Chapter 60: Melee

The moment the murderous Mann charged toward him, Trik suddenly threw back his head and let out a deafening roar.

The sound waves became almost tangible.

Everyone felt their heads splitting apart from the impact.

Several people even began bleeding from the nose and collapsed to the ground.

Even Mann was stunned by the shockwave and was forced to retreat temporarily.

Then the space around everyone began to twist in a bizarre manner.

Hundreds of Cult of the Evil God members dressed in black robes surged out from distorted space.

Every one of them wielded magical weapons that had previously been stolen from Dirk.

The sudden turn of events left everyone dumbfounded.

The encirclement that had been established with such effort was instantly reversed.

“Stay calm!”

“Don’t panic!”

“Maintain formation!”

Looking at the increasingly chaotic troops, Mann still tried to issue commands.

But nobody was listening.

Rather than wasting time on meaningless orders, he might as well eliminate the monster first.

With that thought, he turned his gaze toward Trik.

The massive mouth on the creature’s back had opened to an unnatural angle.

It seemed to be waiting to receive something.

Above it, enormous spatial distortions intertwined with chaotic magical power.

The sight was enough to send chills down anyone’s spine.

But from another perspective, this was also the perfect opportunity to kill it.

Mann acted immediately.

Divine Light flowed into White Fang.

He assumed a charging stance.

Killing intent radiated from his body.

The enemy was making such a huge spectacle of this.

That could only mean Trik was an important piece in Akrein’s plan.

Regardless of the reason, destroying it as soon as possible was never the wrong choice.

He chose to trust his instincts.

He bet all his remaining strength on this single attack.

Even if Akrein had yet to reveal himself.

Even if his body would suffer severe damage as a result.

As long as there was even the slightest chance of survival, it would be worth it.

“Full power…”

“Ground Shrinkage…”

“Ultimate!”

A thunderous boom exploded through the battlefield.

Mann’s body shot forward like a bullet.

Cultists rushed in to stop him.

Yet in the blink of an eye, only clouds of blood mist remained where they had stood.

His joints screamed in agony.

His eyes could barely see.

His entire body trembled uncontrollably.

He couldn’t keep this up much longer.

But none of that mattered.

Because before he collapsed, his enemy would die first.

In less than a second, Mann arrived before Trik.

His eyes were bloodshot.

Blood flowed from his mouth and nose.

All of the Divine Light covering his body had been transferred into White Fang.

One step forward.

The ground itself trembled.

A massive blade of light slashed toward Trik’s neck.

“…Did it work?!”

Yet reality unfolded very differently from what Mann had imagined.

The light blade that should have cleanly severed Trik’s head suddenly twisted.

Instead of striking the neck, it veered toward the creature’s waist.

“…Space interference?!”

“This is bad!”

The blade sliced off Trik’s lower body.

But it accomplished nothing.

The wound wasn’t fatal.

At the same moment, the space above them shattered.

Countless magic stones from slain monsters rained into the enormous mouth on Trik’s back.

“Damn it!”

“Akrein!”

Mann thrust White Fang toward Trik’s throat.

But the monster effortlessly caught the dagger.

Looking down at him, a trace of disdain appeared on its face.

“Sophien!”

“Attack it now!”

Mann shouted frantically.

He wanted nothing more than to eliminate the creature immediately.

If they allowed it to continue devouring magic stones, killing it later would become infinitely harder.

Not to mention the bizarre cube monster waiting behind the scenes.

Destroying Trik remained the optimal solution.

Fortunately, Sophien heard his cry.

A beam of compressed magical power carrying terrifying destructive force blasted toward Trik’s head.

Yet Trik simply roared once more.

A horrifying wave of magical power erupted outward.

The incoming spell was literally dispersed by the roar.

Mann, who was still restrained, was caught in the blast as well.

Like a kite with its string cut, he was hurled backward at terrifying speed.

He smashed through dozens of buildings before finally coming to a stop.

“Mann!”

Seeing his miserable condition, Sophien’s heart shook violently.

