Chapter 294

It didn’t take long to liquidate the past. Ahayute’s head shot up into the sky. Everyone on the battlefield fell silent in shock. Ronan watched his enemy’s falling body with a grim expression.

“What the—!”

Abel’s face hardened. Cutting down a giant with a single blade was a difficult task, even for him. Besides, Ahayute was one of the strongest of the two-winged giants.

“Ahayute—!”

“Stop, O arrogant one, like a rock.”

The silence was soon broken. The giants near Ahayute lunged at Ronan, who had recovered his stance and stuck out his tongue.

“Fuck you.”

He swung his sword like he was brushing dirt off his sleeve. He had no intention of fighting in the sky. Clang! Sword energy poured down the sword path and struck the giants.

“Kwink—!”

The splashing masses of foreshadowing shattered the stars and slammed into the giants’ bodies. Blue blood soaked the air. It wasn’t enough to mortally wound them, but it was enough to stiffen their bodies.

“Utscha.”

BANG! Ronan landed on top of Ahayute’s body, which had fallen first. Normally, he would have been crushed, but he didn’t care. As time passed, he could feel the curse fading.

Ahayute’s headless body hung limp like a sack of water. It was a simple, futile affair. Blue blood flowed like a river from the cut.

“How’s that taste, you bald man?”

Tsk, Ronan spat on him. There was no chance of resurrection. Considering the grudge from his previous life, he wanted to sashay away and chew it up, but he couldn’t afford to.

Ronan spun around and strode over to where his lover lay in the center of the battlefield. Adeshan wiped the corner of his eye and spoke.

“Ronan.”

“It’s been a long wait.”

Ronan twisted his lips. Adeshan had been caught in the explosion. Blood trickled from his torn uniform in several places.

His trembling hand still gripped the crossbow. It didn’t take much effort to guess the battle Adeshan had fought, and the good news was that unlike her previous life, her limbs were still intact. Ronan wordlessly removed his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

“Sorry, I’m late.”

“—ah.”

A tear rolled down Adeshan’s cheek. The sensation of the cloth wrapped around her was so familiar, she couldn’t stand it anymore. She closed her eyes and opened them, squeezing the moisture out.

“—What happened?”

It was like looking at a different person. The energy radiating from Ronan’s shoulders was stronger than it had ever been before.

The growth was too radical to have occurred in just three days, and the massive boulder that had appeared with him was still shooting beams at the giants. Ronan scratched the back of his head.

“Hmmm. There’s been a lot going on.”

Too much happened to describe here. Deciding that his brain could not summarize it, Ronan turned again, pointing the tip of his sword at the giants.

“Let me get those out of the way first, just give me a minute.”

“Wait, but you can’t do it alone—!”

“It’s okay, you’re not alone.”

Ronan smirked. He was about to ask Adeshan what that sound was. A familiar wail echoed across the sky.

“Bammm-!!”

“Sita?”

Adeshan looked up in alarm. High above him, Sita howled, her four wings spread wide. The bloodstains on the battlefield were all rising in the form of droplets.

Misty mana radiated from Sitha’s body. The red mana covered the battlefield, enveloping the wounded Alliance soldiers. Soon, exclamations of admiration began to emanate from all around.

“Sah, the wound is healing!”

“Are you back—.”

The blood was returning to their bodies, healing their wounds. It was a healing magic that some of the soldiers had already experienced. The Dreambird’s sacred blood magic could heal most wounds, unless they were life-threatening.

“This is–this is choking me.”

Lorhon chuckled as he caught his breath. The faces of the men were brightening. I’m not sure what it is yet, but I can instinctively sense that Ronan is back, and that we have a chance to turn the tide.

The situation was still urgent, of course. Ronan and the giant boulders held the giants at bay, but there were still feather-born minions on the battlefield.

“Keeheehee!”

“Gooooood!”

Colorful minions were engaging the Alliance forces. Roars and screams were coming from all directions. The soldiers, their morale somewhat restored, raised their weapons.

“Form up! We still have a chance!”

“Don’t be intimidated by our small numbers! We will not be defeated by insubstantial monsters!”

As Adeshan had said, there was no turning back now. The battle was about to begin in earnest. A thud. An elven woman landed between them.

“I’ll join you.”

“Da, are you—?”

The soldiers exchanged a look of bewilderment. Her snow-white hair and red eyes were striking. Long ears that hung almost to her shoulders attested to her noble lineage.

The minions of light were charging, tooth and claw, and the woman’s body was too thin in the face of the hideous beasts.

“Oh, miss. It’s dangerous!”

“Dodge!”

The soldiers who had come to their senses shouted in panic. But the woman did not dodge. She raised her hand toward the minions, chanting a sentence like a song. A wind so fierce that the ground turned upside down swept through the enemy camp.

