Chapter 577: The Worst Day

On that day, the witch Baronuis gazed up at Zebrililith’s crumbling outer shell. She quickly understood that it was no longer a body, but merely a corpse.

But she didn’t show the same distress as the surrounding beasts.

The emotions that welled up within her were astonishment and bewilderment.

…That spirit goddess was dying. That Great Demon was finally dying.

Not only herself, but even the great first human King, Medic, couldn’t defeat it. Its death was finally happening before Baronuis’ eyes.

She knew the situation and environment were different from a thousand years ago. Even so, she still couldn’t fully believe it.

But Zebrililith’s crumbling and disappearing body proved it. Her outer shell was faith itself. Its loss meant she was dead.

In a moment, Zebrililith’s body would completely vanish. All of her traces would disappear except for the scars she left on the continent.

「Lugis…」

Baronuis heard Filaret murmur, looking up at the sky. That human had accomplished this?

Baronuis’ cheeks curved upwards. For her, this was the second surprise of this fateful day.

Filaret, the one who transcended magic. Lugis, the human who killed the Great Demon.

Only one desire arose within her mind.

…I want to know more.

Who was he? What talent did he possess? How did he destroy the Great Demon?

Was he a human who could surpass the human King Medic in every way?

At that moment, Baronuis suddenly lowered her gaze. An emotion uncharacteristic of her…a reflection on the past…had arisen within her. Someone who conquered the known and constantly sought the unknown.

「If only you had been born a thousand years earlier. No. That’s a ridiculous thought. 」

Caria, who fought a large horde of demonic beasts, Filaret, who fought Baronuis, and the being who killed the Great Demon Zebrililith…

No, even the soldiers who fearlessly charged in on horseback in the face of demonic powers and fought with spears…they were all powerful beings.

A thousand years ago. In the time of the human King Medic and the sorceress Baronuis, such powerful beings were unimaginable even in dreams. Many humans lacked the power to resist demonic forces, and their only advantage was their reliance on Medic.

However, it was different this time.

It wasn’t just one abnormal individual, unlike Altia’s time. Everyone stood with their own will. They had reclaimed the continent’s hegemony for humanity through their own strength.

Humans had become strong.

Baronuis’ voice held both admiration and a touch of envy. However, there was no turning back for her.

「Yes. I will never be trampled by you again. I won’t let you do as you please. 」

「But you can’t kill me. That’s why you can’t move a single step. Isn’t that right? 」

Baronuis didn’t miss the distress in Filaret’s eyebrows.

Filaret’s magic was brilliant. With her Demon Eye and the seven stakes she had created, she drained Baronuis of her magical power.

Without her magic, Baronuis couldn’t kill Filaret, nor could she use her Demon Eye. She was literally bound here.

But the same was true for Filaret. She was using all her magical power to pin Baronuis down. They were both immobile and bound, so they were no different from each other.

A kind of equilibrium…But that equilibrium had now been broken.

「Certainly, I probably can’t kill you. But my comrades aren’t as weak as I am. 」

The horde of monsters would scatter soon now that Zebrililith was dead. This horde was, in a sense, a group of fanatics who worshipped Zebrililith as a god. It was only natural that they would lose their power when their god was gone.

If the monster horde collapsed as a fighting force, Caria, the little giant, would surely rush here. And she, too, could kill Baronuis.

That was an unparalleled conviction born from having overcome countless perilous situations before.

「That’s right. Even Zebrililith is dead. I will die too. But…not now. 」

Baronuis unfolded her shadow again, now devoid of magic.

This was neither magic nor sorcery. It simply reflected Baronuis’ greedy nature. Therefore, it consumed the least amount of magic power.

「What…」

「Filaret. 」

Baronuis’ shadow was like a solitary black in the white of the death snow. No matter how hard she struggled, she didn’t have enough magical power. The magic and spells were bound to Filaret.

But Baronuis also realized at the same time. Filaret’s “Demon Eye” didn’t instantly reduce a hundred magical powers to zero. It was the kind that gradually absorbed magical power, albeit quickly.

Therefore…Baronuis could cast one spell if she could generate an immense amount of magical power in one go. Baronuis determined that this escape was worth it.

「This is your victory. I have lost. Though my last breath isn’t meant for today. 」

Baronuis began her incantation, leaving Filaret’s confusion behind. That single word of incantation couldn’t be stopped by anyone. It wasn’t magic; it was merely a pre-arranged signal.

「…Break, be lost. 」

It happened in an instant.

Baronuis’ supreme Demon Eye, the one that brought death, shattered on the spot. It was a tool she used to wield the Original Text, a magical eye forged over hundreds of years. It had continuously accumulated magical power.

As the Demon Eye collapsed, the magical power that erupted surged forth like a torrent. Those eyes, whose very existence was close to a sacred treasure, came to an end at this moment. The eye of death was now lost.

「Wha…What!? 」

It was beyond comprehension even for Filaret. Regardless of whether they were sorcerers or wizards, for anyone who wielded magic, a magical artifact they created by imbuing it with their own magical power was an extension of themselves. It wasn’t just a simple loss; it was closer to the loss of one’s soul.