At that moment, a hand landed heavily on her shoulder.

“Calm yourself!”

“Your duty is to command this battle!”

“The wounded can be handled by others!”

“And right now, you don’t have the luxury of worrying about anyone else!”

Fies stared ahead.

Her expression was incomparably grim.

“Damn it…”

Sophien turned around.

Following Fies’s gaze, she saw Trik.

The creature had already regenerated completely.

The magical power overflowing from its body had become almost tangible.

Even Sophien, whose greatest strength was her immense magical reserves, felt a chill run down her spine.

Corpses lay scattered everywhere around the monster.

Blood and life force were being absorbed alongside a vortex of magical power.

Its body rapidly expanded.

Countless monster faces appeared beneath the flesh, struggling endlessly.

Eyes, mouths, ears, and other organs grew from every part of its body.

Each one was different.

“What kind of thing is that…?”

After watching for only a short while, Fies felt as though her own consciousness was becoming polluted.

“Principal Fies.”

“I’m sorry…”

Sophien spoke calmly as she slowly walked toward the monster.

The magical power surrounding her began to undergo a qualitative transformation.

“Hey!”

“Have you gone insane?!”

“Get back here!”

Sophien ignored her completely.

A dazzling pillar of white light descended from the heavens.

It enveloped Sophien entirely.

The holy aura briefly suppressed even Trik’s violent presence.

“Command is yours for now…”

After speaking, a pair of enormous pure-white wings extended from the pillar of light.

Then came a thunderous dragon’s roar.

A gigantic white dragon burst forth.

It seized the monster in its claws and carried it away from Darkez City.

Trying to minimize damage to the city and its people?

So she’d been pushed this far already.

Don’t worry.

Since you’re willing to trust me, I won’t disappoint you.

“Everyone!”

“That monster has been moved away!”

“Now it’s our turn to counterattack!”

The order instantly boosted morale.

Under a relentless assault, the cultists began to falter despite their superior equipment.

Just as their formation started collapsing, Duruf and Danro led the mercenary company in a flanking attack from the rear.

By the time the cultists realized what was happening, the battle was already lost.

Not long afterward, every member of the Cult of the Evil God had been wiped out.

However, Sophien’s side had not escaped unscathed.

Aside from the mercenaries, more than half of the participating forces had perished.

“We…”

“We won?!”

“We won!”

The crowd erupted in celebration.

Yet Fies couldn’t smile.

Not even a little.

She understood very clearly.

The battle was far from over.

Akrein had yet to appear.

If his objective was eliminating Sophien, then the situation remained extremely dangerous.

As the strongest combatant currently available, Sophien absolutely had to survive.

“Do not lower your guard!”

“Keep your holy artifacts ready!”

“Prepare for battle at any moment!”

“A small group will patrol the city!”

“Everyone else, coordinate with the soldiers and establish lookout positions!”

“Prevent any cultists outside the city from taking advantage of the situation!”

“I’m going to support Sophien!”

After issuing her orders, Fies immediately rushed in Sophien’s direction.

But after only a few steps, dense footsteps sounded behind her.

Turning around, she saw Duruf and Danro leading the mercenary company.

The Griffin Mercenary Company truly lives up to its reputation.

Even Fies couldn’t help but admire them.

Thinking back to the battle moments ago, they had practically served as the main force.

Yet when facing that monster, they never panicked.

Their casualties had been minimal.

That alone proved they were elites among elites.

“You’re Principal Fies, correct?”

“Please allow us to accompany you and support the commander.”

Faced with Duruf’s proposal, Fies had no intention of refusing.

After all, they were mercenaries.

Leaving them behind in the city wouldn’t accomplish much.

“Good!”

“Then we’ll support Sophien together!”

At that very moment, an abnormal fluctuation spread through the area.

The space before them twisted violently.

A figure wearing a black robe slowly emerged.

“Sorry.”

“I’m afraid I can’t let you interfere.”

“That disturbing presence…”

“Akrein!”

“…What exactly are you trying to do?!”