Thanks to darling Alice for the blade! Sob, even though it was just a blade, I still licked it a few times with tears in my eyes. This is one of my few sources of motivation, QAQ!
Chapter 062: Dawn Approaches, and War Is About to Begin.
"Humans, Fou, always overestimate their abilities~" The foolish little white dog hopped onto White Knight Rimuru's head, settled down comfortably, and licked his paw.
"It's not that they overestimate themselves." Rimuru chuckled. He scooped Fou off his head, held him up before his eyes, and smiled. "They simply believe their sacrifice will be rewarded. So, I'm counting on you, Fou!"
"I told you, my name isn't Fou, you damned bastard!"
Beneath the night sky, time ticked steadily onward. Every Executor still wandering this city filled with Dead Apostles and Ghouls believed one thing: night would eventually pass, and dawn would come.
White Knight Rimuru understood that, too. He looked toward the distant tower at the heart of Cornwall, where the Black Winged Duke stood motionless, like a statue, no longer attacking. Then he lowered his eyes. "It's three forty-seven. Dawn is still two hours away..."
"Dawn will come. But will you really last until then?"
"You've gathered enough information. Now, please... die."
As the White Knight murmured, his eyes gradually turned crimson. Beneath the moonlight, his order began to take effect—and the statue that resembled a Bird of Death vanished from its spot the next instant.
"Great Sage, share the coordinates of every Rat with the Black Winged Duke and the Dead Apostles. Leave Kotomine Kirei out."
"Understood!"
"Are we making a move?" Behind him, Altrouge's eyes lit up with delight as she watched Rimuru. She started to spring forward, eager to kill someone, but paused when she looked at him. After sneaking him an extraordinarily timid glance, she asked in a small voice, "May I...?"
"Of course, Your Highness." Rimuru couldn't help smiling at her expression. "You may order your subordinates to do anything. But unless it's absolutely necessary, you'd better not fight personally, Your Highness. Your power would cause far too much of a disturbance."
If Altrouge released her power and transformed a second time, all of Cornwall would likely be blanketed by a blood moon and drowned in a sea of blood.
"Then can I go kill him?" Altrouge immediately perked up. She pointed toward the direction Rimuru was watching. Kotomine Kirei was still silently assassinating his targets there.
"Hmm... Do you hate him that much?"
"Obviously! He's killed more Dead Apostles than anyone else, and he even managed to kill one of my subordinates who used to be a Mage. He must be pretty strong, right?"
"He does fit the protagonist mold." Rimuru thought for a moment, then smiled. "All right. To be honest, I don't want him to die, since he's involved in some of my plans for the future. But since he's caught Your Highness's interest, and you've been bored all night, why not play a game?"
"Yeah?"
"You can send all your subordinates after him." Rimuru gazed into the vast darkness and sensed the agile figure. "But you can't attack him yourself, and you can't have any of the other Ancestors do it either. If you manage to kill him, I lose. Otherwise, you lose."
"If I lose, you can force me to obey your will once. How does that sound?"
"Tch. What a clichéd game." Altrouge's eyes flashed crimson. She licked her lips. "And you're basically protecting the enemy... But I don't think he's strong enough to defeat all the Dead Apostles. It seems like I can't lose. But what if I do?"
"If you lose, I'd like you to grant me a pardon."
"A pardon? What did you do wrong?"
"No, I mean..." Rimuru raised an eyebrow and smiled. "The next time you're in a bad mood, you could let me off the hook once... Ow, ow, ow, ow!"
Rimuru hissed in pain as he looked at Altrouge biting his hand. Was this girl a dog or something?!
"When have I ever been in a bad mood, you damned Rimuru?! For that, just you wait. I'll make sure you're the one who buries him!!!!"
With that, Altrouge let go of Rimuru's hand and stormed out, fuming and waving her arms.
"..."
So, she accepted the challenge, then?
Since Cornwall was built against the mountains, its terrain rose and fell unevenly, leaving its roads winding, complicated, and crooked.
Yet one squad was cutting through the endless sea of Ghouls with ease.
Twenty-three Executors formed a protective ring around four Mages, fending off Ghouls that took advantage of the mountain slopes or the three-story buildings to launch surprise attacks. Outside the slowly moving circle, dozens of Sand Soldiers charged like warriors leading an assault, tearing open the bloody curtain of slaughter. Rimuru alone walked calmly at the head of the group, making no effort to attack.
But no one was dissatisfied. The legendary Fairy Tale Lord excelled at drawing enemies into the fog, much like another Witch, and wiping them out. No one had ever doubted Rimuru's strength. If he wasn't attacking, it simply meant there was nothing here that could threaten the others. Conversely, if this lord was willing to spend his magical energy and fight, that meant... their true enemy had arrived.
