Chapter 60: A Last-Ditch Effort?

Flash!

Kaboooooooooom!

Contrary to expectations, the holy light that fell from the sky failed to break the two witches' shields.

"Kyaak!"

"Damn the Temple……!"

However, it was enough to make the old woman cough up blood again and disrupt the red-haired witch's blue flame.

Rattle.

Thud.

'Keuk.'

In the eyes of Muno, who had thrown a chain at the approaching ground to balance himself in the air and land, the source of that power was visible.

- As if the dogs of the Temple……!!!

Below the magicians who were neurotically gathering their demonic energy again.

Twenty Holy Knights, who had risen with the corpses of their comrades in a wretched state.

The holy light they poured out while shedding tears of blood filled Muno's vision.

One corpse per person, as if to match the numbers.

Muno's eyes widened at the sight, which looked as if one Holy Knight had taken the brunt of the explosion for another and died.

"By the blood of our brothers……!"

"We shall exterminate the adversary of God……!"

"O, God, protect us!!"

Whooooosh.

The moment they gathered in a circle and laid down the bodies of their comrades.

Flash.

The sacred radiance that soared into the sky became a meteor shower and began to fall toward the void where the magicians existed.

It was a sight that shattered Muno's common sense that holy power only had the abilities of healing and defense.

'That's…….'

A clear and powerful energy that I was sure even an ordinary person's eyes could see.

And as if to prove it.

- Self-sacrifice……!

- You crazy bastards……!!?

The magicians' gazes turned to the sky, and several layers of shields shot up from their bodies, blocking the meteor shower.

Kaboooooom.

Bang!

Bang!!

A dazzling sight, as if stars were twinkling on the ground in broad daylight.

The inquisitors.

The ones Muno had only perceived as an inconvenience had created a dramatic turning point in this battle.

'Now!'

Rattle.

Muno took the opportunity to try and leap into the air again with the help of his chains.

But at the same time.

'Huh?'

He saw two knights who had soared up from the opposite side first.

Maier, wearing armor that looked like it had been reduced to rags for some reason, and Chloe, who looked relatively unscathed.

The two 4-Star knights were lightly rising to the height of about 30 meters where the magicians existed, without a chain platform(?) like him.

'Huh?'

Their trajectory was a bit strange.

Both Chloe and Maier were leaping in a straight line toward the magicians, even amidst the shower of holy light meteors.

Sure enough.

He saw one of the light meteors, which had become a stray shot, pass the magicians and directly hit Chloe.

“No way……!?”

The moment a scream escaped his lips.

Flash.

Whoosh.

Chloe, who had been directly hit by the meteor, instead of being shocked and sent flying, had a flushed face.

'……Huh?'

Flash.

Maier, who was subsequently hit by another meteor, also seemed to be recovering rather than being damaged.

'What is this……?'

When he naturally turned his gaze.

He saw the meteors that had fallen to the ground extinguishing the fire on the ground, which was burning from all sorts of magic, and causing new sprouts to grow.

'To think something like this is possible…….'

It was a miraculous sight, like watching a game skill that only damaged enemies and healed allies.

And a miracle is called a miracle because it passes by in an instant and disappears.

He could guess that this ability of the Holy Knights would not last long.

'I'll end it here.'

The moment he made up his mind, Muno gathered the scattered pieces of metal from all around and once again created a giant two-handed sword.

The moment the greatsword, still similar to his father's Slayer but much larger, was in his hand, he kicked off the ground with all his might and jumped high.

His leaping body reached its apex and immediately began to fall, but it didn't matter.

No, it was actually better.

He had already jumped with that assumption and calculated the angle.

The magicians' gazes turned to him once again.

Their surprised and distorted expressions.

“That bastard……!?”

And the bright yellow lightning and blue flames that were about to pour out from their hands again.

But now, they were not a threat to him at all.

The saying that magicians were physically weak meant the same as their reactions being slow.

The reason they floated in the air and bombarded the ground from one spot was not much different.

'It's over…….'

Rattle.

With a triumphant smile, he sent out his chains and was about to swing his sword.

But the first strike was not his to take.

“By the blood of my brothers!!”

The moment Maier, shouting as if he would cough up blood at any moment, drew his longsword.

He, who had spread two pairs of radiant wings from his back and accelerated in the air, overtook the soaring Chloe and rushed toward the magicians.

And the blazing holy light from his drawn longsword struck the magicians' shields.

Flash.

Kaboooooom!

The sword strike, like an exploding meteor, slightly cracked the several layers of shields and immediately died down.

But at that moment, as if by prior arrangement, two arrows flew through the gap in the cracked shield.

Chloe's arrows, shot from right behind Maier, at close range to the magicians.

They accurately lodged themselves in the old woman magician's body.

Thwip, thwip.

“Aargh!!”

Then, the several layers of shields were instantly disrupted.

Rattle.

The two black chains that had flown in a step late melted away even the remaining shield in an instant, and a giant black two-handed sword struck down on top of it.

Crack.

“Keureureu……”

‘I cut her properly!’

The moment he felt it in his hand, he saw the old woman, who had been cut diagonally from her left shoulder, roll her eyes back.

And an extra.

‘Hmm?’

The red-haired witch, who had used the old woman as a shield to block Chloe's arrows and even dodge his sword strike, was whispering something in the old woman's ear.

'That person's will? Fate?'

