Chapter 58 : Wyvern’s Nest (2)

Dragons had always been a source of both fear and awe for humanity—a sentiment well-documented in ancient texts. 

This reverence wasn’t merely symbolic; the sheer power of a Wyvern alone was proof enough.

Even an average knight couldn’t hope to stand against one, and even the elite knights of the Kingdom of Minesse would find it exceedingly difficult to fight a Wyvern one-on-one. 

Perhaps only the Royal Guards could manage such a feat.

But the real problem wasn’t merely their strength—it was the inherent disparity of domains. 

No matter how high the walls were built, beneath the open sky, they might as well not exist. 

The heavens, after all, were the most formidable shield of all.

From those lofty skies, Wyverns could unleash destruction with impunity. 

To those bound to the ground, Wyverns were nothing short of a natural disaster. 

Even the chivalrous Kingdom of Minesse was no exception to this fact.

Of course, if Saintess Jeanne had been in full possession of her powers, there would have been ways to deal with this. 

For instance, she could have teleported directly into the Wyvern’s nest, or used reflection magic to turn its attacks back upon itself.

There were indeed means of countering the Wyverns—if Jeanne’s powers had been intact. 

But for reasons unknown, she couldn’t use her powers as they were now.

“What is happening to me…? The Goddess would never abandon me…”

For a brief moment, the thought crossed her mind that the Goddess might have forsaken her. 

But Jeanne quickly dismissed the idea. 

If the Goddess had truly abandoned her, she would have disappeared entirely without a trace.

Yet, for some inexplicable reason, whenever she attempted to summon her divine power, her body would tremble, and she couldn’t focus properly. 

This sensation wasn’t entirely unfamiliar to her; she had experienced it before.

“Could it be… Lana Frost? Did that woman do this to me?!”

That was the only explanation she could think of. 

As much as she hated to admit it, ever since that day—when she had approached Jackal to claim it—her simulacrum had encountered something at that place.

Afterward, it had vanished into unconsciousness, and with it, the memories of whatever it had witnessed were buried deep within her mind. 

Jeanne herself had no recollection of what transpired.

What she did know, however, was that whenever she looked at Wolfgang, an unshakable fear welled up within her, as though her very soul trembled. 

That fear had left an indelible mark on her, one that persisted to this day.

And it was likely because of that lingering trauma that, at this critical moment, she found it incredibly difficult to use her powers. 

Jeanne bit her lip in frustration.

Still… it wasn’t as though she had no options left.

Jeanne hadn’t spent the past decade idly. 

In preparation for the Wild Hunts that descended upon the kingdom every ten years—and for other unforeseen crises—she had taken measures.

Artifacts.

Objects imbued with magic or powers akin to magic. 

These items were known as artifacts. 

Though the term was often broadly applied to anything unusual or extraordinary, true artifacts were far rarer.

In the years she had prepared for emergencies, Jeanne had created numerous artifacts, imbuing some of them with fragments of her divine power. 

Many of these artifacts had been bestowed upon the Royal Guards and knights.

But Jeanne herself retained several such artifacts as well. Now, she retrieved one of them: an artifact imbued with the power of lightning.

INDRA-VAJRA.

Despite its grandiose name, it was surprisingly small and unassuming—a beautiful ring that glowed with a soft blue light. As Jeanne slipped it onto her finger, sparks crackled loudly, arcs of lightning coursing through the air.

She raised her hand and clenched it tightly toward the heavens. In response, dark clouds began to gather, roiling and thickening until they blotted out the sun. 

Lightning rained down from the sky, aimed squarely at the Wyverns.

CRACK! BOOM!

The effect was immediate. 

The powerful bolts of lightning reduced several Wyverns to ashes in an instant. 

But it wasn’t enough. 

Many of the Wyverns remained unscathed, their numbers still overwhelming.

‘…I’ve only managed to take down a few Wyverns, and yet, I’ve already consumed so much power. If this continues, the artifact’s energy will run out before long.’

The Wyverns were formidable opponents even under optimal conditions. 

But in her current state, where her usable power was severely limited, Jeanne realized she had no choice but to go straight for the leader.

The Nest of the Wyrms was as enormous as its name suggested. 

Even as it hovered high above the ground, it appeared to the onlookers below as a floating island.

