ACT 6: CHAPTER 23: 《DIVINE EXECUTION KNIGHT》

「Go… Ideo, Valeria! Show the arrogant envoys of the higher beings the power of the《Divine Execution Knight》! And let this be the signal for humankind's rebellion!」

The duo charged at the same time toward me the moment Cardinal Wardell shouted those words.

「I simply came here to retrieve the 《Saint Staff》 in fear of it being used by the higher being.」

「Don't try to make pathetic excuses now! I already know that you 《Invisible Hand of God》 are nothing but dogs for the higher beings! First of all, the 《Saint Staff》 is the soul of our Jonas Church… There is no reason for it to be protected by outsiders like you!」

Dammit, he refused to listen.Rather, even if he did listen, it didn’t seem like he had any intention of handing over the 《Saint Staff》 in the first place.

「Can a pretty boy like you stop this!?」

The man in black armor… Ideo, swung his massive greatsword down toward me.I blocked his attack with my sword.

「Oh? Hahaha! Right, this much you’ll have to stop, huh? Alright then, let’s make this a test of strength!」

Ideo's arms swelled up and then turned dark in color.

「That's…」

「It’s the devil’s power that old man was researching! I’ll test just how much you can withstand, you traitor of humankind!」

I took a glance at Ideo's face.

… That was a close call.His level was about the same as the 《Evil God Apostle: Notts》.He was on the same level as the 《Humanoid Dragon》, but 《Corpse Doll: Alice》 level was at least twice that of the average 《Humanoid Dragon》.

「You must be kidding me…」

Those words slipped out unintentionally.

「Hahaha, getting cold feet eh, 《Invisible Hand of God》! You're not bad for being the first person to beat me in terms of strength, you know? Now it's time to take an even higher stage!」

Ideo's arms swelled up again.

「Oh? Still holding on, huh? However, this is the end…」

「…I’m just standing still, not really pushing you at all.」

「What?」

Ideo's face twisted upon hearing my nonchalant remark.I applied a bit of force and swung my sword horizontally.

「GUWAAAAAAAAH!」

Ideo, overwhelmed by sheer strength, was sent flying backward.He spun in the air, barely managing to regain his balance and kneeling on the ground.

「I-I lost… in a clash of pure strength?」

Ideo spun in the air, barely managing to regain his balance and kneeling on the ground.

「You didn’t actually think that level would be enough to deal with the higher being, did you? Do you think being as strong as the average 《Humanoid Dragon》 is enough to defeat a great demon king-level enemy? Even with two of you, you’d have a tough time against someone like Sophia, who's not even a combat specialist.」

「Don't get cocky, brat! Both of you, attack him together! It seems he's boasting more power than Ideo! Don't compete with strength against him! Fight with skill and speed!」

Cardinal Wardell ordered the two 《Divine Execution Knight》 as color slowly drained from his face.

「If it's speed, then I'm the right one for the job…」

The woman in black armor, Valeria, leaped forward.

「I can't deny that you're an opponent beyond my expectations. But we, the 《Divine Execution Knight》 were created to defeat monsters beyond our level!」

Valeria thrusted her rapier upward toward the ceiling, deploying a magic circle.

「Spirit Magic, 9th Rank 《Nymph Mirror》」

Valeria's figure split into three for a moment, and each started to move independently.It seemed to be a magic that creates clones by borrowing the power of spirits.The first jumped to the right, the second to the left, and the third leaped upward.

「Can you keep up?」

I kicked the clone that came from the left and right.Their bodies burst apart, turning into countless water droplets.After confirming their defeat, I dodged Valeria's rapier as she descended from above and thrust the hilt of my sword into her abdomen.

「GAH!」

Valeria let out a dull scream as she dropped her rapier to the ground.Then I grabbed Valeria and hurled her toward the incoming Ideo.Ideo bent his body backward to avoid a collision with Valeria, narrowly avoiding her.In that moment, I closed the distance and punched Ideo right in the face, sending him flying.

「GEH!」

Ideo's face caved in along with an unpleasant sound.His body then crashed on the ground, rolling until it slammed into the wall.Ideo, whose body crashed into the wall, was convulsing non-stop.

「Both of you seemed to be tougher than your level suggested, so I put just a little more force into my attacks. Please don’t take it the wrong way since that's the best choice to incapacitate you two.」

I turned toward Cardinal Wardell after I spoke those remarks.

「That's unfortunate. I had believed that things would proceed peacefully.」

「S-Stay still, you dog of higher being!」

When I turned around, the pale-faced Cardinal Wardell was holding Philia's body down with his arm.

「D-Don’t move even an inch! If you do, this child’s life is forfeit! Heh, heh, do you look down on a clergyman resorting to such measures? I will do anything for the church…!」

Said Cardinal Wardell as he deployed a magic circle from his hand.A fist-sized fireball appeared from inside the magic circle.

「Cardinal Wardell…」

「Heh, heh, heh…! Hahaha! Even though you’re a messenger of a higher being, it seems you still have a sense of camaraderie! Get up, Ideo, Valeria! Torture and kill that man who can’t move…!」

「Fuh!」

Philia blew a light breath toward Cardinal Wardell's fireball.The fireball was easily extinguished by Philia's breath.

「… Uhm?」

The moment Cardinal Wardell looked at his hand, Philia swung both of her arms upward.The impact sent Cardinal Wardell's body flying toward the ceiling, slamming his body onto it before his body bounced and slammed onto the floor.

「I-I'm sorry, grandpa… I seem to have overdone it.」

Philia rushed toward Cardinal Wardell, apologizing immediately.

「Monster…」

Cardinal Wardell raised his face as he muttered that word.

「… What shall we do now, Kanata-san?」

Pomera looked down at Cardinal Wardell as if the latter was trash.

「This might not be the smartest choice, but let's make them listen through brute force…」

I heaved a sigh as I spoke those remarks.