CHAPTER 344: BLASPHEMY (4)

0% The act of ‘cutting’ was something that was incredibly easy to explain in words.

To strike in a line, splitting what was on the trajectory into parts.

And a swordsman’s ability depended on how far they could apply that in their sword.

Based on such an indicator...

The strike Gideon unleashed—though it might be a little rude to the actual Sword Saint who was fighting outside...

Made him worthy of the title of Sword Saint.

-...

-...!!

Everything between the dots was ripped apart.

I already knew that the power of the attacks unleashed by Saints could reach a conceptual level, but actually seeing it myself still made me feel dizzy.

The pope’s relaxed attitude was nowhere to be seen. He held the Catalyst with a sense of urgency, pouring as much Divine Power as he could into it.

The enormous Divine Power, just like a tsunami soaring up, soon formed a golden shield.

Sanctuary Declaration. It was a top-ranked Skill among the priest skillset that could be used in the original game. Its power was simple, but it was something that befit its status.

It’d grant invincibility for its user for a certain amount of time. In other words, it’d block any attacks.

Physical attacks, magic attacks, divine attacks, everything would be blocked no matter what.

That wasn’t all, his entourage also threw themselves up to act as a human shield.

Of course, as each of them was selected by the pope, these people were skilled enough to hold shit on their own. Tens of Divine Shields that were considerably powerful—although not as powerful as the pope’s—were deployed.

And such shields...

-...!

Were completely torn apart by a simple Slash.

As if there wasn’t any resistance at all.

—Crazy.

The power even made me break out in a cold sweat, even though I was just watching from the side.

Even I would die if I got hit by that. Crazy...

Eleanor had shown a terrifying sword attack several times before, but her attack relied a lot on her physical abilities.

The power came from the physical strengthening that came with her status as the Gray Devil’s Vessel, so it was hard to consider it as the fruit of her own swordsmanship.

But in Gideon’s case...

Fundamentally speaking, he was just an ordinary human being.

Of course, as the current head of a family famous for their swordsmanship, he must’ve had several ways to strengthen his own body, but he had nothing to do with outrageous beings like the Devils.

Hence why...

The fact that he could unleash such an attack which had reached the pinnacle purely by sheer will and effort alone...

“...”

It was phenomenal.

To the point where I couldn’t even guess what kind of effort he had put so far to reach such a point.

“...Whoa.”

Yuria let out such an exclamation in a low voice.

She looked as if this was her first time seeing such an attack, even though she was the wielder of the Severer, as well as the White Devil’s Vessel.

Then again, it was understandable. The sight of the Slash splitting the pope into two after cutting everything in its path before leaving a humongous shockwave to the point that the back of the building was turned into a void amazed me too.

-...

A heavy silence fell into the bunker where such a Slash had been unleashed

The pope’s entourage had been completely cut in half. Even the pope who had been reviving himself so disgustingly was lying on the ground silently this time.

“Did he...finish him?”

The moment the Saintess asked so, I freaked out and hit the back of her head.

“...”

She immediately turned to look at me with a stunned expression and teary eyes. It looked really pitiful, but she deserved it.

Nevertheless, it was already late.

-...

A bright light leaked out from the two sides of the pope’s body that had been split into two. And at the same time, the Holy Body that was being ‘incubated’ at the back began to wriggle.

Then the same kind of light that came out of the pope’s body also leaked out from that body.

As if sympathizing with the pope’s dead body, the Holy Body’s light and the light that came out of the cut body were entangled in disarray.

I shouted loudly in annoyance at the sight.

“...As expected from THE Saintess! You just casted a resurrection spell on him so effortlessly like that!”

“What the heck does that mean?!”

That’s just how it works, okay?

[...Still, you don’t seem to be very taken aback, considering that he got resurrected.]

Actually, I didn’t think a single blow would be enough to kill him.

Besides, it would be quite disappointing if he died right away.

In the original game, he was originally in the fifth phase of the Boss Rush, the closest guy to the Final Boss.

But I had never seen the pattern where he was united with the Holy Body like this.

[...You knew all that and you still hit the back of the Saintess’ head anyway?]

Oh, shush, stop nitpicking the smallest shit!

I blocked the peanut gallery from commenting and looked at the sight before my eyes.

The pope’s body, which had completely reduced to light particles with the group of lights slowly flowed into the Holy Body.

-...

Soon afterward...

-...!

The Holy Body began to wriggle, as if powered by that.