An airborne fortress—that was the only fitting description. Jeanne, with INDRA-VAJRA snugly on her finger, concentrated every last ounce of the artifact’s remaining power into a single point, forging a colossal spear of lightning.

When the massive spear of electricity was complete, she hurled it toward the Wyvern’s nest with unrelenting force. 

The lightning bolt struck like a thunderclap, and the sheer impact tore through the air with an earsplitting roar.

The blinding flash and deafening noise left many of those below momentarily stunned, unable to see or hear. 

Such was the might of Jeanne’s attack—an overwhelming display of destructive thunder power.

However, if it had been that simple to defeat, it would never have earned the title Ruler of the Skies, nor would it have been deemed humanity’s ultimate nemesis.

As the smoke cleared, the creature re-emerged, entirely unscathed. Its massive form was unchanged, just as it had been when it first appeared over the kingdom. 

Jeanne’s face momentarily twisted in disbelief.

“That… that can’t be… There’s no way it came out of that attack without a scratch!”

Despite having used an artifact, it was still an assault powered by her divine authority. 

The thought that it had left not even the slightest mark was almost incomprehensible.

But this was no ordinary nest; it was the broodmother of the Wyverns, the leader of their swarm—a being revered by its kin and feared as a force of nature.

Now, the creature’s enormous eyes turned toward Jeanne, narrowing as they locked onto the one responsible for the attack. 

Unlike the other futile strikes launched against it, Jeanne’s assault had been strong enough to draw its ire.

It was an expression of hubris, not unlike the humans who once sought to defy the gods by building the Tower of Babel.

Jeanne’s instincts screamed at her to deploy every remaining artifact in her arsenal. 

She had to stop the impending catastrophe—otherwise, countless lives would be lost.

But then, she saw it.

A fiery beam cleaving the sky, hurtling toward her.

Meanwhile, Wolfgang’s decision to intervene was motivated by two main reasons.

First, if Jeanne and her faction successfully eradicated the Wild Hunt, her influence would grow even stronger. 

Her already considerable power and authority were a constant thorn in his side.

If her influence grew further, she could become a true kingmaker, capable of toppling even the likes of Crown Prince Jaiha with a mere word. 

Such a shift in power could upset the delicate balance of the court.

Second, and perhaps more pressing, the monsters themselves were terrifying. 

Their appearance alone spoke of unrestrained brutality. 

Wolfgang decided it was best to eliminate them swiftly, leading to her bold action.

The Wyverns, once rulers of the skies, began to fall like ash, their dominance obliterated by the blazing heat of the comet-like beams Wolfgang summoned.

The scene below was one of stunned awe. 

Nobles and commoners alike craned their necks to the heavens, witnessing the overwhelming defeat of the Wyverns.

Finally, one of Wolfgang’s beams streaked toward the Wyvern’s nest, its trajectory unmistakable.

“Wait! Surely, they’re not going to collide head-on, are they?!”

“If they do, it’s the end for them!”

“Dear heavens! Someone has to stop this madness!”

The fear was not unfounded. 

Why were Wyverns considered humanity’s nemesis? 

Because even with all of humanity’s power combined, they were disasters beyond comprehension.

No magic, no weapon, nothing had ever truly conquered a Wyvern’s nest.

But to charge directly at such a nest? 

To the onlookers, it appeared to be nothing more than an act of suicide. 

After all, that was their common sense.

BOOM!!

At that very moment, the accepted “common sense” began to crack. 

The citizens and nobles watching the scene, as well as both Jaiha and Jeanne, couldn’t believe their eyes.

What had seemed like a suicide mission now transformed into something else entirely. 

The thin line of light turned into a massive ball of flames that collided with the Wyvern’s nest, producing an earth-shattering explosion.

But the real shock came next. 

The nest, which had been considered an undefeatable, absolute disaster—the nemesis of mankind—was now screaming as it was forcibly sent flying into the heavens.

The meaning of that was crystal clear.

One human, a single individual, had pushed the Wyvern’s Nest out of the sky.

It was not that the nest had never been defeated by humans in the past. 

A few legendary heroes had managed to defeat the Wyvern’s nests in the past. 

But to force it out of the sky?

That was an unprecedented feat.

A truly unprecedented record in history.

And it was happening right here.

A legend was being born.

‘If I drop it here, everyone below will die. I’ll push it away and then finish it off.’

This was the thought of one lone individual—whose care would decide the fate of countless lives.