85 – The Form of Evil (8)
Kwa-ahh!
I dodged the corrupt light rushing towards me. However, the threat did not end there. The corrupt light continued to assault me.
Damn it. It’s just as difficult as I thought.
Even if I burned away the remnants with magic, it was not the main source of Estaine’s power.
It was the corrupt divine power that came from the body of the current saint, Adrienne. It distorted and used the divine power that was supposed to purify corruption. When corruption surpasses a certain level, divine power reverses and becomes corrupt. It then becomes a fourth power that is neither magic, dark magic, nor divine power – that is the corrupt divine power.
…And that power, in Hell, was controlled only by two. Asty and Lucifer.
Asty could use corrupted divine power, but she had practically sealed it. She wanted to erase all traces of the divine power that had marked her body.
She hated anything related to gods, so she claimed to have never used her tremendous power ever since becoming a demon.
Instead, she used the dark magic she gained from her corruption as a demon, which, in human terms, could be called magic power, and that alone made her incredibly strong.
Anyway, such beings and the terrifying power they used were now being wielded by someone right in front of me. I felt cold sweat running down my back.
Corrupted divine power contained a power that was the exact opposite of divine power. That meant that the power that purified everything could corrode and destroy everything.
Therefore, a direct confrontation was impossible. I had to find a way to survive. Maybe when I blocked that power with my sword, my sword would crumble and disintegrate.
Esse started shooting chains at me as she saw me dodging her attacks. Is she trying to bind me and kill me with the light of corruption?
I couldn’t afford to fall into her trap, so I evaded the chains with acrobatic movements. It was worth enduring Ethan’s arduous training. If not, I would have been bound by one of those chains.
Since those chains were also made with corrupted divine power, they probably would corrode my body and bind me. I would probably die the moment I got caught.
Damn it. Perhaps due to the fusion of Adrian and evil, corrupted divine power seemed to be inexhaustible.
In addition to Este’s already overflowing power, if she was also using Adrian’s divine power… One could just see it as an endless well.
Since I couldn’t repel the chains, all I could do was to try and avoid Este’s attacks as much as possible.
Is there no other way? At least, if I could repel or redirect the chains or the light of corruption, there would be no problem in approaching Este…
Wait a minute.
In an instant, a passing thought touched my mind.
If only divine power and physical strength matter, couldn’t I encase my weapon with magic power and approach Este?
Just in case, let’s give it a try.
I infused magic power not only into my body but also into my sword. Then, I swung the sword towards the chains that were pouring towards me.
Kaaang!
It worked. I could parry them. It was a bit of a gamble, but I succeeded. Now I could approach Este.
I moved my feet even faster and dashed forward.
The chains, the light of corruption, and even various other corrupted divine magics all targeted me, but I deflected every single attack and continued moving forward.
The distance between me and Este began to close in as if it were a lightning advance.
But closing the distance didn’t mean it was over. I had to eliminate the threat. This was not the time to save Rousseau or anyone else. I needed to end this situation quickly.
Adrian was likely losing his energy without me even realizing it. I had to get rid of Este’s threat before she completely merged with Adrian.
“Impressive.”
Este muttered with a calm tone. Whether she was a person with little emotional fluctuation or not, she remained calm even with my approach. Let’s see how long that calmness will last.
I didn’t expect that I would be able to bounce back from my strength. The existence that gave me strength is probably a much stronger existence than me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to fend off. Maybe if that existence intervenes in this battlefield, it could turn me into ashes in an instant.”
She spoke quietly, in a voice that only I could hear.
“…..”
“Is that so?”
I knew it. She must have known. She may not know clearly who is behind me, but she must have realized that there is a huge presence that she cannot ignore.
She must have made a contract with a demon and slaughtered demons herself, so she is inevitably more sensitive to the power of demons than others.
“Well, fine. Even so, I have no intention of giving up. Whatever your purpose is, if I crush you, it will be over.”
A tremendous power began to flow through her entire body.
Then, the aura that covered her body transformed from the shape of armor to the shape of a massive hammer.
No way.
I gritted my teeth as I saw that form. I thought it wouldn’t be easy, but this is a bit too much.
“When I, the Holy Maiden of the Empire, stood on the battlefield, what did people call me?”
Of course. Very well aware.
The Demon Slayer. Estelle Deus.
The title of the strongest Holy Maiden in history is not just because she simply dealt with divine magic.
She was also the strongest Holy Knight in the Empire.
I already knew that it wasn’t just about narrowing the distance, but I didn’t know that she would be able to fully demonstrate her abilities as a Holy Knight.
Maybe because the subject she merged with is Adrian. Adrian, if you think about it, was someone who inherited the skills of both a priest and a Holy Knight, who were both top-level warriors.
When she merged with Lina in the original story, she only heavily relied on divine magic, so I overlooked this aspect as well.
“How about we see what swordsmanship will be like hundreds of years from now?”
She swung the hammer forcefully.
Hooong.
Just by that, I could feel a huge threat on my skin. It was a pressure that was completely different from when she just went wild with divine magic.
It’s like her majesty is suppressing the air around her, I should say.
Already, some priests and Holy Knights were on their knees under that majesty.
I gazed at Estelle, tense. I must not be overwhelmed. The moment I am overwhelmed, that hammer will blow my head away.
I must have gone crazy to include such a setting. If I had just portrayed her as a conventional Holy Maiden who only uses divine magic, I wouldn’t have had to suffer like this.
They say that regrets are always too late, right? It’s spot-on. How many times have I experienced it in this world?
I’ve always heard that excessive settings are not good, but I never expected to experience it firsthand.
But no matter how much I regret, nothing will change. I can’t just complain and whine to Asti after preparing like this, can I?
Just, it seems like I have no choice but to do it alone. As for Ruslan next to me… he seemed like he should just give up on this battle. It didn’t seem like he would be of any help.
Originally, this was a task for Ruslan’s experience, but he couldn’t even accumulate experience to a certain extent, so it was a bit awkward… but I can somehow make up for it later if I work hard. There will be many experience events that will make him realize the importance of his life in the future.
I don’t know how the unfortunate event of not being able to contribute and accumulate experience in this case will come back later, but it was obvious that the guy would face considerable hardships, even if the original was significantly distorted.
I can only throw him here and there in the future. Although there are hardships that he shouldn’t have experienced, I don’t know the details. That suffering is something Ruzlan, not me, is going through.
If Adrian and Estelle hadn’t merged, this wouldn’t have happened… well, let’s just say sorry for that. What can we do about what has already happened.
Anyway, now even Ruslan was just a spectator one. Since Estelle took away the spotlight from him after taking away the torch.
Ruslan also knows that, so he must be making such an angry expression. He must have felt my powerlessness.
From Noble mtl dot com
Ruslan won’t be completely unable to grow from this incident. Powerlessness is also an aspect of experience. Powerlessness becomes the driving force for a person to grow.
And maybe Ruslan will realize something by watching Estelle fight. He is a true prodigy. If he wasn’t here, I wouldn’t know, but there is an abundance of things for him to see and learn here.
Anyway, my abilities were superior for the moment.