[Brian's POV]
The ground where we stood trembled; the young girl, who had been silent until now, suddenly released an incredibly powerful magical aura.
"Aghhhh! Fall back! That child is emitting a powerful heatwave!" One of the Inquisitors cried out in pain, clutching his hands.
The walls of nearby buildings began to crack, and the swords held by the Inquisitors started to smoke and even melt. The knights were also seen frantically stripping off their armor.
"Burn them until they are ashes..." the girl murmured, beginning to walk toward us.
I also began to feel the searing heat hitting my skin; I had no choice but to retreat to avoid being burned.
"Quickly! Give the order to evacuate the citizens! Stop that child's movement immediately!" Inquisitor Elvira shouted.
Hearing Elvira's command, the mages present began firing magical projectiles at the girl. However, the spells suddenly exploded before they could even reach her.
Was her heatwave capable of destroying magic that entered its range?
"Our magic can't reach her!?"
"Retreat, do not let yourselves be hit by the heatwave she is emitting!"
Everyone fell back again. The girl continued to walk, destroying the buildings she passed; the city streets even began to melt under the constant exposure to her heatwave.
Is there nothing we can do? Do I need to fire an Incursio at those children?
"Everyone who can use an Unreality Field, step forward with me!" called out one of the Senior Inquisitors. "We will force our way through this heatwave and kill that Cursed Child before she kills the citizens with her power!"
Unreality Field...
Only those who frequently face life-and-death battles can use this ability perfectly.
When a human receives a magical attack from someone, foreign Mana from that person enters their body and merges with their own Mana. Normally, foreign Mana inside the body is a bad thing; it makes the Mana balance unstable and makes it difficult for humans to activate their own magic.
However, over time, this encroaching foreign Mana mixes with a person's original Mana, causing the original Mana to evolve and emit an energy of immunity toward magic. This phenomenon is what is called an Unreality Field.
The more often a human is attacked by magical strikes, the stronger their Unreality Field becomes.
Six Senior Inquisitors began to approach the girl slowly. I could faintly see the Unreality Fields they projected glowing as they enveloped and protected their bodies from the child's heatwave.
— Wosssshhh!
Suddenly, a fierce wind blew toward us. The heatwave emitted by the girl grew even stronger; the approaching Senior Inquisitors were hurled backward, their bodies blistering and emitting smoke.
The girl continued to walk closer. The rest of us helped the Senior Inquisitors who had just been repelled to stand, carrying them to a safe place so they could be healed by the Priests.
"I will kill you all, monsters..." the girl muttered, staring at us with pure hatred. "I will kill everyone who has snatched away my happiness..."
Magical particles appeared around the child's body. Not long after, the particles began to glow brighter—brighter and more intense than before.
"Brian... listen to me..."
I heard the Senior Inquisitor I was helping to walk call my name.
"I feel that child is gathering a massive amount of Mana..." he said weakly. "Leave me here and distance yourself from that child as quickly as possible."
"B-but, Inquisitor! What about—" My words cut off as the Senior Inquisitor looked into my eyes seriously, signaling me not to argue with his order.
"Kill... annihilate... turn them into useless ash..."
Looking back, I saw the girl's body surrounded by magical particles that glowed like fireflies in the night. Steeling my resolve, I released my grip on the Inquisitor and activated Acceleration magic to get away as fast as I could.
"Avenge Sister... inflict pain on those who separated us from her..."
Looking back one last time, the light around the girl grew blinding and finally...
— Wuuusshhhhhh!
A massive heatwave surged toward us. The knights, Inquisitors, and mages still in the area were swept away by the wave, their bodies reduced to skeletons in an instant.
I leaped to the right to take cover behind a building wall. The heatwave reached my position; the left side of my body felt as if it were being roasted. I screamed, enduring the agony of the girl's devastating magical attack.
After a few moments, the heatwave began to dissipate. I checked the surroundings to assess the situation. However, all I saw was black ash—the remains of the unlucky knights, Inquisitors, and mages caught in the heatwave.
"Impossible... the entire force wiped out with just one attack..."
I saw only a few survivors; the surrounding buildings were almost entirely destroyed. On the other side, the girl was now kneeling on one leg, her breath coming in heavy gasps. It seemed she had used a massive amount of Mana to release that strike.
"Reinforcements have arrived!"
I heard someone shout from behind me; dozens of mages and knights were running toward our position.
"Quickly, kill that girl before she can recover her magic!" Inquisitor Elvira shouted.
The rest of us nodded and dashed toward the girl. I won't let any more victims fall to this madness, even if they are children! Inquisitor Marcus was right; they are dangerous and must be eliminated before innocent people become victims of their power.
— Clang!
Suddenly, our movement was halted. The boy standing beside the girl stretched his hand toward us.
"This... is a Barrier..."
We were only 30 meters away from the children. If this Barrier broke, we could neutralize them quickly.
"Release your strongest attacks and destroy this Barrier!" ordered one of the Inquisitors.
