Shepherd Wizard (Novel) - Chapter 148
Chapter 148
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Discord
As the thousands of javelins created by Osel Ravitas poured down, the faces of the Baraha mages turned pale with fear.
And rightfully so, given the imposing sight.
Even ordinary javelins thrown at such volume and speed would be painful enough, but these were attacks launched by a great family head wielding the power of a Holy Relic.
Without any countermeasures, this single attack might completely annihilate the entire Baraha army.
Naturally, the Baraha side wouldn’t simply stand by and watch.
At the front of their army, a middle-aged man who appeared to be around forty solemnly raised the shield in his left hand.
Immediately, a translucent barrier formed, enveloping the entire Baraha army of about a thousand people and intercepting the javelin barrage.
The sound of javelins striking the defensive barrier resembled the thunder of heavenly army hooves descending from above.
“Family Head…”
“The Family Head is with us! Do not be afraid!”
The Baraha family head, Lesion Baraha.
Turan, hidden with invisibility magic, carefully observed the enemy leader he was facing directly for the first time.
The most notable features were his golden hair, slightly longer than Solif’s, and reddish-brown eyes.
His body was clad in silvery metal armor that emitted a subtle glow, with a shield in one hand and a longsword in the other.
Judging by his appearance alone, he seemed more like a noble with a bloodline specialized in close combat rather than one with the Sun bloodline.
“He’s come fully armed as well.”
Solif muttered quietly that each item Lesion carried was a Holy Relic passed down through Baraha.
Of course, it would be foolish to hold back treasures when the family head himself was participating in battle.
“Osel-!”
With a sharp cry, Lesion swung the longsword he was holding, causing the Light of Judgment that had been hovering behind him to wrap around the blade and shoot forward following its momentum.
A golden flash flew toward them, and as Osel was about to assume a defensive stance, Solif stepped in front of him.
“Let’s test this out.”
The cloak wrapped around Solif’s back glowed brightly, intertwining with the Light of Judgment and transforming into a whip.
The magical device, Sun Cloak.
Capable of taking the form of various objects to aid in close combat, it could also amplify the power of the Sun bloodline, as it was doing now.
When Solif’s massive golden whip collided with Lesion’s slash, light and heat exploded in the middle of the plain, instantly charring the previously bluish grass to black.
The lively field had transformed into something resembling the depths of hell in an instant.
Perhaps due to the few shocking exchanges that had just occurred?
Unlike earlier when they seemed ready to charge at any moment, the atmosphere had become subdued when Lesion spoke first.
“Sol… my son, it is unfortunate to meet you like this.”
“Son my ass. Who exactly is your son?”
There was a tradition that heirs who weren’t biological children of the family head would be formally adopted, as it was considered more proper for rights to be transferred from parent to child.
Therefore, technically, Lesion’s form of address wasn’t incorrect, since Solif was his adopted son.
Of course, no one in their right mind would view someone who had tried to steal their body in such a light.
In response to Solif’s harsh reply, Lesion smiled gently and said:
“My, you’ve developed bad habits since leaving the family. I don’t recall teaching you such manners.”
His old-fashioned speech pattern and elegant gestures.
The master of the great family Baraha displayed a gentle and refined demeanor that seemed inconsistent with someone who had committed a cowardly sneak attack.
In fact, when Solif had resided at the main house, he too had been educated to adopt such an attitude.
He had apparently found it excruciatingly painful because it clashed so severely with his natural character.
“I expected you to come alone, but where did you gather an army? What method did you use?”
At Lesion’s words, Solif narrowed his eyes and glared at his opponent.
His attitude suggested he had been expecting Solif’s arrival…
Since there was no one within the Parsha family who would have revealed that he was going as reinforcement, the information must have leaked from the Ravitas side.
Now his smug attitude made sense, as if he had been anticipating this opportunity despite Solif’s presence.
The other side had also predicted his participation and prepared countermeasures accordingly.
While pondering this, Lesion’s gaze turned to Osel standing nearby.
“I see you’ve recovered. It couldn’t have been easy.”
“It was quite painful. I nearly died. It appears you’ve recovered somehow as well.”
“Unfortunately, I’m not fully healed yet. The wound that pierced my side that day hasn’t completely mended.”
