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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
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Chapter 30: A Familiar Face? (3)
At the base of Mount Idea, the path leading to the Sanctuary of Fire, there was now a fortress made of bones—something that wasn’t there yesterday.
Though the fortress was crude, it was guarded by zombie orcs and skeletal archers stationed here and there.
“It seems like the work of a lich. It came in advance and fortified the area.”
“I see.”
I summoned Artemis’ Bow and handed it to Diana.
“This is...”
“After seeing you yesterday, I realized it’s better suited for you. I can’t fire more than two arrows at once, so I can’t penetrate the lich’s barrier.”
“Understood. I’ll make sure to subdue the lich and repay your trust.”
Capturing the lich would surely reward me with a lot of SP, but there was no helping it—I couldn’t break through the barrier with my archery skills.
Diana gently stroked Artemis’ Bow, bowed her head, and expressed her gratitude.
Everyone prepared their weapons and got ready for battle as we cautiously approached the enemy fortress.
This path was essential to reach the Sanctuary of Fire.
We had to break through.
Remaining vigilant for potential ambushes from the surrounding foothills—or perhaps even undead hiding underground as before—we advanced slowly.
“We must break through the fortress, but charging straight in would result in heavy casualties. I’ll send the Flame Chariot ahead on its own. That should draw the enemies out.”
“Understood. Then we’ll prepare our defenses.”
The plan was simple: send the Flame Chariot to wreak havoc inside the fortress.
This would force the unseen lich to come out to deal with it or compel the undead to emerge.
If the lich appeared, I’d snipe it with an arrow.
If the undead charged, we’d defend.
If neither happened, we’d burn the fortress to the ground with the chariot.
The rest would depend on how the situation unfolded.
“Summon Flame Chariot.”
Although it still had two horses, the Flame Chariot was larger than before.
Since I wasn’t riding it this time, I sent it forward immediately.
Soon, an eerie voice resonated across the battlefield.
[Ice Wall.]
[Frozen Field.]
[Anti-Magic Shield.]
A black mist rose from a bone-made watchtower on the fortress, and the lich revealed itself.
It began casting ice magic in unison with the skeletal mages, targeting the Flame Chariot.
Unlike the chaos at the Trein Fortress when there were no mages, the Flame Chariot hesitated and lost momentum under the onslaught.
Yikes, if there had been a mage unit back then, things would’ve gotten ugly.
Ping. Ping.
As soon as the lich appeared, Diana fired arrows.
Multiple light arrows streaked toward the lich, not giving it a moment to breathe.
Even Peep was already flying around, diligently breathing divine energy onto the battlefield.
[Annoying... very annoying…]
Cracks began to form in the lich’s black barrier.
Abandoning their ice magic, the lich’s forces withdrew slightly.
This allowed the Flame Chariot to go on a rampage again.
“Neighhhh!”
Leaping over the now-melting ice wall, the Flame Chariot wreaked havoc inside the fortress.
Zombie corpses caught fire, and the flames spread rapidly.
But the cost was high—my mana drained rapidly.
If I were riding the chariot, it wouldn’t have depleted so quickly, but since I was remote-controlling it to avoid the lich, the mana consumption was immense.
“Dismiss summon.”
I dismissed the chariot before it completely drained my mana, leaving about half remaining.
This wasn’t a solo battlefield, and the presence of the lich made it impossible to expend all my mana.
“Did the lich seem damaged earlier?”
“Thanks to the divine breath from Phoenix, it likely suffered some damage. However, due to its life vessel, it won’t be completely destroyed.”
“Life vessel?”
“It’s the source that allows a lich to remain undead. Without destroying the life vessel, the lich will keep reviving. Still, that particular lich won’t be reappearing on this battlefield anytime soon.”
Though it was frustrating not to destroy it outright, as long as the lich stayed out of this battlefield, that was enough for now.
Perhaps because Diana’s arrows had rattled it, the lich didn’t reappear on the frontlines.
Instead, it focused on extinguishing the flames consuming the zombies.
