Chapter 46

The extermination of the monsters was proceeding smoothly, but a problem arose here.

Leord, who had been controlling the battle with magic, had dropped to one knee.

“Gah…!”

Leord, drenched in sweat from agony, had been continuously casting Shockwave ever since he realized its effectiveness.

As a result, Leord's magic power was nearing its limit. Even Leord, who boasted of an overwhelming amount of magic power compared to other mages, would run out of magic power if he kept casting the spell that required a short incantation in rapid succession.

However, even though he knew his limits, Leord was desperately trying to kill as many monsters as possible. There was no way to stop him.

Seeing Leord drop to one knee and breathe heavily, the knights realized he was out of magic power.

The knights had resigned themselves to the fact that they could no longer expect support, but Leord's eyes were not dead.

He could still do it, he could still fight, and he could still struggle. Leord encouraged himself and stood up.

“Rending thunder, scorching black clouds, answer my call!”

As Leord began his incantation, black clouds appeared in the sky, covering it entirely. The rumbling of thunder echoed, waiting for Leord to complete his incantation.

“Pierce with a single ray of light, roar, thunder!”

The incantation was complete. Leord raised his hand to the sky and shouted.

“Everyone, evacuate!!!”

The knights, understanding what Leord was about to do, turned pale and left the area.

After confirming that everyone had evacuated, Leord brought his hand down and cast the spell.

“Thunderbolt!!!”

A deafening roar, as if to shatter the eardrums, echoed, and a blinding light filled the vision. The intensity of the light made it impossible to open the eyes, and he could only judge by the sound.

When the light subsided and he opened his eyes, the area was filled with the charred bodies of the monsters.

The knights, stunned by the unbelievable sight, looked at Leord with fear and awe.

On the other hand, Leord was momentarily dazed by the sheer power and the scene before him.

“Huh!

I lost consciousness...

But, it's bad!!!

Did I do that!? Isn't that amazing!?

Well, I've never tried it before, but it's dangerous, isn't it?”

Seeing the charred monsters and the scorched earth, Leord decided to use it sparingly due to its immense power.

However, he realized that it could yield significant results in the extermination battle. He had no intention of overusing it, though.

“Alright. Let's attack from here—”

Leord, determined to attack, wobbled and almost fell. Gilbert, who was the quickest to react, rushed to support him.

“Are you alright, young master?”

“A, ah. Sorry. I just wobbled a bit.”

As Leord tried to walk, he wobbled again and almost fell. Gilbert supported him once more.

“Young master, I believe you have used up all your magic power?”

“...No, I haven’t.”

“Your exhaustion is obvious to anyone. There’s no point in hiding it.”

“Sorry...”

Leord, looking apologetic, bowed his head. Barbarot approached him.

“On behalf of all the knights, I thank you, Lord Leord.”

“It’s just a temporary reprieve. There are still many monsters. So, there’s no need for thanks.”

“You are right, but we have been given a moment to rest. Therefore, it is only natural to express our gratitude.”

“...I see. Then, rest well.”

“Understood!”

Barbarot gave the order for the first and third squad to take a rest. As expected of well-trained knights, no one complained and they all began to rest.

Leord, however, never thought they would rest amidst so many charred bodies. He was surprised, thinking they would return to the fort.

A brief respite came to the battlefield. Just moments ago, they were fighting countless monsters, but now silence reigned.

All of this was thanks to the Thunderbolt Leord had cast.

However, Leord, who never expected the Thunderbolt to be so powerful, tilted his head in thought.

Originally, Thunderbolt was an advanced version of Lightning.

While Lightning was a point attack, Thunderbolt was a circular attack. For single targets, Lightning was effective, but for multiple targets, Thunderbolt was more useful.

In the game, it dealt damage to enemies within the circular range, with the damage increasing the closer they were to the center.

However, this was reality, not a game. The Thunderbolt Leord cast had blown everything in the area away with lightning.

While the result was perfect, it could have also affected the knights. Considering this, Leord decided to use Thunderbolt sparingly.

Still, when would this monster panic end? Leord thought vaguely. He had heard it wouldn't end until all the monsters were exterminated, but at this rate, they would be exhausted.

To begin with, it was unreasonable to expect the knights stationed in Zeato to handle this alone. Even if it couldn't be helped, it was too cruel.

With only a few hundred fighters against over ten thousand monsters, it was impossible to prevail. Even if one could kill a hundred, the monsters were more aggressive than usual. Moreover, their relentless attacks to satisfy their hunger, without fear of death, caused significant mental fatigue.

On the contrary, it was commendable that they had held out so well.

However, if they wanted praise, they had to survive and end the monster panic.

It was a difficult task, but Leord snorted, determined not to die, even outside the scenario.

“Hmph... I don’t like it. I will survive no matter what.”