Chapter 25: Bloody Baron Subjugation Battle

So attacking begins once you heal all the vanguard members…

This must rank first among the rarest sights I’ve seen in my Continental life.

It’s even more confusing than Gate 1.

Ta-da.

Something only imagined has happened in reality.

The developer who prepared for this theoretically possible event with a trigger is amazing, for real;

Viewers continuously expressed their awe at the situation unfolding around Edelin.

[What happens next then?]

[No idea.]

[I thought the main story was supposed to be the reinforcements fighting the vanguard after most of them get infected by the Baron.]

[The fact that the troop strength remained intact doesn’t make sense in the first place.]

[What are we even watching?]

[What do you mean, what?]

[It’s the Almighty High School Girl-chan, obviously.]

On the site where thousands of posts about the Continent appear daily.

The official route recommended even on its strategy boards for Gate 2 was this:
The annihilation of the vanguard is an unavoidable, forced trigger-like event.

Therefore, ordinary users usually abandon the vanguard and join the reinforcements to build contribution points.

[What happens to the people who succeed in defending?]

Of course, among them, there were those who succeeded in defending through overwhelming physical stats or sheer party numbers.

But that was all.

Those infected during the fight would be controlled by the Gatekeeper Baron and attack from behind.

Regardless, the fact that the majority of the vanguard’s forces perish remained unchanged.

That’s why, no matter which message board you visited, the strategy for Gate 2 invariably recommended the reinforcement route.

[Nothing special happens.]

[Everyone just dies or turns into an enemy, as if they failed to stop the raid ㅇㅇ.]

[Didn’t know that.]

[It just means High School Girl-chan is pioneering a route discovered for the first time in years.]

[High School Girl-chan forging new paths wherever she goes;]

The viewers entered spectator mode.

Sensing prime entertainment, chicken and cola emoticons started flooding the chat endlessly.

Unlike the party atmosphere in the chat window, a serious and solemn mood prevailed.

The army advanced in neat ranks and files.

Clop, clop.

‘Is this really the right thing to do?’

In the midst of soldiers heading towards the battlefield.

Edelin rode horseback alongside the General, her expression conflicted.

The soldiers, oblivious, merely cast glances filled with trust towards her.

‘Haaa…’

Edelin let out a small, inaudible sigh.

She was definitely a mage.

Yet she had unintentionally been mistaken for a Saintess.

It was too late now to claim she wasn’t one.

[There’s a saying for times like this.]

[You reap what you sow.]

Trying hard to ignore the King of Nightmares teasing her from the side.

The army marched forward towards the vampires’ location.

‘Clearing up the misunderstanding can wait.’

There was no reason to unnecessarily lower their morale.

Trying to console herself, Edelin wondered if a vampire attack might occur.

She spread her mana widely, remaining fully alert to her surroundings.

Fortunately.

Perhaps due to carelessness before their planned night raid.

There were no groups of vampires or monsters blocking the army’s path.

“Listen! Soldiers! Do you see what lies ahead!”

The General, having reached the destination without hindrance, shouted.

“Yes, Commander!”
Upon the vast plains.

Strange creatures dotted the landscape atop dead vegetation.

Rotting corpses and bones stirred fear.

However, the soldiers’ morale showed no sign of faltering.

“The target is the mansion! Advance forward! Today, the Empire will be victorious!”
“We obey your command!”
“The Saintess is with us! Charge!”
“Waaaaah!”

The soldiers advanced, maintaining formation.

Following them, Edelin and the General also plunged into the battlefield.

Giant parasitic humans and mosquito-like humans blocked the army’s path.

But they could not stop the soldiers whose morale was soaring.

As if seeking vengeance for the suffering caused by the Bloody Curse until now.

“Disperse!”

Squads moved seamlessly according to the adjutant’s command.

Monsters, awakened by the commotion, swarmed from all directions.

‘Their offense is strong despite our surprise attack.’

One of the crucial factors in the outcome of a war is the army’s morale.

But despite their significantly higher morale.

The vampires confronting the army showed no sign of being pushed back.

It meant the vampires’ raw abilities overwhelmed those of humans.

Now, it was Edelin’s turn to step forward.

‘If morale is lacking, I just need to crush them with even higher morale.’

If she could minimize casualties and achieve victory in the war.

She was willing to pretend to be a Saintess hundreds of times over.

‘I apologize to any real Saintess out there…’

Pushing aside the prickling of her conscience.

Edelin drew her sword and raised it towards the sky.

“Behold!”

Edelin spurred her horse into the center of the soldiers.

She continued speaking.

“The Goddess protects us! Do not falter, soldiers!”

Edelin signaled the Nightmare King, and in response, the sword began to emit nightmare energy.

However, it wasn’t the black energy of nightmares, but a brilliant, shining light that poured out.

As that radiant silver light illuminated the battlefield.

“Ooooh!! It’s the Goddess’s grace!”
“The Goddess is with us!”
“May this benevolent light bless us all!”
“Long live the Empire! Long live the Saintess!”

Their already high morale soared to unimaginable heights.

