Chapter 71: The Whale of Oblivion (2)
A golden giant stood tall upon the earth.
At the sight of it, the paladins gasped in awe before they even realized it.
Those who lived within the Holy Kingdom had only ever heard of the Pope’s strength through fables and old stories.
But now, witnessing it for themselves, their amazement was unending.
To be able to manifest such a massive form using divine power alone—
Even the priests, caught off guard by such an unexpected application, found themselves staring blankly up at the towering figure.
So the rumors about the Pope having lost his power were nothing more than empty gossip.
As those murmurs faded, the chatter within the Paladin Order began to quiet.
Even those who had lost their will to fight upon the appearance of the Whale of Oblivion now clenched their jaws and picked up their dropped weapons.
“His Holiness the Pope has stepped forward! Why then do you all cower?!”
“Aren’t you ashamed before the Goddess? Raise your heads and stand tall!”
Spurred by the righteous fury of one paladin, even those who had been paralyzed by fear now lifted their heads again.
Karl, still mourning the sacrifice of Yuruf, squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them with determination and gripped his spear tightly.
If they were going to just let Yuruf die like this, then slaying that monster first would be the far better option.
Though the thick fog made it hard to see in all directions, they couldn’t just stand there and do nothing.
The priests began blessing everyone, warding off the effects of the Oblivion Incense.
It consumed significantly more divine power than before, but still, hopeful smiles began to bloom on their faces.
“So what if it’s the Whale of Oblivion?! Are you planning to run? Do you even know how many of our brothers and sisters that thing has slaughtered?!”
“Anyone planning to flee, go now! We’ve no place for cowards among our ranks!”
Rough voices rang out as people stood up, each grabbing their own weapons.
Even the knights of the Black Raven Order strode forward with faint smiles on their faces.
They couldn’t see far ahead, but they knew Abel was out there, facing the Whale of Oblivion head-on.
Despite standing against a disaster-class monster, fire burned in their eyes.
Seeing this, Abel smiled with satisfaction.
“So I didn’t raise them in vain.”
And with that, it was time to begin the counterattack.
“First, let’s get rid of this damn fog.”
As he extended his hand, a massive magic circle began to form on the ground beneath them.
A tremendous amount of mana was being consumed in mere seconds—
Yet Abel’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.
Even this didn’t come close to draining the vast reservoir of mana he held now.
Wuuuuuung…
Those sensitive to mana felt their stomachs churn as the overwhelming magic began to manifest.
From the completed magic circle, an intense light burst forth, nearly blinding in its brilliance.
In the blink of an eye, the thick gray fog covering their vision was completely gone.
To disperse it all with a single spell—
The Pope clicked his tongue in disbelief at Abel’s impressive skill.
He’d known Abel had reached the realm of an Archmage, but this level of control was something else entirely.
“Is this really that powerless boy I once saw?”
“What are you staring at? Time for you to show us what the Pope’s made of.”
“Haha! Very well, so be it!”
Grinning at Abel’s teasing, the Pope stepped forward.
It had been a long time since he’d felt his heart race like this.
What was once thought to be a fading spirit had sharpened ever since Yuruf fell.
Even his aging body now moved well enough—there was no reason to hold back any longer.
He raised his bony hand, and the golden giant lifted its arm.
With its fist clenched tight, the massive form brought its punch down upon the bound Whale of Oblivion.
KWAANG!
KUUWOOAAHH!!
A thunderous crash echoed as the whale began to thrash violently.
Its flailing fins sent tremors through the earth itself.
Because of that, the knights couldn’t get close—they resorted to firing sword strikes from a distance.
Watching from behind, Abel raised his hand again.
Multiple magic circles formed mid-air, and from them, white chains burst forth, piercing into the creature’s body.
Taut and unrelenting, the chains locked the beast in place, sealing its movements completely.
“The Duke has restrained it! Move forward!”
“Hack it apart! Tear it to shreds! Just because it’s disaster-class doesn’t mean it’s invincible!”
With Arin’s roar leading the charge, the knights began their assault.
Her green flames surged like waves and soon engulfed the whale.
Beside her, Pii poured out every last drop of her strength in a torrent of fire.
Seeing them fight with everything they had, the other knights and paladins looked at one another—
Then nodded firmly.
“Brothers, let’s go!”
“Yeah, let’s show them!”
“Follow the commander! Last one to the fight gets punished!”
“UWOOOHH!!”
A deafening cheer rang out like a curtain rising on stage.
The morale, once reignited, soared even higher, seemingly unstoppable now.