He tried to read her lips with his concentration heightened in the sensation of the surroundings flowing slowly, but he couldn't understand it clearly.

But while doing so, he saw one thing clearly.

A blue flame being shot from the witch's hand that was extended toward him.

'Damn it……!'

It was too close to dodge.

Rattle.

Muno sent the two chains that extended from his legs toward the witches.

The other two he extended toward the approaching blue flame.

And.

Crunch.

'Damn it.'

Seeing the leg chains wrap only around the old witch, contrary to their purpose, Muno crossed his arms to block his chest where the blue flame was flying.

But.

Bang-------!

The moment the blue flame swallowed the chains and directly hit his armor, an intense pain shot through his entire body.

“Keuaaaaaak!”

He had expected it, but the enhanced chains and armor after the 3rd evolution could not block the blue flame.

Rather, the left arm and armor, which began to melt almost without a time lag, just like the one chain that had melted in an instant, and the armor on the right arm and chest that was still slowly burning, and the hot face, only created an immense pain.

He could feel that death, the grim reaper, had come right up to his nose at that moment.

However.

‘Like hell I’ll die like this!!’

Crunch.

Muno, who gritted his teeth even amidst the dizzying pain, focused his mind on the chains on his two legs.

The two chains that had wrapped around the old woman converted a huge amount of demonic energy and created a massive amount of Origin Mana.

At that moment.

Crrrack.

The left arm, which had been reduced to bone and seemed about to break, was restored as it was, and the melted armor also began to be restored at a rapid pace.

But that didn't mean the blue flame that had engulfed his entire body just disappeared.

As the body and armor were repeatedly destroyed and regenerated, the pain only grew stronger than before.

“Keuuuuuh……”

In the midst of a pain that made it impossible to come to his senses, he was focusing only on absorbing energy to live.

At some point, the blue flame that had engulfed his entire body suddenly disappeared.

“Keu……?”

Whooooosh.

At the same time, he could finally feel the cold wind again, and it felt like his vision, which had seemed to be melting, was returning to normal.

On top of that.

Crrrack.

His broken body was completely restored.

Click.

Rattle.

Only after feeling his armor was perfectly restored could he perceive the surrounding situation with his full senses.

And the first thing that came into his sight was.

“Ugh?”

The shriveled-up corpse of the old witch falling like a mummy, Maier who had jumped up again at some point and was swinging a sword laden with holy light, and Chloe who was shooting arrows. And…….

It was the figure of the red-haired witch who had once again become a red meteor and was soaring into the sky.

Crunch.

'I can't let her get away…….'

He tried to move his barely recovered body, even by force.

But at that moment.

Bang!

“Keoheok!”

A mind-jolting shock struck his entire body.

And only then did he realize that he had fallen to the ground without any plan.

“Muno!”

“It's not over yet……!”

He could see Chloe, who was changing her direction toward him while falling, and Maier, who was shouting from behind her.

‘Damn it, I let that bitch get away again…….’

He tried to force his body up amidst the surging anger.

Maier's frantic expression came into his view again.

And also what was in the direction he was constantly gesturing to.

'A corpse?'

It was the corpse of the old woman witch who had sacrificed her own body to restore Muno (?).

Thud.

Plop.

A mummy-like corpse that made almost no sound even when it hit the ground.

'Why is that……?'

The moment he had the question.

Pshhhh.

A huge black circle with a strange pattern drawn on it appeared, centered on the spot where the corpse had fallen.

At the same time, a huge amount of demonic energy suddenly surged.

“Damn it……!”

Maier, who had landed at that moment, broke out in a cold sweat and roared at his subordinate Holy Knights who were sitting down.

“A high-ranking witch has offered herself as a sacrifice!”

His shout, which he let out with his slitted eyes wide open as if his pupils would be visible, was filled with a thick sense of disgust.

At his voice, the Holy Knights, who seemed about to collapse at any moment, flinched.

And.

“Brothers! Even if we all die, we must deal with the piece of the devil that comes out of there! Everyone, line up!!”

The moment Maier shouted again, straining his voice.

Even the Holy Knights, who had seemed exhausted, stood up from their spots with determined expressions.

And.

Pshhhhhh.

The black smoke that had burned up the old woman's entire body disappeared.

Whoosh.

A black portal opened in the center of the black magic circle that had been created with a radius of about ten meters.

But.

“Everyone, ch-arge…… ugh?”

Maier's expression, as he shouted with a determined look, wavered.

The size of the portal was small.

And.

“Kyaaaak!”

What came out of that small portal was a humanoid monster the size of a dwarf, which was only known through stories.

A small monster with something like blades instead of hands.

Maier, who saw it, came to his senses again and shouted.

“It's a magic circle where a high-ranking magician became a sacrifice! It might have a different power than it looks, so……!”

……No way?

Rattle.

Muno, who could feel the size of the demonic energy, shot out his chains without paying any attention to those words.

And.

“Kyaaaak!”

Ting!

Crunch!

The small monster tried to flick away the weight of the chain with its blade-like hand, but its head was smashed in as it was.

Plop.

A worthless monster not even worth eating.

It was just as Muno had expected.

“What is this……?”

As Muno's bewildered gaze and the Holy Knights' dejected eyes turned to Maier.

“No, this, this can't be……?”

Maier just looked back and forth between the monster's corpse and Muno with a confused expression.