Reynold, one of only two Archmages of the Lynella family.
He was likely the core maintaining the large-scale magic circle.
Even so, he spoke without any sign of strain.
Elsy was still dazed, staring at him.
"If not, are you planning to let Lord Ian die like this? We only have a few minutes to keep that monster bound."
At his words, Elsy snapped back to reality, hurriedly taking out the potion bottle and gulping it down.
A small amount of magic began to return to her dried-up veins.
Sharp pain shot through her torn blood vessels, but she barely registered it.
Reynold looked at her cautious expression and let out a wry smile.
"You're still as impudent as ever. When a family elder helps, you should at least offer your thanks."
"I-I am not… a Lynella…"
"You are a Lynella."
Reynold's tone was as steady as could be.
There was a strong sense of certainty in his voice, as if he were affirming an unchangeable fact.
"Since you are a Lynella, you are stubborn and have a fierce temper. Tsk tsk, I wonder how you'll raise children after you get married…"
"…Master!"
But Reynold's chiding did not even register in Elsy's ears.
She looked as if she were ready to run to Ian at any moment.
Reynold was the one stopping her.
"Hold on. Rushing in will only waste our strength. Most of my magic has been invested in binding that monster, so there's no need to worry for a few minutes."
"W-what happens after a few minutes?"
At Elsy's urgent question, Reynold simply gestured with his eyes toward a direction.
When Elsy followed his gaze, he added,
"Elsy, didn't I tell you? To become an Archmage, you must first broaden your perspective… Now that you've reached your limit, you should focus on it."
There, a brilliant white light was radiating.
Someone was kneeling in prayer.
Silver hair, light pink eyes.
Reynold continued speaking with his hands clasped behind his back, his tone calm.
"When that ritual is completed, Lady Haster, who left earlier, and the soldiers of the Yurdena family will combine forces and move in immediately. They'll clear the surroundings and retrieve only Lord Ian."
Then he let out a bitter chuckle.
"…This, too, is a form of talent. For everyone who tried to flee to end up gathered here."
His voice was so optimistic about the future that Elsy suddenly felt a pang of anxiety.
Would things really turn out that way?
The man who had considered all possible resources had said,
'We must abandon the territory.'
Whether he was right, or whether her master, who had challenged the monster, was right…
The time for the answer was now.
---
The saintess's face was pale.
She had been anxiously worrying that Ian might die.
Only now did she realize how intense and terrifying a feeling anxiety could be.
When the Lynella family's mage corps arrived and communicated the basic plan, and when the chains of lightning descended from the sky, only then did the saintess feel relief.
Yuren looked at the saintess with a displeased expression as she began the ritual.
He asked,
"…Sister, will you leave anything behind?"
"Immanuel."
It was a pledge to follow the Lord's will.
In other words, she wouldn't leave anything behind.
Yuren placed a hand on his forehead and groaned.
"Oh my, and to think you're using that precious blood crystal, only to save a mere low-ranking noble from the Empire?"
"…We might still be able to defeat the servant of the evil god."
At the saintess's faint rebuttal, Yuren gave her a smile that appeared only when he was truly upset.
"Stop with the nonsense. As soon as the ritual is over, we're getting Ian and getting out of here… got it?"
The blood crystal held enormous value as a sacrificial offering.
And the one conducting the ritual was the saintess herself.
There was no way the servant of the evil god could escape unscathed.
Yet Yuren remained skeptical, and though it bothered the saintess, there was no time to dwell on it.
She recited the prayer she had prepared in advance.
"Lord, your lamb is in the midst of suffering and tribulation… Please, have mercy on our sins."
A circle of pure white light began to form.
It was a symbol of the world, the sun, and Arus.
"We believe that life, death, and trials are one within Your will. And thus, Your beloved daughter dares to pray…"
A horizontal line crossed the circle.
It symbolized the earth, the scales, and the fairness of Arus.
"Just as in heaven, let Your grace be inscribed upon the earth!"
Finally, a vertical line was drawn.
It was a symbol of humanity, creatures of Arus, and the stern judgment of the celestial.
With that, a cross formation was completed.
The completed cross began to tremble madly.
Light surged forth like a storm, and a pillar of light descended vertically from the heavens.
The miracle occurred immediately afterward.
"Guaaaah!"
The corpse giant, which had barely budged until now, began to thrash wildly. The steadfast chains of lightning began to snap one by one.
The snowstorm cleared, and dazzling sunlight poured down from the sky.
