Chapter 251: Life of a Man (2)
WQwJkThe knights were at the center of the formation charging into the waves of undeads.43ZD8dA
SK3c2Knights were those who could manipulate their aura and use it to cover their swords, and aura was a natural counter to undeads and spirits.gMrgX8E
jAN0“The knights are at the forefront! Follow them!”92p
RWU“Wait for the mages to fire! We’ll break through the hole!”pUEJWZq
KZQ4thThe sheer force demonstrated by the living weapons – that is knights and mages – was remarkable. It gave off the illusion that they really might be able to break through the waves of tens and hundreds of thousands of undead souls.8fV9q
sEvHAt the front of all that was Korin.qwSGg9
H3Ak‘I still can’t see any of them.’Jqi
dkxEven though the knights and soldiers at the front were yelling and roaring as they beat those undead souls back into the underworld, Korin was simply running at the lead without swinging his spear.eFLJKJ
iKOB4fThe reason for that was simple.tAmgr
8ueWZJ〚I do not perceive spirits.〛IyEeQEf
gu0His second Precept made it unable for both him and the spirits to interact.yKdS
MlZIt wasn’t like there was no way around it though.Nc6b
CXNG5lSIf he used the Sun, it could annihilate the undeads in less than a second due to their innate nature. The wicked creatures couldn’t resist the strong cleansing ray of light from the Sun, and it didn’t matter whether Korin could perceive them or not.SWj
V0N3dNOHowever, that had to be left behind as a last resort. Although his mana regeneration speed had increased significantly thanks to drinking the water from the Well of Mimisbrunnr, the mana consumption of the Sun was still far greater than the regeneration speed.yEXL2T
A8CHe had to save his strength until the ‘decisive moment’ that he had in mind.5Hg
cDGaf‘But the knights and mages won’t be able to last forever.’klm
xJoKnights and mages were like tanks and jets in modern Earth whose stamina was incomparable to normal soldiers.2DDLxOb
J1g3IHowever, even the greatest of firearms was limited by the amount of their ammunition.Yi5tYRP
WAciCurrently, the knights and mages were able to overwhelm the waves of undeads, but the moment their aura and mana started to run low, their momentary burst of power would die down.CkeUgBC
X2bBV1f‘There is a time limit on us. The only way for us to win here is—’SQjC
kTUThe only way was to beat the wicked dragon, who was still staying low without revealing itself. He had to bait it out and defeat it.7zP
57QqS[We have relayed the coordinates to Saint Xeruem Choir. Cleansing Cross coming soon.]kWoSL
WUliIgThe mages specified the coordinates as the rearguard began firing at the undeads. Due to the nature of the enemies, they needed sacred energy, and there were over a hundred priests and sisters answering their call from a distance.Tu1Jv
6kJScFNWhat happened next was obvious.JmwMXB
Y9qAcwpIn the distant past, back when gods and titans were still living amongst the humans, there was a single bloodline that connected the two divine races.U8E
w8maWRxThose who could use the power they refer to as ‘sacred energy’ were the long descendents of the gods and titans. Although they themselves were unaware of that fact, their prayers and their ‘cleansing’ spells still worked wonders against the wicked undead.P0uLsij
nMN“Remarkable support,” exclaimed Miruam. She, who was staying at the lead to maintain the heated morale of the soldiers despite being a princess, commented in admiration of the beam of light falling from above.fae861
VsfZC“Thank goodness. It seems they are done with Urdarbrunnr as well.”AWKYz
DBgVConsidering the amount of support that was coming their way, Korin deemed that it was safe to assume that the other wells had already been taken care of.lOszX1B
cfeOe“Who was it on that end again?” Miruam asked.D9wQ
JqYABu“Marie-sunbae and Master.”b8Pf0L
1V6OBoth Marie and Erin were one of the top powerhouses of this current generation, and nothing there could have possibly stopped them.4p2P
1Kp2d“Then are we going to be done with all the wells when we are done?”3YPl4
w7Ldcvu“Probably. The real problem hasn’t even come yet though.”aQP4Cf
8OP2Am“What’s left?”uDZc4
