Chapter 232: Great Invasion (1)
W1FPvBZDue to the cold wintery environment of the north, many of the demonic beasts here were covered in fur.nvhS3Oi
cBgWar mammoth, ice troll, frost wolves, snow wyverns.Qx0
OVypTheir white fur that allowed them to camouflage in the snow made them appear like beautiful artworks from a distance, but a closer inspection would let anyone see the brutality in their eyes.Uda
Jqoax“…”sfoCayx
fP6WQMarie gazed down at them from above.n0jidN
vbTRCThe ones at the lead were the snow wyverns – one of the few monsters that could fly despite the weather and the environment. Not only that, but they were also well-known for their innate savagery.hDOqGJV
f9FZtxIn the past, there was a time when humans tried to domesticate them to allow easier travel in the snow but failed to do so.dhj
mbrII“About 400 of them huh.”R78
LX4pRFZAlthough they did have 3 Hresvelgrs on their side, there were still 7 times more wyverns flying towards them from the north.vxoqCa
nQ1e“They can fly much faster than us because they’re used to the cold, milord. Unlike them, all our wyverns have difficulty flying properly,” said one of the black mages, who excelled at genetic modification.BasBhZ
lq3Clz7Marie announced the strategy.baWM
6Is“Don’t let them come any closer. We will bring them down by force.”V1ZyOpO
7cYTkShe lifted her hand. The wyvern riders paused the flight and remained floating, as the mages behind them slowly stood on their feet.fPKn
4Cu56 wyverns and 3 Hresvelgrs. In total they had 85 mages flying in the sky.NcUI8ti
CgH7“Fire.”VTgNoU
699aYaMarie pointed her staff at the snow wyverns at the front.o2b
lLn2Bg8That marked the start of the bombardment.G4fNG
hGP———!!bfGK
IDTuMMore than a hundred spells being cast at once created a remarkable spectacle. Fireballs, ice spears, lightning bolts and curses… all those spells were fired at the invading snow wyverns.3kHecs
bcuJE– KIEEEEEEEEEK!5Bi53
RQk– KYAAAAAK—!!ia6y9
lUzEFRzThe bombardment of magic enveloped the wyverns. The power of 85 mages combined were enough to crumble a mountain, so it was obvious that the snow wyverns could not confront the spells head-first.CXr9pT
K2WHowever, they weren’t stupid either – instead of continuing with their initial plan of striking down at the soldiers protecting the walls, they floated up and started an intimidating charge towards Marie and the wyvern riders.thpqF6v
jdhpOne of the slave mages carefully shared his opinion.aC6q
tRLJ5o“They’re faster than expected. How about we retreat slightly and defeat them with the assistance of the ballista…?”s04
01MLD9A close combat in the air would be the worst case scenario for them. Unlike the wyverns here, the wyverns from the south weren’t used to the cold. Despite wearing the hides gathered from the nearby demonic beasts, the northern winter was not easy to overcome.u4wKjEr
V5jI“No. Continue the attack. I will deal with the rest.”mQPsgYv
OJXBPThe slave mage did not voice his opinion a second time, and showed obedience to his lord.XC8
MuR3“I have to avoid friendly fire so…”PO41F
SyRr0Marie controlled her output as much as possible. The magic circle of a grand spell, that could threaten allies if used at maximum output, was engraved in the sky.vryORNk
2HG4lp2The severe wintery environment was like a natural disaster in itself. It created a handicap for both the soldiers and the wyverns but… there were a few who weren’t included in that group.onf
YtXAn example was Marie Dunareff… and the mages from the Blue Cult.2CR
FhiAjZFor the mages of water and ice, the harsh winter of the north instead enhanced their magic.W7Lbw
cPlzAnd Marie Dunareff was the strongest ice mage in existence. The little strands of mana seeping out of her body were enough to start freezing the sky.uHIy1r
AQBk“Ohh…”ctB
GxTPzhp“T, that’s the spell that defeated Elder Surarion…”N7Ysg
NMQoEThe mages were awed and moved by the grand magic circle being engraved in the sky.EWBr
MfN7f2iAlthough they were mere slaves now, they were nonetheless pursuers of magic. No matter who they were currently, that did not subtract from the awe they felt when seeing the profound truth of magic being unraveled by the greatest mage in the world.6Cx
PAwAUHo“Snow Flower.”fY7ZTJ
Awtm0YUThe world froze in the blink of an eye.ndip
oKubCOs……iYS3NVt
Us6YJvm…PirmE2
X0kE63g“Ugak! Wyverns are falling from the sky!”kGBnmMj
dimp“From our side?!”5AGmo
iSg“No! They’re the white ones! They’re frozen solid! Be careful!”zwmw0sY
