Chapter 689: Faith and Distrust (1)

After the Day of Ruin.

Humanity’s numbers had drastically decreased.

Even if the Legion accepted other races as allies, there were limits to that as well.

Therefore.

The Legion maintained the policy of suppressing humans who had a high chance of becoming allies whenever possible instead of killing them.

The problem was that no matter how strong the Legion soldiers were—

after defeating enemies, the process of restraining them so they could no longer move inevitably required a great deal of time.

However.

KWAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!!

The enemies who needed to be subdued suddenly abandoned their defenses.

Then turned their backs and began running off somewhere as though trying to confirm something.

The ones who had been blocking the Legion soldiers vanished.

And their Legion Commander had returned to the Legion.

“By my command to the entire Legion!”

The existence that had refrained from acting due to concern over encountering the Pope.

Ariella was now free to move.

Her shadows spun like drills, piercing through the ground and advancing in a straight line toward the target location.

“Eliminate that disgusting leech!!!”

Riding within the shadows she created.

Countless figures descended into the underground temple.

“We shall execute the operation under the Legion Commander’s orders!”

One of those figures.

Lieutenant General Kim Hyeon-seok shouted the moment he stepped into the sanctuary.

“Front line forward!”

The battle against the true enemy the Legion had to fight.

The real war had begun.

***

“Legion Commander, Squad Leaders!”

“We’ll handle things here, so fall back......!”

At Lieutenant General Kim Hyeon-seok’s command.

The frontline soldiers charged forward.

Thanks to them, the soldiers and I, who had been fighting a difficult battle, could finally retreat a step and catch our breath.

But.

KANG!

“......!?”

“What kind of lump of metal is this......!”

The soldiers’ attacks bounced away.

And that was not all.

Even the attacks launched by the awakened individuals from the rear barely worked.

I immediately turned my head, intending to warn them that that bastard’s abilities were practically the natural enemy of awakened individuals.

However.

“Change of plans! Front line, take defensive positions! Rear awakened units, conserve your mana!”

Before I even had time to shout.

Lieutenant General Kim Hyeon-seok finished assessing the situation and instantly gave new orders.

“Engineer Corps. Fire all artillery batteries!”

“Loyalty!”

Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwang.......

Once the soldiers retreated a step.

The tanks and artillery batteries of the engineers that had finally arrived at the rear opened fire.

That bastard’s power was fatal to awakened individuals.

Since it was power based on the System, it demonstrated especially absolute effectiveness against those who handled the System’s power.

However.

Crackle.......

The flesh burned.

Its effects against awakened individuals were absolute.

But against other existences, although the effect still existed, it was nowhere near as overwhelming.

'So even constructed weapons are treated differently......!'

The Legion’s war machines.

Awakened individuals created them, but the principles behind those weapons were based on science.

The knowledge humanity had accumulated.

That had nothing to do with the ancient god’s power.

“Captain of the royal guard!”

And that was not all.

“As you can see, the combat power of our allied awakened forces has limits. Lead your troops and take command of the battle. The others will support you from behind.”

With those words.

“Let’s go, children.”

—For the victory of the Legion! Glory to the bloodline!!!

The Legion soldiers opened a path.

And through that opening charged monsters with crimson eyes.

KWAAANG!

The woman at the very front of that force.

A gigantic pillar woven from Ariella’s blood and shadows struck the swollen flesh.

Riiip.......

The flesh tore apart.

Just as Corporal Jeon Gwangil’s attacks had worked on me when I wielded the power of that flesh.

Those whose powers originated from outside this world.

Their abilities were effective against the flesh as well.

'If the power isn’t based on the System, its miracles weaken.'

Not only Ariella and her kin.

But Borjin and even the beastkin instructors as well.

Under their attacks, the flesh was cut, burned, and crushed apart.

—......I am becoming greatly disappointed in my Pope today.

Unlike when it merely laughed off the believers earlier.

This time it muttered in a voice filled with anger.