Q2qpZ6A“Well, don’t worry.” Korin shook her worries off. “We have pretty big numbers, so I’m sure it will turn out one way or another.”BMb7tiz
xm9At this point, it was meaningless to consider how it was in the original game and whatnot.QvdpH97
1yFNCwTThe enemy was currently far stronger than expected.i3EEB
iDpdcGAEven though he had been cutting their forces down for the last 3 years, there was no end to what was coming, and Korin couldn’t be certain about the future anymore.BQ8ish
625MKorin felt instinctively that he had no choice but to ‘re-enact the mythology’.sxJrEdo
x6FvBWgHe had a feeling that this fight would ultimately turn out into a similar example.Z2c
8HTPAfter running for who knows how long,Xj2C0KU
Tjd“Huh?”TaDJK
jFtynOne of the knights fighting at the front noticed something off.43rQE
A6Rplsf“The undeads are frightened by something.”eDUj
dKeThe ranks of the undeads that had already been in a mess was crumbling even more.oPflTIi
bW8YGO7They were so frantic that it couldn’t have been simply due to the knights, mages and priests, and it didn’t take long for the rest of them to catch on.Nwtmu
lr56Pmh– GOHHHHHHHHHHH—!!sjKgc
5BENKKA roar gave them goosebumps.BVdUa
tiVA chill flashed down their spine like a bolt of lightning.z8I
XcNIt happened before they could even comprehend what that unknown roar was about. One of the higher-ranked mages, whose role was to light up the battlefield and observe the state using his vision amplification spells, suddenly let out a scream in fright.QA5Z
8TIb“B, barrier at the front! All mages are to activate their shields!!”xzT46hx
eCeeZYkUnlike mages under the Tower of Mages or those affiliated with the Guardian Association, a characteristic of those working in the army was that they followed orders obediently.NMa7or7
Jj38IThe moment they were given a command by a higher-ranked mage, all the mages working for the military immediately responded with a barrier.PomNU
MqpWhat resulted was a sight to behold. The military barrier spell researched and perfected through regular and consistent practice created a thick sheet of barrier at the front of the army to magnificently block anything, whatever the threat may be.FMiuCb
OqXaqZv– KWAAAAAAAAAAAA…!RoBPd6z
YkJqdqaBut it was then. An ominous aura started to pour out from the darkness.I71ncf
menMqGQLike a tidal wave… no – the ray of energy came bursting out in the form of a branch full of thorns, collided with the barrier and… the perfect barrier cast by the military mages couldn’t even last a second.PBaEZa
5tqgCASIt left behind devastating remains, and the soldiers were appalled by the sight of it.30Zo5wJ
mxHj“That damn lizard starting off with a breath…!”EhidH9
1ArqORKorin couldn’t conceal the irritation on his face.CvKYVM
8vFHvi“Your Highness Miru… Now!”5RegXuI
QtfeZzThe rest of the army had yet to wake up from the shock of that dragon breath, but Korin quickly turned towards Miru and asked for her cooperation.hp1AC2
Rcv“Are you… sure about this?”S7iNF
ZMEREdW“I’m the only one that can do it.”roU
dUqAzC1“I hope it’s not coming from arrogance.”qCGFyA
NOMpYAMiruam poured her mana into the familiar residing in her staff. It turned into an enormous serpent which woke up the soldiers nearby and urged them to take several steps back.knTtrY8
e0UThe Serpent of Infinity rapidly grew into an enormous 50-meter-long snake.lVjXTf
1Ifuf7DEven this was only the size of a baby compared to the full serpent form Korin saw in the last iteration, but asking for that would be the same as asking Miruam to sacrifice herself.uCpzRj
dFdr7D“Thanks for the ride!”bnexuN
PxBCgWThat was why Korin decided to treat it as a mount instead, since it was much faster and more resilient than a normal human.fsMXP4o
Dtyu2“Don’t even think about not coming back alive. If you die… I will bring your corpse back to life and order it around forever.”RTykAhD
Ry7dO“…Why are all the ladies around me like this?”BnD4AT
U1zGJqSRegardless, Korin got on the head of the snake as the Serpent of Infinity quickly began to break through the center under Miruam’s command.jVkXwW6
OpsGgjhAn enormous snake reaching 50 meters in length was a living weapon that could crush everything with its weight, and the spirits with no weight to support them couldn’t even last a single second against it.GfqeTM6