lvWVWhile Marie and the wyvern riders were bombarding the enemy with magic, the army on the ground were also in the midst of a heated battle.JVjj
FD1cThe dozens of ballistae located throughout the walls were finally serving their true purpose.yjVLOW
Mhbupg– Pababak!Ol67Sh
eUcDThe steel projectiles from the enormous crossbows, that were more like harpoons than arrows, drew a parabola down towards the horde of monsters.HyoEdNp
5QjYAyf– Kwagagak!qmCXem
xexu4aMany of the frost wolves in the lead were the first to fall, followed by several ice trolls losing their heads. Despite being fairly high-grade demons, even the ice trolls were unable to withstand the ballista with penetration spells supporting them.QrdM
obgWHowever, even those ballistae were ineffective against demons as large as war mammoths and couldn’t penetrate the skins of the giants.PCQi
xd6rJThe giants weren’t just watching either.YYmI
hvg8FInstead of approaching the walls, they picking up large rocks from nearby and threw them like baseball.tw7Q
iIGfnCatapults were magnificent ranged weapons but when performed by giants with enormous rocks, they were on a deadly level, with each successful attack threatening to crush the walls.KJCz9je
Bbn2sUH– Kwaang!AW2q
mxq– Kwaaang!VRbcK
gb12XWhat was fortunate at the very least, was that Josephine was stopping the truly dangerous rocks, and that the walls were remaining strong thanks to the recent repairs.T82rYQ
4yy6v“Erin…!”MEvzKw6
izpa5g“Don’t worry!”uxad
4TxlCZkRight when one of the rocks was about to wipe away the soldiers and barbarians on the wall, Erin tapped the ground with her Silver Spear and resonated the runes that were engraved on the walls.i0ec
cEK4kcN[ ᛇ ] — Eihwaz56wt
l77rYBIt was the rune of protection.V13mu4V
4d1q9Thousands of letters lit up from the walls and created an invisible barrier in the air.Yy7EtKJ
wJkK– Kwagang!QtcA9c
9X4The rock crumbled down after coming in contact with the invisible barrier – it resulted in a deafening thud but none of the soldiers were injured.zOWjMW2
HT5u“How long would it last?” Josephine asked.Ew2KQ
nei“…That just then shattered 13 barriers. There are 80 left to go.”Fgyo4jM
Da6H“Looks like a war of attrition would be difficult.”tkAB2
k1BfwIt’s not like they couldn’t add more runes during the war, but Korin and Erin were the only rune mages in this city, and that certainly wouldn’t be enough to defend the rocks constantly being thrown by 50 giants.2aMjtRV
jldD‘Besides, the real one hasn’t even begun moving yet.’sCM3tl
DJ9RcJosephine looked at the enormous giant looking like a mountain in the horizon. Sitting still, it was observing and controlling the battlefield.2z01HmF
QqIvJajFrost Giant.8VW0r34
lEhG4bAs the last Frost Giant in existence, it did not fall any short of the legendary Sky Titans. It had yet to even display its history of wisdom and supernatural abilities.kzD
HgEGny“Erin. I will stop defending the rocks for the time being. Please stop them.”of67MO
ASTKpES“It won’t last long.”8Zw7
judQoHShowing her full trust in Erin, whom she had known for a century, Josephine slapped her whip in the air.I9u
D0KQnHThe sky cracked open.etpbH
VWCEQuFrom beyond the dark fissure on the sky, she brought out something that shouldn’t exist in the air.G2bSi
vhtH5CuThe gigantic rock she had saved after cutting a portion of the rocky mountains of the east pushed its way through the fissure and came falling down.7Zzw
ANxPViolence through sheer physics – it was with this attack that Josephine had destroyed the Tower of Mages 90 years ago.Gqj2cvk
2xlgvPStopping this attack was impossible unless—9XSp3V
o0oCZIt was something as heavy as the rock itself.d5NnV8D
9ghu6b– Kugugung!FNfVc7
ykLSuddenly a giant head appeared out of nowhere. The head, which was a spitting image of the Frost Giant’s head blocked the falling rock.x1vsK4p
bM3– Kung!ufrnATm
vAvFThe giant’s head did not move an inch despite being hit by the meteorite. After a shocking display of firmness, the head soon disappeared leaving behind just the momentum-less rock.145y
h2a“…”CRZu
L1E0Ll4Josephine lifted her gaze and stared at the Frost Giant looking her way.PCNdoQ
i5fwhDA truly mythological creature with its body covered in white. Even though it was sitting on the ground with its chin resting on one of its arms, it was several times bigger than the other giants.7DQe
kOLkeMFrost Giant.cqExDM
2VmThat enormous existence continued simply staring at the walls.RYN
I7K8gVk****JWVwSu
