Created by Ultel’s force, these were existences who brought chaos and terror everywhere they went. Not only were they strong, but they also did well in the numbers department. This was important, since no matter how strong each of them was individually, they would be swept by a nation’s sheer numbers and supplies if there weren’t enough of them. Even Zich wasn’t confident in winning if all the Demon People that once existed appeared together.
Yet, the situation wasn’t the worst it could be. Currently, there were significantly fewer Demon People fighting alongside the Bellids compared to the number that had appeared during the Demon People Era. The Demon People the Bellids had now were created through Clowon artifacts that Ultel handed to his subordinates to quickly increase their forces. However, among the Demon People who existed during the Demon People Era, there were also many who were created through other means.
They were those who the robed figures specifically targeted and corrupted knowing that they would become strong in the future. Zich was the representative case of this. Obviously, this group of Demon People wasn’t under Ultel right now. Furthermore, top-level Demon People such as the Vampire, Werewolf, Witch, and so on were missing, and there were many others whom Zich had personally taken care of. And above all, the top worst Demon People—the three demon lords—were missing from the battle.
‘Those who have just become Demon People can’t use their powers fully yet. They didn’t have enough time to get used to their new abilities,’ Zich thought. In other words, the Demon People currently under the Bellids were also incomparably weaker than the ones in the Demon People Era.
Yet, they couldn’t let their guard down and underestimate their enemy. Even if the Demon People were much weaker than they were in previous timelines, they were the biggest factor that caused the Brodstock Empire’s ruin.
‘Then, are those the last concerns?’ Zich’s eyes turned from the Bellid army’s rear end to the very front lines. There was the undead, such as the skeletons, zombies, ghouls, and so on that would clash against the allied forces foremost before even the monsters. They boasted huge numbers and were stationed on the very frontlines of the Bellids’ army. According to the information Lyla transferred to him, Ultel had sucked away all the life force of the residents in the lands that his forces had occupied and turned their corpses into the undead. Thus, the more countries Ultel invaded, the more Bellids’ army expanded in size.
‘Thankfully, they just only fill up the numbers,’ Zich thought. The undead were weaker than monsters, and only their sheer number caused a threat to their enemy as they could bite through people’s flesh. However, when the allied forces’ soldiers saw the undead, their faces fell. The clothes that the undead was wearing showed that they had been humans just like them not too long ago. In other words, the soldiers realized that they could be resurrected exactly like these figures if they died in this war. No, this didn't count as resurrection; they would merely be cursed and turned into the undead. Fortunately, the presence of many kingdoms’ reinforcements, skilled talents, and above all, the world-renown dragon slayer in their army stopped the soldiers’ morale from hitting rock bottom. However, it was clear that the moment the allied forces were pushed back, the soldier’s morale would drop to no end. And in this precarious state, the clash between the allied forces and the Bellids began.
As expected, the Bellids made the first attack. The undead flocked toward the allied forces with their bizarre body movements. Instead of hearty roars, the only sounds they made were the clacking of their jawbones and their feet stomping on the ground. They advanced very slowly, but just the picture of a huge army of the undead slowly approaching them inflicted great pressure on the allied forces. Furthermore, even though the undead were comparatively slower and weaker, they also had their advantages.
“Shoot them!” Following the orders, the allied forces’ archers pulled the strings of their bows. Masses of arrows blanketed the sky black and shot down against the undead.
Fling! Puck! Sling! The arrows shot straight into the undead bodies that had no proper defensive equipment. Yet, the arrows didn’t seem to have much effect on them. Besides the ones whose heads had been pierced, the majority of the undead continued to advance with arrows stuck all over their bodies. After realizing this fact, the allied forces stopped shooting their arrows after a couple of shots. After all, they didn’t have an infinite supply of arrows either.
Thus, the Karuwimans’ priests stepped forward and activated holy magic against the undead.
Pop! Pop! Pop! Lights sparkled all over the battlefield. Unlike the arrows that barely hindered them, the priests’ holy magic was like a water cannon hitting a pile of mud, disintegrating the undead into dust as soon as they made contact. Yet, the procession of the undead seemed endless. When a group of undead were turned to ashes by the light, another group of undead stepped over the ashes and filled in the gap. It was clear what Bellids’ strategy was.
‘They are trying to tire out the priests by using the undead,’ Zich noted. The undead were easily replenishable as long as there were humans anyway, so using them as consumables to weaken the priests’ strength was a good idea. It was also a huge burden for the allied forces to let their priests continue to consume their holy power. Although holy attacks were the most effective against the undead, the priests’ greatest assets were their abilities to heal. Thus, the allied forces needed their priests to leave some strength remaining until the end of the battle.
Yet, it seemed they still thought they could afford to use up more holy power, and the priests continued to pour out attacks.
‘It can’t be helped. I mean, there’s nothing better than holy power against the undead.’ Zich took out his sword and thought, ‘Then, should I start making my move?’
