I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy-Chapter 356

The warmth of the sacred fire pushed back the black mist in all directions, exposing the grim face of the Land of Death without mercy.

"Screech! Screech—"

"Kill them!"

"Don't be afraid! Charge! The Great Warrior guides us forward!"

Amidst it all, the Crimson Legion fought fiercely with the charging monsters, steadily advancing. Like hunters driving prey into a trap, they lured the approaching monsters into their formation before taking them down. It was a tactical choice suited to the open terrain and the battlefield's mist.

"Groooaaah!"

The monsters, screaming as if in terror, charged with reckless abandon, making them even easier to dispatch.

"Kill it! It's my turn this time!"

"For the Great Warrior!"

What had become a form of trap hunting completely engrossed the legionnaires. They were not only warriors, but seasoned hunters as well. This single-minded focus likely explained why they hadn't noticed what was happening above them.

"What the hell is that madness?" Miguel's mouth hung open in shock.

He was the first to spot the shapes flying through the sky, painting it a sinister shade of violet. Though they were still too far away to distinguish clearly, it wasn't difficult to deduce that these were void creatures.

"They're heading this way, aren't they?" He muttered to himself, blinking as if startled by his realization.

Turning sharply, he called out. "L-Lucy, that—"

"I see it, Miguel." Lucia cut him off.

Ever since they had entered the Land of Death, she had focused solely on spreading the warmth of the sacred fire as far as possible while keeping her eyes on the sky. It was her way of ensuring no meteor would catch the legion off guard.

"It does look like they're coming our way," she added with a grim voice.

Gripping the firewood tightly in both hands, she brought it closer to her chest. It seemed she had decided to use the emergency supply of logs they'd kept in reserve.

"Can you do it?"

"I have to try. Somehow." With that brief response, she closed her eyes and began murmuring a prayer.

Clack, clack—

Miguel glanced nervously at Nila, who was trotting alongside the wagon, then swallowed dryly and turned his gaze forward again.

Crash! Crack!

The battlefield came into view, chaos raging as the soldiers fought on, seemingly oblivious to the situation.

Rumble—

Even the battle priests mingling among the warriors were no exception. Even Kanto, typically cold and detached, was entirely absorbed in the fight, seamlessly blending with the soldiers as they clashed with the monsters.

"To hell with it, damn it." Miguel tugged on the reins, bringing the wagon to a halt, and stood abruptly in the driver's seat.

Boom—

He grabbed the horn hanging at his side and blew it with force. It was the legion's signal to halt. The warriors, who had been scanning for opportunities to join the fray, turned to the stopped wagon.

"Hold! Everyone on the perimeter, stop!"

"Order from the Deputy Commander! Halt—"

The centurions were the first to shout. Legionnaires, who had briefly pushed beyond the mist, quickly fell back into formation. But even so, the area was far from silent.

"Groar!"

"Cut its throat!"

The cries of the monsters and the shouts of the legionnaires locked in combat filled the air.

Watching them, Miguel yelled out. "Priests! Gather!"

The battle priests, who had already withdrawn from combat, hurriedly ran toward him. With the legionnaires' eyes now on him, Miguel raised his arm to point at the distant sky. "Look up, you idiots! Monsters are spilling out of that damn demon's asshole!"

The legionnaires, save for a few who had already noticed, turned their gazes upward in unison. When they spotted the swarm darkening the distant sky, their mouths fell open in stunned disbelief.

"What the hell is that? Damn it, are those bugs crawling out of that hole?"

"Even the void's bugs are massive. Are those even bugs, though?"

"Who cares? Damn it, there's so many of them!"

These idiots.

Hearing the scattered exclamations from all sides, Miguel covered his face with one hand. Instead of fear, most of them showed excitement. Of course, it made sense—they were all blessed by Karha. With the promise of joining Karha's legion upon death, they had little reason to fear dying.

After all, they had already fought their way here, cutting down countless maddened monsters and beasts tainted by the Black Wall's madness.

"Damn it, fuck."