While conversing, Osel gently stroked his abdomen.
The memory of the intensely white flames summoned by the man before him, constantly burning and consuming him, was still vivid.
“I don’t think we need to say more.”
“Indeed, there’s no point in pretense when we already know everything about each other. Well, let’s dance until death.”
As Osel threw down his spear and Lesion swung his sword, thousands of mages shouted and clashed on the plain.
Shouts and screams, the sounds of magical explosions echoed across the once-quiet plain.
The only way to determine if an opponent was strong or weak was by judging their appearance.
They stood shoulder to shoulder with their comrades, hoping that the enemy they faced was weaker than themselves, as they fired off familiar attack spells and used the magical devices in their hands.
Sometimes they encountered weaker opponents and killed them instantly; sometimes they faced stronger ones and died.
The lucky ones engaged with opponents of similar skill, prolonging their battles.
By contrast, the duels between high-ranking mages were more elegant.
They sought out opponents of similar caliber, but surprisingly, Baraha’s number of high-ranking nobles was nearly equal to Ravitas’s.
This seemed impossible considering how many of Baraha’s high-ranking mages Turan’s group had killed in the past.
‘Reinforcements?’
The high-ranking Ravitas nobles noticed that some of their opponents excelled in close combat, beyond ordinary levels.
The identity of such individuals was obvious.
Nobles from the great family Ruban, which possessed both the History and Guardian bloodlines…
Somehow, Baraha had successfully mobilized Ruban’s forces… Perhaps by promising to cede part of their territory?
This was the countermeasure Lesion had prepared.
His calculation was that while Baraha dominated the duels between high-ranking nobles, he would conduct a defensive battle against Osel and Solif, allowing them to overwhelmingly dominate through sheer numbers.
“You, from Ruban-!”
“Come at me!”
A Ravitas noble who hadn’t reacted quickly enough became entangled in close combat and was instantly stabbed and pummeled into a mess.
In the critical moment, with the assistance of two comrades who rushed to his aid, he was barely rescued and quickly recovered from his injuries through healing magic.
This was the privilege of the healer great family on the battlefield.
Though their offensive power might be inferior to combat bloodlines, as long as their magical power remained intact, they could immediately return to the front lines with the help of their comrades.
Even as the wounded continued to return to battle, the fight didn’t turn in Ravitas’s favor.
The reinforcements from Ruban were so numerous that they outnumbered the mid-to-high ranking nobles by nearly two to one.
“This is dangerous…”
“Just hold on a little longer! If our Family Head can subdue their Family Head-”
The person trying to encourage their comrades and boost morale couldn’t finish his sentence due to the sight unfolding before him.
One of the Ruban nobles who had been about to attack suddenly collapsed, blood gushing from his chest.
And that wasn’t all.
As if an invisible reaper was moving among them, Baraha and Ruban nobles fell helplessly as single holes appeared in various parts of their bodies.
“Could it be…”
Only then did they realize that the famous Parsha family head, Turan of Zahar lineage, had been missing for some time.
* * *
With a thunderous boom, Solif’s whip and Lesion’s longsword collided.
The heat bursting between them scorched their cheeks, but the wounds healed almost as soon as they formed.
This was thanks to Osel, who was casting healing magic on Solif from right behind.
Osel’s role didn’t end there.
He continuously launched javelins using the Whale Hunter to harass Lesion, while also using the life acceleration magic that Meisa often used to sprout vines from the ground to constantly bind his opponent’s legs.
Naturally, being mere plants, they instantly burned away when the Light of Judgment swept over them, but losing momentum even once in close combat could be fatal.
“Hm, two against one.”
Perhaps feeling confident despite the odds, Lesion exclaimed just as Meisa, who had been hiding among their forces, appeared directly above and immediately struck down with lightning.
What she used wasn’t ordinary lightning either.
It was a skill created by combining the Storm bloodline—Blue Lightning.
The surroundings turned white with a flash, and a blue lightning bolt struck Lesion’s crown.
“Urgh!”
Although the armor Lesion wore was a powerful Holy Relic capable of ignoring ordinary lightning attacks, it wasn’t enough to block a skill wielded by someone as powerful as Meisa.
Feeling his entire body trembling, Lesion’s composed face contorted as he hastily raised his shield to block the follow-up attack.
