Chapter 337. Freeze, World! (1) (1/2)

With Twisted Kindness escaping and the spatial rift closing up, the Spirit Realm regained its silence. The world-shattering rumbles that were resounding just a few minutes ago were gone as if they never existed.

Although the battle was over, the members of the expedition team did not say anything. They only stared at the space where the Seventh Army Commander disappeared in with blank expressions.

They just couldn’t believe it.

They had half given up on the battle when Twisted Kindness appeared. Although everyone surpassed their limits and fought with everything they had, a part of them always believed that defeat was inevitable.

The same went for Seol Jihu.

Setting aside Raging Temperance, Twisted Kindness’ terrifying power was more than enough for him to learn why the Parasite Queen sent her here alone.

It was a fight where he should have died at least a dozen times. If he fought normally, setting aside all the unexpected variables, he never would have defeated her.

The awakening of the Spear of Purity, Marcel Ghionea and Little Chick’s successful revival of the World Tree, the Promise of Temperance forcing Raging Temperance to defect, and the evolution of the Arcus Spirit…

With even a single one of these things missing, he would have met a terrible end in the Spirit Realm.

But as the saying went, ‘Miracle sets a bridge of chance to those who try.’[1]

What was important now was that the Parasites were defeated and that the side of humanity survived. Though it might be a miracle created by chance, what did not change was the fact that the expedition team was the final victor.

Right, the expedition team had triumphed. They had met the first condition in saving Tigol Fortress from its doom.

“Huaa—”

Chohong heaved out the breath she had been holding back. She must have canceled her Battle Maiden Manifestation skill as her silver hair regained its original black color.

Then, with Chohong falling on her butt with her knees bent, the rest of the expedition team loosened their tense nerves.

“I thought I was gonna die…”

Hugo laid down on his back and murmured with a soulless expression.

“…You alive?”

Oh Rahee muttered quietly as she rubbed her neck.

Maria cried.

“It’s over, right? Right? That bitch isn’t coming back, right?”

With her eyes tinged red and mucus dripping down her nose, she grabbed the closest person and asked.

However, there wasn’t a single person who blamed her. They were equally relieved and happy in having survived. The only difference was the way they expressed it.

“Oh yeah.”

At that moment, Audrey Basler spoke up in a feeble voice.

“What was that thing? That Dragon was pretty desperate to get it.”

Everyone’s gaze fell on Hoshino Urara at these words.

“Hmm?”

Hoshino Urara looked left and right with her round eyes and then clutched onto the shining object in her hand.

“No! It’s mine!”

“?”

“It would have been stolen if it weren’t for me. Since I snatched it in the end, it belongs to me!”

As everyone made a stunned expression at her shameless attitude…

—Are you crazy?

Little Chick, no, the Arcus Spirit in the form of a phoenix screamed.

—Do you even know what that is!?

“I don’t. Anyway, this is mine. Period.”

—This punk…! Do you think this is funny?

The phoenix snapped and moved right away. Chomping down on Hoshino Urara, who was standing tall with her hands over her waist, it raised its giraffe-like neck.

“Ueeeeeh!”

Gulped up by the phoenix, Hoshino Urara flailed her legs in the air like a fish.

—I’ll eat you! I really will!

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

—Hand it over this instant!

“I will! It’s yours! Uaaang—!”

It wasn’t until Hoshino Urara burst into tears that the phoenix spat her out.

Falling to the ground with her hair drenched in saliva, Hoshino Urara gave up the divinity while crying.

Seol Jihu ended up receiving it, and he looked down at the object shining in his hand.

‘It feels weird…’

He felt his hand being filled with warmth. It felt like he was holding onto a sensation rather than an object. On the other hand, he felt boundless energy coming from it.

How should he put it… Though it might be paradoxical, he felt a vast universe from the small cluster of light as well as a cleanly tidied energy. It was a power that was beyond the understanding of humans.

‘So this is a divinity…’

“In a way… cough!”

Philip Muller coughed while staring fixedly at the cluster of light. He continued after spitting out the blood clotting up his throat.

“This could be the greatest achievement we made in the Spirit Realm…”

“Greatest achievement?”

“We might be able to call the Seven Armies as the Six Armies from now on, instead…”

Seol Jihu glanced sideways. In truth, he was thinking the same thing as Philip Muller.

“I didn’t see Undying Diligence’s divinity in the valley war… One of the other Army Commanders must have retrieved it…”

In that case, Gabriel’s guess must be true. There was a good chance that the Parasite Queen birthed a new Diligence using the divinity retrieved by Unsightly Humility and Vulgar Chastity.

But that would not be the case this time. The expedition team had succeeded in preventing Twisted Kindness from retrieving the divinity of Temperance.

Without a divinity, it was impossible to birth a new Army Commander.

In other words, the Parasites’ main force had just lost more than 15% of its total strength.

“We’ll have to wait to know for sure, but I’d say this is most likely the case…”

Philip Muller then changed the subject.

“Anyway, divinity is divinity, and victory is victory. We’re not done yet.”

Seol Jihu did a double-take and came to his senses. Using the Spear of Purity as a cane, he straightened his half-bent knee.

In response, other members of the expedition team forced themselves up.

They were in sorry states. The Warriors’ armors were torn to shreds, and the faces of the Magician and Priests were ashen. Most had dried up blood around their mouth, and it was hard to find anyone without a noticeable injury.

Despite wanting to ask if they were okay and thank them for their hard work, Seol Jihu kept his mouth shut.

Though the battle was over, the war was still going on.

“…Let’s go.”

Once he muttered this single phrase, the phoenix flew up as though it had been waiting for this moment. It must be telling them to follow its lead.

Soon, the expedition team left the battlefield and marched onward.

“Wow! Look at the sky!”

Chohong exclaimed in awe in the middle of the fast march. Reflexively looking up, Seol Jihu’s eyes widened.

“Are those fireflies?”

As he said, there were scintillating, firefly-like lights fluttering in the sky. Amber lights that were the size of fingernails poured down like snow and illuminated the world.

“….”

Before they noticed, the blood-red sky of the Spirit Realm had turned blue.

**

Humanity’s cavalry began their march.

Teresa led the way in descending the mountain ridge, and the cavalry standing in a line charged after her.

Dududu! Dududu!

The clattering of their mounts shook the earth and echoed out in the sky. As the Horuses galloped forward, stomping on the earth, large clouds of dust rose up.