Equidema was crushed under a massive palm, its body bursting apart.
Kwa-ji-ji-jik!
All that remained where the beast had been was a mangled corpse and pools of blood.
Everyone who saw it froze, their minds unable to process what had just happened.
At that moment, Ghislain stomped his foot and shouted loudly.
"Everyone, fall back!"
When training the army, Ghislain had put the most effort into ensuring that his orders would be instinctively followed.
That training proved invaluable in this situation. The moment Ghislain's words fell, everyone in the vicinity unconsciously retreated.
Even Alpoi immediately grabbed Piote, unleashed his mana, and dashed away. Say what you will, the guy was a master at escaping.
Meanwhile, the enormous hand once again slowly slammed down on the ground.
Kwaaaang!
Jjeo-jeo-jeo-jeok!
The earth cracked and trembled as though an earthquake had struck.
Even those who had already retreated a good distance couldn't withstand the shock and fell over. The Riftborn emerging from the rift were annihilated on the spot.
Even skilled fighters like Ghislain staggered, barely able to keep their balance.
People stared at the enormous hand emerging from the rift, their faces filled with horror.
"What, what is that!"
"Does something like that really live inside the rift?"
"The thing they said couldn't come out… is this it?"
The rift had expanded considerably by now. It had grown large enough for multiple colossal beasts like Equidema to emerge.
Yet even through such a wide gap, only a single hand could barely fit. Just how massive could the creature be?
People swallowed hard, their eyes darting nervously toward Ghislain.
Ghislain took a deep breath and spoke.
"It's the owner of the rift. To close it, we have to eliminate that thing."
Belinda glanced at the rift and asked cautiously.
"Then… do we have to wait for it to fully emerge?"
"Yes, that's the only way to close it completely."
"But now that Equidema is dead, what about the expansion of the rift?"
"With Equidema gone, its zone will gradually shrink. While Riftborn can still operate within the zone… they likely won't anymore."
Even if they did emerge, they would vanish as the zone contracted. For now, just dealing with Equidema offered some relief.
Belinda looked somewhat reassured and asked again.
"Then, once that thing comes out, the Riftborn won't appear anymore if there's no zone?"
Ghislain firmly shook his head.
"No, once that thing comes out, the zone won't matter anymore."
"What… what do you mean by that?"
"Unlike Equidema, that thing can move freely regardless of the zone. And the aura it exudes alone will allow tens of thousands of monsters to operate in this world. They'll flock to it in droves."
The crowd was visibly shaken.
At present, they were barely holding the Riftborn at bay due to the restricted zone near the rift.
But if such a monstrous being could move freely and command tens of thousands of beasts, it would essentially be a mobile rift zone.
Ghislain smirked faintly.
"If Equidema was the vanguard, that thing is the main force."
"It doesn't have ranged attacks or anything, right?"
Belinda asked, eyeing the slow-moving hand with unease. Ghislain nodded.
"Fortunately, it doesn't. It's the type that fights head-on, using its body."
"Well, that's a relief."
If a creature of that size and strength had ranged capabilities, humanity might have been wiped out in an instant.
Everyone silently watched as the massive hand slowly retreated back into the rift. There was little to say; the sheer hopelessness of the situation rendered them speechless.
Belinda, staring at the rift, casually asked.
"Is it possible to defeat it?"
"It is. Humanity just has to become stronger. It's not invincible."
"I see. Have you already defeated it before, Young Master?"
"N-no."
She almost caught him off guard with her sudden jab, but Ghislain wasn't so easily rattled.
An awkward silence fell. Belinda narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing him as she pressed further.
"How do you know all of this? You've known everything about the rift since before it even appeared."
Ghislain responded with unshakable confidence.
"Ravier told me. That priest of the Salvation Church we met before."
"… That's an awfully detailed explanation for something he supposedly told you."
Belinda's comment made everyone nod in agreement.
Ghislain had always seemed to know too much, even before now.
Previously, people hadn't questioned it much because things always worked out. And whenever they did ask, he'd refuse to explain.
But this situation was different. The scale was far too grand.
When they captured Ravier, everyone had been with Ghislain. No one remembered the priest saying anything of note.
Yet Ghislain always claimed he had learned these things during a private encounter.
Everyone cast suspicious glances his way, but Ghislain didn't so much as blink.
He had another go-to excuse, one he'd often used on Galbarik.
"I read it in a book when I was young."
"..."
"Everyone should read more. Knowledge is power."
"..."
Belinda folded her arms. She recalled how Ghislain, who hated reading, had been forced to do so as a child—by none other than her, back when she served as head maid and tutor.
