Chapter 200

The remnants of the fire demon, trailing long tails and undulating, scattered like sparks of counterattack and set the earth ablaze. The distortion of space and time, reminiscent of a scene from the apocalypse, refracted the glowing light and dyed the heavens and earth.

The discharge of the atmosphere, like gunfire, covered the mountains, and from between the dark red soaked clouds, brilliant beams of light poured forth. The convection of air, clear enough to be visible to the eye, expanded its domain vastly, centered on a single point in the south.

The successive vibrations from beneath the ground instilled an unknown fear in all living beings standing on it. The explosive energy that seemed to grip and shake the heart transmitted a suffocating pressure along the nerves connected to the spine.

Was it a flame of hope, or the prelude to disaster?

A mana that was both sacred and ominous, too much to be certain of either. That infinite power, difficult to gauge its depth, proclaimed to all of nature in the peninsula, trembling in fear, at once:

The one and only savior to confront absolute darkness.

The existence of judgment with sacred light had descended upon the land of despair.

Even the mountain birds hiding in the bushes sensed the danger and took flight all at once. The busy flapping of wings adorning the golden sky suggested that a moment of drastic change was approaching.

Cordelia, who had been conscious of the south throughout her confrontation with the monsters, turned her head following the eyeballs of the Sigal that had stopped in front of her sword, and looked somewhere.

Her red pupils momentarily lost their color due to the intense flash, and she stared beyond the glittering mountain range with a dazed expression, her gaze captivated.

The general of Parren, who had been cutting the necks of monsters nearby, also turned his head with a surprised face the moment he felt heat on his back.

In his view, even the black blood soaking the earth was brightening as if being purified. Furrowing his brow and reflexively raising his chin, he let out a word that sounded like an exclamation.

"Sol?"

Cordelia nodded unconsciously as she heard his voice carried by the wind. The name of the sun god, said to be the spiritual pillar of Parren, fit remarkably well with the unbelievable scene unfolding before their eyes.

That beam of light, drawing everyone's attention, spread in all directions, slowly driving away the aura of death.

The 8th Platoon leader moving the wounded inside the collapsed fortress, Flynn checking the status of the barrier stones under the orders of Deputy Commander Amos.

Charlotte wrapping bandages around Liner's motionless abdomen to stop the bleeding, and the members at the border zone as far away as the time the subjugation team had traveled.

All of them raised their heads and gazed endlessly at the sky pierced by light. The majestic presence exuding that brilliance stirred an inexplicable sense of elation in the hearts of all those struggling within the peninsula.

Delua lost her balance due to the fierce gust that blew in and stumbled, falling to the side with a thud. Kneeling on one knee and looking towards the source of the light, she exhaled a regretful breath between her trembling lips.

At the same time, clear tears silently flowed from her eyes, occasionally revealed between her fluttering hair, and fell onto her battle uniform with a plop.

These were not tears of anger and despair she had shed until just moments ago. They were the ultimate thrill and overwhelming emotion that could be expressed by the distant and dazed expression of humans when witnessing a magnificent spectacle or facing an overwhelming presence.

In front of Delua like this, Hugo, feeling the reversed flow of air with his entire body, became aware of his own pulse quickening as his thick Adam's apple rose and fell. Along with this, he felt the heavy pulsation spreading throughout his body and gauged the nature of the waves that made his skin tingle with each brush.

'What on earth is going on?'

This energy he felt now was clearly Leonardo's mana. The instinct within him, directed towards Leonardo, was certain that this was undoubtedly Leonardo Blaine.

However, that transcendent mana, so unbelievable as to doubt it came from the same human, made him question even the answer his instinct pointed to.

An overwhelming power difficult to comprehend even considering the restraint around his neck and his immeasurable title. It far exceeded the category of energy a human body could withstand.

He was well aware of his strength, but even in their battle that day when they had fought one-on-one for half a day, he had never felt mana of this magnitude. He wondered if Leonardo had been hiding his limits every moment he fought as part of the subjugation team, but he thought there was nothing to gain by going that far, and Leonardo had already been critically wounded in the long battle with the mother body.

Hugo was deeply concerned about Leonardo's condition as he was emitting this energy now. The end of the unstable mana bursting out explosively was reminiscent of a runaway.

Because of this, as he barely followed the edge of the sun with confused eyes, suddenly the monster's evil voice, as if gasping, stimulated Hugo's mind.

"It can't be."

At that moment, his furrowed blue eyes swiftly turned downward. The hideous monster of mountain-like size was also staring at the sky to the south.

But unlike before, the creature's momentum felt a bit strange. Its streamlined head, taking small steps backward and shaking left and right, trembled frantically with its red pupils fully contracted.

"It can't be, it can't be!"

At the mother body's voice that sounded as if it was frightened, Hugo's eyes narrowed as he stared at it. Following this, as if projecting that emotional state, a sharp roar echoed through the air.

