I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy-Chapter 697

"Great Demigod of the North—"

"For the Demigod and his First Consort!"

"Ooooooo!"

Consort is one thing, but first?

Listening to the cheers erupting from all sides, Ian smacked his lips in resignation. He could see exactly how the misunderstanding had taken root.

I mean, from their point of view...

They had all been living under the same roof since Hope City. Even during the march, Mev and Thesaya had treated his tent as if it were their own, coming and going freely. In fact, they did so almost every night. For the barbarians, that alone was more than enough to spin a new tale.

Still, what exactly are they trying to turn me into?

Ian looked toward Mev in the distance. She sat holding her reins, staring blankly at the legionnaires. She had clearly heard the shouts as well.

Her face was hidden behind her visor, but Ian could easily imagine her expression. No matter how she tried to correct it, the barbarians would never listen.

"Bring it on!"

"We are the Legion of the Demigod—"

It was not a situation where anything could be corrected anyway. Smacking his lips once more, Ian turned his gaze back to the battlefield.

Even now, the fighting continued without pause. The formation held firm, showing no sign of collapse, and the ground was littered with crushed and burned monster corpses. There had to be at least several hundred.

Crunch, clang!

Above them, just as many monsters still swarmed the sky. They fell from all directions, shrieking in spasmodic screams. By now, however, the legionnaires were deftly avoiding them and striking back without hesitation.

There appeared to be almost no casualties so far. It was likely thanks to the Blessing of Battle and the sacred flame.

As Ian observed the scene, his eyes narrowed slightly. A strange sensation seized him, as though he were perceiving the entire barbarian legion and each warrior at the same time.

Whether this was the effect of his parietal eye or the divinity he had accumulated, he could not say. Either way, it was neither important nor something that would change anything.

—Looks like they’re afraid of you.

A whisper laced with laughter slipped into his mind. Despite Ian standing still, not a single monster dared to rush him. He had assumed it was because of Nila’s divinity, but Yog seemed to think otherwise.

Of course, that too was unimportant.

—You're waiting for that one, aren't you, my friend?

At the second whisper, Ian merely nodded to himself. That was the reason he had not joined the fray and was instead watching from where he stood.

There was no telling when Akihatara would reveal itself. It had already lost two subordinates, and its vassals were being cut down one after another. It would not be strange at all if it were already watching this battlefield.

It's true that the legion is fighting much better than I expected, but...

The moment they faced an archdemon, the situation would become entirely different. He would have to rush in and confront it directly the instant it revealed itself, minimizing the damage to the legion.

However, his Intuition continued to send only vague warnings. He was still not accustomed to controlling his heightened senses. To notice its appearance faster than anyone else, he had no choice but to remain on edge like this and keep his eyes fixed on the battlefield.

Clang—

Fortunately, the legionnaires continued to fight well even without him. Over Mev’s head as she tore through the enemy ranks, a monster was sent flying like a cannonball. It was Mukapa’s battle hammer, swung from the rear of the wagon column.

Zap— Boom!

Phaden and Alex, standing on the carriage roof, were also dealing with monsters without difficulty. It wasn't just thanks to the magic equipment covering them and the heat of the sacred fire; both had excellent skills.

As the princess’s guard knights, it would have been strange if they were not.

Not quite like that one, though.

Ian briefly glanced at Nasser, who fought with steady composure despite wearing comparatively ordinary equipment. Then he shifted his gaze once more.

This time, he looked toward the brazier wagon where the sacred flame blazed. It was not because he was worried about the priests. Just as with him, the monsters could not even approach the area around the brazier.

Ian’s gaze settled on Cherwyn, who stood with her head bowed. To his eyes, she looked like a log holding blazing embers within it, a sight no one else could see.

Grrr...

That was when Moro came charging in from afar with Thesaya on its back. Snorting roughly, the beast slid to a halt beside Nila.

"You did well. You bought us a lot of time," Ian said as he looked back at Thesaya.

Her complexion was paler than usual, likely from supporting the legion with spell after spell on her way here.

Thesaya tossed back the hood and grinned. "Don’t mention it. Are you waiting for the archdemon here?"

"Yeah. Good timing," Ian replied with a faint smile. "Four eyes are better than two. Keep a sharp lookout."

With that, he turned his gaze forward again.

She had clearly come after hearing Yog’s whisper.

Thesaya watched his profile for a moment, then lowered her voice. "You heard what the barbarians said, right? The first consort."

Ian frowned and looked back at her. The expression on his face plainly asked why she was bringing that up.

Thesaya shook her head. "I know it’s something the barbarians made up. What I don’t understand is this. Why does everyone just assume Redhead is the first one? It wasn’t only her going in and out of your tent."

Staring intently into Ian’s twitching eyes, Thesaya swept back her silver hair once.

"Regardless of the facts, just judging by appearances, shouldn’t I be first, no matter how you look at it? Is it because they’re barbarians?"

"Such—" Ian started, then clicked his tongue. Letting out a long breath through his nose, he looked away. "Save that nonsense for later, Thesa."

