Chapter 382: Holy War (2) |
I was kind of disappointed because we didn’t have VFX that could make the scene look even more enjoyable. I really wanted to create a scene emphasizing the charge of the army of light, but since the transcendent beings weren’t showing any reaction, I was sure they were finding it difficult to take sides in situations like this.
‘You just have to sprinkle some light, but you won’t even do that. I’m disappointed in you, Benigoa!’
I was full of disappointment, but I have never heard of an instance where the transcendent beings above supported a single person or a group. Of course, I was an exception to that, but that was about it.
‘It’s not bad that we don’t have their support...’
In addition, the scene was already good enough because it portrayed us as soldiers of light while they were the demon army. I was satisfied to see that sight, and then I heard Elena’s voice.
“...!”
When she cast the spell she was channeling, holy power enveloped our forces.
‘Nice!’
I was sure she just cast some kind of buff. I was kind of disappointed by the fact that the Elune scum didn’t give her powers, but fortunately, he provided her with the bare minimum.
I expected it the moment he abandoned his daughter, but it was really just like him not to provide any help in this kind of situation.
Anyway, the army of light started becoming influenced by Elena’s holy power, but Elena’s ears were pointing down. It seemed like she had used the majority of the holy power she possessed, and it was understandable since she used it on all the soldiers.
I nodded and started walking. I wasn’t going to stand on the battlefield with her. I was just heading to the control room where Lee Ji-Hye was located because I didn’t want to be in a place where arrows could land everywhere.
“Let’s go, Ha-Yan. What will you do, Miss Elena?” I asked.
“Ha, ha... I’ll watch the battle from here. I could help them,” Elena answered.
“Please don’t overdo it, Miss Elena. This isn’t the final battle,” I warned.
“Yes, Father. I’ll keep that in mind,” she said.
‘You really don’t have to help them…’
It would be difficult for her to use her powers after this battle if she were to exhaust herself and recover for a few hours. In addition, I was pretty sure that she still hadn’t completely recovered from the Twisted Demon’s Pond incident. I was the type of person who always looked at what would happen afterward, so I knew I had to conserve our energy as much as possible. That was the reason why I didn’t give Jung Ha-Yan and our lovely regressor a different mission for this battle. The only thing Jung Ha-Yan had to do was maintain the goddess’ mirror with the other mages, and Kim Hyun-Sung was on standby in case of an unexpected accident. I instructed him several times not to jump into battle, so unless there was a twist, I believed that he would listen to me. Of course, we would definitely win this battle quite easily if he were to participate, but I didn’t want to reveal our cards so early.
For now, it was enough for him to remain on standby. Moreover, I also told him to take care of the guild members.
‘Indeed…’
It was definitely snobbish for me to think that some elves and dwarves were going to die, but that was my honest opinion. I focused my mana on my eyes and saw Kim Hyun-Sung walking around with his sheathed sword. I was sure he was trying to confirm the location of the other guild members.
‘I don’t think I need to worry about him anymore.’
That was one less thing I needed to worry about…
Anyway, I needed to hurry and head to the control room before the siege war started, so I started walking fast and eventually saw a tent. When I entered, I saw Lee Ji-Hye watching the magic hologram along with a few people from the Black Swan Guild, elves, dwarves, and commanders.
‘This is a nice sight.’
Being able to read the flow of the battle in real-time was beneficial. They could see all the soldiers through the large main screen and saw each unit through the other mirrors. Naturally, we set up separate screens for the named members because heroes like Kim Hyun-Sung, the members of the Blue Guild, Elias, and the dwarves had to be taken care of separately since they could significantly influence the battlefield. If this fight were happening in modern times, we wouldn’t have to do this, but we had to do this since fights in modern times were extremely different compared to fights in this continent.
It would be easier to compare it to chess. The soldiers were the pawns, and the other heroes were the bishop, knight, queen, and rook. They all had their own different skills. I knew the pawns could become weapons if used properly, but I couldn’t explain every important aspect of the other pieces. People above epic could do more than move a few squares. They could stand in front of the soldiers and take command to influence the pawns nearby as well as themselves. Just like what was happening right now.
“Iris and Erie. Prepare the spirit magic. We have to cast the defense spell before charging in. The same goes for the other spiritual sorcerers.”
‘Those elf siblings are spiritual sorcerers?’
I couldn’t remember it, but I had a vague grasp of their overall stats. I couldn’t say their stats were enough for them to become part of the Eight Seats, but they were skilled enough to become a named member.
All of a sudden, an alien-looking being appeared on their backs, and I was certain the elves called them spirits.
- Ahhhh!
It started making noises I couldn’t understand, but the defense spell that enveloped the soldiers changed. Jung Ha-Yan definitely found it interesting because she was focused on the screen with sparkles in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Lee Ji-Hye started talking, “The spells of the enemy archers and mages are going to fall on us soon. Please cast a defense spell once again.”
