Chapter 363 Build It Anew
Due to the tsunami Goap had caused, the Southern Sea looked like it had just expanded. The 30 square kilometres area in front of it was flooded by its water—no matter where one looked at, one would either see floating trunks or bodies.
Flying just a few centimetres above the flooded land; Goap, who had assumed his humanoid form, looked at the scene with a dark gaze. He was heavily injured by the Spells and Techniques he had received, and his time was closing.
Clutching his fist tightly, he gnashed his teeth in anger. He had waited for two millennia, and planned everything carefully, but he still failed.
He was ashamed of himself, and also regretted that he had chosen to carefully carry out his plan. He believed if he had immediately brought all of his Legions to Randalvine the moment the Outbreak occured, he would've been able to win the fight.
"Ku-ku-ku... Who are you to joke with yourself, Goap?" He laughed bitterly. "You know it wouldn't work too. The current humans are indeed weaker, but they are more and braver than before."
Coughing out a mouthful of blood, Goap put his hand on the hole in his chest. It was slowly closing, but he knew he wouldn't have anymore Demonic Mana when it had fully healed.
Flying alone already took a toll on his Mana Vein; he was even surprised that he could still survive. Looking for something firm to land on, he immediately chuckled the moment he felt a presence behind him.
"Ku-ku-ku... You are so spent, I can barely feel Mana inside you." He turned around, then was immediately greeted by a blond haired, fit, middle aged man with a haggard appearance. "You look shite, Anthony."
"At least, I don't have holes in my body," the King of Braxtein Kingdom snorted.
Compared to Goap, Anthony was barely injured. His regal appearance, indeed, could no longer be seen due to his dishevelled state; however, he had no other injuries aside from the scratches and some bruises he had gotten from his clash with Goap.
"How could you survive?" Goap asked softly.
"The will to live; and, of course, the power of my people."
"Bollocks—is what I wanted to say, but I don't see you lying." Goap sighed as he looked at the people that came out of the flood one by one. "You, humans, really are the most troublesome pests."
"Next time, make sure to spell it Demon Killers!" As Goap smirked, Anthony immediately swung his sword at his neck.
Schwing!
Goap's head was cut without any resistance. It fell to the flooded land at the same time the body did, and floated a few seconds after being in the water.
Anthony looked at the severed head silently, then muttered, "Heh... A severed head floats, huh? I have cut hundreds of people's heads throughout my life, but only now do I know it."
Sighing softly in relief, he turned around and took a good look at the people who survived the battle. Most of the survivors were the Knights and Mages that fought Goap alongside him.
Very few of the Paladins and the Priests survived because they had futilely tried to save Eban. Although he wasn't very fond of the member the Church, he still felt unfortunate of their death.
Turning his head to the left where the Eradicator group was located, he blinked his eyes in surprise when he found many of them survived. All of them were clearly weaker than his group, so he didn't expect them to be able to pull through it.
"Ah, I see... That Formation, huh?" Anthony smiled faintly as he realized something. "Basil Pacifer... To think that he created his own Formation in the middle of the battle—what an interesting young man."
The Formation Basil had used was something that shouldn't have come to be known until half a decade from then. It was a Formation that he had created himself in his past life, and was also introduced by him.
Anthony, naturally, didn't know anything about it, which was why he was extremely curious about Basil. He was as excited as he was anxious about how far the exceptional genius would go.
"We have won!" Anthony raised his sword, and passionately shouted, "Glory to Braxtein Kingdom!"
The place that was previously filled with the sound of water being blown by the wind was immediately overwhelmed with cheers. All of the people who had survived the battle celebrated their victory over Goap's Army.
They had endured so much grief and pain for the last ten days, and now that the Outbreak was officially ended, they couldn't contain their happiness.
...
Just a few moments before Goap's death, the students of Randalvine Magic Institute, who had been ordered by Lawson to contain themselves in the Institute burst out of it.
They could no longer stand the people's scream that haunted them in every second. They were well aware of their insufficient power, but it still didn't discourage them from helping those in need of help.
Kimberley, as the most righteous student amongst the first years, led the students who had chosen to disobey their Vice Headmaster's command. She was ready to be responsible for the death of her fellow students that she led.
Fortunately for her, her naivety this time managed to encourage the people to be responsible of their own action instead. They had clearly stated they would be ready for the consequences of their own action, so she didn't have to be worried to be blamed.
"Everyone, that worm like Monster has disappeared! The amount of Monsters will only decrease from now on, so don't be afraid!"
