton has long since disappeared.

Currently, Wrath can be seen moving toward where his siblings are after dealing with the Death Knights and Liches that were scurrying around at his feet.

While the Saintess and Plock were frantically searching for the fairy…

“Saintess!”

Plock’s urgent voice.

When the Saintess rushed over, there was a small creature on Plock’s hand.

Mary, the fairy who was dying from death energy, was lying on Plock’s hand.

* * * * *

A massive stone axe held in the hands of a gigantic Minotaur.

The appearance of a weapon similar to what late Paleolithic humans created by combining stone and wood.

It was a weapon they had seen continuously since the beginning of this holy war, but that was when Khan was 10 meters tall.

Now with the Wrath attribute activated, his size, which had initially reached 20 meters when first activated, now exceeded 24 meters.

The axe in Wrath’s hand also exceeded 15 meters in length, and seeing it raised high into the sky was reminiscent of the wars between giants and dragons in mythological times.

“Ha! This is the barrier used by the angel who follows the great Uldur! Do you think a mere monster like you can break through this sacred barrier?!”

An archbishop shouted at Wrath, seemingly encouraged after seeing that even an attack with a giant skeleton’s skull couldn’t penetrate the barrier.

His faith was so absolute that he truly believed it couldn’t be broken through; not a trace of doubt showed on his face.

Clang! Clang!

“No infidel can raise a sword against us who are protected by Uldur’s sacred light! Back away, foul creature!”

Encouraged by this, a member of the Holy Hammer Corps also provoked Khan by banging his hammer and shield.

No matter how much they taunted, they believed the monster couldn’t break this barrier.

In response, Wrath began to inflate his arm muscles to their maximum.

Gripping the axe with both hands, Wrath’s arms swelled to roughly the size of a two-story house as he pumped his muscles to their limit.

Creak…

As his arms swelled and he tightened his grip, the compressed axe screamed, and stone fragments fell, dirtying the ground.

Muuh…

When Wrath opened his mouth and exhaled, steam like that from a hot spring obscured his face.

Kuguugu…

Wrath’s two arms rose into the sky.

Kurung—!!

Black lightning struck the axe raised high in the sky, swirling around it, about to recreate the slash that had beheaded the Hydra and extended to the mountain on the opposite side.

“Hiiieek—!!! We’re going to die!! We’re going to die!!”

“Knock out the brothers and sisters whose Lion’s Heart has been broken! Trying to reapply Lion’s Heart will only cause continued mental confusion!”

“We’re going to die!! We’re going to—! Kek!”

Normally they would have subdued them with holy spells, but now was a time to conserve such holy power.

So they were forcibly knocking unconscious those who hadn’t used Lion’s Heart in time by striking the backs of their necks.

“Holy Spell Corps and clergy, cast defensive spells! Archbishops, join us!”

“Yes!”

Following Archbishop Pelosi’s command, various defensive spells were created outside the barrier. Everything from shields emitting light to El Rapim’s sacred barrier.

Whew…

As numerous barriers were established in a short time, along with the existing barrier, all members of the order felt relieved.

Muuh—!

The axe that had been pointing high into the sky descended to the ground.

Kwagagak—!

The descending axe easily tore through various defensive spells, and even El Rapim’s sacred barrier cast by the archbishops couldn’t stop the axe and was torn apart.

Kwaang—!!

The collision of the axe and the barrier.

The lightning imbued in the axe was released, devastating the surroundings, and the swung axe began a power struggle to shatter the barrier.

The El Rapim barrier deployed by 14 archbishops and one member of the Holy Spell Corps working together demonstrated why it was the pinnacle of Uldur Order’s defensive spells.

The barrier cast by the Saintess alone had a wide range but was broken by Envy’s power, but what they had now deployed was a barrier set up as narrowly as possible to accommodate only 4,000 people.

Its power to block those who didn’t follow the light was stronger than the barrier cast by the Saintess alone.

As a result, the strike that had beheaded the Hydra with a single blow and extended to the mountain on the opposite side was now stopped by El Rapim’s barrier, unable to advance further.

“Ha… hahaha…!! This, this is the power of the light that follows Uldur, monster! Your power is nothing against us who follow Uldur—”

Crack—!

With those words, cracks began to form in the barrier.

Starting from where the axe made contact, cracks spread across El Rapim’s barrier.

“Holy power! Pour holy power into the cracked areas to repair it! We cannot let that barrier break!”

With those words, Archbishop Pelosi was the first to emit light from his hands to repair the cracked barrier.

And following were beams of light.

Starting with the archbishops, all 4,000 people present were emitting beams of light with holy power to repair the barrier.

Holy light power as strong as staring directly at the sun. The light containing all their wishes and hopes seemed to be repairing the barrier.

It seemed to be repairing it.

Crack—!!

“Huh…?”

Along with the questioning voice of a clergyman who heard the cracking sound, the cracks in the barrier, far from being repaired by the strong light power, were gradually breaking apart.

