Chapter 396

Chapter 396

For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

Episode 396: Wah! Ba-rat! (2)

Reckless Roar.

They were an Evil God burdened with the great sin of wrath, an easily understandable being that was violence itself.

They once raised a massive Greenskin army and invaded Solaris, even reaching the point right before its complete fall…

But they were interrupted by me midway, and in that gap, they were utterly crushed by the rampaging Solari, losing half of their massive forces.

The rest, with the help of the Boiling Silence, managed to secretly escape just as they had come.

But look at this sight now.

There were many mountains, so you couldn’t see the horizon… but anyway, monsters and cultists filled the entire view.

Their numbers were so great that, thanks to the torches they held, even in the dark dawn, it didn’t feel dark at all.

Even if the snowball effect didn’t happen to this extent, their numbers seem greater than the relatively intact forces of Grotesque Proliferation.

Of course, that didn’t mean they weren’t dangerous.

Cardinal-level cultists and large monsters were definitely strong… but having grown by defeating two Evil Gods in a row, they weren’t enough to make me feel threatened.

More than anything, it wasn’t just me here right now.

There were my companions, who had been getting noticeably stronger lately, as well as the walls and siege weaponry built over a long time by top-notch artisans.

Even if the dwarves disliked Faye, they weren’t stupid enough to just stand by and be defeated by an Evil God.

…Right?

Even if it was a little unsettling, we should be able to handle this much. If so, this wasn’t a crisis but rather an experience point event.

What level of system reward would I get for stopping this attack?

It might be jumping the gun, but my heart was already pounding as I opened my mouth.

“Iris, Professor Iona. Please follow me.”

“Just what in the world are you planning to do, Master?”

“Hey, hey. Do you know that Student Yandel’s expression looks reaaallllyyyy wicked right now? If a stranger saw it, they’d be terrified, you know?”

Iris tilted her head with a slightly disgusted expression, and Iona giggled, pointing towards Ryubeubina.

I shrugged at them and sighed.

“That’s too much. I was only thinking of bombing from the air.”

“Hmm… indeed, unleashing wide-area magic from the air is an effective tactic. If it’s the three of us, we can prepare advanced magic while flying, making it even more so. However, there’s a serious problem with aerial combat.”

“You mean that we could be targeted by all the enemies at once? It’s okay not to worry about that this time. Those guys’ long-range attack capabilities are abysmal.”

As a martial arts-focused Evil God, the Reckless Roar’s bestowed divine power was also simple and powerful.

Anyway, it made one tough and strong. On top of that, they had stamina that never ran out until the battle ended.

The incredible level of physical enhancement was a miracle and divine power in itself… but that didn’t mean it granted ranged abilities.

Flying high would solve most of the problems.

Just like how the Grotesque Proliferation could gain an advantage against most intelligent beings… especially elves and beastfolk.

The Reckless Roar might be strong against close-combat warriors or sturdy fortresses, but they had bad compatibility with high-level magicians.

“I don’t know how their numbers swelled, but the more magic we pour out here, the better.”

“Hmph… that sounds like you’re taking the Evil God too lightly.”

“If Student Yandel is the one saying that, then it’s a different story, right?”

I chuckled at their positive reactions and added.

“I appreciate the trust, but it doesn’t mean it’s absolutely safe. They probably know they’re weak at range and have made some preparations. Like javelins or ballistae.”

“Javelins are one thing, but ballistae… Are you saying monsters can handle tools to that extent?”

“No. It’s the cultists, who have become as strong as the monsters, who are firing them.”

That was how it was when we fought in H&A. If you’re careful about a few ranged attacks, they’re basically sturdy punching bags.

Of course, there was an existence that could overturn all those situations.

The Reckless Roar descending on their apostle.

They could kick off the air with force to achieve pseudo-flight, and their size was so enormous that they could reach the maximum flight altitude just by reaching out.

They were the kind of opponent you had to be prepared for once they took to the skies…

“Whether it’s appointing an apostle or descending, the current Reckless Roar won’t be able to do either.”

Not just anyone could become an apostle, and descent was only possible because the Grotesque Proliferation’s divine power was special.

The Reckless Roar, who didn’t have any particular skills other than strength, had to honestly tear through the seal to come out, but in the current situation, that was infinitely close to impossible.

That was because they started the war much earlier than planned, so they probably hadn’t weakened the seal much, and they wasted even the power they had in Solaris.

“Carla, Elisha, and Helena, please defend the walls. Senior Faye… please evacuate to a reasonably safe place. Ryubeubina? Can I ask you a favor?”

“…I will definitely protect Lady Faye safely.”