5nHrJI2⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛!!!0EgZMX
2AYHThe dragon roared at the mortal who dared to charge towards itself.bgcA
PShn****dFV3G1
TKzAfter depleting the wells, the expedition squad naturally ended up at the same area.ahDZ3T
WU3The goal was to go up the roots and destroy the World Tree. To be exact, it was to cut the tree down by taking advantage of their numbers.MPxX
u5UqXpL“Chairman!”BRtrKF
7ciGoing past the wells and continuing up the roots, Alicia found Erin walking from a distance and ran up with the torch still in her hand.5Y3A
ENJbY“Alicia! How was it for you guys?”knt5
tfJ“We dealt with it without a problem! We drank up the well and dried it out.”Cfl
Ga5c“Oh… That’s…”7QD6
yJxWI6eIt was a strange but effective method, because the wells still contained the divine rainwater from the mythological days and were great elixirs.PL9T
qCmt“What about Korin?” Erin asked.AirEw
DQMK“Korin-ssi went to help the Hvergelmr side.”qizwx5l
SVu“I see…”URR
SQPUMHjShe assumed he must have gone alone. After all, due to the Restriction of the Precept that he couldn’t perceive spirits, Hvergelmr full of undead souls was no different from a vast wasteland of nothing for him.JNinU5E
tvCiRTq“Chairman~”cu2
fH7That was when the pink-haired saintess walked towards them. After finding Erin, she looked over her shoulders at the army behind her.UQp6
o06“Is my sister not here?”jl6
dB7WEDE“Miruam is probably towards Hvergelmr. Who else is with you guys?”zQXowAP
iBnT1sB“Professor Josephine, Hua Ran and Alicia.”JnCxYVV
FLWXlThe ones from the Academy including Yuel, Kranel, Dorron, Jaeger and Lark had all been in Erin’s group.AQgk
BCpsr“That means…”iXOzg
xiYWJbIt meant there wouldn’t have been enough manpower on Miruam’s side. On top of that, Hvergelmr was the land of the undeads, and the entire area was deadly.7ZGlASg
yVZcLAn army without any specialized equipment would find it challenging to beat them.wPF
ooGDR“But Korin-dongsaeng went there. I’m sure it will turn out fine.”2Qx5X
wjw9QSE“Although the undeads are weak to the Sun… that place also has the dragon.”FmQ
6jHNidhogg, the Evil Dragon of Hatred.hdRpy
QrsmThe ancient dragon, whom even the gods of the north couldn’t chase away, wasn’t something a single individual could handle.Fp2vYg
vKzo6It was the definition of a living weapon. How long could an individual even last against it?rrqpz7
bY5‘If Korin was enlightened about the profound truth it might be different but…’S0c
oitxA9In that case, it might be possible for him to confront the dragon. Although it would be impossible for a single individual to handle the dragon, Korin Lork wasn’t some random individual, after all.dRDA8dU
zAu“Even though we haven’t dealt with all three wells yet, the World Tree stopped growing thanks to the two depleted wells.”s6HaE
NQ8T8After saying that, Estelle struck the small root next to her with the Magic Club of Dagda.GN8
iMoThe roots, which used to grow rapidly and regenerate in the blink of an eye, withered and wavered instead.mGVFY
9qs3is“In other words, we can start chopping it down.’qrfYDZS
CBgXeThere were at least 20,000 soldiers at the base of the tree, and each of them had been required to carry an ax.ZGH
mvh“Let’s cut this horrible tree down.”zkYM
mAeLc06The World Tree would devour the planet and expand its branches across the world if left alone. Cutting this down would put a stop to Tates Valtazar’s plan and with 20,000 men, even a tree as big as this wouldn’t stand a chance.ROgOR
vaxF“How much of a waste would that be? This is one of the few remains of the mythology we have left.”2bO
z156rMThat was when someone uninvited joined the conversation.JaE4N
s8qYlHearing his voice, the army turned around and found someone standing in the air next to the tree.lBZxi
dxsIG“Eochaid Bres…”aAv
e9XZThe man in golden plated armors was looking down from above while defying the laws of gravity.LXP
vZMtFY4“Korin Lork is probably fighting the dragon… This is a stage for the minor actors it seems.”5HYL4lQ
F2YA man with a brilliant golden face slowly approached them while brightening up the area. He spoke nonchalantly but his eyes told a different story.rdf
