ALL NOVEL Chapter 205
Charging towards the system.
Perhaps we are rushing with all our might towards a place where a fierce battle is currently unfolding.
…Specifically, towards the river leading to the system.
“Everyone, just a little more forward!”
Liriez shouted from the front lines.
Given that simply running forward depended solely on individual capabilities, Nana and Liriez could only trust those who had fought well until now.
However, an unexpected ambush had arisen…
“Gasp, gasp…!”
The Holy Knights were panting heavily.
The thousand Holy Knights had been running at full speed for about an hour, and they were all exhausted, gasping for breath.
“Captain…! Just a moment, a rest…!”
So much so that even the strict Vice Captain was demanding a break.
Although it was a situation where every second counted, what was the point of collapsing from exhaustion while running?
“Ugh…!”
Liriez clicked her tongue in frustration.
Even if they hadn’t been able to rest properly after the previous night’s battle and had to continue straight into combat, it was still sad that the Holy Knights were too tired to keep running.
“I told you to train your stamina regularly…”
“But we’ve been running like this…!”
“Look. The Spartan warriors can still run further, can’t they?”
In stark contrast to the drenched and exhausted Holy Knights, the Spartan warriors were still lively.
Why were the Spartan warriors in better shape even after running the same distance?
Well, the Spartans had been doing tough and grueling stamina training, while the Holy Knights had focused more on ‘martial arts training.’
– Train your body to dodge enemy attacks? Oh, how divine!
Being Holy Knights blessed by the Moon Goddess, they found no need to over-exert themselves in stamina training.
However, most of the Spartan warriors were knights or mercenaries and had a tendency to solve things physically.
Divine power could heal injured wounds, but it wouldn’t cure the breathlessness that came from pure effort.
That was just physical activity, not a disease or injury.
“This is troublesome. We should only need a little more running…”
“It’s also an option to take a break here.”
I lightly tapped Liriez’s shoulder to quell her discontent.
“You might get exhausted and collapse without the Holy Sword’s backup, you know?”
“…Understood. I will heed the Witch’s words. But still…”
“There’s definitely a method.”
Assuming the Holy Knights and Spartan warriors would hurry towards the system, there was a very clear method.
“Liriez. Can you lift me up for a speech?”
“Understood. Trident!”
As Liriez raised her hand high and pierced the water spear upward, I flew and landed on the circular platform created by the spear.
“Everyone, listen closely.”
Though my body was that of a doll, everyone knew.
They knew how significant my existence was in this battle.
“You are each a warrior, a knight, a hero. You don’t need to possess a Holy Sword to be a hero. Each of you carries a Holy Sword in your heart. That is…”
Thud.
“Faith!”
Even in this doll’s body, I pounded my chest.
“Your faith will become your strength. Even if it doesn’t manifest physically right away, it will shine as a brilliant light to illuminate your path and support you. So, everyone, even if the Hero of the Holy Sword is temporarily absent from the battlefield, you can fight according to your faith.”
I pointed towards the direction of the river.
“I will guide you to the system first. However, this means Liriez and I might join a bit later. Is that alright?”
“Of course…!”
Leonidas, the leader of the Spartan warriors, thumped his chest and stepped forward.
“The hero has his fights, and we have ours! Trust us! We will fight our best against the enemy!”
“That’s right! It might be tough dealing with the Demon King, but the other demon races are no match for us! We will only face the enemies we can handle, so Witch, please come quickly… no, you need to hurry!”
“If you take too long, we might just take down the Demon King ourselves! Hehe.”
Perhaps it was thanks to the countless miracles experienced in our joint battles with Lucius.
The Spartan warriors sent me boundless trust.
‘I remember everything.’
Every single one.
If the opportunity arises later, I would provide a chance for them to continue their lives when they die.
Some might struggle to remain calm in the face of death, while others might accept it cleanly.
But still, it’s only natural to ask once.
“Alright. Then I will show you all a very special power. Liriez.”
“Yes, Witch.”
“That.”
“……Here?”
“Yes.”
It was the right place for it.
“Everyone. From now on, please form groups. The Spartans and Holy Knights will generally pair up as four to one.”
I snapped my fingers with my doll-like hands, matching everyone up.
The violet lines that rose above began to connect one Spartan with two or three Holy Knights.
“Ah, ah?!??!”
Everyone screamed or covered their mouths.
The parties involved immediately understood the meaning of the line connecting them and soon turned red, shooting me sharp glances.
“What? I just connected the partners.”
“…….”
“Haha, looks like leaders pair up too. Leonidas, you’ve ended up linked with the Vice Captain, haven’t you?”
“…I don’t know.”
