Shall We Begin in Earnest? (2)
"Ugh…."
His thoughts didn't last long. A searing pain wracked his entire body, causing Ismogen to lose balance and stagger.
Though it wasn't enough to kill him, the impact was substantial. For a moment, he nearly blacked out and collapsed.
Ghislain didn't miss that opening. He immediately swung his staff, striking Ismogen squarely in the chest.
Kwaang!
"Keugh!"
Ismogen let out a cry as he was sent flying backward. Barely managing to regain his stance, he coughed up blood.
Cough!
He had no time to recover. Ghislain was already upon him again, swinging his staff.
Kwaaaang!
This time, Ismogen didn't just take the hit. He swiftly released his energy, blocking the attack and countering.
"You sneaky bastard! You really fight in an irritating way!"
His anger was boiling over. He had been mocked far too many times already.
Once again, black energy surged from Ismogen's body. He swung his hand-blade, pressing Ghislain.
Their movements grew increasingly rapid. The air itself seemed to tear apart as they exchanged blows at a speed no ordinary human could track.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaang!
Each time the black blade clashed against the glowing blue staff, intense bursts of light and shockwaves erupted.
Ismogen's claim of being skilled in close combat was true. He was holding his ground well against Ghislain.
"Hoh… You've truly trained a lot."
Ghislain smirked with interest as he observed Ismogen's skill.
His martial techniques were exceptional—ferocious and untamed like a wild beast, yet refined and structured.
Such techniques weren't developed overnight. They were the result of long years of research and refinement.
No doubt, the Salvation Church had crafted them from experience gained fighting against humanity.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
Ismogen's attacks became even more relentless. He didn't like how Ghislain seemed to be calmly analyzing him.
"Let's see how long that composure lasts!"
Whoosh!
Leaving only a black afterimage, Ismogen vanished—only to reappear behind Ghislain, his blade descending toward his back.
Ghislain twisted his body to evade, but his clothes were torn, leaving a slight wound.
"So this is the extent of your speed."
Ismogen sneered and pressed his assault. If he kept this up a little longer, victory would be his.
But instead of responding, Ghislain slammed his staff into the ground. At that moment, a brilliant light spread across the terrain.
"Hah! A mere trick like that!"
Ismogen leaped high, dodging the light.
But that was exactly what Ghislain had intended. With a snap of his fingers, the radiant light split into dozens of streaks.
The beams transformed into arrows of light, all aimed at Ismogen in midair.
"What?!"
With no way to dodge, Ismogen crossed his arms defensively.
Puk!
The arrows struck Ismogen's body in rapid succession, sending plumes of black smoke billowing from him.
"Kh…! Damn you!"
He ground his teeth in frustration. Ghislain's intermittent use of magic kept disrupting the flow of battle.
He needed to close the distance and prevent him from using magic entirely. As he made up his mind and charged forward—
"Huh?"
Ghislain suddenly appeared before him, swinging his staff with immense force.
Kwaaaang!
"Ugh!"
Ismogen plummeted to the ground, screaming in pain.
There was no time to recover. Ghislain closed in at incredible speed, mercilessly swinging his staff.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
"Ahhh!"
The tide had turned. Ismogen was unable to defend himself and was getting relentlessly beaten.
Each strike forced more black smoke to erupt from his body. He couldn't comprehend what was happening.
'W-What's going on? He suddenly got stronger!'
Just moments ago, they had been evenly matched—or rather, he had been slightly ahead. He had been the one pushing his opponent back.
Yet now, he was the one getting utterly overwhelmed.
'Was he hiding his true power?'
No, his strength and speed were about the same as before. If he focused, he could still keep up.
But the movements of his staff were bizarre. He couldn't predict where it would strike next.
Even when he blocked, the impact would slip through and land elsewhere. Even when he dodged, the staff would somehow catch up and hit him from an unexpected angle.
It meant that Ghislain's technique far surpassed his own.
'T-That's impossible….'
The Salvation Church had refined its combat techniques through countless battles against humanity.
Ismogen had always believed that the techniques he had learned were superior to any others.
