Mahakan had fallen right into the enemy's trap. They had used Nazaran as bait, so there was no way he could have avoided it.

As a result, Nazaran's fist pierced through his chest, and Garup's sharp claws went through his side.

Mahakan knew he was going to die, so he cast Self-Sacrifice. This spell allowed the caster to perform a miracle in exchange for their life!

"Ooh, Lord Rakan! Punish the wicked!"

Whir.

A gigantic pillar of light surged from Mahakan's body.

"Kuhaaahk!" Garup writhed in pain, his hand still stuck in between Mahakan's ribs. "I... can't die again!"

Garup desperately resisted the holy light with his Super Regeneration.

However, that proved to be impossible. Garup's body disintegrated and turned to ash. It didn't even take 5 seconds!

Amak, who was controlling Nazaran's body, didn't remain unscathed either. The powerful, radiant light burnt away the seed embedded within Nazaran's body, and dealt tremendous damage to Amak.

"Kuheok."

In order to conduct the ritual, Amak's main body stood before the altar. All of a sudden, however, he knelt to the floor and slammed his head against the ground as if he were begging for forgiveness. He also writhed in pain; it was as if his organs were being twisted around.

Shards of light spilled from his body like endlessly shedding fur.

"High Priest!"

"Are you alright!?"

The nearby Evil God Worshippers quickly came over and checked on his condition. One of them placed their hand on Amak and immediately turned to ash.

The holy energy still wasn't done with Amak.

"Heop!" The other Evil God Worshipper gasped and distanced himself.

Amak continued to writhe in pain. Then, Nemeth's Skull emitted wicked energy, which enveloped his body.

"Ugh." Amak cried out once more.

It was only natural. Rakan's power and Jaila's power were clashing within his body. Obviously, Rakan's power slowly gave out. After all, its power source was finite.

But that didn't change the fact that Mahakan's Self-Sacrifice was extremely powerful. The Evil God's power was overcoming it, but it wouldn't go down without a fight.

If Amak wanted to go back to normal, then he'd need at least ten days to heal. What a relief.

The ceremony could only be performed by the Evil God's High Priest. In other words, it would be postponed for at least ten days.

Plus...!

The gigantic pillar of light had annihilated half of the Evil God Worshippers and demons on the battlefield. Three of the super demons had been destroyed by his sacrifice too.

Mahakan's last act of sacrifice had spelled defeat for the Evil God Worshippers.

However...!

The Protectors of the Continent couldn't rejoice at this news. Once the pillar of light disappeared, the troops could see Mahakan's form once more.

He stood tall, but he didn't move at all.

Tick.

A shard of light fell from Mahakan's cheek. That was only the beginning. His entire body turned to light and dispersed into the air.

"No!"

"Lord Mahakan!"

"Uheok!"

"Please no!"

Grief-stricken cries filled the air.

* * *

Mahakan had died.

This was a huge loss for the Protectors of the Continent. The High Priest of Blood and Iron wasn't replaceable.

He was a religious man that had been respected and beloved by many, and was strong enough to reach the level of Master.

Plus, he was incredibly famous. He was known by the denizens of the Great Forest, the non-humans in the western grasslands, and even the dwarves in the Phamas Mountains.

There were no faults in his personality either. He was a taciturn, yet trustworthy person. Not only had he been extremely charismatic, but he had been an excellent leader as well.

The reason they had been able to gather so many troops was because of their fear of the Evil God Worshippers, as well as Mahakan's name.

However...

Mahakan had died. The one renowned as the High Priest of Blood and Iron!

"Mm." Hannibal, who led the Protectors of the Continent in Mahakan's stead, bit his lip.

He was the general that protected Altein. His skills were unquestionable. Even so, he was no substitute for Mahakan. However... he knew what he had to do.

Hannibal planted his feet, and coldly stared at the battlefield.

"Hear me, Protectors of the Continent!" the gray-haired old man yelled. "Lord Mahakan has died. Those wicked beings that killed him are still alive. Kill them all! Leave none alive!"

