Parallel Memory

Chapter 694: Meanwhile, on the battlefield outside…

The holy mana that had boosted Hiro and Mia's squad surged outward like an unstoppable tide. It raced across the broken lands, weaving through corpses, craters, shattered barricades, and fallen pillars that marked the final defensive line. The light washed over the exhausted human forces like a breath of divine relief.

For Kaileon, Nock, and Seraphine—who had been pinned beneath waves of devil elites for hours—it was salvation.

Kaileon felt it immediately.

His sword hummed, lightning crackling along its edge like a sleeping beast awakened by the scent of battle. Holy mana wrapped around his muscles, numbing the ache in his shoulders and healing the pulsing bruises that had been slowing him down.

He inhaled sharply and swung.

A sweeping arc of lightning-infused mana tore across the battlefield, cleaving through devil armor like wet paper. Sparks exploded as his blade clashed against a devil general's halberd.

The creature snarled and lunged.

Kaileon sidestepped with renewed speed—just enough to slip past the halberd's deadly arc—and cut through the devil's arm with a clean, decisive strike.

"You're getting sloppy," Kaileon muttered, though he could feel his own lungs burning from the endless hours of fighting.

But he didn't break rhythm. Didn't pause. Didn't let the enemy see the exhaustion eating him alive inside.

Because holy mana or not—they were still vastly outnumbered.

Beside him, Nock Fletcher planted the butt of his staff into the ground as cracks of holy light spread outward from the impact.

"Blessing of the Radiant Path."

The wave pulsed through the battlefield like a heartbeat.

Shredded skin closed. Fatigue lessened. Mana circulated smoother. Blood stopped flowing from wounds that should've taken hours to treat.

Priests who had been trembling seconds ago now stood straighter, their eyes bright with renewed determination.

Healers chanted faster. Light mages pushed their spells harder. The entire vanguard line surged forward with a roar that shook the air.

But then—

A thunderous crack echoed from above.

Everyone turned.

The far side of the arena wall collapsed completely, stone and metal crumbling into a billowing cloud of dust that rolled across the battlefield. For a moment, all sound ceased—silence born from collective dread.

Then came the sound they all feared.

Dozens of beating wings.

Claws scraping against stone.

Hundreds of inhuman cries layered atop each other.

The next wave had arrived.

Devil reinforcements poured through the broken wall—twice as large, twice as vicious, their killing intent thick enough to choke on.

Kaileon's face twisted. "They're sending another wave? Now!?"

Seraphine wiped blood from her mouth, silver hair plastered to her cheeks. She twirled her spear, bracing herself even as her arms trembled. "The devils must have sensed Aaron falling. They're panicking!"

"Panicking devils are still devils!" Nock shouted, raising a holy shield just in time to block a volley of corrupted spears.

The remains of the elite human forces—their numbers once proud, now pitiful—re-formed their lines with ragged determination.

Most were wounded.

Half the mages had collapsed.

Frontliners were bleeding through their armor.

Some soldiers were fighting on sheer willpower and adrenaline alone.

Holy mana boosted them, but it couldn't erase the truth.

They were too few.

And the devils were too many.

The reinforcements descended like a swarm of nightmares, claws flashing, wings spread wide, their shadows blanketing the battlefield.

But just as the first wave dove—

A whip cracked.

And the battlefield shifted.

Adeline and the Church Guards

The sound was unmistakable. A sharp, commanding snap that cut through screams, roars, and clashing steel.

Many turned toward it instinctively.

Adeline strode forward, her dark whip unfurling like a shadow made solid. Holy mana glowed along its length, transforming every swing into a streak of golden murder.

She cut through devil wings, sliced off arms, shredded torsos—her movements as clean and precise as if she were executing drills rather than slaughtering demons.

Behind her, the Church Guards advanced in perfect formation.

They were not the strongest.

Nor the fastest.

Nor blessed with overwhelming magic.

