The soldiers on the opposing side were clearly moving in a defensive formation, with only 50,000 of them. They were clearly boasting the fact that they were going to stop Gorgon’s troops, which were made up of around 150,000 powerful monsters, with just their small number alone.
Gorgon thought that perhaps they had gone nuts. Sending such a small troop with only a few cavalrymen at the vanguard was a very foolish and reckless move. This was something that only those who did not know the basics of strategies and tactics would do.
The best course of action for an army this small would be to try and think of ways to lower their opponent’s numbers. They should have opted to ambush the opponent or laid traps for them instead of trying to stop them in such a direct confrontation. The situation was completely ridiculous.
With a contemptuous glare, Gorgon sneered at the foolish humans in front of him. “Ha! These bastards are not even funny. They want to confront my troops in such a manner? Are they fearless? Ha!”
The vampires had twice or even thrice the number of humans involved in this war, so they had an overwhelming numerical advantage. And from what Gorgon could see, the human soldiers had varying skill levels.
This was just like a fight between a well-trained Hell’s Army and a bunch of mismatched and disorderly humans. Even a child could predict the outcome of this battle.
To daringly raise up their weapons to confront them despite knowing the glaring difference between their troops was just reckless and stupid. Gorgon could only snort in irritation at the humans.
Thump, thump.
Soon, a figure sitting atop a horse slowly emerged from the center of the human troops. They removed the helmet to reveal their face.
“Isn’t that just a young chick?!” Gorgon cried out when he saw the woman with sky-blue hair in front of him. He yelled, “How dare you try to stop this army?! It seems like you’re fearless, huh?!”
His voice rang out despite not using any amplification magic.
The human army was agitated by Gorgon’s loud voice, which rang in their ears. Their faces also showed fear and terror as a commotion broke out. The stronger Gorgon and his army pushed them, the more frightened they would become.
Gorgon, with his fierce momentum, approached the human army. Black gigantic minotaurs immediately followed, escorting him and increasing the agitation amongst the human troops.
“You’re shaking. Are you afraid of me? Fufufufufu. You are, no?! You’re definitely afraid! What can bastards like you do when you only know about peace? You can only scream and die helplessly in front of our forces!”
The human soldiers’ whispers registered in Gorgon’s ears.
“Goodness… What are those monsters…?”
“How can we win with our numbers? They’re more than twice our numbers…”
The human army had quite a few well-trained soldiers, but the number of newly conscripted ones far outweighed the veterans.
Perhaps it was because they felt an urgent need to gather as many men as they could. This sense of urgency could be seen with how varied and messy the ages of their soldiers were. They had everyone from trembling young soldiers to resigned and hopeless old veterans.
“Human chick! You have to look at the situation too, bitch! All of the humans that follow and believe in you will be killed and devoured, and it will all be because of your dull judgment. Well, fufufufu, you won’t be spared either, bitch. So, you don’t have to worry. I’ll make sure to suck your blood dry until you’re all skin and bones before killing you in a horrendous manner!” Gorgon declared.
As red energy appeared from the depths of his body, a heavy killing intent and terrible malice encroached upon the surrounding area.
The human woman, despite the drastic and dreary situation that they were in, simply got off her horse. She ignored Gorgon’s provocations as if she was disinterested and chose to slowly unwrap the cloth that covered the woldo hanging on her back.
“Men, heed my words!” Reina, who had finished unwrapping her weapon, shouted loudly, “I know that you are afraid. Of course, you are afraid. After all, the number of our enemies is twice that of our own. The risk and danger that we are going to face will be far higher than any other dangers that we’ve encountered before.”
Gorgon sneered at Reina, who was speaking calmly, and turned back to his camp.
“Perhaps all of us will die here. However, that is not a guaranteed outcome,” Reina said. Raising the woldo in her hand, she continued, “We have only one goal. We have to show those dim-witted vampires, who judged us and determined that we cannot do anything due to our peace-loving nature, what we are capable of.”
The soldiers had to show the vampires how frightening mankind’s resistance was.
Thump!!!
At the same time, a stream of golden energy poured down from the sky as an enormous amount of force gathered in Reina’s body.
“Hmm?” Gordon stopped in his tracks, alarmed by the sudden appearance of a powerful force.
Then, he heard what Reina had to say next.
“Men! Have faith. I promise you, as your commander, I will not allow any of you to die so easily. Cut down and kill your enemies. This is the only way for us to protect the ones who believe in us and the ones who are waiting for our return!” Reina cried loudly with a steady and calm voice.
She raised her woldo to the sky and took a step forward. “The Goddess is with us. In the name of the Goddess that has bestowed powers to the noble and dignified man that is helping us, we shall fight. We should not waste the efforts that he has done to prepare and protect mankind.”
With another step forward, she commanded, “All troops. Charge!”
At Reina’s cry, the soldiers slowly advanced forward no matter the crippling fear that they felt. This was not a mere fight between humans. The enemies in front of them were ones that threatened the lives and foundation of the entire humankind. If they chose to give up here and not fight, they would die. In other words, no matter what they chose to do, they would still end up dying.
"Damn it, you bastard! That's right. Let's do it, whether it's once or twice!"
"Even if we don't die here, we'll die somewhere else! Come on!"
Despite their fear and terror, instead of fleeing, the soldiers embraced the idea of killing one more enemy and it spread fervently among them.
The high-ranking vampire, Gorgon, had no idea that their ability to push back the enemy was due to the dragon's overwhelming force, which was capable of destroying the entire continent.
Thud!!! Thud!!! Thud!!!
The soldiers pounded the ground with the shafts of their halberds, gradually boosting their morale. Caught between a rock and a hard place, they decided to advance.