Yet, they were completely ineffective against his opponent. Even as he was being struck, he found it hard to believe this was reality.
Ghislain smirked as he continued his assault.
"I'll give you credit for landing a hit on this weak(?) body. Your technique was quite impressive. It's a shame you lack the real combat experience to fully utilize it."
"You… You dare…!"
"If you had more experience, this fight might've been more interesting. Not that it would've changed the outcome. Still, I got a good look."
Ghislain had intentionally let Ismogen showcase his techniques. He needed to analyze them so he could later teach countermeasures to the heroes fighting against the Salvation Church.
Once he had gathered enough information, he stopped holding back and began his relentless attack.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaang!
"Ugh…."
Ismogen's eyes were filled with confusion as he continued to be struck. With each hit, his energy drained in chunks.
For now, he could endure thanks to his overflowing power. But at this rate, he would eventually be beaten to death.
A High Priest, a superhuman like him, getting beaten to death?
The mere thought filled him with despair and fury.
'Is my technique really this lacking? Are the superhumans outside the Holy Land truly this strong?!'
This was his first time facing a superhuman opponent.
The Church had told him that with his skills, he could defeat most superhumans in a one-on-one battle. And he had never doubted the Elders' words.
Yet the first superhuman he encountered was absurdly strong. It was like hitting an immovable wall.
Though their strength and speed seemed comparable, he couldn't land a proper hit, while his opponent effortlessly dominated him.
For the first time, Ismogen realized the gap in their skill levels.
In truth, Ghislain's techniques and combat abilities were simply beyond standard conventions.
But since this was Ismogen's first battle against a superhuman, he had no way of knowing that.
'Kh… We were just frogs in a well….'
He didn't want to admit it, but it was undeniable—his opponent was above him.
'In that case….'
Ismogen's eyes turned blood-red.
His cover was already blown. Too many people had seen him.
If he wanted to conceal his identity, he would have to kill them all. But at this rate, he would die first.
He needed to use everything he had to create an opening.
Ghislain was surely letting his guard down. He was utterly overpowering him, after all.
That was the moment to strike—to kill him in one decisive move. It was time to reveal the power he had kept hidden.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaang!
Despite the relentless beating, Ismogen endured, waiting for his chance.
Kaaang!
With astonishing focus, he barely managed to block Ghislain's staff. Using that momentum, he leaped backward and shouted—
"I'll show you my true power!"
Kwaaaaaa!
In an instant, Ismogen's energy surged outward, dyeing the earth in darkness. As he raised both hands, black energy spiked from the ground like jagged thorns.
"Oh-ho?"
Ghislain floated into the air using magic. But the black energy continued to stretch endlessly, chasing him upward.
And that wasn't all. A darkness deeper than the night itself gathered in the sky. It was a manifestation of Ismogen's concentrated energy.
Kwaaaaaaa!
Soon, black energy rained down from above like a storm.
Ghislain looked up.
"That is…."
It was the ultimate technique used by the high priests of the Salvation Church in his time.
But what he saw now was nothing like the half-baked techniques of lesser superhumans.
Gooooooo…
The black energy surging from the sky and earth resembled the fangs of a monstrous beast, threatening to devour the entire world.
"This is quite something."
The overwhelming presence of darkness left no room to escape. Even a superhuman couldn't possibly dodge every single drop of the falling rain.
Ghislain channeled his mana, creating a powerful shield around himself.
Kwaang!
A meteor-like beam of darkness struck his shield, making his body tremble as he was pushed backward.
And the barrage didn't stop.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A relentless torrent of energy pounded Ghislain. The black mist had completely surrounded him, making it impossible to see his figure.
Ismogen, witnessing the sight, let out a euphoric laugh.
"Kh, khuhuhuhu… It worked. I never thought it would be this powerful…."
It was his first time unleashing this technique with full force. His energy was completely drained, and his body felt like it was breaking apart—but the result was satisfying.
That arrogant mage must have been reduced to nothing but rags by this unexpected onslaught. Even he himself was astonished by the sheer power of the attack—his opponent must have fared even worse.