Meanwhile, the elves summoned water spirits to turn the surrounding terrain into a swampy area, forming a defensive line.
[Arise.]
[Charge.]
The lich’s voice echoed as the fortress gates opened, and zombie orcs poured out.
Simultaneously, rustling noises came from the woods on either side as undead began to rise.
Leading the charge were towering skeletal knights, with skeletons and zombies following close behind.
These new enemies were visibly stronger than the zombie orcs from the fortress.
We were surrounded on three sides.
“I’ll take the left flank. Please handle the right, Apostle of the Goddess.”
“Understood. Keep the bow with you; we still need to suppress the lich.”
“Got it.”
Before heading to the right flank, I decided to clean up the frontlines first.
I sent the Flame Chariot charging at the zombie orcs descending the mountain.
Flames spread across their bodies, setting them ablaze.
This time, the lich didn’t interfere; it merely watched from a distance.
After letting the chariot rampage for a while, I ran toward the right flank as my mana dwindled.
Before moving, I glanced toward the left.
Diana was wreaking havoc on her own.
She leapt across the swampy terrain as if it were flat ground, charging at a skeletal knight.
With a swing of her twin blades, even the formidable skeletal knight crumbled like autumn leaves.
She’s undeniably strong.
Since arriving at Kevelian, she’s the first truly reliable companion I’ve had.
I can’t let her outshine me.
I leaped toward the direction I was assigned, landing in front of a skeletal knight.
The knight swung its massive bone greatsword at me, but it was no match for my divine-powered blade.
In one swift strike, the skeletal knights were cut down, their bodies consumed by divine flames and vanishing into light.
Divine energy was incredibly effective against the undead.
“Urrghhh…”
Zombie orcs from all directions began advancing toward me.
Even with their feet stuck in the swamp, they used the corpses of their allies as stepping stones, moving steadily forward.
But their sluggish movements posed no threat to me.
I spun my sword in a wide arc, conserving mana as I dispatched them.
Even non-lethal strikes caused the undead to ignite in divine flames, reducing them to ash.
Using the undead as stepping stones, I avoided sinking into the swamp and traversed the battlefield.
Occasionally, their attacks grazed me, but Hephaestus’ armor was impenetrable.
Undeterred by the death of their comrades, the mindless zombies charged like moths to a flame.
To ensure the undead didn’t overwhelm the elven main force, I cast Haste and moved erratically, forcing the zombies to focus on me.
While it was easy for me, it wasn’t the same for the elves.
Holding back the endless horde would be no simple task.
Even with occasional fire magic, their unenhanced flames didn’t seem effective.
“Peep, go support the main force.”
“Chirp!”
Peep flapped its wings and flew toward the elven formation.
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Honestly, calling them a “main force” was generous—they were the weakest link here.
After clearing enough enemies, I prepared to assist them directly.
As I swung my greatsword to mow down the zombies, my vision suddenly turned red, and my entire body tingled painfully.
It had been a long time since I felt such a sense of danger.
Without hesitation, I leapt backward with all my strength.
[Death Ray.]
A massive, turquoise beam of death energy struck the spot where I had been standing.
A devastating, laser-like beam extended out, radiating sheer destruction.
A ferocious beam of death, stretching like a laser.
The undead caught in the light disintegrate into dust, leaving no trace behind.
Wow.
If that had hit me, I can't say for sure I'd still be standing.
[Death Ray.]
Then, I hear it again—Death Ray.
Will it strike Diana?
But the target of the Death Ray was the main force of the elves.
Since they were busy dealing with the orc zombies, unlike me, they couldn't avoid the Death Ray and took a direct hit.
The light shot down from the sky, grazing the ground with massive force.
In an instant, over ten elves disappeared into dust without so much as a scream.
Ah... this thing is insanely strong.
"NO!!"
Arrows of light soared into the sky.
Dozens of arrows flew one after another, targeting the two liches above.
They didn't even try to dodge and were struck by the arrows head-on.
[Urgh... the dark magic...]
[Still... our goal is achieved...]
