218 – Dark Arts
A pure white line extending from the ceiling.
When the line first came down, I stared at it blankly for a moment.
Because it was a line that seemed so beautiful and dangerous.
It is a thread line that appears thinner than the hair.
And that line contained an incredibly overwhelming presence.
It is an unknown energy.
Extremely finely compressed and infinitely dense.
— Jiyiing
For a brief moment, I thought it sounded like tinnitus.
A solid line that makes the thoughts in your head fly away and focus only on your own existence.
What on earth is this line?
Even though I knew it would definitely be extremely dangerous, I unconsciously wanted to put my hand on it.
That moment.
— Kwaaa!
An explosion started from that line.
To be precise, it was closer to an expansion of energy than an explosion.
Energy compressed into a thin line like a thread. The expansion had a clear direction.
I was able to instinctively know because I was watching closely.
Who is at the end of the direction of expansion?
It is a fleeting moment.
I leapt, and the moment I realized it, I was blocking someone’s path with the berserker’s shield raised.
— Let’s go!
A bombardment like an explosion of explosive energy.
It was aimed precisely at the head of the Empire’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Blitter.
“aaah!”
Blitter’s screams came out a little later.
During the split second he realized his death, I jumped in front of him and protected him with a shield.
In other words, in Duke Blitter’s eyes, he thought, ‘I’m going to die like this,’ and closed his eyes tightly, but for some reason, he came to his senses and said, ‘Huh?’ This means that when he opens his eyes, he will see that I am blocking an attack in front of him.
He will seem like a great savior.
To an old, chubby, bald man.
‘Is it better?’
If I add more women now, I think I’ll get beat up by Dananya Silvia.
Thinking of such foolish thoughts, I strengthened my shield.
— Quad deud deuk!
The power of the [Solid line explosion] Was clearly beyond imagination.
‘Damn it.’
What on earth is this?
It was to the point where curses just flowed out.
So much energy was compressed into just the thickness of a hair?
No.
The word ‘compression’ was completely incorrect.
I have never even thought about the fact that energy can be compressed.
Although ‘air’ can be compressed, ‘water’ cannot.
It feels like that. Of course, there’s nothing you can’t do if you put in the effort and compress it…
‘This density is clearly not the work of ordinary humans.’
When I feel it for myself, I get goosebumps all over my body.
He was probably dead.
If it weren’t for the berserker’s shield.
— Tsuzzzzzzzz!
Even the berserker’s shield, which is clearly indestructible and has extremely high resistance, is screaming in pain.
“… Ugh.”
I groan without realizing it.
Overwhelming power gap.
No matter how much you strengthen your body, it automatically falls back.
Actually, at this point, you just have to endure it.
Unless you want to get a hole in your head.
— Pabat, Pabat!
Pieces of energy bouncing wildly on the shield.
One of them penetrates my clothes and touches my arm.
At that strange sensation, I momentarily took my gaze away from the front and looked down at my arm.
From Noble mtl dot com
‘… Divine power?’
Obviously, that energy had the same texture as divine power.
Fire, earth… Unlike elements with various colors, only sacred energy and divine power can be felt.
In essence, divine power is not an energy that exists to destroy something.
I have never seen such destructive divine power.
What on earth is it?
Just grit your teeth and stop it for a moment.
— Pishuuut…
The bombardment of energy slowly faded away.
I took down my shield with a sigh.
My whole body is so stiff that it hurts.
The magic power that was used to strengthen the body was collected and turned inside the body to prepare for any additional attacks.
Anyway, it seems like the attacks have stopped for now.
“Whoa…”
I looked at the shield first with a sigh. I guess I didn’t have a good feeling when blocking. I felt the trembling and melting sensation quite clearly.
And the results, just as expected, unfolded before my eyes.
Rough scratches remaining on the shield.
The length and depth are both about 1 to 2 cm, but it is definitely a shocking result.
‘… The berserker’s shield is so flawed?’
Numbers has the highest resistance, but has an extremely small defense range.
The reason it hurt like this…
This obviously means that the surprise attack just now was from a being of a different class.
The attack just now was obviously launched from a distance.
