With madness gleaming in their eyes, the Black Stage operatives took a step forward at Baron's command.
In that instant, black energy flowed from their hands.
Kudududuk—
Soon, the black energy enveloped their entire hands, turning them as black as a demon's claws, with sharp nails protruding from them.
It wasn't aura or mana. Nor was it even demonic energy—it was some entirely different kind of force. The black nails, formed from this alien power, exuded a strange sense of otherworldliness.
Seeing this, Nigel drew her sword and assumed a stance.
At the same time, over a dozen Black Stage operatives lunged forward, charging at her.
Whiiiish—
The Black Stage operatives, surrounding her from all sides, swung their nails—infused with black energy—toward Nigel.
Nigel swung her sword, unleashing a strike at them.
Kwajijijik!
Surprisingly, the Black Stage operatives' nails tore through Nigel's sword strike itself.
'Tearing through intangible energy?'
Even Nigel, who had lived for over a thousand years, had never seen or heard of such a phenomenon.
As bewilderment gripped her for a moment, other Black Stage operatives exploited the opening.
Whiiiish—
Sharp nails flew toward her exposed side.
Though caught off guard for an instant, Nigel swiftly dodged the attack.
Even a slight graze from the Black Stage operative's nail tore the fabric near her side.
Flick!
Retreating with swift footwork, Nigel frowned as she examined the three claw marks left on her clothing.
Her outfit was made from a special fabric from the Forest of the Forgotten, tougher and more durable than iron armor.
'Just a graze tore my clothes.'
It meant the energy emanating from those nails possessed at least the power of an aura blade.
As the Black Stage operatives approached slowly, raising their black nails, Nabu—who was behind her—shouted at Ivan.
"Ivan! You idiot! This isn't the time for us to fight among ourselves! Help us out already!"
At Nabu's words, Ivan's eyebrows twitched slightly, but he still didn't move. He merely stood guard at the door with his summons.
Seeing this, Nabu ground his teeth in frustration.
"Damn it! What the hell is that guy thinking!"
At that moment, the Black Stage operatives charged toward Nigel and Nabu.
Nigel blocked their attacks with her sword, but Nabu could only panic and fall back. "You bastards! I'm a non-combatant! Can't you tell just by looking?" Nabu recited a passage from his book, summoning a flying carpet.
He then hopped on and flew straight toward Ivan's position.
The Black Stage operatives pursued him.
The Grim Reaper and the half-human, half-beast standing before Ivan narrowed their eyes and began to move.
Whoooong!
The Grim Reaper's scythe and the half-human, half-beast's grappling hook flew toward the charging Black Stage operatives, clashing with their nails.
Creeeeeng!
A massive impact rang out, forcing the summons to recoil.
Nabu, riding the flying carpet, shouted at Ivan upon seeing this.
"Ivan! See that? We can't just let those bastards be!"
Ignoring Nabu floating above him on the carpet, Ivan calmly aimed his crossbow at the Black Stage operatives.
As they lunged at his summons again, he unhesitatingly fired a cursed arrow.
Shwaaaaack!
The arrow didn't strike the Black Stage operatives but embedded in the ground where they stood.
Tstststst—
Curse energy seeped from the floor, enveloping the Black Stage operatives.
As a curse infused by a High Table member like Ivan, it was potent enough that only a high-ranking priest could resist it.
Yet astonishingly, the curse enveloping the Black Stage operatives failed to take full effect. Instead, it flowed into their black arms, which pulsed with suspicious energy.
Tstststst—
Having absorbed Ivan's curse, the black energy around the Black Stage operatives' arms surged even more fiercely.
Seeing this, Nabu cried out in alarm.
"You idiot! It just made them stronger!"
Emitting a fiercer aura than before, the Black Stage operatives charged at Ivan's summons.
The Grim Reaper and half-human, half-beast swung their scythe and hook to block them, but they couldn't fend off all the incoming nails from every direction.
Even more astonishing was that the Black Stage operatives' black arms tore into and devoured the bodies of the Grim Reaper and half-human, half-beast.
Kwududuk!
Like a beast's maw, the black arms bit into and consumed the summons' energy.
Just as with Ivan's curse, the range of black energy wrapping their arms expanded.
What had previously covered only up to their forearms now enveloped their entire arms.
Witnessing this, Nabu panicked and furrowed his brow.
"Damn it all!"
In his haste, he urgently pulled out his book and recited a passage toward the Black Stage operatives devouring Ivan's summons.
"Bright light illuminating the vast plains! Arise! Shine upon my enemies!"
Reciting the shortest invocation to summon light, a ball of light appeared above Nabu's head. In an instant, it spread throughout the chamber.
Chwaaaaak—
The light Nabu summoned illuminated even the fallen Black Stage operatives.
But astonishingly, the black arms exposed to the light grew even stronger than before.
"C-Crazy!"
Having grown by absorbing Ivan's curse and the spirits, they should have reacted adversely to light power. Yet they absorbed it too and grew in strength—a sight that defied belief.
With even more grotesque arms, the Black Stage operatives overwhelmed Ivan's summons and tore them apart, devouring them completely.
They advanced toward Ivan and Nabu, swinging the black energy now wrapping their arms and shoulders.
Seeing this, Nabu shouted at Ivan.
"What the hell are those things? What kind of power do I need to use to stop them?!"
Even among the High Table, Ivan possessed the deepest knowledge of monstrosities.
Yet even he seemed ignorant of the power dwelling in the Black Stage operatives' arms and hesitated to speak.
But then— Kwaang!
A massive impact echoed from behind the approaching Black Stage operatives.
The black energy rippled, as if struck by something.
