Saintess? Not Anymore! I'd Rather be a Destroyer-Chapter 158 - 144: War against the Infinite Nation 6
"She’s taller than those golems," commented Amber as she observed Vertica.
"Well, I expected nothing less of the power that places witches at rank six amongst the other races," King Girsal nodded, watching the battle unfold as he sat in a chair courteously provided by his servants.
Nia wasted no time and swiftly lunged at Vertica, her intentions clear as she aimed at severing Vertica’s hand. But to her surprise, her sword clashed with sparks as it couldn’t pierce Vertica’s skin.
However, Vertica swiftly grabbed Nia and held her in a tight grip, ultimately shattering Nia’s body into pieces, causing her white blood to drip between her fingers.
"Arghh!!" Aurianna couldn’t contain her agonizing screams as she began clawing at her body in response to the overwhelming pain coursing through her.
"What the hell is that?!" She gasped for breath, her voice strained, as she opened her eyes slowly to see Vertica approaching her, aiming to grab them.
But luckily Ruigo swung her staff creating hundreds of magic circles that blasted at Vertica, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ground.
"Ruigo, why didn’t you help me back there?!" Nia complained as her body reformed beside Ruigo.
"You should consider yourself lucky that I’m willing to revive you. Did you forget that if you die a certain amount of the pain you received would go to our master?" Ruigo rebuked her calmly.
"That’s the reason my body feels like shit," Aurianna remarked, a deep frown etching itself onto her face.
"Please, Master, mind your language," Ruigo politely implored.
"How the heck am I supposed to watch my words when it feels like my body’s being torn apart?!" Aurianna angrily retorted, her voice filled with frustration.
"Well, those are the consequences of summoning us," Ruigo said with a wry smile, essentially saying, ’I told you so.’
"Seems like we’ll need to summon two more, because I don’t think the three of us can kill this thing," Ruigo stated just as Vertica swung her wand, sending massive projectiles hurtling their way. Ruigo quickly created a protective barrier for each of them, absorbing the impact of the projectiles.
’If I were out there, I would have died,’ Aurianna thought to herself. "Hold on a minute! Why is she attacking us alone when those folks over there are just watching, like we’re some kind of entertainment?" Aurianna complained.
"I thought you wanted attention, Master?" Nia chimed in with a giggle.
"I do want attention, but why is this monster so fixated on us? Can’t she see those people over there whom she can also kill?" Aurianna pointed at the Sandeph knights, lurking from a very far distance behind a protective barrier.
Aurianna quickly calmed down and looked at Ruigo with a serious expression. "So, are you suggesting I should summon the Queen?" Aurianna inquired, wincing a bit clenching her neck.
"Yes, Master," Ruigo nodded.
"This is terrible. At this rate, I’ll lose all my body parts just trying to summon more of you! How am I even supposed to walk?!" Aurianna continued her complaints.
"Well, you could always make another crystal leg," Ruigo suggested.
"Is that supposed to make me feel better or something?" Aurianna shot back, her gaze fixed on Ruigo, her veins pulsing in frustration as they could be seen. "Instead of admiring my beautiful legs, I’ll be staring at crystals next morning!"
"Which is more important, your life or your leg?" Ruigo inquired.
"I suppose my life," Aurianna conceded.
"Well, screw it! My goal is to look as flashy and cool as possible! I can’t let people see me crying in pain!" Aurianna declared, struggling to get back on her feet as she was supported by Ruigo’s finger.
"I summon two more knights of the round table!" Aurianna announced, digging out her eye and cutting off her other intact leg before throwing both into the sky. Two massive white portals materialized, revealing the Queen and a male knight with a large bow.
The Queen brandished two enormous rocket guns, taking aim at Vertica. Vertica, seeing a new opponent, directed her hand at the Queen. However, Queen deftly dodged and landed on Vertica’s face, forcing the gun into her mouth and triggering a massive explosion from within.
As Queen descended next to Ruigo in the sky, she noticed that half of her arms were missing and pursed her lips in disappointment. She gazed up to see Vertica playfully swinging the three arms in the air. The arms soon disintegrated, and thousands of magic circles appeared across the battlefield, releasing explosive bursts of various elements, turning the battlefield into a maelstrom. Fortunately, the knights were protected by Ruigo’s barrier.
