Barin swung the severed arm of a ghoul, knocking away any heretic it touched. Though sturdy, it soon broke under such forceful swings.

He casually tossed it aside, hitting one target, then caught another heretic who couldn't dodge in time. With a twist of his hands, he unscrewed the head like a bottle cap, causing blood to spurt out like soda.

In the next second, however, the claws of a heretic struck, as several swarmed and trapped him instantly...

At this moment, a longsword engulfed in flames swung out, with the flames growing, bolstered by mana, forming a fan-shaped wave sweeping over the heretics.

The flames clung to the heretics, making them struggle madly.

Geralt surged forward with his sword, slaying the heretics clinging to Barin, but noticed that the warrior seemed to have a stopped heart, yet refused to fall.

Never before had Geralt felt such a strong sense of guilt. How could he think of retreating!

Even Alhazred was finally awakened by the roaring, showing a weary expression, clearly tortured by the heretics' sorcery. But his gaze on Barin's broken body was filled with determination.

He tossed up the Skull Candleholder with his hands, murmuring, "Destiny has not yet declared its end, at least not today..."

Without a doubt, he intended to cast spells to save Barin. However, it's already known that spellcasting for him was extremely challenging and risky, not to mention in the midst of a chaotic battle, the heretics wouldn't just watch him cast spells.

Immediately, a heretic charged forward, and even though Geralt wanted to rush over, there was a distance to cover.

The situation quickly fell into a desperate state.

"Bang!" A gunshot went off, and the heretic threatening the scholar tilted its head and died instantly.

This gunshot broke the eerie atmosphere on the scene, as heretics didn't use guns, and the gunners of the Honor Guard had already run out of ammo.

Right then, both sides clashed closely, and Dismas didn't bother reloading; he drew his short sword and charged forward.

"Hahaha!!!"

Boudica charged ahead wildly, her face full of excitement, finally able to kill to her heart's content here.

"Get off, monster!" Balistan charged with a shield, directly knocking a heretic away, while using the Morningstar Hammer to strike the shield, drawing everyone's attention, "Hold on, brothers, we're here!"

Torch fires rose in the wilderness, approaching the battlefield as reinforcements joined.

"Kill!"

Most of the Honor Guard fell, and the heretics didn't fare much better either. With the sudden appearance of several fierce warriors, the battle quickly turned.

Meanwhile, Alhazred paid no attention to the external situation. His consciousness was immersed in destiny, which revealed Barin's injuries so severe that even he almost deemed him dead.

However, he sensed a steadfast soul within that seemingly lifeless body.

Without many words, Alhazred suddenly opened his eyes; his manic spiritual essence even transformed into lightning swirling around him, while the candelabra in his hands seemed stimulated and floated, with the candle igniting spontaneously and swelling instantaneously.

Critical strike! Destiny reconstructed!

The trajectory of destiny was redirected onto another path, and a strange power acted on Barin, restoring the shattered heart clawed out by the ghoul, and reversing most of the other injuries.

This is the charm of destiny.

However, the restored heart did not beat, and Barin's chest did not rise and fall with breath.

This inevitably gave rise to unease.

Yet don't underestimate the soul beneath this body; even death could be resisted. Soon, that heart gave a tentative beat, and then a stronger heartbeat seemed audible to others.

Blood surged! Limbs loosened!

As this was completed, Alhazred's body slumped, clearly in poor condition.

By this time, the battle was under control with reinforcements arriving, but the situation was far from optimistic.

Too many were injured, severely and near death, beyond the help of bandages. Even with Alhazred's healing abilities, he was gravely injured himself and doubtful if he could suppress his own negative state, let alone heal others.

"May the Holy Light protect us~" Junia raised the ignited Saint's Torch, using its power to enhance the Divine Arts.

Though the cost was all the Divine Power she painstakingly restored over many days, she did not regret it.

For it was her duty to heal the world, the very purpose of the Divine Arts' existence.

Holy Consolation!

The torch's flames flared tremendously, with countless specks of light appearing from nowhere, like falling snowflakes onto everyone present.

The Honor Guard, once on the brink of death, now temporarily escaped the threat of it, but the healing continued as the injuries were numerous and grave.

Everyone labored to clean up the battlefield, and the slightly disheveled Geralt finally exhaled a sigh of relief.

"We arrived late." Balistan openly admitted the mistake first. If they had arrived sooner, the battle wouldn't have turned out this way.

"The opponents are not ordinary people, and the situation in the wilderness is more complex." Geralt wasn't a child and did not place the blame on them; instead, he offered a way out.

Balistan and his group rushed through the night to arrive, showing they didn't intentionally delay. Both sides need to work together to hold the fort ahead, so there's no need to quarrel over this.