Thunder God's Reincarnation

Chapter 243

The Patagon Mountain Range, recognized as the northern apex of Avalon, stood out as the most rugged among the four mountain ranges. Despite its challenging terrain, the Patagon Mountain Range harbored a wealth of precious herbs, perhaps flourishing due to its rugged nature.

Navigating the treacherous terrain and contending with an array of predators and monsters made herb foraging in the Patagon Mountain Range a perilous endeavor, bordering on a life-threatening pursuit. The annual toll of herb foragers who lost their lives in this region exceeded thousands, underscoring the substantial risk involved. Despite the evident dangers, individuals from impoverished backgrounds were compelled to brave the Patagon Mountain Range, lured by the prospect of substantial earnings through herb collection.

Conversely, some ventured into the Patagon Mountain Range for different motives – among them, Mu-Gun and his companions. Led by Mu-Gun, the Avalon Order, along with the Yupir Church's paladins and priests, ascended the Patagon Mountain Range with unwavering determination. Though steep and rugged, these challenges posed no significant obstacles for the group, all of whom possessed remarkable skills. While the ascent proved somewhat challenging for the physically less robust Yupir Church's priests, it did not impede their progress to a considerable extent.

Two days into their journey into the Patagon Mountain Range, no monsters revealed themselves to Mu-Gun and his party. The area they traversed had once been the territory of the Wolfkans, who were eradicated after their invasion of the Pantheon Kingdom. Consequently, the Wolfkan territory stood vacant, devoid of any monsters that might have posed a threat to Mu-Gun's party.

It wasn't until three days later that Mu-Gun's party encountered monsters for the first time.

“Everyone, stop!”

Leading the way, Mu-Gun halted the group's progression as he detected a distant presence. Examining the source more closely, he observed around forty entities rapidly approaching. Judging by the energy emanating from them, they appeared to be on par with the Stellar Expert Rank in terms of strength.

“Monsters are approaching. Everyone, get ready for battle.”

“Are you able to identify what kind of monster it is?”

“It is hard to identify them, but they're close to the Stellar Expert Rank. I think there are a little over forty incoming.”

“If their energy is similar to the Stellar Expert Rank, they might be Tragles.”

A Tragle, a colossal monster, boasted a chimpanzee's body coupled with a lizard's head, reaching an imposing size of ten meters in adulthood. Its entire physique comprised robust muscles akin to rock. Dealing with these monsters proved exceptionally challenging, given their potent fists capable of shattering enormous rocks in a single blow, coupled with remarkable agility and tails capable of unleashing formidable flames.

"If they are Trangles, dealing with them using our Expert Knights and the Yupir Church's priests will be challenging. It might be more effective for knights above the Master Rank to take the forefront, with Expert Knights and priests mobilized as support based on the situation," suggested Philford, the Captain of the Avalon Order.

“I think that is a good idea.” One of the Yupir Church’s paladins, Gilphian Goodjonsen, agreed with Philford.

Walter also nodded in agreement.

“Then, let’s do that. Let the Expert Knights and priests move to the rear. Sir Walter and Sir Gilphian will work together to intercept the Tragles and prevent them from reaching the Expert Knights and priests.”

“Understood.”

“Right away.”

The Expert Knights and priests of the Yupir Church stepped backward, with Walter and Gilphian positioned at the forefront, as if forming a protective barrier. Subsequently, the remaining knights adorned themselves in Chevalier Armor, gearing up for the imminent monster onslaught, presumed to be Tragles. The Yupir Church's paladins also donned Chevalier Armors, distinguished by their golden hue, symbolizing Yupir. Beyond their imposing appearance, these armors exuded a palpable sense of holiness.

Meanwhile, Mu-Gun stood amidst the knights, without wearing Chevalier Armor. Despite this, Mu-Gun's presence far surpassed that of the armored knights. He focused on monitoring the energies of the Tragles. The herd, initially moving as a collective, abruptly split into various groups once they approached within fifty meters of range.

