novelraw Chapter 126 : Collision (3)
Chapter 126 : Collision (3)
Chapter 126: Collision (3)
“Graaahhh!”
“Y-You monster…!”
“A monster? That hurts. We’re both human.”
Thud!
“Urgh…!”
“Bite down. Don’t struggle so pathetically.”
Crunch, crack!
One of the Believers who had become my target writhed in agony before losing consciousness.
After twisting the sword I had driven down into him and pulling it out, I—Eugene Carter—smiled in satisfaction.
Drops of blood clinging to my face streamed down and dripped onto my clothes.
“I’m getting tired of wiping this off. Is there no one else?”
“…….”
After slaughtering Andrea in an instant, the performance Eugene Carter displayed was nothing short of shocking.
Against the Fanatics of Dellowell, who were said to possess defenses surpassing most Beasts, he continued an utterly ruthless massacre.
It had nothing to do with the efficiency he always talked about.
Even enemies who could have simply been rendered incapable of fighting were killed, and he flaunted it for all to see.
As if to say, ‘This is what happens if you come at me too.’
The Agents guarding the tower gate couldn’t take their eyes off what was unfolding in the distance.
“…How is that even possible, Senior?”
“…….”
Perhaps others couldn’t see it, but to Meriel, it was crystal clear.
The mana circulating within his body—flowing in a manner completely opposite to everything they knew.
“…We are protectors of magecraft. Most of the spells we use follow the same mana operation method.”
But the power Eugene was using right now was based on martial arts.
The flow of mana in magic based on magecraft and martial techniques based on martial arts were fundamentally different.
Divine Magic had a strong advantage over standard magic rooted in magecraft, but it couldn’t be said to perform the same way against martial techniques or arcane magic.
But that was only theory.
He, too, was originally just a soldier who fought on battlefields against Beasts.
All of his abilities and tactics must have been honed for dealing with Beasts.
To transform a mana operation method specialized for large-scale Beast battles into one suited for Divine Magic users—
And then immediately apply it in real combat with such mastery…
Wasn’t that something on an entirely different level?
Meriel muttered, unable to finish her thought.
“…That’s not something effort alone can achieve.”
It was talent, to a truly astonishing degree.
With such talent, arrogance would have been inevitable.
Thinking that the past six years had been the result of that, she even wondered if excessive talent was no different from a curse.
But what mattered was that he was now a reliable ally, helping them.
While the mages each reacted in their own ways—
The First-Rank Believers on the battlefield exchanged glances, silently discussing their next course of action.
It had already been eight hours since the Bell of the Holy War had rung and judgment had begun.
In that time, at least forty martyrs had fallen.
The destroyed turrets stood at three on the right and two on the left—progressing steadily, but the breakthrough speed was slowing.
Even so, it was far smoother than the battle in the plaza.
‘To think we’d be unable to break even the gate because of a single asymmetric force.’
Andrea, one of the strongest among them, had charged alone—only to return as a cold corpse.
Unless they pressured him with coordinated attacks of at least three people, the number of corpses would only increase.
The problem was that the enemy didn’t allow them to form such teams.
Even standing still, bombardments poured in from all directions, and whenever they tried to group up, the Golems disrupted them.
They had even tried targeting the Golems’ cores, but fifteen Believers needed forty minutes just to disable one.
Even that was only possible because the others maximally blocked Eugene Carter’s interference—and five casualties had occurred in the process.
In other words, there was a high chance their forces would be exhausted before they could neutralize the Golems.
‘…If only the bombardment could be reduced by half, there might be a way through.’
After all, Golems couldn’t operate in narrow spaces due to their massive size.
It would be best to divert a large portion of their forces to attack the outer walls and interception turrets.
However, some would need to remain here and continue the breakthrough.
It was partly because of the Director’s orders—but more importantly…
If they let that man run rampant elsewhere, something irreversible might happen.
Once the conclusion was reached, there was no reason to hesitate.
The First-Rank Believers began issuing loud commands to their subordinates.
“From now on, the next ten squads will attack the outer walls! Squads 13 to 17 will take the right side! Squads 18 to 22 will take the left!”
“The remaining five squads will stay and continue the assault on the gate! Move!”
“Yes!!”
Watching the enemies quickly reorganize and scatter, Meriel muttered,
“They’ve started attacking the outer walls.”
Before she knew it, Eugene Carter had returned and was standing beside her.
“…Just like you said.”
“Later than expected, though. Thanks to that, we’ve got a bit of breathing room.”
While the enemies were busy reorganizing, Eugene added a few more instructions.
“Shut down half the Golems and replenish their Mana Stones. I’ll draw the aggro, so don’t rush—do it properly. Got it?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve got a plan to retrieve the forces inside the outer wall, right?”
“Yes. We’ll use the secret passage.”
“Don’t overdo it on that side either. Pull back once you’ve done enough—and destroy any used passages.”
“Of course.”
As Meriel nodded and headed inside, Eugene leapt onto the shoulder of an active Golem, a grin full of excitement on his face.
“I haven’t even warmed up yet—let’s go a bit wilder. Take care of me, Golem No. 13!”
The bizarre nickname he had given it was just a bonus.
---
Thursday, 2 PM. Approximately 10 hours since the outbreak of the Mallet—Karbenna allied invasion of Dellowell.
“…….”
“…….”
