Knock.
It was a light footstep, but the air became heavy in an instant.
The high priest of the Salvation Church was an old man wearing black robes.
He was skinny and his complexion was as pale as a sick person, but the aura he gave off was heavy enough to weigh down a mountain range.
Knock knock knock!
This time, the monsters were rushing toward the priest. Without a warlock to control them, they could no longer tell the difference between the two.
"Insignificant creatures..."
Kwaaaaang!
As the priest let out his energy, the monsters that had been swarming around him were torn to pieces and disappeared.
Kyle, who had been confronting him, also took a few steps back from the sudden shock.
He was quite exhausted now. He had attained enlightenment and reached the realm of a superman, but he was not in a state to fight for long.
That was why he had been pushed back like this by a light shock that he would have easily withstood if he had been normal.
The priest looked at Kyle carefully and opened his mouth.
"So you were hiding your power?"
"...."
"You fought while saving your strength until a stronger one appeared. Then you couldn't hold out any longer and showed your true strength."
"...."
"With that kind of swordsmanship, you can also use magic and spirits. You're truly amazing."
"...."
Kyle didn't say anything. It seemed like his opponent had been trying to figure things out on his own and had only just appeared.
It was actually fortunate. If he had shown up from the beginning, he would have died before he could reach his true level.
The priest slowly circled around Kyle and continued.
"You can't use that magic anymore, right? If you could, you would have used it a long time ago. Isn't that right?
" "...."
Kyle held back a laugh.
He knew that the Salvation Church was trying to conserve their power as much as possible.
He already knew from Ismogen how cautious they were. Even in the Elven Forest, the Salvation Church wouldn't have fought unless they were certain of victory.
However, seeing them being cautious even in this situation, he seemed to be a suspicious person.
The priest raised his hand and smiled sinisterly.
"You seem quite tired now. Well, even I would be tired if I fought like this."
Paaaaah!
A dark figure tangled around his fingertips like a sharp spear.
Soon, it shot out towards Kyle.
Kwaaaaang!
A huge spear of darkness pierced the ground.
With an explosion, the ground split and rocks shot out.
"Huh!"
Kyle twisted his body and barely rolled to the side to avoid the impact.
It was a destructive force that would be difficult to fight in his exhausted state. Kyle had no choice but to be careful not to be shocked as much as possible.
The priest laughed at Kyle as he looked at him.
"Yes, yes. You are definitely tired."
Kyle did not answer this time either, but quietly raised his sword.
The priest was certain that Kyle was tired. His breathing and movements were not those of a normal superhuman.
Even so, he did not directly confront Kyle.
'There might be another hidden trick.'
So he kept his distance and continued to radiate energy. His intention was to tire his opponent out even more.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaang!
Kyle couldn't dare approach and had no choice but to roll over and dodge.
'Damn… … .'
It was good in terms of buying time, but if you look at the battle itself, it was the worst situation.
If he approached and fought, he would have at least one opening, but his opponent didn't seem to have any intention of doing so.
This is the most difficult part of fighting someone who is suspicious and cautious. They tend to hide until they are sure they can win.
For the exhausted Kyle, this was an extremely difficult opponent.
Kwaaang!
Dozens of black magic poured down like a storm.
Kyle moved quickly, but he couldn't dodge all of them.
In the end, he had no choice but to raise his sword and ward off some of them.
Kwaaang!
Some of the energy that had been covering Kyle disappeared along with the intense shockwave. However, in his exhausted state, he couldn't block the attack any longer.
Paaang!
A sharp energy pierced Kyle's shoulder. Another energy tore through his side.
The sound of flesh bursting and bones breaking rang out simultaneously.
"Kuuuk...."
Kyle gritted his teeth. Blood gushed out and his vision blurred, but he didn't stop.
He charged forward, holding onto his confused mind and spurting out energy. In this situation, it was best to approach first.
Kyle attempted to attack the priest repeatedly so that he wouldn't be able to come to his senses.
Understand!
