An aged, sharp figure had already shot out like an arrow from a bow. Wilhelm galloped forward on his Earth dragon, his eyes fixed on the White Whale. Fourteen years of hatred transformed into tangible killing intent at this moment, aiming to hack the demon beast into a thousand pieces.
Carlisle followed closely behind, but without riding a Earth dragon. He knew his explosive speed far surpassed that of a Earth dragon, and at this moment, only by abandoning his mount could he unleash his full power. His figure streaked across the plain like a blue meteor.
At the rear of the army, dozens of magical railguns emitted an ear-piercing charging sound. Lady Crusch held her sword high, her armor gleaming coldly under the moonlight. As her sword pointed, the muzzles glowed with a dangerous white light.
The third charging figure was Patrasche. This Earth dragon carried Subaru and Rem, cutting into the battlefield like lightning. Rem gripped the reins tightly, and Subaru looked at the demon beast. Sure enough, the White Whale's massive eyes were fixed on them, flying towards them, completely ignoring other threats!
"Now!" Lady Crusch's furious roar echoed across the battlefield. A sword qi tore through the sky, accurately hitting the White Whale's flank. The demon beast let out a painful shriek, and its movements instantly paused.
"Fire!"
Dozens of dazzling white lights from the magical railgun array pierced the night sky, erupting with a deafening roar the moment they touched the White Whale's body. The shockwave of the explosion stirred up a fierce wind.
Carlisle seized the opportunity and raised his hand.
"Al Goa!"
A fireball dozens of meters in diameter rose like the morning sun, illuminating the entire battlefield as bright as day. When this "sun" crashed into the White Whale, the previously fading explosion suddenly intensified, and the shockwave even tore apart the nearby clouds.
"Subaru, close your eyes, the Night-Dispelling magic is about to activate!"
Rem, riding Patrasche, shouted.
The next moment, the anti-aircraft guns positioned at the front activated. A massive beam of light, several meters in diameter, shot straight into the sky, exploding with a thunderous roar upon reaching its apex. Dazzling white light poured down like a waterfall, completely dispelling the darkness for several miles around.
The White Whale let out a deafening wail, its massive body plummeting like a meteor. The ground trembled violently upon impact, and the rising dust obscured half the sky. When the smoke and dust cleared, this legendary demon beast finally fully revealed itself before everyone.
Its grayish-white skin was covered in fine, dense fur, each strand gleaming with a metallic luster, and terrifying fangs were arranged in an interlocking pattern. But what was most unsettling were the countless pores scattered across its body, each contracting and expanding rhythmically.
Subaru, at close range, suddenly covered her mouth. Even without trypophobia, those wriggling pores made her feel a wave of nausea.
Flames of revenge ignited in Wilhelm's eyes. The old Sword Demon leaped from the Earth dragon's back, his agile movements showing no sign of his advanced age. He landed precisely on the White Whale's head, his longsword piercing fiercely with fourteen years of hatred.
"Roar!!"
The White Whale let out a painful roar, its massive body twisting violently, attempting to reascend. However, the next second...
"Ul Huma!"
Carlisle's incantation rang out, and dozens of giant ice cones condensed out of thin air, piercing fiercely into the White Whale's body with a whooshing sound, nailing the giant beast firmly to the ground. The moment the ice cones met flesh and blood, an ear-splitting freezing sound made one's teeth ache.
"My gratitude!"
Wilhelm's offensive did not stop. His sword transformed into a silver whirlwind, leaving deep wounds on the White Whale's body. Blood poured down like a waterfall, staining the plain below dark red. Finally, the old Sword Demon leaped to the White Whale's side, his longsword piercing its massive eyeball.
"Splurt!"
In the pain of its ruined eye, the White Whale completely descended into madness. Even impaled by ice cones, it struggled desperately. All of its dense pores suddenly opened.
Wilhelm decisively abandoned the pursuit, returning to the Earth dragon's back in a few bounds. Having received intelligence, he knew what the imminent gush of mist meant.
Thick mist swept in like a tsunami, instantly engulfing the visibility of the entire battlefield. Lady Crusch had just raised her hand, preparing to order another activation of the Night-Dispelling magic, when a sharp, piercing pain suddenly shot from her temple directly into her brain, making her nearly fall from her Earth dragon.
"This is... a mental attack!" She gritted her teeth, enduring the splitting pain in her head as she looked around. The sight before her made her skin crawl.
The well-trained soldiers tumbled one by one from their mounts, clutching their heads and letting out heart-wrenching wails. Even more terrifying, those with weaker wills had already begun to scratch their faces with their fingernails or violently strike their temples with sword hilts, blood continuously dripping from between their fingers and the corners of their mouths.
"Felix! Quick!" Lady Crusch's voice was hoarse with pain.
"Understood, nya!"
Felix's cat ears stood erect. He led the healing mages, weaving through the battlefield, the light of healing magic flickering like fireflies in the thick fog. "Hold on! I'll heal you, nya!"