The only pairing that was one-on-one, Leonidas, was bowing his head, unable to look at the Vice Captain.
“Hehe. Well, what’s good is good. Over there, there are even seven people linked together!”
“Ah…!”
The relatively taller Holy Knights.
And one warrior with a smaller stature compared to the others.
But everyone knew.
The groin guard beneath him was an extra-large size.
“People are indeed hard to judge by appearance alone, huh? Hehe. Now, Liriez. Prepare.”
“…I’ll leave it up to you for now.”
Liriez distanced herself from everyone.
“In the name of the Moon Goddess, arise!”
Celcius.
With Liriez’s incantation, water began to spread across the ground centered around her.
The water formed a large puddle in a circular shape, and soon a massive something emerged from the puddle.
“That, that’s…!”
“That is the ‘Divine Power’ granted to the heroes…!”
In truth, it is natural power, but as the Order of the Crescent Moon Goddess believes the Spirit Device was a power left by the Moon Goddess, I decided to keep quiet.
However…
‘The design has changed.’
Where the previous Celcius was sturdy yet refined like the Demon God Bahamut, the current Celcius seemed to exhibit more feminine traits in its Spirit Device form.
Perhaps it was influenced significantly by Liriez, the Master of the Holy Sword.
Or maybe Celcius had become more feminine on its own.
Well, that didn’t matter much.
What was important was using Celcius to guide them to the Empire now.
Flapping.
I flew to Liriez and landed on her shoulder, while the droplets enveloping Liriez seeped into Celcius.
Whizzing.
I spotted the familiar cockpit.
Liriez immediately sat in the cockpit of Celcius, and I positioned myself on her thigh for better control.
“Liriez. Are you ready?”
“Yes. I’m all set. What should I do now?”
“It’s simple.”
I turned on the outer speaker and cleared my throat.
[Everyone. If there’s no river, let’s make one, shall we?]
“…….”
Everyone still seemed stunned by the shock of the violet lines connecting them, but those who understood my words began to drop their jaws in disbelief.
[First, let’s create a waterway.]
[New stream, Trident…!]
With the Spirit Device Celcius grasping the oversized Trident, it inclined to aim towards the river.
Just like before, it would launch a spear, but this time the goal was to shoot it as horizontally as possible relative to the ground.
[[In the name of the Moon Goddess!!]]
Spear the Trident.
The water spear scraping against the ground unleashed formidable destructive power as it surged forward.
‘This is divine power, indeed.’
In an instant, it split the earth and created a long straight path.
And where the water spear passed, it began to fill with river water as if it had suddenly appeared from nowhere.
Swoosh.
‘Suddenly pulling in river water from another place? That’s nothing short of a miracle.’
A true miracle.
Everyone was stunned by the appearance of this supernatural display that defied the laws of nature, their minds captivated by the newly formed river.
“With a Spirit Device, we really have two options. Either Liriez goes ahead alone or we all move together, even if it takes a bit longer.”
This was a war against the Demon King.
It would be far too cruel to say to them, “Your fight ends here,” and leave them behind.
So.
I shall go with everyone.
Even if time is delayed, how long could that possibly take?
An hour?
Two hours?
If the delay in time meant Liriez arrived late at the system and the Empire fell…
‘It’s worth it if the Empire goes down.’
We are doing our best.
But if we can’t endure that and easily fall apart, that’s the Empire’s fault.
[Hold tight to your partners!]
Swooshhh——!!
A tidal wave erupted from around Celcius.
The warriors and Holy Knights embraced each other, with the wave quickly covering them.
“Huh, huh…?!”
“Is this…?!”
Swoosh.
Above the water stream, the Holy Knights began to rise.
The blue light, reminiscent of the Moon Goddess’s radiance, shone from the bodies of the warriors running across the surface.
“T-This is how…?!”
“The power of the Moon Goddess in a man…?!”
[We’re converting the power of the Moon Goddess into the power of this artifact and infusing it into the warriors through the Holy Knights!]
“Oh, I see!”
The color of the power held by the Spirit Device Celcius was similar to that of the Moon Goddess’s divine power, allowing me to excuse anything blurry.
Of course, Liriez, who knew the truth, could only smile bitterly, but what mattered was that the warriors gained power.
[To the Holy Knights! From now on, you are…!]
Swoosh.
The magical energy infused into the warriors’ magic tools and helmets.
[Now, climb onto the backs of the Spartan warriors!!]
Swoosh.
The Spartan warriors became human salmon swimming upstream in a flowing river.
[Spartans!! Everyone, arms forward!!!]
Swooshhhh—
The protective barriers expanded like tubes around their bodies.
Movement powered by Celcius.
[Surfing begins—!!]