episode_0169

Countless explorers who believe in me and press forward.

They advance, defeating every monster that charges head-on.

Perhaps Noah’s condition has improved a little thanks to me, as she gets up again and puts all her might into closing the portal.

Then, the portal gradually closes.

Could it be that they felt a little rushed because of that?

The black mages’ concentration begins to waver, and the portal starts to close even faster.

By the time this virtuous cycle of wavering concentration leading to faster closing repeats.

The front line began to be pushed back further and further.

Now the situation had completely tipped in our favor.

Only then did I feel relieved and.

“Ah, that was tiring.”

I lowered the Holy Sword.

“Why is this so heavy?”

I can’t even use a large sword because I lack muscle strength, but the Holy Sword is truly monstrously large.

How someone could hold this with one hand and swing it.

It’s a level I could never reach.

“……”

I looked at my lightened wrist.

The heavy St. Knight’s deck was nowhere to be found, only the remaining two decks were left.

Though I felt a little strange due to the reduced weight.

There was no big problem.

Rather, it was better that I could use holy magic freely, freed from the shackles of cards.

Receiving my blessings and shields, they continue the battle without a single casualty.

Even if the enemies specialize in wars of attrition, if this side suffers no attrition, it would mean nothing.

Indeed, the black mages, realizing they were defeated, began to flee quickly.

As they escaped, the portal began to close.

The gradually shrinking portal finally vanished, the remnants of the monsters that had come out of it began to powerlessly fade away, and the few remaining Sacred Spirits began to flee.

At that sight, everyone’s voices, certain of victory, began to be heard.

I withdrew my power.

“…You worked hard.”

As I stroked the head of Noah, who had lost consciousness as soon as the portal closed, the pained look on her face disappeared, and she soon began to fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.

*

It wasn’t just District 0 where a portal opened.

Portals in the guild branches in every district were created in reverse, and monsters appeared.

They say the fight is still ongoing at this very moment.

“I’m sorry to send you when you’ve only just woken up.”

“…It’s nothing.”

I expressed my apologies for having to wake Noah.

She seemed to understand to some extent as well.

She was still frowning as if her head hurt, but shouldn’t things that need to be done still be done?

Because if she didn’t overexert herself, countless people could die.

Noah seemed to know this too, and got on the horse heading towards District 11.

District 0 eventually fell into our hands after a never-ending battle.

As expected, it’s geographically important, so both sides put in their full effort, making it not easy to retake.

There were quite a few casualties.

I did think about what if I had gained strength sooner, but.

That’s speaking in hindsight.

Because if I hadn’t had a strong desire from the start, the Presiding God wouldn’t have answered either.

Rather than that, now is the time to talk about the future.

The news from all directions wasn’t very good.

Especially District 11, where Noah headed, it was simply chaos with attacks by Sacred Spirits, brainwashed Saint Knights, and even the black mages’ monsters.

But even so, District 11 was holding up quite well compared to other districts.

“If it weren’t for the Magic Tower, District 11 would have been pushed back long ago.”

“That’s true.”

To the point of receiving such an evaluation.

Indeed, because District 11 is firmly holding the west, they must be very frustrated.

Even though there is a Magic Tower, the reason for such surprising results is.

“Perhaps the previous District 11 raid incident helped a lot.”

“That must be it.”

At the time of the District 11 raid incident, they had already experienced fighting at the district level, but also.

After that, when rebuilding District 11, they arranged buildings and magic tools with battle in mind.

That’s why District 11 is practically one large battlefield.

And the Master of the Magic Tower, who possesses immense power and authority, also dominates the battlefield.

More than anything, there are lots of mages there.

“I wonder if the kids in our clan are alright.”

Unfortunately, communication magic isn’t easy except for high-ranking officials. So, news of the minor explorers couldn’t be known.

Well, there’s nothing to do but earnestly pray that they are safe and sound.

Just then, someone entered the tent.

It was the guild master who had recovered from his injuries.

“Are you feeling a bit better?”

“Haha, thanks to the Apostle, this old man’s life was saved.”

“Are Doppelgangers that strong?”

“The reason the 8th Floor field boss Doppelganger is strong is that it copies the strongest being nearby, but more than that, it becomes a plus alpha. Moreover, this old man is lacking in terms of stamina, so I couldn’t last as long as I thought and thought it would be a disaster.”

Saying that, the guild master patted his waist.

He says that, but without him, we probably would have been wiped out.

“At least it’s fortunate that we got District 0 back.”

“Indeed, thanks to this, the apostle of that evil god can move to close the portals in all districts.”

Thinking back to the scenario where we didn’t retake District 0 is truly horrifying.

Not being able to quickly close the portals opened in other districts would have led to accumulating damage, and a truly great crisis could have come.

“However, there is good news. News has arrived that soldiers from other countries have arrived one after another.”

“They arrived earlier than expected.”

Starting with this, reinforcements will continue to arrive.

And the momentum will gradually shift to our side.

Ultimately, it means we won the race against time, deciding whether reinforcements would arrive, or they would swallow up the Labyrinth City first.

“However, they say the way to get into District 1 hasn’t been found yet, right?”

“That’s true. We are blocking the attacks, but it would be meaningless if we don’t attack first.”

Blocking attacks isn’t everything.

As the saying goes, the best defense is a good offense.

However, no matter how much we search, we cannot find a way to get in.

“Isn’t there anyone who would know? If it’s the Presiding God’s apostle….”

“Actually, there is something. But….”

[Divine Agent]

I used magic to summon a Saintess and several other priests, but.

I couldn’t summon the Saintess.

Where she was supposed to be, another priest popped out.

And another thing I learned was the fact that the being appearing as a Divine Agent was a Sacred Spirit.

It seems like something even higher than an Elite Sacred Spirit.

