Hidden Danger

The Divine Art bestowed by Meritellie had effects beyond everyone's imagination.

After Tissaia's Firestorm disappeared, the swarming carnivorous creatures were almost powerless to resist and were forcefully pushed back.

Beneath the gleaming golden blade, the ghoul was no more solid than a piece of paper.

Skin, muscles, and even bones were like snow that had just fallen to the ground, encountering molten swords and blades, being cleaved, severed, and smashed with a sizzling burning sound.

The moment the lines between humans and monsters clashed, dozens of Ghoul were decapitated.

It was so easy that even the soldiers on the front lines were momentarily stunned, staring in surprise at the familiar yet unfamiliar weapon in their hands.

This was especially true of the soldiers in the Monster Hunter Army.

Because they had actually killed Ghoul in the past and knew how troublesome those creatures were.

Their skin is tougher than human-tanned leather, their strength rivals that of a skilled human knight, and their speed even surpasses that of the hunting dogs meticulously bred by nobles...

In the past, whenever they encountered such monsters, the Monster Hunter Army almost never escaped unscathed, and sometimes, carelessness could lead to death.

This situation only improved a month ago after Ailin's Necrophage Oil became more widespread.

But now, after Ianna's Divine Art was unleashed, killing a Ghoul was no more difficult than killing a chicken.

The longsword, blessed by Divine Art, can cut through the bones of demons; even the normally deadly claw strikes and bites cannot leave a single scratch on the armor...

Their strength was increasing, their speed was increasing, and even the soldiers protecting the Sorceress with their tower shields were able to kill a few who slipped through the net.

"By Meritellie!"

Sala cleaved a Ghoul in two with a single sword stroke, wiped the monster's blood from her face, and looked in astonishment at her comrades around her, their fighting spirit soaring.

For the first time, he felt a little guilty about his earlier thoughts.

What more could Ailin ask for than such Divine Art that he could pray for for them?

Perhaps he deliberately refrained from participating in the war because he was worried that Lord Mason would be in a difficult position regarding the awarding of titles based on military merit.

Of course, such a thought only flashed through my mind.

Whether it is or not, it has nothing to do with him now. Sala only wants to kill all the Evil God's minions who dare to plot against Arland, blow up the Monster's Nest, and then drive that damned Evil God out of this world.

"Kill!"

Sala roared again, leading her Monster Hunter Army followers, and charged at the next Ghoul coming at her.

Ailin, riding on the back of the Greater Griffin, was not as optimistic as Sala.

"The brilliance of Divine Art is fading..."

He frowned slightly.

Although the rate of decline was very slight, the Witcher's keen senses could detect it clearly.

Of course, this is to be expected, but Ailin roughly estimated that at this rate of decline, the effect of the Divine Art might not be able to destroy more than a few Monster's Nest before it would completely disappear.

"The decline was indeed too rapid," Vesemir said. "The plans were disrupted by the ghouls, and it still had an impact."

"It was originally in that place."

He pointed to a place about two or three kilometers away outside the battlefield.

It was the entrance to an unnamed valley. Although it wasn't very spacious, it could accommodate ten people walking side by side, and it became more spacious the further in you went.

This morning, Arthur led them to scout out the enemy's situation by walking along the towering ridges on both sides of this valley.

The first two Monster's Nest are located deep within the valley, far from the entrance.

"The human alliance will set up positions in the narrow passage at the valley entrance, and then send out agile soldiers to lure some ghouls, allowing the army to get used to their attack methods before gradually advancing deeper."

"Divine Art should be used after the Monster's Nest has been detected, when the first wave of monsters arrives, but now..."

Vesemir shook his head. "Ianna had no choice."

"Being attacked in this narrow mountain path that can only accommodate two or three people is very disadvantageous for the human alliance. If they suffer heavy casualties at the very beginning, their morale, which was formed in an emergency and whose coordination is not yet perfect, will easily collapse."

"At that point, even if we unleash Divine Art, it will be difficult to reverse the disadvantage."

Ailin nodded.

That's right. The entire human alliance was led by the Monster Hunter Army, who were experienced in dealing with monsters and were not afraid. They were followed by the fully armored Guard Knight, but behind them were some conscripted farmers who carried spears and didn't even have leather armor.

The better-equipped private armies of nobles were stationed at the rear, responsible for overseeing the battle.

Fortunately, for some reason, the Evil God only used intimidation and did not launch a surprise attack.

Otherwise, if a major disturbance occurs, the Monster Hunter Army and the Guard Knight might be fine, but it would be very difficult to say what would happen to the conscripted farmers.

While the Divine Art do indeed wear off faster now, they also ignite the fighting spirit of all the soldiers, making them realize that the once terrifying ghouls are actually nothing special.