Crash—!

And the barrier receiving the strong light shattered like glass, with fragments floating in the air.

And the barrier gradually disappeared.

Kwaang—!!!

“Kyaaak—!”

“Kyaak—!”

With the barrier that protected them gone, the axe released by Wrath with full force flew in, shattering the ground and sending hundreds to their deaths.

Mmrrrr…

When Wrath’s low growl echoed across the battlefield and that massive body moved…

“Wrath! No, Khan! Your fairy is in my hands!”

At those words, Wrath’s head turned, and there stood the Saintess, holding Mary in one hand.

* * * * *

“Ugh… Khan… Where’s Khan…?”

“Have you regained consciousness? Then keep your promise. Can you calm that huge creature down?”

“Khan…?”

“If by Khan you mean that Wrath, then yes. Please calm him down.”

At the Saintess’s words, Mary, who had been struggling to regain consciousness, gradually came to her senses and surveyed the battlefield.

And there she saw Khan, with four horns soaring high into the sky.

“That form again…!! I must stop him…”

When Mary saw that form and spread her wings wide to fly into the sky…

“You absolutely cannot go. You must keep your promise to me.”

“Let go…! I need to get to Khan quickly…!!”

“Yes. I’ll take you there, don’t worry. Plock.”

“Yes, Saintess. I’ll move right away.”

With those words, Plock, carrying the Saintess on his back, began running through the battlefield strewn with skeletal remains.

Their target was where Wrath was currently attacking the order’s members.

As they were moving, the barrier shattered and the axe struck the order’s members, and the Saintess and Plock arrived there.

“Wrath! No, Khan! Your fairy is in my hands!”

“Let me go…!!”

“Now…! If you don’t want your precious fairy to get hurt, kneel down right—!”

“Hah!”

Flash—!!

“Kyah!?”

“Saintess!!”

While being held captive, the Saintess who was holding Mary high and looking at Wrath suddenly lost her vision due to a bright light shining in her eyes.

Mary took advantage of this opportunity to deploy a protective barrier, escape from the Saintess’s hand, and approach Wrath.

“Khan!”

Wrath stared blankly at that sight.

His red pupils were not clearly visible due to the black lightning, but Mary felt his gaze upon her.

The fact that he wasn’t engaging in any destructive activity and was looking at her meant there was still a chance to bring him back to his senses.

Not wanting to miss that opportunity, Mary flew toward Khan using magic, and felt intense death energy behind him.

Death energy felt from far, very far away—so distant that it wouldn’t have been perceptible if Mary hadn’t been a grown fairy.

“Khan! Behind you!”

Mary shouted toward Khan, but Khan, who hadn’t regained his senses, was only looking at Mary.

And now the death energy was approaching rapidly.

Something wrapped in green flames visible in the distance was flying toward Wrath.

“Khan!”

Wrath responded and turned around, but the green flames had already flown right behind Khan.

“Fairy’s Step!”

Mary demonstrated her magic.

The magic that fairies used most frequently and that had allowed them to live away from human eyes.

Magic that she had never shown even to Khan was now unfolding before Wrath’s eyes.

Whoosh…

And now she would never be able to show it again.

“Muu…? (Me… ary…?)”

Khan, who turned his body looking for the suddenly disappeared Mary, saw a small object disappearing, engulfed in green flames.

“Khan… live… on…”

Mary’s very small voice, faintly audible to Khan’s ears.

With those final words, Mary disappeared, engulfed in green flames.

Kuung—!

Seeing this, Khan fell to his knees on the ground, watching the scene with a dazed expression… but Wrath, who had regained control of the body, did not just watch such a scene.

MMUUUUUUU—!!!!

Kwang—!!!

Kwaang—!!!

“Kyaaak!! Dodge…!!”

“Uldur, protect us with light…!”

As Wrath roared with tears flying, lightning struck the ground, and the earth began to shake as if an earthquake had occurred.

The order’s members did their best to protect themselves, but stopping a natural disaster was only possible for something beyond human, or perhaps only a god.

The storm of lightning turned the clergy to ashes, and the earthquake caused by Wrath’s roar sent the members of the Holy Knight Order and Holy Hammer Corps to the underworld.

With just a single roar, of the 4,000 members of the order, only a few hundred skilled individuals survived.

“What… is that…?”

And the survivors witnessed something unbelievable.

No matter how much they looked up, they couldn’t capture the creature’s appearance with the naked eye.

All they could see was a massive body that could be believed to be a giant from mythological times.

“Haha… Is this what Uldur predicted…?”

A body as large as a great mountain. Fists larger than huge boulders.

Clang…

Seeing this sight, the order’s members one by one lost their fighting spirit and dropped their weapons.

Even when their numbers were halved after being separated from Khan in the labyrinth, even when the undead attacked them, even when Wrath attacked them.

They who had never lost their fighting spirit were now losing it just by witnessing a single being, looking on with a sense of emptiness.

[Condition met. Beast of Apocalypse acquired.]