The light spread intensely around the fortress. Kaaahhhh! The Rift creatures touched by the suddenly spreading light let out painful screams as they all turned to ash. Ssssss! As the light brushed past, Equidema’s body also began burning in various places. The beast, enraged, bared its teeth and turned its head in the direction from which the light spread. “There’s strength! Strength is overflowing!” “I can move again!” “Get up! Quickly!” The soldiers gripped their weapons tightly and reformed their formations. Although the Rift creatures were gathering again, with their recovered strength, they could handle them well enough. From between the soldiers, Piote walked out. His expression was somewhat tense, but his eyes were resolute. "I have to hold on well." He had tried to step forward several times, but he held back because of Ghislain’s insistence. Even when the formation of allies was being pushed back and the Rift creatures surged forward, he couldn’t step in. Ghislain had said that eventually, everyone would get tired. That no one would be able to display their full strength. And he was certain that Equidema would eventually come charging toward this position. So Piote had no choice but to endure. If he used up his strength as well, they wouldn’t be able to properly face Equidema. Grrrrrrr... Equidema stared at Piote with eyes filled with murderous intent. The beast instinctively knew who had spread the light. It wanted to tear apart the one exuding this hateful energy right now. Kaaaahhh! Equidema roared and charged at Piote. Now that Piote had appeared, the beast saw nothing else. It moved solely with the murderous intent to kill him. Boom! Sssss! Equidema’s paw, which struck at Piote, ignited with divine energy. Surprised, Equidema pulled its paw back. Kaaaahhh! Equidema roared again and stomped down on Piote. But nothing happened. Piote neither flew away nor collapsed. He remained standing in place, thanks to the activation of Juana’s Blessing. But Equidema, unaware of this, grew furious and struck Piote several more times. Boom! Boom! Boom! The strength that couldn’t be fully unleashed spread outward. The resulting shockwaves knocked down and scattered the soldiers nearby. But Piote was no longer crouching like before. He stood upright, his eyes wide open as he faced Equidema. "I must do this." Everyone else was exhausted. He had to at least draw Equidema’s attention a little. That way, others could more easily attack Equidema. Flash! Ghislain and the others were already moving to slash at Equidema’s body. Equidema tried to shake them off and attack someone else. It was always the same pattern when trying to take down Equidema. But this time, Piote’s actions were a little different. Swoosh. Sssss! Kaaaahhh! Piote slid forward as if gliding and latched onto Equidema’s foot. He had learned various combat techniques from Ghislain. Though he had never directly participated in battles, he diligently practiced whenever he had time. Among them, the skill he trained in the most was hand-to-hand combat. Ghislain prioritized teaching him how to move effectively to maximize his defensive capabilities. Thanks to this training, Piote was able to cling to Equidema’s foot and move with it. Sssss! Kaaaahhh! Equidema let out a pained cry. Wherever Piote’s body touched, it began to burn. The energy he exuded was essentially the antithesis, the natural predator, of Equidema. Boom! Boom! Boom! Equidema struck at Piote with its other paw, trying to shake him off, but it was futile. Instead, Piote, wrapped in divine energy, climbed up Equidema’s body. Boom! Boom! Boom! A bug clinging to its body, inflicting burning pain—few creatures could endure such torment. Equidema was no exception. The beast thrashed violently, desperate to shake Piote off. Kaaaahhh! Ghislain saw this and shouted, “Now! Don’t miss this opportunity!” Equidema, even as it bled from the attacks it was suffering, focused only on attacking Piote. If things continued like this, Piote wouldn’t be able to hold out for long. Boom! Boom! Boom! Every time Equidema hit him, Piote’s divine energy disappeared in chunks. That energy was irreplaceable. If the battle against Equidema dragged on and Piote used up all his divine energy... He would be reduced to nothing but a pool of blood. “Urgh...!” Even knowing this, Piote gritted his teeth and continued climbing until he reached Equidema’s neck. His divine energy was already about half gone. He had used up a significant amount earlier to restore the soldiers. Still, he held on with clenched teeth. "I must be of more help!" That thought was his only focus. Many times, he had wished