Chapter 978 – 978. Western Subjugation War (4)
About three weeks have passed since Eunhyeon and the expedition set out.
It has been three weeks since we crossed the border of the Kingdom of Lucadia and continued to move, subduing the demonic beasts we encountered.
The expedition reached the capital of the Kingdom of Rendir.
“… Tsk. “It’s disgusting.”
“I agree.”
He frowned and clicked his tongue.
Riod also briefly agreed with her sentiments.
She didn’t say much, but the others who heard her groan agreed with Aniesnariod’s sentiments.
The capital of a kingdom that was destroyed due to a raid.
The interior of the capital was a mess, with signs of destruction everywhere.
There are no living survivors to be found, and the air is full of polluted mana and dense morale.
“It’s worse than when I entered the empire.”
Anies groaned and remembered 20 years ago, when he entered the capital of the Mirvavila Empire.
The current tragedy was similar to that time.
And it was even worse than before, and it was never at a good level.
“Fuck. “It’s so shitty.”
Why is it that the horrors of that time, and even worse, are repeated?
Naturally, frustration and swearing flowed out.
“It’s too bad…”
Erin frowned as she felt the unpleasant energy creeping up on her.
It is said that while experiencing a fight so extreme that it risked her life, her temperament grew considerably stronger, but enduring this disgust was on a whole other level.
The polluted mana and morale in the air that has taken over this entire capital is too thick to just tolerate and ignore it.
It feels like I’m covered in dirt that I can’t shake off no matter how hard I try.
Not only Erin but all of her expedition members were experiencing the same feeling.
“This… “It’s a bit harsh.”
“How can a place like this be created?” .”
In particular, Alice and Derkin had the hardest time.
To the elves who lived in a neat and clean natural environment under the protection of the World Tree, where no pollution or uncleanness could exist, this environment was nothing short of poison.
The environment is an environment, but these two couples, who can see, hear, and feel the spirits, could clearly feel the voices of the spirits.
“The spirits… “I’m screaming.”
The spirits dissolved in the air were screaming as they were engulfed by the polluted mana and thick morale.
“… Really?”
Erin asked in surprise after hearing Alice’s muttering.
Erin, who had a special sense unlike her normal counterparts, felt nothing.
No. It may be more correct to say that there is no time to feel anything else because you are covered in these terrible and disgusting energies.
Erin looked at Elvin with a worried expression.
“Brother. “Is your brother okay?”
Although he is currently using an artificially created body, Elvin’s current essence is a spirit.
I was worried that if the spirits were screaming, it might affect Ervin as well.
Elvin shook her head with a grave expression.
“No. “It’s nothing.”
“… Really? “You’re just showing off needlessly, right?”
“What do you think I am? There’s no way you could tell such a flimsy lie. There’s no way it would work.”
If this contaminated mana and her morale (dead energy) affected Elvin, Eunhyeon, who had contracted with him, would be the first to notice her Elvin’s condition.
Elvin knew very well that it would be more constructive to accurately report the current situation and prepare countermeasures, rather than her unnecessary concern about not causing anyone to worry.
“Don’t show that your face is ugly or that even your head is ugly.”
“Sii! Even if you worry, say something! It’s okay! Joy!”
Erin blushed and whipped her head around as she was greeted by someone entering her station.
As if to comfort Erin, who was sulking a lot, Alice explained with her bitter smile.
“Perhaps the reason Ervin is not affected by this pollution and death energy is because of his homunculus body.”
“… “Why the homunculus body?”
“Spirit is greatly influenced by where the vessel and medium are placed.”
The spirits dissolved in the atmosphere are low-level spirits and do not have the ability or power to protect themselves from external contamination.
Since I was attacked right away, it was natural for me to scream.
On the other hand, in the case of Elvin, unlike the spirits that dissolve in the atmosphere, he has the ability to protect himself, and furthermore, because he has an artificial homunculus body as his vessel, he was able to escape its influence.
“Elvin’s body was made from branches of the World Tree. Of course, the power of the World Tree is protecting him.”
“Aha.”
Erin listened to Alice’s explanation and she understood right away.
“In other words, the equipment sucks!”
She immediately glared at Elvin and pursed her lips.
“Hyeon’s ability to create a body is amazing, but my brother is not amazing at all!”
“… “I never said I was great.”
Elvin couldn’t understand why this ugly little sister was so angry at herself.
While comforting Erin, who was fussing, Eunhyeon asked Anies.
“Anyes. This polluted mana and morale. “Can you purify them all?”
“You don’t mean to purify all of these disgusting things spread across this entire capital, do you?”
“No. I was just asking to confirm. “I want to know what the current situation is like and hear your impressions and opinions as a priest.”
In fact, Eunhyun also had an idea to some extent.
It was simply to find out a rough estimate of how much priests and divine power would be needed to purify the entire thing and return it to its original state.
“I’m not saying it’s completely impossible, but of course it’s impossible on my own.”
“Then?”
“At least including me and Eleanor, and at least about 300 high-ranking priests.”
“…”
“We’ll have to continue pouring in our sacred power for two weeks to do the purification work.”
It is at a serious level.
Currently, Anies and Eleanor are the current and future saints who received direct divine blessings from the goddess.
