Splat.
The demonic energy crushed underfoot writhes like an insect. As if feeling fear, it trembles grotesquely before flowing between the railings.
Tsk.
Raon clicked his tongue as he climbed the stairs filled with sticky demonic energy.
'There's no end to this.'
Without the
Bauren probably thought he couldn't penetrate this wretched path of demonic energy, which is why he was messing around at the top of this tower.
-Urghhhh....
Wrath shook his chubby fist as he settled on Raon's shoulder.
-This is not what this king wanted! This is not why I handed over Wrath!
He screamed in indignation with every step up the stairs. He seemed unable to believe that his weapon had become mine.
'I'll buy you ice cream when this is all over. So be quiet.'
Raon sighed as he pressed down on Wrath's head.
-Hmp.
Wrath shut his mouth as if he'd been waiting for this. Looking at him now, it seemed like he had been aiming for this. Truly an unadaptable demon king.
"Hey."
Saintess Olga gestured from behind.
"You're not trying to ditch us, are you?"
"Ditch?"
"I'm asking if you're pushing yourself too hard!"
She trembled her eyebrows as if she couldn't believe how effortlessly he was pushing back the demonic energy.
"If you're somehow consuming your life force...."
"I'm not as reckless as you. Don't worry."
"You bastard.... I'm trying to show concern and you're still being an asshole."
Olga glared at Raon, grinding her teeth.
"What do you mean by 'not as reckless as you'?"
Rimmer looked at Raon as if asking what he meant.
"That fake saintess. When she exhausts her holy power, she's grinding away her own life force."
"What...?"
"The black lines etched on her limbs aren't tattoos, but the result of her skin melting when converting life force into holy power."
Raon frowned as he looked at the saintess's protruding lips.
"Hey. That's like taking out a loan you can never repay! Why are you living like this!"
Rimmer's eyes widened in disbelief, having fought in a similar manner himself.
"It's none of your business how others live."
Olga waved her hand dismissively.
"Don't waste your holy power needlessly."
Raon jerked his chin towards Olga's crumpled expression. Though their personalities were complete opposites, her actions reminded him of Merlin, making him feel uneasy.
"I'll take care of my own neck, so shut your mouth."
"You'll die before you even get to throw a punch at this rate."
Wrath had provided another piece of information about Olga's Heavenly Connection.
'Early death.'
They say people born with an open upper dantian can't live long regardless of their will.
'Is it true that woman doesn't have much time left?'
-I told you so! Her upper dantian is much more open than the pineapple girl's, so she can't live long even if she wants to!
Wrath snorted, asking how many times he had to repeat himself.
'I understand why Bauren said that.'
It was clear that King Bauren's reason for telling Olga he would kill the god trying to take her away quickly was because he knew about her lifespan.
'I never thought I'd see a woman as crazy as Merlin.'
Olga, born with a short lifespan yet squeezing it further to save others, looked like a moth carrying straw and leaping into flames.
"You..."
As Raon narrowed his eyes looking down at Olga, Wrath suddenly sprang up.
-Wait! With all this chaos, there's no way the ice cream shop is safe! We must leave immediately!
'Then we'll buy from somewhere else... It's above.'
Raon stopped trying to persuade the clinging Wrath and looked up at the upper floor. The flow of demonic energy was rapidly intensifying. Someone was up there.
As he stepped up the stairs, he saw Priest Piron and Royal Guard Captain Danieff standing on gray ground that seemed to be a mix of holy power and demonic energy.
"I really didn't expect you to come back."
Priest Piron's eyes widened in surprise.
"..."
Danieff remained silent. He just looked this way with calm eyes.
"Piron! Danieff!"
As soon as Olga climbed the stairs, she called out their names.
"You sons of bitches!"
Her shoulders trembled as if they would collapse, such was her indignation.
"Olga."
Priest Piron smiled, calling her by name rather than her title of Saintess.
"After pouring out holy power to protect the entire kingdom, you've come all the way here. You'll really die at this rate."
He shook his head calmly, as if knowing Olga's secret.
"Yeah. I'll die. But I'll take you guys out first."
Olga gritted her teeth and raised her fist.
"What I understand even less than Olga is you."
Piron let out a low sigh and looked at Raon.
"I can't understand how you're breaking through the demonic energy with neither holy power, nor aura, nor mana. What kind of power do you..."
"..."
Raon didn't answer Priest Piron's question. He stepped onto the gray floor and headed for the stairs leading to the next floor.
"I'm sorry, but this is as far as you can go, Lord Raon!"
"..."
Priest Piron thrust his fist burning with pure white energy, while Danieff drew his sword and aimed for Raon's neck simultaneously.
Raon didn't even look at Priest Piron and Danieff. He walked calmly towards the stairs.
Whoosh!
Before Priest Piron's fist and Danieff's blade could reach Raon, a pure white light and blue wind rose up.
Clang!
It was Rimmer and Olga. The two stood to Raon's left and behind him, perfectly blocking Priest Piron and Danieff's attacks.
"Your opponent is me!"
Olga gritted her teeth as she blocked Priest Piron's fist with her forearm.