As twenty Tragles advanced head-on, the remaining twenty-four Tragles diverged to the left and right sides, executing a strategic maneuver. Mu-Gun discerned that the Tragle herd intended to launch a simultaneous assault from the front and both sides.

“I can see two groups of Tragles branching off to both sides. IThry appear to be aiming for our flanks, so be prepared!” Mu-Gun swiftly issued instructions to the Avalon Order.

The Golden Lion Order's knights, under Schwartz's lead, shifted to the left, while the Crimson Dragon Order's knights tackled the right flank. As they divided their forces to both flanks, only Mu-Gun, Philford, and the two paladins remained at the forefront, facing a total of twenty Tragles advancing from the front.

Yet, there was no consideration that the enemy might breach the front line. The four men positioned at the front were all Grand Master Knights. In reality, even a single one of them would suffice to halt the Tragles.

"You need not intervene; simply observe. We can manage a situation of this magnitude."

In response to Paladin Rood Garcia's statement, Mu-Gun nodded and took a step back. Aligning with Rood's assessment, Mu-Gun believed that the three of them were more than capable of halting the monsters advancing from the front.

Amidst the preparations, the Tragles emerged from the front. Twenty of them, swinging down from colossal trees, leapt toward Philford and the two paladins. In response, Philford promptly wielded his Knight Sword, creating an aura storm that enveloped ten Tragles. These Tragles thrust their massive fists toward the aura storm, unleashing a red energy that materialized into the shape of a colossal fist. The collision with the aura storm ensued.

The Tragles, descending with a thunderous roar, became ensnared in the aura storm and were forcefully propelled a considerable distance backward. The red aura they had unleashed shattered upon collision with the aura storm.

The two paladins swung their Knight Swords at the approaching Tragles. A golden surge of lightning emanated from the paladins' weapons, manifesting five Thunderbolt Swords, each spanning over three meters in size, unleashed consecutively. Mu-Gun's eyes widened in surprise at the impressive display.

‘The Five Lightning Volley!’

Mu-Gun recognized with certainty that the technique executed by the two paladins was the second technique of the Heavenly Descent Thunder God Sword Art—the Five Lightning Volley. This revelation led Mu-Gun to deduce that the Yupir Church's paladins were well-versed in the Heavenly Descent Thunder God Sword Art. The potency exhibited by this sword art in Avalon mirrored its effectiveness elsewhere.

The successive release of Thunderbolt Swords penetrated the heads and chests of the Tragles before they could react. Struck by the Thunderbolt Swords, the Tragles were engulfed in lightning and descended head-first to the ground. The colossal impact of the falling Tragles caused a momentary tremor in the earth.

The three Grand Masters swiftly decimated the twenty Tragles attacking from the front. Simultaneously, the Avalon Knights engaged the Tragle groups on both flanks. While not reaching the level of the Grand Masters, the Avalon Knights were still Master Knights. Moreover, their superior numbers allowed them to confront the Tragles individually, defeating them with relative ease.

Ultimately, the herd of over forty Tragles was swiftly eradicated. It wasn't that the Tragles were weak; rather, Mu-Gun's party exhibited exceptional power. After effortlessly defeating the Tragle herd, Mu-Gun's party dissected the Tragles, extracting their Mana Hearts, before continuing their expedition.

Subsequently, groups of Tragles incessantly launched attacks against Mu-Gun's party. However, the outcome remained consistent each time—the Tragle groups couldn't execute a successful assault and were annihilated. Even the Tragle King, the leader of the Tragle species, was no exception. Despite its formidable attacks causing earthquakes with every swing of its colossal front paw, it succumbed in an instant to the paladins' Ten Thunderous Tornado Strikes.

Having obliterated the entire Tragle species, Mu-Gun's party delved deeper into the mountain range. Soon, they encountered a new type of monster—the Serpents. These creatures appeared peculiar, featuring a head and torso made of bone, followed by the body of a snake.

These Serpents measured nearly twenty meters in length, boasting bodies enveloped in scales tougher than steel. Their bony torsos sported eight arms, four on each side. The Serpents attacked with their agile eight arms, each armed with a sharp spear-like tip. Additionally, they wielded their colossal tails, exceeding ten meters in length, to either crush opponents or constrict them to death.