"Nonsense? This is very a serious—" Thesaya cut herself off mid-sentence and suddenly turned her head.

In the distance, light erupted as if it were boiling over.

Whoosh—

Sacred flames surged upward from two braziers at the same time. Ian narrowed his eyes and looked toward Cherwyn, who stood before them with both hands raised high above.

So she really was preparing something.

Her gaze, blazing orange, was fixed on the sky. Startled by the sudden rise in light and heat, the monsters overhead scattered in panic, shrieking as if seized by convulsions.

—Ugh... I feel sick.

Just as a low groan spread through Ian’s mind, Cherwyn swung her raised arms wide, as though tearing the air apart.

Whoosh—

The twin pillars of sacred flame exploded outward, vomiting countless fireballs in every direction. To Ian’s eyes, it looked as though colossal fireworks were detonating across the sky.

Screech— Screech—

They were fireworks that incinerated every monster they swept up. Screams echoed chaotically in all directions, and monsters turned into blazing meteors as they plummeted downward.

"Wow..."

The exclamation slipped from Thesaya without thought. Even to Ian’s modern sensibilities, it was an impressive sight. There was no need to imagine how overwhelming it must have been for her.

She is no less than an archmage.

Ian quietly watched Cherwyn, who now stood with her head bowed and arms stretched wide. Earlier, she had looked like a burning log. Now, she was no different from a living torch.

Rumble—

In any case, her aim was likely not just to wipe out the monsters filling the sky. No matter how fierce the fighting was, even those atop the wall would have turned to look at this spectacle at least once.

Should I be glad that our thoughts aligned?

The corners of Ian’s mouth curved slightly.

It was not a bad situation for him either. After all, the monsters were not the only ones watching.

If the monsters on the wall were split once more, their contribution would grow accordingly. And, of course, the risk of an ambush by Akihatara would also be reduced.

Rumble...

At last, the flames spreading across the sky subsided, and the thinning pillars of fire vanished in an instant.

Almost at the same time, Cherwyn’s arms fell limp. She staggered, then collapsed forward. She did not fall from the wagon thanks to Miguel, who rushed in and caught her just in time.

Crackle...

The priests who had been waiting atop the wagons hurriedly tossed the firewood in their arms back into the braziers. The sacred flame, which had been on the verge of dying out, barely recovered, surging weakly as it flared back to life.

"Wow..."

"Oh, Lu Enter..."

Low murmurs spread among the legionnaires who had been staring blankly at the sky.

Swoosh...

Aside from the thick smoke billowing and scattering overhead, not a single thing remained in the air. Though the legionnaires themselves had slain more than half of the monsters, hundreds of monsters had been wiped out in a single sweep.

Screech! Boom!

Distant shrieks and thunderous detonations echoed outward, gradually becoming clearer. The sounds were coming from the fortress and the wall. The battle there was clearly still raging.

"We won!"

"Glory to the Great Demigod and the Blazing Goddess!"

"For eternal battle!"

"Light be with the Blazing Goddess!"

The legionnaires roared as they raised their weapons high. The mercenaries and defense force soldiers, in particular, looked openly elated.

Some of the barbarian warriors appeared slightly disappointed, but they shouted all the same. It was a ritual, a way to announce victory to the heavens. Of course, not everyone was caught up in celebration.

The commanders were staring through the thinning smoke toward the wall.

Boom! Crackle—

They were trying to grasp the situation atop the wall, which had been hidden behind the swarm of monsters until now. Ian and Thesaya, meanwhile, were scanning the unnaturally low-hanging storm clouds.

"It seems..."

Even as distant explosions and screams continued to reach them, their attention was fixed elsewhere. They were searching for the presence of the archdemon that might be lurking beyond their sight.

"It doesn’t seem to be near us," Thesaya said after sweeping the sky with eyes filled with magic.

Ian frowned. His heightened perception was still active. He had assumed that once the sky cleared, locating Akihatara would be straightforward.

"That’s how it looks to me too."

The creature was nowhere to be found. All that remained were storm clouds tinged with chaos, and the flashes and detonations erupting from the wall beyond.

—Looks like it sent those scraps just to buy time from the start.

Yog’s weary yet faintly amused whisper echoed through his mind.

—So it could wipe out those idiots up there first while keeping you stuck here.

Only then did Ian and Thesaya’s gazes turn simultaneously.

As Ian looked toward the wall, his eyes twitched. They had drawn away more than half of the monsters from the sky.

Fwoosh, boom—

Yet the scene atop the wall was markedly different from before. The number of rising flames and fireballs had sharply decreased, and thick black smoke was spreading across several sections.

Broken ballistae and shattered banners came into view. Bodies lay scattered everywhere.

However, that wasn't the real reason Ian’s expression contorted.

"Oh my goodness..."

As Thesaya let out a low gasp, clearly having noticed the same thing, Ian stared past the wall and up into the storm clouds.

A massive shadow was taking shape within them.

In the next moment, the purple eyes glared sharply as if boiling over.

Whoosh—

The storm clouds burst apart as they poured downward, and the archdemon revealed itself, spreading its enormous wings.