Chapter 119: Disaster, More Disaster

“Vilyric! What are you doing?!”

Feeling the surge of energy at her fingertips, the Priestess was just about to return to the barrier of Radiant Protection when she met Sigrid’s furious gaze.

“I know you’re strong, but directly using your body to touch the Death Mist is way too reckless! Do you want to die?!”

“Chill, chill! Look, I’m fine, right?”

Waving her unchanged, delicate little hand, the Black-haired Girl chuckled casually. She knowingly engaged with the gray mist; she was well aware of the lethal nature it possessed. The touch was purely to feel it more intuitively.

“Sigrid, do you know what the Death Mist is?”

The girl rolled her eyes, looking exasperated.

“How could I possibly know about this weird poison mist from the Abyss? Let’s just wrap this up and leave; this stuff makes me feel uneasy all over.”

“Don’t be so hasty.”

Vilyric smiled again, her face alight with the joy of confirming her suspicions.

“You might not believe it, but I’ve seen this before.”

“Huh?”

Sigrid’s expression turned to one of shock, while Leila, also quick on the uptake, suddenly appeared taken aback as if remembering something.

“Lady Vilyric, are you referring to…?”

“Exactly, the Southern Disaster… This is the Disaster.”

No doubt about it.

Perhaps the manifestations and effects on living beings differ, but the essence embodied by this power of Decay remains unchanged.

Ordinary people might not notice such subtleties, after all, only a few have truly experienced the power of the Southern Disaster. The gray mist here is even more deadly, and its appearance somewhat differs, but Vilyric had thoroughly explained the rules behind that power using her soul energy.

She had suspected something similar before; it was through her earlier physical contact that she fully confirmed it.

How should I put it? It’s somewhat expected.

However, there’s something worth noting; the Death Mist created by this power of Decay ought to rapidly wither all life within its range.

Yet, the Abyss Beasts can come and go freely within it.

Based on what she just sensed, the Death Mist here must extend at least from the ground to the sky for the beasts to move through it in a short span. Their strength alone can’t allow this, narrowing down the possibilities to two.

The Abyss Beasts are not ordinary creatures, to say the least, not even considered “life” by the rules.

Or, perhaps they were created by this very power, inherently the same as the Death Mist.

Either way, it’s enough to warrant significant attention.

It was undoubtedly the right choice to come here.

Vilyric pointed at the Abyss Well below and mimicked a diving motion.

“Sigrid, look! That gray mist is flying up from the depths of the Abyss unhindered, which means there’s a source down there producing it, and it’s connected to this place. So, if I head in the opposite direction now, is it possible I could directly reach their lair?”

“Huh?!”

Startled, the Captain quickly grabbed Vilyric’s hem, clearly frightened that she might actually jump in without a second thought.

Knowing Sigrid’s understanding of the girl’s reckless personality, it was entirely possible she might act on her word.

“Hey, hey! Don’t mess around! Lady Philena specifically told me to keep an eye on you before we left! Don’t create any dangerous situations! Even if you’re confident, rushing into the Abyss alone is just too reckless!”

“Hahahahaha~”

Leila, unable to watch any longer, tugged at the sleeve of this not-so-young “Four-Winged” lady, her face filled with resignation.

“Sigrid, Lady Vilyric is just trying to amuse you. She’s actually much more careful than you think and wouldn’t do something so rash.”

“Oh, come on, Leila, that’s not fun… Ouch, don’t hit my head, Sigrid! I was just kidding!”

“Vilyric!!!”

The four legendary priests from the Temple of Sky observed the girls’ antics with fascination. They had watched Sigrid grow up and understood her character well. Lady Vilyric, it seemed, had noticed that Sigrid was suppressing her feelings and was purposely trying to liven up the mood.

However, just as they were approaching the battlefield, Sigrid appeared completely unfazed and was even casually assisting everyone in warding off the Death Mist with her golden barrier. Could it be that she truly is a Transcendent Level Expert, as Her Majesty the Wing Emperor said?

With each person harboring their thoughts, they didn’t linger too long above the Abyss Well. There were still quite a few Abyss Beasts patrolling the area, and it didn’t take long before many of them noticed the girls and rushed over to attack.

Although these ordinary foes hadn’t consumed many lives, they were no match for at least the legendary top-tier fighters. Their target was the Abyss Worms, and there was no need to waste time on these minions.

Without even striking a blow, Vilyric commanded the barrier of Radiant Protection to clear a path through the blocking Abyss Beasts, charging straight north.

…

Duke Bertlem Greyce stood atop the fortress, lowering the long-range gemstone in his hand, gazing at the menacing stream of monsters surging like a tide from the distance, a heavy cloud of worry etched on his resolute face.

In his lifetime, he had never faced such a suffocating battle.

This could hardly be called a war; for the forty-year-old Duke, who had held the position of a Count, guarding Wangyuan City and the southern border of the United Kingdom for years, he preferred to term it a defense against a natural disaster.

Initially, Bertlem had received some emergency intelligence about these so-called Abyss Beasts, but he thought of them merely as a peculiar type of magical beast that grew stronger by devouring their prey.

If that were all, he had numerous methods to curtail and counter the enemy’s advance and minimize his forces’ losses.

However, upon engaging them, Duke Bertlem quickly discovered it was nothing of the sort.

The ability to grow stronger by constant consumption is certainly formidable, but they lack any tangible presence in individual, short-term battles. The real terror of these Abyss Beasts — the relentless tide from the Abyss — lies beyond that.

They do not tire, do not need rest or supplies, are not daunted by heat or cold, are free of illness and pain, never falter or retreat, and their combat power will not weaken at all until they either run out of energy and perish or are obliterated by a torrent of combined magic.

Can these still be called living beings?

Thanks to the Abyss Beasts’ devouring nature, merely stacking up the numbers in an army is utterly futile. Aware of this, Duke Bertlem had not brought a large force when ordered to set out by the King — only fifty thousand men.

Her Majesty seemed to have anticipated this disaster already and had ordered Bertlem to prepare in advance.

These were the most elite soldiers gathered from the entire southern army, equipped with multiple full-fledged mage legions and diverse troops; they were the pride and culmination of Bertlem’s efforts.

Yet, they were so utterly fragile before the Abyss.

   

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