Another high-ranking priest appeared beside Grondal. Darkness was surging in his hand.

Just as the priest was about to swing his hand toward Grondal—

“Fwaaah!”

A massive fire spirit spewed flames and blocked his path.

The raging flames swallowed the priest, and he summoned energy throughout his body to resist.

Before anyone noticed, Ereneth appeared, summoning spirits with a cool smile.

“You’re going to fight me.”

Soon, Lionel also ran over with his shield and stood beside her, looking tense.

Rahamod furrowed his brow deeply.

The high-ranking priests he had summoned were a reserve force he had kept in case something interfered with the fight against Grondal.

But to think the Julien Mercenary Corps had prepared a countermeasure as well.

‘That bastard... he really does seem to have a lot of battlefield experience.’

He had felt it before, but that guy Astion wasn’t just a strong mage.

He gave off the impression of someone who had experienced countless battlefields.

With the arrival of new figures, the battle momentarily entered a lull.

Rahamod stepped back and spoke.

“So, you’ve made your preparations. But... do you really think you can hold out with that level of strength?”

The reinforcements from the Salvation Order were superhuman. In contrast, Julien, Ereneth, and Lionel had not yet reached that realm.

No matter how skilled they were, there were limits that could not be overcome. The gap in power was clear.

Ghislain certainly knew this too.

In truth, even holding on would only become possible once Kyle arrived. But Kyle still hadn’t made it to the scene.

Even so, Ghislain had something he trusted in.

“Things are going to change a little from here.”

Deneb, who had been at the very rear, knelt down.

She closed her eyes, clasped her hands together, and began praying slowly.

“...Grant breath to those who are dying, strength to those who fall, and your light to those who fight.”

“Fwaaah!”

A faint light rose from Deneb’s body.

Soon, that light spread like a wave and enveloped the bodies of everyone in the group.

Though Deneb cast a blessing, the light was truly faint. To some, it might have looked like a trivial divine power.

But Ghislain wasn’t worried.

Deneb’s divine power was practically a natural enemy to the Salvation Order.

As expected, Rahamod and Tagmah’s expressions stiffened.

‘That’s... dangerous.’

A divine power that instantly nullified their darkness. That power now resided in the bodies of those fighting.

The two of them realized that this fight had become harder than they expected.

“Boom!”

Grondal slammed his halberd into the ground and let out a loud laugh.

“Kehahaha! Your expressions are worth seeing! Are you finally starting to feel afraid?”

At the mocking laughter, Rahamod spoke in a cold voice.

“...Kill them with everything you’ve got.”

“Boom!”

The newly reinforced priests charged toward Julien, Ereneth, and Lionel.

At the same time, Rahamod left Ghislain and shot toward Deneb.

His plan was to kill Deneb first so that the divine power couldn’t interfere with them at all.

But Ghislain, who had appeared before anyone noticed, swung his sword in front of him.

“Clang!”

“Sssssss!”

Smoke violently erupted from Rahamod’s hand that blocked Ghislain’s sword. It was as if his flesh were burning away.

“Kh...”

Finally, Rahamod’s pupils shook fiercely.

Though divine power was the natural opposite of the Salvation Order’s energy, this was too much.

That he, having surpassed the realm of superhuman, would take damage from such a faint divine power?

Rahamod clenched his teeth and struck at Ghislain.

“Boom!”

Ghislain, who blocked it with his sword, slid back. His insides churned and it hurt, but unlike before, he wasn’t sent flying helplessly.

There was only one reason.

Deneb’s divine power.

That faint blessing was dampening Rahamod’s overwhelming energy.

Rahamod was so powerful that the impact still hurt, but what mattered was that he could endure it.

Ghislain wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled.

“How about it? I told you things would change.”

“...”

Rahamod looked around.

“Boom! Boom! Boooom!”

Tagmah was gradually being pushed back by Grondal, who was now cloaked in divine power.

The already overwhelming momentum of the Dwarf King now roared like a mountain range.

It was no different for the others.

The members of the Julien Mercenary Corps were holding their ground well against the superhuman priests.

They were still at a disadvantage, but the important thing was that they were not being overwhelmed and were managing to hold them back.

Rahamod felt a surge of exhaustion.

‘...Was this another mistake?’