He spoke with all the rage he could muster.

"He's right."

"You bastards!"

"I won't forgive you!"

"I'll kill every last one of you!"

The brigade's paladins and gladiators acted first. They fiercely charged at the nearby demons, almost recklessly so.

Even the most handsome priests' faces sharpened; they gathered holy energy in their hands and unleashed their most destructive spells.

The ordinary soldiers' eyes were filled with hatred and malice. They let out a battle cry, and lunged with their spears or swung their swords.

As a final act of respect, Kasten's mercenaries and the Great Forest's warriors fought with everything they had.

The players, however, didn't react much differently. They fought for the same reason as before; for their own entertainment, for rewards, etc.

The Evil God's followers had already lost half of their army. They had also lost three of their super demons.

Not only that, but Garup had died too. Nazaran's shackles and bronze helmet had been shattered, and he lay completely silent. His chest rose and fell, so he didn't appear to be dead.

Even though they'd lost Mahakan, the troops' morale was at its peak.

'We can't win this.' Lubatchi disappointingly smacked his lips.

If not for Mahakan's Self-Sacrifice, then... They would've had a chance. Then again, Mahakan was dead now, so they had definitely won out on this exchange.

"Everyone, retreat. Low-rank demons, stay here and hold them off until the end!"

Lubatchi planned on giving them the weakest of the demons and making his escape.

"Retreat!"

"You useless idiots, go over there and hold them off!"

"Lord Jaila!"

"Jaila!"

The Evil God's followers retreated deeper into the city. The super demons disappeared the same way they appeared; through the ground.

"Where do you think you're going!?"

"I'll kill you all!"

"Die!"

The Protectors of the Continent pursued them in order to kill as many of them as possible.

Sometime later...

The battlefield, which was rife with demon and human corpses, was no longer filled with Evil God Worshippers or demons.

The Protectors of the Continent had won. However, not a single person cheered. They were saddened by Mahakan's death.

'What do we do now?'

'Haa, what do we do?'

'Aah, Lord Mahakan!'

Normally, they'd advance on the altar and prevent the ritual. But once the battle was over, the troops' morale hit rock bottom. Battle was no longer feasible in their condition.

"Are we going to... advance?" the Brilliant Paladin, Barus, asked.

Hannibal shook his head. "I don't think that's possible."

"But... even now they're conducting the ritual. Time isn't on our side."

Judge Odir's eyes were red with tears. He was truly saddened by Mahakan's death. That's precisely why he wanted to finish what Mahakan had started. It's what he would've wanted.

To completely annihilate the Evil God Worshippers!

"I know. But take a look at the troops," Hannibal whispered.

The soldiers looked completely lifeless. They had just gone through a bloody battle, fueled only by their desire for revenge. But that spark, that desire for vengeance, could sustain them no longer.

"Mm." Odir bit his lip. Then, he said heavily, "Let's retreat and reorganize our troops."

"Yes."

The Protectors of the Continent left Franco. They had lost something irreplaceable.

* * *

The detached force was camped out in a forest north of Franco.

"Welcome."

Valan, Burkan, and Dion came after them. They had come back after fighting off Sraka and Nemeth, the two most powerful members of the Evil God Worshippers.

They weren't able to finish them off.

"What the hell happened?" Dion said in disbelief, seeing the state of the detached force.

"Hoo, well you see..."

One of the 100 Fighters explained in detail. They had sustained huge casualties from the witch's wicked spell.

"Impossible!" Dion groaned, and Burkan's face darkened.

Sometime later...

They received even more shocking news from the main force. Mahakan had died.

"T-That's not possible!" Saru suddenly stood up.

'Master is dead? That's impossible!'

Saru couldn't accept what had happened.

Valan, Burkan, and Dion's expressions stiffened. That wasn't news that they could just brush off. But if Mahakan truly was dead, then there was something they had to do as soon as possible.