to connect with the goddess to support his exhausted allies. If only he could succeed, it would make a big difference. They might even be able to eliminate the Rift creatures faster. But no matter how desperately he wished, the connection did not come. Miracles, after all, didn’t happen just because one wanted them to. He had forgotten. The goddess had already given him power. Now was the time to act. Piote clung to Equidema’s neck, repeatedly reciting a scripture passage. "The trial of faith, refined by fire, is more precious than gold... You have faith, and I have deeds; show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith through my actions." As Equidema rose again, clawing to shake him off, Piote’s hand moved even faster, digging into Equidema’s neck. Sssssssss! Kaaaahhh! Piote’s hand, filled with divine energy, began burning Equidema’s neck. The force spread, gradually blackening the surrounding area. “Urgh...” Blood dripped from Piote’s mouth. He had pushed his divine energy past its limits without regard for his own body. His hair had already turned silver, evidence of how intense his divine power had become. Sssss! The damage to Equidema was immense, but Piote could feel his divine energy being consumed rapidly. Equidema sensed it too. Though it couldn’t fully understand the attacks, the beast instinctively knew—this persistent, cursed life form’s strength was nearly depleted. This persistent and cursed creature's strength was almost depleted. Kaaahhh! From the surroundings, other pests continued to wound it. The cursed energy burrowing into its neck was agonizing. But if it could endure just a little longer, it would crush them all. Equidema endured the pain, unleashing tremendous power. Its neck was mangled and melted to the point of disfigurement, but it did not die. Eventually, Piote completely exhausted all his divine energy. His hair returned to its original color. Equidema felt the cursed energy finally disappear. Fwoooosh! Equidema’s massive paw swung toward the staggering Piote. But someone moved faster. Swish! A rope attached to Belinda’s dagger wrapped around Piote’s body and yanked him away. Boom! Piote narrowly avoided being struck by Equidema’s paw. But like the beast it was, Equidema immediately redirected its immense reflexes to pursue Belinda. Its intent to kill was palpable. Equidema charged at Belinda in an instant. She hadn’t even had time to properly steady herself after catching Piote. At this rate, both of them would be torn apart by Equidema’s claws. “You bastard!” In Equidema’s path, Zwalter unleashed a surge of mana and swung his sword with all his might. Boom! Despite putting his full strength into the strike, Zwalter was sent flying backward. Randolph joined in to assist but fared no better. Such was the overwhelming strength and fury of Equidema. Gillian and Kaor, positioned on the opposite side, couldn’t even get close. Crash! Crash! Crash! Vanessa, a little farther away, unleashed a barrage of magic at Equidema. But she had already used up most of her mana, and the power of her spells had diminished. Equidema withstood it all, pressing forward with its sole focus: killing Belinda and Piote. “Tch!” Belinda barely managed to step back, but Equidema’s speed was faster. Kaaahhh! Equidema, with its massive bulk, quickly caught up. It raised one massive paw high into the air. Just one swing would be enough to crush the two pests before it. Thunk! The sharp sound of metal piercing flesh echoed, and Equidema’s raised paw hesitated. Belinda seized the moment, rolling away to narrowly avoid the attack. Grrrrr... Blood dripped steadily from Equidema’s mouth. The beast glared with bloodshot eyes at Belinda and Piote, who had narrowly evaded its attack. Crack! Crack! Crack! The sound of something else being pierced echoed, and Equidema’s body flinched. Only then could people clearly see what was happening. A massive sword aura had pierced through Equidema’s neck. Ghislain, wrapped in dark crimson smoke and with his eyes radiating a blood-red light, stood atop Equidema’s neck. His sword extended with an enormous, crimson aura blade that pierced straight through Equidema’s neck. “Hah, Piote did his part.” Thanks to Piote, the skin and muscles around Equidema’s neck had completely burned away. Because of that, Ghislain was able to pierce through Equidema’s neck with what little strength he had left. Grrrrkk... Equidema let out a few blood-curdling sounds before collapsing entirely. Thud! The massive body of the beast fell to the ground. “Phew...” Ghislain sank to his knees, exhaling heavily. Blood trickled from the corners of his mouth. He had