34 – The Battle to Subdue Chung-wang (7)
Time passes.
Though it is thick, slow, and painful, time surely passes. With every passing second, my victory becomes clearer.
The poison that enters through blood absorption is steadily neutralized, and the distant mass of larvae that keeps pushing me is barely holding on through regeneration and absorption.
In this way, without realizing it, about 20 minutes have passed.
I have already endured more than half.
“Argh!”
Balkan let out a frustrated sound as if it was suffocating.
Well, even I would get frustrated if I keep feeling like I’m about to break through but don’t actually break through.
“This damn guy! Just die already! Die!!”
“…Why, getting a little nervous? The Holy Maiden is gathering sacred power from behind, but I can’t seem to break through.”
I chuckled, my whole body breaking down.
I feel half-crazed. Even though my entire body is in excruciating pain, laughter keeps pouring out.
It’s because I’m seeing that guy so flustered for the first time today.
Now he must really be out of his element too.
Constantly facing imminent death, he was just like me now.
“You damn bastard!”
Of course, that little brat didn’t completely give up.
Balkan pointed at me and opened the sheath at his hip. He had consumed most of the bugs, but it seemed he hadn’t devoured all the bugs inside the sheath.
Through the gap in the opened sheath, a swarm of locusts began pouring out by the thousands.
Those irritating swarms of locusts immediately clung to my body and started gnawing at me.
That damned brat, since poison doesn’t work, now he’s trying to torment me with numbers.
An itchy, stinging sensation dominated my entire body. Thanks to my reinforced durability, there was no skin breaking.
I gazed at the little brat with a smug smile.
“Hah, did you think I’d be pierced by something like this?”
No, it’s quite the opposite.
It might not be a bad idea to try out a new skill right now.
Besides, my body was covered in blood.
In other words, it meant that my magic usage range had greatly expanded.
Blood contains magic.
Which means, I can use magic with it.
[“Blood Power Conversion” activated!]
[Combining with the “Owner of Poison” skill!]
[Your spilled blood takes on the properties of acid!]
Chiik!
The swarm of locusts clinging to my body began to melt away. They turned into liquid, leaving me with a sticky and unpleasant feeling, but it was better than the burning sensation.
Blood Power Conversion.
A technique that uses my skill in conjunction with my blood itself as a magic circle.
I can’t use it on my own, but it’s a very useful skill that significantly boosts the efficiency and range of magic.
Furthermore, I decided to use another skill.
“If you’re going to give, you’ve got to take.”
With this much, the stack should be almost full.
[“Memory of Pain” activated!]
Thud!
Once again, a force similar to the brat’s erupted.
“Kuaaah!”
The brat let out a scream.
I laughed like a madman.
*
Boom! Crash! Ka-ga-gak-!
A myth is unfolding in front of me.
A myth of single-handedly stopping a monster that destroyed an entire city in just one day.
It was truly an extraordinary feat to block a giant the size of a small fortress with just one sword.
The sight was like watching a battle of legends only seen in history.
If a young child who dreams of heroes or a knight who values honor had seen it, their hearts would surely have been filled with excitement.
However, the only spectator of this battle, the holy maiden, could only feel pain in her heart.
“Hero…”
The sight of a hero fighting to protect himself. Of course, it was impressive. It was great.
Even considering all the curses he had, his spectacle was unquestionably worthy of admiration.
But it was so merciless.
“Why does he have to suffer so much…”
Blood burst, bones shattered.
Flesh crumpled, and occasionally blood would be coughed up as if his organs were injured. This process repeated several times.
Yet, despite all this, he never kneeled.
The pain he was currently experiencing must have been unimaginable.
His red eyes still burned with determination. No, they even used the dark magic he learned last time to pressure the enemy.
The holy maiden couldn’t help but feel powerless as she watched.
“What on earth am I…”
She couldn’t provide any support to someone fighting so desperately in front of her. It was pathetic enough to make her sigh.
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The more she felt this way, the more determined she became. At times like this, she had only one thing to do.
Just pray.
She longed for her prayers to reach the heavens and wished for it.
“Oh merciful Heavenly Mother.”
Sacred power gradually increased. With a strong will more than ever before, she prayed to God.
“Please bestow mercy upon us…”
Boom!
Once again, a loud crash echoed through the air.
Luke used magic to heal the dragon’s side.
On the other hand, the dragon, with its limited self-healing ability, gradually accumulated injuries.
“Grant us the courage to take another step forward…”
“I will sacrifice my left hand to strengthen the next spell.”
Poof!
Luke’s left hand was severed. Blood flowed freely from the wound. Luke didn’t stop the bleeding, but instead directed it towards Balkan.
Balkan, who was above the dragon’s head, was instantly covered in blood.
“What a bloodbath, you bastard…”
Luke used the next spell in that state.