Some of the mercenary recruits wore pale expressions, but they were few and far between. Those who couldn't handle fear had long since died and disappeared along the way.

Miguel let out a small sigh and shouted. "Get your heads straight, you idiots! Did you forget the Commander's orders? You're the Dragon Slayer's Legion!"

His unfiltered language from his mercenary days broke through, and the legionnaires' expressions shifted all at once.

It was only natural. They remembered the Commander's directive not to die unless absolutely necessary—he had no intention of letting Karha claim them. The Great Warrior's orders were more important to them than anything else.

"Finish the monsters! Regroup around the wagon!"

"Centurions, regroup!"

"Regroup!"

The legionnaires began assembling as if the earlier chaos had never occurred. Their formation collapsed and reformed in an instant.

"Thank you for your speech, Priest Miguel. It was certainly memorable."

"But perhaps you could tone down the swearing," Kanto remarked as he and the battle priests climbed onto the wagon. Each of them grabbed one of the remaining logs stored beneath it.

"Coming from you lot, who swears just as much during fights," Miguel mumbled with an embarrassed smile.

The priests, clutching logs in both hands, were in a miserable state—covered in dirt, blood, viscera, and soot. Donald and Bron were even visibly injured. Yet, their eyes burned with a vivid orange glow, and the veins beneath their skin shimmered with heat with each labored breath.

"We'll help. You can't do this alone, future Saintess."

"We don't know if our strength will be enough, but we'll try."

They gathered around the brazier as they spoke.

After finishing her prayer, Lucia opened her eyes and gave a faint smile. "Thank you, all of you."

She tossed her logs into the brazier, and the others followed suit one by one, murmuring short prayers as they threw in their logs.

Rumble—

As the flames of the sacred fire grew more intense, Miguel's head suddenly snapped upward because the sound of wings slicing through the air pierced his ears.

Whish-whish-whish—

"Fucking hell." Miguel let out a sigh as he finally made sense of the forms of the creatures.

Four pairs of membranous wings, a torso seemingly covered in mucus, and a massive maw lined with countless sharp teeth stretched long and wide. Around it, tendrils shimmering with a purplish hue undulated like legs.

There was no way for Miguel to know that these were called Abyssal Maws.

Whish-whish-whish—

What he did know for sure was that the creatures were targeting the legion. The vast swarm of Abyssal Maws was diving directly toward them. Like moths to a flame, the sacred fire's glow seemed to be drawing them in.

"Raise your weapons!"

"Just a few minutes left! Get ready to strike!"

The centurions' shouts rang out among the legionnaires gathered near the brazier. The soldiers raised their weapons in unison as they prepared for the oncoming swarm.

"Disgusting creatures."

"Let's ram our spears down their throats."

The earlier laughter and bravado were nowhere to be seen. These things were not of this world. Void creatures were entirely unlike mutated monsters, and few among the legion had ever faced them before.

As Nila snorted, Miguel swallowed hard and glanced at the priests.

"Even the whispers of darkness and the foulest temptations shall be scorched." Lucia stood with her back to the brazier, beginning to murmur a low prayer, with her left hand placed over her chest.

The priests surrounding the brazier extended their hands toward it, their eyes closed, chanting their prayers.

Crackle—crack-crack—

Their veins glowed as though embers were coursing beneath their skin. Miguel raised his prosthetic arm, aiming the crossbow mounted on his forearm at the swarm. At that moment, the sacred fire flared brilliantly and surged upward.

Whoosh—

The flames expanded like a fountain, spreading outward in all directions.

For a moment, the flames appeared to press against an invisible ceiling, undulating like a thin veil encircling the legion.

"Lu Entre, hear us."

"Glory to the Blazing Goddess!"

The sight was so awe-inspiring that a few legionnaires murmured their reverence aloud. It was this breathtaking display that caused most of them to miss the ash-gray storm clouds gathering rapidly in the low sky above.

"What in the world is that?" Miguel was one of the few who noticed it. His gaze swept over the ominously roiling storm clouds beyond the veil of the sacred flame.

Rumble—Boom!