"Is the Master all right?" Queen inquired.
"She collapsed from summoning you and Luta," Ruigo explained, pointing at Aurianna, who lay in her palms, her face contorted in pain, with blood oozing from her eyes and ears.
"Is that the name she gave to him?" Queen asked, indicating the archer.
"Yes," Ruigo confirmed.
"That woman is strong. Let’s fight together," Queen suggested, turning her attention to Vertica, who had once again cursed the ground, causing thousands of mouths to emerge on the ground. And when they jumped out their bodies resembles grueseom looking sandworms and bit at Ruigo’s protective barrier.
"As much as I dislike fighting alongside you all, I’ll concede and join the battle," Nia sighed, brandishing her sabers.
"Very well, I’ll take the lead," Queen declared as she dashed towards Vertica, her remaining arms transforming into two pairs of limbs on each side of her body, each armed with a sword. She swung her sword at Vertica, who blocked the attack with her barrier magic, causing the ground to shatter around them. Nia and Abed aimed at Vertica from behind, but the singing golem women that Vertica had conjured protected her, intercepting their attacks.
However, the heads of those singing golem women were destroyed as they exploded, due to the attackof the magic arrow launched by the archer knight from a distance. As he stretched his hands to aim and let go, hundreds of arrows separated from his one shot and he continuously shot more arrows without stopping. This cover fire gave Nia and Abed the opening they needed to mount an attack on Vertica, with Queen. Strangely, Vertica’s form had suddenly shrunk to their level, leaving her in a state of panic.
But in this crucial moment, Vertica became momentarily distracted. Queen seized the opportunity, thrusting her arm into Vertica’s heart, causing dark, viscous blood to gush out.
"Arrgh!!" Vertica’s anguished cry erupted as she desperately tried to wield her wand against Queen. Yet, Nia firmly anchored her right arm to the ground, while Abed mirrored the action by pinning her left arm down using Nia’s other saber.
Meanwhile, Queen used her sword to firmly impale Vertica into the ground. Vertica let out a thunderous scream, shaking the very earth. But before she could free herself, she gazed upward and was met with an intense, blinding light emanating from a colossal magic circle suspended beneath Ruigo in the sky.
The four knights were instantly teleported to Ruigo’s side, and with a wave of her staff, a massive beam of light erupted from the magic circle, triggering a colossal explosion that consumed the entire battlefield. This explosive outburst spared the Sandeph Knights but scorched the Infinite Nation’s knights, who were encased in a protective barrier. The outcome was grim, as it claimed the lives of those who had survived, though it mercifully spared their remains from complete incineration.
After thirty minutes, the explosion subsided, revealing the scorched and lifeless body of Vertica alongside the remains of the Infinite Nation’s knights.
"You heartless bastards!" Esmeralda bellowed in a fit of rage as she fixed her enraged gaze on the White knights, her body scorched but she managed to walk.
"I’ll kill you!" she shrieked, lunging toward them. But before she could launch an attack, Queen materialized before her, locking eyes with the infuriated woman. Queen grabbed her in her hand and started squeezing the life from her.
"The human mind is so feeble. The moment they lose a loved one, they act irrationally and rush headlong into danger. Their strength dwindles just as quickly," Queen remarked, but her words were not audible to Esmeralda. "It’s a shame you couldn’t save your sister," Queen added, her tone mocking as she watched Esmeralda shed tears of blood before her life was extinguished, crushed to death within Queen’s grip.
"Sister..." Vertica murmured, stretching her scorched hands toward Esmeralda before she breathed her last breath.
"We won the first part of the war!!!" one of the knights cheered, eliciting jubilant cheers from the surviving Sandeph knights.
"Master’s pulse is weakening," Ruigo reported, her attention fixed on Aurianna.
"Why are you just standing there? Heal her already!" Nia urged, her anxiety spiking.