If so, can I control the Sacred Spirits that are moving around now?

The possibility is sufficient.

Just then, another soldier entered the tent.

“Guild Master!!! They are releasing Sacred Spirits and brainwashed cultists from District 1!!!”

“…Is that such important news? Isn’t that obvious?”

“The numbers…!! You must see for yourself!!”

The soldier immediately took out a magic tool and set it up.

A screen briefly showing the situation of the battlefield was displayed there.

“Excluding District 0, the numbers have increased by a whopping 3 times across District 11, District 3, and even into District 4!!!”

“But why is District 0 quiet?”

“That’s….”

The soldier took a moment to catch his breath, then shouted loudly.

“Not a single Sacred Spirit or cultist has appeared in District 0!!”

The reason for that was immediately clear.

“Perhaps it’s because I am here. They don’t know how far I can use my power, having gained so much of the Apostle’s strength, even being able to wield the Holy Sword.”

It seems impossible to control the Sacred Spirits summoned by the Pope yet, but.

A shred of possibility. That alone would be a threat to the enemy.

“If I go to other districts….”

“That won’t do. Them wanting you to leave District 0 and go somewhere else is likely their desired outcome. They will likely launch a simultaneous surprise attack on District 0 from all directions.”

“Couldn’t I just return then?”

“That’s true. Then which will you go to, District 11 or Districts 3~4? If you choose one side, the other will likely be ravaged.”

“……”

“And isn’t your body in poor condition right now?”

“…That’s right.”

The guild master was a hundred percent correct.

It’s a little frustrating, but there’s nothing to do but trust everyone in the Labyrinth City and wait.

“Conversely, that means they have few options left now. I will lead the explorers myself and go to District 11. You protect District 0.”

With that, the guild master led the explorers and departed.

District 0 regained peace after a long time.

“Everyone is fighting fiercely in the distant districts, yet we’re doing nothing here. Can we afford such a luxury?”

Jack said, sipping on alcohol during a rare break. Kailer scoffed.

“Rest is also a part of battle. It’s the process of preparing for the next battle.”

“Yes, yes. You’re resting diligently indeed.”

While the two men were chatting like that.

I was completely sprawled out, lying flat on my back.

That was because my mana was completely drained.

“You haven’t rested much since the labyrinth. Your face is pale, are you sure you don’t need to sleep?”

“I’m fine. More than that, I’m worried about Noah.”

“…Your hair changed color.”

Luca kept touching my hair, which had turned white, as if finding it strange.

This is one of the changes.

Perhaps because I gained holy power, my brown hair turned white.

Because of that, I wondered if people wouldn’t recognize me.

But surprisingly, there weren’t many people in this world with face blindness.

No, perhaps the news about me had already spread everywhere.

Anyway.

The Holy Sword returned to the shape of a ring, and I can take it out anytime.

The St. Knight’s deck was bound to me, and I became able to use holy magic by consuming mana.

One might think, isn’t consuming mana more of a loss? But as the St. Knight’s deck was absorbed, the amount of mana also increased significantly.

Perhaps it unknowingly consumed mana to maintain the deck.

Well, anyway.

I expect the Elementalist’s deck and the Thief’s deck to follow a similar pattern.

‘Just what is that Necromancer’s deck that was at the very end?’

Well, the Presiding God will take care of it, I guess.

I decided not to worry about it much.

Right now, how to get into District 1 is more important.

Time gradually flows.

News starting from the portal in District 11 closing, to news that the portals in all districts are closing thanks to Noah’s power.

And the fact that reinforcements from various places are starting to arrive, and they are fighting against the endless stream of Sacred Spirits.

How much have they accumulated, I wonder? Doubts arise about the Sacred Spirits that keep coming out endlessly.

But the way to get inside District 1 is still completely unknown.

However, we haven’t been doing nothing during that time.

All the cultists subdued in all districts of the Labyrinth City were transported to me, and I was so busy releasing all of them that I lacked time.

Priests and clerics who had regained their senses gradually returned to the front lines, and soon soldiers from most countries arrived.

Countless soldiers arrived to respond to the unprecedented situation. Thanks to them, the battlefield stabilized and began to become fixed.

And around that time, Noah closed all the portals that had opened in the Labyrinth City.

So, finally victory!!!

Could not be said.

Because it’s not over until the Pope is drawn out from District 1.

Indeed, unlike Sacred Spirits who don’t feel fatigue, humans are bound to accumulate fatigue.

Very slowly, and surely, the war of attrition was working.

“What exactly are those endless Sacred Spirits?”

“Maybe they just regress after we think we’ve defeated them.”

Even among the cultists released from brainwashing, there was no one who knew.

The Master from the Magic Tower even came personally and investigated the shield surrounding District 1.

No matter what work they did, they couldn’t figure out what was covering District 1.

Ultimately, the protracted battle continues.

A fierce and brutal battle of endlessly pushing and being pushed, capturing high ground.

Thus, a day or two passes.

A feeling that meaningless time is flowing begins to set in.

Around the time the question arose: what does the Cult exactly want?

A piece of news arrived in the Labyrinth City.

“Breaking News!! Breaking News!!!!”

A soldier entered the tent where most of the high-ranking officials, including myself, the Crown Prince, the Guild Master, and the Master, were gathered.

“What is it?”

The soldier, breathing heavily.

He immediately looked at the Crown Prince, bowed his head, and paid his respects.

The Crown Prince immediately recognized who he was by his uniform.

“A messenger from the Empire, it seems.”

Could the Empire have hastily sent a messenger to tell us the secret of District 1?

If so, they wouldn’t need to do this and could just use a communication magic tool.

As doubts accumulated.

The messenger, who had been coughing hard, immediately caught his breath.

And cautiously opened his mouth.

“The Empire’s capital has fallen.”