He had prioritized this place, believing that dealing with the dwarves was more important. He had left the Julien Mercenary Corps to the accumulated forces.

He had thought that just stalling them would be enough. That once things were finished on the dwarves’ side, he could always crush them.

But that had been a misjudgment.

‘I should’ve killed these bastards with full force first.’

Rahamod glared at Deneb, who was still praying.

‘As long as that woman is there, we can’t win easily.’

She had to be killed no matter what.

If this flow continued, the course of the battle would shift. And at the center of that flow was a lowly priestess who seemed to have no strength at all.

Perhaps aware of this too, Tagmah kept aiming for Deneb, but each time he was blocked by Grondal.

If Grondal overpowered Tagmah, the course of battle would collapse uncontrollably.

Grit.

Rahamod gnashed his teeth.

Once again, he channeled power into his entire body and charged at Deneb.

But Ghislain also poured his whole strength into blocking him.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

In terms of raw power, Rahamod was still superior to Ghislain.

No matter how skilled Ghislain was, as long as he was protecting Deneb, he had to allow several attacks to get through.

‘I can do this!’

But it was bearable. Ghislain deflected the most fatal attacks and endured everything he could.

“Sssssss!”

Each time sword and hand collided, Rahamod’s energy clashed with the divine power and burst into flame.

That burning pain brought him a deeper fatigue than a mere wound.

Rahamod realized that he was gradually breaking down. His energy was rapidly diminishing.

Munareff and another high-ranking priest also targeted Deneb. They too had realized Deneb’s divine power was the problem.

“Boom!”

Munareff strongly shoved Julien aside.

Julien, who had barely been holding on thanks to the divine power, rolled across the ground and was thrown away.

“You pathetic wretch dares...”

Munareff wanted to smash Julien’s head in right away. But that wasn’t the priority now.

Whoosh!

He immediately turned his body and charged toward Deneb.

Julien quickly got up and chased after him, but it wasn’t enough to catch up to a superhuman like Munareff.

Instead, Ghislain, who had been fighting beside Deneb, deflected Rahamod’s strike and blocked Munareff’s path.

“Boom!”

“Ghhhk!”

Munareff winced in pain and stepped back. As time passed, the penetrating force of the divine power only grew stronger.

He forced his energy to push out the divine power, but he was losing the will to fight.

In that time, Julien caught up and clashed with Munareff again.

Another high-ranking priest who had been fighting Ereneth and Lionel also targeted Deneb. He swiftly slipped through the gap between the two and, in the blink of an eye, approached right in front of Deneb.

But Grondal’s halberd appeared out of nowhere and struck his body.

“Boooom!”

“Guh-heok!”

With a single blow. Just one hit sent him flying far away, rolling across the ground.

While Ghislain and Grondal blocked the priests, Rahamod and Tagmah once again targeted Deneb.

“Boooom!”

“Guhk!”

Ghislain quickly stepped in front of Rahamod, coughing up blood as his stance collapsed. Rahamod thought that this time, he would finally break through.

But even as his stance was breaking, Ghislain swung his sword with precision.

“Ka-ga-ga-gak!”

“Ssssss!”

“Grrrgh!”

Rahamod let out a painful groan and stepped back.

Thick black smoke surged violently from the long line sliced across his neck.

“Ruuuumble!”

Grondal, who had taken a direct hit from Tagmah’s attack, also spat blood.

But he stood firm and swung his halberd immediately.

“Boooom!”

“Guh!”

Tagmah staggered backward.

His body was scorched and burning in several places.

Seeing that, Grondal bared his blood-covered teeth and laughed.

“Kuhahahaha! What’s wrong, losing strength now? Looks like you bastards are no different! Sure, even if you manage to land a hit, your bodies are burning up from the divine power—it must be driving you insane!”

“......”

Rahamod and Tagmah couldn't even respond.

With every attack, their energy was being consumed faster and the pain intensified.

Each time they clashed with that pitifully faint divine power, their strength flared up and vanished in vain.

It was only because they were among the truly powerful that they could still fight with such pressure. Any other priest would have already been wiped out.

In fact, even the two priests who had reached the realm of superhuman were struggling against those who hadn’t.

Rahamod looked at Deneb with exhausted eyes.

