Chapter 185 – The Saintess

Thud.

A building collapsed amidst a cloud of dust.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sound of destruction echoed through the dust-filled air, and the building next to the collapsed one began to crumble as well.

The dust from the collapsing buildings spread further, and soon the streets were filled with so much dust that visibility was reduced to almost zero.

‘Did I go too far?’

The reason the buildings were collapsing and the streets were filled with dust was due to the battle between me and the Death Knights.

Unlike in Ea, I knew that cement buildings, when destroyed, would create an enormous amount of dust. So, I deliberately let the Death Knights destroy the buildings.

It was to obscure their vision.

As I had expected, the streets were filled with dust, but unfortunately, just like me, they could still find me and parry my attacks even in the thick dust where visibility was almost zero.

‘I miscalculated.’

Contrary to my expectations, their senses didn’t seem much different from when they were alive.

Given that they could destroy a four-story building in one strike, their strength, fueled by miasma, had become even greater than when they were alive.

Moreover, their senses were just as sharp as when they were alive, so the Death Knights, who had been on the verge of becoming Sword Masters in life, were not much different from me, a Sword Master.

Additionally, since they were undead with no physical limitations and could use the miasma that filled the area instead of limited mana, their stamina was unmatched.

If this turned into a prolonged battle, I would inevitably lose.

Of course, a prolonged battle was impossible due to the safe zone and the other party members.

However, the two Death Knights were stronger than I had anticipated, making it difficult to quickly end the fight.

Our sword skills, the power of our swords wrapped in mana and miasma, were almost equal.

In terms of senses and speed, I was slightly faster, but there were two of them.

Every time I tried to dodge one’s sword and close in, the other would swing their sword, forcing me to retreat.

‘If it weren’t for the dust, I might have been pushed back.’

Whether it was because they had been in the same party for a long time or because they were undead, the two moved as if controlled by a single mind.

It wasn’t just once or twice that I almost got hit by one while focusing on the other.

If it weren’t for my mana sensing and heightened senses, I would have already lost a limb.

Moreover, I hadn’t fully adapted to my increased strength.

I thought I had successfully adjusted my body and skills after my power had increased.

But I had only aligned them; my body hadn’t fully assimilated the changes.

‘Well, it’s not like adapting so easily is normal.’

Even learning simple swordsmanship required countless repetitions to make the body react automatically.

I, too, needed to move reflexively, not just by thinking, to truly be a Sword Master.

Of course, fighting the Death Knights now was helping me quickly get used to my mana and body, but there wasn’t enough time for me to take down both of them alone.

Boom!

After clashing swords, I was thrown back by the difference in weight and crashed into a building. As I spat out blood-tinged saliva, I saw a Death Knight approaching through the dust.

“Tch, damn it. Do I have to prepare to lose a limb here?”

If I was lucky, Yerim might be able to reattach a severed limb.

Of course, I’d have to survive and find the severed part, but I couldn’t keep dragging this out.

As I thought this and steeled myself, a reddened sky pierced through the dust.

Whoosh.

The divine power pouring down from the sky instantly settled the dust.

As the dust settled, I could see what had turned the sky red.

Hundreds, no, nearly a thousand red crosses floated in the sky.

The blood-red crosses against the crimson sky.

It was a sight I had definitely seen somewhere before.

‘Was it from a Japanese robot anime?’

A random thought flashed through my mind, but I quickly snapped back to reality.

This was an unexpected sight, but it was clearly Yerim’s doing.

This was my chance.

The dust that had obscured vision was gone, but so was the miasma that had filled the streets.

In place of the miasma, the area was now filled with divine power.

All of it was coming from the red crosses floating in the sky.

Seeing the crosses gradually fade, it was clear there was a time limit, but this was enough.

Thud.

I channeled mana into my legs and launched myself toward the Death Knight in front of me.

The undead knight, regaining his composure, swung his greatsword, and I swung mine to meet it.

Unlike before, my sword, now glowing white, clashed with the Death Knight’s blade.

Crash!

The settled dust exploded outward, and the shockwave shattered nearby windows.

And then, a sword was sent flying.

Clang!

Earlier, I had been overpowered by their strength and weight, causing my sword to be knocked away. But this time was different.

This time, it was the Death Knight’s greatsword that was sent flying.

The greatsword burst into flames as it flew.

“I guess I can’t ignore the title of hero candidate now.”

I grumbled but took another step forward, driving my sword into the knight’s chest.

My sword, wrapped in mana and divine power, pierced through the armor.

Whoosh.

The sword that had been blocking my attacks was consumed by the flames of divine power and disappeared, and the Death Knight’s armor couldn’t stop my blade.

Divine power surged from the sword embedded in the dead heart, beginning to burn the Death Knight from within.

“Kreeeeek!”

Unlike the noble voice he had in life, the knight, once a member of the hero’s party, let out a beast-like scream as he was consumed by divine power.

I had stabbed the sword into his dead heart and channeled the surrounding divine power into the blade, making his screams audible. The Death Knight, created from the hero’s party, was difficult to defeat due to the infinite miasma.

