The fields of Barbara lay under a dim shadow, despite it still being morning. The sun hung high in the sky, but dark clouds had gathered, obscuring its light completely. It was as if a storm was about to break.
Suddenly, a chill wind swept across the field, brushing past a group of figures.
And then it happened.
La la la la la…
La la la…
La…
Clang!
The water spirit, singing of glorious victory, was caught in the wind and vanished in an instant. The liquid form it had taken scattered, leaving a sparkling mist in the air.
After this strange phenomenon, Kim Yoo-hyun slowly lifted his head. His eyes, vacant and unfocused, stared into the distance. But with a deep breath, he raised his right hand and began to chant.
Moments later, a symbol appeared on the back of his clenched hand, glowing with a golden light. The golden magic spread rapidly through his body, causing a discharge that painted the sky in brilliant hues. The transformation of dark clouds into golden ones was a breathtaking spectacle.
Kim Yoo-hyun’s entire body was soon enveloped in golden light, and the magical currents danced around him as if tearing through the air. His gaze was steady, but his eyes, lips, and shoulders betrayed a slight tremor.
Suddenly, he shut his eyes tight. His face contorted with a mix of worry, anguish, sorrow, and tears—emotions that could only be summed up as ‘grief.’
”…”
After a moment, he opened his clenched hand and quietly spoke.
“Extreme.”
Flash!
A blinding light, accompanied by a thunderous roar, illuminated the world. Kim Yoo-hyun lifted his head, his eyes now glowing with a deep yellow light.
He swallowed hard, as if his throat was constricted, and then forced out the words.
“Thunder…!”
Boom, boom!
The world was bathed in a brilliant yellow light.
As Kim Yoo-hyun’s robe billowed dramatically, hundreds of lightning bolts rained down from the yellow-tinted sky, striking the waterlogged earth.
The lightning that pierced through the clouds lit up the surroundings. The enemies, who had seemed ready to charge at any moment, suddenly froze, sensing something amiss. They looked up at the sky, but it was already too late.
The Thunder God had already unleashed his power.
Boom!
The sound of thunder, close to an explosion, made my hair stand on end, and my vision turned white.
For a moment, I couldn’t see anything. I quickly summoned my magic to enhance my sight, and then I saw it—the golden clouds melting and pouring down onto the earth.
It was a storm of lightning.
Boom, crash! Boom, crash! Boom, crash! Boom, crash!
The sharp, stinging sensation on my skin. The lightning struck the ground with fierce intensity, creating deep craters. It spread across the land, carried by the water, like rivers of electricity.
Aaaah! Aaaah!
Nooooo!
The chorus of screams echoed as the lightning continued to strike.
The synergy of electricity and water was truly formidable. The electrocuted enemies convulsed violently, their bodies charred black. The number of those who fell was beyond counting. The dense formation meant to restrict my movement had become their downfall.
The unlucky ones struck directly by lightning left no trace behind, only fragments of their bodies hinting at the horrific outcome.
In this chaos, I stood firm, observing my surroundings. I was in the midst of it all, unable to escape the lightning. The golden currents, having consumed dozens of users, surged towards me with the speed of light.
Crackle! Crackle!
The approaching lightning caused a fierce discharge, crashing over me like a wave.
Zap! Zap!
A sharp magical resistance clashed with the lightning, sending ripples through the air, but fortunately, it passed by, barely grazing me. My brother’s control over his magic shone through.
I let out a sigh of relief. But I couldn’t rely solely on my magical resistance. I prepared myself to draw upon the power of fire magic at any moment, keeping my guard up.
My brother’s unique ability, the Thunder God.
The Thunder God’s power included enhanced vision and magical control, but its greatest feature was ‘amplification.’ It allowed him to greatly expand the range and destructive power of his abilities.
This was no ordinary amplification. As the name ‘God’ suggests, it was on par with my own fire magic.
‘Huh?’
