“Boom—!”
The moment the Divine Guard landed on the ground like a meteor, it triggered a massive earthquake. Even a dozen kilometers away, the knight squad led by the Knight Commander heard the sound.
Unfortunately, they had no time for nervousness or fear. Their surroundings were completely filled with the new white dryads.
These white dryads were even harder than the black ones; normal swords could not even scratch them, and they could regenerate themselves.
Just two of these white dryads were enough to put the exhausted knights in a miserable state.
It was as if these dryads were connected to some massive energy source; unless the forest itself was destroyed, they would regenerate at any moment and rejoin the battle.
Only the knights in the squad who knew fire-attribute magic were able to temporarily suppress them.
With a shout, the Knight Commander charged forward with her sword raised, piercing through a white dryad's trunk and slicing it in half, finally bringing the battle to a temporary halt.
The black liquid had dissolved a portion of her blonde hair. She re-tied her loose hair back up.
“Run! They'll regenerate soon!”
“Commander, what was that explosion just now?”
“It came from the direction we're heading. It's extremely dangerous over there!”
“Could they be fighting a magical beast?”
Facing another dilemma, the Knight Commander knew it was time to make a decision.
Going forward was still dangerous.
Going back was a dead end.
Just then, a magnetic male voice echoed beside them. A man wearing a black cloak had appeared before them out of nowhere.
His hood completely concealed his face. He had a tall, slender build, but his silhouette revealed a lean, powerful physique that still maintained a gentlemanly poise.
For some reason, however, he hid his appearance.
“Keep moving forward. I can help you.”
“May I ask who you are, sir?”
“A fellow traveler from the Holy Academy. My apologies, but I cannot reveal my identity to ensure maximum safety. This place is filled with black mist and fraught with danger. Huddling together for warmth is our best option. Let us go; do not linger here for too long.”
Having spoken, he walked forward and vanished into the black mist.
Seeing this, the Knight Commander also made an immediate decision. “Follow him!”
They jogged to keep pace with the cloaked man.
“What exactly is your background, sir?”
Still somewhat uneasy, Geran stepped closer to ask.
“As long as we are at peace, it is best to maintain some mystery between us. I am a teacher—or rather, a formerly respected teacher of the Holy Academy. Deputy Paladin Commander Geran, have you seen a girl wearing a mask?”
“She's a student, right? I've seen her. She left in this direction.”
“Excellent.”
The cloaked man chuckled. This time, no matter what, he was going to kill that damn masked maid.
...
After Morgan summoned the Divine Guard, the battle seemed to turn entirely one-sided.
Its colossal body did not hinder its rapid speed; it could cover a distance of several kilometers in an instant. Six arms burst from its armor, spinning with its body to unleash attacks like a meat grinder.
Yet, it simply could not hit her.
Morgan had already known that such attacks would be useless against Tina. A crack split down the center of the Divine Guard's armor, which was then pried open like a walnut by some force, revealing the writhing, surging, and wailing energy mass within.
Morgan spun his baton, and those energy masses were compressed once more, transforming into countless scarlet chains that shot toward Tina at breakneck speed.
The burning, searing chains glowing with a crimson light wrapped around her body.
They hoisted her into the air. At this moment, Morgan believed he had already won.
Knowing his speed was inferior to Tina's, he had prepared this very strategy.
“Sacrifice: Soul Chains.”
A method to kill the opponent and extract the residual energy from their body, the chains—wrapped with sharp blades—aimed directly at Tina's heart.
In Morgan's mind, all he needed to do now was kill Tina, extract the magic and physical energy circulating within her body, and he could create an exceptionally powerful Phantom Guard.
However, the chains could not bind her for long; at most, they delayed her for a few seconds.
With a sharp snap, Tina broke free from the chains. She leaped high into the air, as if flying.
“Sacrifice: Phantom Guard! Colossus Guard!”
Morgan began to panic now, immediately summoning all of his guards.
He rapidly flew into the giant armor of the Divine Guard. Now, as long as he fused with his masterpiece, he would be safe!
The Phantom Guards materialized around him. This time, there were not just a few, but hundreds and thousands of them, forming a massive army. Floating in the air like ghosts, they resembled a scarlet wall, charging headlong at Tina.
It was a scene of a lone individual facing an entire army.
Tina casually sliced the Phantom Guards passing through her into two.
“Screeech—!”
“Hurry, chase her back! Don't just stand there!”
Unfortunately, these specters could not stop Tina at all.
In just a single exchange, she stepped over the wreckage of countless specters and stood right before Morgan.
By this point, one of Morgan's hands had already fused with the Divine Guard's armor.
With a clean slice, Tina severed his fusing arm.
“Aaargh—!”
“Do you have any other moves, Morgan?”
“You... damn it... I should have, should have burned you to death...”
“Slash—”
“...”
Only silence remained.
Tina slit his throat.
It was over.
【Host, beautifully done.】
【Even a Cardinal is no match for you. However, Phaetnis is escaping. Catch up to her and kill her.】
The battle had ended in less than a minute.
She immediately ran toward the tree wall, a task that was child's play for her.
On her way, she happened to run into Phaetnis, the escaping bishop.
She was currently planning to use Holy-Forged Ray as a tool to clear a path, slowly carving a way through the tree wall to the outside world.
But before she could even run very far, Tina caught up to her.
Phaetnis looked back.
When she saw the masked girl slowly walking toward her, an emotion she hadn't felt in decades surfaced on her face.
Fear.
The masked girl knew everything about her.
Yet she knew absolutely nothing about this person.
Suddenly, an unexpected event occurred.
A golden pillar of light dispersed the black mist, soaring into the sky.
The pillar of light was extremely far away from them, even beyond the tree wall, but only Tina and Phaetnis could sense its aura.
The golden pillar of light transformed into the shape of a sword, hundreds of meters tall. Radiating terrifying waves of energy, it slashed down toward the tree wall.
The tree wall melted almost instantly, opening up a path to the outside.
In just a matter of seconds, a woman stood blocking Tina's path.
She wore a simple outfit consisting of a white shirt and a grey skirt, her long blonde hair slightly messy, her proud figure healthy and beautiful. A wine gourd hung from her waist, and her fair thighs were faintly visible through her grey skirt. Upward-arching eyebrows and exquisite features came together to form her beautiful face.
“Cardinal Phaetnis, you should retreat first. Leave this one to me,” she said, her voice carrying a hint of laziness.
After looking closely to confirm, Tina recognized the woman's true identity.
The Sword God, Elcalan.
The founder of the Silence Style, and the strongest person in the world.
She was also Tina's former teacher.
Rate on N.U.
