87 – Embodiment of Evil. (10)
Asty was watching the battle with interest. She didn’t feel any sense of crisis. She believed in Frach’s abilities.
Indeed, Frach was showing a performance that lived up to her expectations. Look. At his position, blocking Esthe at the forefront. A satisfied smile briefly crossed her face and disappeared.
No need to make a fuss about it.
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She suppressed her laughter and surveyed her surroundings. She saw people who were powerless and feeling frustrated about their situation.
They tried to do something, but the reality was that their attacks were useless.
However, Asty thought that it was better that way. It was better than going on a rampage and dying for no reason. In times like this, they could only rely on someone they could trust.
In the place where frustration once resided, hope and expectations for someone who could overcome this situation started to bloom. Frustration usually leads to despair, but now, in their eyes, they saw the two boys.
Definitely.
Asty murmured.
Just as Frach confidently assured, he was definitely fitting the role of a hero.
Otherwise, the sight before their eyes wouldn’t make any sense.
Who is the Holy Maiden, Esthe? Being the strongest Holy Maiden in history wasn’t an exaggeration.
Of course, now she’s weakened compared to back then since she’s currently borrowing Adrian’s body, but as someone who knows Esthe’s true strength, it’s unbelievable to see a freshly eighteen-year-old boy standing up against her weakened state.
If someone who was present at that time heard this, they would burst into laughter. A demon that could tear apart monsters even with bare hands being stopped by a mere eighteen boys?
It would be fortunate if they didn’t think the person saying this was insane.
Frahyah exerted some of his strength, but Ruslan had only eaten the fruit of the fairy. It was difficult to estimate how much potential he had.
The reason Frahyah wanted to make him a hero was evident just by looking at that scene.
But now, it was Frahyah that people were paying attention to, not Ruslan.
Because Ruslan had single-handedly endured Esthe’s relentless and monstrous attacks, flipping the earth and shaking the ground with shockwaves before adapting to the battle with her.
People stared in awe at Frahyah.
“Is that even possible?”
In response to someone’s question, everyone turned their heads. It seemed impossible.
The shock of the priests and paladins was even greater. They knew what kind of existence Esthe was.
“I knew Lord Lancelette was strong, but I never expected this level.”
They had witnessed Frahyah’s prowess during the previous battle in Behemoth. Even they were shocked by his overwhelming skill.
“I heard he received guidance from Sir Edan, the Imperial Knight Commander, after the Behemoth incident… Can one become this strong in such a short period of time?”
“It is not impossible. There are moments when a warrior’s ability suddenly blossoms. Lord Lancelette seems to have experienced such a moment, and at a very young age. I wonder where the end of his power lies… He seems even stronger than me right now.”
Ars, the solemn paladin and the Lieutenant Commander of the Imperial 3rd Paladin Corps dispatched to the Empire, praised him.
“Is there anything we can do?”
“Nothing. There isn’t a single person here who can withstand that blow. All we can do is watch. We tried to interfere in various ways earlier, but it seems our strength does not reach Lady Esthe… We would only hinder those two boys if we foolishly tried to do something.”
“I can’t believe…”
The priest shook his head with a desolate expression. All they could do in such a serious situation was watch. Not to mention, they were opposing not just any saint, but the strongest saint in history.
Why would the past empire treat her like this? If Esthe’s words were true, this would be a huge event that would shake the empire.
Of course, even if Esthe’s words were true, they had to stop her now. At the very least, they had to save Adrian, who had done nothing wrong and faithfully followed the will of God.
* * *
While others continued to watch the battle, the fight gradually reached a stalemate. Ruslan and Frahyah seemed to have coordinated their attacks quite convincingly, which was why Esthe could not overwhelm them.
“It’s tougher than I thought.”
She definitely felt it. The combined attacks of these energetic boys were quite fierce. Even she could not let her guard down.
Of course, she had to regain her mana to break their true forms- in other words, to break their hammers, but that was nearly impossible. If that wasn’t the case, Esthe would have shown a desperate stance.
All they could do was to succumb to the relentless onslaught of their attacks and become exhausted.
She had the luxury of time.
For a moment, she could feel that luxury.
Esthe swung her hammer and Ruslan blocked it, but in an instant, Frahyah changed his position and rushed into her embrace.
