A Single Decisive Battle

In an instant, a blinding flash of light filled my vision. The intense beams pouring in from all directions forced my eyes shut. When I finally opened them, a scene beyond belief unfolded before me.

The “Guardian Magic Barrier” had ceased its manifestation. The azure curtain that seemed poised to envelop the city had halted its growth, like an unfinished fence. In its place, dozens—no, perhaps hundreds—of beams of light seeped through the gaps in the crumbling city walls, filling the air. The illumination gradually intensified, casting a brighter glow over everything.

I had merely blinked, yet so much had changed. But this was only the beginning. As the light grew stronger, the barrier that had stopped growing began to stir once more.

And then, without warning, it happened.

Boom!

A deafening explosion shattered the air, loud enough to leave my ears ringing. In that moment, I saw the once-sturdy walls of Barbara crumble to the ground.

“Take cover!”

A desperate shout rang out, but it was quickly drowned by the dazzling explosion of light that erupted as the walls collapsed.

The last thing I saw was the azure barrier rising to encircle the city, while a wave of explosive light mercilessly swept through the eastern camp.

Crash! Boom!

Moments later, the sound of the protective shield shattering filled my ears, and my vision turned white.

…

…

…

When my sight returned, albeit hazily, I felt the cold earth beneath me. I hadn’t lost consciousness, but the sheer force of the impact had knocked me down. My body urged me to stay down, but I pushed myself up with trembling hands.

At first, my mind was blank. But as I took deep breaths to calm myself, the situation around me slowly came into focus. Most of the others were also on the ground, groaning in pain.

The light that had dominated the area was gone, but something felt off. A strange sensation lingered in my body. I checked myself over and found no injuries. Then I noticed it—a faint yellow glow clinging to parts of my body, like static electricity. The unstable flow of magic was palpable.

“What is this…?”

A low hum resonated in my ears, a sound I recognized from earlier. I looked up to see the massive barrier enveloping the city, now flickering with yellow currents. The barrier’s light was dimming, affected by the unstable magic.

But when I glanced at the magic circle on the ground, I realized my assumption was wrong. The “Guardian Magic Barrier” was no longer active. It had faded, just like when I first arrived in Barbara. This meant someone had deliberately dismantled the mechanism sustaining the magic circle.

Why would anyone deactivate a magic circle they had painstakingly activated?

Whatever the reason, it struck me that there might be more to this than met the eye.

The barrier, now translucent, began to dissolve into the air. The scene inside was finally revealed. The western wall had completely collapsed, and the ground was littered with debris.

But the broken wall wasn’t the main concern. The enemy had no intention of giving the east any respite and was already preparing their next move.

Suddenly, the mist that had been swirling around seemed to be sucked away. No, it wasn’t an illusion.

Roar!

A thunderous noise erupted as a massive wave surged vertically from the center of the city. It was so tall, it felt like standing before a waterfall.

In an instant, the wave transformed into a fierce torrent.

Crash!

The wave advanced rapidly, sweeping away everything in its path, including the makeshift barricades of debris. It halted abruptly, then crashed down on the eastern forces with relentless force.

Boom!

Was this really the sound of water meeting earth? But before I could ponder, I felt myself being thrown backward. The wave of light was followed by a wave of water, once again sweeping through the eastern camp.

The impact left my ears ringing. Though my eyes were open, all I could see was the swirling sky. I could only sense that I had been swept away by the wave’s pressure.

After the turbulent wave passed, I exhaled explosively, releasing the air from my lungs.

“Ugh.”

Water droplets splashed back onto my face as I gasped. My wet hair clung annoyingly, and I shook my head vigorously. The salty smell of water filled my nostrils.

The eastern formation, already shattered by the wave of light, was now a chaotic mess. Users lay scattered across the waterlogged ground. A few managed to get up, but they were the exception. Most seemed unable to recover from the successive waves.

“It’s been a while since we were hit this hard.”

Yet, my mind remained calm and composed, perhaps due to my heightened senses. Though the wave had pushed me away from the wall, assessing the situation took precedence over panic.

My body was intact, which puzzled me. I knew the wave of light was “Magic Bullets,” a phenomenon created by the simultaneous detonation of hundreds of magical projectiles.

But despite being directly hit by the water wave, I felt no adverse effects. In fact, the unstable magic flow within me was gradually stabilizing.

Activating my third eye, I identified the wave’s true nature.

“Elemental Magic: The Tsunami of Purification.”

“The Tsunami of Purification…?”

