Chapter 695

"Demons?"

At Ian’s shout, the legionnaires’ heads snapped upward as one. Nasser, standing atop the princess’s carriage at the center of the formation, was no exception.

"

Hmm

...."

His gaze, which had been idly sweeping the sky with sword and shield lowered, tilted slightly.

Almost at the same moment, a low gasp rose from the driver’s seat.

"Where... where are they?"

It was Alex, Sir Phaden’s squire, leaning forward in confusion. He was clearly wondering the same thing as Nasser.

All he could see was darkness swirling with snow and a massive purple wave rushing in, staining the night itself.

Screech— Screech!

A crushing tide of monsters surged through the storm, so dense it swallowed even the flashes and detonations erupting from the fortress wall. Precisely because of that, spotting demons among them was impossible.

Alex wasn’t alone. No one else could see them either.

"Everyone, spread out!"

"Too damn many! Remember, our targets aren’t demons—it’s those things!"

"Come on! You damn flying pests!"

Even so, the legionnaires obeyed the Great Warrior’s orders without hesitation. Whether they believed the Demigod of the North truly had a way to see the demons, or whether it was simply faith bordering on worship, none of them questioned it.

Clicking his tongue once, Nasser turned his gaze toward the wagons, where the horses had all been forced to kneel.

"Prepare to fire!"

"Don’t panic! Just shoot them down! Steady hands!"

Defense force soldiers occupied the left flank, mercenaries kneeling on one knee with crossbows on the right. Hester and Caleb were commanding the defense force troops, while Trude led the mercenaries.

Judging by their expressions, none of them could pinpoint the demons’ location either.

Exhaling slowly through his nose, Nasser glanced back. On a supply wagon some distance away stood Mukapa, battle hammer in hand.

Although Mukapa looked dull and heavy, he had already swatted several monsters out of the air before they reached the formation. Even now, his eyes were scanning the surroundings with steady focus, utterly unconcerned with the demons.

Crunch! Crack!

Compared to the relative calm around him, the barbarian warriors were still locked in brutal combat. Hideously mutated creatures were being slaughtered one-sidedly, empowered by the Blessing of Battle and the heat of the sacred flame. Each barbarian looked closer to a superhuman than a soldier.

"No one seems particularly bothered..." Nasser muttered.

His eyes caught Mev weaving through the fray as well, greatsword flashing with each swing. He shook his head faintly.

Nasser himself remained composed—not only because sacred fire burned before and behind him, but because panic simply wasn’t in his nature. Even with death looming, he rarely lost his calm. Perhaps that was his greatest talent.

"Busy, even now."

Scanning beyond the reach of the sacred flame, into the darkness surrounding the battlefield, Nasser’s gaze halted at the far outskirts.

He noticed a red trail circling the outskirts.

Nila’s mane scattered embers as it ran, and atop it rode Ian Hope, wreathed in red divinity, cleaving monsters apart without slowing.

"Remarkable."

The sight alone was worthy of the title Demigod of the North. And more surprising still, Ian wasn’t even watching the monsters.

Crack— crunch—

As the greatsword rose and fell, Ian’s gaze continued to sweep the sky, shifting from the left of the carriage to the right without pause.

High attributes, sharpened instincts, and an extreme level of focus were all at play. Nasser could not hope to grasp the full mechanics of what Ian was doing, but one thing was unmistakable.

Ian was tracking something overhead.

Nasser narrowed his eyes and turned his head once more, following the subtle changes in Ian’s line of sight.

Fwoosh—

The area grew even brighter, and almost simultaneously, a pillar of orange flame surged up ahead. Blinded by the glare, Nasser instinctively raised his shield to cover his face.

The towering column of fire was, of course, Lu Entre’s sacred flame. A fragment of Lu Entre’s authority, unleashed once more by the Saintess of the Brazier.

Whoosh—

This time, the phenomenon was different. Instead of bursting outward or splitting into countless fireballs, the flame scattered like a fountain, spreading light and heat across the battlefield. It was as though a veil of divinity had been drawn over the land.

Because of that, the monsters filling the sky came into much sharper focus. They were already dangerously close.

"

Oh

, Lu Solar...."

Amid Alex’s quiet lament, Nasser kept his shield raised and calmly looked up at the sky. Countless grotesque shapes writhed overhead.

Screech! Screech!

The creatures flapped their wings in spasms, screaming as they went. Heat scorched their bodies, burning them as though they were being boiled alive.

Rumble—

Those that touched the surging sacred flame were reduced to charcoal in an instant, collapsing into ash that scattered on the wind. Thanks to that overwhelming suppression, Nasser was able to observe the scene with relative clarity.

"Blazing passion!"

"

Oooooooo

—"

"Kill them!"

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

As smoking monsters crashed down around them, the barbarian warriors charged forward with roaring cries.

Crash, clang!

The red divinity clinging to them now carried a faint orange hue. It was no illusion. Karha’s blessing and Lu Entre’s grace were amplifying one another.

"Fire—"

"Don't stop!"

Shouts echoed around the carriage as well. Soldiers and mercenaries dropped to one knee and repeatedly pulled the triggers of their crossbows, sending bolts into the sky.

Thud! Crack, boom—

The battlefield was drowned in shouts, shrieks, and explosions. Even amid that chaos, Nasser continued to scan the outer edges of the fight. Before long, he spotted Nila and Ian charging across the right flank.

Crunch, crash!

