I adjusted my expression to a more serious one.
"Due to the fall of the entire Ragneif Republic, the invasion rate of the demons has surpassed 30%. We must hurry and retake the churches in various regions to create an opening."
"Young lady, no—Holy Lady, we seem to have a significant issue."
At that moment, my grandfather pointed out an important issue.
"The Armageddon seems different from a normal war. If we are to break through using the ‘rules,’ we need to understand the overall occupation situation, don't you think?"
"That's correct."
The person who responded was Tesilid. [‘The Scales of the Soul’ marvels at the new uniform of the world's most handsome man.] I left the explanation to Tesilid. His deep voice resonated in the reception room, drawing attention.
"Initially, Abixis was able to consume churchless villages and Ragneif because he could grasp the situation of the entire continent at a glance. Abixis possesses two special eyes, one of which is the clairvoyance that allows him to see the situation of the continent as clearly as the palm of his hand."
It was called the "Clairvoyance of Conquest."
"To oppose Abixis, we need to possess a similar ability."
"As Sir Tesilid said, the role of the magicians is crucial. Seeing things from a distance falls within the realm of magic."
"Yes, that's right, Your Grace."
Tesilid responded, lowering his gaze deeply to the floor.
Even without mind-reading abilities, I could tell he was recalling the past.
In his first time saving the world in the 85th iteration, magic had played a large role.
He had secured the cooperation of Moriphas, the then head of the magic tower, and other mages from the tower to deploy wide-area observation magic, the "Beholder's Net," across the continent.
Over the course of ten world-saving iterations, Tesilid had consistently used magic to deploy observation networks in this way.
The problem was that the core strategy and tactics were also known to Ried.
Both returnees shared the experience of saving the world ten times.
At this moment, someone excitedly interjected. It was Moriphas.
"I see you need me!"
"...It would be better than not having you."
At the level of an 8th Circle mage, he could cover localized areas on a city scale. Quite a meaningful ability.
However, Tesilid whispered to me, seemingly reluctant.
"Instead of giving such an important role to that one, I would rather do it myself..."
There was no need to listen further.
"Wouldn't it clash with divine power and mana? What are you going to do?"
"If I fall... "
Are you planning to break all seven virtues and commit all the seven deadly sins?
"Is that something a member of the Enligion should say, Holy Knight?"
"Well..."
"Endure."
Focus on your mind and resist corruption, Tesilid.
If there were two Rieds, even I would have trouble handling it. [‘The Creator of Worlds’ bangs the desk, refusing to accept the flying priest.]
"The Enligion refuses too."
"I see."
And the most important reason was something else entirely.
I stopped whispering with Tesilid and stared directly at the group.
"We don't necessarily need magic's help."
I raised my hand and mimicked covering one of my eyes.
"I possess a similar ability to Abixis' ‘Clairvoyance of Conquest.’"
"What?!"
"Is that true, Your Grace?"
Tesilid stared at me in surprise. His face clearly showing shock.
It made sense. Even though he was the 117th returnee, with knowledge as vast as the Bible, it was natural that he didn’t know this.
This was an ability I had brought from outside the world.
It was the Possessor Support System.
A very basic, yet, on the other hand, one of the most overpowered functions. It was simply... [ Serentra Continent]
[ Displays the enemy's status on the map in response to ‘Armageddon.’]
Yes. A map.
In this war, I was practically an omniscient commander.
I confidently declared to everyone:
"We will win this war, in the name of Enligion."
✠ As the demon invasion rate soared to 50%, operations to eliminate demon apostles and reclaim churches began in various regions.
A subjugation force composed of Marquis Lecandro, the royal knights, and Hestio gathered once again, targeting the Church of Hestina, located in the royal capital, Villelon.
Hellbreon, a fallen angel with black-red wings and copper-colored skin, greeted them with a sinister laugh.
<Back again, foolish unbelievers.>
Hellbreon had been defeated several times by Romina Lecandro but had continuously resurrected to mock the kingdom's army.
Such experiences had etched deep feelings of helplessness and fear into the kingdom's soldiers while also giving Hellbreon the confidence that he could defeat anyone.
<I've expanded my territory greatly, so this time, it won't be so easy to escape. Today, I shall break your ribs and attach your beautiful wings to my back!>
The confident declaration of the fallen angel. However, the subjugation force was far from intimidated.
"Hestio, Priest!"
"Yes, yes. I'm coming, Marquis Lecandro."
Hestio, who had been reciting holy chants with a tired face, blessing the knights, responded.
The ideal demeanor for someone preparing for a subjugation would be to maintain appropriate tension and focus, but there was none of that in Hestio.
He was squeezing out his divine power to support the many soldiers on his own.
