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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Despite the midday sun, the plains lay shrouded in an unnatural darkness cast by storm clouds, a scene of chaos worthy of a Hoback painting.
“Help!”
“Mommy!”
“This way!”
“Prioritize the evacuation of the citizens!”
As magical beasts poured from the Demon Realm Forest, the first to react were, surprisingly, the Holy Knights of Batian.
Following the Sun God Helios’ command to prepare for the apocalypse, they had immediately mobilized upon hearing of the emerging threat from the forest, convinced that this was the calamity foretold by their god.
Despite their titles of Holy Knight and Paladin, they were more accustomed to polishing their swords and engaging in routine training and prayers.
Seeing this as their chance to prove their faith and demonstrate their prowess, they charged forward, brandishing their swords and hammers.
‘I should have refused that honorary Paladin title.’
Among them stood another Paladin.
A young man with golden hair, clad in golden armor.
Ares Helias, who had unexpectedly received the honorary title during the school trip to Batian, was now fulfilling his duty.
He had believed the honorary title would bring only benefits – tuition support, a stable job… an attractive offer for a boy from a rural village.
But witnessing the scene before him, he couldn’t help but regret his decision.
‘I miss Arnie.’
The unusually long holiday weighed heavily on him.
Longing for his lover, Ares channeled Helios’ power through the marks on his hands, imbuing his sword with divine energy.
As Helios’ light enveloped the young man’s sword, the surrounding Holy Knights, Paladins, and priests cheered, their spirits lifted by the sight of their god’s power.
Even those who didn’t worship Helios felt a surge of strength, believing their god was with them.
But whether it made a difference…
Well…
Five villages near the Demon Realm Forest had already been destroyed. Despite their proximity to the forest, their defenses had been no match for the onslaught of magical beasts.
It was a nightmare.
There were no mere foot soldiers among them. Each beast possessed the strength of a knight, and their abilities were difficult to decipher.
The Demina, with the face of a goat and the ability to walk on two legs, was a threat with its charging attacks and sharp turns. These were manageable, but…
Some beasts spat acidic saliva, others ambushed from underground, and some even transformed into mist. Their diverse and unpredictable abilities made them formidable opponents to watch out for.
“Hey, boy.”
“…Yes?”
An old woman approached Ares, who stood as a beacon of Helios’ power.
He hadn’t noticed her approach, and neither had the surrounding Paladins, much to their surprise.
The old woman extended her hand, her staff, a simple, almost antique-looking one, was planted firmly in the ground. She had passed her original staff on to her successor.
“The creatures from that forest are inherently vulnerable to sunlight. Now, let me help you.”
“W-Wait! Who are you?!”
Ares was startled, and the nearby Paladins moved to restrain the old woman, but as her hand touched Ares, the light of Helios radiating from his sword intensified.
“H-How?”
“Helios’s power is concentrated within you, but you lack the capacity to unleash it. I simply opened your meridians with my mana. Tsk, tsk, you should have practiced more diligently.”
The power bestowed by Helios was immense, but Ares was like a small funnel trying to collect water from a massive waterfall.
As Helios’s light spread across the battlefield, the magical beasts’ movements slowed.
Accustomed to the dim light of the forest, they recoiled from the sudden brightness.
“Ugh! W-Who are you?”
Ares gripped his trembling sword with both hands, and the old woman chuckled.
“The Grand Witch… or rather, just a retired witch, now.”
She had overexerted herself due to the incident with the Priestess of Time, and while Adriana had warped to find Daniel, she had sought refuge in an inn outside the Demon Realm Forest.
She had been contemplating her retirement plans and the future of the witches, but…
All of that was irrelevant now.
The Demon Realm Forest was in chaos.
The Grand Witch suspected the cause was the disappearance of the barrier protecting the forest.
‘The throne of the forest is empty.’
That was her conclusion.
Sharcal, the tyrant, was dead.
That was manageable, but the death of Kurika, the King of Beasts, was a critical blow. The two beings capable of restraining the impulsive and instinct-driven beasts were gone.
However, that alone wouldn’t cause the magical beasts to rampage. The barrier was gone, but they had no reason to leave.
