Rising god
Chapter 39: Battle Against the Deplorable: End

Chapter 39: Battle Against the Deplorable: End

The tide of battle shifted once more.

The commanders were too far from the priests, they wouldn’t reach in time, which was a terrifying truth. The priests, mid-ritual, were left defenseless as a spell of such magnitude required time. Well, the knights of the Church and Darkan had surrounded them for protection, yet their presence felt futile in the face of what loomed.

Because when a 6th Star wielder, worse still, one like the blood deplorable unleashed his full might, what was the difference between protected and unguarded?

To the deplorable, they were already dead.

Panic set in, swirling through the ranks like black smoke. Despair, horror, and fury warred for dominance on every face. The commanders, veterans hardened by countless wars, were sprinting with their full might toward their troops.

Losing such a number wasn’t healthy at all.

Even if they won the war afterwards, they would lose a lot. They just couldn’t risk it, but the situation was looking bleak.

And then came the shadow.

The massive silhouette of the blood deplorable’s conjured figure raised its hand like an executioner’s hammer poised to crush the army beneath it.

That’s when her voice cut through the chaos like a sword.

"Fire!"

From above, Tasha and her dragon knights descended like heaven’s judgment.

Fire rained from their formation, searing through the air.

Grrrrr...

The enormous silhouette recoiled, grunting like a wounded beast as the massive hand was scorched, melting mid-motion. The impending strike halted.

The commanders heaved with relief, finally reaching the frontline. Yet they knew the horror wasn’t over.

They couldn’t retreat now. The priests were still mid-chant, and their safety was non-negotiable. For that, they had to stand guard before the priests.

-Shoot up.

The voice was from Baines to Tasha, and she gave a quick nod.

"Formation Two!"

At her command, the dragons soared upward in synchronized grace, circling the skies above and began releasing their breath into the cloud.

"Oh... this formation," Roderick murmured. His eyes gleamed with understanding. "You know what to do, soldiers. RAIN HELL ON THAT BASTARD!"

With a roar, he unleashed his aura into the cloud layer above and pulled it back.

Crackle... BOOM!

Lightning screamed down from the heavens, exploding on contact with the blood silhouette.

Grrr...

’What is that?’ The Blood deplorable’s pupils constricted.

He hadn’t expected that. No, he didn’t think it was possible.

However, his shock was yet to end as,

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The storm came.

Lightning after lightning rained down, pounding the massive blood construct. Each impact sizzled, melting flesh-like blood and forcing the deplorable to continuously restore it with fresh essence. Sweat began to bead on his brow, not from exertion, but from control. Even he couldn’t ignore this pressure.

And still, he adapted.

The blood silhouette changed, morphing into a six-armed warrior. Each limb wielded a unique weapon: sword, axe, club, bow, shield, and spear.

It was like a nightmare given form.

The sword clashed with lightning, deflecting strikes. The axe intercepted aerial bombardments. The club knocked aside the thunderbolts, while the bow and arrow rained blood-forged projectiles on the army.

The shield? That was reserved solely for the blood deplorable.

To the warriors below, it was like watching lightning judgment over a demon.

Despite the sheer power thrown at him, the blood-deplorable endured. Each drop of blood burned from the sky was replaced in an instant.

The ground trembled under their feet. Shockwaves shattered stone. The sky wept flame and fury.

But everything had its limit.

And unfortunately, the army reached theirs first.

After ten combined aura-driven strikes, they withdrew, unable to maintain their offensive lest they begin to affect their cores.

And it wasn’t just that, for the rest of the army, exhaustion had caught up to them.

The blood construct sensed it and grinned.

Without hesitation, it surged forward, every weapon raised in brutal synchronization to bring devastation down upon the army.

A twisted smile bloomed on the blood deplorable’s face. Victory was now within his reach.

’Atta—’

Ptchch!

A crack tore across his body, stopping his movement. A flaming blade drove into his side.

"Ahhh!"

He screamed. The silhouette halted mid-attack.

Baines had appeared like a phantom and struck once again with a blazing fire surprise ambush.

"Good job!" Roderick bellowed, seeing Baines’ strike save their entire front.

"You... insect!" the blood deplorable snarled, all pretenses gone.

His rage boiled into pure hatred.

The giant silhouette turned, ignoring its former destination. Now all six arms were focused on one man.

Baines.

To the blood-deplorable, Baines had cost him more than the whole army combined. Baines wasn’t just an enemy. He was the cause of failure, humiliation, and defeat to date. If Baines died, the rest would crumble.

That’s when it happened.

A voice, no, a chorus that filled the battlefield.

"Blessing of the Sun: Purification and Banishment of Evil."

Angelic in tone and divine in resonance.

The air shifted, thinner, brighter, and holier. It made the knights and warriors, known to be strong in spirit to want to drop to their knees in reverence.

Then the dragons glowed, filled with blessings.