A flash of violet lightning began crackling between the clouds, and moments later, it transformed into a blinding bolt that descended.

Crack, boom!

It struck right amid the swarming Abyssal Maws.

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"Gyaaaaaah!"

The lightning scattered into countless smaller arcs as it hit the swarm. Several of the Maws, now charred husks, plummeted to the ground, trailing smoke. Others, their wings paralyzed, let out horrific screams as they spiraled downward.

And that was just the beginning.

Boom, crackle, boom!

Thick and thin bolts of violet lightning began raining down like a storm. Some bolts struck the ground, but most focused on the swarming Maws in the air.

Rumble—Boom!

In mere seconds, the entire violet swarm shimmered as though engulfed in lightning.

"Screeeeeech—"

"Gyaaaaaah!"

The Abyssal Maws either fell as charred remains or spiraled downward, trailing smoke as the storm continued to rip through them.

"What is this?"

"I-is Karha helping us?"

The legionnaires murmured in awe, staring up at the sky that flashed and roared as if it might blind and deafen them.

"Oh, Karha!"

Miraculously, not a single bolt of lightning struck the sacred flame's barrier. The storm appeared to target the advancing Maws and nearby land, pointedly leaving the legion untouched.

Miguel, who had been staring dumbfounded at the lightning storm, suddenly widened his eyes as if realizing something. "Could it be?"

It was then that faint light shimmered through the thinning mist, where the charred remains of the creatures and lightning strikes had torn through the fog.

Miguel's gaze naturally followed it. Narrowing his eyes, he focused.

"You were so keen on hiding it, and yet here you are." Miguel's lips curled into a strange smile, a mix of relief and astonishment.

Ian was running toward them, clutching a crackling mass of lightning in his left hand.

"What is that?"

"Is that the Great Warrior?"

Shouts of disbelief rippled through the legionnaires. Most frowned in confusion, blinking as if struggling to process what they were seeing.

Crackle—Snap!

It was only natural—Ian was gripping a dazzlingly condensed bundle of lightning in his left hand.

"My goodness. Sir Ian." Lucia, her hand still raised toward the sky, let out a soft sigh as her gaze naturally met Miguel's.

"Do not lower the veil." Ian's voice, resonating like a low hum, vibrated through the air.

Even the legionnaires who hadn't yet spotted him turned their heads in the direction of his voice.

Thud-thud—

Ian leaped into the air, extending his left hand upward toward the swarm of Abyssal Maws, which was now significantly lower in altitude after being battered by the lightning storm.

In his grasp, a glimmering jewel encased in arcs of lightning was finally revealed.

Boom!

A blinding flash burst forth from the jewel, piercing through the front ranks of the swarm of Abyssal Maws.

Crackle-crackle—

The lightning fragmented into countless web-like streaks sweeping through the creatures. Above, the storm still raged, unleashing relentless bolts of lightning.

Screech—

As Ian landed, dragging his greatsword against the ground, charred Abyssal Maws rained down around him like ash.

Crackle-crackle—

The blue lightning surged back into his left hand, gathering at an astonishing speed.

"Oh, Lu Entre." Kanto, who had been staring wide-eyed in disbelief, finally let out a breathless murmur.

It was only natural. After all, he had only just come to realize the unbelievable truth—that the Agent of the Great Platinum Dragon and the Great Warrior of the North was, in fact, a mage.

Miguel turned his gaze toward the silent legionnaires. His eyes swept over them, reflecting a mix of tension and unease.

It was only natural. The Great Warrior of the North, their most fearless champion, being revealed as a spellcaster, was a truth he couldn't be sure they would accept.

Rumble!

Ian raised his left hand to the sky once more. Though smaller than his first casting, another dazzling chain of lightning branched out, igniting the Abyssal Maws above.

"Our Great Warrior can command lightning itself?"

Miguel caught the murmur of a dazed voice among the legionnaires.

"Thunder... the Warrior of Thunder."

"Now everything makes sense. Of course, the Great Warrior was a demigod!"

Miguel's worries evaporated in an instant.