cVp2RIn the midst of the never-ending battle, Germain was taking a short break after swapping with the stand-by troops.TVd
9WHtu“Huu… huu…”NE1j
GFzspYThrough the part of the wall that had crumbled down from the initial attack were thousands of demonic beasts flooding in non-stop.D40
v7hSWhen the walls that provided a landscape advantage were gone, they had to defend the monsters with their bare bodies which clearly was not an easy thing to do.ACeZ9Pj
TIZANR2“……It’s all chipped.”8zMO3We
rFji0wGermain looked at the sword he had been provided. After killing hundreds of demons, the blade was chipped everywhere and tainted in red.2yPUmB
Nqy“Germain…!”olI0
v2dIHe was eating some food to fill his stomach when someone plopped down next to him. It was the boy with golden hair, who looked at least 3 years younger than him despite being the same age.MKMq0ES
ulqMaW“Ron.”wbg
egRs9Although he was a demi-human, whom Germain used to detest the most, he had become used to the wolf boy after spending more than a year with him.KVg
ylOihw“When you’re done with the food, can you come with me to the southern gates?”X9TuNgV
hi9Fkh“Did something happen?”ZlJXh
8CZfw“Korin-hyung said we will be receiving food and supplies from the south. He told us to move them to storage.”2VVBf4
R1dATCFood.N5y4xn
qPFIt was a critical problem. After Korin took in 230,000 barbarians into this side of the wall, the city was rapidly being deprived of food.ZBW0
S5dqWjWEven though Marie had brought a large supply of food beforehand, it wouldn’t have lasted more than 2 days, so more food was welcome news. But it was almost too quick.o4Yvd
tKqDv“Already?” Germain therefore asked.e583
pvXuqB“It seems like he had arranged it beforehand. He said there’ll be more coming in 2 weeks.”W6bfG4
QUG“…Interesting.”zcy8qxR
sqBJqoThe amount of food Korin had arranged was as if he expected this to happen… Was he thinking about taking in hundreds of thousands of barbarians from the beginning?l872
k7EU“But… Everyone else is still fighting.”0R7DiMP
YuSX“It’s okay! There’s a lot of people so we’re broken into 4 groups. He said we can rest after moving the food to the storage.”ZRuzq9
sTdHRH“…”VhpiMeo
Z9gTGermain could see how considerate Korin was.OkxI
U5rVJuDEven though he himself had also barely become an adult, he had a tendency to treat his juniors and even seniors like children.0Ud99hL
rltY8ZTThat was probably why he was allocating non-combat-related tasks to the wolf siblings and him.W8kD
NjW3nAnd yet Korin himself was fighting at the most dangerous places. His actions were always based on sacrifice, devotion and consideration, just like the hero of the new generation as prophesied by the Saintess.rpaSt
RRNHe certainly was an admirable and legendary hero, but… even so, Germain couldn’t honestly admire his actions.c3j7C
VpZkq“More booze! Where’s the booze!”QSkT
g4eKkSe“Huh, I’m surprised the ‘gentlemen’ of the south can fight with so little food!”mjS
rwWftbsCovering the ground were groups of barbarians. They were vulgar, noisy and crude.bla9ie
trS7X92For a long time, the barbarians of the north had been invading and plundering the kingdom and yet Korin had taken them inside the borders.x9ExP1
0DgIjNormally, this would have been both unimaginable and unacceptable and in the worst case scenario could also be seen as an act of treason.SskYDA
U43v2m[Do not forgive heretics. You must stone them to death.]tN54
wNNadNIt was even mentioned in the scripture which Germain had read over and over again. The barbarians were heretics serving different gods, and wicked evil that harmed the kingdom.WUO
fls9He just couldn’t understand how Korin Lork accepted all of them without a problem.uQnU
BtGc0UVKorin Lork… was like a transcendent. He ignored the conflict and strife between humans like they were nothing.BZq1j
Yf0IAlthough that might be a quality of a hero, it was very difficult for normal people like Germain to adopt the same kind of mindset.SL1lGJ
nBx61C“I’ll go there now.”bUE
a71Mx“Huh? Why don’t you finish your food first?”NqHy9u1
g6jRon tried to stop him but Germain did not want to stay in the same area as those filthy barbarians any longer. He immediately headed to the southern gates that required help.OapQEbl
tILB9“Priest Germain Luther.”n9V
pSx“Huh?”GJc7SC
pKNThere were only a select few people that called him as such. He turned around in surprise, and found a group wearing black robes standing in one of the dark alleyways.egmHaO
7DoTO“Follow us.”XB33hsN
j8WnbnGermain knew who they were – they were the Chargers of Cross, the secret ops of Xeruem who served in secret in Bishop Renault.e7s