And then, all of a sudden!
The steel constructs circling overhead in the night sky, flying like birds as familiars that served as the group's eyes, were suddenly destroyed by a sharp arrow. With a whoosh, they turned into scrap metal and fell before the group.
"What?" The young Mage froze. He felt the hundreds of linked viewpoints vanish one by one as the steel familiars were swiftly destroyed, each view replaced by endless darkness.
He hurried to the front and anxiously addressed Rimuru. "My familiars have all been destroyed, sir."
"Yeah, I saw." Rimuru looked at the familiar lying before him. He crouched and sensed it for a moment, then raised his head with a cold expression. The others followed his gaze upward. Only then did they see the endless flock of crows circling beneath the starry sky.
"The Black Winged Duke has made a move again... Has the Church sent out more Executors?" Rimuru looked at the priest, his expression grave.
"No. We've confirmed most of the situation. Everyone else should be preparing to launch a joint attack." The priest hurriedly shook his head. "And after destroying our familiars, could it be looking for us?"
At that, the others fell silent for a moment. "But we haven't even reached Cornwall's inner district yet..."
"Perhaps the Princess of the Black is simply planning to clear out Cornwall," Rimuru guessed. "I just got word from the Magic Association. The main force has started deploying... If the Princess of the Black knows about it, too..."
"Then there's no point in luring us deeper into the city, so it's simply attacking and clearing the way in preparation for the great battle?" The priest nodded. "That's very possible. But in that case, the Black Winged Duke will come after us all the same..."
"No!" Rimuru raised his head and abruptly contradicted him. "The Black Winged Duke won't come for us... because the one looking for us has already arrived."
As he spoke, he warily summoned several spheres of water and looked toward a shadowy alley in the distance. Only then did the others realize that the Ghouls fighting around them had somehow all vanished. All that remained was an endless, oppressive silence.
In that atmosphere, the Mages couldn't help swallowing nervously as they followed Rimuru's gaze toward the place he was watching intently.
The group stared anxiously into the silence. About three seconds later, a soft footstep rang out from the deep alley. Their hearts skipped a beat as a white canine creature emerged, its entire body gleaming white, its eyes full of arrogance and contempt. The others stared in surprise, then their faces changed dramatically!
If someone said they'd seen a white dog, everyone here would probably laugh in disdain. But if they added the words "the Princess of the Black" before "white dog"—
Almost everyone would know what that meant!!
"This is... bad." The priest's expression changed drastically. He yanked the cross from around his neck and murmured, "Primate Murder..."
"Anti-human specialization..." Rimuru murmured. He glanced at the cross in the priest's hand and asked quietly, "How good is your confusion magecraft? Or your spell for strengthening Magic Resistance?"
"Not very good..." The priest's face grew even paler as he answered grimly.
To counter an ability specialized against humans, one could either use magecraft that confused and distorted one's identity, temporarily erasing the concept of oneself as human enough to deceive the enemy's mystery, or strengthen everyone's Magic Resistance—what people called magic resistance.
"Then we're in trouble." Rimuru's voice turned solemn.
"But my specialty is a barrier that blocks magecraft... It can resist and drive away all forms of mystery." The priest closed his eyes. "I'll stay behind. You should all retreat."
"But you'd only be throwing your life away if you stayed." Rimuru shook his head. Then he said, "I'm different."
"Hmm?"
"I'm a hybrid of a Phantasmal Species and a human, so my Magic Resistance and general resistance are high. I should be able to withstand it. In other words, even if I can't, I only have half a human concept, so it shouldn't be enough to kill me." Rimuru turned to the others. "Most importantly, I can kill it."
"I've heard the White Beast doesn't have much in the way of combat abilities..."
"But even if it isn't very strong, that's only in comparison to the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors." The priest immediately objected. "If you lose, then for the sake of the battle to come, the Fairy Tale Lord is clearly far more valuable than I am."
"It's one of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors. I'm a future Lord." At that moment, Rimuru made no attempt to conceal his ambition. He declared, "I order you all to retreat at once!"
Then he glared at the priest. "Now! Immediately!"
"Father, make absolutely sure you get these Mages back safely!"
Around Cornwall, the light of dawn seemed to have crossed the mountains ahead of time and was slowly spreading across the land. Beyond the city, shrouded in clouds, countless nuns emerged from the churches. Priests straightened their black uniforms and silently clutched the crosses at their chests. They advanced in silence, crossing forests and streams through the night. Lights flickered across the surrounding plains.