I tilted my head at the voice I heard within. But before I could ponder it further, lightning struck again from the sky. The terrifying noise of thunder clashing with the earth made me abandon my thoughts and chuckle wryly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
”…”
The lightning continued to strike relentlessly, as if furious at anyone who dared to threaten my brother. He gave no respite, unleashing bolt after bolt. Even with my enhanced vision, the scene was a blur, and I closed my eyes.
The screams had ceased.
How much time had passed?
With my eyes closed, I focused on the vibrations around me, feeling them gradually subside.
I kept my eyes shut for a while longer, then slowly opened them.
The relentless lightning had finally stopped. The area was shrouded in smoke, so thick I couldn’t see a thing. Dust from the impact swirled around, and as it settled, the scene before me became clear.
The smell of burning earth stung my nose.
Scorched ground.
The earth cracked as if lava had flowed through it.
Scattered, charred bodies, unrecognizable.
Indeed, within a radius of at least 100 meters, there wasn’t a single person standing besides me. The enemies who had glared at me moments ago had vanished as if it were all a lie.
It was a wasteland… The devastation before me was beyond words.
But my surprise was brief. I quickly regained my composure. Having witnessed this scene several times in the first cycle, I wasn’t shocked to the point of losing myself.
No. Even if I set that aside, there was no time to sit idly. This was a precious opportunity my brother had created, enduring the strain on his body. To falter now would be to betray his trust.
So my actions were swift.
I quickly gathered ‘Caligo Abraxas’ and ‘Victoria’s Glory,’ then turned my attention to the bodies. The spirit summoner’s body was barely intact, but that was all. The arrogant smile I had seen was now gone.
I conducted a search with my third eye and reached into the abdomen. Soon, I felt something hard and cold—a round orb. I pulled it out immediately.
“The Water Crystal.”
“Of course it was here.”
Slightly scorched, the ‘Water Crystal’ was thankfully intact. I tucked it safely into my robe with a sigh of relief.
Time had been bought. A variable had been removed. The enemy’s charge had been halted, and significant damage inflicted.
But even so, it couldn’t account for all 15,000 of the enemy’s forces. Those beyond my range likely paused briefly, then continued their advance.
By now, Vivian should have set up some defenses…
But I wasn’t heading there. No, I couldn’t.
‘I must hold out as long as possible until reinforcements arrive.’
The eastern camp was in disarray, scattered by the “Tide of Purification.” With everyone spread out, I had to move quickly. My priority now was to find the people I knew and get them to safety behind our defenses as fast as possible.
Setting aside the thrill of having found a way to combat the demons and their army, I sprinted across the field. At the same time, I activated a latent ability in the air.
“Blessing of the Battlefield (Rank: Extra)”
(Description: … A goddess’s blessing bestowed upon a single soldier, effective only on the battlefield. The blessed user gains a wide field of vision over the entire battlefield and can immediately locate allies in distress. Additionally…)
The noise was so loud it seemed to vibrate through his eardrums, causing Shin Sang-yong’s brow to twitch slightly. Slowly, his eyes opened, blinking a few times as if struggling to see, and he instinctively groped around, likely searching for his broken glasses by his bedside.
Unable to think of using magic to enhance his vision, Shin Sang-yong continued to search for his glasses until he suddenly froze. His half-open eyes widened in shock.
He was still sprawled on the ground, having been unconscious since being swept away by the “Tide of Purification.”
“Uh… uh…”
Barely able to think, Shin Sang-yong’s gaze fell on his right hand, which he had raised. The sight of the sticky blood on his palm made him jolt upright in terror.
“Aaah!”
But he couldn’t get up. The moment he saw the unknown corpse covering him, he let out a loud scream and collapsed back down. At the same time, a sharp pain shot through his legs, further scrambling his senses.
As he flailed his arms in panic, a young woman’s voice called out.
“Is anyone alive over there?”
With that, the corpse covering Shin Sang-yong was rolled away.
“Are you alright?”
