Chapter 251: Life of a Man (2)
QbuZSoThe knights were at the center of the formation charging into the waves of undeads.0gGaPv
D9EKnights were those who could manipulate their aura and use it to cover their swords, and aura was a natural counter to undeads and spirits.Yefc06v
PTz“The knights are at the forefront! Follow them!”IM6
Rxm“Wait for the mages to fire! We’ll break through the hole!”dUTLEQB
DiXuRNThe 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.4Ed
Ajd4RhvAt the front of all that was Korin.RP7sGNb
Pdtd‘I still can’t see any of them.’wmXnl
oOW458pEven 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.ntY
5IDTP3The reason for that was simple.7cO7qN
AvV〚I do not perceive spirits.〛DHXE
0cJ6His second Precept made it unable for both him and the spirits to interact.6u4V
1PsNuGIt wasn’t like there was no way around it though.oQjnEr
yQ4If 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.PKf
nLr2However, 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.JJ2
zLDNoHe had to save his strength until the ‘decisive moment’ that he had in mind.YvM
KZZIpyT‘But the knights and mages won’t be able to last forever.’aVTA
oJuIKnights and mages were like tanks and jets in modern Earth whose stamina was incomparable to normal soldiers.cgtYq
HXcSHowever, even the greatest of firearms was limited by the amount of their ammunition.gwCqKb
hiqIaFCurrently, 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.TcqF4qW
2xz‘There is a time limit on us. The only way for us to win here is—’gya
b2vXlThe 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.DwzXig
4frU[We have relayed the coordinates to Saint Xeruem Choir. Cleansing Cross coming soon.]BVx
YZ4UK6The 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.jQ4
ZqTwWhat happened next was obvious.L1VL
MBXKzIn 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.OcOb
gEkThose 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.RSiM
P67y“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.FrkeSuk
N1ii“Thank goodness. It seems they are done with Urdarbrunnr as well.”r8lS
F0a4Considering 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.pFn4Xy
YvPg“Who was it on that end again?” Miruam asked.r3cWG3t
63aVmTm“Marie-sunbae and Master.”kZ66FLd
EIRGgBoth Marie and Erin were one of the top powerhouses of this current generation, and nothing there could have possibly stopped them.NQ65BGS
8rfE“Then are we going to be done with all the wells when we are done?”nOsB7
UuRldD“Probably. The real problem hasn’t even come yet though.”c7zvS
HPM“What’s left?”0xv
LjRZepl“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.”kzvKC
KQMlAt this point, it was meaningless to consider how it was in the original game and whatnot.fFs
supqYhThe enemy was currently far stronger than expected.3hd
3hG5GBDEven 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.TTwgw1
yG0FguKorin felt instinctively that he had no choice but to ‘re-enact the mythology’.jeSrhz
rQLLRyjHe had a feeling that this fight would ultimately turn out into a similar example.XAylm4V
CvUNuPAfter running for who knows how long,uhgPa0G
sREZ“Huh?”KYN2
TQUZ7SOne of the knights fighting at the front noticed something off.rG9rET
BTZR9“The undeads are frightened by something.”iFRg
3puqdoThe ranks of the undeads that had already been in a mess was crumbling even more.5Ia
vjrmNANThey 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.dOBjE
ZsS– GOHHHHHHHHHHH—!!SeB
LmrvSA roar gave them goosebumps.VERwvy
380A chill flashed down their spine like a bolt of lightning.hZn
pptv8RIt 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.TNlGw
GHxcDS0“B, barrier at the front! All mages are to activate their shields!!”cYomd4
BcCUnlike 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.XYQ3
DPa7The moment they were given a command by a higher-ranked mage, all the mages working for the military immediately responded with a barrier.8v1ytu0
MfW31sWhat 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.W4F
yYbZc– KWAAAAAAAAAAAA…!RJIfK
3etBut it was then. An ominous aura started to pour out from the darkness.GroVea
6GGLike 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.MHSN9
1uLFIt left behind devastating remains, and the soldiers were appalled by the sight of it.JnafiS
R0KUpp“That damn lizard starting off with a breath…!”rlGq1lb
Ne2Korin couldn’t conceal the irritation on his face.R3dg
hxA3e“Your Highness Miru… Now!”lYy
C5m0TLThe 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.rOa4
krwMA“Are you… sure about this?”tKnqD3
GfAgJ7“I’m the only one that can do it.”EnrC04s
fS969p“I hope it’s not coming from arrogance.”RYsKZ
BTTrRNhMiruam 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.NSM
Q9P4The Serpent of Infinity rapidly grew into an enormous 50-meter-long snake.yHOXke
9EVEven 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.pcnG4b
deua“Thanks for the ride!”p4Hn
S5XaThat was why Korin decided to treat it as a mount instead, since it was much faster and more resilient than a normal human.gBk4
