"A child?"
Nikki exclaimed in shock, instinctively wanting to pull the reins to stop her mount.
But glancing at the cavalry behind her, she abandoned the thought.
In a charge, stopping suddenly is disastrous for a rider. Not only could it throw the rider off balance, but the following soldiers wouldn't be able to brake, causing a massive trampling incident across the army.
[Beginner War Magic: Move…]
"War Queen,"
A scar-faced wolf-Beastmen beside Nikki stopped her magic mid-cast and said quickly:
"This is war. Please don't harbor too much mercy."
Nikki froze for a moment, then regained her composure, her gaze fixed on Hel, who held the sword high.
Only now did she realize something was off.
Why was a half-grown child suddenly standing in the path of her cavalry?
Why was that child holding a sword as if ready to duel them?
Her brief pity for the child had clouded her mind, preventing her from noticing these details until her general's warning.
"Since she's drawn her sword against us, she is the enemy of the Broken Army Queen and our Silver Wolf Cavalry."
Nikki shouted to her comrades. Simultaneously, the spear in her hands was enveloped in blood-red combat qi.
Even if the opponent was just a child, she would fight with full force—this was tradition among the Aila Wolves: never show mercy to an enemy.
Through the vanguard of the wolf cavalry, Hel's gaze fell on a gray-haired twin-tailed girl being protected at the center of the formation. A cruel smile appeared on Hel's lips.
"Full of spirit, huh? Since the audience is ready, it's time to begin the performance."
With that, the remaining scattered elements around Hel trembled violently, instinctively converging on the slender sword in her hand.
They activated the tens of thousands of alchemical runes engraved on the blade.
Each rune, upon absorbing enough elemental energy, emitted a faint white glow. Once all tens of thousands of runes were fully charged, the dim gem on the hilt slowly shone brilliantly, flashing yellow, blue, red, and cyan, like neon lights in the night.
But this multi-colored display lasted only an instant before the glow transformed into a soft white light.
The white light linked every rune on the blade, eventually turning the originally gold sword entirely white.
At the same time, a violent surge of elemental energy radiated from Hel in all directions, stirring gusts that swept indiscriminately across the battlefield.
"This elemental surge…"
Nikki stared at the child holding the slender sword, her face filled with terror.
Impossible.
Her wolf mount slowed its pace, and if Nikki weren't there, it might have already fled.
The same reaction occurred with the other mounts—ten thousand in total.
They trembled before the sword-wielding child, letting out low whines. No matter how their riders urged them, they refused to step forward.
"Stop her!"
Nikki roared, striking her mount with her spear and shouting:
[Advanced War Magic: Indomitable Will]
[Top-tier War Magic: Invincible Army Soul]
The aura of war, dispelling fear, enveloped all ten thousand wolf riders, barely rekindling their fighting spirit.
"Charge!"
Once more, she shouted. The activation of the war magic ignited a flame of combat intent in each rider's heart.
This boundless battle spirit spread rapidly, solidifying into a colossal silver wolf shadow above the army.
As the silver wolf roared, its furious, gleaming eyes fixed on Hel.
Under the towering hundreds-of-meters-high wolf shadow, Hel seemed minuscule—but her mind remained calm.
"Almost ready," she murmured. The white light enveloping her golden sword thickened until nearly viscous, and the slender blade groaned under the weight.
"Then… let this move announce my presence to the world."
The concentrated elemental energy on the blade erupted, surging toward the direction Hel aimed.
In an instant, a towering pillar of light shot from the ground toward the sky.
…
At the Watchtower, a group of Saint-rank elites had been hovering midair for days, watching each other, afraid someone would slip away to interfere with the angel.
Suddenly, a colossal pillar of light shot up from the distance.
All eyes were drawn to it.
"Is that… a sword?"
Elena asked, staring at the distant light pillar.
Augustus beside her widened his dragon-like eyes in disbelief:
"The elemental energy is so dense… what level of magic is that?"
"It's… a forbidden elemental spell."
A woman's voice, heavy with restrained rage, suddenly echoed from afar. As she spoke, the surrounding air swirled violently, mirroring her mood.
"You pests of the Holy Judgment Church! You dare play dirty, sending a peak Saint capable of forbidden spells to block our Beastmen army?"
The Hurricane Witch yelled at the Church's forces, a sense of humiliation and fury radiating from her.
She drew disaster elements around her, clearly no longer interested in the stalemate.
She refused to believe that a few Saint-rank Beastmen couldn't eliminate an angel personally. The minor loss of ordinary Saint-rank Beastmen was worth it compared to eliminating the angel.
…
[Forbidden Elemental Magic: Sword of Silence]
With that, Hel raised her colossal sword that pierced the heavens, slowly descending to strike at the Silver Wolf Cavalry ahead.