lzebAFollowing them, Germain headed deeper into the alleyways and was met by Bishop Renault Lusignan.1Jy
ygHTk“Sir Bishop.”8Du
xP7“Ohh, thanks for your hard work as always, Brother Luther.”EgCQ
oGkWTbThe chubby bishop welcomed him as if he were his son.dGP1KO
Borqd2j“W, what brought you all the way here?”kogib
tZTWgs“We have come to fulfill the words of the esteemed lord.”eGM24
QOzsljGermain felt uneasy for some reason.JCXTm1Q
U4f2YRecently, Xeruem’s actions had not only been suspicious but also eccentric. They joined hands with the mages of the Tower to capture the Saintess, and even spread prophecies of apocalypse which caused chaos in the minds of the believers.szwov
GuXM2Plus, the revelations that were said to have been given to Xeruem through the lord were always unnaturally advantageous for Xeruem.0vfHDP
EojFVDLThem coming all the way here to the northern walls, was definitely not a good sign.VgCeE
eJUyRI“But seriously, this city stinks of sewage. Korin Lork has committed a heinous sin.”F201eZ
50KW8Bq“Sin…?”YmY
Ocz0“Joining hands with the heretics of the north? What is that if not a great sin?”ISu
zIo9HqW“B, but… he is as prophesied…”95r
7kfS2w“Do not be deceived by the fake prophecy, Brother! Do you believe the words of that wicked slut?”O81gj5H
yZjGermain was baffled. Although Zeon and Xeruem were on other sides, weren’t they still brothers in faith?EUeJbfT
HMxDBhSaintess Estelle of the Zeon Order was widely approved as the child of god. How else could she possess the miraculous ability of all her prayers coming to reality?PnDg
8EqoKorin Lork was the one mentioned in that prophecy – he was the new Sun of hope in the apocalypse.6KV
CiqOf course, Germain didn’t understand everything he did either… but it was an undeniable fact that he was a hero.zJo
LIEE7“My brother. Do not be deceived, and let not your faith be shaken in this chaotic and difficult time. The true faith lies only with us, Xeruem, and everyone else are fake prophets and heretics. We are the real foundation that will be saving this world.”vcJDemL
0Ejq9“Y, yes…”ypCYLa
8KNiGermain found himself difficult to agree with Renault, but soon glossed over it. He was more focused and uneasy about the real reason behind their visit.IPW0
GcFX7s“So… why have you…”s9PWp
Lv9A“Normally, we would have mobilized proper Inquisitors to judge the heretical actions of Korin Lork… but unfortunately, the foolish crowd are dazzled by his fancy background and have forgotten to act in true faith.”zoLLvkR
ysfrlXi“…”JmFPlhX
PA5gCnA“We have come to make things straight, Germain my brother. It is time for you to act according to your faith.”qjOJ
r1KRenault’s lips wickedly curled up.Bb1OuVu
PaH9nD………ht8iu
FGtdqx……LCmbg
koQbkX…oexnUG7
CDbE5RzA man wearing a turban walked up to the warrior soaked in the blood of battle. The man was in an outfit that was in stark contrast to the other people on the wall, but no-one was able to perceive him through his stealthy movements. His employer was the only one who did.7ejx
QqHH0C“Are they here too?”80nt
AquKThe warrior, who had been running wild in the heated battle, appeared like a wild blue beast.yoRgPW
uIJWho would possibly be able to tell that he was a young man who barely became an adult?bt4v9f5
qOqoShaking those thoughts away, the man wearing a turban whispered to the employer.exSrNA
yqcD“Observation Target 6 has infiltrated the city.”5pzcYB
0va“Hmm… I was expecting them to do something, but this is quite fast.”6ff4u
3yvipA“What do you want to do? Target 6 has come in contact with the boy under your wings.”yfpcY
mR5DThe man wearing a turban thought this beast soaked in blood would hunt those pigs down without hesitation.quT
wUkuHowever, what came back was an unexpected response.bBzMP8
cHM3KDz“Let’s watch how things go. Everyone needs to be given a chance after all.”zub
nI9sC9“Hmm?”occd
76AHearing that incomprehensible response, the man wearing a turban… the one from the Hassin race, turned back after saying that he would continue the observation.Kvc
mqRGsMAfter he left, Korin downed the booze handed by the barbarians and gazed down at the city with an indifferent look on his face.m6p89N
ykUL6“It’s time to make a decision, Germain.”tEef
2fB3He believed in the goodwill and conscience of people. He still believed that most people would head in a better direction.1uB
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VIP Qi RefinementWe believe in you Germain