poured out every ounce of the strength he had conserved until now. The explosive burst of power at the final moment left his body in less than optimal condition. “We... we did it.” “We finally brought it down...” “This time, it was really close.” Everyone else also sank to the ground. After days of unrelenting battle, they were all completely drained of mana. If not for Piote’s performance, they might have suffered devastating losses. Rift creatures still sporadically appeared, but the knights and soldiers combined their strength to eliminate them. Although they were utterly exhausted, Piote’s earlier restoration had given them just enough energy to continue fighting. As Ghislain watched the soldiers deal with the remaining Rift creatures, he struggled to his feet. “All right, let’s finish off the rest.” The Rift creatures mindlessly kept charging. They didn’t care whether their numbers were few or many. With Equidema defeated and their numbers drastically reduced, these mindless attacks were no longer difficult to handle. After some more time, only a few creatures managed to crawl forward, and eventually, none came at all. Every last one of the horde had perished here. “It’s finally over.” Ghislain muttered before collapsing back onto the ground. Hearing his words, the soldiers also lay down where they stood, laughing. “Ha-ha-ha! We did it! We actually won!” “We held them off! All those bastards!” “Skovan! Go to hell, you cursed bastard!” Their joyful shouts echoed. Despite the overwhelming exhaustion, their happiness was a testament to their survival. Because of that, they could fully savor this hard-earned victory. Ghislain looked at Piote, who lay unconscious in Belinda’s arms, and muttered to himself. “This new hunting strategy... not bad.” They could afford to take greater risks using bait. Piote had grown significantly. Even in his unconscious state, Piote seemed to feel an inexplicable chill, causing him to twitch. Gillian, struggling to his feet, asked, “The barbarians must have already entered the northern regions. Shouldn’t we move to hit them from behind?” Ghislain waved his hand dismissively. “In our current state, we’d be useless. Let’s rest a little before we move.” He was right. Several knights had already collapsed and passed out where they lay. They had been fighting for days without sleep. To move now would be tantamount to marching to their deaths. Gillian, his legs trembling, slumped back to the ground. “It’s been days already. I hope they’re holding out well.” “They’re probably doing better than we expect.” “Do you really think so? The difference in troop numbers must be significant.” Gillian’s worry was evident. If that side faltered, Ferdium would be the first to fall. But Ghislain smiled faintly and replied, “Yes, they’re holding out. They’ll surprise everyone.” Before the Rift could completely engulf the Kaiphiller Fortress, Woroka mobilized his army. He knew that even if Ferdium discovered their movements, they couldn’t afford to abandon the fortress. Leading his warriors, Woroсa shouted loudly. “Warriors! The time has come to fulfill our long-awaited wish!” “Waaaaaaah!” The barbarians, humiliated by years of paying tribute, roared with elation. They had long yearned to battle Ferdium and plunder its lands. They had grown resentful under the agreement forged by Woroсa for food supplies. Now that he was leading all the tribes into war, they were filled with nothing but joy. What they wanted was simple—carnage. They wished to plunder and kill everything in the north. That was the dream of the warriors. However, their triumphant advance into the northern lands soon encountered an unexpected situation. “What is this? I heard there was no army?” At the entrance to the northern region, Woroсa found a well-organized army blocking their path. They had arrived before him and had already formed a solid formation. This was entirely unforeseen. The Ducal family had assured him that no army would stand in their way. With a puzzled expression, Woroka stared at the banners of the army before him. “No way... Rayfold?” This was different from what the Ducal family had told him. Before his eyes stood an army that was supposedly incapable of mobilizing. The army waiting at the entrance noticed the approaching barbarians. Bernaph turned his gaze to the highest seat in the command tent. Amelia sat leaning sideways in her ornate chair, her chin resting on her hand, her eyes closed as if deep in thought. “Barbarians have arrived,” Bernaph reported cautiously. Amelia slowly opened her eyes. Her next words were an emotionless command. “Prepare the entire army for battle.”