“Ah… uh… ah…”
The woman seemed frustrated by his inability to respond. She bent down, grabbed his shoulders, and shouted. Shin Sang-yong shook his head vigorously.
“Stay still! We need to get out of here before they reach us!”
“S-save me…”
Noticing something odd about his continued groaning, the woman’s eyes flashed with realization.
“Oh no… you’re badly hurt. Just hold on a moment.”
With surprising strength, she helped Shin Sang-yong to his feet. Only then did he begin to regain some clarity.
Turning his head to see his rescuer, he found a young woman with a round, cherubic face, her cheeks full and her expression anxious as she kept glancing over her shoulder.
“Th-thank you…”
“Save it for later. For now…”
At that moment—
Thwack! Thud!
“Aaah!”
An arrow shot from somewhere pierced the woman’s face with brutal force. She let out a short scream and collapsed, dragging Shin Sang-yong back to the ground with her.
Ratatatatatatata!
Suddenly, Shin Sang-yong’s senses began to register the chaos around him.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Hello, this is Ro Yujin.
Haha, the part about capturing the spirit summoner sparked quite a bit of debate.
In this note, I’ll address some of the most frequently asked questions.
The situation in the east, especially for the Western Gate unit, is extremely chaotic.
They were hit by the “Magic Bullet,” which restricts the use of magic, and are still recovering from the “Tide of Purification,” which has left their ranks in disarray. To make matters worse, 15,000 enemy troops have charged towards the Western Gate, while our 5,000 troops are scattered all over. Their combat effectiveness has also significantly decreased.
Let’s pause for a moment.
In episode 368, there’s a passage that goes:
“But now, I can’t do that.
Or rather, it’s more accurate to say I didn’t.
My brother and I are not alone. We are the leaders of the Mercenary and Hamill clans, responsible for guiding the users within our respective groups. The Hamill clan members who sacrificed their lives for me in the first timeline, and the Mercenary clan members who followed me in the second, are no longer people I can disregard.
The grand premise of Hall Plain.
It’s a world where you can’t do anything alone.
Under this premise, I considered many and made my decision. I expanded the meaning from ‘brother’ as singular to ‘them’ as plural.
However, saving all of them was nearly impossible. I understood this better than anyone, but I chose the path that would save as many as possible, even after considering everything.”
Kim Su-hyun chose not to flee alone or with his brother but to save the people he knew (the Hamill and Mercenary clan members). And to do that, he needed ‘time.’ Time to hold out until the support units from the east, south, and north gates arrived.
The enemy is not aiming to annihilate the northern continent but to retreat to the western continent.
Kim Su-hyun’s plan to counter this is as follows:
Kim Su-hyun eliminates the giant and the water spirit summoner to buy time and inflict as much damage as possible.
Meanwhile, Vivian summons two legions, and the surrounding users are rallied to form a defensive line.
Kim Su-hyun returns and uses the “Blessing of the Battlefield” to locate and bring scattered allies to the defensive line.
This means Kim Su-hyun must move around the battlefield rather than stay within the defensive line.
Since the enemy’s goal is to escape rather than massacre the northern continent, Kim Su-hyun calculated that they would head towards areas without a defensive line. Hence, he had to eliminate the giant and the spirit summoner to facilitate the formation of the defensive line and remove any major threats to it. (If a legion of spirits stronger than the beasts attacked the defensive line, it would be quite problematic.) The “Water Crystal” was merely a bonus or a secondary reason.
Of course, he could have immediately set up a defensive line and searched for his allies. But then the enemy would have arrived unimpeded, and he would have had to spend some time within the defensive line. By then, it might have been too late to save his ‘known people.’
It might still be too late, but Kim Su-hyun managed to reduce the gap with the time he bought through his efforts.
The situation remains unfavorable. However, from Kim Su-hyun’s perspective, he chose the path with the highest efficiency and possibility.
PS. The woman who was hit by the arrow in the latter part was the one who stood watch with Kim Su-hyun earlier. Her name was mentioned as No Yumi. :D