But their discipline was absolute.

And today—under holy mana that amplified Adeline's power—they were more fearsome than any elite squad present.

Seraphine gaped. "I've never seen them move like this."

Nock allowed himself a brief, breathless smile. "Adeline doesn't train soldiers. She forges weapons."

And she had been waiting for this moment.

Because her motivation was not glory.

Not pride.

Not obedience.

It was the memory of the one person she had sworn her life to protect.

The Saintess.

The gentle healer who had always smiled at everyone.

The saintess who bore the expectations of nations.

The saintess Adeline had guarded since adolescence.

Who hid her exhaustion.

Who carried despair quietly.

Who offered warmth to others while freezing slowly inside.

Adeline had seen her break down behind temple walls, only to wipe her tears away and walk out with a radiant smile.

She had watched the saintess pour out her mana until her fingers trembled uncontrollably.

She had watched the saintess ignore her own limits to boost morale.

She had watched her step onto the battlefield earlier—knowing she would not come back alive.

When the saintess released her final holy blessing, sacrificing herself to protect the vanguard…

Adeline felt something in her snap.

The world did not deserve someone like that.

But Adeline would not allow the saintess's final act to be in vain.

Her voice thundered across the broken earth:

"FORM B!"

The Church Guards responded instantly.

Twenty shields slammed together, locking seamlessly.

Twenty spears lowered in perfect unison.

Their boots dug into the earth with synchronized precision.

A tidal wave of devils crashed into the wall of shields—and the guards held.

The impact shook the ground.

Dust erupted in plumes.

But not a single guard moved out of formation.

Adeline surged forward, whip cracking loudly as she severed a devil general's leg. Gold splattered the ground where her whip passed, holy mana burning through flesh and bone.

She glanced toward the elite squads.

"KEEP PUSHING!" she roared. "THE SAINTESS DID NOT DIE FOR US TO STAND STILL!"

Her voice lit a fire in the hearts of every soldier who heard it.

Kaileon leapt over the shield wall in a spinning arc of lightning, his blade cutting down two devils at once.

Seraphine launched off a Church Guard's shield, soaring through the air like a silver comet before driving her spear through the skull of a winged devil.

Nock raised four holy barriers at once, blocking incoming spells that would've annihilated their frontliners.

The battlefield erupted in organized chaos.

The Church Guards anchored the center.

The elite squads flanked.

Kaileon and Seraphine spearheaded the assault.

Nock sustained the entire operation with dangerous multi-layered blessings.

For a moment—just a moment—they pushed the devils back.

But the devils were endless.

For every fiend they struck down—

Two more took its place.

Mana reserves fell dangerously low.

Frontliners stumbled from exhaustion.

Adeline's breathing grew ragged, her vision blurring around the edges.

"Adeline!" one of her guards shouted. "We need orders!"

She wiped blood from her cheek, nearly gasping.

"We can't… keep this up forever."

Her whip dropped to her side for half a second.

Just half a second.

But in that moment—

A massive shadow loomed overhead.

A towering devil brute, armored in obsidian plates, descended with a roar that shook the battlefield. Its fist clenched around a club made from twisted bone and corrupted ore.

Adeline's eyes widened.

She could dodge.

But her unit couldn't.

And she would not allow the saintess's disciples—the people she trained with her own blood, sweat, and fury—to die.

She raised her whip again, planting her feet, preparing to meet the monster head-on.

Even though she knew she wasn't fast enough.

Not this time.

Not with depleted mana.

Not with her body screaming in protest.

The brute swung down—

And Adeline braced for impact.

Because she would rather die standing than live knowing she let the saintess's final wish fade.

But at the last moment—

A figure blurred between her and the strike.

Holy light flashed.

Steel rang.

The air trembled as the brute's attack was parried with impossible force.

Adeline's eyes widened in disbelief.

Someone new had entered the battlefield.

And everything was about to change.