"Shit... Shit... SHIT!" the blood deplorable roared. He could feel it, the purity, it could tear his very essence.

"FIRE!" Tasha screamed.

And the dragons obeyed.

Kwaaaa!

A column of divine flame surged downward. It was brighter, purer, more lethal than what they had been doing.

The fire of judgment.

The blood-deplorable panicked. He converted every weapon into a shield and used it to block, even the one to protect him from another potential assassination attempt.

As the first strike landed?

It burned through a shield.

His eyes shrank to pinpoints.

The second?

It melted the next shield.

He cursed.

Eight arms weren’t enough, he summoned ten. Twelve. Twenty. He summoned more limbs, layered with shields, stacking blood upon blood to stall the divine inferno.

But the flames didn’t stop.

They rained down like a second sun. A waterfall of celestial destruction.

"AHHHHHHH!" He strained himself to form another pair of arms and shields; however,

His blood weapons began to flicker, not from impact,

"No...No...No," The blood deplorable muttered repeatedly. He understood the meaning of what had just happened.

He felt it.

The blood orb had run dry.

One by one, his weapons vanished. The towering construct dissolved. The shields vanished like smoke. His power faded away as his essence got exhausted.

Then, silence.

The dragons ceased only ceased their attacks only after the construct was gone.

The blood deplorable’s power was gone.

He collapsed to his knees, sweat pouring, despair creeping in.

But then, his eyes snapped open again when he felt something gush into his body.

"My mana...!" he whispered. "It’s back...!"

His mana had returned. Somehow, after exhausting the power of the blood orb, his original mana returned.

The army stared, frozen in disbelief.

Everything that had happened from the beginning to the end was shocking. This man had the vitality of a roach. He just kept coming back continuously, one way or the other, but there was a problem.

He was no longer a 6th star.

He had dropped to the 5th star, his original rank.

His excitement couldn’t hold him any longer. If he had been a 6th star, he would have been able to escape, but now he could feel it too, the weight of those above him.

"Looks like your luck has run out," Roderick stepped forward, his aura stiffening.

Now that he was back at the 5th star, he could feel the pressure of the 6th star on his body. And then again, he was a mage. He never trained his body.

"For the sins you have caused, we can no longer live under the same sky, and at the same time, I won’t give you an easy death."

Without hesitation, he swung his blade.

Thud.

The blood-deplorable’s arms and legs were severed in one motion.

"GAAAHHHHH!" he screamed, writhing on the ground as blood spewed like a fountain.

Roderick wasn’t done. Small flames ignited in his hand.

He pressed them into each of the deplorable’s bleeding stumps.

Sizzle...

"GRAAAHHHH!" His screams rose until they broke into hoarse gasps.

His wounds were forcefully closed with the burn.

Minutes passed. The scent of burnt flesh choked the air, the merciless screams, and the pleading cries; however, no one looked away or listened to him. This man had caused them so much pain.

His body gave up after five minutes.

A mage’s body wasn’t built to withstand torture.

After a few minutes of hearing no splat sound, it finally sank in for the army.

Now, he was dead.

Truly dead.

The blood deplorable, one of the most terrifying enemies they had ever faced, was gone.

The battlefield fell silent.

Then came the collapse.

Knights, priests, even dragons slumped down, the weight of the victory crashing upon them.

The commanders gathered. They should have celebrated.

But someone else was already walking away.

Baines.

He walked calmly, heading toward one person only.

Tasha.

Looks of admiration and reverence at his strategy and strength fell on him, but Baines didn’t even glance at them.

Reaching her, he spoke quietly.

"We’re done with the mission. Let’s go."

"W-what? Now?" she blinked, still recovering. "Shouldn’t we stay? This is... a victory. People will want to thank you." After such achievements, wasn’t there meant to be a celebration of some sort after such a battle?

"Yes, now," he answered.

"No, no, you should stay, you were the hero of this battle."

"Um, Sir Jin, if you would like to wait for just a day, we would arrange everything..."

"Sir Jin, if you’d like to stay, we—"

Using Eye, Baines blocked out the voices. Only Tasha remained in his focus.

He didn’t want thanks. He didn’t want their celebration.

He had done what needed to be done and accomplished what he needed to. That was all.

Tasha stared at him.

Even now, after another achievement, there was no smile on his face.

There was no joy in his eyes. No pride. No satisfaction.

As if he hadn’t even tried.

The commanders looked to her, pleading silently.

But she sighed and nodded. "Alright." Everyone was saddened by her reply, but she knew better. Even though she had refused, he would just find another way back.

And besides, this was the least she could do for someone who had saved their lives and helped them win.

So, there, just immediately after the battle, Tasha and her team members left.

It further saddened the army that, not once, not even a glance, did Baines give them as he climbed the dragon and soared to the sky.

It was like he had moved on, and truly, he had.