Sacrifice (4)

The battle at the barrier raged on, and the sun, which had been high in the sky, gradually began to tilt towards the horizon.

The situation on the front lines appeared to be at a stalemate, but the longer it dragged on, the more disadvantageous it became for the humans.

Unlike the monster horde, which could be replenished endlessly even if they perished, the human forces were limited. This was not just a matter of numbers, but also of morale.

The endless waves of monsters, the comrades dying one by one, the uncertainty of victory. If these feelings continued to accumulate, the battle would be lost without even fighting to the end.

There were three reasons why the soldiers and knights at the barrier could still endure, aside from their accumulated experience and training.

Firstly, the presence of Enfer.

He stood alone, a pillar of strength guarding the barrier gate. His overwhelming skill held the center of the barrier, allowing the other troops to withstand the onslaught.

Even when the immediate battle was arduous and desperate, a mere glance towards Enfer revealed a scene of him effortlessly dispatching an ocean of enemies, a sight incomparable to their own struggles.

Secondly, the Roach Knights and their Commander, Sylvain.

Sylvain issued orders to each knight, who in turn relayed the tactics to the soldiers, directing them with precision.

They sent exhausted soldiers to the rear, encouraged those who were still strong, and quickly formulated and communicated future strategies to prevent the soldiers from dwelling on unnecessary thoughts.

The steps to victory were high, long, and arduous, but climbing the single step before them was not difficult.

And thirdly.

"...That thing over there. It's on our side, right?"

Some of the soldiers who had retreated for a brief respite were observing a particular sight. While fighting, they were completely focused, but during a moment of rest, the battlefield situation became clearer.

And what they saw then was vastly different from what they had imagined while wielding their weapons.

"...It's killing monsters. It must be on our side."

"What if it's just another kind of monster?"

"..."

The mere fact that no one could immediately deny that possibility revealed just how strange the sight they were witnessing was.

There was something black atop the barrier.

It resembled the black monsters that had been tormenting them earlier, but it had a human form, and there was a certain familiarity to the body and face that occasionally emerged.

One.

Kyaaaak!!

Whether they were fleeing or charging in madness, the black monsters all lost their form and were sucked into the man whenever he reached out his hand.

And that black liquid, once a threat to humans, transformed into armor, weapons, or even a cloak, lingering around the man.

The soldiers were speechless at the sight of the black monsters that had been threatening them just moments ago turning into liquid and attacking other monsters within seconds.

Enfer, who had been fighting in front of the gate, also glanced at the man who had grown enormous from absorbing the black liquid, but he soon focused on cutting down the incoming monsters.

Meanwhile, Frondier, the true identity of that black entity.

'It's a waste.'

He lamented not being able to handle all the fragments he had absorbed.

It was certain that his mana was being replenished through the black monsters, but the more fragments he had to control, the more mana he needed, exceeding the amount he was replenishing. Therefore, beyond a certain point, he had no choice but to discard the fragments.

'If the new Black Lotus had arrived, I could have devoured them all.'

However, its completion would likely take a few more days, even after Selena arrived.

Being able to absorb the black monsters today was an unexpected achievement. Today, Frondier had only come to participate in the barrier battle and save as many people as possible.

Heading towards the Helheim fragments, which were somewhere beyond this barrier, as numerous as a lake, would come later.

'I need to distribute my mana efficiently.'

Currently, Frondier's main attacks were carried out using Obsidian.

Even without creating any specific weapons, the sheer amount of Obsidian had increased so much that simply shaping it into thorns or blades was enough to easily kill monsters.

Above all, the crucial difference between the other side of the barrier and Frondier was that the monsters were avoiding him.

Whether they were instinctively triggered by fear or had decided that it was better to attack elsewhere, the monsters kept their distance from Frondier. The black monsters, in particular, were openly fleeing.

Thud! Slash!

Of course, since Frondier primarily targeted the black monsters, most of their escape attempts failed, and they ended up becoming his prey, disappearing without a trace.

He used void weaving to deal with airborne monsters, absorbed the black monsters, and used the absorbed Obsidian to exterminate the remaining ones.

With his mana being replenished through the black monsters, this chain theoretically operated indefinitely.

'Ugh... it's getting worse.'

However, theory sometimes diverged from reality.

Frondier was struggling to endure the nausea rising from within his body.

It was a sensation of accepting something otherworldly, something he would likely never experience again in his life.

Moreover, this feeling came after the mental struggle of seizing mana dominance from the black monsters, resulting in an immense drain on his mental strength.

Right now, Frondier was not struggling because of his physical stamina or mana, but because of his mental state. It was the first time he had experienced something like this since coming to this world.

'It feels like I'm accumulating sins.'

He didn't know if such a feeling truly existed, but Frondier was aware that he had crossed a forbidden line.

He couldn't predict what kind of butterfly effect this would have or what kind of storm it would bring upon him in the future, but he had no choice but to do it to protect the barrier right now.

"Huu, I have to endure."

With a pale complexion, Frondier raised his head and looked into the distance.

Even after fighting this hard, there was still no end in sight to the monsters.

And that wasn't all. Frondier's eyes narrowed as he observed the forms of monsters approaching from afar.

"...Cyclops."

He gritted his teeth upon confirming the shape of the one-eyed giant in the distance.

The further out the monsters were, the stronger they became. The creatures that emerged from the deep darkness, from the abyss beyond human sight, each brought despair to mankind.

The monsters directly in front of the barrier, even those from the outer areas, were mostly of the same species as the inner monsters. They might have been more ferocious and stronger due to their origin, but they were still goblins, orcs, and other creatures found within the inner regions.

However, further out, creatures that existed only in the outer regions began to appear.

The Cyclops, also known as the one-eyed giant, was one such creature. They were like a signal flare, indicating the true nature of the outer monsters.

Frondier glanced around, checking the condition of the soldiers.

'The others haven't noticed yet.'

Most soldiers were too busy fighting the enemies before them to look far ahead.

The knights giving orders were no different. Currently, only Frondier and perhaps Sylvain had noticed the appearance of the Cyclops.

Enfer, who was facing the largest number of monsters, might not have seen it due to his limited field of vision, but his keen senses might have detected it.

'It's better for them not to know right now. If they panic, they won't even be able to deal with the monsters in front of them.'

However, that time was just a brief reprieve.

If that giant approached the barrier, it would be a far more serious problem than several ogres of similar size attacking. Ogres were monsters from folklore, but the Cyclops was a creature from mythology. There was a difference in their level from the start.