yZr“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.”GE68
XPKO9“…Why are all the ladies around me like this?”CSmV
xHTbjEFRegardless, Korin got on the head of the snake as the Serpent of Infinity quickly began to break through the center under Miruam’s command.npCT6W
u9cNVKfAn 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.GN8U
CZZexQ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛!!!8C5e
ygLoKThe dragon roared at the mortal who dared to charge towards itself.OLZ3bY
fQ1Y****idRW0YB
Mjp5qHKAfter depleting the wells, the expedition squad naturally ended up at the same area.cLYA
y1YeThe 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.465yRc
rg2I“Chairman!”OkE4b2
wmhUSX7Going 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.xZ9o0
Sj8k3T“Alicia! How was it for you guys?”GF674
dy9YFf“We dealt with it without a problem! We drank up the well and dried it out.”3Wj8
8Nxiic“Oh… That’s…”8BNH
QxqIt was a strange but effective method, because the wells still contained the divine rainwater from the mythological days and were great elixirs.df4H
8rX0q8l“What about Korin?” Erin asked.FEZzX8m
ZwMz8e“Korin-ssi went to help the Hvergelmr side.”vJ5HSm
NafO“I see…”wJQ2
2YJdjsWShe 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.jXbXk
aCLK4o“Chairman~”hzKFVK
U05q5vThat was when the pink-haired saintess walked towards them. After finding Erin, she looked over her shoulders at the army behind her.6gj0eo7
jSTUdhl“Is my sister not here?”TA6BSK
4CQF4“Miruam is probably towards Hvergelmr. Who else is with you guys?”We7
BZH“Professor Josephine, Hua Ran and Alicia.”7GZ8
ceCkThe ones from the Academy including Yuel, Kranel, Dorron, Jaeger and Lark had all been in Erin’s group.lAcy4
FjmRUi“That means…”vb2R5
oQW6eNIt 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.w7s
Zp7g8An army without any specialized equipment would find it challenging to beat them.AudF
eFxY“But Korin-dongsaeng went there. I’m sure it will turn out fine.”nHwu5fc
Py7waiE“Although the undeads are weak to the Sun… that place also has the dragon.”MBSu3s
3ZBauNidhogg, the Evil Dragon of Hatred.tf7
mEtSGEThe ancient dragon, whom even the gods of the north couldn’t chase away, wasn’t something a single individual could handle.icMQFh
UVyx4EIt was the definition of a living weapon. How long could an individual even last against it?bGLi
YEzeXWd‘If Korin was enlightened about the profound truth it might be different but…’a4z2W
zXlIn 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.bNX
noZDDmY“Even though we haven’t dealt with all three wells yet, the World Tree stopped growing thanks to the two depleted wells.”BX9OMN3
DBOZDDWAfter saying that, Estelle struck the small root next to her with the Magic Club of Dagda.l9ev
WkGUVThe roots, which used to grow rapidly and regenerate in the blink of an eye, withered and wavered instead.1briL
cTjW“In other words, we can start chopping it down.’acy
sppaThere were at least 20,000 soldiers at the base of the tree, and each of them had been required to carry an ax.YVCMSU
z7S“Let’s cut this horrible tree down.”2e3GsrL
RRJuQThe 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.wm9
PL9Y“How much of a waste would that be? This is one of the few remains of the mythology we have left.”reE1
3uPTd2That was when someone uninvited joined the conversation.rqlI
ME8YyVHearing his voice, the army turned around and found someone standing in the air next to the tree.AdEdFD
1jPfD4Q“Eochaid Bres…”wHh
nwlHe5XThe man in golden plated armors was looking down from above while defying the laws of gravity.wSgv
Jkguw“Korin Lork is probably fighting the dragon… This is a stage for the minor actors it seems.”QLw
XK3A man with a brilliant golden face slowly approached them while brightening up the area. He spoke nonchalantly but his eyes told a different story.o4iUG
7VQmHis eyes were cold and merciless… as if he was looking at some harmful insects instead of humans.xte07
Sri“Hmm… So that old man is the previous previous previous Ard Ri, a former King of Gods, right?”ubd
hZllxEstelle muttered while observing the man with no regard to his cold look of disdain.LZk
W3jwLbACertainly, 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.R7hdr9z
n9CShe was envious.5ZRTlK2
YGamKShe wanted to be like him.Cuhh
flWANo – it was going to be a destined future for sure.sFvObv
FFRP“Hello, my very far-away ancestor.”GZm7SKI
iWxIGG“Hmm~ so you’re the one from Balor and Dagda’s bloodline, huh. I see. Like a mutant indeed.”y70n
upSGG“Please call it atavism instead, thank you.”ae2s0cC
IfPOveYMeanwhile, the army readied themselves for battle. Estelle and Erin weren’t the only ones present.Ylm7cTJ
30XK4DAlicia, 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.mYJ
B764v5Their manpower advantage seemed more than enough – in fact, it was excessive to the point of being incomparable.2x8g
bP7pG5“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.”ARtS7H