After receiving the regular report from Mallet through the Transmission Orb, Michel Bernhardt tapped the table silently a few times.
Tap, tap.
The three people waiting in front of her for a situation update each spoke up.
“Are they holding up well, Chairwoman?”
“I just hope they haven’t already breached inside the tower…”
“If we need to move up the deployment time, tell us quickly!”
Frederick Lake, Dale Wedmeyer, and Colonel Belfor each reacted in their own way, waiting for news—but Michel remained silent.
After more than five minutes of deep thought, she slowly opened her mouth.
“The deployment time remains unchanged at 20:00. There’s still time, so let everyone rest as much as possible. There will be two more situation updates at 17:00 and 20:00, so be there.”
That was the end of it.
Dale left as if used to it, while Frederick dragged out Belfor, who looked like he wanted to ask more.
Once the Chairwoman’s office was empty again, Michel closed the door and headed into her private room.
“…….”
The Tebrel Orb on the table had been shining with a sapphire glow for some time.
An orb enchanted with special magic so that it could not even be activated without a unique code.
Only eleven people in the Bernhardt Family could communicate through it.
“…Contact at a time like this….”
Who could it be?
Her younger sister Chloe, who was desperate to kill her?
Her brother Gilbert, who loved picking fights?
The head of the family, Edgar Bernhardt, who would be most interested in the current situation?
Or perhaps…
After a brief hesitation, Michel placed her hand on the orb.
She had no intention of ignoring the call.
If they intended to extract information from her, she could simply do the same.
As the orb absorbed her mana, it turned green, and a man’s voice flowed out from within.
“You seem busy. To think you’d delay even your father’s call.”
“…….”
At the voice she least wanted to hear, her brows furrowed.
‘…Of course it had to be him.’
But she couldn’t refuse.
If it was a conversation with him, it wouldn’t be meaningless.
So Michel responded casually.
“I ended up being busy. A regular report came in from Mallet.”
“You seem quite busy. Should I contact you later?”
“Don’t say things you don’t mean. Just get to the point.”
“What point? I just wanted to hear your voice.”
“…….”
“How is life as Chairwoman? No one giving you trouble?”
“If you’re trying to mock me, I’ll hang up.”
“…I thought I’d exchange a few jokes with my daughter after so long.”
Alright. Let’s get to the point.
Mikhail Bernhardt spoke firmly, almost like giving advice.
“Step down as Chairwoman and return to the main house. I’ll make a place for you.”
“What nonsense is this all of a sudden? Are you still not grasping the situation?”
Michel sharply fired back at his provocative words.
“This war is just the beginning. The only choices left for the Bernhardt Family are destruction or submission. No one willingly returns to a sinking ship.”
“Who put such ideas into your head? You, who were once so realistic. Was it Eugene Carter? Or those fools in the Special Task Force? Or perhaps the Third Princess you’ve been at odds with?”
No—did you really think you had any chance of winning?
“Even if you miraculously win this war, what awaits you afterward is complete isolation, my daughter. Why can’t you see that?”
“Then what do you expect me to do?”
“Didn’t I tell you? Step down as Chairwoman first—”
“And go back to the main house, managing some quiet territory while I rot away?”
“…….”
“You cut off my limbs and then threw me into this hellhole to starve.”
What, did you think I’d quit within a few months, but I lasted four years—so now you’re getting nervous?
“I never had any choices to begin with. Because that’s what you wanted. Because you made it that way.”
As the other side suddenly fell silent, Michel spoke coldly.
“I must be an eyesore, right? Someone from a branch family who got lucky, became part of the main line, and is now stirring conflict between two factions.”
But what can you do? I have no intention of stepping down.
“So shut up and get to the point, Mikhail. We’re both short on time.”
Then—
In a tone completely different from before, yet eerily similar to his daughter’s, Mikhail replied.
“…I did have a purpose, but it’s fine now. I understand your position, your cards, and what you’re relying on.”
“…What?”
“Oh, right. Did you receive the gift your father sent? I had it delivered through your nephew, so it might not have reached you properly.”
What nonsense was he talking about—she was about to snap back when suddenly, a recent memory flashed vividly in her mind.
The coffee delivered through the servant Oliver.
It had been laced with deadly poison—she had nearly died.
After surviving with the help of others, she had tried to identify the one behind the assassination attempt.
At first, she had suspected her younger sister Chloe, Oliver’s master.
But there was no way that fool would know about her vulnerability.
Which meant—
There was a real mastermind who had explained her weakness to Chloe and provided the Mana Activation Stone.
“…So it was you.”
If that mastermind was Mikhail Bernhardt—
Everything made perfect sense.
The motive to kill her, the means, and the benefits gained from it.
“You… tried to… kill me….”
There was not a single thing that didn’t add up.
So Michel lowered her head deeply.
This was the past she had faced, her present, and her future.
To overcome the current reality, she had no choice but to stand against the entire Bernhardt Family.
And the one who had created all of this—
Was none other than her own father.
Grinding her teeth, she swallowed her tears.
As she fell silent, Mikhail’s voice rang out as if he had been waiting.
“It seems we should end the conversation here.”
“…….”
“Take care of yourself. We’ll meet again soon.”
With that, the connection ended.
As the orb’s light faded instantly, Michel remained leaning against the table, breathing heavily for a while.
There were about six hours left until deployment.