Chapter 26: The Saintess does not fall

The Saint charged into the enemy lines like a lion breaking through a pack of wolves.

At the moment of her first strike, the greatsword attack used every ounce of strength in her body.

Naturally, this caused her body to follow through with the weapon to some extent.

However, by reversing that momentum and inputting a command at just the right moment, the greatsword’s attacks seamlessly connected, flowing like water.

In the laws of real-world physics, every muscle in the body would snap or suffer severe injuries, but of course—

This was a game.

Following the momentum, the Saint began swinging her greatsword like a windmill.

Although it had no official name, players unanimously referred to this chain of attacks with a single word, almost as if it were obvious.

That word was Whirlwind.

The opposing forces were torn apart like they had been struck by a storm.

By the time the endless spinning finally came to a halt, the entire group of soldiers lay scattered on the ground, their bodies dismembered into a mess of bones, skin, flesh, limbs, and blood.

Within the slightly swaying field of view, as though the character was experiencing dizziness, the opposing players finally began to move.

I recognized them—

Green and two Indigo warriors.

They weren’t unbeatable.

If they let their guard down due to their numerical advantage, they would lose their heads to the greatsword’s attack, like leaves falling in an autumn breeze.

But the opponents were cautious.

At someone’s command, they seemed content to only exhaust the character, retreating as they waited for their turn.

And then, stepping forward next was Gold Sun.

…That bastard.

He’s seriously good at this game.

He never takes a fight he can’t win.

Still—

Even in such a disadvantageous battle,

I managed to secure the first kill.

Using a clever maneuver with the greatsword’s hilt, I shattered Gold Sun’s right hand, knuckles and all.

The Saint rushed forward as if she wouldn’t let this golden opportunity slip, but unfortunately, Gold Sun wasn’t my only opponent.

The disadvantage of fighting against multiple enemies lies in countless reasons, but one of the most frustrating is how hard it is to finish off an opponent even when you get an opening.

That was the obstacle holding me back now.

The fight seemed like it would drag on.

How long had it been already?

Five minutes, at least?

A three-on-one battle.

Through peak performance, I barely avoided critical injuries,

but in the end, I hadn’t managed to kill a single enemy.

The Saint’s health, mana, stamina—

And my own mental focus after such prolonged concentration—

They were all completely drained.

Compared to that,

The three warriors of the opposing team seemed composed.

Gold Sun, with his soul-stealing tactics, had carefully managed his stamina while fighting me, so it was no surprise they were still at ease.

Not only was the Saint’s vision swaying, but I, in reality, felt dizzy from being pushed to the brink.

In the midst of that desperate situation, a glimmer of hope appeared.

A message popped up:

“The second defensive line of the Blue Team’s base has been breached.
As a result, the Ascended Sorcerer ‘Adriana,’ who had long vanished, is emerging from her seclusion!”

The revealed core’s location…was, of course, guarded by the three opposing players.

Unless I defeated all of them, breaking the core would be impossible.

As I considered this, I input a command.

The Saint strapped the greatsword diagonally across her back, letting it dangle freely, its tip dragging along the ground, without concern, as she began to sprint forward.

Naturally, blades and fists came flying toward the Saint.

Without any intention to dodge, she lowered her posture and used the shoulder of her light armor to shove one of the warriors.

Although the attack from her small frame wasn’t enough to knock him down, the brief stagger was all she needed.

With the path cleared, a long gash appeared on the Saint’s forearm.

Blood gushed out in thick streams.

Even so, I didn’t think of retaliating.

An opportunity—

I commanded her to keep running forward.

The target, of course, was the core.

Her openly vulnerable stance invited lethal attacks one after another.

The pain meter skyrocketed instantly.

But more than the pain, it was the rapid depletion of her health that stood out.

Already nearly drained, her health was now down to its last sliver.

The Saint’s field of vision darkened as if being swallowed by shadows.

In that final, dire moment, I input one last command.

The dimming blue eyes flickered faintly, and before I knew it, a vibrant azure flame began blazing within her pupils.

The body, paralyzed by the accumulated pain and barely moving, suddenly became more alive than ever.

Like a candle burning brightest just before it goes out, her movements became brilliantly fierce.

Even with blood loss far beyond the point of shock, even as a blade pierced her abdomen and drove through her heart, the Saint clung to life with sheer force of will.

What was triggered was—

a deferral of death.

It goes without saying.

This was the ultimate technique of the Berserker build.

It was the ultimate skill: Undying Fury.

All attacks that dealt damage were meaningless.

The Saint kept running forward.

Ignoring everyone in her way, she finally reached the core. At that moment, I checked the interface.

“Remaining duration: 6 seconds.”

There was no time to hesitate.

Pulling out the greatsword aimed at the massive blue crystal, slightly larger than a person, she used the force of her swing to strike it down.

Bang!

Crack! A fracture formed on the core.

However, the crack was just a small line; several more hits would be needed to shatter it completely.

The opposing warriors, utterly panicked, rushed to stop the Saint.

But no attack could bring the character to her death.

That’s just how this skill worked.

Bang!

If there had been a grappler-optimized warrior or something similar on the opposing team, maybe it would have been different.