When Kayneth stood with his hands behind his back on Cornwall's southern outskirts, the Mages behind him were awestruck by the sight. Even Kayneth couldn't help raising an eyebrow. As far as the eye could see, thousands of nuns knelt silently on the grass, praying. Holy radiance shone in the sky, as if purifying the tainted land ahead.
One shouldn't underestimate these so-called nuns. Although all but a few exceptional nuns in the Church lacked much strength, they were still a powerful force the Church couldn't ignore. Most nuns knew only a few exorcism rites and spells, but those in the chanting choir almost all possessed a stacking ability. Through joint chanting, they could combine the magical energy and spells of hundreds or even thousands of believers—a terrifying feat that was practically cheating.
That was what shocked Kayneth now. Though his pride made him reluctant to admit it, this was the first time he had ever seen tens of thousands of nuns, joined by as many as a hundred thousand believers, spread densely across a plain, chanting in silence. He couldn't even imagine how powerful the Baptism Sacrament they released through joint chanting would be with such an enhancement!
"Tch. Looks like the Church really is... taking this seriously..."
Kayneth gave a cold laugh and lowered his eyelids. "Find a suitable spot to set up camp and establish a workshop."
Dozens of branch family members and affiliates from the El-Melloi Faction nodded behind him and quickly dispersed to scout for a suitable location. Kayneth looked toward the distant city, coldly considering what they should do next.
"Hey, Professor Kayneth. Didn't your mentor come with you?" A blond young man walked over and asked with a smile. Kayneth looked at him. He was the eldest son of the Gaiusling family and a widely acknowledged genius who was expected to inherit the family: Ailac Tes Gaiusling.
"My mentor is handling the attack from another direction." Kayneth answered coolly, then frowned and asked, "Is Gaiusling in charge of the frontal assault?"
"No, no!" Tes quickly shook his head and smiled. "My father is handling airspace suppression from the sky. But I'm not interested in preparations over there, so I came to catch up with a friend."
At that explanation, Kayneth's brow furrowed even more. It didn't surprise him that Gaiusling had Griffins, top-tier Phantasmal Species, or that they were the kings of the sky. But who was Tes's friend? They were all young geniuses of the same generation. How could he not know?
Liddell May Achelotte!
The Witch he looked down on, who looked down on him in return!
"Who the hell came up with this arrangement?" Kayneth asked sharply, his tone mocking.
"Uh... the deputy director, sir. Deputy Director Barthomeloi is in overall command of the frontal assault. Eleven families from the Barthomeloi Faction are participating as well." Tes shrugged. "Actually, when Liddell heard about it, she said pretty much the same thing you did. Then..."
"The deputy director ordered her to make Orthrus Potions."
"..." Kayneth's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. He promptly shut it. He didn't particularly like potion-making, but he knew the basics of the Department of Botany.
For example, the potion had to be made by hand and couldn't be contaminated by any silver, iron, wood, or other elements. Its ingredients included the roots and stems of certain magical plants and... the droppings of some magical creatures.
PS: Thanks to Shuke for the blade and the tip, and to Alice and everyone else for your support and votes! (づ￣3￣)づ╭?~!
I'll definitely keep writing, so don't worry. Just think of it as a niche story.
Writing for love, night after night!
Chapter 063: Ah, Fim!! May There Be No Rune Magecraft in Heaven.
Meanwhile, just as Kayneth fell silent, rubbed his nose, and began preparing as ordered, Deputy Director Barthomeloi walked over with several branch family heads. Her expression was grave. She glanced around, as if she had heard their conversation, and said sternly, "I didn't assign Lord Liddell that task out of pettiness. All the communication familiars under her command were wiped out."
"The communication familiars were wiped out?" Kayneth paused and frowned. "All of them?"
"All of them." Behind her, an elderly family head in charge of reconnaissance sighed and explained, "In an instant, the magical circuits hidden in seventeen directions were severed. We lost contact with nearly every Mage and Executor at the same time... The Executors' reports from before their magecraft was cut off revealed that when the Black Winged Duke started moving again, it immediately located and killed them one by one. That means one of the Dead Apostles has an ability to sense absolutely everything, perhaps even magical circuits."
"Has another Ancestor arrived?"
"We don't know, but that's not the main issue." The deputy director shook her head and said solemnly, "The main issue is... we've lost contact with Professor Rimuru!"
"..." Kayneth lowered his eyes and thought for a moment. Then he suddenly said, "Is there something you haven't told us, Deputy Director? If we've merely lost contact, given Lord Rimuru's abilities, I don't think you'd have needed to keep Achelotte away."
