Boom!
Parniel swung her mace.
It was a simple swing, yet the sound of the air being torn apart filled the air, and the surrounding monsters scattered as if they had exploded.
"Hmph!"
Thud!
Chunks of flesh and streams of blood rained down. She took a step forward with a fierce expression.
With that single step, the ground shook and cracked as if the earth itself was wailing. The monsters stumbled as if caught in a storm.
Parniel's massive mace tore through the air once more.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Every swing of the mace sent shockwaves rippling through the surroundings. The monsters rushing toward the center were torn apart and crushed, exploding in every direction.
As time passed, Parniel's attacks grew fiercer. Alone, she overwhelmed and repelled the endless waves of monsters.
Her devastating power left even the elite Lutania troops momentarily dumbfounded.
To their eyes, Parniel looked like a living calamity.
Boom!
Her mace cleaved the air and slammed down. It struck a troll's head, shattering its skull and crushing its torso.
GRAAAHHH!
Even witnessing her immense strength, the monsters driven by madness showed no fear. They continued rushing forward, driven purely by instinct.
"Hah..."
Parniel gripped her mace tightly, glaring at the incoming monsters.
To her left and right, mages were tirelessly casting spells. Her job was to handle the monsters flooding the center.
She gathered her holy power, her body glowing brighter and brighter. The monsters, seeing this, grew even more frenzied.
They stopped paying attention to the fortress. Astonishingly, all the surrounding monsters were now targeting Parniel alone.
GRRAAAAHHH!
A deranged ogre charged recklessly, swinging its massive club.
Though Parniel was large by human standards, she was nothing compared to the towering ogre.
Yet, with her thick arms alone, she blocked the ogre's club.
BOOM!
The collision sounded like thunder, followed by an unbelievable sight.
The ogre's massive club shattered into splinters as if it were a thin twig. The fragments scattered like rain in all directions.
Amidst the falling debris, Parniel stood firm like a rock. Not a single strand of her hair was disturbed, not a single step faltered.
"Grrrk?"
The ogre, confused by what had just happened, glanced at its shattered weapon.
In that brief moment, Parniel's eyes gleamed sharply.
Whoosh!
Her mace cut through the air like lightning.
BOOM!
The ogre's massive body burst apart like a rotten fruit. The sound of bones shattering and flesh tearing filled the battlefield.
Holding her blood-soaked mace, Parniel stepped forward again.
KAAAHH!
A powerful wave of holy energy spread from her, causing the monsters to howl as they frenziedly charged at her.
Narrowing her eyes, Parniel observed the monsters.
'Could it be...?'
She felt a strange sensation creeping through her holy power. It was faint, almost imperceptible, but something was undoubtedly there.
As a saintess, Parniel's holy power closely resembled the essence of the goddess's own strength.
This allowed her to sense subtle intrusions in her divine power that ordinary priests couldn't detect.
'No, think later.'
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Parniel put her thoughts aside and swung her mace. There were simply too many monsters rushing at her.
Thanks to her overwhelming strength, the monsters in the center were unable to advance toward the fortress. A single person held back the tide of monsters.
Boom!
Even when the monsters swarmed her, her body bore not a single significant wound. Even if she was injured, she healed quickly.
Standing as firm as an iron tower, Parniel faced countless monsters.
This was the true power she had honed while battling Hellnik's army of the dead in the past life.
Her unbreakable defense and destructive power, derived from holy power, were unparalleled even among the continent's Seven Strongest.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
However, Parniel was still human. As the battle dragged on, her divine power waned, and her stamina began to ebb.
The number of monsters yet to come was far greater than those already defeated. Fighting alone indefinitely was impossible.
At that moment, a loud cry came from the fortress walls.
"Support the Saintess!"
The fortress troops shifted to her flanks.
Monsters were no longer reaching the central area. They only needed to handle the monsters scaling the sides and pushing through the magic bombardment.