Charybdis, by this point, had long been defeated by Basil. The amount of the Aquatic Demons were decreasing thanks to this; which, in turn, elevated the people's spirit to keep fighting.
Since the nearby large body of water near Randalvine was 20 kilometers away, even after the tsunamis Charybdis' had caused, compared to any other area in Braxtein Kingdom, it had the least water flooding it.
The Aquatic Demons still could roam the city freely regardless; however, it was easier to defeat them. Thanks to this fact, even after a few minutes, none of the first year students of Randalvine Magic Institute had died yet.
"This is heartbreaking," Kimberley muttered as she observed the current situation in Randalvine. She had summoned Acacia, her Unicorn Summon, thus she was flying above the flooded land. "Just what is the army doing?"
"Uwaa! Mommy, no! Don't eat mommy!"
Just as she was about to dive down, she heard a hysterical cry of a girl. Immediately flying towards the direction of where the sound originated from, she saw a little girl crying while looking at her mother that was being eaten by a shark-like Demon.
Gnashing her teeth in anger, she told Acacia to fly faster. The summon did what was commanded, and reached the Aquatic Demon in a second.
Schwing!
Kimberley swiftly decapitated the Demon with her lance the moment she reached it. Its head fell to the ground in the next moment, allowing the body it had been munching on to also fall.
"Mommy! Oh, no, Mommy! Why—why aren't you moving?!"
Immediately getting down from Acacia as soon as said Summon landed, Kimberley ran to the girl, and hugged her gently. She shielded the little girl from the body of her mother that had been half eaten by the Demon she had just killed.
"Hush... Pleas be a good girl and calm down, okay?"
"No... I want mommy!" Came the girl's muffled answer.
"Mommy is... She is no longer in the same plane as us. She has moved to another plane where she can find solace. It is a better plane than the plane we are in."
"Then why... Why didn't mommy take me with her too?"
"Because..." Kimberley took a deep breath. "That plane only allows the people who live there to sleep. Your mommy doesn't want you to sleep for the rest of your life, so she left you here. She still wanted you to enjoy the beauty of this plane."
The girl wept silently and hugged Kimberley tighter. Kimberley patted the girl's back, and couldn't help smiling bitterly the moment she felt the warmth of the girl's tears that seeped through her uniform.
Turning her eyes to the water flooding the land, she noticed a couple of bodies of dead children floating in it. She winced as she hugged the girl in her arms tighter, and wondered when the Outbreak would end.
Splash!
Her eyes widened in absolute horror as something came out of the water beside her. Immediately turning her head to the side, she found a crocodile-headed Demon jumping at her.
Infusing her Mana to her feet, she was about to dash away when she noticed that her feet had turned to jelly. Being so close with death, she, for the first time in her life, was frightened.
"Aca—"
Slash!
Just before Kimberley completely called her Summon, and just before said Summon could help, someone came to save her. The Demon's head was cleanly decapitated, and fell just a few centimetres away from her feet.
"Are you alright, Miss... Hey, you are a Randalvine Magic Institute's student."
Kimberley's saviour was a red-headed burly Knight in his twenties. His tough look didn't match his demeanor, but it was for a good reason—the man was too easygoing to look scary.
"I am Bradley by the way." Extending his hand, he pulled Kimberley up.
"T-Thanks, I am Kimberley."
Sighing, Bradley said, "My, what is a first year doing at this place? Don't you know how dangerous this place is? I thought all of you had been ordered to stay inside the building."
"I... I just wanted to help."
Bradley glanced at the little girl in Kimberley's embrace briefly before shaking his head faintly. "That is a very noble intention, but we don't want to see anymore young people's bodies floating aroun ... You are lucky that the Outbreak has ended."
"Huh?"
"Oh, you didn't know? Well, no wonder. Even I know it only because my colleagues are so obsessed with the Hero of Woster."
"Basil Pacifer?"
"Surely, as a Randalvine Magic Institute's student, you know him, huh?" Bradley chuckled lightly. "My friend said Head Commander Basil opened the way to our victory by killing Scylla and Charybdis by himself, so this victory is thanks to him."
Frowning as she didn't know what Scylla and Charybdis were, Kimberley gave Bradley a questioning look.
"Charybdis was the scary worm like monster that spewed those Demons out, and Scylla was the core of the monster." Smiling, Bradley muttered, "It is mind-bogggling to think the teenager who saved me in Lone Mountain is now such an amazing individual."
Many things that Kimberley failed to understand; however, one thing she could tell was the person whose back she was chasing was already far away from her.