“KEEK—!”

“Kyaaaaah!”

The winds swept the minions away, tearing them to pieces. In one fell swoop, hundreds of demonic horses exploded into light and vanished. The soldiers’ eyes widened.

“This, this is—?”

Suddenly, she saw something she hadn’t seen before. A giant eagle stood in front of her. The wind, sharp as a knife, swirled around its translucent body. Elsia stroked the eagle slowly and spoke.

“Fight with me, Hyran.”

“Pooh-ooh!”

Hyran roared in reply. Dozens of giant whirlwinds erupted from the midst of the minion horde. Then the atmosphere around them crackled, and spirits of all colors leapt out.

“Me, the elemental?!”

“Oh my God. Such a massive summoning—!”

The soldiers were stunned. They had never seen or heard of so many spirits before. In an instant, the spirits called out and charged at the steeds.

The giants outnumbered the minions, but summoning such a large number of them was not a difficult task for Elsia, the best of the spirits. Soon, the overwhelmed minions began to fall back. As the spirits were no more death-defying than they were, the situation became even more unmanageable.

“Hiran.”

Abel frowned as he watched the spectacle. His gaze lingered on the giant eagle. The eagle that was mercilessly tearing apart the minions was undoubtedly Hai Lan, the Prince of Storms.

I had clipped his wings before, but I never expected to be reunited with him. Shifting his gaze, he looked back at Elsia this time. Their eyes met, and Elsia bowed her head low.

“Hello. Abel.”

“You look good after betraying the Church, and now you don’t even call me Lord.”

“I never thought of you as a bishop in the first place. You don’t look very nice.”

Elsia smirked. Abel chuckled in disbelief. He swept his bangs back and looked at Ronan.

“—Okay, so you helped that kid, which explains why he’s suddenly so strong.”

“I’m not the only one.”

“What?”

“I’m just an advisor, you’re the mastermind. Why don’t you say hello?”

With those words, Elsia turned away. Abel’s brow narrowed at the unintelligible sound. His hand on the hilt of his sword, he was about to leap from the watchtower. Not far away, a familiar voice called out.

“It’s been a while, Abel.”

“Brother?”

Abel’s eyes widened. It was unmistakably Cain’s voice. He turned quickly in the direction of the sound and saw a rock flying through the air.

The stone mass was still sending beams in all directions, holding the giants at bay. I could feel it instinctively. Cain was inside that stone. Abel, his emotions under control, opened his mouth.

“—were you alive?”

It was impossible. The wound from his own sword could never be healed by conventional means. Soon enough, Cain’s reply came.

“Yeah. Thanks to your brother and son. Your blood saved me.”

“My blood? Where did you get that—ah.”

Abel raised an eyebrow, about to say something. His mind flashed back to his encounter with Iril on the islands. The surprise had cost him a few drops of blood.

“Okay–I see what happened.”

I thought I knew what was going on. It was probably the reason they’d given away the location of the headquarters. Abel smiled bitterly as he realized the situation in an instant. As he stared at the rock, he said in a tone of disbelief.

“I didn’t think you’d bring that ship, though. Didn’t you say you were going to use it as an ark someday, when the stars were dying?”

“I did, but now that I think about it, a battleship would be more appropriate than an ark. Things are meant to be used for their intended purpose.”

“Futile resistance, brother. To squander the legacy of our most glorious era in this way—do you really think you have a chance?”

Abel said. The sky was still covered with the magic circle that called the giants. Unless the Archbishops’ ritual was halted, the giants would descend relentlessly.

What’s more, the mountain where the ceremony was taking place was protected by a star of his own making. The most powerful men in the Alliance were trapped inside, waiting to die. And if he were to step forward now, he could make short work of an aging Cain or an ancient battleship.

“Really?”

Abel echoed, his shoulders slumping with the flesh he could barely breathe. Despite the unexpected turn of events, the situation was still in the Order’s favor.

Cain did not answer. Abel raised the corner of his mouth. Perhaps he had gotten the point.

This should dampen their hopes,” Abel decided, and grabbed the hilt of his sword. A powerful sunset light exploded in the middle of the battlefield.

“Eek.”

Abel reflexively shielded his eyes. The flash was so intense it burned his retinas, and before he could say anything, the giants circling the sky began to fall. The giants circling the sky began to fall in unison.

“What the—!”

Abel sucked in a breath. It was an unbelievable sight to behold. Bang! Each time the huge body slammed into the ground, the sound echoed through the air.

Turning quickly, he stared at the source of the light. A young man, a scrawny-looking young man who looked exactly like him, stood with his sword drawn.

The sunset light radiated from its hilt. With a bang, the staggering giant fell to the ground once more. Cain’s reply came back.

“Yeah. I think I can win.”