Chapter 419: Gulos's Sudden Assault

The two chatted for what felt like ages.

“Prarlulu!”

A sharp voice cut through the tranquility of the garden.

Hulim turned in confusion toward the sound, only to find the elven archbishop—who had stood beside King Inulson earlier—standing there with a stern, unyielding expression.

“Crap!”

Prarlulu’s face drained of color.

She spun on her heel and tried to bolt.

But she’d barely taken three steps when the archbishop snagged her by the back of her collar, lifting her off the ground.

“I told you to return to the church and behave yourself—and here you are sneaking off again!”

the archbishop snapped.

“I-I’m sorry! I know I was wrong! Please forgive me!”

“No excuses. This time, your punishment will be non-negotiable!”

“Eep! No—please don’t!”

Prarlulu’s eyes welled up with tears, her lower lip trembling pitifully.

But the archbishop seemed completely immune to her puppy-dog eyes, his resolve unshaken.

Having apprehended her wayward charge, the archbishop turned to Hulim and bowed slightly in apology.

“My sincerest apologies, honored guest. I hope she hasn’t caused you any trouble.”

“Ah...... It’s quite all right.”

“Thank you for your understanding. If you’ll excuse us, we must take our leave now.”

“Of course. Good day to you.”

Hulim nodded, watching as the archbishop carried Prarlulu—one hand clamped firmly around her collar—toward the garden exit.

“Sniffle......”

Helpless to resist, Prarlulu waved weakly at Hulim over her shoulder.

“Goodbye, Hulim! Next time, you have to tell me more about Auntie Irus! Sniffle......”

Once the two had vanished from sight,

Hulim sighed softly, shaking her head.

“What a poor, unlucky kid...... I wonder who she takes after.”

“Hulim! There you are~!”

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than the very person she’d been thinking of appeared.

Hulim turned to see Irus approaching with a bright, cheerful smile on her face.

“So? How do you like the elven realm?”

“It’s certainly unlike anything I’ve ever seen before,” Hulim replied honestly.

“By the way—did you need something, Irus?”

“Well, nothing too urgent. But we’re having a war council soon, and I thought you should attend as well.”

“I see. I’ll be there.”

Some time later.

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Inside the War Council Chamber of the Elven Royal Palace.

An emergency strategy meeting got underway.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Pujeliru Fael. I’ll be briefing everyone on the current situation—starting with the state of Ilz......”

Hulim studied the elf speaking at the head of the table.

Clad in polished knight’s armor with a sword hanging at her waist, she had the same emerald-green eyes and silvery-gold hair as the royal family.

Yes—this was Prarlulu’s older sister. She was also the strongest warrior in Ravenrim beneath Irus, a peak A-Rank combatant who served as Captain of the Ravenrim Royal Knights.

Her brilliant leadership had been instrumental in keeping Ilz standing against Gulos’s relentless assaults these past few weeks.

Dong——! Dong——! Dong......

Midway through the briefing, a deafening alarm bell began to toll, echoing throughout the entire royal palace.

The chatter in the chamber died abruptly. Every face paled.

Gulos’s assault had begun.

......

At the outermost walls of Ilz.

The gathered leaders rushed to the battlements, gazing out at the plains beyond.

Stretching as far as the eye could see was a vast, endless horde of monsters—so dense they blotted out the horizon.

Yet they had halted their advance, stopping well short of the city walls.

Not because they wanted to, though.

They simply couldn’t go any further.

An invisible barrier stood between them and the city, holding the horde at bay.

The Holy Tree Grand Barrier.

This was the true reason Ilz had been able to withstand an S-Rank powerhouse leading an army of monsters.

On the plains, the trapped monster horde didn’t just stand idly by—they began to deploy their forces.

BOOM!

A moment later, an explosion rocked the barrier.

It was the signal to attack. Wave after wave of assaults rained down on the invisible shield.

For a split second, a curtain of fiery explosions lit up the front lines of the monster horde.

“We can’t let them keep bombarding the barrier like this.”

Pujeliru said, her voice grim.

She turned to Inulson and knelt in a crisp salute.

“Your Majesty—grant me permission to lead our troops in a counterattack.”

Inulson frowned deeply.

“A counterattack? Are you certain......”

Pujeliru nodded firmly.

“Before, we held back because we had no way to face Darius. We were forced to hide behind the barrier and defend, letting those fiends run amok outside. But now that the Holy Maiden has returned, we have no more reason to cower! It’s time we showed them the might of Ravenrim!”

“You speak the truth......”

Inulson hesitated for a moment, then made his decision.

“Very well. I give you my leave——”

“Pujeliru Fael! I command you to lead our forces in a sortie! Crush this invading army!”

“By your will!”

Pujeliru accepted the order, then turned and strode away from the battlements, a company of elven knights falling into step behind her.

Moments later, the great gates of Ilz swung open.

A flood of elven soldiers charged forth, roaring battle cries as they surged toward the monster horde.

On the city walls, Ignir lowered his massive head and rumbled quietly to Hulim,

“Hulim—shouldn’t we go help them?”

“Not yet.”

Hulim shook her head, her eyes fixed on the battlefield.

“Let’s wait and see how things play out first. This monster army is probably just a scouting party—they won’t be too strong.”

“Is that so? Fine by me. I’ll just sit back and watch the show then.”

Meanwhile, on the plains far from Ilz’s walls, the elves and Gulos forces clashed violently.

With long-range support from the city, the elven troops cut through the monster ranks like a hot knife through butter, pushing the enemy back.

And just as Pujeliru had predicted—now that Irus was back, Darius showed no signs of joining the fray.

CLANG!

A deafening crash of steel on steel rang out across the plains. The figure leading the elven charge—Pujeliru—had finally been halted.

Her slender silver rapier locked against a massive broadsword, the two weapons grinding against each other as their wielders struggled for supremacy.

“Ho ho! You’ve got some skill, I’ll give you that!”

A burly elf with short, dark purple hair chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement.

Pujeliru narrowed her eyes, her gaze blazing with fury.

“Arudok...... You traitor——!!!”

CLASH!

Pujeliru shoved the broadsword away with all her strength, then lunged forward, her rapier aimed straight at his heart.

CLANG!

Her lightning-fast strike was blocked by the flat of his blade.

“You’re certainly fired up,” he said, his tone mocking. “But——”

BOOM!

Arudok unleashed a burst of power, sending Pujeliru staggering backward.

“I take issue with that little label of yours.”

“I’ve never betrayed anyone in my life. I’ve always lived by my own ideals and convictions. If you insist on putting it that way—we were never on the same side to begin with.”

“Is that your final answer......”

Pujeliru’s eyes turned cold as ice.

She gripped her rapier with both hands, holding it steady before her, her gaze locking onto Arudok like a hunter tracking its prey.

“Then let’s stop wasting words—and settle this here and now——!!!”

BOOM!

A blinding white light exploded across the plains, faster than lightning.

“HYAH!”

Arudok swung his broadsword with all his might, meeting her attack head-on.

BOOM——!!!

Black and white energies collided in an instant. A cataclysmic surge of power erupted in that tiny space, sending a devastating shockwave rippling out in all directions.

In the blink of an eye, every monster within a radius of several hundred meters was torn to shreds. Even the creatures a kilometer away were thrown off balance, their bodies staggering under the force of the blast.