“Good. Then let’s go.”

I placed one leg on the wall and crouched slightly.

Crack.

A chilling sound came from within. Along with a sensation of something being overturned at its roots, wings sprouted from my back.

Following that, horns and a tail emerged, completing my dragonization, and I glared straight ahead with heightened senses.

“Let’s see what you’ve got.”

I threw myself towards the empty air.

The wings formed through dragonization actually had a flight function.

Of course, it wasn’t like flapping them to fly, but more like a magical engine that would automatically lift and steer my body when I injected mana into them.

I knew about this ability since I tested it as soon as I got the wings, but this was the first time I was using it in actual combat.

“It’s better than I thought.”

Especially the fact that I could focus solely on attack and defense without worrying about flying was good.

Nodding inwardly, I focused my gaze on the approaching forces. The first thing I saw was a dwarven woman at the front.

“Astrid, is it?”

I couldn’t see her expression or face clearly, but given the circumstances, it could only be Astrid. Judging by the fact that the surrounding monsters weren’t hostile towards her, it seemed certain that she was a traitor.

However, targeting her first would be too wasteful.

She was cloaked in Invisible, but casting proper magic would immediately dispel it. It wasn’t really worth using the first, guaranteed hit just to catch Astrid, was it?

There would be a symbolic meaning to capturing a traitor… but right now, we needed to focus on reducing the actual number of troops.

Also, judging by the aura I felt, she was probably around archbishop-level at best. If so, she would be likely to get caught in the crossfire and die if we just blasted wide-area magic.

It was when I flew a little further to target a densely packed area of large monsters or high-ranking cultists…

“Huh?”

Upon closer look, the composition of the monsters was a bit strange. I didn’t notice immediately because of the red torches, but the proportion of Greenskins was lower than I expected.

Instead, beast-type monsters, amorphous monsters, and patchwork monsters that looked like chimeras were mixed in here and there.

“Those are of the God of Tainted Unity lineage…?”

Now I understand. Even with their great reproductive ability, there’s no way the Greenskins could have multiplied this quickly. I wondered what they did.

They joined forces with the God of Tainted Unity and attacked?

Both were Evil Gods who had suffered a lot of damage from me, but if their forces combined, it would have to be on this scale.

Come to think of it, the system did warn me to be careful since the remaining Evil Gods were taking me seriously as an equal enemy. So this was what it meant.

Two martial arts-focused Evil Gods, who seemed like they would never join forces, scraped together their respective armies and cooperated.

This was something that would never normally happen.

“Tsk. This is a bit troublesome.”

The Void Devouring, a representative divine power of the God of Tainted Unity, could attack from a distance, but it wasn’t enough to hit us flying high up.

However, the chimeras under the God of Tainted Unity were a different story.

Since they were modified for specific purposes, there must be some specialized for long-range attacks within that countless army.

I stopped for a moment and looked at Iris and Iona, telling them about the slightly changed plan.

“So, rather than stubbornly pouring down magic as initially planned and taking risks, let’s hit and run, unilaterally attack, and then return.”

“Understood.”

“Uh-huh. You mean after casting the first spell, we have to keep moving without stopping, right? Got it!”

Each of us took our positions and began chanting. The mana grew stronger and stronger. The thin barrier of Invisible shattered in the fierce currents swirling around us.

The lingering echoes of mana spread around us in an instant.

The magic wasn’t complete yet, but the sheer amount of mana gathering was enough to put considerable pressure on them.

Indeed, even though it was dark and hard to see, the monsters accurately looked up at us.

When the cultists mixed in between gave some kind of instructions, the monsters swiftly formed ranks.

They were faster than I thought. At this rate, a few attacks might fly our way before the magic is even complete.

So, I took a deep breath.

I probably didn’t need to adjust it appropriately like I did at the Yareunshade mansion.

Containing the overflowing mana and sharply honed will, I roared.

“[Wah, ba-rat!!]”

An intangible force pressed down on the ground beneath. The enemies who were hit by Dragon Fear stopped what they were doing and began to tremble.

Weak monsters prostrated themselves flat on the ground, and even the stronger ones couldn’t avoid flinching.

In the meantime, it was only natural that Iris’s and Iona’s magic would be completed.

“Elemental Burst!”

“Țepeș…!”

A massive white explosion overturned the ground, and blood-red stakes fell among the panicked enemies.

Thorn vines that sprouted from the stakes pierced the living monsters and cultists, greedily devouring blood.

Just as small buds formed at the ends of the thorn vines that were engulfing the battlefield along with screams…

“Punishment.”

A greatsword resembling a cross fell.