Considering that their individual divine power is equivalent to that of hundreds of high-ranking priests, this purification work is not impossible, but in fact, it is close to impossible.
“The biggest problem is the scope and level of proliferation. Even if we only purify this space, the pollution flowing in from outside will cover it again.”
Even if you scoop out the dirty water in the bowl and remove it, if the root cause is not removed, the bowl will fill up with dirty water again.
However, the number of priests and divine power are insufficient to carry out a large-scale purification of the entire capital.
Currently, it was impossible for Anies to do it alone.
“Right.”
Eunhyeon nodded her head as if she understood the general situation.
As expected, I wanted to take it easy, but reality didn’t seem to allow that.
“What should I do?”
“It’s the same as then. “The cause of this pollution must be eliminated.”
“Is that all there is to it? Write…”
Anies, Riod, Gerard, and Alice all smiled bitterly as if they had expected this.
“From now on, it is the center where the source of pollution is. “Entering the Rendir Palace.”
◆ ◆ ◆
The interior of the collapsing royal palace.
In the royal palace, where no one was present and there was only cold silence, Marius was gradually recovering his strength.
Every time the undead he created through necromancy killed people and stole their souls, those small things repaired Marius’ damaged soul and regrew his lost power.
The undead, driven solely by the instinct to kill the living and extort life, attacked humans and turned them into other undead.
With the help of the now extinct Raynan, he destroyed a kingdom and acquired numerous undead and resources, quickly devouring the surrounding area and increasing the size of the undead army.
The undead army that destroyed one kingdom has suddenly engulfed the entire western part of the continent and is now beginning to overrun the entire continent.
“Hmm. Will things turn out as the witch planned?”
Marius reacted skeptically to the Black Witch’s plan.
‘I’m going to lure them in. ‘Here.’
The Black Witch’s plan was simple.
The intention was to create confusion among humans by deliberately leaking the ‘Void Stone’.
Twenty years ago, those who participated in the war knew very well what this ‘void stone’ was.
Just by existing, it spreads uneasy energy around and contaminates the mana in the air.
As a result, the demon world is promoted and the entire underworld is polluted to create an environment similar to the demon world where demons live.
Since that was something that had to be prevented, the humans would definitely move.
The most appropriate move that the Black Witch predicted was the regrouping of the heroes who ended the war 20 years ago.
And they were planning an expedition to the kingdom of Rendir, the source of pollution where this void stone was located.
“Is there really a need to go through the trouble?”
Marius couldn’t understand why the Black Witch was spilling the Void Stone to the humans in the first place and why she was trying to bring those so-called heroes back here.
Time was on the side of the necromancer Marius anyway.
It was clear that if they just waited like this, the continent, which was already in chaos, would suffer damage close to destruction anyway.
There was absolutely no need for Marius to come up with a plan to gather together the strongest people on the continent and bring them here.
However, unlike its efficiency and whether there were gains or losses, there were things I wanted to see.
“I’m curious.”
Will the Black Witch’s predictions and guidance really work out as she intended?
I was very curious about the results.
It was like the audience waiting to see if the actors would really dance as she intended on a stage created and directed by a screenwriter.
I was not at all curious as to what intention and purpose the Black Witch was trying to lure and attract the heroes.
Rather, when her plan was successful, she also wanted to see the results beyond that.
It was only for a moment that Marius, who was recovering his strength while wondering about the future outcome, felt something strange.
“Hmm?”
Many of the undead who had been linked to her through her necromantic arts were disconnected.
Just before the link was severed, she felt the presence of a force that had severed her connection with the undead.
Marius felt a familiar divine energy among them and was convinced.
“Did you really come? Haha.”
There was no way Marius could have misunderstood the threatening divine power that had previously destroyed part of his soul.
When he stormed the capital of the Holy Kingdom of Erenia, it was the divine power of Anees that he directly encountered.
I was convinced that Anyes and other heroes had come on a long expedition to the Kingdom of Rendir to dispose of the Void Stone, the source of pollution.
As expected and guided by the Black Witch, everything was going according to her plan.
And Marius discovered an unexpected variable in her plan.
Next to the enormous divine power that purifies one’s undead, a mysterious power was felt.
Likewise, it was a power I experienced for the first time in the Holy Kingdom.
The magical power of the divine beast that swept away the purifying flame that burned his soul and morale.
At the same time, he remembered the existence of a woman who lit a passionate flame in his heart.
She joined this expedition.
“Is my companion coming to see me?”
Marius felt joy.
Thinking of her face, which reminded him of the love he had never felt before, Marius stood up from the cold, crumbling throne.
As if he had already faced death, his heart, which had not been beating, began to beat strongly.
I can’t wait to go see her, I can’t wait to see her face again.
The figure fluttering its nine silver tails and sweeping away its undead with blue flames.
I want to engrave in my eyes the noble and splendid images of those who roamed the battlefield struggling desperately to save people.
My heart is beating violently.
“Ah…”
Marius sighed sadly.
Just by recognizing that she was here, the necromancer’s time, which had been passing slowly as if it had stopped, began to flow again.
“I’m going to see you now. “My lovely companion.”
