"Franz, silence that degenerate immediately!"
Godfrey, who had been on the Mercenaries' Home for days, showed his face for the first time, and it was a moment he shouted in anger.
"Come on, Franz! Send the forces at your disposal outside the Death Pass to protect the reputation of your master's stupid son. Look, I'm right here, standing all alone!"
Even though Joshua said he was standing all alone, there was an army that hadn't taken any damage behind him and ten people capable of making magic attacks. Besides these, along with Alis and his wife, and a person whose whereabouts were unknown, everyone was sure Joshua had trump cards to play.
"Sir, we lost all of the Companions of the Earth forces in yesterday's attack. Staying here and defending until support arrives will be the best option!"
Franz couldn't comply with this request; complying was illogical, but the command of the Lands of Light forces was also with Godfrey. If he didn't find a solution, things could reach a point that couldn't be prevented, but he couldn't think Joshua would help him in this matter.
"I said there wouldn't be a battle today, but if you want, we are open to one-on-one fights. General or mage, it doesn't matter; we won't turn away anyone who wants to fight!"
The Hell King, appearing to be humble, was pushing the limits of arrogance. By saying, 'If numbers scare you, you can come with a single person too,' he was putting his own head on the front line.
"I can't wait any longer. I will take the head of that arrogant bastard!"
Ventus took a step forward. Whether this attitude of hers was due to the loss she suffered yesterday or Joshua's words is unknown, but it could be read from her eyes that she had made her decision.
"Pull yourself together, Ventus. You're not going to fall for such an obvious provocation!"
Franz knew this was a trap; he wanted to intervene, but a hand placed on his shoulder prevented him from speaking further. Godfrey de Bouillon didn't want him to stop Ventus; he couldn't tolerate Joshua's speech any longer.
"Isn't there anyone among you who has the courage to step up to me? You were quite bold yesterday; if you were afraid of my wife's technique, I promise I won't use anything coming from her!"
Joshua was adding fuel to the fire; the retreat paths of Ventus, who had already set her mind to it, were completely closed. She climbed over the walls and let herself into the void, gliding down to the ground with the power of the element she mastered.
"Use whatever you have in your hands because that's what I will do!"
The body of Ventus, a member of the Companions of the Wind Society, was wrapped in green winds. It was obvious she used a Guardian Angel Will Remnant, but Joshua, who couldn't see the exact same effects as yesterday, raised one eyebrow. He hadn't thought it could have different effects when in a group versus as a single person, and he didn't want the consequences of this to affect anyone other than himself.
"Form the elemental shield. No one step outside it, no matter what happens!"
Joshua turned to call out to the army behind him, and then when he looked at his enemy again, he had to dodge to the right. A green extension resembling a tree branch and having thorns around its own axis was almost piercing right through his torso.
He wanted to lunge forward as soon as he got rid of it, but he saw a new one coming, and he had no intention of dodging this. The Hell King didn't carry a shield; he did this not out of arrogance but because he could turn his Blood energy into a shield whenever he wanted, and he met the incoming attack with the shield forming on his right arm.
He managed to stop the attack; the wind hitting the shield and bouncing back wasn't strong enough to overcome him, but Joshua hadn't thought the previous attack would turn around and plunge into his back. Thanks to his senses sharpened because he had been on the battlefield since he was a child, he avoided taking a deep wound, but his blood was dripping onto the soil.
It didn't take very long; he managed to close the wound in a few seconds, but during this time, Ventus, the woman resembling a mummy wrapped in green cloths, had directed ten different attacks upon him from ten different directions. Intertwining, they were taking the Hell King between them, and their continuously spinning thorns kept shedding Joshua's blood.
"Blood Edict - Annihilation of that which is mine!"
Joshua spread his two hands to his sides, and the blood leaving his body rose into the air. The sound they made while vibrating could easily be heard, and within seconds they began to pass through the wind attacks resembling green branches.
The blood droplets were everywhere; maybe they weren't big, maybe they weren't magnificent, but no one could question their destructive power. With every strike, they severed the bond of the wind energy, and Ventus had to produce new branches to maintain this.
When half an hour passed, even though Joshua was injured, he managed to get through without facing a fatal situation and seemed to be slowly gaining the upper hand. The difference between using a borrowed power and using a power that completely belonged to the person himself was beginning to show.
Even if Joshua's blood droplets vanished after a while, the wind ribbons wrapping around Ventus's body were also thinning. Everyone had learned that the reinforcement she used in these lands could only last for an hour, and now that this time was halved, it was seen that she couldn't get a result.
"Savage Forest of the Wind!"
All the ribbons wrapping around Ventus's body separated at that moment. Flying around, they formed an area around Joshua, and the wind branches shooting out from within them mixed with each other and poured down on Joshua almost like a torrential rain.
The ground was shaking; the rising dust clouds mixed with the wind, formed small tornadoes, and moved away. Some were hitting the walls of the Death Pass extending to the sky, and some were hitting the energy barrier surrounding the Hell Realm Army and dispersing.
"He died!"
When one of those watching the battle from the walls on the Death Pass finally opened her mouth, the others had no choice but to turn towards her. The person speaking was none other than Nympha, and everyone knew the beautiful woman wouldn't speak empty words.
"This attack was strong enough to breach even my defense; I didn't realize Ventus had increased her level!"
The leader of the Companions of Water forces had shown everyone what a strong defense she possessed yesterday. The onlookers had seen the energy weapons and magic attacks hit the blue jelly-like shield and bounce off.
It could be; they had really managed to destroy the commander of the enemy army, the person who was the king of their arch-enemies. Ventus was tired because she used all her power, but she didn't break her proud stance either until the branches of wind began to shatter together with the thorns on them.
"Dying? This man is still too strong to die at the hands of losers like you!"
A blood-colored light appeared, and a sonic explosion occurred within the duration of two breaths. The particles belonging to the Wind Element couldn't stay together; they scattered and dispersed around. It was so violent that the shield protecting the Hell Realm Army burst, and some of the stones forming the wall of the Death Pass shattered.
Even though Ventus tried to protect herself, she couldn't succeed; she fell to her knees while her body was covered in blood. There was no trace of her proud stance from just a few seconds ago; as Joshua, covered in blood-colored energy whose vibrations could be seen even with the naked eye, came towards her, she turned towards the Death Pass and shouted.
"Save me. I beg you, save me!"
"Be ready to fire the large cannons! Now!"
Alaben shouted, and the mercenaries went into action to do what he said. There were twenty steps between the two fighting enemies; Joshua was shortening this distance moment by moment, but the glimmer of the energy weapon shone over the walls.
The target was clear; the Hell King had to die one way or another. While the bright energy the size of a small mountain fell upon him like a meteorite, Joshua didn't hesitate. He didn't have a talisman in his hand either; he wasn't going to use his wife's power, but the screams of the blood-red energy gathering in his fist were heard by everyone.
Swinging his fist meters away, the Hell King was letting his own warriors, the mercenaries, the generals, and the people of the Lands of Light watch the tearing blood-red energy shatter the giant energy attack.