Pick Me Up!

Time seemed to slow down as if a slow-motion camera was capturing everything.

Spears targeting vital spots converged from all directions.

‘…!’

Bang!

The spear clashed with my sword and snapped like dry reeds.

Before the spear wielder could react, his entire body disintegrated into dust.

Suppressing the burning heat within my body, I continued to exert force.

‘One is not enough.’

The high-ranking commanders of the Cult Army were conveniently assembled together.

‘In a single stroke.’

A blue light lingered on my blade.

It was the dazzling radiance I had seen when I had slashed through water dragons and golems at once.

SoulBlade Fusion.

A deadly strike, pulling up all the potential energy from my Ascend state.

Though there would be a recoil proportional to the power used, I won’t save any of my strength.

“…Hngh!”

As I took a breath, feeling like my lungs would burst, the flow of time resumed.

Immediately, weapons aimed at my head, neck, heart, and lungs surged forward.

And then.

Thump!

With a crisp sound of impact, everything around me was shattered.

After the sword strike, a dust storm swept over the hill where the command post was located.

I barely moved my creaking arm to plant my sword into the ground.

Soon the dust cloud cleared.

The scene at the command post unfolded before me.

“…?”

The eyes of a nearby soldier glazed over.

All kinds of enchanted and intricately crafted weapons and armor, the bodies of name warriors, and even parts of the hill’s landscape were completely devoured.

The top of the hill was hollowed out as if a meteor had struck.

There was no trace of the once formidable command post.

Naturally, there was no one intact other than myself. Most had been obliterated without leaving a corpse.

Cough.

Crimson blood spilled from my mouth.

I staggered for a moment but managed to regain my posture.

“What in the world…”

“Oppa!”

Jenna, jumping over the dazed soldiers, approached me.

She whispered, leaning on me.

“Are you alright?”

“Do I look alright?”

My reflection in the blade was covered in blood. My legs trembled slightly as I stood on the ground, and my leather armor was torn in all directions. I looked nothing short of ragged.

Then, Kishasha ran up to me.

She looked like a girl whose makeup had been washed away.

“Is he… a demon?”

A knight standing at the foot of the hill sighed.

A common emotion appeared in the eyes of the soldiers of the Cult Army.

It was fear.

To the ordinary human eye,

I was a monster who had shattered dozens of square meters with a single slash.

However, I could barely control my body now.

Standing with the support of my sword was all I could manage. I was only pretending to be alright.

Even now, my vision was blurring, but the hundreds of soldiers surrounding us couldn’t easily approach. They only stared from afar.

“Haha, awesome, Han! You’re the best!”

Kishasha laughed heartily, slapping my back.

Moderate your strength, damn it. If you hit me harder, I might die.

“Ugh…!”

A groan was heard.

In the corner of the shattered command post, a knight covered in blood lay fallen.

[Cult Army General Commander]

[Ironblood Vallention Lv.56]

He wasn’t dead.

The man was relatively in the back.

Thanks to the others acting as meat shields, he seemed to have saved his life.

Looking at his condition, he wouldn’t last long.

‘I should make a declaration.’

Using my sword as a cane, I approached him.

The knight’s initially dignified appearance was nowhere to be seen.

“You, you bastard…!”

“Good thing you didn’t die. It feels more real.”

I stomped on the man’s face and then grabbed him by the collar to lift him.

“Look well. This is your leader’s state.”

With a grip, the knight’s neck bone broke, and his body slumped.

Given his title and level, he was among the top-ranked named characters. If things had gone as planned, he should have been locked in fierce combat with heroes. But it didn’t turn out that way.

He met a dog’s death.

I tossed the limp body down the hill.

The soldiers and officers hesitated en masse.

It was a show meant to demoralize them. It seemed to have worked.

“Hhehehehaha.”

“Oppa, you’re totally a demon now. Even your laugh is evil.”

“We have to break their morale. Keep them from charging. Cough.”

Damn, it hurts.

I was close to revealing my pain.

I immediately communicated with Katiio.

The connection target was the Lion Army commander. The command post, positioned on a high hill, had surely seen everything.

“You, you are…”

“Just as I said. I’ve wiped out the top brass. Can we win now?”

“Will, will try!”

“It’s not ‘will try,’ it should be ‘will do.’ Speak clearly.”

I looked out over the battlefield.

The soldiers of the Cult Army, who had been surrounding them on three sides and unleashing a furious assault, began to falter.

News that their command had been annihilated must have reached them. I had even staged a show to amplify the effect.

Meanwhile, led by Edis, the Assault Squad was relentlessly breaking through the Cult Army’s right flank. They advanced unimpeded under the cover of magic from the twin elemental magicians.

‘I’ve made a good move.’

We were strategically smashing one wing to break the enemy’s encirclement.

I communicated with our side’s commander.

“The enemy is leaderless. They’re not an army but a gathering of individual soldiers now. If you can’t win here, you’re worse than a soldier. Understand?”

“Don’t provoke me. I’m aware.”

“Good to hear.”

“That’s set then, I’ll go ahead.”

After that, the communication was cut.

As the battle commenced, the movements of the Lion Army, which had been only retreating, changed. The cavalry, which had been desperate to flee to the rear, now took action.

It seemed to be working.

Of course, since we were still objectively outmatched in terms of forces, it was just the beginning.

If the Lion Army’s commander can’t capitalize on the situation we’ve created, it’s all over.

“What are you all waiting for!”

A young knight drew his sword.

It seemed some had regained their senses.

“But, but…”

“Don’t you see! Even that demon is not in good shape. If we join forces, we can surely defeat them. Will you really let them win? Are you going to ignore Lord Vallention’s death?”

Following the knight’s lead, a few began to move.

It seemed a critical moment of survival had arrived. Kishasha and Jenna stood tensely beside me.

“Can you fight? If it’s too hard, don’t push yourself.”

“Haha! Don’t bother! We can fight, so it’s fine.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

I drew a dagger.

Though intense movements were difficult, I could still fight.

If it were just ordinary soldiers, I could take on at least ten.

‘The problem is… how long can I hold out.’

Certainly, the situation had shifted from defense to offense.

But that didn’t mean the mission was over. Down the hill, they were approaching us with murderous intent. We had to hold out until the situation ended.

If it came to abandoning me, Jenna and Kishasha could escape.

But they didn’t seem inclined to listen to me.

[Cult Army Soldier Lv.21] x 643

[Cult Army Knight Lv.25] x 87

“Take revenge! The Goddess watches over us!”

“Slay them! Slay them! Slay them!”

The soldiers began to surge forward like a tide.

I stood shoulder to shoulder with the two, silently gripping my dagger.

Just before colliding with the front line of soldiers.

[Ding!]

[Allied NPC ‘Radasteri Knights’ joins the fray!]

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