They had to pick someone else to lead the Protectors of the Continent!

"Mm, let's go."

Valan, Burkan, and Saru headed for the main force.

* * *

A new leader was chosen.

Like how Mahakan was chosen, the church's representatives discussed and came to an agreement. After all, the churches were in direct opposition to the Evil God Worshippers.

The churches truly wished for the Evil God Worshippers' destruction more than any other force that comprised the Protectors of the Continent. They obviously sent every soldier they could spare in order to annihilate them.

Thus, a few of the churches' High Priests were suggested. For example, the Sabra Church's High Priest, Luina, the Church of Light's High Priest, Sai, and the Church of Fertility's High Priest, Malik.

However, they were all old, and they weren't nearly as renowned as Mahakan. That's just how influential the Rakan High Priest was; after all, the Rakan Church was the most powerful and most well-known church on the continent.

The High Priests didn't believe they could fill the void left by Mahakan, so the executives decided to pick someone amongst themselves.

They agreed on three names.

First, General Hannibal. He was a man of extraordinary character, and his leadership was second to none. He was also pretty charismatic. Of course, his abilities weren't nearly as good as Mahakan's.

Unfortunately, he wasn't renowned enough to bring the Great Forest's warriors, Kasten's non-human mercenaries, and countless players all together.

Then there was the Guardian of the Continent, Valan. His power was undeniable. He was a Grandmaster, after all! He was also incredibly charismatic. However, he wasn't skilled in leading others. Plus, he had strongly refused the position.

Burkan was the final candidate. He was the most suitable replacement for Mahakan. He was extremely renowned as the Invincible Gladiator, was a Master like Mahakan, and was charismatic enough to bring all the gladiators together! Plus, he was a devout follower of Rakan, so he was well liked by the other churches.

However, he had never commanded such a large army before, and some claimed that he was too young.

But that wasn't much of an issue. After all, General Hannibal could remain by his side and assist him.

Ultimately, Burkan filled the role of supreme commander in Mahakan's place.

"I won't forget Lord Mahakan's sacrifice. We must punish the Evil God's followers."

Burkan's inaugural speech was short, but profound. He also went right to work. He requested reinforcements from the various churches and free cities, and began reorganizing their troops.

He also asked the four great guilds for assistance. While they had great power, they were always so slow to act. Thus, they were offered a sizable reward in exchange for their help.

* * *

Burkan, Saru, and the Rakan Priests were removed from the detached force.

It was only natural. Burkan had assumed the role of supreme commander, and with Mahakan dead and Nazaran out of commission, leading the Rakan Church fell to Saru.

As the new Rakan High Priest, Saru had to look after his church's paladins, priests, and followers, and lead them himself.

But in their absence, the detached force was given reinforcements. The Great Forest's warriors filled the void. Each and every one of them was just as skilled as the gladiators they were replacing.

"It's been a while."

"Indeed."

Kang Oh and Aman greeted each other. In the past, the two had fought side-by-side.

Several members of the Witch's Forest had joined them as well. The Blue Knight, Plum, the Wind Tracker, Dambi, and the Kind Druid, Yericka were a given, but several other skilled members had decided to join in.

Asu had obviously come along too.

"Hehe, Oppa."

"Hehe."

Kang Oh and Asu had a short date deep within the forest.

Chirp!

The ever so cute Rudy had come along too. Rudy would follow Waryong everywhere. Why, you might ask?

Waryong would spew flames in order to chase Rudy away, but Rudy would eat those flames! Rudy really liked how Waryong's flames tasted.

Bart's friends came too. The Assassin, Viper, the Storm Fighter, Rohan, and the Wolf Warrior, Mulan! They were all high rankers, so they were all sufficiently skilled.

Thus, the detached force hadn't weakened significantly, even with Burkan and Saru's absence.

For now, they waited. They waited until the main force was ready for their final battle with the Evil God Worshippers.

The final battle would probably begin in a few days. After all, they had to stop Jaila's ritual as soon as possible!