"That's true." Barthomeloi paused slightly and glanced at Tes. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "Professor Rimuru has probably encountered the First Ancestor... Primate Murder."
At those words, the others fell silent almost at once. After a long pause, Tes was the first to speak, raising an eyebrow almost imperceptibly. "Even so, you shouldn't have sent Liddell away..."
"Lord Rimuru is a survivor of a family of Phantasmal Species. He has natural Magic Resistance and other resistances. If even he can't fight the First Ancestor, Liddell would be killed instantly if she went there."
Though Liddell's Achelotte family's Magic Crest bore the traits of a Witch, that didn't mean she was a Witch herself. She had merely inherited a Witch's Crest or a trace of her blood. There was only one pure-blooded Witch in the world who could transcend the concept of humanity: Kuonji Alice. That was why she was called the Last Bird, the last Alice.
After a long silence, Kayneth lowered his eyes and glanced at the others. Suddenly, he let out a cold laugh. "Then I'll go."
"Professor Kayneth?" Tes looked up in surprise. Kayneth tilted his head and scoffed. "Hmph. The deputy director went out of her way to come find me despite her busy schedule. Wasn't this exactly what you wanted?"
"..." Barthomeloi's stern expression softened into a faint smile. "But I intended to give you the option to refuse."
Then she turned to Tes and explained, "Compared to Lord Liddell, Lord Kayneth is clearly better suited to this rescue."
As one of the top geniuses of the last few years, Kayneth's magical talent surpassed that of his peers in almost every field. But the achievements that most set him apart, and that he took the greatest pride in, were Spiritism, Summoning, and Alchemy.
Whether it was Volumen Hydrargyrum, a Mystic Code whose performance made it one of the finest calculation engines in the magical world, his free and effortless use of connections, Spirit Evocation, and even Possession, or the Summoning Magecraft he had inherited from his mentor's Yuri Phis Faction, his workshop almost always housed dozens of Wangliang and Evil Spirits!
All of that gave him an edge against a being like Primate Murder. Volumen Hydrargyrum was an automatic device that could protect and fight at a distance. Summoning could call forth beings outside the human category to hold the enemy at bay. And even if he were forced to fight head-on, Spiritism could request Possession by a divine spirit to confuse concepts—or he could rely on the powerful Magic Resistance and immortality of human Heroic Spirits.
That was why Kayneth had guessed the deputy director's intention almost immediately. At the same time, he had no reason to refuse, and had never considered doing so.
Whether for the greater good or for his personal interests and connections, he had no reason to refuse. And with his usual self-confidence, he even considered it a fine honor. After all, he was certain to succeed.
Meanwhile, in a fractured canyon, countless shattered boulders flew through the air. The ground trembled as a vast shadow once again swung its enormous iron fist, like a giant striding through the mountains beneath the night sky!
Aozaki Touko withdrew her hand and narrowed her eyes coldly. Her bound hair had already come completely loose. "Is hiding behind all this junk the only thing you know how to do?"
Compared to her opponent's enormous puppet, which lacked finesse, she seemed to have the advantage in both speed and magical power. But the other party kept hiding behind the puppet and watching coldly from the sidelines. For the moment, she had no way to deal with him, and the situation was making her rather irritable. As one of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors and a Puppeteer in his own right, Van-Fem possessed seven enormous puppets, each comparable to a castle. To put it simply, they were like giant robots.
By sacrificing speed and precision, giant puppets could maximize their strength and carry a great deal of magecraft equipment and defensive gear. So even though Touko had been blasting the puppet with every kind of magecraft for more than three hours, the puppet hadn't taken the slightest damage, thanks to Fim reinforcing and repairing it with magical energy from behind. It was starting to get on Touko's nerves.
"If we're talking about hiding behind puppets, I think I'm no match for Miss Touko." Fim's voice came from the darkness, still cheerful. "After all, Miss Touko has truly achieved immortality. At the end of the day, that body might as well be a puppet you control remotely, wouldn't you say?"
The two had taken entirely different paths. Fim had brought his giant puppets to the utmost extreme and made them his primary means of combat. Touko, on the other hand, had ventured into forbidden territory and pursued perfection in precision, creating a puppet indistinguishable from herself and successfully replacing her own body with it. She relied mainly on magecraft in battle.
Touko wasn't incapable of quickly using the soil around her and the materials she carried to set up a workshop and make mud puppets for combat. But Aozaki Touko, famed among alchemists and puppeteers for her craftsmanship, had long since disdained making crude, low-quality puppets. Compared with those things, she'd rather blast her opponent to pieces with magecraft.
Before you continue