‘...She’s far.’

In the chaos of battle, he had become distant from that woman again.

To an ordinary person, it might be a bit far, but for someone with his strength, it was a distance he could cover in the blink of an eye.

And yet... why did it feel so far?

“Haaah...”

When he had left the holy sanctuary, he hadn’t imagined this situation.

He had gauged the enemy’s strength over a long period and prepared meticulously.

Indeed, the elves and dwarves were objectively inferior in raw power.

But a single variable had overturned everything.

‘The Julien Mercenary Corps.’

A mere band of mercenaries was shaking the great cause of the Church.

Now, few options remained.

Either withdraw from here, even now...

Or, even if he had to die, eliminate the new threat.

He didn’t ponder for long. If it was for the Church’s grand design, the answer was already clear.

Rahamod spoke in a low but clear voice.

“Prophet, Tagmah.”

“I will hear your will.”

“Do you know what we must do for the Church?”

“I do. We are the ones who carry out the covenant.”

“This too is the will of God.”

“All things shall unfold as promised.”

“Boooom!”

The expressions of the two, as their energy exploded, twisted like demons. They had resolved to burn all their strength here.

Ghislain raised his sword with a wary gaze.

Their aura was unusual. He, too, would have to stake his life to block them.

Grondal stopped laughing and wore a fierce expression. He gripped his halberd tightly and caught his breath.

‘O Goddess...’

Deneb, her face now pale, continued her prayer.

In truth, her divine power had already surpassed its limit.

And yet the blessing had not faded.

It was as if, as long as the demonic energy existed, it could not disappear.

Julien, gasping for breath, blocked Munareff.

His clothes were torn to shreds, and his blood-soaked sword seemed ready to slip from his hand, yet his eyes still burned with fierce light.

Ereneth and Lionel looked just as battered, but they had not lost their fighting spirit.

Even the Salvation Order priests looking at them wore expressions of dread. But they, too, knew they could not back down here.

As both sides’ breaths grew ragged and fatigue neared its peak—

“Boooom!”

Without anyone taking the lead, the battlefield exploded again.

Deneb’s divine power continually burned away and devoured the energy of the Salvation Order priests. Drawing on that aid, Ghislain’s group clenched their teeth and endured.

The Salvation Order priests, too, ignored the pain of their bodies burning from divine power and kept attacking, again and again.

They had only one goal.

Just once.

If they could break through just once, they could kill the woman with that cursed divine power.

That’s why the Salvation Order priests gritted their teeth and did not stop their relentless assault.

“Boom! Boom! Boooom!”

With their endless attacks, those defending began to tire as well.

The only reason they had endured this long was Deneb’s divine power. Objectively, their forces were weaker.

Still, in this state, if they could just keep Deneb safe—

Eventually, they would win.

The priests of the Salvation Order were losing strength with every attack.

Everyone else endured with only that hope.

But Ghislain knew the enemy still had a final move left.

‘Those eyes.’

He saw the determination never to give up. And those Salvation Order bastards who showed that look always pulled out “that move” «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» in the end.

Of course, it was a technique that pushed even the caster close to death. As destructive as it was, it drained nearly all their strength.

Ghislain assessed the strength of the remaining members.

‘I can hold out.’

If he and Grondal blocked them with everything they had, Deneb would survive.

Then, victory would be theirs by a hair’s breadth.

Ghislain calmly dodged and blocked Rahamod’s attacks. He had to stay alert—no telling when those bastards would use their final move.

“Boom! Boom! Boooom!”

Again and again, the two exchanged fierce blows.

Just as he had done until now, Ghislain dug into Rahamod’s openings.

He couldn’t do significant damage until Rahamod’s strength was completely drained, but every one of these attacks was whittling away the enemy’s power.

Ghislain anticipated Rahamod’s movements and thrust his sword toward his abdomen.

And just as he moved to follow up with the next attack—

“Stab!”

Rahamod’s abdomen was pierced far too easily.

In that moment, Ghislain’s expression stiffened.

His instincts were shouting.

This wasn’t a successful strike because the enemy was weakening.

‘It’s a trap.’

Ghislain tried to retreat immediately. But Rahamod’s hand moved faster.

Grab! 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Rahamod seized Ghislain’s wrist in a crushing grip.