It seemed like others were planning to save as much strength as they could before the Bellids’ main forces moved. However, there was no need for Zich to do that. He was someone whose amount of mana was in the same league as a dragon’s. There was simply no way that he would run out of power just because he joined a battlefield a bit earlier. Zich had already told the commanding officers his intentions, and the commander-in-chief gave him free rein to do as he saw fit.
Thud! Zich dropped down to the ground, and the attention of everyone in his surroundings shot toward him. Zich staggered toward the Bellids. Even though his footsteps looked leisurely, they were surprisingly fast. The distance between the undead and Zich shortened. Most of the people on the battlefield were now focused on Zich, allies and enemies alike. Zich brandished his sword; his mana scattered into the air, following his sword’s trajectory.
‘First, start with a bang.’
If he had been fighting alone, he wouldn't have needed to put on a show like this, but he was in front of an enormous audience. A huge wave of mana was directed toward the undead.
Bammm!
The huge wave of mana spread widely and hit everything around him head-on. The wind scattered in all directions and formed large dirt and dust clouds. Rocks and soil poured down like rain in the air.
There was a big hole in front of Zich. The undead in it were shattered into pieces and scattered on the ground. This single sword swing had fired out unbelievably overwhelming power.
“Ooahhhhhhhhhh!” the allied soldiers roared loudly in exhilaration. Even though knights and mages were superhumans who far surpassed ordinary soldiers, the soldiers could easily realize that the power they just witnessed was at a completely different level. The soldiers who were terrified by the huge march of the undead immediately began to regain their morale. The great dragon slayers were fighting with them. Even though their enemies were fanatics who managed to overthrow an empire and three kingdoms in a row, their allies had defeated a dragon. The allied soldiers seized their weapons and burned up in fighting spirit.
After Zich launched a few more attacks and blew up the undead, a few more large pits were formed.
‘I think this is enough?’ Zich achieved his goal of boosting morale, and the movement of his mana changed; there was no need for him to launch any more unnecessarily big attacks.
Bam, bam, bam, bam!
Dull noises rang out continuously. The intervals between the noises were so short that it sounded like one loud sound for a brief moment.
Plop! Plop! Plop!
The undead close to Zich all kneeled down. All of their faces were blown away as Zich’s mana hit their heads accurately. Even though it was true that Zich was full of mana, there was no need for him to waste it. Zich cut down the number of undead by rapidly moving across the battlefield. The undead, which had been created merely by making an ordinary corpse move, was as threatening to him as a crawling ant. Zich’s eyes continued to focus on the Bellids’ main camp behind the undead.
‘What are you guys doing? Get moving.’ The reason why Zich had decided to put all the attention on himself was to raise morale and draw out the main Bellid army so that the enemies could stop using the undead to sap the priests’ energy. It was better for the allied forces if the priests had enough energy and strength to heal the soldiers in the long run.
Ultel’s top goal was to capture Zich. Since he came out voluntarily, the Bellids should naturally respond. There was no way they wouldn’t be able to recognize him. ‘They should know that sapping my strength by dragging out the fight won’t work on me.’
If Zich was fighting by himself, they could drain his strength by attacking him all at once, but Zich was surrounded by numerous allies. ‘If you want to catch me, do it with your skills!’
Did they hear Zich’s innermost thoughts? There was movement from behind the Bellids. The high-ranking monsters began to move, and the Bellid knights and priests stepped forward. As for the Demon People, Zich clearly felt that their eyes were on him.
* * *
The Bellids’ main offensive began at full force. Their wave of offensive, which mobilized all their available forces, was astounding. The high-ranking monsters took the lead, and the undead and other monsters pushed back the allied forces with their numbers. The Bellid knights and priests also strongly pressured the allied forces. The Bellids’ attacks seemed ready to destroy the allied forces at any moment. However, the annihilation of the allied forces was only the second priority to the Bellids. The reason why they launched a wave of attack against the allied forces was to prevent them from supporting Zich.
Baaaaam! Zich was still swinging his sword in the middle of the battlefield, and Demon People clung onto him.
Crasssh!
—Kuaaack!
Zich’s sword slashed at a giant, opening up a deep gash in spite of his tough skin. The giant staggered back and unwittingly stomped the undead and monsters under his feet as he fell. Just as he had finished off the giant, a thin string that was hardly visible wrapped itself around Zich’s arm. The string imbued with mana was as sharp and strong as a blade.
Slice! However, the string couldn’t even cut through Zich’s skin, and he cut it off directly. The Puppeteer frowned after seeing this and was about to try pulling out another string when—
“Ugh!” A sharp swing passed by the side of the Puppeteer’s neck. The Puppeteer felt sweat run down their back and quickly withdrew.
Besides the Puppeteer, other Demon People attacked Zich furiously. The Demon People’s attacks were so brutal that even people famous for their strengths hopelessly lost their lives without being able to properly retaliate. However, Zich successfully repelled all their attacks.
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