Once the preparations were complete, Romina Lecandro shouted.
"All forces!"
At the sound of the trusted and powerful commander's voice, the knights immediately responded.
Shez, Chelly, Prinz, and Raywin, all part of the subjugation force, formed the left and right wings of the formation.
"Attack!"
Marquis Lecandro's brave shout lifted the knights' morale.
"Yaaah! This is our revenge!"
"Die, you demon with chicken wings!"
"I'll roast you crispy with aura!"
Aura slammed into Hellbreon from all directions. Despite being immortal, it didn’t mean it didn’t hurt when he was hit.
<Hack! Cough! Gahhh! Ugh!>
Moreover, Hellbreon's instincts screamed that this time, he might actually die if he kept taking hits like this.
So, he had become more defensive, facing Romina Lecandro, the vanguard, in a more cautious manner.
‘This feels different. Could it be...!’
The awareness of the impending crisis hit Hellbreon.
<You! You’re the culprit!>
"...!"
Hellbreon’s priority target shifted from Marquis Lecandro to Hestio.
Hellbreon unleashed a barrage of black feathers at Hestio.
"Ugh!"
Being targeted by the boss—it was something Hestio had never faced since joining the Silver Fortress Knights.
Hestio’s face turned pale, having not encountered such a situation in a long time.
Of course, the kingdom’s army would not leave their precious and fragile support member unattended.
With a gust of wind, dozens of sharp lightning bolts destroyed all the feathers.
With his eyes narrowed, Hestio saw a woman’s back filling his vision.
Her light brown hair swayed as her pretty face turned around to meet Hestio’s gaze.
"Don’t worry. I’ll protect you."
"..."
"I’m the top of the 114th class at the academy. Perfect score in the escort course. Safety guaranteed."
"..."
Hestio couldn’t take his trembling amber eyes off the face of the nonchalant female knight for a long time. Then, a deep realization struck him.
His type was a strong older sister.
"I’ll... I’ll trust only Sir Shez."
"Only me...? Hmm..."
The two, seemingly lost in their own world, blushed, and Chelly sighed.
Meanwhile, the fierce battle continued nearby. Raywin and Prinz readied their swords.
"Let’s finish this, Linz."
"Got it, Ray."
Moments later, the top and second best from the 117th class of the academy collaborated to pierce Hellbreon’s chest.
✠ This was the coastal city of Eltorini in the Elphenheim Theocracy.
Another subjugation force was engaged in battle to reclaim the cathedral, occupied by the demon archbishop, Tezrihal.
This subjugation force was led by Hispenril Duke, Princess Eltea, Bishop Hilda, Ash, and Iphail from the Duchy of Hispenril.
Tezrihal, the demon archbishop, had also been in charge of the "Temple of Chaos Evil No. 18," from which Ayleth and Tesilid had stolen the rosary rings.
He was a high-ranking demon, a few places down the hierarchy, making this subjugation even more difficult than the Walpurgis Night.
But, as is often the case, sheer numbers counted, and raids are fundamentally about numbers.
The fact that the demon archbishop had occupied the church meant the enemy was isolated in a confined battlefield, and there were no worries about supply interruptions for the allied forces.
Moreover, the Duchy of Hispenril was no ordinary place.
Aside from the Holy Lady and the Sword of the Sacred, the Duchy had Hispenril Duke, the most powerful figure in Serentra, and Bishop Hilda, a 7th-tier rank holder with immunity to threats.
As the Hispenril Duke firmly drew Tezrihal’s attention, Eltea, Ash, Iphail, and dozens of others unleashed their firepower.
Of course, all of them had received Hilda's 7th-tier blessing to ensure they were fully prepared for Armageddon's rules.
It had already been over ten minutes, and the subjugation force was maintaining focus, steadily dealing damage to Tezrihal.
Time was absolutely on their side.
<How dare you!>
Tezrihal roared in fury and kicked at the Hispenril Duke at the front lines.
But the massive body was as ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) solid as an iron wall and remained unyielding.
Instead, a powerful aura-filled strike pounded the beastly demon’s entire body.
"Goat hunting!"
<You, you pig-headed human! How dare you!>
"What’s this?! Apologize to my father!"
Flying through the air, Eltea struck with a series of thrusts from her spear and short spear.
Her attack, filled with filial piety, delivered a fatal blow to Tezrihal.
<Arrrgh! I won’t forgive this!>
Tezrihal stomped his foot and charged at the Hispenril Duke.
A massive horned head with enormous horns collided with the Duke’s body, pushing him against the wall.
Crash!
"Father!"
"Your Grace!"
"Your Majesty!"
Screech.
Blood splattered long and thin where the Duke had been just moments before.
"...!"
An advantage for the Possessor.