And now, she had shattered it. The magical power scattering around her exceeded the amount Filaret could absorb in an instant.

A shadow enveloped Baronuis’ body.

「We’ll meet again, Filaret. I must stay by Medic’s side even when I’m utterly depleted. 」

「This…This is ridiculous! You’re kidding me…!」

Baronuis vanished before she could even finish speaking. Not even a trace of her magic remained.

She had lost a crucial mechanism related to the Original Text: her Demon Eye. She couldn’t possibly recreate such a pinnacle of magic so quickly. She had barely managed to escape, having lost half of herself.

Filaret had achieved her goal of luring Baronuis away. One could even call it the victory for the sorceress.

Nevertheless…

「…Damn it…!」

Filaret watched Baronuis escape, consumed by emotions beyond words. Perhaps, it was the expression of the fighting spirit that had finally begun to sprout within her.

—

The Great Demon Zebrililith was annihilated, and the Witch Baronuis fled in defeat. This was a definite victory for the human army, an invaluable achievement.

However, they paid a price for it.

Countless soldiers lost their lives to the Demon Eye, and the battle lines collapsed. The battle against the monstrous beasts was far from unscathed. Units were forced to reorganize repeatedly, and the number of unit commanders decreased.

Of the 25,000 soldiers, fewer than 20,000 remained capable of fighting. Even among those, those who were unscathed were rare. The command structures of each unit were shattered, effectively rendering them unable to continue fighting.

But Lugis immediately said upon returning from Zebrililith’s collapse.

「…We must reorganize the army immediately. Divide it into an avant-garde force heading to Fort Medraut and a main force. The old man is holding against 60,000 soldiers. We won’t make it in time. 」

The initial plan…to reach the Olyn Plains in two days, immediately kill Zebrililith, and return to the fort with the main force…became impossible the moment Baronuis halted the advance.

However, there was still time. Half a day was enough for a small avant-garde force to reach the fort.

Lugis was confident that Richard could make full use of the advance force alone. The time gained would be used to send the main force there.

In fact, Lugis himself would have preferred to lead that force to Fort Medraut, even with his severely wounded body. But the army of over 10,000 men was a hindrance.

The battle with Zebrililith had resulted in the loss of many commanders, soldiers, and the entire chain of command. To make matters worse, this army was a mixed force of multiple nations, having received reinforcements from both Bolvat and others.

Authority was necessary to coordinate and swiftly move the troops. And the only person who possessed the necessary authority at this moment was Lugis.

Neymar, the messenger from Fort Medraut, arrived just as the avant-garde troops had been sent off.

She entered the tent where Lugis was wrapped in bandages.

「So…what did the old man say? Well, I understand his situation, but… 」

Neymar spat out the words to Lugis, who was facing her while receiving treatment. Her vision was still blurry, perhaps because she had been riding continuously without dismounting even once.

「…Treat the fort as lost and me as dead. 」

「Well, that’s what he’d say. But it hasn’t fallen yet, has it? 」

「Of course, General. You’ll go there, won’t you!? 」

Lugis finished bandaging and stood up straight. His joints cried out in pain with even the slightest movement of his fingers, but he didn’t have time to stop.

Perhaps because they shared the same master, there was a strange, almost peculiar ease between Lugis and Neymar. And they both believed that their master wouldn’t easily surrender the fort. Rather, believing this was a given.

In fact, losing Fort Medraut would leave nothing to stop the Holy Army’s advance to the capital. They had to take every possible measure to avoid that worst case scenario.

The main army finally finished reorganizing and preparing for departure half a day after seeing off the avant-garde troops.

This was actually a rather haphazard formation considering they had to wipe out the remnants of the monstrous beast horde.

…It was around that time that a messenger had arrived.

In the Great Tent, where the main figures had gathered for the final war council, the messenger yelled with a voice tinged with a moment of hesitation and impatience.

Several of those in the Great Tent understood the matter just by looking at the messenger’s expression.

「…Fort Medraut has fallen! Commander Richard’s fate is unknown. He likely perished with the burning fort. 」

Instantly, a frozen atmosphere filled the tent.

Only one messenger had brought this report so far. There was a possibility that it was a premature report. It was natural that not all messengers brought accurate information.

But the circumstances made his words seem credible.

After all, the enemy army numbered 60,000, while theirs was only 3,000. In fact, it was surprising the front line had held until now, even with the strong walls of the fort.

It wouldn’t have been surprising if this report had come much earlier. The fact that they had managed to buy these many days was undoubtedly due to Richard’s skill.

「…That’s…impossible…!」

Neymar was the first to show her emotions. Of course. She was the last to see Richard and had rushed to the Olyn Plains in search of reinforcements. The news that the person she needed to save was lost was simply unacceptable to her.

…Normally, she would’ve unleashed all her anger here.

Perhaps she would have hurled insults at Lugis for agreeing to Richard’s reckless plan.

But that didn’t happen. No one in the large tent spoke.

Because when he began speaking…his voice was heavy enough to make everyone else feel oppressed.

「…You’re lying. Tell me you’re lying! You want me to believe you!? 」

The one who spoke out loud was Lugis. His emotions were more open than ever before.

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Poor Lugis 😦 This is quite heartbreaking.

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