Chapter 56. With the Breath of an Angry God
F*ck!
How many days has it been already!
Unable to shout out loud, I let out a silent scream, tearing at my chest.
The cutting wind repeatedly slapped my cheeks.
“Northeast direction.”
Just then, a calm voice was heard.
I quietly glared in that direction. Austin had just located the undead using search magic.
At those words, Claude immediately signaled to depart.
“To the northeast!”
Clop clop clop.
The Northern Knight Order began to advance in unison, spurring their horses. And I, squeezed in between them, reluctantly wielded my reins.
Is this normal? Is this really how it’s supposed to be?
I looked around with disbelieving eyes. But as if this forced march was indeed normal, not a single knight expressed any complaint.
Watching them move as naturally as breathing, I felt hopeless.
I’m doomed.
If I freeze to death in the cold of the Grodes Mountains, I’ll be reborn as an undead here too! Then I’ll make sure to torment that bastard Claude!
I glared at the back of Claude’s head as he rode ahead, cursing only in my mind.
Just then, I heard a small whisper from beside me.
“This subjugation is quite long.”
“I could tell from the amount of food we loaded.”
“Seems like we packed about twice as much as usual…”
“It’s been a while since we’ve come this deep.”
What?
I couldn’t believe my ears.
What did I just hear?
I quickly turned my head, but the two knights who had been whispering were now riding with expressionless faces, looking straight ahead as if they had never spoken.
This can’t be…
So this isn’t how it usually is, right? Right?
Last time, I had no way to gauge how intense the forced march normally was because I fainted. But now I learn it’s a subjugation schedule twice as long as usual.
I glared daggers at the back of Claude’s head.
There was only one reason that bastard was doing this.
He wants to make the most of the purifier while she’s here? He wants to squeeze every last drop out of me?
Ha!
That heartless bastard! Looking like a cold-blooded creature and being just as ruthless!
As I was hurling insults in my mind, Claude suddenly turned around as if feeling the heat of my gaze. Our eyes met immediately, and startled, I quickly lowered my gaze.
Did he see?
Did he see my disloyal glare?
As I stared at Sylphid’s fluttering mane, I felt Claude slowing down.
Why. Don’t come here.
I’m sorry.
I won’t glare anymore.
In that brief moment, as I was reflecting on various things and clutching my anxious heart, he matched his speed to ride beside me.
“Purifier Seraphina.”
“Yes!”
I answered in a disciplined voice.
“Look straight ahead. You’ll fall off.”
“It’s fine because I have Sylphid!”
It was a reasonable advice from Claude, who had seen my poor riding skills at the Imperial stables, but I was confident. Even someone like me was safe on Sylphid’s back.
This amazing sense of balance that Sylphid has, not throwing off even the worst riders.
It had been a great help not only for the forced marches in the Grodes Mountains but also for traveling between the North and East.
Suddenly, I thought that Johann who gifted me Sylphid, Claude who doubled the subjugation schedule as soon as I returned from fainting, and Mihail who just watched while pushing me towards the durahan legion saying the purification light was beautiful… were all the same.
Crazy bastards desperate to make use of me. Waaah.
I want to submit my resignation as soon as I get to Elmon.
I should ask Ionia.
Since I’m working for a salary, there must be a retirement process, right? How do other people retire?
“It’s good that you learned the spell.”
Claude continued speaking then.
While praising me, he pointedly left out Mihail’s name, as if he liked it but didn’t want to acknowledge the other’s contribution.
I nodded appropriately.
“I feel like I’ve become a true purifier.”
I really did feel that way.
The very fact that I could restrain and control something, rather than being swayed by uncontrolled abilities, gave me a sense of stability. It felt like I was properly serving my role as a purifier.
No, wait a minute.
Serving? Who am I serving?
My heart chilled at the thought that came unconsciously.
Damn it.
It seemed to be Mihail’s influence. He kept chattering about it being a God-given role so much that I must have been subconsciously brainwashed.
No.
I’m going to quit being a purifier.
As I reaffirmed my firm resolve and straightened my gaze, Claude opened his mouth.
“Your purification ability that day was explosive.”
He was referring to the day I fainted. I listened attentively, inwardly expecting him to praise me.
“Now, even though the power isn’t as great as then, it’s good that you can use it more stably as it’s been refined.”
“……”
“We can keep using it for several days in a row.”
…What did you just say?
So you’re saying it’s good because you can keep me around and use me for a long time? Is that why you doubled the subjugation schedule?