The most alarming aspect was the Petrify ability possessed by the Serpents. Directly gazing into the red light emitted from the Serpent's eyes rendered individuals petrified, immobilized and unable to move. The potency of their Petrify ability was such that even Master Knights would struggle to escape its grasp. If the Serpents could apply their Petrify ability to multiple targets, it would indeed be a truly formidable capability.

However, the Serpent's Petrify ability was limited to a single opponent. Once they employed the Petrify ability on one individual, they couldn't use it on another until releasing the ability. Notably, the Serpent's Petrify ability proved ineffective against Grand Masters.

Mu-Gun's party didn't encounter significant challenges even when facing the Serpents. The scenario might have been different if they were swarmed by hundreds of Serpents simultaneously, but the typical group size did not surpass ten. The Grand Masters, Philford, and Walter, along with the three paladins, confronted the Serpent group at the forefront with ease.

The Master Knights didn't merely observe from the sidelines. They directed their assaults at the Serpents, whose strength had been sapped by the Grand Masters, and emerged victorious. Conversely, Mu-Gun refrained from intervening and simply observed. The Expert Knights and the Yupir Church's priests shared the same position, with the Expert Knights feeling frustrated about their limited skills, leaving them no option but to watch.

The knights were eager to face the monsters even at the cost of their lives. Yet, Mu-Gun prohibited it. He didn't want to risk losing the knights needlessly, recognizing their determination to defend Avalon and their resolve to combat the Demon God. Nevertheless, he had no intention of letting them remain mere bystanders. Throughout the Patagon Mountain Range expedition, Mu-Gun consecutively employed the Thunder God Enlightenment Spell on them.

Successively, the knights from the Golden Dragon Order attained the Master Rank, enabling their active participation in the battle against monsters. Nonetheless, their numbers remained limited, as a majority of the knights were still ineligible for battle until undergoing the Thunder God Enlightenment Spell.

While the Yupir Church's priests refrained from direct engagement in the battle, they were not idle spectators. Utilizing the Sky God's authority, they provided support to the paladins. The Yupir Church's priests wielded two authorities: the Sky God's Blessing and the Sky God's Judgment.

The Sky God's Blessing bolstered defensive capabilities by enveloping the paladin's body in a golden shield of lightning. On the other hand, the Sky God's Judgment heightened the paladin's offensive prowess. The paladins, already in the Grand Master Rank, showcased even greater strength with the buffs bestowed by the priests.

Saintess Maria, abstaining from direct involvement in the battle, also wielded the Sky God's authority. Her specific authority, the Sky God's Grace, held the ability to heal any injury. However, her power remained unused as none of the paladins suffered injuries, thanks to their overwhelming strength.

Continuing their conquest after the Tragles, Mu-Gun's party vanquished the Serpents and ventured further into the vast expanse of the Patagon Mountain Range. Fifteen days had elapsed since the initiation of Mu-Gun's party into the expansive mountain range, covering only a fraction of its overall magnitude.

The monsters encountered thus far—the Tragles and Serpents—merely belonged to the intermediate-ranked category. The formidable high-ranked monsters reigning over the Patagon Mountain Range had yet to make their presence known. Maintaining vigilance, Mu-Gun's party pressed on, delving further into the heart of the mountain range.

Three days after the chief of the Serpent species was vanquished, the surroundings remained devoid of monsters, creating an eerie calm. Mu-Gun's party harbored a strong premonition that a high-ranked monster would imminently emerge.

High-ranked monsters possessed the strength to effortlessly dispatch Master Rank knights, and it was accurate to assert that the Patagon Mountain Range expedition would authentically commence upon confronting these formidable adversaries. Consequently, Mu-Gun's party remained on high alert, never letting their guard waver.

Groarrr-! Amidst the silence, a colossal roar echoed throughout the entire mountain range. Mu-Gun sensed an inkling that the originator of this roar was indeed a high-ranked monster. Substantiating this intuition, the energy emanating from a distance mirrored the potency of a Grand Master Knight.