A thought flashed through my mind, and I sprang to my feet. The puzzle pieces in my head began to fall into place. A quick scan of my surroundings confirmed my suspicion. The traces of “Magic Bullets” on my body had vanished.

“Haha…”

A hollow laugh escaped me. I couldn’t help but admire the enemy’s cunning.

“Magic Bullets” are magical tools that disrupt the flow of magic, affecting spells reliant on the original flow. When hundreds are detonated simultaneously, the field effect becomes powerful enough to interfere with user-directed magic.

The enemy’s strategy was a masterstroke of timing and coordination.

Detonating “Magic Bullets” on this scale would have been a double-edged sword. But the enemy shielded themselves with the “Guardian Magic Barrier,” perfectly timing its activation just before the “Magic Bullets” took effect. It was a feat of timing I couldn’t replicate.

The subsequent Tsunami of Purification likely served two purposes: to scatter the eastern forces and to cleanse the field effect.

The eastern users, hit by “Magic Bullets” just before casting spells, would have been thrown into disarray. Even if the Tsunami of Purification removed the field effect, the disrupted magic wouldn’t recover immediately.

The eastern formation was shattered, and the mages and priests were restricted in their magic use. It was the weakest point since the battle began.

The enemy had aimed for this moment. Their relentless assault was to create this very opportunity.

Roar!

As if in response to my thoughts, a loud roar erupted from the front lines. Countless users surged forward, causing ripples in the puddles on the ground.

“Roooooar!”

“Sssssss…”

But the sight that followed—the monstrous roar echoing across the plains and the water swirling rapidly again—made it clear that this was far from over. Instinctively, I turned my head and saw a towering figure, nearly ten meters tall, emerging near the fortress walls. It was a giant, human in form, with a golden hue and a massive club in its hand.

“The Former King of Giants: Kushan Thor (Currently Tamed).”

“A demigod?”

The King of Giants, also known as the Giant Lord. I couldn’t even muster a bitter laugh anymore.

Soon, the enemy forces, led by the giant, began to swarm forward. The stagnant water started to take shape, one by one. The enemy leader, rather than risk being picked off by attempting to coordinate warp gates and barriers, chose to concentrate their forces in one place to carve out a path. It seemed they were betting everything on this battle, deploying all their resources and secret weapons.

In contrast, the users of the Western Gate unit were struggling to get back on their feet, still appearing dazed and confused.

I stared ahead for a moment, then locked eyes with the giant. As I continued to focus, a calm swept over me, burning away the lingering unease within. Feeling a surge of energy, I calmly gripped the sword at my waist.

At the same time, I channeled all my magic power into it.

“Screeeeech!”

“‘The bird breaks out of the egg. The egg is the world. To be born, one must destroy a world.’”

“The seal of the Demon Sword Caligo Abraxas has been lifted. Transformation begins.”

Feeling the formidable darkness emanating from my right hand, I began to move forward slowly.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The giant had already closed half the distance.

By now, the personnel from other cities would have returned to Barbara. If so, we were effectively without a numerical advantage.

However, we weren’t at a significant disadvantage either. If the users of the Western Gate unit could quickly regain their composure and buy us some time, we could wait for reinforcements from other units. Ultimately, what we needed was time.

I paused for a moment, halting my steps.

Kushan Thor. Though different from the King of Giants I knew, it was undeniably a battle against a demigod.

For a moment, I wondered if I could do it, but then I realized I had no choice.

With that, I launched myself off the ground.

---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=

(No reader replies today. I’ll combine them with the next update. Sorry.)

Hmm. Dear readers, I have to apologize today. It seems I’ll need to adjust the publication schedule from October 7th (Monday) to October 18th (Friday) due to assignments and midterms.

During the first semester, I didn’t have as many credits, so I had some leeway. But this semester, I’ve taken on a full course load, and the difficulty has increased significantly, so I’m feeling a bit of pressure. Plus, I have a mountain of assignments to tackle.

As some of you know, my parents are aware that I’m writing on Joara Noblesse. They worry because my routine is always “school - writing.” Fortunately, I managed to get decent grades in the first semester, but I need to show results again this semester.

The exams start on October 14th (Monday) and end on October 18th (Friday). I plan to start preparing on October 7th (Monday). So, for the time being, I’ll switch from daily updates to updates every other day.

This week, I’ll post on October 7th (Monday, which I’ve already done), October 9th (Wednesday), and October 11th (Friday) at midnight. On October 13th (Sunday), I’ll focus on studying since it’s the day before the exams. Starting October 14th (Monday), I’ll assess the situation and update you on the schedule until the exams end on October 18th (Friday).

I ask for your understanding. (__)