—To think the one standing at the forefront of humanity would wield the power of such other races.

The bastard itself was a being from another world, yet spoke as though it truly were humanity’s god.

Conversely.

That meant their attacks were threatening even to it.

Sliiide.......

The flesh began moving.

To that bastard, the Legion soldiers wielding System-based powers were not particularly threatening.

Therefore.

—I shall correct that mistaken thinking.

The first thing it attempted to eliminate was the Legion’s non-human forces and war machines.

Considering the power possessed by that flesh, that was entirely possible.

At least.

“11th Combat Squad, advance toward the three o’clock direction!”

When the enemies consisted only of other races and war machines.

“Everyone advance!”

“Maximum speed!”

The moment Lieutenant General Kim Hyeon-seok issued the order.

The Legion soldiers charged forward at terrifying speed without even having time to consider the meaning behind the command.

And then.

KANG!

—......!

A gigantic flesh-tentacle came crashing down toward the soldiers.

An attack that would have been difficult for the non-human soldiers focused on offense to block—

was intercepted by the Legion’s awakened soldiers.

Watching that scene, I could not help but stare in shock.

Because.

'Just now...... didn’t the command come before the attack even started......?'

The Order’s attacks were occurring at overwhelming speed.

There was a reason even the five squad leaders and I had struggled merely to block them.

There was no way commands issued in reaction to those attacks could match their timing.

'Command ability bordering on precognition.'

He predicted where the Order would attack.

And issued orders before the attack itself even began, blocking it in advance.

[Lv.35 Commander of Bluster]

[Meeting Expectations]

Lieutenant General Kim Hyeon-seok was regarded by outsiders as the “Leader of the Legion.”

And through the effects of his skill [Meeting Expectations], he had obtained command abilities worthy of the “Leader of the Legion.”

[Supreme Command]

[Depending on the commander’s command ability, allied soldiers on the battlefield receive stat bonuses.]

“Awakened forces will support the non-human troops with full power!”

The Legion soldiers followed his commands.

The forces led by Ariella handled the offense.

And the awakened soldiers protected them.

Moreover, their coordination and timing were unbelievably natural.

No...... thinking about it, that was only obvious.

'This isn’t cooperation between two different factions.'

Unlike the Order’s cult, which rejected other races and accepted only humanity as allies.

'All of them are Legion soldiers.'

The Legion was moving toward a broader world.

Different from the Church.

“I never imagined something like you was hiding in this land, leech.”

—......A mere insignificant mosquito.

Kuuung!

And.

The greatest part of the battle was, unsurprisingly, Ariella.

Her gigantic shadow collided against the Order’s flesh.

KWAAAAAAAAANG...... KWANG.......

Every time the two collided, earthquakes erupted.

Watching that battle, I thought:

......I felt it while fighting earlier too, but.

'......It’s stronger than a Grand Duke.'

The fragment occupied by the Order was only a tiny portion of the ancient god.

Even so.

That fragment unquestionably belonged to a former divine being.

The Grand Duke was ultimately an existence halted just before ascension.

But the owner of that fragment had reached the realm beyond ascension itself.

Even that Grand Duke.

Despite having a fragment of the System embedded in his chest suppressing him, had completely overwhelmed Ariella.

Even fighting together with her kin, Ariella had been pushed so badly against the Grand Duke that an exchange of attacks barely functioned.

In the end, defeating him had not been achieved through a simple clash of power.

She succeeded only after stealing his strength through blood-draining.

And inducing rebellion from the souls within him.

That bastard was even stronger than such a Grand Duke.

And unlike the Grand Duke, it had no penalty like a System fragment embedded in its heart, nor any method by which blood-draining could weaken its power.

Kuuung...... Kuuung......!

—Mosquitoes, like you......!

Even so.

Unlike the battle against the Grand Duke, Ariella’s fight against the Order was at least functioning to some extent.

