Episode 640 This Feels Like a Leisure Trip 2

Their appearance was horrifying. Their heads looked like human faces forcibly transplanted onto bat skulls. Pale and bloodless like a corpse, their skin was stretched tight, with blue veins visible like thin threads over their faces.

When they opened their mouths, their cheeks split apart, revealing hundreds of razor-sharp teeth. Their tongues, forked like a snake's, dripped with black saliva that fell incessantly from their tips.

Instead of hair, they had writhing tendrils sprouting from their heads, moving as if alive. Their torsos were grotesquely elongated, a fusion of a human upper body with the lower half of a bat. Bones jutted out from their ribcages, piercing through the skin.

There were so many of them, they seemed to form their own forest. With their ability to fly, they swarmed quickly and latched onto the soldiers. Their enormous size gave them tremendous strength, allowing them to devour their victims.

Even the hardened elite soldiers of the North, who rarely flinched at anything, grimaced at the sight of these monstrosities.

"Ugh... what are those things?"

"Worse than the Grex."

"Is there anything this forest doesn't have?"

Sweat formed on the soldiers' hands. It wasn't fear but a visceral, instinctual repulsion to the sight of the creatures.

Screeech!

As described in the records Ghislain had read, the monstrous bats darkened the sky as they swarmed.

There seemed to be tens of thousands of them, ranging in size from as large as a grown man to half that size. Even the smallest were far larger than regular bats, making them no less grotesque.

Since they could fly, the bats were faster than Rift beings and didn't soar too high, making it easy for them to dive onto the clustered soldiers.

An ordinary army would have been overwhelmed by such a sudden and aggressive attack.

Unfortunately for the bats, they had chosen the wrong opponents.

"Hup!"

Rumble!

Jerome extended both arms, and the monstrous bats, which had been spreading wide, were suddenly forced together as if an invisible force was compressing them into a central point.

Screech!

"Flame Strike."

Vanessa, waving her hand and murmuring softly, unleashed a massive pillar of fire where the bats had clustered.

Boom!

Screeech!

Other mages poured their mana into powerful spells without hesitation.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Fireballs flew in all directions, and lightning struck down from the sky. The monstrous bats were obliterated the moment they got close to the Northern Army.

Bats continuing to pour from the back were pierced through by a relentless hail of arrows.

Screeech!

The forest before them was already ablaze, flames spreading rapidly.

Ghislain leapt forward, shouting, "Control the fire now!"

The mages, previously focused on the bats, redirected their mana to extinguish the spreading flames. The inferno was quickly brought under control.

The remaining bats seized the opportunity and surged toward the soldiers.

The superhumans spread out, forming a defensive line in front of the soldiers. Ghislain, however, charged ahead alone.

He had already informed the others that this time, he intended to unleash his full power.

Boom!

Ghislain stomped the ground forcefully, extending his sword.

Rumble!

The world seemed to move with him.

As his blade cut through the air, the swordsmanship of ancient heroes from a thousand years ago was revived in his hands.

Flutter!

The bats continued flapping their wings but were unable to advance any further.

It was as if time itself had frozen, or they had been ensnared in an invisible spiderweb. The bats hung suspended in mid-air.

Hummmm...

The flow of the world shifted. A powerful energy radiated outward, as if a thousand years of time had condensed into a single moment. The bats were caught in the vortex of this overwhelming force.

Ghislain's sword moved slowly, almost as if he were dancing. Wherever his blade went, the bats were drawn to it.

The soldiers' eyes widened in astonishment. Even the superhumans couldn't conceal their amazement at the extraordinary sight.

Screeech!

The monstrous bats, now clustered together, moved in unison with the arc of Ghislain's sword.

Once they were tightly packed, his sword flashed.

Boom!

A portion of the bat swarm exploded violently.

Ghislain's blade didn't stop. It cut through the air, moving like a whirlwind of destruction. It seemed as though he wasn't wielding the sword but dancing alongside a thousand years of history.

His technique no longer fit within the boundaries of any established swordsmanship.

It was as stealthy as a shadow yet as heavy as a knight's blade. It was as free as the wind yet as ferocious as a volcanic eruption.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions echoed continuously. Each movement of Ghislain's sword caused the bats to burst apart.

Although they tried to move, it was as if they were trapped within the domain of his will, unable to escape.

Ghislain had merged the techniques of the heroes from a thousand years ago with his own, forging them into a single, unified style.

The essence of every swordsmanship perfected over a millennium had fused into one, transforming into a completely new art through his will.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Screeech!

The bats screamed in vain as they were torn apart.

A streak of blood ran down Ghislain's nose. The cold air of the forest seeped into the red trail, but his determination burned hotter than ever.

"Just a little more."

After his battle with Aiden, he had briefly touched upon a new realm. As Arterion had said, he had only grazed the threshold at that time.

Now, however, with the Saintess's aid, he had truly stepped across that boundary.

Although still at the beginning stages, Ghislain had finally entered the domain achieved by the heroes and apostles of a thousand years ago.

"Just a little more."

But it still wasn't enough. In his dreams, he had seen the power of the heroes and adversaries he would face.

Even the other heroes and apostles of that era stood at the pinnacle of the realm Ghislain had just entered.

He needed to push himself to the absolute limit, to grow stronger—strong enough to surpass them all.

Boom!

Ghislain's eyes glowed red. The darkness swirling around him spun violently, as if caught in a storm.

Using Dark's amplification, he pushed his power to its very limits.

Boom!

In a fleeting moment, the world seemed to stop. Time itself appeared to halt as everything held its breath, focused solely on the arc of Ghislain's blade.

His sword slowly traced a line through the air.

And then—

Flash!