Still cutting down monsters with his greatsword, Ian was no longer watching the sky. His gaze was fixed straight ahead, locked onto something beyond.

Nasser followed his line of sight. Past the blazing pillars of fire, a black horse galloped along the edge of the battlefield.

That one looks more like a monster.

Watching Moro smash through anything in its path, trampling creatures under, Nasser curled one corner of his mouth into a faint smile. Seated in the saddle, Thesaya glanced toward Ian, then shifted her gaze to the distant sky.

Leaving one side to the Elder, then?

Narrowing his eyes, Nasser followed her gaze to the right-hand sky. It was one of the directions Ian had been watching earlier. As Thesaya tugged Moro’s reins, Nila crossed paths with her, sprinting hard in the opposite direction.

Almost reflexively, Nasser looked toward the left side of the wagons.

His eyes widened.

Beyond the monsters scattering and burning as they fell, a massive shape tinged with purple had revealed itself.

A harpy?

Nasser stared at the silhouette of the demon gliding through the air with four purple wings spread wide. Its avian wings, the hooked claws at the end of its long legs, the horns crowning its head, and the two pairs of wavering purple glints were more than enough to fuel his suspicion.

Fwoosh...

That was when the fountain of sacred fire surging overhead subsided. The soaring flames gradually diminished, though the divinity and heat clinging to the battlefield remained.

Crash! Crunch—

The fighting only grew fiercer. Monster corpses littered the ground in every direction, trampled beneath the feet of barbarian warriors rampaging like berserkers.

With the sacred flame receding, it was only a matter of time before the same chaos reached the wagons.

"Keep firing! Don’t let them get any closer!"

"Don’t think—thinking just slows your reload!!"

As if fully aware of what was about to happen, urgent shouts rippled through the ranks of the defense force soldiers and mercenaries.

Only then did Nasser finally lower the shield that had been covering his face.

The driver’s seat came back into view. Alex was there, and beside him stood Phaden, now fully armored, his helmet pulled down, sword and shield in hand.

Phaden met Nasser’s gaze with tense eyes and gave a small nod. Nasser returned it with a faint smile before turning his attention to the left front, where Nila was still charging ahead with Ian astride it.

The difference was that the creature itself was doing the ramming now. Instead of Ian striking, Nila slammed monsters aside with its body. Each time it smashed into one, sparks burst from its mane like small explosions.

Ian stood braced in the stirrups. His greatsword was lifted high over his shoulder, his waist twisted sharply back.

A throwing stance?

Narrowing his eyes, Nasser shifted his gaze toward the left side of the sky, where the demon was gliding downward. It certainly looked as though Ian meant to bring it down by hurling his sword.

However, no matter how mighty the Demigod of the North might be, it didn't seem easy.

Too many monsters were swarming around the demon. The blade would lose momentum before reaching it, or its trajectory would be deflected entirely.

Whoosh—

It was then that a gust rushed in from behind. Slightly lowering his posture to balance, Nasser looked to the right.

Beyond the formation, a massive whirlwind was spiraling upward at a terrifying speed. Even to the naked eye, it was obvious that the vortex was packed with razor-sharp shards of ice.

There was no need to wonder who had cast it.

The Elder.

Thesaya and Moro were circling behind the formation.

Even as Moro smashed monsters aside and sent them flying, Thesaya continued weaving her spell without the slightest loss of balance. Contrary to common prejudice, that ill-tempered elder fairy was an exceptional mage.

Perhaps her past as a vampire had something to do with it.

Rumble—

The ice-laden tornado rapidly grew in size, sucking in nearby monsters and shredding them to pieces. Others scattered in panic, and as they did, another massive silhouette was revealed beyond them.

A gargoyle this time?

Like the harpy demon before it, this one was far larger than ordinary monsters. It had two heads, four arms, and an enormous frame. It flew straight toward the vortex, as if intending to smash through it by brute force alone.

"Don’t falter!" shouted Mev.

Still swinging her sword without pause, she broke away from the formation and charged toward the whirlwind.

"I’ll handle it! Hold your positions!"

Nasser smiled. At her waist hung the holy sword blessed by two goddesses, a famed blade with a proven history of slaying demons.

Watching her as she rushed beyond the formation, Nasser turned his gaze to the left side of the sky.

His eyes widened. A red arc was spinning through the air like a windmill. It was unmistakably the Fang Greatsword Ian had thrown.

Crash—

The blade tore through everything in its path. To Nasser’s eyes, the monsters seemed to split apart before the edge even touched them.

Magic.

He already knew it, yet the sight still made him marvel all over again. Even so, it did not look as though the blade would reach the demon.

Crunch—

Though it continued carving through monsters, the sword was clearly losing momentum. The blazing red divinity clinging to it scattered and faded. The demon had not even folded its wide-spread wings yet.

That was when Nasser realized it: Ian had never intended to strike the demon with his sword.

Shweck—

Following the space the blade had carved open, a crimson streak surged upward.

It was Ian himself, his cloak flaring like wings.

That should be called a flight rather than a leap.

Staring blankly, Nasser watched him. Ian had clearly kicked off Nila’s saddle. Left behind, the beast staggered but somehow kept running, still slamming into fallen monsters as it went.

Nasser spared it only a glance before returning his focus to the red arc soaring along a high parabola.

But even so...

As astonishing as the leap was, it still fell short of the demon’s position. That was when Ian thrust his left arm forward.

Nasser caught a brief flash as something shot from Ian’s grasp.

A dagger?