The liches dissipated as their dark shields vanished.
With their disappearance, the undead collapsed like puppets with their strings cut.
"Even Eshil is gone..."
Diana stood frozen.
At the spot where her comrades, struck by the Death Ray, had stood moments ago.
Only about twenty elves remained.
One-third of the party had been wiped out.
"Invisible magic to approach, ignoring their own destruction, and unleashing the highest-level black magic, Death Ray... such ruthless enemies."
Alphed approached me, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Was there truly a need for them to go that far?"
"I think it was to stop us from opening the Fire Sanctuary. Opening the sanctuary requires multiple elves who can handle the Fire Spirit."
Ah.
"Even with a life vessel, being destroyed by a divine attack must consume a significant amount of their mana... They're not acting like typical liches. They're creatures obsessed only with magic, yet they were willing to go to this extent."
We managed to gather ourselves and reach the Fire Sanctuary, but the mood was grim.
The Water Sanctuary had been easy in comparison.
The difficulty spike feels real now.
It was a situation where nothing I did would have worked...
"We're short on numbers... but let's begin the ritual. Apostle, if you're able, please assist us."
"Me?"
"Yes. The power of the Phoenix would be immensely helpful."
I nodded in agreement.
The Fire Sanctuary housed a withered, ancient tree.
They said that setting this tree ablaze would open the sanctuary.
The elves began chanting mysterious incantations, and I followed Diana's instructions, asking Peep to breathe life into the tree.
But unlike at the Water Sanctuary, even after three hours, there were no signs of the tree catching fire.
Could it be because of our lack of numbers?
"There’s no reaction..."
"I'll try using Flaming Chariot as well."
Would an A-rank skill work?
As I directed the Flaming Chariot toward the tree, the chariot suddenly broke apart into flames and was absorbed by the tree.
"There’s some effect. Can you try again?"
I shook my head.
My mana had been completely drained when the chariot was absorbed.
I'd need to recover before trying again... Should I use the remaining SP to increase my mana stat?
Hmm.
Let’s observe the situation for now.
Even after the sun had completely set and the moon had risen, the ancient tree showed almost no change.
It had absorbed the Flaming Chariot heavily, but only a faint flicker of flame clung to it.
Diana suggested waiting until the sun’s strength returned at noon tomorrow and proposed resting.
I agreed and leaned against the tree.
Hmm...
I need to figure out a way to deal with long-range magic monsters like liches.
Invisible, flying, and shielded...
They're such a headache.
Although I closed my eyes, unable to sleep because of my endless stamina, my thoughts wandered.
Then, I heard Diana murmuring incantations nearby.
What is this?
After making everyone else sleep?
A sense of foreboding crept in.
"Peep!"
Peep seemed to notice it before I did and flew toward Diana.
I quickly followed after.
"I must awaken the Fire Sanctuary, even at the cost of my own life... It’s my fault that my sisters were sacrificed. I cannot wait any longer... What if the lich returns?"
Diana mumbled to herself, her eyes glowing crimson.
The light that had softly enveloped her body was now fading.
Oh no, could this be another instance of a Spirit of Wrath?
It really doesn't listen to reason.
"Diana! Stop!"
"Apostle... I cannot stop now."
"We can open the sanctuary tomorrow."
"What if the lich arrives before then? I can’t lose any more sisters."
Her mental state had clearly crumbled after the near-total annihilation of her guard.
But what am I supposed to do if you succumb to corruption?
She continued chanting something ominous, her eyes hollow and lifeless—a dangerous sight.
Damn it.
I rushed in front of her.
What do I do here?
[The sensitive point is just behind her ears. Normally, it only tickles her, but if the divine light has faded and she’s on the verge of corruption, it becomes highly reactive... Combine this with an elixir for maximum effect.]
Suddenly, lines from a guidebook came to mind.
What a trashy tip from Kim Jiho.
Still, the words stuck in my head.
The faint divine light around Diana had almost completely vanished.
Ah, screw it.
Flick.
"Aah... Ahh! What are you doing?!"
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
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