Even then, most of what he read were novels, and none of them included anything about rifts or mysterious knowledge.
"Are you still going to keep secrets from us?"
"You're the one who taught me that men with secrets are attractive, Belinda."
"..."
For a moment, Belinda reflected on whether her teachings had inadvertently shaped Ghislain into the man he was.
Everyone kept their suspicious gazes locked on him, but Ghislain chuckled and shook his head.
'Even if I explained, they wouldn't believe me.'
He had tried before, only to be doubted even more. It was exhausting.
With a sly smile, Ghislain reassured them.
"I've gathered information from various places, not just books. I'll tell you all everything later, so don't take it too hard for now."
Any explanation now would only create more confusion. He could wait until things settled down.
Everyone nodded, resigned. They weren't upset.
They'd followed Ghislain this far, and they trusted that he'd lead them to success.
Arel, standing with the knights, pulled out pen and paper from pocket and jotted something down.
"A man with secrets… attractive… noted…"
He was truly a diligent disciple, trying to emulate Ghislain in every way. Belinda's teachings seemed to have passed on to Arel as well.
Kaor clicked his tongue, watching him.
"Hey, do you really have to note that…?"
"Huh?"
"Never mind."
What could a knight possibly discuss with a zealous believer? It was better to let him be.
Ghislain clapped his hands a few times, speaking to shift the mood.
"Alright, this rift is done. With Equidema eliminated, the zone will shrink, and things will be safe for now. The Northern Army will move to the next rift."
"Woaaaaah!"
Curiosity aside, a victory was a victory. Cheers erupted from the crowd.
Even the rest of the Northern Army, waiting in reserve, would be overjoyed. They had handled the rift with minimal casualties—a feat no other army in the kingdom had accomplished.
The rift's owner was intimidating, but that was a problem for later. For now, they'd savor their triumph.
'The Lord will know what to do.'
'The Lord will handle it all, just like now.'
'We just need to trust and follow the Lord.'
This strong belief was Ghislain's true power, driving the North forward.
Everyone prepared to return to camp. With Equidema defeated, the blue mist was noticeably thinning.
Before leaving, everyone had a word to say to Piote. In a way, he was the most significant contributor to this operation.
"Truly amazing!"
"As expected of the saintess… no, the Saint!"
"To survive such an attack and still be fine!"
At their praises, Piote scratched his head awkwardly.
In truth, he had done nothing but take the hits.
At first, he didn't even understand why he was being attacked. It was only after sensing that his holy power was being channeled through the holy relic that he understood his role and its capabilities.
Ghislain's close aides also came up to commend Piote.
Equidema had an inexplicable fixation on him. Without Piote, capturing it wouldn't have been as easy.
Alpoi spoke to Piote with pride.
"We managed to pull this off thanks to you and me. Be proud of yourself."
"...."
Everyone nodded. Since Alpoi had outright tossed Piote at the monster, it wasn't entirely wrong. Alpoi had also ended up bearing all of Piote's resentment for it.
Ghislain approached and patted Piote on the shoulder.
"Good work. You were a tremendous help. I'll count on you again in the future."
"...."
Even though it was clear he would be used as bait again, Piote couldn't refuse. Admittedly, being the bait made hunting monsters significantly easier.
He didn't plan to object, but he did have a question.
"Why only me… no, why do those beings hate holy power so much?"
The creature Equidema had radiated an intense hatred for holy power. Even as it was being hunted, it obsessed over killing him.
Piote was curious about the reason.
Ghislain shrugged and replied.
"Who knows? Why would they? Maybe they're like dark mages or demons—instinctively repulsed by it. I don't know everything either."
"I see..."
After all, communication was impossible, and these creatures weren't even from this world. Perhaps their rejection was instinctual, as they were something not meant to exist in this world.
As everyone nodded in understanding, Alpoi teased.
"Or maybe they got scammed by the gods here? Like all the people who fall for my odd-or-even magic."
At his blasphemous remark, Piote pouted, but the others burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! If that's the case, I'd hate it too."
"Yeah, that's fair enough. Pfft!"
"We've got our saintess, so it's fine!"
What did it matter if the creatures hated holy power? Piote would still be the bait moving forward, after all.
Everyone basked in the joy of their victory with that thought.
Meanwhile, Ghislain… found Alpoi's comment oddly convincing.
Though he wasn't sure why.
***
The North wasn't the only group celebrating their victory.
The leadership of the Royalist faction, who had been following the Northern Army's updates, couldn't hide their joy at the successive reports of triumph.
"As expected of Count Fenris!"
"They've already dealt with three rifts. That's an incredible pace."
"And with minimal losses, no less! Truly outstanding."