‘Someone provoked them from within the forest.’
It wasn’t clear who, but someone had driven the beasts out, like setting fire to a house to force the children out.
‘An ancient magical beast? Or the apocalypse?’
There were several possibilities, but all she could do for now was assist the clueless messenger of god beside her.
“Ah, fresh air. It’s been a while.”
A massive magical beast emerged from the dark trees. Clad in green armor, he carried a halberd on his shoulder, scanning his surroundings. His mere presence made the human soldiers tremble fearfully.
The Grand Witch’s eyes widened in surprise.
“An ancient magical beast?”
The instinct-driven beasts might venture out of the forest, but the ancient magical beasts were different.
They had a pact with the witches, a promise not to leave the forest unless absolutely necessary…
Although the ancient beast couldn’t have heard her, he spotted the Grand Witch and let out a cackling laugh.
“Grand Witch! I shall finally claim your head today!”
“W-We have to stop that beast!”
Even without the Grand Witch’s warning, the others sensed the danger emanating from the creature.
The Jade Narboros.
Armed with green armor and a halberd, he didn’t possess any flashy or unique abilities.
However, with each swing of his halberd, Holy Knights fell, and no one could withstand his heavy blows.
“You insects, parasites living in the shadow of the King and the Tyrant! The King is gone! The Tyrant is gone! There’s no need to honor our pact with you withered, decaying witches!”
“Ugh!”
The Grand Witch groaned.
In the past, when even the gods were wary of the witches, their power had been immense, enough to forge a pact with the ancient magical beasts.
But that time had passed.
Generations of witches had come and gone, and confined within the Demon Realm Forest, their power had waned.
The beasts, however, were different.
Their generations hadn’t changed, and they had only grown stronger with time.
The balance of the pact had been shattered.
Narboros continued his advance, carving a path through the battlefield. Ignoring the other beasts, he marched towards the heart of the Holy Knights’ formation.
Surrounded, he remained unfazed, their swords unable to pierce his jade armor.
“Ugh!”
“Oh, God!”
“You monster!”
The knights threw themselves at him, trying to land a blow, but…
“Buzz off, flies!”
With a single swipe of his halberd, they fell.
‘To be so overwhelmed merely by Narboros…’
The Grand Witch felt a mixture of horror and despair overcome her.
Narboros was strong, but he wasn’t among the strongest of the ancient magical beasts.
Far more powerful creatures lurked within the forest, beasts whose mere presence could devastate the battlefield.
With the Tyrant and the King gone, the ancient magical beasts were vying for dominance.
Narboros approached, and the Paladins, the higher-ranking Holy Knights, engaged him. Unlike the knights, they managed to withstand his attacks and even scratch his armor, but…
“Pathetic!”
With a few swings of his halberd, they were sent flying like scarecrows. The lack of real combat experience, their training limited to sparring matches within Batian, was their downfall.
“Ugh!”
Ares, radiating Helios’ power, trembled as he faced Narboros.
He was terrified, but unlike before, he didn’t run.
He wanted to ask the Grand Witch for help, but just as he opened his mouth…
A blue light engulfed the space between them.
“Warp?”
The Grand Witch muttered in surprise.
Then, seeing the figures emerge from the light, she sighed in relief.
“Grand Witch! Are you alright?”
Adriana, the Grand Witch-in-training, had arrived. She seemed to have mastered warp magic quickly, her arrival precise and timely.
“I’m not used to battlefields.”
Sen, the white-haired assassin, drew her daggers, despite claiming assassination was her specialty.
And finally, Eris, the elf, her golden hair flowing in the wind, a vision of beauty.
She drew her sword and staff, facing Narboros.
“I am Eris Anen Seriere, Guardian of Yggdrasil. I have a question for you.”
“An interesting one has arrived!”
Boom!
Narboros swung his halberd, aiming to cleave Eris in two, but she was already gone.
The mark of Artemis glowed in her blue eyes.
With a cold voice, she swung her sword and staff simultaneously.
“Is the Earliest Apocalypse happening in that forest?”
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Nooooo I finally reached the current endpoint of free chapters.