Chapter 697: An Unexpected Turn

Luna cleared away every obstacle and brought her sword down on the Desolation Deer. The blade rang against it like metal striking metal.

The greatsword was one Scarlett had casually pulled from her space. It was a weapon some noble had sent over ages ago, though no one remembered which one. It wasn’t particularly powerful.

But Luna’s stats were high enough that even while holding back, she could still show just how powerful the Desolation Deer was.

The moment the strike landed, the stones covering the Desolation Deer began to fall away rapidly, finally revealing its original form.

Except there was hardly anything left of that original form. The Desolation Deer’s body had completely rotted away. Maggots kept falling from inside it, then crawling up its legs and back into its body.

Jessica didn’t find the sight especially disgusting. She had been fighting Plague Believers all this time, so she had seen plenty of things like this.

The Desolation Deer roared, then raised both hooves and stamped down hard. The ground began to tremble.

At the same time, Jessica’s Abundant Magic was interrupted, and even the magical creations she had made vanished in an instant.

The Desolation Deer raised its hooves again. The last time, it had been venting its fury; this time, it was attacking. One hoof was aimed at Luna, the other at Jessica.

Luna raised her sword to block, but the greatsword snapped in her hands. Fortunately, she retreated in time and dodged the blow.

Jessica, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky. As a Bountiful Mage, she had almost come to treat Abundant Magic as instinct. Now that Bountifulness had suddenly been stripped away, she felt as though she had lost a leg, and couldn’t dodge in time.

Even though Loren had warned her beforehand, this wasn’t something she could easily get used to.

“I’ll take it from here.”

Loren appeared behind Jessica, grabbed her by the collar, and threw her away.

But from everyone else’s perspective, Jessica had just been crushed into a bloody pulp.

Jessica reacted quickly. This time, she didn’t hesitate and immediately fled the area.

After its attack missed, the Desolation Deer charged straight at the Bountiful followers’ army. Many of them were trampled before they could even escape.

As the Desolation Deer charged, the battle immediately reached a fever pitch. The strongest fighters on both sides joined the fray, but with Abundant Magic sealed, the fight was now overwhelmingly one-sided. The Plague Believers continued slaughtering the Bountiful followers.

Everyone on the city wall retreated. They went to notify the King.

Because of Luna’s interference, the situation had changed too quickly. The King hadn’t even had time to join the battle before the Desolation Deer reached the city gates.

Just as the Desolation Deer stepped onto the ground before the gate, a ritual suddenly activated. Countless thick vines burst out of the earth and wrapped around it.

These vines weren’t ordinary magic. They were part of a ritual directed toward the God of Bountiful Harvest, so they could temporarily dispel the Desolation Deer’s influence.

Every soldier capable of using martial skills unleashed their strongest attacks on the Desolation Deer all at once, Luna among them.

The Desolation Deer was knocked back several steps. Its flesh burst open, and dense clusters of maggots poured out. The maggots leaped nimbly toward the nearby soldiers. Once they crawled onto them, they tore at their flesh before burrowing inside their bodies.

The ritual couldn’t hold for long, either. A few minutes later, the vines withered and vanished, just like the other plants. The Desolation Deer was free again and charged toward the city gate once more.

This time, the King finally arrived.

He leaped straight out of the city, a greatsword in his hand. It was twice the size of the one Luna had just used. Only a weapon like that could stand against a colossal creature like the Desolation Deer.

Colossal Beast Cleave was a martial skill Loren had figured out on his own. No one else had anything like it.

The greatsword struck the Desolation Deer’s antlers, and the resulting shockwave sent the wounded soldiers nearby tumbling.

Even on the battlefield, the King hadn’t forgotten his crown and cloak. The wind whipped his cloak into a furious flutter.

With the Chariot card, the King’s stamina was practically limitless, so he could put his full strength into every strike. Little by little, he began to suppress the Desolation Deer.

The maggots bursting from the Desolation Deer also tried to leap onto the King. But the moment they bit through his skin, it healed again, leaving them no chance to burrow inside.

“Should we step in?” Reflection Naclis poked her head out of Loren’s shadow and asked.

By now, the King had gained a complete advantage. The Desolation Deer could be killed by him at any moment.

“I’m uneasy. I feel like this isn’t that simple.”

Loren trusted his premonitions, especially after obtaining the observer’s authority. They had practically become a guide from Fate.

“Let’s keep watching. It won’t be that simple.

“This is the most critical battlefield. Otherwise, the Desolation Deer and the King wouldn’t have been sent here.

“After I gravely wounded the God of Light and Fire, the other Orthodox Gods panicked. They’re rushing to gain more authority, so I can’t kill them easily when the time comes.

“So the war has grown more intense, too. The stalemate is over. From here on, both sides are out to take each other’s lives.”

“Luna, help the King attack the Desolation Deer. Make sure the Plague Believers feel the pressure.”

“Aren’t you worried the Desolation Deer will die?” Reflection Naclis asked curiously.

“If it dies, it dies. As long as I witness its death, I can record its ability. At worst, it’ll die feeling a little aggrieved. I’ll avenge it later.”

Loren’s goal had always been clear. He didn’t care whether the Desolation Deer lived or died. He only wanted its ability.

After all, the God of Bountiful Harvest was a single-authority god and didn’t need two Mythical Creatures to perform the ritual at the same time. The ability recorded by the World Card would be enough.

Luna nodded, picked up the remaining half of the greatsword, and charged in.

This time, Luna showed a little more of her strength, leaving one wound after another on the Desolation Deer.

Her footwork was far more nimble than the King’s. Not a single maggot could get near her.

The Desolation Deer was covered in more and more wounds, until only its skeleton remained visible from the front. Its heart could still be felt beating.

Each beat sent a mass of maggots spraying out. They splattered across the King’s face, but he didn’t even blink.

“Mountain-Splitting Strike!”

The King seized his chance and unleashed a martial skill. His greatsword came crashing down on one of the Desolation Deer’s legs with tremendous force, nearly severing it. The Desolation Deer lost its balance and fell to its knees.

“Fog…”

Loren looked up at the sky. The fog had grown noticeably thicker.

“No, that isn’t fog…”

Loren took a careful sniff. The smell was all wrong. There was a hint of blood, and another of sulfur.

Just as the King was about to press his advantage and kill the Desolation Deer, a colossal darkness appeared in the distance. In the fog, all people could make out was a shadow blotting out the sky and sun.