"Troops! Form a wedge formation!" cried Reina, and the soldiers synchronized perfectly as they raised their spears and assumed their positions.
Gorgon turned to look at them, a sneer on his face. "Bite them. Tear them to pieces. Let those foolish prey who think they are noble and dignified experience shame."
Perhaps they believed victory was already guaranteed, but the lower-ranking vampires remained fearless. Apart from the sudden change in morale and the heroic advance of the human troops, nothing seemed different. The vampire army still expected a landslide victory, so they remained nonchalant and relaxed.
However, gradual changes began to unfold.
Thuuuud!!!
Expansive pure white magic circles, hundreds of meters in diameter, appeared in the sky as Warrior Reina led the vanguard. The soldiers and cavalry continued to advance, their expressions solemn as if they were oblivious to the massive magic circles above them.
When the two armies drew closer and clashed, the pure white magic circles in the sky erupted into shimmering dust. In an instant, a holy magic buff of terrifying magnitude enveloped each and every human soldier.
Unaware of the sudden changes in their bodies, the soldiers charged fiercely at their opponents. They exhibited superhuman strength, as if they were willing to sacrifice their lives for this fight.
Gorgon instinctively felt that something was amiss. His expression turned ugly as he unknowingly took a step back. This shouldn't be happening.
Though he didn't understand what the white magic circle was, one thing was certain: if he didn't destroy it immediately, he would be in significant trouble. Just as Gorgon hurriedly tried to raise the blood energy in his body to counteract the magic circle...
—Kihyeeeeeeeeeck!!!
A thunderous roar echoed from above, and Gorgon's eyes widened in shock as he witnessed a gigantic bird covered in flames soaring through the sky, unleashing a blazing Fire Breath in the midst of the vampire army.
“Keuaaaaaaaaaack!”
The fearless advance of the human army, the mysterious buff magic circle, and the colossal fire bird in the sky—these sudden changes on the battlefield left Gorgon utterly bewildered. He could only stare blankly at the scene before him, a mix of embarrassment and confusion.
Ultimately, the human soldiers realized that their bodies had become lighter and stronger, fueling their fighting spirit and morale to unprecedented heights.
“Kill them!!!”
“For my family!!!”
“The Saint and the Warrior are with us!!!”
The cries jolted Gorgon back to reality. However, what he saw was the wedge attack formation of the human soldiers effortlessly pushing back his strong, brutal, and proud army, despite their smaller numbers.
***
“Will this really be alright?” Saintess Candidate Alice, who joined the war with a priest order, asked.
But Davey silently observed the situation on the battlefield. At first glance, it was clear that the humans were at a disadvantage. Moreover, the enemy commander had a keen sense, openly undermining the soldiers' morale and psychology.
"There's no way the holy magic of the priestly order can reach them from here. I request permission for us to join the frontlines now..."
"Just watch. The priests are responsible for healing and should avoid getting hurt, Saintess Candidate Alice."
“…”
While it was the priests' duty to heal the soldiers if they were injured, there was no one to heal a priest in case of injury. This was the harsh reality, and hearing it from Davey silenced Alice.
However, it wasn't just the soldiers who were affected by Gorgon's taunts. Even the priests standing far away from the front lines felt fear.
"Will... Will it really be all right? It seems we're too far..."
"Oh dear... We might all perish here..."
"We should talk to the Saintess Candidate and the Saint so we can join the frontlines..."
Davey paid no mind to the murmurs around him. He simply stood there and continued to observe the situation. He only took action when he saw Reina quietly raising Longginus into the air.
"Alice, we shall begin now."
"Yes?"
"We must create the conditions for our soldiers to turn the tide of the battle," Davey said calmly, clasping his hands together in prayer. Simultaneously, a radiant white energy surged from his body.
[I wish to save the lives of countless innocent people. So, grant me this immense favor and allow me to borrow it without interest, with a 36-month installment plan.]
[9th Class, the Final Holy Magic]
[Saint Sanctuary]
Shwaaaaaa!!!
Eyes widened as the sacred and divine sanctuary materialized before them in an instant.
"What in the world..."
The priests finally grasped the transcendental power of Davey's holy magic, far surpassing what they had known. They couldn't help but stare at him in astonishment. Yet, Davey paid no mind to their gazes, instead creating a passageway connecting the priests' location to the battleground where the soldiers fought.
"What are you all waiting for? Prepare to cast healing and recovery magic. The magic circle over there will activate the healing and recovery spells you cast here. Ah, there's no need for buff magic," Davey calmly addressed them, spreading his arms wide.
Davey had decided not to take an active role and directly participate in the war. This was the most effective approach. Davey would be responsible for the buffs.
[Strength]
[Hard Skin]
[Stone Skin]
[Agility]
[Vital Pump]
[Mana Conversion]
As an immense, pure white energy emanated from his body, strengthening and reinforcement magic activated one after another throughout the area designated as God's Sanctuary. Additionally, all selfless buff magic would more than double in potency when applied within the sanctuary.
[Renovatio]
[Reinforce the Mind]
Davey bolstered their mental strength and physical recovery.
[Divine Protection]
He bestowed them with protective magic. Without hesitation, Davey also added amplification magic, the same kind he applied to the citizens of the Heins Territory during their goblin extermination, further enhancing their magic. In this way, an additional amplification was layered onto the already intensified reinforcement and buff magic within God's Sanctuary. The soldiers were now brimming with holy magic.
[Saint Gloria]
As Davey always said, a massive difference in numbers meant little when they possessed world-defying buffs. If they fought to the death, Davey would bring them all back to life. It was as simple as that.
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