Fueled by that energy, the paladins and knights charged toward the Whale of Oblivion without hesitation, throwing their full might into the assault.
The monster released more fog in retaliation, but thanks to the priests’ blessings, the effects were minimal—practically negligible.
The drain on divine power was immense, yet hope still lit their faces.
Boom!
The giant’s fist slammed down once again.
The Whale of Oblivion, which had been screeching relentlessly, now only let out faint, low moans—it seemed even its consciousness was beginning to fade.
The subjugation was progressing smoothly—until Abel saw it.
A glowing sigil, visible only to him, flared red-hot.
“Fall back!”
Sensing danger, Abel immediately issued the command.
The knights and paladins didn’t hesitate—they, too, could feel the shift in the monster’s aura.
Grrrr…
Crackle.
With the sound of sparking energy, a thick golden aura began to consume the whale.
Most couldn’t see it, but those who had reached mastery—Pope, Abel, Arin—saw everything with crystal clarity.
“Tch. Petty tricks.”
“Laughable little stunt.”
Pope scoffed, then swung his arm once again.
The golden giant interlocked both fists and brought them down like a hammer.
KWAANG!
A thunderous explosion rang out as dirt and dust scattered in every direction.
But instead of the expected roar of pain, a low, grating hum vibrated in their ears.
Wuuuuung…
As the dust settled, the Whale of Oblivion was revealed again.
But it was no longer a creature of life—it now resembled a zombie, suspended like a puppet on invisible strings.
Tch. Persistent thing…
Abel clicked his tongue and raised his staff once more.
****
THUD!
A deep tremor rocked the interior.
Abel and the subjugation force must be attacking from the outside.
But right now, the top priority was saving Yuruf .
[Ugh. This place is disgusting.]
The stench was vile—so foul it made you want to retch.
If she’d eaten breakfast earlier, she probably would’ve vomited by now.
And this was just after entering the esophagus—surely the deeper parts would be even worse.
With a sigh, she moved forward again.
Beside him, Sylphi turned and asked, almost as a check-in:
[You’re keeping up the wind for your breathing, right?]
“Of course.”
Crossing his arms, Sylphi raised his voice, sounding stern.
[Remember—breathe lightly. If you inhale too much, you’ll suck in the mist inside.]
“What happens if I do?”
Curious, Adele asked.
Sylphi sighed again, clearly reluctant to explain.
After a moment of hesitation, he finally answered:
[Even just breathing this mist for three hours… and you’ll lose all your memories.
Your mind will be wiped clean—and what’s left becomes nothing more than prey for the whale.]
“Then that means Yuruf …”
He trailed off, murmuring under his breath.
Sylphi nodded grimly.
[We have to find her fast. Three hours isn’t a lot of time.]
Despite his calm demeanor, the unease in Sylphi’s voice made it clear—he was worried about Yuruf too.
And so was she.
“...Yeah. We need to hurry.”
Grrr…
They hadn’t gone far when something moved in the mist—a presence watching them.
Several figures emerged, dressed in priestly robes.
With vacant, glassy eyes, they slowly rose to their feet.
They looked like zombies—hollow shells of former humans.
That must be what becomes of those who lose all their memories.
“Hehehe…”
The laughter, maddened and cracked, came from one of them as they charged without hesitation.
Adele swung her rapier, slicing through an arm—but they didn’t even flinch, still lunging straight for her.
Their mouths gaped wide, aiming to bite down.
There was no more time to waste—she had to end it.
She slashed their throats, bringing them down with one fluid motion.
The gurgling sound as they collapsed made her jaw clench involuntarily.
No matter how often she faced it, the sensation of cutting through flesh was something Adele could never get used to.
And truthfully—she didn’t want to get used to it.
“Really?”
A voice.
Sudden, faint, familiar.
She instinctively turned her head.
It was the same voice that had helped her resist mental interference before.
But no matter how hard she looked, she couldn’t find the one who’d spoken.
[What’s wrong?]
“It’s nothing. That voice from before—it just…”
[I didn’t hear anything.]
Taking a moment to catch her breath, Adele pushed the thought aside.
Right now, finding Yuruf was more important than mysterious voices.
As she was about to move again, she caught sight of a lifeless pair of eyes staring up from the ground.
The expression stuck with her—and after a brief moment of hesitation, she reached down and unclasped the cross around their neck.
[Planning to return it?]
“Yeah. I just… want to do something for them.”
She tucked the crosses into her leather pouch and moved on.
No matter how pressed for time they were,
This—this small gesture—was the least she could do for the dead.
---The End Of The Chapter---
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