At that moment, as if the queen's unstable psychological state had been transmitted to the others, the black horde filling more than half of the plains howled sharply as if thrown into confusion.

Eventually, the creatures clustering around the queen stirred violently as if about to break free from control, and among them, small dots began to fall away one by one, scattering rapidly like blood drops falling on water.

The mother body in the midst of this also spread its shriveled wings wide as if intending to move somewhere. The three people nearby gripped their weapons tightly to block its path, becoming much more wary of its movements.

Soon after, the monsters began to run madly across the wide plains towards the north. Hugo, who reacted to this first, raised the greatsword in his hand high towards the sky. Then, after generating and concentrating a fierce chill at the sword's tip, he aimed at the blackened wilderness and was about to strike down with all his might.

It was then.

Pyung-

Suddenly, the pillar of light flickering in the distance thinned to a thread in an instant and disappeared as if a fuse had been cut. Because of this, the brilliant sky that had been dyed golden instantly darkened as if it had lost the sun.

Everyone turned to look at that place with puzzled expressions at the situation that had unfolded in the blink of an eye. And a few seconds later, before the bewilderment could even fade, this time an intense light burst forth above the heads of the commanders, including Hugo, along with a hot heat. All living beings nearby squeezed their eyes shut and dared not raise their heads at the unbearable dazzling light pouring over the darkened wilderness.

Amidst this, Hugo, who alone kept his eyes open and looked up at the sky, witnessed the strange shadow of Leonardo finally revealing himself, enveloped in flames. From him, emitting an aura different from what he had seen before, Hugo was once again captivated by an emotion both unfamiliar and familiar.

But only for a moment, as Leonardo, looking down at the front, slowly raised his right arm holding the flame sword. At this sight, Hugo, instinctively sensing that they needed to avoid it, urgently shouted to the battalion commanders beside him.

"Everyone, fall back!"

At his instruction, Meterion and Isabella hesitated before swiftly retreating with a few members who were still breathing. Hugo also hoisted Delua and Marlen, who were behind him, onto both shoulders and widened the distance from the mother body while spreading a barrier on the ground just in case.

At that moment, Leonardo, who had raised his flame sword high, swung it once widely towards the monsters trying to cross over to the north. Then, following the trajectory the sword blade drew in the air, a golden current was created, and the destructive energy shaped like a crescent moon flew flashing into the midst of the swarming monsters.

The golden current, which instantly annihilated the creatures' bodies and collided with the ground, spread a massive shockwave, making a sound as if heaven and earth were being overturned.

Kwaaang-!

As a terrifying explosion burst violently, the entire nearby earth shook fiercely. After the earthquake accompanied by a roar as if tectonic plates were splitting, a strong gust of wind struck the battalion commanders and members, engraving an unforgettable power.

Meterion, who was staggering, barely regained his balance and blocked the vast dust cloud head-on as it swept towards them.

Hot steam and acrid earth dust mixed uncontrollably, and the particles floating in the air grew increasingly heavy. Because of this, even using magic, it took some time to completely drive away the dust.

A moment later, amidst the sharp screams of the monsters, the sound of rushing water that might be heard in a valley was faintly audible. Finding it strange to hear the sound of water suddenly in the middle of the plains, Meterion slightly furrowed his brow.

'What is it?'

He reflexively turned to look at Hugo beside him, but he was in a situation where he had tried to use magic but hadn't managed to cast it yet. If so, there shouldn't be anywhere in this vicinity where water could come from. Suddenly, Hugo's expression as he stared beyond the pale dust looked unusual.

Meterion turned his head back to the front, following the Commander. Eventually, the thick smoke obscuring their vision was slowly pushed aside by a dense green magic circle.

And at that moment, Meterion's eyelids twitched and then slowly expanded at the chilling sight gradually becoming clear before his eyes. His face, stiff as if in disbelief, clearly revealed a surprised look unlike his usual self.

Shwaaa-

A fault cleanly cut as if sliced by a knife. The land that had been nothing but flat ground until just moments ago was split in half, with a grand and deep canyon in between.

The crack, digging endlessly as if one might mistake the altitude, displayed its majestic form without filter, making the humans standing before it feel incredibly small.

Through that gap, water from an unknown source formed rapids and flowed steeply. Hundreds of monsters that had fallen off the cliff were swallowed up in it, struggling to survive.

The waves of the valley, spewing explosive steam from geothermal heat, were reminiscent of the boiling lava of hell, different only in color. It felt as if his brain was melting from the scorching heat. Meterion, barely moving his jaw, stammered out a word.

"...What is this."

Hugo, hearing that voice tinged with astonishment beside him, immediately tried to measure the size of the crack by scanning the edge of the sizzling cliff and following that line. However, a few seconds later, he could only swallow dry saliva, unable to think of anything.

Although the dust had not yet completely cleared, the radius of vision currently secured in front of him was by no means narrow.

Yet, at least within the radius his eyes could reach now, he could not find the end of this canyon.