Chapter 207

The moment when the twins appeared, there was an obvious change with the inquisition soldiers . Rather, it was not only the inquisition soldiers . The mercenaries and the other soldiers were the same .

「That unpleasant face . 」

Ardis’s expression turned ugly while going against the inquisition soldiers .

「Advance! Apostles of the Evil God must never be left alive! 」

With one of the inquisition soldiers raising his voice, the other responded . One after another as Ardis continued to cut down, however, no matter how much difference is in their strength, the enemies did not falter .

There weren’t a sliver of fear towards Ardis in their eyes, neither did excitement nor resolution were in their eyes . Their eyes only had a dangerous glint .

Ardis swung Skies of Myriad Colors at the one of the inquisition soldiers . However, that particular soldier didn’t even try to defend with his shield, but rushed towards Ardis in a suicidal manner .

「Tch! 」

Ardis stepped back at the unexpected charge . Even as his stance crumbled, the sky-colored blade cut off the soldier’s arm . The stump of the severed arm was spewing out blood everywhere .

However, he did not stop . Even if it wasn’t an immediate fatal injury, it would normally be severe enough to make him unable to move . Even though he should be trying to stop the bleeding immediately if he wanted to survive, the soldier swung his sword with his remaining arm towards Ardis .

「So persistent! 」

One of the flying swords stabbed into the back of the soldier .

「Guah! 」

The flying sword probably stabbed through his lungs . As the soldier coughed up mouthfuls of blood . However, the soldier would not stop moving and continued swinging his sword .

There was no fear nor hesitation in his eyes . It was completely dominated with hostility towards Ardis .

「These insane bunch . 」

Ardis complained after cutting off the soldier’s head . It wasn’t just him . Every single one of the inquisition soldiers that came for Ardis was the same .

Their willingness to suicidally attack Ardis without a single care for their own lives made Ardis felt chills at his back . It was not the resolution to die . Rather, they were prioritizing to kill Ardis instead of their own lives .

With no regards to the injuries on themselves, it can only be described as insanity as they only tried to fulfil their purpose .

Fanatics . Ardis only thought of them as that . It was not just the inquisition soldiers . The mercenaries and the soldiers were the same, everyone there were the same .

With a closer glance, the church’s mark was hanging on all of their necks . They were all devout believers who couldn’t walk without having the church’s mark on them at all times .

It was a gathering of people like that . Rather, if it was not a gathering of such people, they would’ve never come knowing the dangers of the Corsas Forest . On top of that, they will be facing Ardis who is known to be the strongest in the capital .

It is exactly the pinnacle of insanity .

「Die, evil apostle! 」

The inquisition soldiers that would continue to move no matter if their limbs are severed or when their lives are approaching its end .

Against Ardis, ten of such people suddenly charged in at once . They had two shields on both their arms while they charged in . With no weapons other than the shields, it also seemed like they were carrying something in their hands .

「What is it……? 」

While having a bad feeling, Ardis called back three of his flying swords, while casting wind blades . No matter if they had two shields, it’s not enough to cover their entire body .

There were multiple people who fell over as their legs were cut off, or blown into the air by large rocks appearing from the ground .

However, Ardis as well couldn’t pay attention to them all the time . After all, there’s a need to deal with the other mercenaries and soldiers coming his way .

It was at that moment .

「Nere! 」

Screams from the twins were heard from behind . Ardis who reflexively looked behind found Nere with blood dripping from her arms .

「What ha――! 」

Ardis who was about to call her realized something . One of the enemies managed to slip past Ardis’s defense in that tiny gap . It was one of the inquisition soldiers who was charging at Ardis like a mad man .

Even after losing one of his legs, he kicked against the ground as if not feeling pain, and landed near Ardis on the ground . The eyes filled with insanity were directed at Ardis .

「Rot in hell! 」

Leaving his last curse, the soldier’s both arms started to heat up . The stuff grasped in his hands scattered all over the ground near Ardis .

「Magic stones――! 」

The next moment, multiple tens of magic stones unleashed their power together . Its power unleashed at zero distance ravaged the surroundings .

Flames and intense wind blew all around . Although Ardis managed to put up a magic barrier in time, the impromptu barrier was not strong enough .

On top of that, the source of the attack was close to the point of reach . No matter how capable Ardis is, he couldn’t get away without harm .

With several lacerations over his arm and face, just as he was about to count how many of those soldiers remain―― .

「Kyaa――! 」

The screams of the twins was heard once again .

「Fillia, Riana! 」

As a temporary countermeasure, Ardis used explosion arts to buy some time as he jumped upwards .