Her voice filled the control room, and I was sure her voice would spread throughout the battlefield with the help of the goddess’ mirror.
‘The signal corps will use their own methods to send signals to each of the commanders and heroes.’
Those who had received updates on the situation immediately cast a defense spell before the enemy’s magic could fall on them.
‘Tactical genius, my ass.’
Of course, the masked scum Jin Cheong wasn’t here, but it didn’t really matter, even if he was the commander of these soldiers. The geography of this place was vastly different from the geography of the game we had played, so it didn’t really matter whether he was a tactical genius or not. What I meant was that no matter how hard he worked, his tactics would not be able to go beyond what he had displayed in that game we played. Our system was different from his, there was no way he was more knowledgeable than us when it came to how the entire army was moving in real-time as well as finding out the detailed situation of each platoon.
The speed at which orders were being delivered from the command center to the battlefield was on a different level as well.
‘It’s all thanks to the items.’.
The troop command system was using the goddess’ mirror, which was a legendary-ranked item. As a result, we had an almost unobstructed view of the battlefield, and we also had an efficient communication system we could use to deliver orders, not just to each platoon but to an individual as well. If we managed to lose this battle despite the technology we had in our hands, I would definitely question Lee Ji-Hye’s qualifications.
Meanwhile, our troops had just overcome a difficult situation thanks to the defense spells, and I saw Lee Ji-Hye looking at us.
“Sub Guild Master, and you’re here as well, Miss Ha-Yan.”
“It has been a while, Miss Ji-Hye,” I greeted.
“Indeed...”
“What’s the current situation?” I asked.
“I think you can say that we’re in a good situation. I’m not sure why, but the enemy troops seem confused while our troops look fine. I don’t know what’s influencing them, but I’m thankful because we were able to overcome the danger a bit easier than expected. However, it doesn’t change the fact that we still have to be careful. Is there something you need to tell me?” she asked.
“No, nothing yet. I don’t think it’s that important anyway,” I replied.
“I was touched by your speech, Father Lee Ki-Young,” she commented.
“I’m honored,” I said.
“No, it is my honor,” she said.
“Are you confident in this battle?” I asked.
“You’re asking whether we’ll win or not, right?” she questioned.
“...”
“Perhaps you’re worried about the damages we will incur? I guarantee that we won’t lose. Opp—I mean, Father Lee Ki-Young. You’ve provided me with so many resources, so there is no way I will let you down,” she replied.
‘That’s a good attitude...’
They weren’t just empty words. She wasn’t as good as the masked scum Jin Cheong, but she was talented in coming up with plans. I couldn’t really understand them because I was ignorant, but it definitely seemed like the army of light was pushing back the demon army.
“Third unit support. Mr. Elias is on his way.”
‘Nice.’
“The Elune Knights shall stand on the front lines. The priests and mages shall support the knights,” Lee Ji-Hye commanded.
‘Very nice...’
“Fourth unit shall not climb the wall. You’re on standby,” she continued.
‘That’s it, Ji-Hye noona. That’s what I’m talking about.’
“The mages of the seventh unit will attack the enemies on top of the wall, but the soldiers on top of the wall shall protect any Varian priests who aren’t fighting back,” she added.
‘Yolo!’
The castle wall was starting to fill up with allied forces, and the outskirts of the wall had already collapsed, thanks to the spirits. The enemy was having a hard time dealing with the dwarves, who were pushing them back while holding up their shields, and the dwarves were also moving in a way that maximized their advantages. The enemy couldn’t react properly, and it showed how systematic the forces of the Anti-Religious Coalition were.
‘It’s definitely a sight to behold.’
The other members of the operation looked pretty surprised as they watched the situation with us in the command center. They definitely didn’t expect that things would work out so smoothly. Of course, some of them were still resisting us.
- Stop them! Stop them from climbing up! We can win if we push them back as far as possible.
A man shouted, but the guy died soon afterward after being hit by an arrow.
- Ahhhhhhh!
Many of their soldiers were dying...
- Kghhh. Save me. Save me…
- Mother. Mo… ther…
- What’s the command center doing?! What are the priests… Cough!
- Please spare me. Please…
- Support! Support! Priest! Where are the pri—cough!
The majority of them died amidst the chaos, but it was understandable. After the Yevkarina incident, I was sure they appointed someone else to replace her, but the newly appointed individual definitely couldn’t resolve the chaos. The priests were standing up against them as well, so they were also definitely having a hard time managing the soldiers. Among the many issues, their mentality was probably the biggest issue. There was a reason why I said an army with a cause and reason was stronger than an army without those things earlier. The enemy soldiers were filled with doubt, and they were probably thinking that it was useless for them to hold their swords up under the possible influence of a demon. The majority of them were swinging their swords simply because they wanted to live. Basically, they were finding it difficult to fight while worried about the possibility of them being tricked by a demon.
“As expected, an army with a cause is strong.”
I was extremely satisfied to see the army of light beating the demon army.