BwfZ3LgHis eyes were cold and merciless… as if he was looking at some harmful insects instead of humans.QqMWpb
J5foM“Hmm… So that old man is the previous previous previous Ard Ri, a former King of Gods, right?”ZUME
ArDJkEstelle muttered while observing the man with no regard to his cold look of disdain.aCIT
XIwCertainly, it didn’t seem like an overstatement for him to be called a ‘god’. Although she had seen it beforehand from Erin, the sheer amount of divine energy in him was still shocking.rkipn9
Vifo06She was envious.m8DTVsw
Ov8She wanted to be like him.g6tqF
byLBMd4No – it was going to be a destined future for sure.cmxfl
SGn“Hello, my very far-away ancestor.”fMnHD
pwY“Hmm~ so you’re the one from Balor and Dagda’s bloodline, huh. I see. Like a mutant indeed.”Zywgzoy
x3Ubl“Please call it atavism instead, thank you.”LRFmg
WePKaLMeanwhile, the army readied themselves for battle. Estelle and Erin weren’t the only ones present.gLsqmQb
wBeGAlicia, Hua Ran, Marie, Josephine, Dorron, Yuel, Kranel, valkyries including Brunhild and the great northern warriors – all the named characters of had gathered at one spot.ONAs
tsKJfXTheir manpower advantage seemed more than enough – in fact, it was excessive to the point of being incomparable.DSG8
ioqTf“Loosen up your shoulders,” said Eochaid Bres. “Though I am rather frustrated by the fact I am a supporting actor and not a major role, neither of us can deny who the true major actors of this generation are.”QbPyf
czvUZyR“We don’t care. We can just break through by sheer force.”tL43
Bf3Even without Korin’s help, anything would be possible with an army of this size. Estelle thought they had more than enough of a chance to win considering their numbers advantage but—Z45zd8q
4P6WbA1The roots of the World Tree and the barks morphed into a distorted state, and quickly created a smaller version of the Yggdrasil Wicker Man. That wasn’t the end.d33pcgN
t2NWNfJLights began to emerge from the roots and branches. They, who were supposed to stay in the spirit realm, heeded to the call of the Great Sage and manifested themselves to punish the living.OeYx9
9nt2WnAt the center of all that was an old druid.xxI0Z7I
c3Q“I admit it. We are being pushed back more than I was expecting. Korin Lork definitely has the right to be called a contender of Sir Valtazar.”Vdv4
L8szLawmaker Dumnorix.O77y
MFRrLSurrounded by the World Tree, a miracle of mother nature, he was no different from a god himself.l03
ofaAt the same time, Shadow Demons began to appear from the darkness. Despite being without a shape or form, they approached from all sides to surround the army.HRAkxlA
o0wJRRC– Kugugugung…!YRvxya8
tgiVO3VFollowing that, the earth began to shake and the skies started to tremble.WcgzTl
CEg“W, what is happening?”UMUPie
WgA“H, huh? Look! The World Tree is growing again!” shouted Alicia while pointing off into a distance.ZlWJp
KdQnThere, white branches were starting to expand. Like cobweb they expanded through the dark world, and despite being far from it, everyone was able to see them clearly for some odd reason.jfQS
EHBYIt was both mysterious yet frightening.hp4NgXW
ukAsxhA tree big enough to cover the entire sky was growing even bigger without the wells… What was it using as energy this time?6hCEG62
0E2v“The energy from the earth… It’s eating up the nutrients of the continent.”Tb3V
hGm“That is exactly right, youngest one.”F9k0jBC
8kxPSEochaid acknowledged Erin’s speculation and talked about their plan of utter destruction as if it didn’t have to stay a secret no more.Nvpp7A
wP5“That tree is going berserk. It will continue to drain out the entire energy of this continent and this world. In a world with neither light nor the mercy of mother nature, humans would inevitably die out one day.”VXNc
dIuYc“What a horrendous plan. That is not ‘Justice’.”f2Cs
0nA“Then try to stop us. Put a stop to our plans – stab my heart with that spear, but all of your efforts will be futile.”cGPC
x8gmb“If that’s what you want.”oMELrvv
2a1iHErin immediately climbed up the tree with the spear in her hand.MBo
9CtdgQMShe accelerated at a speed only permitted to gods. Despite going against gravity, her speed was unhindered.VszM89
ZKrmRErin was the master of spear.owaw