Looking over at the direction of the twins while putting up a physical barrier to deal with the arrows coming his way, there was the figure of Nere supporting the injured twins .

Anger lit in Ardis’s eyes . Ardis released mana shockwaves towards the Thoria soldiers who are aiming their bows at Nere .

Several of the soldiers were blown away and became unmoving . As Ardis landed just beside Nere and the twins, he deployed a tough barrier to protect them .

「Forgive me, it was my mistake . To think they would discard their own lives . 」

「Same for me in that regard . How is the two? 」

「Their wounds are not severe . However, a sudden barrier had its limit . They passed out after hitting their head . 」

Ardis confirmed the states of the twins with Nere . There were some bruises and lacerations, it wasn’t severe just as Nere said .

However, that didn’t mean his anger would cool . Rather, his anger only multiplied seeing the inquisition soldiers sacrificing themselves in order to kill the twins .

「For three minutes . Can you put up a five-fold magic barrier? 」

「As your wish . 」

After ending the short conversation, Ardis once again returned his gaze towards the enemies coming their way . Barriers were put up few steps away from them .

If Nere were to put up five-fold barriers just for the sake of defense, it’s unlikely that the twins would be exposed to any further danger .

The remaining enemies are less than a hundred . However, even when more than half of them had deceased, the enemies didn’t show signs of giving up .

If the enemies are going this far for the sake of killing them, then there’s no longer any room to think about lasting impacts on the surrounding forest .

「I will give you lots the time to pray . Pray to that crazy woman that you all believe in for a good afterlife . Though, it’s unimaginable that that woman would even lend an ear at your prayer . 」

「……Are you insulting our Goddess! 」

The angered plump-eared priest was replied by Ardis .

「I’m just stating a fact . 」

Ardis was the most angry one there . Contrary to his lack of intonation, burning anger was filled to the brim inside .

「Tainting our Goddess’s name multiple times, there is no longer any forgiveness! Everyone, charge in at once! Do not let the Evil God’s servant live! 」

Receiving the orders of the priest, the inquisition soldiers who were staying further back, the soldiers who were taking bows, and the remaining mercenaries all charged in at once .

Welcoming them is Ardis with his left arm reaching up to the sky .

「Disappear . 」

Together with the chilled words, his outreached arms swung down . In the next moment, ten huge masses of heat appeared surrounding Ardis and the others .

They were white burning balls of flames akin to the sun . It is the heavenly flames that would burn its surroundings just by existing .

The people at where the white flames appeared turned into char instantly, and the others nearby went up in flames before stopped breathing .

It was an instant and more than twenty had died, the next instant, the balls of white flames exploded in all directions . Following on, another sphere of light appeared on Ardis’s head . It was the same scenery as the Bow of Rainbow earlier .

However, it was no longer arrows of light that were shot, it was light beams with diameters of about ten centimeters . On top of that, it wasn’t only one of them .

The sphere of light floating above continued to shower down tens of light beams onto the earth . The light beams as if sentient sought out the remaining enemies, and burned them with its intense heat .

The enemies who luckily escaped being prey to the exploding white flames were hunted down by the light beams, and finally stopped breathing as well .

It took three minutes until everything ended . It was truly a scenery of hell when Ardis dispersed the light sphere .

Only the house protected by the barrier remained, as a hundred meters radius around them turned into a burnt landscape .

The carbonized wood turned into ash when blown by the wind, and black lumps likely originated from someone could be seen scattering amongst them .

The trees that escaped being turned into ash immediately were still burning in high heat .

With burning marks left on the ground where the light beams passed through, its tracks were scattered with chunks of meat . There were only four people left on the scene, Ardis, Nere and the two twins .

「Nere, take care of both of them . 」

「Acknowledged, my master . 」

Nere answered without hesitation at Ardis’s words . There was no longer any enemies in sight . However, Nere would’ve realized the same two mana signatures running further away from them as Ardis .

The two human sized signatures were both just around here a little while back . It was the plump-eared priest that commanded the soldiers and the previous Marquis Holguin .

The reason why Ardis purposefully casted magic barrier on them were not for the sake of letting them escape . Naturally, he had no plans of letting them live, it was because that he had things to say to them before handing them over to the afterlife .

There was still plentiful of remaining time . In any case, they would need at least three hours to escape the forest . Rather, it’s more likely for them to die by some predators on the way out .

Ardis picked up one of the mass-produced swords laying on the ground, and pursued after the two mana signatures heading outside the forest .