Nabu ascended on his flying carpet and saw that it was the explosion from the prayer beads Manna had hurled at them.
"Manna! How did you do that? What made it hurt them?"
Instead of answering, Manna continued hurling prayer beads at the Black Stage operatives.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
The Black Stage operatives swung their black nails to block the incoming prayer beads, but they still took damage.
Unlike Ivan's and Nabu's attacks, it clearly inflicted harm.
As Nabu moved to ask again, Nigel appeared, swinging her sword.
Kwakwakwakwa!
Her sword strikes also damaged the Black Stage operatives.
Landing nimbly, Nigel shouted to Nabu and Ivan.
"Only attacks infused with soul essence work against them!" At Nigel's words, Nabu panicked and yelled back.
"Attacks infused with soul essence? What does that even mean? I can't use something like that!"
Unlike Nabu, Ivan seemed to have a method. He stowed his crossbow and drew another weapon from his pouch.
He assembled a segmented rod into a long staff.
Gripping the staff, he assumed a stance and advanced toward the Black Stage operatives.
Whiiiish!
Ivan's thrusting staff shot toward a Black Stage operative at high speed.
The Black Stage operative raised its arm to block.
But at the moment of collision, a massive vibration erupted.
Creeeeeng!
The Black Stage operative recoiled from the impact.
The part of its black arm that struck the staff wavered, unable to maintain its form.
Realizing something, Nabu nodded.
"Oh ho. So, attacks targeting the essence itself are needed." True to his sage nature, Nabu quickly grasped the method.
Parararak!
He levitated over a dozen books into the air and searched for passages with applicable content.
He found one.
"My sword is me. I am the sword. The moment that sword rises to point at the enemy, it is already embedded in their body!"
As he recited the verse with Word Magic, a single sword floated up and flew straight at the Black Stage operative.
Shiiiish—
The Black Stage operative swung its black nail to knock down the sword Nabu had launched.
The sword and black nail clashed.
Creeeeeng!
A massive sound rang out, forcing the Black Stage operative back.
"Kuh!"
Overwhelmed by the sword's unexpected power, the Black Stage operative grimaced in surprise.
Having found his rhythm, Nabu grinned.
"Alright, good. Let's see how you like this!"
Nabu's terrifying strength lay in his ability to repeat any attack endlessly, as long as he had the right passage.
"Sword bearing my heart, arise. Become hundreds of blades to block those enemies threatening me!"
In an instant, hundreds of swords materialized before Nabu.
They rained down on the Black Stage operatives all at once.
Shushushushushuk!
Individually, they were weaker than Nigel's full-power technique.
But the sheer volume of soul-infused swords falling from the air was enough to break the Black Stage operatives' momentum.
Chwajajajak!
Not only the charging Black Stage operatives but also those waiting with Baron were targeted by the swords.
Creeeeeng!
Clang! Clang!
The sound of Nabu's summoned swords clashing with black nails echoed from all directions.
Some Black Stage operatives, unable to withstand the onslaught, collapsed.
Nigel, Ivan, and Manna struck at the openings created.
Chwaaak!
"Kuhuk!"
A Black Stage operative struck by Nigel's sword strike groaned and fell.
Over half of the vanguard Black Stage operatives, who had advanced under the assault of Nabu's swords, lay defeated.
Yet Nigel's expression remained tense.
'Those with Baron weren't touched at all by Nabu's swords.'
The swords aimed at the Black Stage operatives standing with Baron had vanished before reaching them.
The vanguard sent ahead was undoubtedly the weakest among them.
At that moment, Baron, who had been watching, slowly spoke.
"Ingel, eliminate them."
Ingel, the left wing commander, bowed toward Baron.
At her gesture, the waiting Black Stage operatives moved.
Click!
Stepping forward, Ingel extended her hand toward the fallen Black Stage operatives.
Tstststst—
Black energy flowed from her hand into the fallen ones.
Astonishingly, their wounds healed, and they regained consciousness, rising once more.
Seeing this, Nabu atop his flying carpet couldn't hide his shock. "This is insane...."
Summoning soul-infused swords consumed significant karma.
They had barely reduced their numbers, only for them to revive effortlessly—a development that drained his energy.
Nigel grimaced at the sight as well.
She turned to Ivan beside her.
"Ivan, summon the leader. We can't hold them off with just our power. We need to awaken this tower's strength."
At Nigel's words, Ivan shook his head.
"Contact with the leader is severed."
Nigel's eyes widened at his response.
"Severed? What do you mean...."
Before she could hear more, the revived Black Stage operatives charged at them again.
Whiiiish—
Their movements were even sharper than before as they swung their nails.
Chwaaak!
Nigel swung her sword to block, but it didn't end there.
This time, black energy surged from their feet as well. They displayed bizarre maneuvers like those of a martial artist, swinging their limbs from midair.
Chwaaak!
Sharp nails flew from all directions, and blade-like aerial arts targeted their vitals.
Chwaaak!
Ivan, guarding Nigel's back, had his shoulder grazed by a Black Stage operative's attack. "Ivan!"
As Nabu shouted from behind, Ivan calmly tore away the fabric at the grazed spot.
The wounded area was already blackened and necrotic, and the necrosis was spreading.
Without hesitation, Ivan drew a dagger from his bosom and severed his own arm.
Chwaaak!
His arm thudded to the floor.
Despite cutting off his own limb, Ivan's expression remained unchanged.
Soon, Manna approached and cast a recovery spell on Ivan's arm.
Ingel, watching the High Table members gradually retreat, smirked and shouted.
"Charge! Kill the remnants of the old era!"