The first one split the air. The second one split the priest's robe.
And the third one… … .
Slash!
Shallowly, it cut the priest's body.
"You bastard!"
The priest stretched out his hand in surprise.
Thud!
With a dull thud, Kyle's sword bounced away.
Kyle, who had lost his strength, couldn't hold on. Immediately after, the priest's hand stretched out again.
Kwaaaaang!
The black energy struck Kyle's body squarely.
'Ah… … .'
His body was thrown into the air.
A terrible pain as if several of his ribs had been broken suffocated him.
He tried to hold on for a moment, but his body, having lost his balance, was helplessly thrown to the ground.
Kwung!
"Whew… Whoosh!"
Blood gushed out, staining the corners of his mouth.
Now his mana was completely depleted, and his arm seemed to be broken, making it inaudible. His legs wouldn't move properly, so he couldn't get up.
His whole body felt heavy, and his heart was pounding as if it was going to burst. He couldn't bend a single finger properly.
It was natural. He was already in a state where it wouldn't be strange if he died. He
had just reached the realm of a superman and could move a little more.
Now, the priest was leisurely smiling and approaching. He was certain that Kyle had reached his limit.
'… … Is this really the end?'
Kyle, lying on the ground, felt a deep sense of despair.
His body was the first to accept that he could no longer move, that this was the end.
The priest, who had come closer, looked down at Kyle and raised his hand.
"I don't know who you are, but you were truly amazing. It would have been really scary if you had led the army."
The priest's words were sincere. If someone who could fight like this alone were to lead an army, how strong would they have been?
It was fortunate that he could kill such a dangerous person here and now.
Gooooo… … .
The priest began to gather strong energy in his hand. He spared no energy in order to kill him for sure.
Kyle just watched with cloudy eyes.
He had to move, but now he had no more strength.
He knew better than anyone that this was the end.
'Still… … You did well.'
Darkness slowly descended on his collapsed body.
His eyelids, crushed by fatigue, grew heavier.
The sight of the dwarven children who had run away vaguely came to mind.
Those small, weak ones, those children who had been crying, were alive now.
That was enough.
Soon, memories of those who had been with him until now flowed through his head.
Yulien, Deneb, and Astion, who had been with him since childhood.
The rough mercenaries who had laughed and fought together in the rough battlefield.
Dark, who had been rough and noisy but had always been by his side.
And… …
"Gisselle."
The name came out as if it was breaking from his lips.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Giselle was the one who had guided him to this point.
Thanks to Giselle's efforts, he had gained the power to protect someone and eventually reached the level of a superman.
So how could he not be grateful?
The memories of them warmly covered his heart.
He was sad that he would not be able to see them anymore.
But he had done his best. He had done everything he could.
His body had collapsed, but his heart had not broken.
It was not a helpless death, but a death that protected someone.
That was why Kyle could be satisfied.
'My role is… … up to here.'
Kyle thought that and tried to smile.
The priest did not like that sight.
"A man who will soon die is laughing."
It was as if he was laughing at himself. He was so scared that he begged for his life, but it was not enough.
So the priest raised his spirits even more. He intended to completely pulverize the body, leaving no trace.
Just when the priest was about to strike the final blow.
Paaaaaaa… …
From far away, like the first light of dawn,
a calm and overwhelming, more sacred energy than any other energy burst out.
"…What is it?"
The priest paused for a moment and raised his head.
He had a gut feeling. This was not simple magic, nor ordinary divine power.
It was something much greater than that.
And while he hesitated for a moment,
a brilliant light surged in like a wave and engulfed the battlefield.
Kwaaaaaaaaaa!
The light swept through the surroundings like a storm.
The black energy that the priest had been condensing shattered into pieces as soon as it touched the light.
"Kuaaaaak!"
The priest's body began to burn, engulfed in holy flames.
At the same time, Kyle's eyes, who had fallen, slowly opened.
'… … This is.'
A faint smile spread across his blood-covered face.
'Deneb.'
He could instinctively feel it.