"You told me to catch you from the start."
Rimmer licked his lips as he faced Danieff, their swords locked together.
Raon climbed the stairs filled with even denser demonic energy without even looking at Olga and Rimmer's confrontation.
"Hey!"
Olga turned to look at Raon, frowning.
"Grab that bastard Bauren by the collar and drag him back!"
"If he's alive."
Raon nodded lightly and went up to the next floor. He didn't look back or slow his pace. He seemed to completely trust the two.
"Stop!"
Piron's body blurred as if melting into mist. As he moved towards the stairs to catch Raon, Olga's body mirrored the same form, blocking the path to the stairs.
Boom!
Fists imbued with holy power clashed, sending powerful shockwaves sweeping through the surroundings.
Clang!
Danieff also shot astral energy at Raon, but it was deflected by Rimmer's sword, causing only a floor-shaking vibration.
"Move aside..."
"Once you've sat at the table, you have to play your hand. Where do you think you're going?"
Rimmer nodded slightly as he looked at Danieff's wavering eyes.
"Olga! You must trust His Majesty!"
Piron pushed away Olga's fist, his chin trembling.
"Trust? You're telling me to trust a king who's joined hands with demons and sacrifices his own people?"
Olga twisted her lips as she looked at Piron.
"These are chaotic times. The Six Kings and the Five Demons. No, to survive in this continent where even greater monsters roam, this is the only way! His Majesty is doing this to save the kingdom..."
"I also think the gods are bastards. Deaf and blind. But you guys don't even have eyes or eardrums!"
She gritted her teeth and threw a punch wrapped in holy power.
Thud!
Piron lightly deflected Olga's punch filled with extreme fury, and struck her abdomen with a vertical palm strike.
Thwack!
Olga blocked Piron's palm strike with her elbow, but her face contorted as she stepped back, seemingly overwhelmed by the force.
Thud!
Olga pushed off the ground and rushed at Piron. She threw punches in rapid succession, leaving no room to breathe.
Though it looked chaotic, there was a precise system built up over long years.
But Piron seemed to read all the flows of Olga's fist techniques, deflecting every single one of her strikes.
"Olga."
Priest Piron shook his head while taking a stance similar to Olga's.
"You seem to have forgotten who taught you these fist techniques."
He narrowed his eyes as he extended his fist, burning with white holy flames.
"Right. I learned from you."
Olga nodded calmly.
'Forgotten? Absolutely not.'
She recalled mimicking Piron's fist techniques with her small hands as a child.
She hadn't forgotten a single thing - Bauren and Danieff smiling behind her, the sunlight that crisped her collar, the cool breeze that cooled her sweat-soaked hair.
Because those memories with them were etched in her mind, she had to stop her teacher who had given up on humanity with her own hands. Even if it meant ending her life here.
"Olga. You cannot defeat me."
"They say a teacher rejoices when their student surpasses them."
Olga's stance lowered as if crawling on the ground. She looked like a lion hiding in the bushes, stalking its prey.
"How about you?"
Her skin melted on her shoulders and thighs, etching holy scars.
Sizzle!
Olga kicked off the ground with a noble expression, as if not feeling any pain. She reappeared on the left. Her blood-veined fist shot towards Piron's waist.
"Hmm."
Piron raised his hand to block Olga's fist strike, his eyebrows trembling slightly as if a bit flustered.
Whoosh!
As if expecting her strike to be blocked, Olga stepped closer to Piron and threw consecutive punches. The shockwaves from her fierce fist strikes exploded.
"For you to surpass me... Hm?"
Piron stopped deflecting Olga's punches and his shoulders trembled.
'What is this....'
Olga's fist strikes gradually deviated from their expected trajectories, and their power shook his bones and internal organs, breaking through his defense. This wasn't the martial prowess of Olga that he knew.
Crack!
The impact from Olga's fists was so intense that it became increasingly difficult to defend. The moment his fingertips wavered from the intense pain, her fist struck his waist directly.
"Kuhek!"
Piron coughed up blood as he was flung backwards. His waist was deeply dented, like crumpled paper.
"Wh-what in the..."
"Don't be surprised yet."
Olga gritted her teeth as she approached Piron and threw another punch.
"Urgh!"
Piron raised both hands in a defensive stance. Giving up on offense, he channeled all his holy power into defense.
But Olga's fist curved long like a whip, ignoring Piron's defense and bursting into his shoulder and abdomen.
Thwack!
Piron coughed up blood as he crashed into the wall made of demonic energy.
"Wh-what is this..."
"I always wanted you to stay above me."
Olga bit her lip as she stood before the trembling Piron.
"Don't tell me..."
Piron shook his head, his lips quivering.
"You've been hiding your power...?"
"As my life approaches its end, my martial arts skills have been rising insanely."
Olga nodded heavily.
"Should I call it a gift of death?"
She twisted her lips downward as she threw her left fist.
"Urgh..."
Now Piron couldn't even handle a single punch from Olga, and he rolled on the ground after taking a hit to his right chest.
"Get up. It's still far from enough to settle my grudge."