A gap opened in the center of the fortress, and over a hundred priests emerged. Among them were Piote and priests from various temples, as well as the priestly order that had followed Parniel.
Knights from the temples surrounded them in a tight formation for protection.
At the forefront, Piote closed his eyes and began to pray.
"Goddess, grant your servant the grace to vanquish darkness."
The priests behind him repeated his words in unison.
"Grant us your grace."
Fwoooosh!
Piote's hair turned silver. A powerful divine radiance emanated from him.
The priests praying behind him also emitted holy light.
The holy energy spread, enveloping the soldiers fighting the monsters. Among them, the one who received the most holy power was Parniel.
Grinning, Parniel gripped her mace tightly.
"Perfect."
Her body surged with an immense influx of holy power.
This was the combined power of Piote, who possessed holy strength rivaling the saintess, and over a hundred priests.
With that power, Parniel became the strongest 'Saintess of War.'
"Hah…"
Steadying her breathing, Parniel swung her mace again. She pressed forward without fear.
GRAAAH!
The monsters charging toward her were now fully focused on her. Even flying monsters descended to attack her.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Parniel mercilessly swept through the monsters. Her speed and strength were so overwhelming that more monsters targeted her than the fortress itself.
With the fortress gaining some breathing room, the soldiers watched Parniel in awe.
"That's the true power of the Saintess…"
"They weren't lying when they said she's invincible with the priestly order."
"Piote and the priests are amazing too. To think such a small number could achieve this."
The soldiers also heaped praise on Piote, who was still praying.
His serene and sacred demeanor radiated an aura of unmatched majesty.
Enveloped in holy power, everyone fought with renewed vigor.
The soldiers' morale soared to its peak.
"WAAAAHHHH!"
"We can win! The Goddess is with us!"
"We are the strongest army on the continent!"
The soldiers' cheers echoed loudly. Hearing them, Piote smiled faintly.
His heart overflowed with gratitude to the goddess.
"Goddess! Thank you so much! Thank you! I am infinitely grateful!"
The original battle plan had called for Piote to face the horde alone. With his divine power, he wouldn't die, no matter how many monsters came his way.
Holy power would be supplied by the priests and Parniel. The plan was for him to endure while the other forces safely dealt with the monsters.
Piote had vehemently opposed the plan, but everyone else gave him pointed looks, urging him to go along.
What saved him was a single statement from Parniel.
— I'll go out and fight instead. That way, we can push back the monsters more quickly.
Piote's martial skills were respectable. With his potent holy power and the strength of holy relics, he was strong enough to put cockroaches to shame.
He could even contend with superhumans, but his destructive power couldn't compare to Parniel's.
Thus, Parniel had taken the lead.
Piote silently offered a prayer of gratitude, a faint smile gracing his lips. He prayed to the goddess, and to Parniel as well.
"Waaaaaah!"
Graaaaaah!
The soldiers' cheers and the monsters' roars echoed endlessly across the battlefield.
But the loudest sound of all was the one created by Parniel's utter destruction.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
By now, Parniel had moved far from the fortress, fighting the monsters. Every single one of them was focused solely on her.
Thanks to this, the catapults, archers, and mages were free to attack the monsters' rear lines.
Graaaaaah!
The number of monsters was decreasing rapidly. It was now time to aid the isolated Parniel at the front.
Tenant descended from the fortress walls, mounted his horse, and gripped his spear. Behind him, a force of 20,000 mobile troops stood ready.
"Support the Saintess!"
Rumble!
The enormous steel gates, sturdier and taller than the fortress walls, began to creak open.
As soon as the gates parted, Tenant and the mobile troops surged forward like a torrent.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Thanks to Parniel's successful distraction and relentless push, there was enough distance for them to accelerate.
The mobile troops raised their spears just before colliding.
Zzzing—!
Mana gathered at the tips of their spears, and flames erupted from them. Twenty thousand fireballs were unleashed upon the monsters ahead.
