"Balthor, you damned corrupt bastard, I'll show you what strength means."

Rage flooded me; it was a suffocating sensation, like when you've been underwater for too long and need to resurface quickly, but it always seemed so far away.

Unknowingly, I also awakened one of the key abilities of the Holy Ashes, Ashen Bastion. This ability increased my attributes by almost 50%, but the most potent aspect of this ability was that it also boosted my companions' attributes by 25%.

I instinctively launched an attack, and with a single blow, I was able to incapacitate one of Balthor's guards. He could tell that the sudden increase in the group's strength came from me and shouted, "Boys, if we deal with this guy, we can take the sanctuary, and then the promised rewards will be ours."

That way, half of the council members rushed toward me simultaneously.

Although, by this point, I was more accustomed to dealing with waves of invaders, and for some reason, it felt like these people were behaving this way, attacking with all their might but not using their heads to plan their strikes properly. Occasionally, they would shout a name and strike with a bit more force or some other special effect.

Strange how shouting a name could allow your strike to have some effect, but I had grown tired of dodging. I placed my greatsword vertically to block one of Balthor's blows, immediately pushed him back with a kick to the chest, and followed up with a horizontal strike.

Alongside my counterattack, the rest of the knights began to attack. Jane quickly dealt with Agatha, and the rest dealt with all those who had accepted corrupt powers, basically anyone who shouted strange names while using abilities they hadn't developed themselves.

Unfortunately, we didn't have time to figure out what to do with the remaining people because the next wave was heading toward our position. Due to the recent combat, we weren't in a very good position, and maintaining the Ashen Bastion placed a significant burden on my body. I felt an unbearable headache; however, I had no choice but to accept it and face the upcoming wave.

After an hour of fighting, we finally gained control of the situation, and I could withdraw. I had deactivated my ability a long time ago, and my body had fallen into a feverish state. Unfortunately, I had overexerted myself and had to pay the price.

"Jane, unfortunately, I can't return to the battlefield. I leave command to you. Hopefully, you won't go mad like this stupid commander."

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"Grandmaster, there's nothing stupid about his actions. We're very grateful that he cares so much about us."

"That's right, Grandmaster. Besides, those corrupt bastards from the council have been a thorn in our side for too long. It was high time someone made them pay."

"However, thinking that so many would accept those corrupt powers..."

"Well, Jane, you have to understand that for most people, those powers seem normal. Many people don't grasp the risk of bargaining their soul until it's too late."

"You're right, sir. I can understand that. For people who didn't take the time to improve step by step, a sudden power boost is a great temptation."

"Boys, gather around." I waited for everyone to gather and seized the brief moment of respite we had, probably the last one, to deliver my final motivational speech.

"We've fought together for a while, for some, it may have felt like an eternity. It's really strange how things have changed lately. Soon our fight here will end, and we'll integrate into the world of Glamoria. Although we don't know what awaits us there, know this: even if kings and emperors, even if apostles and their believers, even if tyrants and messiahs tell you what to do, where to be, and how to follow, in the end, it's you who make the decision; your destinies and your souls will always be yours."

I saw the faces of each of my brothers-in-arms, and a feeling of gratitude washed over me. I felt proud of what we had achieved during the final moments of Earth.

This sense of pride began to warm my heart and body. This time, I knew it; this was the inner energy awakened after traveling the path of the Holy Ashes.

I decided to withdraw to a corner to rest and study this energy coursing through my body. Over the past while, I had used this energy instinctively. Only now could I truly feel it and consciously explore it.

This energy seemed to originate from my chest, near my heart, and remained static there if not circulated. Furthermore, after a period of inactivity, it began to fade gradually and became difficult to call back for a while.

According to our magic novices, the most challenging part was developing the affinity to feel and guide mana within your body, thus creating the channels for it to flow. I decided to do something similar. Instead of gathering my energy and using it in a single burst, as I had done before, I began to circulate it within my body.

I quickly noticed that it was like trying to create a river in a desert. Each time the energy left my heart to circulate through my body, it was rapidly absorbed by the first organ it passed through, and nothing reached the rest. So, for the future, I decided to change my focus. I would start by circulating it through my internal organs and eventually to the rest.

I spent about a day recovering from the weakness caused by the overuse of my Ashen energy, as I decided to call it. To avoid feeling like time was wasted, I also started training people out of combat in the use of this energy.

Unfortunately, with the central base falling, the enemies had become so challenging to combat in open space that for now, we only dedicated ourselves to defending our building. Our time seemed to be running out, and we would fall soon.

Even so, we barely managed to overcome wave 99.

"Enough, you miserable insects. Accept your fate and surrender the power of this world."