Once the unfamiliar fear was dispelled and the Divine Art had completely disappeared, the army's own combat power remained.

"No wonder Ianna was so lacking in confidence before she obtained the Divine Art." Vesemir looked at the composition of the army below, glanced at Ailin, and thought to himself, "Even with such powerful Divine Art, so many unexpected things can happen."

"If things had gone the way they originally planned, then perhaps the soldiers' faith in Meritellie and their feelings for Arland would have been tested here."

"The intensity is still not enough..." Ailin turned to look north of the valley.

Under the Cat Eye Potion's vision, the ghouls there were moving, but they showed no intention of converging on the battlefield.

"Hmm." Vesemir squinted and nodded. "Let's wait a little longer. There's no rush. At least for now, the situation for humanity is very good."

Humanity is indeed in a very good position.

Led by Sala, the Monster Hunter Army were like the sharpest arrows, piercing straight into the core of the ghouls.

Wherever it went, blood and flesh flew everywhere.

After discovering that spells were less effective than a commoner's longsword, the Sorceress began to focus their attention on the Rotfiend hiding among the Ghoul.

This kind of monster is a real weapon of mass destruction for ordinary people. If you're not careful, the explosion and the corrosive liquid that splashes out can kill a large number of people.

However, once targeted by a superhuman with ranged fire magic, they become natural human allies.

"Boom boom~"

Amidst a series of violent explosions.

The Ghoul blasted off the cliff by the Rotfiend was even greater than the number killed by the Monster Hunter Army, and all the Sorceress needed was a simple fire spell.

This spell is so easy that even Sorceress with little talent can learn it; it's not much harder than the Light spell, and it's commonly used to replace flint for starting fires.

However, just like what Ailin and Vesemir experienced during the day.

As the brains of the ghouls, the Giant Ghoul quickly adjusted their strategy, causing the Rotfiend to retreat.

Countless mutilated Ghoul corpses piled up on the mountain path, even hindering the march. Sala had to assign some people to kick the corpses off the path so as not to impede the advance.

But even so,

With the blessing of Divine Art, the allied forces advanced at an extremely fast pace. In fact, because the Sorceress cast a spell to flatten the ground, the soldiers moved even faster than before the monsters attacked.

Before long, they arrived at the battlefield they had planned for—the entrance to that nameless valley.

It was here, with its more open terrain, that the surging tide of monsters suddenly surged.

However, humans also arranged themselves in layered formations, making the slaughter even more efficient.

The Guard Knight, clad in gleaming golden armor, took over from the Monster Hunter Army who had been engaged in fierce combat.

The warriors, shielded by the tower, positioned themselves at the very front.

"Heh~ Hmph~ Heh~ Hmph~"

They raised the tower shield, braced it against their right shoulder, took a step forward, planted it in the ground, waited two seconds, then raised it again, braced it against the ground, and moved forward again.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

One after another, Ghoul crashed heavily against the tower shield.

Not only did the Divine Art fail to overpower and knock the shield bearer away, but the skin that came into contact with the glowing shield was also burned, causing screams of agony.

The Guard Knight swung their swords the Rift the two tower shields, occasionally having the Monster Hunter Army join in the charge.

The speed of advance did not slow down due to the change in terrain; on the contrary, the stable rhythm made the killing of ghouls more efficient and faster.

until...

"Long~long~long~"

The gravel on the ground began to tremble.

Several Sorceress waved their hands and pointed, and the ball of light floating in mid-air immediately flew towards the source of the sound.

Several enormous figures, their bodies a ghastly red, descended like a small mountain, leaving deep craters in the ground.

The Spiked Fiend is here!

Their ferocious figures, mixed with the intense pressure brought by the blessing of magic, looked from a distance like mountains pressing down.

In the middle of the group, a conscript who had just mustered his courage upon seeing piles of monster corpses was now trembling with fear after being ordered to the front line for a shift change.

"Don't panic! Keep attacking! The ladies will take care of them!" Arthur immediately shouted to reassure them.

Before he could finish speaking...

Tissaia immediately began chanting a mysterious incantation.

Before the Spiked Fiend could get close, streaks of purple lightning pierced the air and descended from the sky.

"Ah--"

With a piercing roar, the Spiked Fiend's hide instantly turned into charcoal, and then suddenly swelled up.

"Shieldbearers! Shield up!" Sala, who had been at the forefront, changed her expression drastically, and her voice became distorted.

"No need." Tissaia's calm voice rang in everyone's ears.

Then, a fierce magical storm howled, whipping up flying sand and stones.

The swollen Spiked Fiend was blown away and crashed straight into another Spiked Fiend that was charging towards it from a distance.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

The explosion of the expanding Spiked Fiend also detonated another Spiked Fiend.

Two loud explosions shook the ground, and the cliffs on both sides of the valley collapsed.