The knight began attackinh the Barrier blocking our path. Not long after, a crack was heard, making the others even more eager to launch continuous attacks.
— Crack!
The Barrier shattered. I prepared to activate Acceleration magic to dash toward the three children. However, I suddenly felt a familiar aura from behind.
"What an irony to see brave knights bullying three children..."
I heard a man's voice that I recognized...
Not just me, but all the knights and Inquisitors present heard it as well. We stopped moving and turned around. A white-haired man in a black cloak was walking slowly toward us.
It was him... the masked man who had helped us defeat the dragon...
"Has a knight's honor vanished from your hearts, O followers of Goddess Diana?" he asked flatly.
He walked toward us casually, showing no fear in the face of dozens of knights and Inquisitors.
"We don't need a Heretic like you questioning our honor as knights!" Elvira shouted. "Half of us finish those three children immediately! The other half hold that masked man back, no matter what happens!"
I and several Inquisitors nodded and rushed toward the children. However, we were suddenly shocked by the appearance of five human-like dolls from the air, landing beside the three kids.
"Damn it! Don't let them escape!"
Three of the five dolls picked up the three Cursed Children we had struggled against and immediately ran to leave the area.
"I remember you! I'll avenge Inquisitor Marcus this time!"
I launched a combo of attacks at one of the dolls. It tried to dodge, but I read its movement and delivered a diagonal slash that split its body in two. After taking down one doll, I rushed to catch the three dolls carrying the children.
"I won't let you get away!" I said, launching an attack at the legs of one of the dolls.
— Clang!
However, someone parried my sword strike. It was the masked man who had just arrived.
— Bam!
He delivered a kick to my head, sending my body flying until I hit a building wall.
Ugh... my body was weakening after fighting those three Cursed Children for so long. On the other side, I saw the knights, mages, and Inquisitors fighting the masked man, who was aided by the remaining two dolls.
Activating Accel magic, I stood up and dashed toward the masked man. Realizing my approach, he strangely just stood still without any sign of dodging.
— Slash!
I slashed at him with Excalibur, but the man caught the holy blade with his bare hand.
"H-how is that possible!?" I was shocked that he wasn't injured at all.
"Ah, have you forgotten? I was the one who summoned this holy sword."
Hearing the masked man's words, my eyes widened. The man then punched me in the face, sending me flying back to hit the wall again. My consciousness began to fade; my head was spinning. I could see the three dolls carrying the Cursed Children disappearing from my sight.
"Damn it... all the sacrifices were in vain because of them!" I cursed, frustrated by the situation.
The Inquisitors and the others were starting to be overwhelmed by the members of The Masquerade who had arrived. I sheathed the holy sword Excalibur and picked up a common sword lying on the street. If this holy sword couldn't hurt him, I would use any blade to defeat him.
"Face me!" I shouted at the masked man.
He glanced over after knocking an Inquisitor unconscious. Activating Justice Spirit, I dashed toward him again and launched a combo. With the buff I now had, I could match his reaction speed.
— Clang!
Our swords clashed, sparks flying from the impact.
"Why are you protecting them!? Sooner or later, innocent people will die because of their uncontrolled power!" I yelled at him with emotion.
"Then, is conducting experiments and torturing them the right answer?" the man asked, looking into my eyes seriously.
Huh? Experiments? Torture? What is this man talking about?
"The shock on your face says you know nothing about the Temple Authority's activities all this time."
After saying that, the masked man kicked my ribs hard; my body rolled across the street. I tried to stand, but my body was spent and had reached its limit...
— Tap... Tap... Tap...
I heard footsteps. The masked man walked slowly toward me. He raised his sword.
Was he going to kill me?
However, before he could strike, an iron object shaped like a snake suddenly appeared and attacked the masked man.
Huh, iron? Could it be...?
"Are you alright, Brian?"
I heard a voice from the side; a man in black armor was walking toward us.
"Holy Knight... Remilio..." I murmured, seeing one of the nine strongest knights owned by the Temple Authority.
He then stood in front of me, facing the masked man I had just fought.
"Leave this battle to me," the Holy Knight said, drawing his sword. "I will exterminate all of The Masquerade here."
A Holy Knight versus a Performer from The Masquerade?
If I recall correctly, a battle last year between a Holy Knight and a Performer wearing The Fool mask ended in a draw, with both dying in combat.
"It seems you're having fun bullying my subordinates here," the Holy Knight said mockingly. "Let's see how strong a Performer rumored to be capable of killing a Holy Knight really is!"
"I will gladly show you," the masked man replied. "But the price is very high, you know."
"Oh, and what price is so high just for me to see your greatness?" the Holy Knight said, then laughed.
"Your life..."
Hearing the masked man's answer, Holy Knight Remilio stopped laughing. He drew his sword, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.
— Wooshhh!
Suddenly, the Holy Knight vanished as I blinked. He reappeared instantly in front of the masked man and launched an attack.
Their battle had begun...