Boom!
Screeeech!
The medium and large monsters withstood the mana-infused flames, but the smaller ones fell one after another.
The fireballs were launched three times in succession. The monsters swarming Parniel were thrown into chaos, pushed back in an instant.
Before the monsters could recover, Tenant and the Fenris Mobile Army charged into them.
BOOM!
The tide of monsters collapsed. The Fenris Mobile Army pressed forward relentlessly.
At the forefront, Tenant unleashed a powerful aura blade, cutting through the ranks like a storm.
Every monster struck by his spear was impaled, including even the large ones.
Rrrrrip!
The mobile troops lost momentum when they encountered groups of larger monsters, but their charge was only the beginning.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Lumina and the mounted archers emerged, flanking the monsters from both sides and attacking their rear.
Whoosh!
Arrows rained down, striking the monsters while avoiding their allies. The mounted archers kept the monsters distracted, constantly on the move.
"Waaaaah!"
Following them, the fortress infantry charged forward, joined by mages and priests who lent their aid.
The catapults now focused solely on the monsters' rear lines. Everyone was working together with remarkable coordination.
At the center of it all was Parniel, leading the charge with overwhelming strength.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Lutania Army, numbering 100,000, was now fully engaged. With their combined strength, the already dwindling monsters stood no chance.
The monstrous tide was completely engulfed by the Lutania Army.
The casualties were minimal, thanks to Parniel taking the most dangerous position herself.
As more time passed...
Boom!
The last of the large monsters fell, its head crushed by Parniel's mace.
"Hah…"
Thud!
Parniel planted her mace on the ground and took a deep breath. Her body was drenched in the blood spilled by the monsters.
One by one, the soldiers lowered their weapons and muttered.
"It's over…"
"To think we've defeated so many monsters…"
"I knew we could do it."
It had been a hard-fought battle, but they had never doubted their victory.
Their pride in being the strongest army on the continent was what had driven them to fight to their limits.
Tenant raised his spear high and shouted.
"We have triumphed!"
"Waaaaah!"
As always, the soldiers erupted in jubilant cheers.
And the praise for Parniel, the one who had borne the greatest risks to ensure their victory, resounded throughout.
"With the Saintess by our side, we are invincible!"
"The Goddess is always with us!"
"Goddess, bless the Saintess!"
Amidst the celebratory cries, Parniel's expression remained stern.
She was troubled by the strange energy she had sensed during the battle.
'Why…?'
She knew the monsters were being controlled by the dragon's magic.
But this was not merely magic at work. There was an elusive, insidious energy woven into the monsters that no one else could detect.
Only she, as a Saintess, could faintly sense its presence.
As the cheers continued, Parniel stared down at the corpses of the monsters for a long time.
***
With the combined efforts of superhumans, mages, and the frontline fortress forces, the monster wave had been successfully repelled.
The monsters of the Shadow Mountains were nearly eradicated.
After the grueling battle, everyone rejoiced. The people of Turian, in particular, were overjoyed.
For years, the monsters of the Shadow Mountains had relentlessly plagued the kingdom. Now, with most of them gone, their relief was immeasurable.
Though the numbers would eventually rise again, eliminating the dragon—the root cause—would ensure peace for good.
Upon receiving news of the victories at each fortress, Ghislain smiled in satisfaction.
"Finally, one major crisis has come to an end. Now we must prepare for the next."
Before the dragon appeared, he planned to leave only a small support force and focus on subjugating the remaining stragglers.
With only superhumans and mages needed to face the dragon, Ghislain summoned all commanders to organize the situation and took a well-deserved rest.
That night, he dreamed again. The frequency of his dreams had been increasing recently.
But this dream was different from usual.
"That's…"
As always, the Human Alliance and the Church of Salvation were fighting. That part hadn't changed, but unfamiliar figures were now present.
Watching the battle unfold in his dream, Ghislain's expression grew increasingly grim.