Chapter 450

“What the hell is this, the sky…?”

I looked up at the sky spread above the basement prayer room, feeling bewildered.

A sky in the basement? Did they blow up the entire ceiling or something?

…No, that wasn’t it. It was still a long way until sunrise, but the sky above was bright blue, like midday, not night.

Well, this place is right below their cathedral. What kind of lunatic would blow up their own home just to show off?

They must have summoned something resembling the sky above, not destroyed the ceiling. Judging by the scale, it’s a spell impressive enough to boast about as divine power…

“…What’s the point of this?”

For such an absurd amount of mana consumption, the only noticeable change is better lighting. Wouldn’t it have been better to use that mana for an attack?

Are they planning to bombard me from a height my attacks can’t reach?

Well, if the sky is summoned by magic, the basement ceiling should still be intact above it. It doesn’t seem like they can increase their flight altitude.

“Do you not understand? Of course not. What meaning could there be in summoning a clear sky in an empty void? A brute like you wouldn’t get it.”

This bastard’s tone…

“Hah.”

I spat blood on the floor and glared at Rübitz floating in the sky.

“Must feel disgusting, huh? Dying by a brute’s sword.”

“Congratulations. Thanks to you, I won’t have to feel bad.”

Rübitz stretched his right hand toward the sky.

With a crack, a small beam of light shot up from his fingertips.

“See…?”

And then.

– BOOM!

The underground chamber shook with thunder. The priests around us immediately cast defensive spells as the once-blue sky turned pitch black with storm clouds.

Wait, is this…?!

“You will perish here!”

As Rübitz slashed his hand downward, a storm of lightning struck the ground.

This was on a completely different level from the lightning spells of ordinary mages—this was the power of nature itself.

—

My vision flashed white. A high-pitched ringing filled my ears, and warmth flowed from them.

Dozens of lightning bolts scorched the ground, turning it red and filling the air with smoke and sparks. Shattered statues littered the area.

“This is insane… Weather manipulation?!”

I thought they were up to something, but they pulled out a grand spell fit for dragons. Surviving the first attack was pure luck.

The moment they unleashed the lightning, my instincts screamed danger, and I threw Durandal aside, leaping upward with all my might.

I was now clinging to the ceiling like a bug, using my life force tendrils to hold on. I thought the lightning might follow me because of the black iron in my armor, but fortunately, Asha had done something to prevent that.

I almost died there.

No matter how strong I am, I couldn’t withstand dozens of lightning bolts. Even Or-han would die from that.

[…This is absurd. How can a mere human wield such power?]

Hersela couldn’t hide her astonishment.

Right? At this point, isn’t this guy the strongest in the Holy Kingdom? His power surpasses even Isabella’s.

Though Isabella would probably win after thousands of resurrections.

Still… I survived, so I can breathe easy. They can’t keep spamming that spell.

The mana flow and divine light around them had diminished to less than half, so it was clear they had exhausted a lot of power with that last attack.

I regretfully glanced at Durandal stuck in the wall and pulled out a dagger from my pocket. No time to retrieve the sword. I had to strike before they launched another attack…

“…You dodged it. As expected, you’re quick.”

Rübitz sneered, turning his head toward me. …I thought I was hiding well, but they already spotted me!

“Your eyes are annoyingly sharp!”

I kicked off the ceiling and charged at them. Fighting with just a dagger is insane, but against a mage, it doesn’t matter if it’s a dagger or a longsword.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

“Intercept him!”

Of course, my attack didn’t reach Rübitz. Before I could close the distance, over a hundred spells came flying at me.

“Damn it! Don’t you guys ever tire?!”

I stabbed my life force tendrils into the ceiling to stop abruptly, then used them like spider legs to crawl around, dodging the barrage of spells.

“Fall down!”

Ah. Damn binding magic.

Shining chains wrapped around my body and tendrils, and the sudden increase in gravity yanked me from the ceiling, slamming me to the ground.

– THUD!

The impact wasn’t too bad. The problem was the spells that followed.

At a glance, there were dozens. Fire, ice, lightning, and some kind of beam—they were throwing everything at me.

I didn’t have Durandal.

“Gahhh!”

If I don’t have Jin’s sword, I’ll just have to endure.

I unleashed an ice blade to pierce through the ice spears and stomped the ground to create fragments to block the lightning. Ice shards and stone dust scattered everywhere.

– WHOOSH!

The light beam that seemed about to pierce my shoulder thankfully only shattered the black iron scales on my armor. I felt like giving Asha half my fortune.

– CRACKLE!

I took the fire head-on.

“Ugh…!”

Thanks to Ryu-rik’s hide or the mark on my wrist, the magical flames weren’t unbearably hot. In fact, it felt like my strength was slightly increasing.

“…You’re not burning. No, are you absorbing the flames?”

Rübitz stroked his chin, calmly asking.

This bastard. After not answering anything, now he’s asking questions?!

“Ha, all that talk about infinite wisdom, and you still don’t get it even after seeing it?”

“Hmm… It’s different from anti-magic resistance. Anti-magic shouldn’t block offensive spells. You wield strange flames, so is this another extension of that power? Worth analyzing.”

Rübitz tilted his head, muttering to himself.

I wanted to retort, but I didn’t have the time. The ordinary priests were starting to reach their limits, retreating behind the railings, but the high-ranking priests were still enthusiastically casting spells.

