Chapter 409

*Swish! Swoosh!*

Invisible blades repeatedly tore through the air.

It wasn’t just that they were invisible that made them tricky.

They were sharp, fast, and heavy.

Just by exchanging a few blows, one could realize that the opponent had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

*Clang! Kang!*

However, Empress Oscar did not back down and clashed swords.

Because she too was a human who had reached a level where she wouldn’t think of losing to anyone in swordsmanship.

“Hehe.”

Her blood boiled.

It couldn’t be helped.

Because this was the first time she had faced an opponent of this caliber.

The problem was.

This wasn’t an opponent she could take lightly.

It was an opponent she had to fight with all her strength.

She could already feel a hot flush spreading through her body.

It wasn’t a bad feeling.

If it weren’t for her heart.

Her congenitally problematic heart was not in a state to endure prolonged movements at full strength.

‘It can’t be helped.’

The Empress made a decision.

She had to withdraw before her heart was strained.

*Kagagagagak!*

The two swords, entangled from a distance.

It was possible because the Formless Sword was a ridiculously famous sword whose length could freely shrink and expand.

Therefore, gaining an advantage in a battle of distance against Natasha was almost impossible.

Only Hiresia, whose main weapon was unusually a bow, had managed to maintain a stalemate in the past.

The Empress herself knew that her attempts to close the distance hadn’t been very successful.

But it didn’t matter.

Because now, she had no intention of closing the distance to settle the score.

‘Let’s send them off for now.’

The Empress’s sword, which had been clashing with the Formless Sword, moved strangely.

It was a deflection.

A movement imbued with the subtlety of yielding to overcome strength, the Empress’s specialty.

*Kiiing!*

Natasha’s sword twisted slightly.

“Petty tricks.”

Natasha changed the direction of her sword again and immediately prepared her next attack.

However, in that fleeting moment, an opening was created for the Empress to unleash the technique she had in mind.

*Boom!*

A foot stomp completely different from the usual Empress, whose specialty was a weightless movement technique.

Not stopping there, the Empress’s body rotated once.

And.

She struck the earth with her sword.

*CRRRRAAAAAAAAASH!*

An enormous explosion, enough to shake the ground.

Dust rose like a whirlwind, blurring the vision.

*Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack!*

The sound of something splitting.

It was the earth that was splitting.

A single sword strike that cleaved the earth.

-Earth Cleaver.

It was one of the Empress’s secret sword techniques.

And it wasn’t just the earth that was being cleaved.

*Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack!*

The undead positioned along the line of the slash were also mercilessly split apart.

“Ugh, you foolish bastards! Scatter to the sides immediately!”

The messenger, grasping the situation, urgently shouted.

Only then did the undead move frantically.

But it was clear that they had fallen into momentary confusion.

Leon and Alfred were also staring blankly at the astonishing scene created by just a single sword strike.

“What are you doing?”

The Empress’s voice roused them.

“Yes…?”

“W-What do you mean, what are we doing?”

“Let’s bounce now.”

Having said that, the Empress was the first to quickly start fleeing backwards.

A ridiculous sight, completely unbecoming of someone who had just unleashed an enormous blow that shook heaven and earth.

It was clear that she had intended this from the beginning.

She had a plan all along.

And only then did Leon and Alfred’s minds snap back.

“R-Run!”

“Y-Yeah!”

The two of them also fled backwards with all their might.

An event that occurred while Red Rain’s army was momentarily thrown into confusion.

Natasha’s expression turned to one of disbelief, as if at a loss for words, and the messenger’s face flushed with anger.

“Advance immediately!”

The messenger’s furious voice echoed.

* * *

The 4th years, who had bought time with the Empress’s unexpected action.

Thanks to that, they gained a moment to regroup at the 6th defensive line.

They, having finished their preparations and waiting for the enemy with tense faces.

However.

It wasn’t the enemies who approached them.

“L-Look, the president and Leon are coming back!”

“W-Where, where!”

They were excited by the unexpected good news.

It couldn’t be helped, as they had thought they would surely lose their lives.

“Ooh, really!”

“Y-You’re alive, you bastards!”

Joyful shouts.

And then they spotted another.

Another presence.

“Everyone, I’ve come too.”

A beautiful woman, like a doll with blonde hair and jade-green eyes, with a radiant smile.

It was a very familiar smile.

“P-Princess?! N-No, Your Majesty?!”

“I-Is that really Her Majesty?!”

“H-How are you here?!”

Reactions full of surprise.

It was natural for such a reaction, as the Emperor of the Empire was right before their eyes.

And it wasn’t just surprise.

A feeling of gladness and poignancy welled up in everyone’s chests.

Although they couldn’t be together until the end, she was a precious classmate with whom they had spent three years.

Because such a classmate had appeared here, in this dangerous place, for everyone’s sake.

It was a true friendship that couldn’t be expressed simply by the word “close.”

“Hmph, you’re late, you unlucky Empress.”

Slain chided.

However, even on his expression, a feeling of warmth could not be hidden.

“If you’re moved, just say you’re moved honestly.”

Lucia clicked her tongue and remarked.

“W-Who said I was moved!”

“Who else but you.”

“H-Don’t talk nonsense!”

His flustered appearance, unbecoming of the Fangs of Slaughter, showed everyone that Lucia’s remark was correct.

“Hehe, fighting like lovers again. Aren’t you married yet?”

The Empress added another remark to that.

Both their faces instantly turned beet red.

“N-No! Absolutely not!”

“W-W-What kind of ridiculous thing are you saying!”

Slain and Lucia desperately denied it.

Smiles appeared on their classmates’ faces.

Anyway, thanks to that.

