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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“…This is similar to that place.”
Luminous stones were embedded throughout, illuminating the surroundings.
From this point onwards, the path branched, requiring us to consult the map.
“Hmm, this is the fastest route.”
The safest approach would be to meticulously clear the entire ruin of lesser guardians before confronting the boss.
However, this was the most efficient route.
‘Eliminate the source of this infernal divine power first.’
While it wasn’t as potent as the ruin behind the waterfall, the pervasive divine power was irritating.
And once this divine power was gone, my army, currently resting in the dimensional fragment, could operate freely.
If that happened…
‘There would be no need to search every nook and cranny.’
I could rest while my army handled everything.
The statues weren’t weak.
However, once this subtle divine power disappeared and my army, including the high-ranking undead currently leading the vanguard, was deployed, the situation would change.
‘We can win.’
Therefore, I chose to prioritize the boss, taking the shortest route.
“These seem to have been living quarters.”
“Quite spacious.”
“At least there are no damned statues here.”
Despite taking the shortest route, we couldn’t avoid combat.
The wider spaces gave the larger number of statues a slight advantage.
Moreover, the area wasn’t large enough for the Bone Golem to operate effectively, making it quite troublesome.
However, it wasn’t a meaningless exercise.
Annelise, emboldened by the indirect praise, and Baldur, receiving feedback from Kayla, took the lead in several battles, gaining valuable experience and quickly adapting to their newfound power.
Their growth was noticeable, and I manipulated the undead to facilitate their development during each encounter.
‘Their coordination with the undead is improving as well.’
Kayla and Athena, understanding my intentions, silently cooperated.
Their personal feelings towards Annelise didn’t interfere.
Combat was a matter of life and death. They weren’t foolish enough to let personal feelings cloud their judgment.
After passing through the presumed living quarters, we reached the location marked on the map.
“An altar…”
It was enormous.
The surrounding space was also vast, even larger than the hall in the previous temple.
At the far end stood a statue of the Earth Mother Goddess, and before it, a massive altar.
The statue was as colossal as the altar, and upon the altar sat a large earthenware vessel radiating a subtle divine power.
‘A sacred relic.’
And surrounding the statue…
“They’re even larger than the ones we saw before.”
Two guardians stood on either side of the altar.
Armed with swords and shields.
Rumble.
Sensing our presence, they stirred.
“I’ll handle one.”
“Are you sure?”
I questioned Kayla, and she immediately replied.
“I was lacking information back then and made some mistakes. I intend to rectify those mistakes.”
“Alright, go ahead.”
I readily agreed to her request.
I trusted her judgment, and I didn’t think Kayla would act recklessly.
‘If she finds it too difficult, she’ll ask for help.’
She wasn’t foolish.
I summoned the Bone Golem.
“I’ll draw its attention and keep it occupied. Attack freely.”
Athena, Baldur, and Annelise expressed their determination, and the undead, through our connection, echoed their desire to crush the guardian.
‘I do appreciate the spacious area.’
It allowed me to deploy the Bone Golem.
The problem was the pervasive divine power emanating from the sacred relic, but I compensated for it with Aura of Death and layered enhancements.
Therefore, I decided to provide a different form of support in this battle.
‘I’ll limit my influence on their movements to the Bone Golem and focus on weakening the divine power.’
Since I was only using high-ranking undead, there wasn’t much room for me to intervene directly.
They were better than me in close combat.
-Hmm… it seems I won’t be of much help this time.
Orie muttered regretfully.
Indeed, there didn’t seem to be a role for her in this battle.
“Just observe. It can’t be helped.”
It wasn’t that she was incompetent; it was a matter of compatibility.
-But this is our first conquest together, Master. I wanted to be of assistance.
“There’s no need to push yourself. There will be other opportunities.”
If there were unfavorable matchups, there were also favorable ones.
While I was briefly encouraging Orie, Kayla had already approached one of the guardians and initiated combat.
Unlike before, there was no need to stall, so she seemed intent on finishing the battle quickly.
The other guardian, ignoring their fight, began to approach us.
I sent the Bone Golem forward, and the high-ranking undead and my companions advanced in unison.
Annelise remained near me, as she was still within range.
Cereo stayed by her side as a precaution.
Lengvin and Nenson stood guard beside me.
I retrieved something I hadn’t used in a while from the subspace artifact.
-Oh? Master, is that…?
Orie seemed surprised to see the black chalice I had retrieved.
-You’ve completely corrupted it!
It was the Chalice of Abundance, once a sacred relic of the Earth Mother Religion.
I had obtained it from the previous temple.
‘Its function was to infinitely produce holy water that enriched the land, right?’
And that holy water contained a tremendous amount of divine power.
It wasn’t just a sacred relic; it was one of the highest grade.
‘Now it produces water filled with demonic energy.’
