Chapter 179: An Unsettling Agreement
“Your lord seems to know far more about us than I expected,” Kost said, his tone carrying a hint of playful probing. But Vivi had no interest in listening to his nonsense. This man, along with that pig-headed monster of his, had nearly killed her. That debt had to be settled now.
She didn’t respond. She raised her hand and fired three bolts in quick succession. The specially crafted bolts from Night Owl sealed off every possible path Kost could use to dodge. This time, she had learned her lesson and carefully calculated the lead. Given his speed, no matter where he moved—or even if he didn’t move—he would inevitably be hit.
Yet Kost remained where he was, completely still. The irritating smile on his face didn’t change at all. The bolts didn’t draw even a trace of blood. Instead, they passed straight through him and continued into the distance, embedding themselves in tree trunks.
This time, Vivi saw it clearly. Her bolts had gone right through his body. The earlier shots hadn’t missed; they simply couldn’t hit him at all.
Rehanna, who had been on guard and preparing to flank from the side, also stopped. The holy flames on her sword had not yet faded, but she frowned slightly.
“Looks like you’ve figured it out,” Kost said, spreading his hands. He seemed completely unconcerned about being “pierced.” “That’s right. I’m not actually here. This is just a magical projection.” He smiled mildly, speaking as if sharing life advice. “A truly smart person wouldn’t put themselves in danger at all times, would they?”
“What exactly are you trying to do, you damned cultist?” Kayan stepped forward. He slammed the cross-shaped staff in his hand heavily against the ground, producing a dull thud.
“No need to rush, lapdog of the Mother Goddess.” Kost turned his gaze toward Kayan, and the warmth in his smile faded. “This time, I’ll admit defeat. Your strength exceeded my expectations. But I imagine we’ll be seeing each other again very soon. Let’s call it a promise.” He looked Kayan up and down, then let out a scornful laugh. “I just hope that by then, you’ll still be so devoted to that false god who never even bothers to acknowledge you. Hahaha!”
“You—!” Faced with such blasphemy, Kayan—normally devout and gentle—trembled with anger. Even the hand gripping his staff shook. He was on the verge of losing control, ready to rush forward and burn this heretic to ashes with holy fire.
But Kost’s figure had already begun to waver and blur.
He gave the three of them an exaggerated bow, like an actor taking a curtain call. “Well then, until next time.”
With wild laughter, his figure vanished completely into the air, as if he were the one who had won.
The battlefield fell silent once more. Only the distant sounds of clashing weapons and scattered screams remained.
“Coward.” Vivi spat toward the place where Kost had disappeared. “Doesn’t even have the guts to show up in person. What a joke.” She turned and saw Kayan still trembling with anger. Reaching out, she patted his arm. “Alright, muscle-brained priest, ignore him. That guy’s completely insane. Getting worked up over a lunatic just lowers your own standards. Let’s head back and report this to Nolan.”
Kayan took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, though his chest still heaved. As a devout follower of the Mother Goddess, he couldn’t tolerate even the slightest disrespect toward her.
At that moment, Rehanna walked over. With a flick of her sword, the pale golden holy flames were extinguished, and she smoothly sheathed it. Her movements were as clean and decisive as ever.
“No wonder the lord asked us to meet up with you, Vivi,” she said. “I think he may have anticipated something like this.”
“Nolan sent you?” Vivi asked in surprise. She instinctively turned to look toward the river.
At some point, the white frost mist that had covered everything had already dissipated. Only patches of unmelted ice remained along the riverbank. Had Nolan already finished on his side?
“The lord said you were moving along the edge of the battlefield and might run into ‘unexpected situations.’ He told us to come meet you immediately after dealing with our enemies,” Kayan said, finally suppressing his anger. “It seems the lord truly is all-knowing. This must be guidance from the Mother Goddess. The lord is her incarnation walking among mortals—”
“Stop, stop, stop!” Vivi quickly cut him off. She had no desire to hear another round of long-winded religious rambling.
Still, she understood now. Nolan clearly knew something—about Kost, about that so-called cult, and about the ring. For some reason, he had chosen not to tell them.
Kost’s final malicious words echoed again in her mind. It seemed that once they returned, she would need to find an opportunity to question him properly.
Having made up her mind, Vivi shook her slightly numb right hand and turned her gaze toward the corpse of the pig-man monster not far away.
“By the way, Fire Fox, go check if that thing has any—”
She stopped mid-sentence.
Her mouth parted slightly. Her eyes widened.
The place where the monster’s corpse had been lying was now completely empty.
Aside from a small pool of dark red blood beginning to congeal and the hole pierced by Rehanna’s sword, there was nothing there. The massive three-meter-tall body had vanished without a trace.
“…Where did it go?” Vivi stared at the empty ground in shock.
Rehanna and Kayan followed her gaze. Their expressions changed at the same time.
Just a minute or two ago, their attention had been entirely on Kost’s projection. In that short time, the creature had disappeared as well.
“Evil entities that are purified usually turn to ash. But it broke free from the holy fire just now, and there’s no trace of ash here,” Kayan said, frowning deeply. As a priest, he had dealt with many cultists, but something this strange was a first for him.
“That thing… was definitely physical.” Rehanna’s expression also grew serious. “When I struck it, I clearly felt the sensation of cutting through flesh and bone. That was no undead or elemental creature.”
“We should report this to the lord first,” Kayan said in a low voice. “He should already be at the north bank.”
The three exchanged glances. Each saw the same confusion in the others’ eyes. The situation was likely far more complicated than they had imagined.
Without further delay, they set off toward the north bank of the Somme River.
By this time, the north bank had grown much quieter. The thunderous sounds of battle had long since ceased.
The allied main force on the south bank and in the river had been almost completely annihilated under the Black Armored Legion’s counter-encirclement. The remaining survivors had lost all will to fight. Their morale had collapsed, and they had become prisoners.
The allied forces stationed on the north bank fared even worse. Their formations were torn apart by the fully armored Black Armored Legion led by Ailindel. Under the force of their penetrating charge, most lower-ranking officers were killed, and the chain of command collapsed.
Without leadership or restraint, the thousands-strong force disintegrated into chaos. Driven by fear of death, they scattered in all directions, leaving behind a battlefield in ruins.
Several massive siege rams that had already been pushed close to the main defensive line, along with many unassembled catapult components, were abandoned in the mud. They became spoils of war for the Black Armored Legion.
At the center of the battlefield, four hundred heavily armored soldiers of the Black Armored Legion had regrouped. They formed a circular defensive formation, surrounding the last few dozen enemies who were still resisting.
Those men wore the armor of allied knights and still held their swords, but every one of them looked ashen-faced.
The Black Armored Legion only surrounded them. They did not attack.
At the only opening in the encirclement, Ailindel stood alone—one rider, one horse, one spear—quietly holding that position.
She had become the only “way out” for those remaining knights.
But no one dared to move.
The two sides remained locked in a tense standoff, the air thick with pressure.