I don’t know who it is, but what if I come face to face with this being?
A chill runs down my spine in an instant. It was then that I heard the sound of someone falling behind me.
— Teodeok!
Minister Blitter lying face down with his butt on the floor.
Looking at his appearance, he must have been quite surprised.
“… Lord, I almost died.”
All authority as a nobleman disappeared from his expression as he muttered blankly, and was filled with only relief for survival.
I’m sure it’s no mistake that the eyes looking up at me have become deeper and contain even a bit of respect and gratitude.
“Thank you so much. I owe you my life.”
Because he said that in a serious voice.
A high-ranking official of the empire. And that also created a debt to a ministerial-level person at the top of the hierarchy of power? That alone is a significant benefit.
Of course, it wasn’t just that.
Count Rippenstein was also looking at me in astonishment.
“… How did you come in with a weapon?”
“What?”
I shrugged and lifted my shoulders.
The weapon security check was a bit strict, but I used Evan’s shadow technique in addition to ether. This was possible because the berserker shield was not bulky.
Sir Rippenstein, who pursed his lips for a moment, bowed his head.
“I don’t know how you got through security, but you worked really hard. Thanks to the military, something really big was prevented.”
“No. By the way…”
For the first time, I looked at the ceiling where a thin solid line had come down.
A thin but clear hole.
At first glance, it looks up to the light blue sky, so it must be a long-distance attack fired from outside the building.
“Could this building be a recently built building?”
The moment when I was about to ask Lord Riepenstein something.
— Kwaaa!
The door opened roughly and the knights guarding the outside opened the door.
The one who stands out the most is the Heretic Inquisitor, Osgar Javert. The sight of him smiling while everyone else is making serious expressions is definitely enough to give you goosebumps.
“Ian.”
Sigh.
He smiled at me and approached the Archbishop of the Vatican.
That moment.
I feel numb.
A feeling of déjà vu all of a sudden.
An intuition that an attack was about to come again passed through my mind.
“Everyone be careful…!”
There is no need to say anything more.
— Jeee!
A pile of solid lines came down once again.
This time, three strands.
That strand, each strand, poured down to surround us – that is, Minister Blitter, the Archbishop of the Vatican, Lord Riepenstein, the Inquisitor, and me.
It showed signs of expansion faster than before.
I can finally see it clearly.
The fact is that that solid line is vibrating at a very fast speed.
All of this is a fleeting moment.
There is not enough time to completely avoid it like this.
The Heretic Questioner was just frowning. Is he also thinking about ways to protect the archbishop?
‘… No matter how much Osgar may be, he may not be able to stop it.’
If, by any chance, either Minister Blitter or Archbishop dies here, the war will begin.
It must be prevented somehow.
The moment you reach that conclusion, the path you see.
It’s kind of a trick.
‘Opposing divine power is a black magic method.’
In fact, one of the best ways to attack black magic is using divine power. In other words, they are both big obstacles to each other.
Compatibility tends to work in reverse as well.
It would be the best choice when it comes to pushing and blocking.
I immediately put Evan in my head.
To be exact, he contained the magic circle of the technique he had cast in his head.
Magic circuit that aligns quickly and immediately.
It doesn’t stop there.
The energy Evan used was darkness.
It certainly seems far from me.
But that is not necessarily the case.
Because shadows exist on the earth.
I scooped up the shadows felt from the earth.
— Woo!
A huge sphere unfolding around me.
It surrounded them all like a protective shield.
“Huh, black magic method…?”
Someone mumbled in surprise for a moment.
— Kwaaa!
Three rays of light exploded at once, coloring the surroundings white.
The surface of my black protective shield trembles roughly.
But I didn’t necessarily break my concentration.
I just constantly raise shadows and do my best to prevent damage from explosions.
For a moment, let the surroundings shake violently.
I managed to block even the last shock wave.
The surroundings became completely quiet.
Is it because Osgar Javert was already smiling widely that only bright laughter was heard?
He smiled brightly and looked at me.
“Do you know that using black magic is a serious crime?”
“Of course.”
“Then, let’s go together, Ian.”