I ran around, dodging the magical barrage, throwing whatever I could grab. Though it was just rocks and ice shards.

“Rock throw! Defend!”

“Die like a dog, Elmain’s mutt!”

But they divided into groups, with a third casting defensive spells and the rest launching attacks and bindings, relentlessly pursuing me. Realizing fire spells were ineffective, the priests switched to every other method.

The high-level spells they unleashed were hard even for me to withstand.

Rocks from the ground floated up and flew like meteors, shadows rose to grab my body. The moment I paused, a massive air cannon slammed into me head-on.

I tried to counter, but with just my limbs and tendrils, there was a limit.

– BOOM!

The impact felt like my bones were shattering. My body flew like I’d been hit by a truck, crashing into a corner of the prayer room.

“Gah, ugh…!”

Blood spurted out involuntarily.

A direct hit. My left arm was twisted in a weird direction. Without the ice blade, it might have been blown off.

Even sacrificing an arm, the shock alone turned my abdomen purple.

“These damn bastards…!”

I forced my twisted arm back into place and used life force to stabilize the broken bones. A temporary fix, but at least I could move.

It wasn’t severed, so it’s just a minor injury, but it’s the first real damage I’ve taken since the fight started. The word “defeat” started crossing my mind.

“…Well, if we capture you for experiments, we’ll find out. Even if you die, dissecting your corpse will give us answers.”

Rübitz muttered ominously, gathering mana again to cover the sky with light. And at an astonishing speed.

Like a high-pressure pump draining a water tank.

—

“Ha.”

I laughed dryly, looking up at the glowing ceiling.

This was absurd.

The priests had been pouring out spells like rain, so the ambient mana should have been nearly depleted. They must have been using their stored mana, which takes a long time to recover.

But to replenish it instantly like this?!

“Are you insane? Using grand spells like weather manipulation with just your internal mana? Do you eat magic stones instead of bread?!”

Even with magic stones, there’s a limit. For this scale of mana consumption, you’d need a magic stone the size of a building.

“You seem knowledgeable about magic, Princess Ha-shal-leur Ai-shan Gi-or. Were you a mage, not a warrior? Ah, I see. No wonder your sword couldn’t touch me.”

I was so furious my head felt like it was about to explode. If I had just two more fighters to block the spells, I’d have torn that bastard’s mouth apart by now.

Where are Lacey, Damien, and Milia? That half-elf Hersh, did she really run away?

I gritted my teeth, running to dodge the spells, and finally grabbed Durandal again. Not that having this sword back would change much.

This damn sword only releases a fraction of its power even when its owner’s life is on the line!

“You dodged the lightning well. But the calamities summoned by the heavens aren’t limited to thunderstorms. Try dodging this.”

The stormy sky began to rotate, forming a circle. Gradually speeding up.

I knew instinctively. A tornado. This time, they plan to sweep the entire area with a storm, leaving no escape.

…This is bad. I can’t win this.

‘…I need to run.’

I never thought I’d say this, but I need to retreat and regroup with my party. I can’t do this alone.

[Turning your back on the enemy in front of you! Have you no shame?!]

Of course, Hersela was furious. Crazy woman.

‘Then should I just stand here and die?’

[Warriors of Ka`har do not retreat before the enemy!]

Well, you’re one thing.

‘I’m not from Ka`har.’

[Ah.]

Hersela let out a short groan, as if she’d forgotten.

[Even so, that body is mine! Not only have you taken over my body, but now you plan to bring shame to it as well?!]

‘Then what do you suggest? From what that guy’s saying, if I’m captured, even worse humiliation awaits.’

I’ve never seen a mage who doesn’t do breeding experiments. Maybe priests are different, but from what I’ve seen, these guys threw away any sense of ethics long ago.

[Ugh… Damn it… Ugh…]

Hersela, having no retort, just groaned in frustration.

‘No arguments, huh? Then I’ll just run and regroup with Lacey—’

[Ugh… Ah… Damn it, I didn’t want to use this here…!]

Hersela let out a passionate sigh. It wasn’t acceptance of retreat, but a lament that there was another way.

‘Use what?’

[Shut up and hand over full control of your life force! Everything, including what you’ve been holding back!]

An order filled with irritation.

I instinctively handed over control of my life force to her. Even the core parts I usually controlled.

And the next moment, my consciousness was pulled back as if someone behind me grabbed my shoulders and yanked me away.

‘You…!’

They say when you’re too shocked, your mouth freezes. That’s exactly how I felt now.

I had only handed over my life force, but I lost control of my body. My limbs—no, even my eyes—wouldn’t move as I wanted.

I knew she could move my body when I was unconscious, but could she take over even when I was awake? Had she been hiding this all along?

[I’ll explain later, so don’t resist and accept it! If you resist, I can’t maintain it for long…!]

Hersela dismissed my doubts and moved my freed body toward the enemies.

‘What are you doing? If I couldn’t win, how can you?’

[Ha, you think so? You and I are fundamentally different in the power we pursue. Just because you couldn’t do it doesn’t mean I’ll lose.]

Hersela, with an arrogant yet ecstatic tone, gripped Durandal, which had lost its light, and slammed it into the ground.

[Watch closely…! And never complain to me again!]

Hersela opened her mouth, took a deep breath, and gathered all the life force I had accumulated, shouting.

“This is my heroic tale. **The Mortal World**—!”

The world turned red.