“He’s planning something.”
Estelle couldn’t help but think that way. But what exactly were they aiming for?
Judging by their attitude, it seemed like they didn’t want to harm the current saintly Adrian, who was in their physical body.
Their attacks were only defensive. If they simply remained on the defensive, their defense would eventually be broken, so they were counterattacking instead.
As they say, the best defense is a strong offense. They were blocking the incoming attacks with swift counterattacks, but that was as far as they went. Even though there were clearly opportunities for more, they didn’t even lift a finger.
But suddenly approaching like this meant that there was a trick up their sleeve.
As Estelle tried to withdraw from Prach’s approach by removing the hammer that collided with Rhuslan’s sword, Rhuslan knew and bound her arm with a chain of magic power.
Although the chain would easily break soon, that brief moment was enough.
Prach, who had now closed in on the saint, struck her abdomen with a fist full of magic power.
Boom!
“Agh!”
With the sound of a drum, a stifled moan escaped from Estelle’s mouth. Even though she focused the corrupt sacred power on her abdomen, she was overwhelmed by considerable pain.
But when Prach tried to strike Estelle’s body again, Estelle used one of her hands, the one holding the hammer, to strike Prach’s fist.
Crack!
Fists clashed, corrupt sacred power and magic power collided. The power was in a turbulent state. Estelle felt perplexed.
“Tsk.”
This wasn’t good. Allowing that blow to happen was fine in itself, but it had begun to turn the tide of the battle unfavorably.
She thought he was simply skilled with a sword, but his combat abilities weren’t bad either.
How did this boy end up like this? If a few more years passed in this state, it might be difficult even for her in her prime to handle him. With this level of skill at his age, his growth potential was immeasurable.
However, it wasn’t completely over yet. She was just at a slight disadvantage. Since they were still human, their strength would diminish if the battle continued. It was somewhat embarrassing for her.
Estelle, the warrior of righteousness, waiting for her energy to be depleted while facing two eighteen-year-old boys.
This would have surely shocked the people of the past Holy Empire. Of course, her abilities weren’t fully intact, and the current saint’s physical body couldn’t fully bring out her abilities… But she had experience forged through long battles.
Anyway, their abilities were impressive, but it wasn’t to the point of being a crisis.
Yes. She definitely thought that way.
Until Prach suddenly withdrew his strength and stepped back, shaking a familiar-shaped candlestick in his hand.
“What…?”
Didn’t he know that the candlestick wouldn’t do anything to her anyway? But why did he take it away? What was he planning to do with it?
“I’ve been thinking hard, and it seems like it might work on you in your current state.”
Uttering such incomprehensible words, the appearance of the candlestick began to change in Prach’s hand.
Into the form of a burning sword.
It wasn’t just a dazzling light extending. It was as if there were burning flames that could consume anything flowing through the divine sword.
Why is this happening again?
Last time I used it, it definitely didn’t feel like this. Back then, the radiance that rose from the candlestick simply forged a sword… But now, it did forge a sword, but the form of the divine power flowing through the sword was peculiar.
It was like flickering flames.
Why did it suddenly take on this form? It’s an unknown occurrence. But I was certain. The reason it is burning so intensely now is because I deemed the object in front of me “unjust.”
With this, I can put an end to it.
If it doesn’t work, I can pass the candlestick to Ruslan. Thinking that, I looked at Estelle and said to Ruslan.
“Hey.”
“Huh, what?”
He stood there dumbfounded, as if shocked by the fact that I was handling the candlestick.
Get it together. How long are you going to be lost in thought?
“Sorry.”
“This time, let’s switch roles. I’ll try my best to destroy that wretched hammer, and you attack the entity. And don’t forget. You must not harm Lady Adrian’s physical body with the sword. Lady Adrian has had her body taken away by that never-dying ghost, so ultimately the wounds remain on Lady Adrian’s body. Understood? Strike, but don’t hit too hard with your fist.”
“…I’ll give it a try.”
“Control yourself. If the impact accumulates more than necessary on Lady Adrian’s body, it’ll be a problem.”
“I know that too.”
“Well then, let’s go.”
As soon as I finished speaking, I thrust the sword towards Estelle, or rather, the hammer she held.