But none of their players used grapple-type moves.

If they tried to push her back physically, they’d only end up getting cut down by another Whirlwind.

There was no spell to restrict her actions or curse to put her to sleep.

So, at this moment, there was no way for them to nullify my attacks.

Bang!

Bang!

By the time that strike landed, the nearly shattered blue crystal was on the verge of losing its form.

Just one more hit.

One more swing.

But then…

“Remaining duration: 0 seconds.”

Time had run out.

The candle had burned out completely, and the blazing azure flame was extinguished.

Once again, a blade pierced her heart.

The Saint experienced death.

“YOU DIED.”

The red letters appeared on the screen, mocking me.

So close.

I let out a bitter laugh.

That was my last chance.

If only I had saved just one more second,

if I could have swung the greatsword just one more time,

I could have won.

What would happen next was obvious.

With “Yan” dead and “Adriana” now on the opposing team, the already unfavorable game would end in defeat without a chance for a comeback.

It was just a game. Just one game.

And yet, my chest felt tight with frustration.

But these feelings weren’t mine alone.

First, I needed to apologize to my teammates who had trusted me and followed my commands.

“I’m sorry, everyone…”

Even to my own ears, my voice sounded utterly dejected.

It seemed no one could find the right words to console me, and the voice chat remained silent.

“What for?”

After a brief pause, it was the Berserker who responded.

“Just, everything… all of it?”

I didn’t offer any excuses, like how hard I had tried, how close we’d come, or how just a little more time might have made the difference.

It would only make it feel more regretful.

“Man, seriously. This from someone who spent ten years as a net-kama… well, not exactly a net-kama. So, does that make it cha—wait, no, forget that! Just pretend you didn’t hear anything I just said.”

I never expected you to be such a kind-hearted person. Am I right?”

“Uh, excuse me, what are you even talking about?”

The Berserker’s words were a bit out of nowhere.

Sure, it made sense they’d be curious about why I suddenly dropped my long-standing persona, but still…

The Berserker continued talking, steering the conversation into completely unrelated territory.

“Hey, how about we all grab a meal together after this? We’ve been through a lot, and honestly, I’ve gotten attached to you all.”

“…Wait, that’s way too sudden, isn’t it…?”

“I’m down.”

“Sure. I know a killer spot. If you’re okay with it, we could meet there.”

“A sanctioned break? No way I’m missing that.”

“Obviously, we’re inviting the coach too, right?”

“…Wait, you weren’t planning to invite them? You’re dead meat if they find out.”

“Cut it out! Seriously, they’d get really upset.”

The voice chat, which had been so quiet with everyone laser-focused earlier, quickly became a lively cacophony of chatter.

I took it as the Berserker’s way of cheering us up.

Yeah, that’s what it was—until they let out a mischievous laugh and muttered under their breath.

“The group name should be… something like ‘Congrats to Team Us for Winning-Winning-Winning-Winning!’”

“…?”

Winning?

…We lost.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one confused.

But whether they realized it or not, the Berserker kept rambling on to themselves.

“Seriously. Priests have it so rough. Why do they have to memorize Bible verses just to play a game? And if you get a question wrong during the prayer mechanic, you get an activation delay? Is this a church or a game?”

“…What?”

“The 20th trial in Gaia—it asks you to name a nine-headed monster. Or, when was the year Gaia first blessed the earth? Like, what is this, a test? If you get it wrong, the skill’s effect gets reduced… what the hell.”

“Uh, Berserker?”

“And what kind of ultimate takes over six minutes to cast? Calling something like this a finisher is why Gaia’s true believers have such garbage win rates.”

“Wait, what?”

At that moment, I saw it.

On the edge of the crimson-tinged screen, a pair of radiant, golden wings made of brilliant particles rising into the air.

Ah. That…When exactly…did that get there?

『Load.
Berserker player has activated their Ultimate Skill! Proclamation of the Earth Mother Goddess, Gaia’s Domain.

• My daughter…?・As long as my child desires, the scythe of death shall not touch anyone on this earth.

The goddess of life and creation, Gaia, has descended into the mortal realm in response to the earnest prayers that have reached her.
At this moment, she fulfills her child’s desire.

It is a power that even the laws of the Three Thousand Great Worlds must step back from!

As the souls that should have entered the cycle of reincarnation return to their bodies, warriors who had forgotten life rise once more with renewed fighting spirit.

• All deceased players within a 64-meter radius of the Berserker from the Blue Team are instantly resurrected with 18% of their health restored (this percentage varies based on total prayer duration and related traits).
• Affected player: Saintess.』

The seven letters that spelled out death vanished cleanly under the protection of the divine blessing.

Though I was utterly taken aback, I remained as sharply focused as a finely honed blade.

As if still maintaining composure without even realizing it, my fingers moved instinctively.

And with that, the fallen Saintess stood up and steadied her posture.

Grasping the greatsword delicately held in her fair hands, she swung it once more.

The core, struck by successive blows, finally began to shatter into pieces.

Fragments of the blue crystal scattered in all directions.

And then, the message signifying victory appeared on the screen.