After her battle against the Grand Duke, Ariella herself had become stronger by purifying and drinking part of his blood.

And besides.

'The Legion is supporting her.'

There was something I had continued thinking while in China.

'Things would have been very different if the Legion were here......'

The scene I had merely imagined back then had now become reality.

And that reality was the scene before me now.

Even while fighting an enemy who might be stronger than the Grand Duke himself.

With the Legion’s support, Ariella was able to wage a fiercer battle than she had against the Grand Duke.

—How dare you.

Of course.

—How dare you......!

KWAAANG!

—Do you truly believe you can defeat me, who shall become the god of this land!!!

“Tch......!”

The battle merely functioning at all did not change the fact that we were still at a disadvantage.

—Insignificant insects......! Even if a few more mosquitoes joined them, nothing changes!

“.......”

—How dare you rebel against an existence destined to become a great divinity. You have cast aside your god’s mercy with your own hands. Painful punishment shall befall you all......!

Just as it said.

The Legion was fighting the Order well, but that was all.

For now, that gigantic flesh still remained stronger.

'At this rate...... our losses will accumulate faster than the flesh is consumed.'

Things would have been different if every Legion soldier’s attacks worked.

But the fact that only attacks from non-humans were effective created a disastrously poor matchup.

At this rate, we could not win.

Which was why.

'Not yet?'

I stared at that bastard while thinking.

—How dare......!

When I showed the believers of the Church the scene here.

And drew them into this place.

There had been two objectives.

—How dare......!

The first.

Was collapsing their defensive line and bringing the Legion’s forces here.

Simply put, strengthening allied combat power.

That first objective had worked perfectly.

—How da......?

And.

The second.......

As though it had noticed something strange.

Its voice weakened.

KWAAAAAAAAANG!!!

At that moment, Ariella’s shadow smashed into its flesh.

“......You, leech.”

And.

Ariella stared briefly at the pillar that had struck the flesh.

Then.

“You.......”

With a somewhat puzzled expression.

She let out a hollow laugh and said:

“You’re getting weaker?”

***

“You...... you’re getting weaker?”

—......!

At Ariella’s words.

The Order also seemed to realize the unease it had felt was real.

All the flesh trembled violently.

And afterward.

The flow of battle began to change slightly.

KWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!!

Ariella’s attacks, the attacks of the non-humans, and the attacks of the Legion war machines.

Those attacks began destroying far more of the flesh.

Kuuung!

“Squad Leader! A-Are you alright!”

Even when one soldier failed to fully block the flesh and was struck directly.

“I-I’m fine.”

“......!”

“You’re alright even after taking that attack? How......?”

Unlike the beginning of the battle.

They managed to rise again in relatively stable condition.

We had already used every means available to strengthen our allies.

We had gathered the largest possible force and distributed every possible buff.

'If allied combat power has already been raised to its limit, then the only thing remaining is.'

And yet this change was occurring.

Which meant there was only one explanation.

'The enemy is weakening.'

Not us.

It was the bastard weakening.

—......You bastard!

Apparently I was not the only one who realized it.

That gigantic flesh.

The hideous black leech hidden behind it stared at me and shouted.

—What have you done to me!!!

And.

Receiving its gaze, I grinned and muttered:

“I appreciate the high opinion.”

My class was Chef.

And the methods I could use to solve problems were also limited to cooking.

And.......

“This time, though, it wasn’t me.”

—What......?

System-originating powers did not work against that bastard.

My cooking, fundamentally, also originated from the System’s power.

My specialty—cooking—did not work against it in its current state.

My debuffs did not affect it.

And the soldiers’ buffs had already reached their maximum long ago.

That’s right.

I was not the one weakening it.

“Ah, ah.......”

Not me.......

“The Order attacking humanity...... impossible.”

“Something that contradicts doctrine is happening...... this is.”

“The Order...... lied to us....... Ah, ahhhh......!”

It was the power of the cultists.

Who were arriving in growing numbers from far away.