Chapter 131

Duke Valencius leaped and cast a spell.

“Sharp piercing flames.”

The massive infiltrator clad in white bone exoskeleton attempted to crush him with a tentacle extending from its crown.

He let the tentacle wrap around his waist, allowing him to find an angle to aim at the infiltrator leaning against the wall.

“Take this-!”

The infiltrator, leaning against the wall, spat out a frustrated shout, and Valencius fired a spear of flames.

Boom!

The ‘Spear of Fire’ pierced through the infiltrator’s heart and blazed brightly.

The white exoskeleton-clad infiltrator tried to crush Valencius’s waist with its crown tentacle, but he still held the flaming mana blade in his right hand.

Thunk!

Valencius accurately stabbed the spot where the tentacle met the exoskeleton, causing the tentacle to shudder and convulse.

“Once again, the ‘mixed’ ones are weaker.”

As soon as he landed on the ground, he clenched his fist tightly as a signal.

Bang!

The ‘Spear of Fire’ exploded, sending the wall, carriage, and infiltrator flying.

Chunks of flesh flew in all directions, and the infiltrator clad in white exoskeleton wore a bewildered expression.

Valencius grinned slyly and said, “Hmm. Was he perhaps cradled in the embrace of the old ones you cherish so much?”

The white-armored being ground its teeth.

“They say that believers of the God of Radiance will be cradled in the God of Radiance’s arms upon death. Isn’t that right?”

“……”

“Well, judging by your current state, I wouldn’t want to be embraced by something that looks like you.”

“You’ll regret speaking so carelessly. His wrath will stain this city with blood. You and your twin sister…!”

“Shut up. I can say anything I want to you, but you can’t. I am of the Emperor’s family, and you are just a dog’s family, you bastard.”

Valencius aimed his sword at the mouth of the mutated old one.

The infiltrator managed to block it with its right arm, but Valencius was known to be a skilled swordsman.

He precisely targeted the gap between the lower forearm and upper arm muscles, stabbing without grazing the hard exoskeleton.

Thwack!

The sword pierced through the forearm and shot up towards the infiltrator’s mouth.

It panicked and closed its jaw, but the mana blade sliced through its teeth as it entered.

The scream served as a signal for the remaining ‘three’ to mutate.

Screeeech!

The infiltrator on the right, who had been waiting, swelled and tore its robe.

It transformed into a gaunt giant standing at 4 meters tall with four arms, its body thin and black, resembling a burnt skeleton wrapped in brittle bandages.

Six purple eye orbs glowed, and triangular spikes grew from the head, made of the same material as its body.

It looked as if it wore a wizard’s conical hat.

It hovered to a height of 2 meters and raised its scrawny arms.

A purple beam flared up, and Valencius was thrown to the ground.

“A destruction sorcerer? Damn. A third-rate wizard. The church was right. We should have burned them all.”

The coachman who had dismounted transformed into a gigantic green horse.

With four horns growing from its head and flames spewing from its mouth, it resembled a giant centipede, with its body stretching over 10 meters long and dozens of pairs of legs attached, making it look less like a horse.

Finally, amidst the chunks blown apart by the ‘Spear of Fire,’ a head and one hand crawled out.

* * *

The cross-section of the wrist fused with the neck, and the head and hand began to swell.

Valencius gazed at the monster before him, dripping with anticipation.

“If I had known this, I should have decapitated it… Would it have transformed immediately then?”

The infiltrator he had shaken hands with morphed as if a giant squid was mixed with a flower and aphids.

Five huge legs resembled those of a crab, while its oval head, reaching a height of 20 meters, looked like a mix of an egg and a flower, with faint features remaining.

It commanded with a horrific voice, announcing its intent.

The sheer force of that command brought even Valencius a headache from the massive aura of corruption.

“Geseires, Philis. Kill the betrayer, Mandrion. Kill Valencius. I will slay the church followers. This damned city will fall today…!”

Flames blazed bright!

At that moment, white fire surged, illuminating the surrounding darkness.

Scree!

Smoke billowed from the bodies of the infiltrators, merely from its presence.

Step, step, step, step.

With a strong, handsome face and deep, alluring black hair and eyes, the figure, clad in a magnificent black robe, gave off an overwhelming aura.

The son of the deity appeared, casting a halo of sunlight in the deserted street.

“Duke Valencius. Have I arrived too late?”

“Saint. You’ve come just in time. Be careful; they are as foul as they are powerful.”

Valencius staggered to his feet, offering a gesture of respect, while Matheos smiled warmly and blessed him.

“May your sword encounter the light of clarity.”

A gentle white light enveloped ‘Black Tear.’

“Now step back. The creatures belong to me and the holy knights.”

The holy knights, igniting their sacred powers, appeared throughout the alleyways.

Battle priests standing on rooftops recited the Lord’s Prayer, casting a sacred barrier to prevent the aura of corruption from leaking out.

This was essential to prevent the enemy from increasing by a thousand with a single mental wave.

“If I abandon the saint, I will be forever mocked.”

Valencius thought of what Tenitia would have said in response.

“Matheos would burn them all. Then he wouldn’t fulfill his promise to bring research corpses for Sererassie.”

Concealing his true feelings,

Matheos observed him, thinking.

“Having righteous anger against the infiltrators is good. But it seems like he’s thinking of something else this time.”

His already inhuman golden eyes were now slit vertically, and his left hand was covered in scales.

Even in the chaos, his pristine white robe remained undamaged and gleamed with luster, further separating him from his surroundings. His ever-cheerful smile and platinum hair looked too out of place in this deserted market.