gXXwThe two greatest spearmen of this generation were both her disciples.FpBm3i3
1bpTRbIn other words, she had been the strongest spearman for thousands of years until their appearance.dsPE95
vKslad‘Even the God King won’t be able to beat me in close combat.”M5X
c1UeSDEochaid Bres.4ur2gh
Cr1HfVHe was the only one she had to defeat to break through the stalemate. Since the enemy had yet to fully prepare themselves, Erin used the opportunity to deliver a meaningful attack.TzNN7Wy
Ptgnq“Oh dear. Looks like I made you quite upset.”p5iw
xDxDespite seeing that, Eochaid nonchalantly grinned without even preparing himself for a fight.OB8NW
o9i5“But if you only have your eyes on me,” he said. “Your back will be open to the undeads that crawled up from the depths of hell.”Mo3JQ5
2ZrR0“What…?”VSYPlz
Ep3It was right when her spear was about to land on Eochaid Bres.qggtrl
nmtiu[ ᚱ ] — RaidhovW69Rq
ue18HGoosebumps crawled up her skin. Her instincts picked up a cold metallic fist heading straight towards the side of her head at the last minute.zs5nxK
Fe6f“Kuht…?!”F9v
nnhWlOVHer Spinning Heaven changed its trajectory to the side. The profound control of her spear allowed Erin to parry the attack, but right as she was about to strike back, she was stopped by the shock from seeing the enemy’s face.nenWyxN
alINU“Been a while, Chairman Eriu.”QqL
grT0wiSteel gauntlets. Afro hairstyle.nY7mQp
T7FZQu6“Professor… Fermack Daman?”rNHHquq
GcLADidn’t Korin kill him a long time ago?wrPvglp
1cB2cFCatching her off guard, Fermack struck once again with his fists.O19buAi
sK6bzq“Kuhk…!”LM4hjBu
BVM3NmIErin flung back and somehow managed to regain her footing on the tree trunk, but that wasn’t the end.nuH
6T5yl1f– HISSSS!nsNU
f7oFaHundreds of snakes pounced out from the gaps between the barks of the World Tree. They immediately attacked Erin, and she therefore had to rely on the power of gravity to fall back down.H3nhf
Hsy7VA“Chairman!”EFu
9cihUThe pink-haired Saintess supported her before she fell all the way down to the ground, but both of them were soon shocked speechless by the sight before their eyes.geHG
VQlQMab“…Dun Scaith?” Estelle muttered under her breath.4UAcu
rIF9bnaDun Scaith, the King of Beasts – the monster that was supposed to have been eradicated by Korin reappeared out of the toads and snakes that came together.ggzLSJ
4Gaxx“How? Weren’t they both killed by Korin-ssi?”EjLtu0
9LCThe enemies that had been killed by Korin, Fermack Daman and Dun Scaith, were back. It was surreal to believe the dead could come back to life, but Erin soon saw through what had happened.TN37F3
Dsp“…I see. Valhalla.”gxyoXkk
DuYThe paradise of dead warriors – Valhalla was where the Valkyries collected the ‘divine warriors, Einherjar’ by collecting their souls.y3m
sOahZv“Is this one of the reasons why Tates brought the Valkyries under his wing?”Fj1e
Lj2“That is exactly correct. Well, it’s like a midsummer night’s dream,” replied Eochaid. “Unless the era of mythology comes back in full, they are nothing but corpses that will soon rot away.”aFhW4Q
d5EFG“What a mean thing to say, Sir Bres.”EIC
SHvgKd“Hihit… I’m okayyy~ Hihihit!”04lqxiL
7lvF1dUpon a closer inspection, they realized that neither Dun Scaith nor Fermack Daman were in a normal state.4xgp
hpijQTheir body was routine away, and their eyes weren’t gleaming from intellect as much as they used to. Over time, they would turn into skeletons like the other Einherjar.Lx5qIP
XmjEvkNHowever, that was a future that wouldn’t affect the current situation.KdLLMRl
h3j“Looks like we have all the actors ready on the stage.”pOk
JZRZUuA hammer sparking with thunder and a radiantly gleaming sword of victory appeared in Eochaid Bres’ hands.5Gv3fH
ynFSHe truly appeared like a great god or a majestic hero straight out of mythology, but he surprisingly spoke down about himself.Sdu
G0jYm“Compared to the main act, our fight might be nothing more than a minor scene. That was how it was destined to be in the first place. No matter how many times you fight or kill, it will be meaningless. That’s just how it is.”mkH1O
ua2eCzNRegardless, the final battle was about to begin.9fWNH
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HaydenZeMan
VIP Qi RefinementDamn Valkyries