His metal armor crackled with static electricity.
“You, how… are you here!?”
To think that two of the three strongest would come.
Had Parsha gone mad?
What if Arabion invaded while they were all here?
Moreover, Lesion had recently gathered swift and secret intelligence through Zahar.
He had learned that while Solif had disappeared recently, Turan and Meisa remained quietly within their family.
But Meisa’s presence here meant…
Lesion quickly healed his body with healing magic, then turned his head to check his surroundings.
He saw his allied high-ranking nobles, who should have been overwhelming the enemy, being swept away.
There was no need to mention who the culprit was.
“Tu-ran-!”
Abandoning his earlier elegance, Lesion roared and raised his longsword to the sky.
The halo wrapped around his back transformed into a silver sun, soaring upward and instantly brightening several square kilometers as if it were midday.
Turan, who had been slaughtering Baraha and Ruban nobles while invisible, clicked his tongue lightly and dropped his invisibility.
“Well, this is unfortunate.”
In his hand was the assassination blade he had been using recently.
A magical device specialized in penetrating all types of defensive abilities.
With Turan’s magical power added, it could easily pierce even a Guardian’s defensive abilities.
Of course, he could have pierced ordinary Guardian defenses even with a sling, but he wouldn’t have been able to kill them so stealthily and one-sidedly like this.
The more powerful the force exerted, the wider its aftereffects tend to spread.
“P-Parsha Family Head…”
“How long has he been here!?”
Looking at the few remaining high-ranking Baraha mages who were retreating in shock, Turan joined those facing off against Lesion.
He judged that the battle on this side had already decisively tilted in their favor.
“Good work.”
“It was nothing. What a shame—with a little more time, I could have killed them all.”
Of course, the damage Turan had inflicted so far was already devastating.
Five mid-rank nobles, six upper-rank nobles, and three of the highest tier had lost their lives to him.
Among those Turan had killed were even four vessels.
Those who had been frantically wielding their divine powers to sweep away mortals had lost their physical bodies without even knowing why they were dying.
They were probably all dreaming of resurrection somewhere in the bases of Baraha or Ruban by now.
“Did you capture any?”
“No. The conditions weren’t favorable. I’ll be satisfied with capturing that one.”
When asked if he had captured any souls, Turan shook his head.
Even now, with his deep training in soul magic, the weakness of leaving his body defenseless while capturing fleeing souls remained, making it difficult to attempt in such a chaotic battle.
Besides, if they won this war, they could track down and eliminate all of them at their nesting place anyway.
Lesion, watching Turan’s group conversing so calmly, asked with a bewildered expression.
The elegant demeanor from before had completely vanished from his face… His true nature had finally been revealed.
“You, what are you thinking?”
“About what?”
“How could you abandon your base and come here! He won’t stay quiet about this…”
“I’m worried about that too, so I’m planning to return quickly.”
At Turan’s words, understanding the signal, Solif and Meisa immediately launched their attacks.
A golden whip formed from the Sun Cloak and a lightning strike from above.
As Lesion skillfully maneuvered his shield to block both attacks, a steel ball flew with a buzzing sound and bounced off with a loud bang near his face.
“So there was a reason you weren’t wearing a helmet. You have some defensive system for your head too.”
Turan clicked his tongue and focused his consciousness on Lesion’s inner self.
Just like Badal before him, four bloodlines were now intertwined within him, interacting with each other.
Most noticeable were the two shining hands of the Illusion bloodline and the round fireball of the Pyromaniac bloodline.
The fireball was intertwined with the light on the hands, transforming into a silver sacred flame.
Beside them were a shield representing the Guardian and a staff with two white snakes coiled around it representing the Healer, each held by the hands wrapped in sacred flame.
According to information Turan had previously gathered, this matched exactly the four symbols of the “Silver Sun.”
‘But strangely, he hasn’t used any skills since earlier…’
Except for the light magic he had used when he noticed Turan’s presence, Lesion had only used his abilities as Baraha’s family head.
Just as Badal had done before.
As if reading Turan’s mind, Lesion gritted his teeth and pointed his longsword at him.
“By any means necessary, I will absolutely kill you.”