The falling rocks, many of them directly hitting the marching group, were blown away by the prepared Sorceress using various air element spells.

The remaining Spiked Fiend were easily killed by Tissaia in the same way.

"Keep chasing, don't stop!" Tissaia's voice rang out again.

After a moment of stunned silence, the entire army resumed its battle cries and quickly filled the gaps left by the Spiked Fiend's explosion.

"The progress is slow."

Tissaia turned her gaze away from the front lines and looked at the aged Ianna, who was also riding on Mutant Horse.

"You Sorceress have so many good things."

Ianna touched the Mutant Horse beast beneath her, seemingly ignoring the question.

Although this horse-like beast wasn't fast, it was much more stable than a person in this mountainous terrain, and it was also very comfortable to ride.

"This is the latest research result from the Aretuza Academy. If you want it, you can acquire it from the Aretuza Group's civil joint venture," Tissaia said.

"I can't afford to buy it," Ianna waved her hand. "And I can't afford to use it either."

"If we can successfully exorcise the Evil God this time, I'll gladly give you one," Tissaia shook her head helplessly.

"Two, please," Ianna bargained.

"If we can successfully expel them, then yes," Tissaia emphasized.

She turned her head to look at the battlefield where blood and flesh were flying everywhere. The brightness of the "Holy Sword," "Holy Shield," and "Holy Armor" had dimmed by more than one degree compared to when they were first displayed.

"But can it really be successfully exorcised?" Tissaia's voice echoed in Ianna's mind. "As things stand, let alone exorcising the Evil God, we might not even see the living Summoning Ritual you mentioned."

"Who knows?" Ianna replied. "Perhaps the Goddess Meritellie will borrow another flash of lightning, or send an angel down from the sky."

"You're all so old, can't you be a little more serious?" Tissaia sighed. "Ianna, at least I took care of you for a long time when you were little in Aretuza."

Ianna nodded. "That was indeed a very 'unforgettable' experience."

"I still remember what the dead toad looked like, and the leech the size of an arm."

"But..."

She looked up at the sky and said, "I have been very serious. When I have done my best, someone will naturally be able to make up for the rest of the work that I have not done."

"Is this an oracle?" Tissaia raised an eyebrow.

Ianna looked away and smiled, "I guess so."

"I suppose so?" Tissaia frowned slightly, wanting to ask further.

At this moment.

Arthur suddenly ran up from the front:

"High Priest, the first Monster's Nest is just ahead. It's time to change formation."

"Give the order," Ianna said, looking at Tissaia. "Send the throwers carrying Dwarven Bomb and Honeycomb Bomb forward. Also, remind the soldiers at the front to be wary of a riot at the Monster's Nest."

Tissaia could only temporarily set aside her doubts and begin chanting the incantation.

Ultimately, although they had agreed to obey Ianna's orders, if the situation turned bad and irreversible, Aretuza could still leave unscathed.

She shouldn't be the one most anxious about falling behind schedule.

The Monster's Nest is like an intestine or uterus buried underground, with only a ring of strong and ferocious flesh showing above the ground, or like some kind of coelenterate.

It was extremely unpleasant to look at, not to mention the strong stench wafting from afar.

Seemingly sensing a strong crisis, the Monster's Nest began to writhe violently.

One after another, white Ghoul covered in slime were spewed out of the Monster's Nest.

"Is this Honeycomb Bomb actually effective?"

The thrower, with his nose covered by burlap, carrying a heavy Dwarven Bomb on his back and a small round ball of dirt in his hand, was escorted by Sala and several strong Monster Hunter Army soldiers.

The other soldiers were blocking both sides, and the Sorceress had no choice but to start casting spells to fend off the carnivorous creatures that were attacking wildly from the mountain path beside her.

Flames, lightning, storms, and thunder raged wildly through the valley.

"Of course it works," Sala replied without hesitation, bending down. "It was made by Sir Ailin."

"I also hope it will be useful."

The thrower sighed.

Otherwise, given the weight of the Dwarven Bomb, he would have to stand on the flesh and blood secreting unknown slime to drop it into the Monster's Nest.

The chances of surviving are less than one in ten.

He was not afraid of dying for the sake of Arland, but it would be better to live a good life.

"Then aim harder, is this distance enough?" Sala cleaved the Ghoul struggling to its feet from the ground with her sword and shouted back.

That's enough.

The thrower took a deep breath.

He glanced at the writhing flesh about ten meters away, and then, following the Witcher's instructions, carefully dug a gap in the earthen ball.

After the gap started to smoke, he squinted at the target again before swinging his arm and throwing it out.

The earthen ball glided through the air in a smooth arc and landed precisely in the Monster's Nest.

In an instant.

The entire battlefield seemed to have fallen silent.