But now, with a sword imbued with divine power comparable to the hero’s stabbed into his heart, he was no different from an ordinary undead.

I pulled out my sword and looked down at the burning knight.

“So this is the power of a hero using divine power.”

It was merely drawing on the divine power around me, but the effect was no different from the hero’s sword.

Just moments ago, when I felt the world filled with divine power, I realized I could channel that divine power into my sword, just like I did with mana.

I couldn’t generate divine power like a paladin or a hero, but I could gather the existing divine power and channel it into my sword.

And not just the divine power given by a priest, but the divine power that permeated the world.

Thanks to that, I easily defeated one Death Knight, but even so, I couldn’t deny that I was only a half-baked hero.

“No one saw that, right?”

Well, someone did see it.

Even if they were dead.

Perhaps startled by the sudden surge of divine power, the remaining Death Knight didn’t rush at me.

Instead, he took a stable defensive stance, preparing for my attack.

For a skilled knight, this was a natural move, but in this situation, it was a foolish decision.

Of course, the divine power that had filled the area was now gone.

I had used up all the surrounding divine power in that one attack.

With the divine power gone, the crosses above me also disappeared.

In the distance, some crosses still floated, but they couldn’t send divine power to this area.

But it didn’t matter.

I no longer needed divine power.

I had already held my ground against two opponents.

Now that it was one-on-one, the outcome was all but decided.

“Now it’s a proper match.”

I raised my sword and looked at the knight I had once respected.

The knight didn’t respond to my greeting, but I continued it anyway.

“Janzen Egar, the Free Knight, challenges you in the name of knightly honor.”

I didn’t expect a response.

It was simply a tribute to a knight who had given his life for humanity.

But the Death Knight did respond.

He changed his stance.

He raised his sword and looked at me.

Seeing this, I smiled faintly, and we both swung our swords at each other.

 ***

For a Lich, who used miasma to cast spells, a space filled with divine power was fatal.

Whoosh.

As countless crosses filled the sky, divine power saturated the world.

The Lich couldn’t absorb miasma to cast spells properly, and the shields made of miasma were burned away by the divine power.

The divine power didn’t last long, so the Lich might have been able to endure it.

If he hadn’t been fighting a mage.

In a battle between mages, if one side couldn’t cast spells, even for a moment, it was as good as the end of the fight.

Slash. Slash.

The burning skeleton was sliced into dozens of pieces by blades of wind.

Dozens of flames erupted into the sky.

Instead of the disappearing crosses, the sky was now filled with fireworks.

As the bone flames gradually faded, Zahina looked at the building where the largest cross had floated.

The person who had created this miracle was there.

“Is this what it means to be loved by God?”

She had learned much since coming to this world, but there was still much she didn’t know.

Faith and God were among them.

Before her connection to the World Tree was severed, she hadn’t been interested in such things, but now it was one of the things she was curious about.

Human love and divine love. The Saintess and God.

Zahina glanced at the dust-filled, noisy streets and then began to fly south.

The battle was over, so she needed to help the safe zone.

The other party members were still fighting, but Zahina knew and trusted them.

 ***

Unlike the other party members, the Death Saintess and Yerim didn’t immediately engage in combat.

The Death Saintess stopped her attack upon seeing the countless crosses floating in the sky.

Looking up at the sky, the Death Saintess calmly spoke as she watched the divine power burn away the miasma.

“So, you’re the Saintess of this world.”

“Is that so? I’m not sure.”

Yerim tilted her head at the Death Saintess’s words.

Yerim still didn’t fully understand what it meant to be a priest, so she didn’t realize how extraordinary her actions were.

On the other hand, the Death Saintess knew exactly how remarkable this was.

“To draw divine power from ordinary objects… Only a Saintess could perform such a miracle.”

The fact that such a miracle was possible meant that her prayers had been directly answered by God.

One who is heard by God and shown results. That was what a Saintess was.

The Death Saintess looked at Yerim with a regretful expression.

“A Saintess from another world… How unfortunate. If I were still alive, we could have shared many stories.”

“We still can.”

Yerim, sensing the sincerity in the Death Saintess’s words, cautiously responded, but the Death Saintess only chuckled.

“No, we can’t. I am the Death Saintess. The Saintess of the Demon Lord. Even now, my soul, the miasma within me, is screaming at me to kill you.”

As she watched the miasma burning around her, she reached out toward Yerim.

“Moreover, your power is too dangerous. If there are more holy relics in other cities, leaving you alive would endanger the Demon Lord.”

Black miasma extended from her hand.

The miasma continued to spread, even as it burned from the divine power.

“Now, do your best to survive.”

At the Death Saintess’s words, Yerim clasped her hands together.

Unlike the Death Saintess, who drew power from miasma, Yerim only knew how to pray.

And though Yerim didn’t know it, this was a technique only a Saintess could perform.

The divine power from the remaining crosses in the sky gathered into her embrace.

A brilliant light clashed with the black miasma.

The area was filled with radiant light.

As she watched the light, the Death Saintess, Alina, smiled peacefully.