This was the divine power that Deneb had exuded.
This kind of warm divine power that seemed to embrace everything was something only she could feel.
'You… … did it.'
He didn't know how it happened. However, he was certain that a miracle great enough to emit this tremendous divine power had reached her. That was truly proud and happy.
Kyle once again embraced the pain that had been weighing him down.
Every bone in his body screamed, but he could still move a little.
The divine power that had passed by had healed his wounds a little and energized him.
"Ugh…."
Kyle gritted his teeth and put strength into his trembling arms.
Even though his mana was depleted, it was important that he could move again.
He gasped for breath and a faint smile formed on his lips.
"Hey, let's fight again. I still have one more thing to show you."
"Ugh! You!"
The priest glared at Kyle with a distorted expression.
For a moment, an incredible amount of pain swept through him. A considerable amount of energy burned and disappeared.
He couldn't figure out why the divine power suddenly swept through this area.
'It definitely spread from the center of Valscrum. What happened?'
This was where two prophets were fighting. There was no way they could fail.
However, it was also true that he felt uneasy when he came into contact with this enormous divine power.
'I have to kill this guy and check it out.'
Only then could he decide whether to run away or continue fighting.
"Die!"
The priest charged at Kyle, drawing up his energy.
His opponent had exhausted all his strength. He could barely move thanks to the divine power that passed by.
So he planned to crush his head and kill him for sure.
So that no more miracles would happen.
Paaaaak!
The moment the priest's hand reached out, Kyle instinctively ducked.
But he couldn't completely dodge.
Gaaagagak!
The black energy slashed at his back like lightning, and his flesh was torn into chunks.
Kyle endured the pain and gripped his sword tightly with both hands.
It was impossible to fight any longer. He had neither the stamina nor the mana left.
So he had to inflict a fatal wound on his enemy with this one attack.
'This is… … the last attack.'
Kyle twisted his body and raised his sword.
The rotation that started from his toes was transmitted through his waist and shoulders.
Dddddd!
His mana was already depleted. It was just an ordinary sword, but Kyle didn't care.
– Using mana isn't the end. You have to be able to read the flow of the world. If you follow that flow, you can cut anything. That's
what Giselle always said.
At the time, he didn't understand what she meant. Of course, even now, he couldn't completely understand it.
But he could vaguely see the path.
The knot of the world was at his fingertips.
A single sword was enough to split it.
Paaaaaaaah!
Kyle's sword shot up from below in a trajectory that tore through the sky.
It was not a simple sword strike, but a full-fledged strike that swallowed up all the fighting spirit and despair he had endured until now.
"Kuaaaaah!"
The priest whose body had been cut long and long stepped back, screaming in pain.
He was more shocked by the unbelievable reality than the pain.
"Oh, how can there be no mana..."
He cut the body of a superman with an ordinary sword without mana. The impossible had happened according to his
common sense. No matter how much he had become weakened by divine power, this was an absurd phenomenon.
Incomprehensible swordsmanship. Incomprehensible fighting spirit. Incomprehensible situation.
All of it terrified the priest.
Paaaaah!
Black smoke poured out fiercely from his split wound.
The priest grabbed the wound. The wound, which should have healed quickly under normal circumstances, did not heal easily due to the aftereffects of divine power.
"Keuuuuu..."
The priest glared at Kyle with bloodshot eyes.
He couldn't understand how a dying man could still stand and fight.
Wasn't he still staggering with his sword in hand?
The priest clenched his teeth. His physical condition was not normal, but he was much better than his opponent. If he attacked one more time, he would be able to kill him. Just as he was
about
to draw out his energy and move,
Pfft
!
A light flashed in
the sky.
The priest raised his head
in confusion and opened his eyes wide . In that light,
a figure was
striking down like lightning. Kwaaaaang
!
In an instant, someone's hand grabbed the priest's neck and slammed his body
into the ground
.
Kfft
…
The priest blinked in confusion for a moment.
He had no idea who the 'weakling' was just now.