But the pope was still the pope. He recovered his composure quickly.
"That was… somewhat beyond my expectations, Heretic Witch."
Kiriko bared her teeth in a wide grin.
"Only somewhat? Don't be shy—say it loud. It won't get you pregnant."
"You'll only have a mouth that sharp for now."
Several believers hurried in from the side, working together to carry a massive greatsword.
The pope lifted it one-handed. The blade's ornamentation and construction were extravagantly elaborate—less a weapon than a ceremonial sword.
"Accept divine judgment!"
He raised the greatsword over his head and gave it a light downward sweep.
Wind blades—born from a terrifying, howling storm—ripped across the ground, gouging deep trenches through earth and trees alike. Riding that dreadful power, they tore straight for Kiriko.
With a single swing, he'd unleashed an apocalypse. For an ordinary person, all that would be left was to close their eyes and wait to die.
"Everyone—behind me, now!"
Naofumi Iwatani fired off defense after defense in rapid succession, activating skills like [Air Strike Shield], [Second Shield], and [Shield Prison].
But the storm shredded through each barrier. And just as even [Shield Prison] began to buckle, Kiriko finally moved.
She gripped the white sword's hilt with one hand, the black sword's with the other.
White and black light flared together, forming a cross-shaped flash. Against that monstrous gale, the tiny cross looked almost laughably insignificant—yet the moment it appeared, the arrogant, unstoppable storm vanished like smoke.
"What… was that?"
Naofumi, who'd finally held out long enough to breathe, let out a small sigh of relief.
"That is… a replica," Melty said, staring at the greatsword in the pope's hands, baffled. "Long ago, people tried to copy the Legendary Weapons the heroes wield… but it was supposed to have been stolen centuries ago. Why is it in the Three Hero Church's possession?"
"Not hard to guess, if you think about who benefits," Kiriko said coolly.
"More importantly, I've got a question. If even a replica has that kind of power, why go through the trouble of summoning the Four Cardinal Heroes at all?"
Kiriko had blocked the pope's attack with insulting ease, but that was only because her level was absurd. Under normal circumstances, Motoyasu and the others would've been one-shot.
And even their genuine Legendary Weapons didn't show that kind of raw destructive output.
"If we're only talking firepower, it may rival the true Legendary Weapons," the pope answered—rather than Melty—almost with a hint of regret. "But it consumes an enormous amount of energy to do so."
"One use costs the magical power of several hundred people for an entire month. And the method to mass-produce them was lost long ago… It can't be helped. This weapon has been passed down since the Age of the Gods. Though it's a replica, it's still an extraordinary treasure…"
"To die beneath this pseudo-Legendary Weapon is an honor for you."
The pope lifted the greatsword again. The replica shifted—its sword-form flowing into a spear. Like the blade, the spear's construction was lavish and ornate.
He thrust.
A thick beam of light erupted from the spear's tip.
But it didn't end there. After firing the beam, the weapon changed again—this time into a bow.
The pope drew it, not aiming at Kiriko, but up toward the sky. As he pulled the string taut, a luminous arrow condensed within the bow itself.
He released.
The arrow shot into the air, then burst on its own—splintering into hundreds, thousands of arrows of light that rained down like a violent squall over Kiriko's group.
[Brionac] and [Shining Arrow] were skills only an upper-tier Legendary Weapon could use. Kiriko had just blocked [Phoenix Gale Blade], but now these two were being fired simultaneously.
If they defended against [Brionac], they couldn't block [Shining Arrow].
If they tried to stop [Shining Arrow], they couldn't take [Brionac].
Either way, they were do—
"Kiriko-san. I'll help!"
Naofumi's shield morphed into a gigantic tower shield. He dashed in front of Kiriko and drove it into the ground with all his strength.
BOOM!
The beam slammed into the tower shield with a deafening roar. The shockwave burst outward in all directions.
Naofumi braced it with his shoulder—his whole body—digging in so hard his boots carved two deep grooves into the floor.
He held.
But the moment he finished blocking [Brionac], his strength faltered, leaving him unable to deal with the light arrows falling from above.
That was when Kiriko snapped her fingers.
Countless golden motes erupted into the air. They flickered once—then fired, unleashing a storm of glittering Noble Phantasms.
The light arrow had split into thousands.
Kiriko's summoned barrage numbered in the thousands as well, and every sword, every spear shattered dozens of the smaller arrows on contact.
[Shining Arrow] was dismantled in midair.
"H-How is that possible…?"
The pope stared at Kiriko's party—unscathed.
He'd considered that they might survive one attack. But to take two at once without a scratch… it was far beyond what he'd imagined.
The replica's greatest flaw was simple: it could barely imitate the true weapon's power, but its cost was exponentially higher.
Those three skills alone had already drained the stored magical power of several hundred people over three months.
And the mana the replica could store wasn't infinite. If he fired off a few more skills and still failed to kill them, then once it ran dry, the replica would be no different from an ordinary weapon.
In that case… he'd have to use that—
Damn it!
As the thought flashed through his mind, he suddenly saw Kiriko charge straight at him.
The pope blanched. He already thought he'd been giving Kiriko her due, but her strength still exceeded his expectations.
He hastily rallied the believers, trying to stop her.
Kiriko closed the distance and swung—one clean slash.
"[STARBURST STREAM]!"
She brought the blade down toward the pope's forehead—only for it to stop short, as if something invisible had caught it.
"[CASTLE WALL]!"
A massive magic circle materialized in the air before him.
It was only light given shape—yet when Kiriko's sword struck it, the impact rang out like steel slamming into steel.