Just then, Carlisle's squad, responsible for attracting fire, retreated to the main position. Seeing their comrades writhing in pain on the ground, their faces all became unusually solemn.
"We must force the White Whale out immediately."
Carlisle, without a word, raised his left hand again. "Ul Fura!"
A violent hurricane erupted from him, instantly sweeping away the mist for several hundred meters around. However, what was unsettling was that the White Whale's figure had vanished without a trace.
"Subaru, quickly check the headcount!" Lady Crusch shouted, enduring her headache.
Subaru quickly confirmed with Lady Crusch one by one. "First squad 32 people, second squad 28 people... Total number unchanged!"
Both of them simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief. This meant that the White Whale had not yet released its special mist that could erase existence. But the crisis was not over; the invisible mental attack continued, and more and more soldiers fell.
Carlisle turned to Lady Crusch. "Lady Crusch, if this continues, casualties will keep increasing. Please allow me to enter the mist alone to find the White Whale."
"No!" Subaru immediately objected. "It's too dangerous for you to go alone!"
"Subaru, this is not the time to be willful..."
"I have a better idea!" Subaru interrupted Carlisle, a resolute light flickering in her golden eyes. She began to think.
She had pretty much figured out why the White Whale was attracted to her. The first time the White Whale was attracted to her was after her first Return by Death. At that time, Rem told her that she had an unpleasant smell on her. She had asked again, and that smell, specifically, was the lingering scent of the Witch.
The White Whale... was a creation of the Witch. There was a possibility that what attracted it was the Witch's scent on her.
That woman... the woman who told her about Return by Death, who threatened her heart... silver hair, purple eyes. Could she be the Witch of Envy?
Although she didn't know why the Witch of Envy, who had already been sealed, would appear and bestow this power upon her, she would think about it later.
Since the White Whale craved the Witch's aura... Subaru took a deep breath and softly said to the front, "I will Return by Dea-"
Before the last syllable could leave her lips, the sensation of her heart being threatened instantly swept through her. She grunted and fell to her knees, but a victorious smile appeared on her face. In the distance, the clouds suddenly churned violently, and the White Whale's massive body reappeared, rapidly diving towards them!
"The White Whale has appeared! Brothers of the Iron Fang, it's our turn!"
Ricardo's roar echoed across the battlefield. He held his great blade high, leading the white-robed mercenary group like a white torrent charging towards the demon beast. The sharp claws of their wolf-like mounts dug deep furrows in the ground.
The white torrent of the Iron Fang carved a sharp trajectory across the battlefield. These white-robed mercenaries, riding wolf-like mounts, dispersed like a well-trained pack of wolves. They agilely leaped onto the White Whale's broad fins, their sharp blades gleaming with cold light.
Their weapons continuously left hideous wounds on the White Whale's rough skin, and dark red blood rained down.
After completing a round of fierce attacks, Ricardo skillfully leaped off the White Whale's back. His great blade was covered in sticky whale blood.
"Go, old man!"
He laughed heartily, holding his great blade level above his head, forming a perfect springboard.
Wilhelm did not hesitate for a moment. The old Sword Demon's agile figure traced a graceful arc in the air, landing precisely on Ricardo's blade. With a furious roar from the mercenary captain, Wilhelm shot towards the White Whale once again like an arrow.
Wilhelm's sword became a silver storm, each strike carrying years of accumulated anger. Wherever the blade passed, the White Whale's thick skin was easily torn like paper. The demon beast let out a painful wail, its massive body twisting violently, attempting to reascend.
But Carlisle would not give it that chance. The knight's figure was like a blue lightning bolt, weaving through the White Whale's sides at a speed difficult for the naked eye to catch. The longsword in his hand glowed with magical light, precisely severing all of the White Whale's fins. The unbalanced giant beast crashed heavily to the ground once again, kicking up a sky full of dust.
"It's our turn!" Mimi and Hetaro, the orange cat beast-human siblings, were already poised and ready.
"Ah!"
With two childish but powerful shouts, two air cannons whistled out, accurately hitting the White Whale's eyes. In the muffled sound of bursting eyeballs, the demon beast lost its eyes once again, only able to struggle helplessly in place.
Wilhelm seized this opportunity, raising his longsword and charging towards the White Whale's horn. This one strike! Would avenge all the forgotten souls!
Just as the blade was about to fall-
"Whoo!"
A whale's cry, even louder and more violent than before, echoed through the sky. Everyone simultaneously turned their heads to look, only to see a massive shadow slowly emerging from the thick fog in the distance.
Carlisle looked at the White Whale's one remaining eye. Indeed, was this White Whale a clone?
...
Re@d adv@nce ch@pters on p@t
guilt_free_daoist
Jo!n d!sc0rd I!nk in synops!s.
GIVE ME YOU POWER STONES.