The armies of the rift-afflicted territories were struggling to hold the line. Lords from unaffected territories had to step in to assist.
Even then, they couldn't stop the endless hordes of Riftborn, let alone Equidema.
In this dire situation, the Northern Army's overwhelming success was nothing short of miraculous.
Maurice thumped his chest and exclaimed.
"I knew that kid would pull it off! He's extraordinary, just like I always said. Didn't I dote on him back in the day?"
"...."
The Royalist nobles grimaced at Maurice's words.
When he'd been trying to undermine Ghislain before, it had been a completely different story. Now that Ghislain had brought results, his attitude had done a complete 180.
Still, it was hard to criticize him since he was using his authority as the kingdom's military commander to support Ghislain.
Marquis Branford, reading the continuous reports, nodded.
"This is good news. The kingdom's forces can focus more on keeping the South in check."
Currently, every territorial army is tied up dealing with rifts. As a result, containing the South had fallen entirely to the kingdom's forces.
Even the kingdom's army had to commit some troops to rift operations. However, the Northern Army's exceptional performance allowed the kingdom's forces to focus fully on the southern front.
Marquis Branford addressed the nobles around him.
"The only force capable of effectively handling the rifts right now is the Northern Army. We must grant them full authority and maximum support."
Everyone nodded in agreement. There was no room for dissent. The Northern Army was their sole hope.
The regions near the rifts were economically paralyzed. The territories trading with them were also starting to face problems.
It wasn't just trade disruptions—maintaining armies was costly.
In short, the kingdom's overall economy was deteriorating rapidly.
This would inevitably weaken their capacity to sustain a war against the dukedom.
Marquis Branford turned to Count Ailesbur and continued.
"Especially the medicines Count Fenris requested—ensure they're produced in large quantities and distributed widely. Are the production efforts proceeding smoothly?"
Count Ailesbur, who was managing medicine production along with other nobles, pulled out a document and stammered through an update.
"Uh… so, the medicine for the plague… we're gathering materials as best as we can… The kingdom's troops near the capital have received their supplies, but… some territories still… are short on materials… my wife mentioned…"
Although Count Ailesbur was technically the head of his household, his wife, Meriel, handled the actual work.
She organized everything and simply informed her husband, who then relayed it.
Knowing this, the other nobles looked at him with bored expressions. Feeling their gazes, Count Ailesbur retorted.
"What? You all know my situation, so stop giving me that look. Huh? Are you so different from me?"
"Ahem."
The nobles cleared their throats and looked away. In truth, they were no different. Other than providing resources, manpower, and money, they contributed little.
If Meriel could attend these meetings herself, it would be better, but she was currently busy producing medicine with Rozalin.
Marquis Branford, the only one paying close attention to the report, frowned.
"Why are materials still short? I told you to secure them by any means necessary."
"Well… the Fairy's Blessing is so rare and expensive… people are reluctant to give it up…"
"If you can't even provide proper support, what's the point of all this?"
Bang!
Marquis Branford slammed the table in anger.
The Northern Army handled the rifts, while Meriel and Rozalin managed the medicine. Marquis Branford directed the kingdom's strategy.
The rest were just sitting around receiving updates.
Thus, the nobles needed to fully mobilize their resources, troops, and money. Only by pooling their strength could they overcome this crisis.
As Marquis Branford's fury mounted, Maurice sighed and pulled out a small vial.
"This stuff better work. Are we even sure there'll be a plague? Producing enough will cost a fortune, and the Royalist faction is already stretched thin."
The purple liquid in the vial swirled as Maurice set it on the table. It was the medicine Ghislain had insisted on creating to prevent and treat the plague.
Despite Ghislain's warnings, doubts lingered about its necessity. If the plague didn't materialize, the cost would be a massive loss.
A noble next to Marquis Branford said.
"Still, didn't that priest from the Salvation Church confess to such a plot? That's why we trust Count Fenris and proceed."
"Hah, but it feels off, doesn't it? We don't even know where this formula came from, and the effects aren't fully proven. What if the plague doesn't happen?"
"Didn't you just say he feels like family to you? Trust him."
"Ha, this is a world where even sons kill fathers for power. You think I'd trust a nephew completely? What if this stuff kills me, huh?"
'What does he even want us to do?'
The noble suppressed his irritation, turning his face away. Talking to Maurice always led to these ridiculous conversations.
As Maurice continued his grumbling, a knight rushed in, panting heavily.
"The plague is spreading in the kingdom!"
At the sudden news, everyone's expressions hardened.
Maurice opened the bottle in front of him and drank the medicine faster than anyone else.
[T/L: Hahahaha.]
[T/L: Please support me and read 385 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]