"I’ve tried, but it’s not working. It’s likely due to summoning us and her efforts to heal and resurrect those people. Aurianna drained a tremendous amount of mana from her surroundings into her body at an unsustainable rate, rendering her unable to cope with the rapid mana expenditure and replenishment," Ruigo explained, her voice devoid of emotion.
"Damn it!" Nia muttered.
"Aurianna needs a large source of mana, as she has lost alot," Eva stated as she materialized before Ruigo and into her palm.
"Jewel!" The knights greeted with bows, and Eva raised her hand, signaling them to stand upright.
"Aurianna, I specifically warned you not to act recklessly," Eva chided as she knelt down and tenderly lifted Aurianna by the head.
"This flashy attitude of yours might end up costing you dearly," Eva added with a light chuckle, gently brushing Aurianna’s hair.
"My body feels so heavy," Ostusi pondered as he observed the battlefield on a screen displayed by his communication cube.
"It’s that being again!!" he exclaimed upon noticing a black and golden mist enveloping Aurianna, shrouding her features.
"Ostusi, what is that?" Zalfar inquired, pointing at the strange being beside Aurianna.
"It may be that being when I first met Aurianna. To think it’s next to her again," Ostusi muttered, his brow furrowed.
"But for now, how many people have we managed to save and evacuate?" Ostusi asked a nearby demon who resembled a bee.
"Sir, we’ve successfully evacuated 75% of the slave population," the demon replied, saluting Ostusi. "These teleportation devices have been a godsend, sparing us the trouble of letting slaves run through the country," he added, holding up one of the teleportation devices graciously provided by Aurianna, the Suckers.
"Looks like the war might be ending up soon, so we have to hurry and get everyone out of here," Ostusi declared as he started walking, his eyes fixed on the slaves teleporting away before him.
"Thanks again for your help, Zalfar," Ostusi said as he glanced at Zalfar.
"No problem, but that kid keeps on surprising me. Can’t believe a new generation monster is born again," Zalfar sighed, chuckling a bit.
"I’d love to cross swords with her someday!" chuckled a scorpion man with gray skin beside them.
"Aurianna, thank you. You’ve helped us greatly. I would never forget this day," Ostusi mumbled before he teleported away.
"Hmm, despite her magic being low, she’s far from dead. She may revive but it would affect her soul greatly," Eva muttered, her brows furrowing. "If it weren’t for your system, I could’ve lessened the impact on her," she said, biting her lip in frustration.
[ Once again, you can’t meddle too much in her life. If you’re always helping her out, she won’t grow and learn from her mistakes. She won’t take responsibility for her actions, either, ] the system replied, its tone cold.
Eva let out a dry laugh. "It’s almost as if you’re grooming them for something. But I guess you are," she said, though the system remained unwavering in its stance.
[ They’ll come for her one day. And if she’s weak, they’ll kill her and take her Gemaris. The same goes for you. If you’re not strong, they’ll kill you and take your Jewel. So you both need to level up quickly because their presence is near. If those Regals get her soul, she would never reincarnate or be reborn even if her sister is still alive. ] the system warned. [ You, of all people, should know how dangerous Regals can be. ]
"I know," Eva said, her lips trembling as a memory from the past flashed through her mind.
"Mom, when I grow up, I want to explore the stars in the galaxies with you and try all the amazing food on each planet!" A girl with a blurry face said with excitement as she and Eva sat on a moon’s surface, gazing at the space sky. The girl had mecha body parts like Eva but didn’t resemble her. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
"That’s a fantastic idea. So grow up quickly, okay?" Eva said, her smile warm as she playfully touched the girl’s nose.
The scene shifted to Eva holding a teenage version of the girl in her trembling hand and her face full of tears, her hands stained with crimson blood as she wept and embraced the girl, surrounded by thousands of Regals. That was the day she lost her wings.
"But let me help her now," Eva said with determination.
[ Alright. ]
"Aurianna needs a large source of magic. If I give her mine, she might explode," Eva pondered, her gaze nervously fixed on Aurianna.
"So then I’ll have to sacrifice others for her sake," Eva stated coldly as her eyes was on the knights of Sandeph who were cheering and hugging each other.