[I taught you how to convert Nightmare energy.]

[Now you’re changing my Nightmare as you please?]

The King of Nightmares grumbled, sounding dissatisfied.

His voice held more disbelief than displeasure about his nightmare energy being used.

‘From a results perspective, isn’t this basically the same as praising Nightmare?’

[Haaa… Let’s not even talk about it.]

Converting the original Nightmare energy into ordinary mana.

And then changing the converted mana into the light attribute – a dual attribute change.

The soldiers cheered for what was merely decorative magic, essentially overlaying Light magic onto Nightmare energy.

On that day, the King of Nightmares thought.

That he was entangled with no ordinary human.

He wasn’t the only one baffled while watching the absurd spectacle.

[Is she openly impersonating a Saintess now?]

[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[Maybe High School Girl-chan has developed a taste for being a Saintess?]

[At this point, she must be enjoying it, lol]

[High School Girl-chan selling her actㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

The effect of her “sales pitch” using light magic was tremendous.

“Charge!”
“Pay dearly for attacking the Empire!”

The soldiers cut down the monsters with even greater ferocity.

[Could that human be the real Satan….]

‘What did you say?’

[Nothing.]

The parasite-type fodder monsters were shredded by the soldiers.

The humanoid vampires, unable to withstand their onslaught, gradually began to retreat towards the mansion.

“The enemy retreats! They must fear the Goddess’s grace! Charge!”
“We can win! Follow the Saintess and the General!”

[Why is this even working? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[Anyone watching would think she’s a veteran of the battlefield ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[A single word turns them into a fanatical cult ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

<Priest Iris has donated 1000 Won!>

[Everyone, please don’t misunderstand… Priests don’t act like that.]

The monsters’ defensive line broke under the ferocious charge.

Amidst the breathless standoff between the army surrounding the mansion and the monsters.

An anomaly occurred.

The mansion door, expected to remain firmly shut, opened.

From the pitch-black darkness, a man walked out.

[???]

[The Baron is appearing right from the start?]

[This is the first time I’ve seen the Baron in Gate 2 ㄷㄷ]

[Maybe he appeared in the later stages because we usually ignored this part and moved on?]

[Could be.]

“That fiend is the leader of the vampires, Baron Baron!”

The General ground his teeth the moment the man appeared.

To think that this man, who outwardly looked like an ordinary, uninfected gentleman, was their mastermind.

Edelin knew him well too.

She remembered participating in the subjugation battle in the past.

However, she hadn’t participated as an Archmage back then.

She recalled being unable to deal with him directly.

‘This time, I’ll kill you myself.’

How regrettable it had been, not being able to subjugate him directly due to her lack of skill then.

A second chance had come to her.

Edelin did not miss the opportunity.

“S-Saintess, it’s dangerous!”

Before the soldiers could even restrain her, Edelin spurred her horse and charged towards the Baron.

Vampires flashed their claws, trying to stop her.

“Get out of the way, riffraff.”

Predicting the path of the vampires’ swinging hands, she swung her sword.

A vampire’s hand was severed in a single strike.

However, dozens of monsters rushed towards Edelin.

“Tsk.”

Clicking her tongue lightly, she chanted the incantation for Shield magic.

Ting!

Claws struck the shield magic, producing a dull sound.

“Krrrk?”

The vampire, possessing intelligence but faithfully obeying only orders, made an incomprehensible sound.

‘Why can’t my hand reach the human?’
‘Why is my body moving on its own?’
The group of vampires was forcibly pushed away from Edelin.

[Wait a sec.]

[I don’t get it?]

[She didn’t cast the shield magic on herself?]

Shield.

A magic created to protect a mage during spellcasting.

The target Edelin used Shield on was.

The swarm of parasites and mosquitoes blocking her path.

She enveloped the vampires with the dome-shaped shield to block their attacks.

Then pushed them away, shield and all—an application of magic manipulation.

<MageSua has donated 10000 Won!>

[As expected, the best mage in the world is on a different level…]

[I can’t keep up.]

The path to the Baron opened wide as if a red carpet had been rolled out.

Seeing this, other monsters tried to fill the gap leading to him.

But the army’s soldiers didn’t just stand by and watch either.

“Block them! Don’t let them reach the Saintess!”
“Leave it to us!”
“Ooh.]

[God’s grace is before us.”

It was at that moment.

Tiring!

[The Bloody Baron Raid will now begin!]

[They were once ordinary nobles.]

With each line spoken by the system message voice.

The Baron’s appearance began to change grotesquely.

[Valuing wealth and honor, cherishing their lives.]

The Baron’s arms transformed into sharp hook-like shapes.

[But as time passed, they came to realize.]

[That wealth and honor are meaningless after death.]

His humanoid body swelled up like an insect’s.

[And so they began to covet eternity.]

[Seeking a future that would quench their thirst.]

His face tore apart, morphing into eight eyes and a mouth splitting horizontally.

[Finally, the nobles transformed into horrifying monsters.]

With the final phrase.

The fully evolved form of Baron Baron was.

The image of a monster that had abandoned its humanity.