Chapter 174: When One Falls, the Others Continue (1)

The High Priest, Morgus.

A man of the Heart Clan who had spent his life as a devoted servant of the Holy Throne, spreading its teachings throughout his clan and placing absolute faith in its religion.

He was a gifted fighter, born with a blessed body far stronger than those of his peers. His faith had also granted him the power of miracles, allowing him to rise as a King-rank Paladin, one of the finest Knights of the Holy Throne and among its most prominent representatives on the continent of Midgard.

Who could have imagined that the righteous clergyman, once known for spending countless hours alone inside the cathedral in prayer and worship, would eventually become a creature of darkness still clinging to a fallen religion?

Morgus had turned against the members of his own clan.

He had tried to kill them, treating them as heretics who deserved nothing less than extermination.

His golden wings carried him high into the air, elevating him above the rest of humanity. The heretics were beneath him, and it was his duty to crush them with all his might.

And so, he rained down golden spears that radiated the power of his faith.

His strength had increased after the second bell tolled, granting him new abilities. For a moment, it seemed as though he might actually bury Moon and her companions beneath the relentless barrage.

But the increase in power wasn’t enough to give him complete superiority.

While Morgus bombarded them with golden spears, he failed to notice that Jackson was already above him.

"You think a pair of wings is enough to escape from me?!"

Jackson roared as he clasped both hands together and brought them crashing down against Morgus’s skull.

The monster tried to defend himself, but he was too late.

Jackson had reached him with ease after concentrating the power of his Aura Armor into his legs and launching himself high into the air at such terrifying speed that Morgus hadn’t even seen him coming.

Jackson’s blow sent Morgus crashing back toward the ground, where Moon and Gustav were already waiting for him.

The captains of the First and Third Teams attacked him immediately with their swords.

Gustav aimed his enormous greatsword directly at Morgus’s heart, while Moon’s blazing sword flashed toward his neck at incredible speed.

Sensing the danger, Morgus folded his wings around his body and used them as shields, successfully blocking both swords.

"Damn it! These wings are too tough!"

Gustav cursed before gripping his greatsword with both hands.

"What about this, then?!"

After his first attack failed, Gustav manipulated his Aura Armor, drawing it toward the tip of his greatsword until it began wrapping around the blade.

Then he thrust forward with everything he had.

With his sword reinforced by aura, the captain of the First Team managed to pierce straight through Morgus’s wings and drive the blade into his chest, sending the monster’s rotten blood spilling onto the ground.

The sight left Moon stunned.

Not because Gustav had managed to penetrate the monster’s defenses, but because he had manipulated his aura and wrapped it around his sword.

That was an ability reserved for those who had reached the Saint Rank.

"Gustav... since when?"

Moon stared at him in complete surprise.

She had thought he was still an Elite.

Gustav’s grin widened as his greatsword sank even deeper into Morgus’s chest, drawing another pained groan from the monster.

"You bastards aren’t the only ones who’ve gotten stronger!!"

With a thunderous battle cry, Gustav raised his greatsword above his head.

Power gathered throughout his arms until the veins beneath his skin bulged visibly, while aura flowed into the weapon and strengthened it even further.

The greatsword descended in a massive arc and came crashing directly toward Morgus’s head.

Morgus raised both arms and crossed them above his head.

He managed to stop Gustav’s sword, its edge failing to bite through his hardened flesh, while the ground beneath their feet trembled violently from the force of the collision.

Gustav reacted quickly.

He immediately launched another assault, swinging his greatsword from side to side without giving Morgus any room to recover.

Moon didn’t stand back and watch either.

She joined the assault, repeatedly driving her sword toward the boss’s vital points.

Her flaming blade was particularly effective.

Fire had always been a weakness of creatures corrupted by the curse, allowing her attacks to inflict tremendous damage whenever they landed.

But the difference in raw strength between Morgus and the two of them remained enormous.

Once the monster recovered from Jackson’s earlier blow and regained his bearings, it didn’t take long for him to seize the advantage against them.

Fortunately, the old hunter returned to the battle at exactly the right moment, preventing Moon and Gustav from suffering serious injuries.

Jackson unleashed dozens of cannon-like punches against Morgus.

Fists blazing with golden aura sank deep into the monster’s chest and abdomen one after another.

Jackson Heart was a true monster in his own right. The blessing of his Beast Heart granted him an enormous amount of strength that surpassed the limits of ordinary humans, and when combined with his powerful Aura Armor...

It became incredibly difficult for any creature at his level to match him.

Only a few minutes passed before Jackson shattered Morgus’s chest and killed him for the second time.

Taking a deep breath, Jackson wore a deep frown rather than showing any satisfaction at defeating his opponent.

Because the bells didn’t keep them waiting for long.

They tolled for the third time.

And this time, three bells rang at once instead of two.

Their loud, ominous chimes were like an elixir of life to Morgus.

The monster rose to his feet once again as though nothing had happened, his body completely restored.

Worse still...

He seemed even stronger than before.

Seeing him standing before them in perfect condition caused the hunters to unconsciously take a step backward.

This was only the third bell.

Yet they had already begun exhausting their strength, while Morgus continued growing stronger with every resurrection.

Standing at the front, Jackson opened his snake-like eyes slightly wider as he stared at the monster before him.

Then his gaze dropped toward his fist.

Blood dripped from it.

The monster’s blood, not his own.

He wasn’t injured.

And yet, he could feel it.

A faint numbness had begun creeping into his knuckles, accompanied by a growing weakness in his arms.

’If this continues... we won’t even survive until the seventh bell, much less win.’

Jackson glanced toward his allies.

Moon and Gustav stood directly behind him, while the remaining members of the First Team were positioned nearby.

Of everyone present, Jackson was the only one capable of fighting Morgus head-on.

If he fell...

They all fell.

"So be it... Everyone, listen to me!!"

The giant’s roar immediately drew everyone’s attention as his golden aura erupted with even greater force.

"We’re racing against time! Our enemy will only become stronger as time passes, and the longer this battle drags on, the more strength we’ll lose until we’re nothing but easy prey for him!"

His voice thundered across the hall.

"If we want to survive, we need to kill him quickly while spending as little strength as possible!! That’s our only chance of winning, so all of you, follow me!"

"We abandon defense!"

Jackson clenched his fists.

"And we do nothing but attack!!"