I hadn’t checked if its land-enriching properties remained.
‘Considering the nature of demonic energy, it’s unlikely.’
Moreover, it was no longer a sacred relic, so it couldn’t produce the water infinitely; it now required a supply of demonic energy.
As a sacred relic, it had been blessed by a god, allowing it to draw divine power endlessly. Now, corrupted, that blessing was gone.
However, it wasn’t useless.
With a supply of demonic energy, it could produce ‘black water’ imbued with demonic energy, and since its vessel was once a sacred relic, it could withstand an immense amount of demonic energy.
I had intended to use it later for creating undead or artifacts, but…
‘It’s useful now as well.’
It wouldn’t disappear after use, so there was no harm in using it.
I immediately channeled demonic energy through my inscription, directing it towards the corrupted Chalice of Abundance.
Black water slowly began to form.
-Master.
Orie spoke, having noticed the black water.
-May I use that water?
“This?”
-Yes. I think I can use Possession with it.
“…Possession? Against that?”
-Yes.
Possession. As the name suggested, it meant taking over a body by inhabiting it.
“…Against something overflowing with divine power?”
It should be impossible.
Even possessing an ordinary human required preparation.
I had to weaken their mental defenses and create an opening through illusions, energy drain, or other methods.
‘It’s impossible against priests or paladins.’
Or rather, it was impossible for most Wraiths.
Orie, as a Wraith Queen, could possess a low-ranking priest under certain circumstances, but these guardians were on a different level.
The amount of divine power they radiated was comparable to a high-ranking priest.
Yet, Orie claimed she could possess them.
-They don’t have souls. Cereo, before his soul fully formed, was just a Living Armor, wasn’t he? They’re similar.
In other words, since they lacked a proper ego, possession itself wasn’t difficult.
-However, the immense divine power is a problem… but with this black water, I can possess them for a short time, even if not permanently.
Normally, she would suffer significant damage from the divine power upon possession, but she claimed the black water could protect her.
‘To possess that guardian, even temporarily…’
Even a momentary lapse in concentration could decide the outcome of a battle.
But to possess it?
‘There’s no harm in trying.’
“…Are you certain you’ll be safe?”
-Of course. I don’t want to die yet. Even in the worst-case scenario, I can recover with time.
Reassured by her confidence, I slowly nodded.
“Go ahead.”
-Thank you for trusting me. I won’t disappoint you, Master.
Orie began to absorb the black water as the chalice produced it.
Meanwhile, Kayla was slowly pushing back her opponent.
‘She’s being cautious of the beams.’
If not for that, she would have already severed one of its limbs, the difference in their power seemed that significant.
In contrast, the other battle was a fierce stalemate.
Bang! Crash!
The guardian’s attacks and the Bone Golem’s defenses clashed.
The Bone Golem suffered damage with each impact.
Cracks appeared on its body, and fragments occasionally broke off.
It was pushed back with each attack, and the surrounding divine power hindered its regeneration.
However, it didn’t collapse.
Thanks to the concentrated enhancements and continuous supply of demonic energy, it regenerated at an unbelievable pace, despite the unfavorable environment, and my undead, along with Athena and Baldur, were working hard to buy time for the Bone Golem to recover.
Deep wounds appeared on the guardian’s body, and it couldn’t completely ignore them.
Whenever the Bone Golem was momentarily incapacitated, the guardian’s attacks always shifted to the others.
Their aggro management was excellent, and Baldur played a key role.
“This way!”
Having become a fully fledged mid-level Expert, he had bolstered his attack power and further refined some of Kayla’s teachings.
Unlike Athena, who swiftly moved to distract and deliver critical strikes, Baldur stood at the forefront with Rabid and Arahad, drawing the guardian’s attention and creating an environment for Flana, the spearman, and Athena, the assassin, to operate freely.
When the Bone Golem was in the lead, he skillfully maneuvered to inflict damage on the guardian, and when the Bone Golem retreated, he took over aggro management.
Seeing his performance, I realized Kayla’s praise was well-deserved.
‘His coordination skills are excellent.’
With Baldur’s effective leadership, my Living Armors actively adapted to his movements, and as a result, our teamwork became increasingly seamless.
While my Living Armors didn’t speak, they faithfully followed instructions.
Perhaps because they trusted and followed implicitly without needing communication, their coordination was even better.
‘It’s quite different from fighting against large numbers.’
The previous battles had been beneficial.
As we steadily pushed forward, a bright light and a loud explosion erupted from Kayla’s side.
I looked over and saw Kayla dodging the beam and charging towards the guardian.
Crack-!
With a single strike, the guardian’s shield shattered.
The guardian swiftly aimed its sword at Kayla, but she had already dodged the beam.
She easily evaded the attack and relentlessly targeted the arm that had held the shield.
Sensing the danger, a brilliant light began to emanate from the guardian’s body.
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