The atmosphere, which had been excessively tense, was definitely able to loosen up.

“Alright, alright, everyone prepare yourselves! The enemies will be swarming in soon!”

Alfred instilled tension again.

However, a different kind of hope lingered in the 4th years compared to before.

Because their friends, whom they thought had died volunteering for a sacrifice, had returned alive, and a powerful supporter they hadn’t even thought of, the Empress, had joined them.

“Yeah!”

“Let’s stop them at all costs!”

“We’re all going back alive!”

Morale-boosted shouts.

New hope began to circulate among those trying to save the world.

* * *

A fierce resistance, with renewed determination.

Nevertheless, it was difficult to stop the advance of the far more numerous enemy.

If it weren’t for the Empress’s joining, it wouldn’t have been strange if they had already collapsed.

Still, the 4th years were holding out to the very end, even as they were pushed back to the 9th defensive line.

“Damn it, we can’t be pushed back any further from here!”

“This next one is really the end!”

Next was the final, 10th defensive line.

If that was breached, the enemies would advance unchecked and slaughter the juniors who had not yet finished retreating.

That couldn’t happen.

They had to buy time for a safe retreat until the very end.

The problem was.

The enemy’s momentum was still like a raging tide.

Human wave tactics.

Only those who had experienced it could know the fear of enemies that didn’t decrease no matter how many were killed.

“Ugh, just a little more!”

Alfred gritted his teeth.

If it had been another defensive line, he would have given up by now, but he couldn’t give up on this defensive line.

Because the next one was the last defensive line.

“Uwaak!”

“Kuuuh!”

The screams of the 4th years.

Unfortunately for them, casualties were increasing.

Because they were exhausted.

No matter how much they were praised as the Golden Generation, the fatigue from continuous battles weighed down their bodies like lead.

“Any more is dangerous!”

Eventually, Camian shouted.

Because he realized that a crack had appeared in the defense.

“Everyone, fall back!”

The Empress also shouted.

Unlike usual, her breath was a little ragged.

Her heart was gradually reaching its limit.

“Kuuuh.”

Alfred’s face contorted.

But it couldn’t be helped.

Now was the time to retreat quickly.

“Everyone, to the 10th defensive line…”

It was when Alfred was about to spit out the words with a heart that felt like it was coughing up blood.

“Huh?!”

“W-What’s that?!”

Suddenly, an anomaly occurred in the enemy ranks.

The enemy ranks became somewhat chaotic and noisy.

Everyone could tell at once.

That it was no ordinary matter.

It seemed as if they had fallen into confusion.

“W-Wait a minute! Everyone, hold on just a little longer!”

Alfred urgently changed his instructions.

* * *

Having broken through several layers of the dark barrier, we finally arrived at the rear of the enemy’s main force.

There was no more hesitation here.

We had to strike, unconditionally.

The Heavenly Lord’s counterattack?

That was something to deal with when it happened.

It was unthinkable to dither when we had teeth capable of tearing at their rear.

We had to bite first and see.

“Everyone, charge!”

I shouted, raising my hand high.

And I, at the very forefront, charged towards the enemy lines.

The rear was getting closer.

As expected, it was full of skeleton soldiers.

However, the cornered bastards were not a problem at all.

Those bastards were troublesome when they relentlessly continued their disgusting charge like endlessly multiplying cells.

The current bastards just needed to be beaten down vigorously.

*Thwack!*

My blade cut down three skeleton soldiers simultaneously.

*Crunch! Crack! Thump!*

The resident unit, clad in armor, also mercilessly shattered the skeleton soldiers.

And finally.

*Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!*

From behind, the Elven warriors inflicted damage on the rear formation with a rain of arcing arrows.

An attack that further confused the bastards.

It was a perfect combination of close-quarters charge and long-range attack.

On top of that.

“Hmph.”

*Boom! Bang!*

Riviera’s magic, exploding here and there, shook the enemies to their core.

A triumphant smile appeared on my lips.

“Keep pushing like this!”

* * *

“This… damn it.”

The messenger’s face hardened.

Natasha’s eyes also narrowed.

“It means they broke through.”

“How could they have already overcome the technique His Heavenly Lordship personally employed…”

“Shouldn’t you ask him yourself?”

Natasha’s gaze turned towards the Heavenly Lord.

A being still shrouded in black aura, just like in the hideout, whose appearance was still unrecognizable.

That being opened its mouth.

-It was merely a temporary measure anyway.

The demons, created by expending a considerable amount of power openly.

Compared to those demons, the dark barrier was nothing more than a trivial technique.

But of course, there was a reason.

Because expending more power here was not what he desired.

The true decisive battle was, after all, at the place where the Saint was.

Continuously expending power until then was naturally not desirable.

Even so, leaving the annoying bastards in sight now was also not good.

He had to take action.

-I will go myself.

The Heavenly Lord’s decision.

“H-His Heavenly Lordship himself?!”

The surprised messenger.

However, the Heavenly Lord’s decision did not change.

-Rats biting at the rear must be killed before it’s too late.

Finally, the Heavenly Lord was about to reveal his power directly.

* * *

*Shiver.*

An incredibly ominous feeling.

Since I was sent into this world, this was the first time I had felt such an immense sense of foreboding.

Goosebumps rose all over my body.

My instincts had sounded a warning even before I activated my hero’s intuition.

My judgment was instantaneous.

Because I trusted my senses.

“Everyone, fall back immediately! Hurry!”

* * *

-…

When the Heavenly Lord arrived, Max and the combined forces had already fled far away and disappeared without a trace.

-…

The Heavenly Lord seemed to have turned to stone.

-This dog…

It seemed like he had uttered some curse, but it wasn’t clearly audible.