[Using ‘Blood Transfusion’!]
[Combined with ‘Fireball’!]
[The blood you shed gains the attribute of fire!]
Whoosh!
The blood turned into flames and began to burn.
The intense heat caused sparks to fly in the surroundings. Beyond them, the figure of the roaring king, screaming in pain, could be seen.
“Finally, grant us a pinch of power to vanquish evil.”
Hoping for that for a while.
How much time had passed?
Finally, dawn began to break.
Driving away the dark night sky, the sunlight illuminated beyond the horizon. The sunlight was the mercy bestowed by the goddess.
The sacred power collected by Yuris surged, and soon ascended towards the sky.
There is a common misconception.
That saints are mainly characters who can only buff or heal.
Not true.
At least as far as Luke knows, there was no one as troublesome as a saint when they became an enemy.
Shoo…
In an instant, a part of her sacred power directed towards the roaring king, strange patterns came to mind.
The stamp of sin.
A skill that turns the opponent into a enemy of the world, and inflicts additional damage on all attribute attacks received.
In essence, it could be considered as the saint’s highest debuff skill,
Today’s protagonist was not this.
Kugugugung!
As the dawn rose, the sky gradually opened.
The clear sky was showing something above it.
A part of the divine.
More precisely, it was ‘her’ attack.
Through fervent prayer, a divine blow.
Heavenly Punishment.
Her omnipotent touch would consume all the world’s magic.
Soon, a massive pile of debt descended from the sky towards the Fiend and the Warlord.
Ahahahahaah!!
And so, the world was dyed white.
*
Beep-
It sounds like a cry of agony.
The light that descended from the sky was warm and a little hot.
Regardless of her divine lineage, Jiamuri Yulris seemed to have an unavoidable influence because of her immense power.
“…Hero!”
As her vision returned, Yulris immediately looked for Luke.
The Fire Fiend and the Warlord?
She wasn’t worried about them. They had turned to charcoal from the moment she first opened her eyes.
What mattered was the hero.
He was her responsibility, and her party members were far enough away to avoid harm.
But the hero was different.
He was the closest to the enemy. He must have been hit hard.
Although he had been marked as the target of sin, her destructive power was not merciful enough to spare everything.
As she looked around, she saw the hero, scorched and unconscious, with burns all over his body.
Judging by the way his chest rose and fell, he was still breathing. It seemed that his lungs had been singed, and his breathing was somewhat unstable.
“Hero!”
As soon as she spotted him, she rushed towards him.
As soon as they approached, the scent of burning flesh stung their nose.
The recovery rate was slow.
The skill ‘Regeneration’ was still in effect, but it seemed to be less efficient, possibly due to the extensive burns.
Startled, she immediately began healing.
She purified the residual toxins in her body and assisted in healing her body with holy power.
Perhaps she had used too much holy power today, as her head throbbed.
Even her vast reservoir of holy power, like the great sea, seemed to show signs of nearing its limits, given the extent of her burns.
Dizziness and internal discomfort accompanied every time she drew out the light from her body. However, she continued to heal without complaint.
This level of pain was nothing compared to what he had experienced.
“Thank you for saving me…”
It was a tough battle, beyond what words could express.
Her contributions were not insignificant, but if someone were to choose a first place, it could only be him.
He had devised the plan, created the environment for growth, and dedicated his life to endure it all for the sake of that final blow.
If he weren’t there, no one would be alive here right now. Once again, he received an immeasurable debt of gratitude.
“So, please, try to regain your senses…”
The saint sat there, continuing to heal for a while.
Of course, regeneration would take care of it eventually as time passed.
Nonetheless, it didn’t matter. Right now, she just wanted to alleviate his pain even a little.
Perhaps it was effective; gradually, his breathing began to stabilize. The smell of burning flesh that had pierced their noses faded, and the burns on his skin disappeared.
At the very least, they had survived the crisis.
“Ah… Thank goodness…”
Relieved, she immediately embraced Luke.
It was an instinctive action, not something she had thought about in her head. When people are too happy, don’t they want to hug anything they can?
Still, the feeling of bugs crawling on her skin when she got close to him remained.
She ignored it. There were no bugs around now.
Contact with him still brought back the unpleasant feeling of the King’s blood-soaked skin and voice.
She ignored it. King Choung was now heroically deceased.
For now, she just wanted to rest comfortably with him.
Feeling Luke’s faint warmth, Yulice drifted into unconsciousness.
Above Luke’s peaceful face, a system window appeared.
[Congratulations!]
[Your level has increased!]
[Your level has increased!]
[Due to your incredible mental strength, the ‘Unyielding’ skill is created!]
[Quest completed!]
[Acquired ‘Insect Technique’!]
…
[May luck be with you in your future.]
his skill reminds me of hidan from Naruto..