"I-impressive. However..."
Piron spat out black blood as he brought his hands together in prayer. Unlike before, black demonic energy burned atop his pure white holy power.
The wounds where flesh had been exposed from the punches began to writhe and regenerate.
"I can't back down here either!"
Piron charged with a monstrous cry. His face, once filled with kindness, was now full of viciousness.
Rumble!
The holy power and demonic energy swirling around his fist formed an ominous harmony. An enormous energy that seemed capable of erasing this very space swirled around.
Boom!
Olga stomped her foot hard. What filled her eyes was not fear, but divine wrath.
"This is the last technique you taught me."
The faint white light on Olga's small fist erupted into a brilliant glow, as if catching sunlight.
The scattered fragments of holy power in the demonic energy tangled like threads, flashing with dazzling radiance.
Crash!
Olga and Piron's stances mirrored each other. However, the outcome between the master and student who had chosen different paths was determined by their willpower.
Clash!
Olga's fist, which had never deviated from her path, shattered Piron's demonic energy and struck his right cheek heavily.
"Kuhek..."
Piron's cheekbone crumbled, and he fell to the floor, spitting out all his white teeth. The light in his eyes disappeared as if he had lost consciousness from a single blow. (E/N: I can't imagine someone being punched and losing all their teeth...)
"Huh..."
As soon as Piron fell, Olga collapsed on the spot and coughed up black blood. Three more black lines were etched on her legs. It was a miracle she wasn't dead.
"Damn it..."
Olga looked up at the ceiling and cursed. She gritted her teeth in frustration at being unable to move.
"Make sure to drag him down!"
* * *
"The student surpasses the master."
Rimmer nodded towards Olga while facing off against Danieff.
"It's what every master hopes for. Is it the same for knights?"
"..."
Danieff said nothing as he swung his sword upward. The sword strike imbued with astral energy barely grazed the tips of Rimmer's hair.
"Knights have their chivalry, don't they? Does it say in that code that this kind of behavior is acceptable?"
"...A knight is one who stakes their life for their lord."
Danieff revealed a chilling glint in his eyes as he brought his sword down diagonally.
"A knight enters even the fires of hell if it's their lord's command."
"No, that's not right."
Rimmer shook his head as he lightly pushed away Danieff's sword. It wasn't mere strength, but a will forged by his soul.
"You've got it all wrong about what a knight is."
"A lowly swordsman like you..."
"Yes. This lowly swordsman will teach you what true chivalry is."
Blue wind and red lightning danced along the pure white blade he held.
"Sword Domain. Song of Wind and Lightning."
The moment that clear cry rang out, the world filled with demonic energy twisted.
Wind and lightning imbued with the power of nature surged from all directions, spewing forth intense light.
"It's a single strike."
Rimmer tilted his head as he pulled back his blade infused with wind and lightning.
"..."
Danieff seemed to accept the one-strike duel as he gripped his sword with both hands and drew out all his aura. The astral ring burning on his blade undulated like waves.
Thud.
The moment a drop of demonic energy fell from the ceiling, the swords of the swordsman and the knight extended out as brilliant rays of light.
Rumble!
The astral ring burning on Danieff's blade poured down like a tsunami, threatening to erase everything about Rimmer. The demonic energy in its path was mercilessly torn apart.
Zing!
The moment Rimmer's eyes flashed blue, the wind and lightning energy raging all around settled and seeped into his blade.
Sword Domain technique: Eye of the Storm.
It was a new sword domain that applied the final sword strike of the Eye of the Storm to the Song of Wind and Lightning.
What made this possible was the wind of the Gale Wind Style. The wind that controlled the atmosphere called forth a lightning storm from within the darkness.
Danieff's blue wave was caught in the single trajectory where the lightning storm struck down.
Clash!
The wave of astral energy into which Danieff had poured everything split apart, and his sword shattered.
Splat!
A terrifying amount of blood spurted from Danieff's chest. He dropped to his knees as if all strength had left him, letting his broken sword fall.
"I... I..."
Danieff's blood-soaked lips trembled in disbelief.
"What should I have done?"
What he was asking wasn't about his defeat, but how he should have stopped Bauren.
"A knight is not a puppet that merely follows the monarch."
Rimmer bit his lip as he remembered Lightning Decay Barfil and Koman Knight Commander Kuzan, who died saving Raon in the Sword Saint's Tomb.
"The knights I've seen were people who could rise again for their lord even after committing sins, and who would risk their lives to stop their lord if they went down the wrong path. A true knight is one who would kick their lord's ass if necessary to show them the right way when they're acting wrongly."
"Kicking the ass of a monarch walking the wrong path..."
Danieff looked up, clenching his fist tightly. He seemed to regret not stopping Bauren.
"Don't worry. My king will drag down your foolish monarch."
"Your king?"
"Yeah. A troublemaker king who kicks me instead of me needing to kick him."
The moment Rimmer nodded, the demonic energy covering the upper floor split apart, and golden flames surged up. He smiled, pointing at the golden-haired, red-eyed young man standing in the flames.
"That boy is the young king of Zieghart whom I follow."