Just being touched by the golden rays made the profane creatures scream. All the evil god's servants melted away, except for the shadowed heaps of flesh and corpses.
The corpse giant was no exception.
Its body began to melt and shrink.
Its size dwindled to about seventy percent, then thirty percent.
Eventually, it shrank to less than half of its original size.
Even as the snowstorm returned, the corpse giant remained on its knees, unresponsive.
Seeing this, the saintess clenched her fists.
"Yes!"
Now, they could save Ian.
The Lynella family's mage corps began to move busily.
With the obstacles gone, Celine sprinted forward with all her might, while the knights of the Yurdena family spurred their horses to full speed.
The saintess, overcome with relief, collapsed.
As she sank to the ground, she patted her chest several times in relief before turning to Yuren with a questioning look.
Ordinarily, Yuren should have rushed forward by now.
But he hadn't moved an inch.
"…Yuren?"
When the saintess glanced back at him, Yuren's face was paler than ever.
The saintess slowly followed his gaze.
There, a repulsive mass of melted flesh was spilling over.
At first, the saintess couldn't understand Yuren's anxiety.
But soon enough, she had to realize it herself.
The melted flesh was writhing, pulsating.
The saintess's eyes went wide.
Could it… still be moving? Even now?
She had believed that it would be incapacitated, at least for a while.
Even for a creature with unlimited regeneration, it had just been hit by the divine power of the celestial god, its natural opposite. Surely, it should be down for a while.
But their opponent was not a being bound by ordinary logic.
Suddenly, a massive arm shot up from the pool of flesh.
"Uwooooooo!"
With a terrifying roar, the creature staggered to its feet.
The knights of the Yurdena family, who had been charging forward, were so startled by the sight that they hesitated.
It was the corpse giant.
Though its size had reduced to less than half, its overwhelming presence remained. With each shriek from the corpse giant, the scattered corpses around it trembled.
A voice filled with disbelief slipped from the saintess's lips.
"This can't be…"
They had sacrificed an entire blood crystal.
A treasure that could bring back anyone from death.
And yet, this creature had returned. Despite being restrained by the Lynella family's mage corps, it had revived.
Could this monster truly be immortal?
That sense of despair was felt by more than just the saintess.
The refugees who had been observing the situation, the mage corps of the Lynella family preparing for the rescue.
Even the brave soldiers of the Yurdena family halted in their tracks.
Their faces were filled with alarm and fear.
It didn't take long for their panicked screams to fill the air.
"…Ian!"
The corpse giant raised its fist in a frenzy.
Perhaps due to its reduced size, it seemed even faster than before.
Without time to react, the corpse giant swung its fist down.
Even the delayed shockwave from the impact was terrifying.
No one could have survived a blow like that.
The saintess screamed, Elsy's eyes widened, and Seria froze in place.
And at that moment, as Celine let out a heavy breath and squeezed her eyes shut—
A strange silence settled over the battlefield.
It was an abrupt stillness.
One by one, people turned their questioning gazes toward the corpse giant.
After such a massive blow, there should have been a shockwave or a loud noise.
The reason became clear shortly after.
Gradually, the corpse giant's fist was being pushed back.
It was an unbelievable sight.
Just by weight alone, few humans could withstand that fist. And with the corpse giant's full strength added, that strike should have been unstoppable.
Yet someone was pushing it back.
The man, staggering as he rose, clenched his teeth, his eyes bloodshot with strain.
He muttered something under his breath.
This is… conclusion.
The corpse giant, as if in disbelief, shook its head and looked down at
its fist again.
But no matter how it looked, the reality remained unchanged.
It was being pushed back.
Little by little, but undeniably.
The corpse giant couldn't accept that it was being overpowered by a mere human.
With a roar, it pulled back its fist and swung with the other.
Just before another piercing scream could resound—
The man kicked off the ground, shooting forward.
It was an angle that directly intercepted the punch. No one understood his intentions at that moment.
But the result was evident.
A crackling sound echoed as the corpse giant's fist fractured.
And it wasn't just the fist.
Silver lines began to trace up its hand, from the wrist to the forearm.
And in the next instant—
"Screeeeeeech!"
With a piercing scream, the corpse giant's arm, composed of hundreds of corpses, exploded.
Through the scattering flesh, a man with black hair leaped forward.
The man murmured again.
This is… liberation.
He finally understood. He had fought countless battles to grasp this truth.
At last, he spat words at the corpse giant, as if cursing it.
"…Let's see if you can take as much as you gave me."
Clenching his teeth.
The dying man once again gripped his sword.