The darkness enveloping him vanished. At the same time, the entire swarm of bats, now tightly packed together, turned to ash and scattered in the wind.

Thud!

Ghislain collapsed backward with a satisfied smile.

"Sir!"

"My lord!"

"Your Highness!"

"Commander!"

"Hey, hey, hey!"

The onlookers, all shouting different titles, rushed toward Ghislain. Their expressions were a mix of awe and concern.

They already knew how rapidly he grew stronger, but within just a few months, he had once again surpassed his previous limits.

His astonishing rate of growth, coupled with his reckless fighting style, left them all speechless.

Ghislain lay unconscious, blood dripping steadily from his nose, a faint smile lingering on his face. He had pushed himself to the absolute limit, confident in the strength and protection of his allies.

His close aides clicked their tongues as they looked down at him. Clearly, he had once again overexerted himself in the name of training.

However, the soldiers and workers saw things differently.

"Wow... he's incredible."

"So that's the true power of the Duke."

"No wonder he's considered the continent's strongest."

He had single-handedly reduced tens of thousands of monstrous bats to ashes. At this point, even titles like "superhuman" or "master" felt inadequate.

What could they possibly call a man who had transcended human limits to such an unimaginable degree?

Their faces lit up with a newfound sense of belief. With Ghislain leading them, they felt they could overcome any obstacle.

The Northern Army's morale soared higher than ever. Their hearts were filled with reverence and inspiration.

Julien, too, felt an unfamiliar emotion stir within him as he watched Ghislain fight.

― The one to settle things with you will be me. Not now, but someday. People seem to be curious about who's stronger, after all.

"Who's stronger, huh..."

Why? Why did those words, which he had never cared about before, suddenly come to mind?

He had never thought of himself as the strongest on the continent. To be honest, he hadn't even been interested in such comparisons.

But now, something had changed.

"Why...?"

Why had the sight of Ghislain's sword made him grip his own tighter?

The swordsmanship was astounding. Even Julien wasn't sure he could block that blade.

But this wasn't just a simple desire to test his strength. Julien wasn't someone obsessed with victory or defeat.

His thoughts were a tangled mess. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what he was feeling.

"Why...?"

Why had he imagined himself crossing swords with Ghislain?

It wasn't as if he had any reason to fight him.

Julien shook his head, trying to dispel his thoughts. Lately, he found himself distracted by trivial things.

Spending time with Ghislain was slowly changing him. Whether this change was good or bad, he didn't know.

What he did know was that his life was no longer as monotonous as it had once been.

And these emotions he was feeling for the first time in his life...

"They're not bad."

Spending time with everyone like this felt far less lonely. Perhaps this was what people meant by joy.

Julien decided to hold onto these good feelings.

Meanwhile, Piote poured divine energy into Ghislain, diligently healing him. Within moments, Ghislain opened his eyes.

"How was that... pretty amazing, right?"

Still pale, he spoke with a smug grin, only to be met with a heavy sigh from Belinda, who thumped her chest in exasperation.

"Why can't you ever do things in moderation? Ever since you were young, you've never known when to stop!"

"This was just... a light warm-up..."

"You'll warm yourself right into an early grave at this rate!"

Belinda began scolding him relentlessly. Ghislain, turning his head to the side, pretended not to hear her.

While others marveled at his feat, Kaor was the exception.

"Why'd you hog all the action? Now I didn't even get a chance to show off my skills!"

Lately, Kaor had been growing anxious. He'd fought for over two months in front of countless onlookers, yet felt like his skills paled in comparison to everyone else's.

He had even counted how many enemies he defeated during battles, only to realize he had taken down the fewest.

This constant focus on numbers had affected his concentration. Despite being a superhuman, his lingering feelings of inadequacy persisted.

Recently, his aura blade had started flickering again, which only deepened his unease.

Ghislain clicked his tongue as he looked at Kaor.

"You keep worrying about pointless things, and you'll end up regressing."

"What?! How can you regress after advancing?"

"If the balance of the world shifts... you could lose your progress."

Kaor's eyes widened in shock. His anxiety intensified as he retreated to a corner, nervously biting his nails.

Ghislain smirked at the sight. It wasn't true, of course. He just wanted to scare him a little.

While Ghislain rested, the soldiers and workers resumed their tasks. Since they would eventually need to develop this land, it was better to make progress now.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Once again, they cut down trees and built wooden fortifications. The resources they gathered were sent back to their base, while any necessary supplies were brought in.

Watching the activity, Belinda remarked, "This forest really is vast. It's been over two months now."

Everyone nodded in agreement. No matter how smoothly the hunting and construction went, spending months working outdoors wasn't exactly easy.

The laborers had been rotated out multiple times. Back in Ferdium, there was no longer enough space to store the timber, prompting the hiring of additional workers to transport it to other territories.

Despite the increased workload, everyone was in good spirits. With resources piling up at an unprecedented rate, there was little to complain about.

Even the laborers were grinning, knowing that more work meant more pay.

"Our kingdom's already the wealthiest, but we're about to become even richer."

"And so are we!"

"Feels like money is multiplying out here!"

Once everything was organized, the Northern Army began moving again. Dark occasionally scouted the area, though with limited effectiveness.

― Screeech! Blew up again!

The forest was so dense with monsters that Dark's avatars, unable to fly high, were often destroyed before they could gather much information.

As they approached the center, the monsters grew stronger, though their numbers diminished. Even the largest groups numbered no more than a thousand, which the superhumans and elite soldiers of the Northern Army easily handled.

As they ventured deeper into the forest, the team began to discover astonishing sights.

"This... this is..."

"This was hidden in the forest?"

"What kind of place is this?"

Within this terrifying forest, they found remnants of civilization—structures that appeared to have been built by human hands.