"Ahahahaha! This is the true power bestowed upon me by God!"
Boooooom!
The black energy that engulfed the heavens and the earth continued to batter Ghislain. The sheer might of the attack left Ismogen with a victorious smirk as he sneered at his fallen opponent.
"Hehe… That's why you never let your guard down until the fight is truly over…."
Wiping the blood from his lips, Ismogen straightened his posture. The dense black mist that had filled the battlefield was beginning to dissipate.
"There won't even be a corpse left… But this is a problem. I don't have enough strength to deal with the rest of them…"
The two high-level knights from earlier were the real concern.
The Crusaders would eventually fall. Their power was artificially amplified, but the weak bandits they possessed had limits.
And the effect didn't last long. If he infused them with more energy, he could extend the duration slightly—but he no longer had the strength for that.
If he simply fled now, his identity would be exposed. He had to kill the remaining enemies somehow.
"No choice, then. Before the Crusaders run out of strength, I'll have to burn my own life force to assist them…."
Doing so would shorten his lifespan and leave lasting side effects. But he had no alternative.
Ismogen prepared to head toward the Crusaders. But before he moved, he glanced toward where the mage had been standing—and his expression turned to utter shock.
"W-What…?"
As the fading black mist cleared, the mage was still there. Encased in his shield, he looked completely unharmed.
Around him, numerous black humanoid figures stood guard, as if protecting him.
"W-What is that?"
While Ismogen muttered in disbelief, the figures slowly began to dissipate like smoke.
One of the fading figures grumbled in irritation.
"You crazy bastard… Your first summon, and it's something like this…?"
"Whoo!"
Ghislain let out a deep breath and straightened his posture. That attack had been dangerous.
Astion's body was still not as resilient as his original one. So, in that brief moment, he had summoned Death Knights to absorb the impact.
The leader of the Death Knights, Gasqot, had been summoned unexpectedly and had taken the brunt of the attack, much to his frustration.
As the Death Knights vanished, Ghislain muttered jokingly.
"Ah, I burned through a lot of mana this time."
The Death Knights he summoned were of an extremely high level. Astion's current mana reserves weren't enough to fully control them.
Even though he had only summoned them briefly for defense, it had nearly drained him completely.
But his opponent was just as exhausted. Ghislain smirked and twirled his staff.
"Looks like you're out of strength. Time for you to take a beating now, don't you think?"
"Y-You…."
Ismogen's face went pale. He was in far worse condition than Ghislain.
He had poured everything he had into that last attack—and yet, his opponent hadn't died. Worse, he still had enough energy left to fight.
Ismogen instinctively took a step back. At this point, hiding his identity no longer mattered. Running away was the only option.
He turned and sprinted, even burning his life force in a desperate attempt to escape.
At that moment, Ghislain pulled his arm back, gripping his staff.
"Magic Missile."
Paang!
Ghislain hurled his staff like a spear, and it shot through the air, striking Ismogen square in the back.
"Guahk!"
Ismogen coughed up blood as he crashed forward. The staff hadn't pierced him, but his spine had been shattered.
"Khrrgh…."
Even so, Ismogen desperately tried to rise. As he continued burning his life force, his hair rapidly turned white.
Ghislain, now standing over him, picked up his staff. He, too, was breathing heavily.
"Phew, this body is still lacking. I'm out of shape."
Though Astion's body had strengthened to the point of resembling a human weapon, it still wasn't up to Ghislain's standards.
If he had been in his original body, he would have walked straight through Ismogen's attacks without a scratch.
"You should never let your guard down until the fight is over. Still, it's been a while since I fought someone strong. You're better than the Inquisitors from my time."
"Khrrgh… Who… the hell are you…?"
Ismogen gasped, looking up at Ghislain with dazed eyes. No matter how he looked at him, the man seemed to know far too much about them.
Ghislain's grin turned cruel as he raised his staff.
"I'm the one who's going to wipe out your kind completely in the future."
With that, he swung his staff at Ismogen's leg.
Crunch!