z9zE“We don’t care. We can just break through by sheer force.”sMJpT
Pq2hEven 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—Felhn
2yGSMaThe 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.hTRNN
BLgCLights 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.0v7xqc
UJ1HAt the center of all that was an old druid.g2T
rfi“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.”JecrUaK
VAZQLawmaker Dumnorix.Lgo9
HCT3nSurrounded by the World Tree, a miracle of mother nature, he was no different from a god himself.DTlHqo
Z8lAt 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.55FR0a
GUeScKv– Kugugugung…!hFgW
LCOBbFollowing that, the earth began to shake and the skies started to tremble.VNMb
qhk1JFZ“W, what is happening?”Dy8q
qLXjVo“H, huh? Look! The World Tree is growing again!” shouted Alicia while pointing off into a distance.vjAg5x5
hooThere, 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.JcZRHw4
hY1or9It was both mysterious yet frightening.bpe59h
2JX4eoA tree big enough to cover the entire sky was growing even bigger without the wells… What was it using as energy this time?L5oP
5P25NX“The energy from the earth… It’s eating up the nutrients of the continent.”ltD6F3
m4lI“That is exactly right, youngest one.”NK79a
hqaDqxEochaid acknowledged Erin’s speculation and talked about their plan of utter destruction as if it didn’t have to stay a secret no more.8DIph
Oy4B“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.”fpY7
SK9vo1“What a horrendous plan. That is not ‘Justice’.”sczd2t
DTH90sx“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.”IgjjDgW
dTN“If that’s what you want.”hZu
CArEErin immediately climbed up the tree with the spear in her hand.vYMsMt
jFeJGShe accelerated at a speed only permitted to gods. Despite going against gravity, her speed was unhindered.VddoAt5
CzxErin was the master of spear.AbscQR
fwCThe two greatest spearmen of this generation were both her disciples.sKi4mtg
IZpDLIn other words, she had been the strongest spearman for thousands of years until their appearance.nDaxj
6jv‘Even the God King won’t be able to beat me in close combat.”WQPN2
5kyEochaid Bres.icLuN
KN6RHe 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.C2Rj5QQ
GdkIb“Oh dear. Looks like I made you quite upset.”jK1co8u
NsttZZDespite seeing that, Eochaid nonchalantly grinned without even preparing himself for a fight.3Bjv6z
oK8“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.”zyz
byHKW“What…?”l6PxLPB
vrXNijLIt was right when her spear was about to land on Eochaid Bres.8ctN
rahpr[ ᚱ ] — RaidhoJltmR
1dXnYFtGoosebumps crawled up her skin. Her instincts picked up a cold metallic fist heading straight towards the side of her head at the last minute.Z2LQEy
pDyy“Kuht…?!”npU
hlDsdHer 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.KPw2
KjSm“Been a while, Chairman Eriu.”V9CKN8D
RHrhDSteel gauntlets. Afro hairstyle.Rf9mb
asNGw6“Professor… Fermack Daman?”Xlw
mEIdE8JDidn’t Korin kill him a long time ago?RTqf7hD
ScVyVBeCatching her off guard, Fermack struck once again with his fists.9KG
fbQmb1“Kuhk…!”wf1R
7HJu3prErin flung back and somehow managed to regain her footing on the tree trunk, but that wasn’t the end.UJp1
pPGpja– HISSSS!EVa
eHLHundreds 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.l09G0
wWrP“Chairman!”ljAI
WAKCgbaThe 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.NsD
1O9G“…Dun Scaith?” Estelle muttered under her breath.MCPyvM
A6ADun 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.szqyELY
5R92“How? Weren’t they both killed by Korin-ssi?”31qFswu
lUnwNprThe 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.gHdl2
Gce0y“…I see. Valhalla.”Kx7
ktVoOOThe paradise of dead warriors – Valhalla was where the Valkyries collected the ‘divine warriors, Einherjar’ by collecting their souls.imVJO
BAn“Is this one of the reasons why Tates brought the Valkyries under his wing?”JHsYUr3
bmE“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.”qK9
7pFBc“What a mean thing to say, Sir Bres.”EKlTC
YM1O“Hihit… I’m okayyy~ Hihihit!”C3SN
d85yWUpon a closer inspection, they realized that neither Dun Scaith nor Fermack Daman were in a normal state.j4x
aG95DLOTheir 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.2pv5x
qKhHowever, that was a future that wouldn’t affect the current situation.xseo
p2gq“Looks like we have all the actors ready on the stage.”RVbr0U
UcL1e4A hammer sparking with thunder and a radiantly gleaming sword of victory appeared in Eochaid Bres’ hands.Yo5T5o
gBasHe truly appeared like a great god or a majestic hero straight out of mythology, but he surprisingly spoke down about himself.tbm2
bTRed1S“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.”HUH
dQIBRegardless, the final battle was about to begin.8ASUxRo
What did you think of this chapter?
Report comment
Please select the reason for reporting this comment. False reports may result in account suspension.
HaydenZeMan
VIP Qi RefinementDamn Valkyries