His ambiguous way of speaking, making it unclear whether it was praise or not, grated on my nerves.
I glanced sideways at Claude, giving him a sharp look. He was looking up at the sky.
Huh?
The sky?
Whoosh…!
The sharp sound of air being torn was heard at that moment.
I raised my head in surprise. From far away, the sky was being covered by something black. An ominous feeling was spreading.
What is that?
“…Giant birds?”
I let out an astonished groan at the sight of these unfamiliar creatures.
They were flying in the air, so I thought they were some kind of bird… But the knights’ shouts made me realize I was half right and half wrong.
“Above us! Defensive positions!”
“It’s bone wyverns!”
“Damn it! Why are those things here all of a sudden!”
Bone wyverns?
What are those?
Even as I asked the question, I could see the answer for myself. As I craned my neck to look up at the sky, the creatures that had flown in at terrifying speed were right above my head.
They were just bones.
It gave me an eerie feeling.
Undead that fly through the sky.
“Seraphina!”
The bone wyvern opened its maw and breathed fire towards the ground. It was a black and blue flame. It seemed to have a purple tinge as well.
The breath, carrying an evil and ominous energy, came crashing down in an instant. It happened before I could even blink once.
Kraaaa!
Fwoosh!
At that moment, red mana flew up towards the sky in the shape of a huge shield, blocking the breath that was pouring straight towards me. It then disappeared as if neutralized.
When the breath was blocked, the bone wyvern roared fiercely.
Kwaaaaargh…!
At the sound that shook heaven and earth, I froze in terror. Without a word of a lie, my body wouldn’t listen to me.
Skeletons? Liches? Durahans?
Those were all child’s play compared to this.
Compared to these bone wyverns swarming in like a swarm of bees.
“Snap out of it! Purify them!”
The shout that hit my eardrums snapped me back to my senses. Claude was glaring at the bone wyverns with fierce eyes.
Fwoosh! Fwt! Fwt!
Claude created shields with mana and threw them into the air in succession, using them as stepping stones to leap into the air. Then, gripping his sword, he chanted a spell in a low voice.
“Whisper of calamity.”
Red spikes sprouted in mid-air.
I thought they only rose from the ground, but a hellish phenomenon unfolded around Claude.
Kraaaa! Kuooooo!
With rough roars, dozens of bone wyverns fell from the sky.
Thud! Thoom!
The impact was tremendous, shaking the ground. The huge bones that had formed the wyverns’ shapes scattered in all directions from the impact with the ground.
Tap.
Claude landed skillfully and looked up at the sky once more.
It wasn’t over yet. They kept coming.
“Damn it.”
Cursing under his breath, he quickly assessed the situation. The knights were swinging their swords, and the mages, including Austin, were firing attack spells into the sky.
And I too was stretching my hand towards the sky, chanting a spell.
“Ch-Chaos of darkness, re-re-return to ashes!”
My voice came out trembling. My hands were shaking too. My lips quivered as I chanted the spell.
Swaaaaah…!
The purification light came out, but it faded midway before reaching the bone wyverns high in the sky.
No.
I need to purify at least one of them.
Tears came to my eyes out of fear.
Perhaps sensing my state, Claude muttered another curse and leaped upwards again. Red spikes once again covered the sky.
Kuooooo…!
“Sh*t! My leg is injured!”
“Get the wounded to the rear!”
“Cover the mages! We need to pour out as many attack spells as possible!”
It was chaos.
It was hell.
The horrific scene made my mind go blank.
But I couldn’t lose consciousness. Casualties were mounting.
“Aaaaargh!”
A pain-filled scream from somewhere tore through my eardrums.
For a moment, I felt like my head was paralyzed bright red.
This is what Mihail told me not to use…!
“With the breath of an angry god.”
Purple breath poured down to the ground. I stared at it head-on.
A voice that didn’t seem like my own came out of my mouth.
“I annihilate.”
Fwooooosh…!
A light that seemed to blind me spread out. The purification light, expanded to its maximum, stretched out as if it would reach the end of the sky.
The bone wyverns disappeared as if blinking out of existence.
That scene was the last thing I saw before I lost consciousness.
Damn it.
This was my second fainting spell.
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Night-Owl-Reader
Can we all agree Sylphid also deserves a nice retirement. He is running around carrying Seraphina back and forth. Mihail also kicked him to push Seraphina towards the undead and he is also in this battle as well.