“Well, let’s see you-”
Before he could finish saying “try,” Turan was shocked by Lesion’s charge, which came as fast as light itself, and threw himself sideways.
The longsword imbued with silver light instantly cut through all his defensive magical devices, slashing from his collarbone to his side.
Had he not used Fire Soul to explosively move his body, his upper body would have been split in two.
“Block it!”
With an urgent cry, Osel immediately aimed the Whale Hunter and fired javelins while approaching the retreating Turan.
Combining his own healing magic with Turan’s power, the fairly large wound healed instantly.
“Was that just now… a ‘skill’?”
“Yes. It seems he’s decided to show his true abilities. Be careful.”
In the brief moment they conversed, Lesion was already devastating Solif and Meisa, who had desperately blocked his path.
White flames blooming from the hand that had thrown away his shield clung to the Guardian of the Sky protecting her upper body, while his longsword instantly created more than a dozen illusions that slashed at Solif’s body.
“This, this is insane…”
Solif, hastily transforming his Sun Cloak into a shield, retreated in shock at the overwhelming power.
Now that he was fully utilizing his skills, he was displaying combat power of an entirely different dimension from before.
Though still weaker than Badal Arabion whom they had fought previously, it was worlds apart from the ordinary family-head-level power he had shown just moments ago.
Presumably, if he had freely used his skills like this when ambushing Osel, Ravitas would have been destroyed that very day.
However, Turan, watching from behind, realized that Lesion’s complexion wasn’t particularly bright despite his fierce fighting.
‘As expected. For some reason, he too can’t freely unleash his abilities, just like Badal.’
If that was the case, all they needed to do was drag out the time.
After entrusting Solif’s healing to Osel, Turan gripped his longsword tightly and charged directly at Lesion.
With a crash, Lesion was pushed back several steps and looked at Turan with a shocked expression.
“You, could it be…?”
The impact force, unbelievable for a noble of the Zahar bloodline.
Judging by the opponent’s magical power, there was only one way he could display such prowess.
Either he had maximally drawn upon the power of the Warrior bloodline, or-
“Ruban’s power is quite good too.”
Turan, who had just replaced his Warrior bloodline with that of a Ruban noble he had killed, smiled as he spoke.
And that wasn’t all he could do.
Having awakened his spiritual perception, Turan combined the Storm symbols, cast acceleration magic on himself, and dodged the crimson beam that shot from Lesion’s enraged hand.
The beam passed where Turan had been and carved a long line into the earth, extending nearly a kilometer.
“Soul magic as well?”
“I thought you already knew.”
Although this had long been known to the gods of Arabion and Zahar, it seemed they hadn’t properly shared this information with Baraha.
In truth, rumors about Turan were so chaotic that accurate information would be difficult to obtain without direct communication with the gods.
From the relatively truthful story that he was Zahar’s illegitimate child, to the completely accurate fact that he was a mixed-blood of Zahar and Arabion, to rumors that he was a Baraha mixed-blood and Solif’s half-brother, or even a child born between the Ravitas family head and Zahar—with so many rumors circulating, it was natural to be confused.
Sometimes having too much information was more troublesome than having none at all.
The ensuing exchange of attacks naturally flowed one-sidedly in Turan’s favor.
Turan would project firepower from behind by throwing stones or spraying Death Water, then whenever Solif was injured, he would switch to the Ruban bloodline and take the front line while Solif recovered.
Lesion fought fiercely, unleashing all manner of skills, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the four-against-one disadvantage.
Like a bull facing matadors, he was being dragged around when he finally cried out in a tired voice, almost in desperation:
“Why, why do you resist so much… We are your fathers! We created this world! If we hadn’t come, you would still be livestock!”
“It just means the owner changed, not that you aren’t livestock.”
To say such things so brazenly even with Solif, who was nearly a victim, right beside him.
Was he lacking in empathy, or simply intelligence?
Perhaps he was just saying anything in his desperation.
In any case, detailed conversation would be better conducted in a more private setting.
Since only a select few in the upper echelons of Parsha and Ravitas knew the gods’ true identity… As the wind blade extending from Meisa’s hand severed the incapacitated Lesion’s neck, Turan took out the jewel box from his chest, closed his eyes, and released his spirit form from his body.
A massive silver light form rising from Lesion’s body greeted him.