“I can’t understand or predict this.”

Valencius’s blazing anger was fueled by the infiltrator mentioning Jeilliris’s name, while the fact that his robe remained unscathed was thanks to the liquid metal armor ‘Aquateq,’ and his cheerful demeanor was a sign of goodwill based on his careful thoughts.

However, the gears of fate were not meshing correctly.

Valencius, gripping his sword, pondered.

“He appeared slightly later than planned, and he blessed me immediately. Is this some form of discipline? I doubt it’s Matheos’ idea; it must be that old man Argos. He’s likely trying to create the appearance that the church is bestowing grace upon the imperial family.”

Matheos appeared with dozens of holy knights, blocking the infiltrators.

The magnificent attire he wore and the sacred energy he emitted brought an overwhelming presence that made one feel compelled to kneel.

The formation was both encirclement and facing Valencius.

“He isn’t planning to push them all toward me, is he? Does he intend to remove me, who may become a variable later, by using the infiltrators? I need to keep my wits about me. Soon he’ll start thinking of himself not just as Matheos, but as a saint.”

His slightly delayed appearance was due to the evacuation of the townspeople, and the immediate blessing was out of apology.

The change from a circular encirclement to a semicircular one was due to not being able to account for the real flour-laden carriages blocking the alley.

“Duke.”

“Saint.”

However, both knew they shared a common enemy and that the battle was urgent.

The saint and the duke surged forth into the infiltrators, igniting white and red flames.

* * *

The coachman, transformed into a centipede-like green horse, Philis, crushed the ground with dozens of legs as it chased the red-masked opponent.

On his back, the gaunt four-armed mage Geseires floated and fired spells.

If the sword-user captain had not been carrying the red mask, he would have been caught a hundred times.

“Ah.”

The running captain stopped.

A high wall loomed in front of him.

“So there’s no escape now.”

Philis spoke with its green mouth.

Due to its changed jaw structure, the pronunciation was slightly off, but it was clear enough.

“The betrayer deserves to be burned at the stake. I never trusted someone who worked in a brothel like you from the start.”

The red mask stepped off the captain’s back and leaned against the wall.

She laughed, looking up at the sky where a large cloud passed overhead.

“You’ve gone insane.”

The gaunt four-armed mage, Geseires, burst into laughter.

“Yeah. I’ve definitely gone insane.”

“Hmm?”

“Gambling like this is out of the question.”

A refinement returned to the breathless voice of the red mask.

She had risked her life multiple times based on the information provided by Valencius.

She had taken her life on the line to give advice to her boss and, as a result, earned trust by reducing the casino’s damages.

Before that, she had betrayed her former boss at the most critical moment.

The boss, referred to as ‘Old Man’ by all the brothel managers, became a headless ghost at the hands of the Black Iron Knights.

“But I’ve always won.”

A yellow light sparked within the cloud.

A rumbling sound echoed.

The immense flow of mana felt almost delusional.

As Geseires looked up at the sky, a voice filled with excitement called out.

“Designated lightning.”

Geseires turned his creaking head and gazed at the owner of the voice with six eyes.

A wizard with a cheeky demeanor stood atop the wall.

Her long navy blue hair fluttered in the night breeze, and the blue and yellow glints of her gown gave her a mysterious and ethereal appearance.

She was wearing a navy cone-shaped hat and robe, leaning on a staff adorned with yellow jewels.

A powerful and mysterious presence, she resembled the wizard he had long admired in life.

Geseires reached out with four hands to touch Sererassie.

Flash!

A yellow lightning bolt arced down like a branch, striking the tip of her hat.

Geseires, floating 2 meters in the air, fell to the ground like rotten wood.

Sererassie chanted an earth magic spell, allowing the red mask to emerge from the wall, while simultaneously summoning dozens of spikes from the ground to impale the gaunt Geseires.

“You cowardly bastards!”

The green centipede horse, Philis, thrashed wildly and breathed fire from its trumpet-like mouth.

“You don’t deserve to utter that word!”

Tenitia leaped out through the gap where the red mask and captain had entered, charging forward.

In the darkness, her platinum armor shone brilliantly, and her red cloak and helmet ribbons fluttered majestically.

“Remember this last name, for it will be the last you hear. I am Tenitia, knight of Duke Valencius.”

She shouted assertively, and Philis scoffed, preparing flames.

“Your duke has already been chewed to bits by our priest!”

Flames blazed!

“Then he will tear his way out of the stomach.”

Tenitia raced forward, lightly brushing aside the flames.

“Wha?!”

Her armor bore intricate heat-resistant sigils, capable of shrugging off any attacks from even a grand sorcerer, and her cloak bore similar runes, as she too was a knight who had just begun to step into the realm of Flame Ice.

Clad in full plated armor, Tenitia could cut down Valencius before his flames could reach her.

Tenitia glared with fierce, red eyes and focused intently.

Imperial swordsmanship, level 4, Zarieta.

An awakening technique that unleashes immense power at the cost of her subordinates.

Mana resonated and surged within her body.

The mana blade shone blood-red, enveloping her treasured sword, known as the Hwanhan, or “flame ice.”

It was the sword of the north bestowed by Valencius.

“I’ll take your head.”

Philis, startled, lifted his body and attempted to strike down with its two front legs.

“I caught you.”

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

At that moment, the four hind legs on its powerful body buckled and broke.

The centipede-like horse lost its balance, collapsing forward.

“Go to hell!”

Tenitia pivoted on one foot and swung her sword upward with all her might.

The diagonal strike cleaved through Philis’s neck and torso.

The green head fell to the ground.