It didn’t take long for it to break the cocoon where it was incubated in and come out.

-!!

The Holy Body then let out an ear-splitting scream, prompting me to frown.

This was... How should I put this?

The best words to describe it was probably a deep-seated delusion.

It was like a newborn.

If the newborn had skin that stuck together, badly shaped limbs, and clumps of meat hanging all over its body that was.

It was a horrible sight, to the point where it was ridiculous to think that it was called the Holy Body.

[This body will...never...die—!]

“...Uuk...”

I could see Lucia covering her mouth, trying hard not to vomit, while Yuria went pale as she looked at the sight.

If things had gone according to the pope’s original plan, they would’ve been used as an energy source for ‘that thing’. So, it was understandable that they felt repulsion and disgust towards that thing.

Which was why...

“Saintess, do you remember the promise I made in the past?”

I had to boost their fighting spirit a little here.

“...What do you m—? Why so suddenly...?”

Lucia replied in a dumbfounded voice, but I thought I had to say this now or there wouldn’t be any other chance to say this.

“I will help you escape the pope’s clutches and let you live your life as a human being. I promised you that, didn’t I?”

“...”

“I’m going to keep that promise, so it’s time for you to do your part too.”

I stared at her while I said so.

“...It’s a bit unnerving to see you acting cool.”

“I’d rather let the people who had suffered deliver their own retribution. Well, guess it does sound a little unnerving, huh?”

From what I heard, compliments and rewards were the two things that you’d always have to give out when it came to dealing with people.

With that in mind, I should offer her an appropriate reward here.

“Once we defeat this guy safely, I’ll promise you two.”

“...Pardon me?”

“Two children, whether it’s with Yuria or you.”

“...”

“If you want more, we have to discuss with the other punks first though.”

“...”

I could feel Lucia and Yuria looked at me with contempt, as if they’d just heard something they wished they didn’t.

“...Why did I fall for this kind of human?”

“That’s my question too, Unnie.”

Hm?

It sounded like they were insulting me, but I just ignored them.

At the very least, they seemed way less nervous than earlier.

[This body...will never die...!]

“I’ll have to test that.”

I set a mental timer in my mind.

Before this, I told Bogut to eat his lunch and I’d kill this fucker and come back before he finished eating.

In order for me to stay true to my words...

“I’ll have to finish in five minutes.”

The Pope Hunt, Second Phase.

Time limit, 300 seconds. Start.

●

“...You know...”

Iliya said, her body was drenched in cold sweat.

They hadn’t fought yet, but as Dowd said, stopping Eleanor itself was already a chore in itself.

Right now, she was holding Eleanor’s waist tightly, preventing the latter from jumping out, trying to calm her down by any means.

“Teach told us to be on stand-by for now, you bitch...!”

“Did I not tell you I am just going to check the situation for just a moment and come back? It’ll just take a moment. It’s  not like I am going to cause trouble.”

“Anyone can tell you’re going to do exactly that...!”

Seeing the evil expression on her, no one in their right mind would believe that she was only going to do a ‘reconnaissance’.

“We don’t know what the enemy is going to do, so please stay still! Teach hasn’t given us any instructions, if you go berserk in some strange place—”

Iliya’s words were cut before she finished talking.

It was because she sensed a different ‘Aura’ nearby.

A similar to the one that she had been handling.

“-Hmfh!”

Still hugging Eleanor’s waist, she turned her body to another direction.

At the same time, a sword, still in its sheath, whizzed past where they had just been standing.

The attack was just a simple probe, but the ‘determination and devotion’ in it made even Iliya gasp for a moment.

“-Hmm.”

And...

The person who unleashed the attack out of the blue—the Prophet, let out a sigh as she stroked the sword she just swung.

“As expected of myself. A diamond on a dunghill is still a diamond, hm? Did you just avoid that?”

“...”

Iliya looked at her with narrowed eyes.

...Teach didn’t tell me that she might make a move first, though?”

Things were developing in a strange way.

Even Eleanor, who had been making a fuss until just now, had gone quiet after seeing her.

She wasn’t stupid enough to cause chaos in front of her enemy.

“...Student Council President.”

“Hm.”

“...I really hate to say this, but why don’t we work with each other for a moment.”

“I do not want to agree with that, but...”

Elanor replied bluntly.

“Let’s work together. Just for this time.”

As soon as she heard the answer...

A subtle smile formed on the Prophet’s face.