Chapter 103: Rock Paper Scissors (2)
In the martial world, the most beautiful Kung-Fu can also be the most brutal. Examples include the Peacock Sword and the Lily Sword Technique.
**–**John Ruskin
“I’ll be back soon.”
A weapon with an extremely short scabbard, less than eight inches, and a handle of ordinary length.
When the old man drew the sword, a blade as long as a finger appeared.
The mysterious Schwarzwald Mountain Range, from which no one who enters returns alive.
The dagger made from the solidified energy-infused waters of the Danube River was as transparent as glass, and called the White Rainbow Sword.
-Swish!
The dagger scattered seven colors of light, and in the next moment, Newton disappeared from sight.
What remained was a rainbow of Essence suspended in the air. Maxwell, watching it, let out a worried sigh.
“I wonder if it’ll be alright….”
Maxwell could only pray that the old eccentric’s curiosity wouldn’t stir up trouble in the martial world.
Newton, having left the New East Pavilion, silently passed through the courtyard towards the Old West Pavilion.
Objectively speaking, what was happening in the Old West Pavilion of the Buckingham Palace was undoubtedly a serious matter.
Someone, presumably a master from the Zion Clan, seemed to be starting a show of force at a celebratory event.
It was something the Vatican, which had long seen Anglican England as a thorn in its side, might do.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, the old man’s steps were as leisurely as ever.
He completely ignored Maxwell’s request to at least wear a mask to hide his face.
But even as Newton passed by, neither the busy attendants and court ladies nor the visitors considered masters showed any reaction.
It wasn’t that they were rude enough not to greet the top master of The Royal Combat Society or that Newton’s face wasn’t well-known.
Simply, neither Newton’s features nor even his shadow appeared in their eyes.
Currently, Newton was deceiving others’ eyes by distorting the light passing through the White Rainbow Sword with his Essence.
This was a technique applying Optical Energy Release, one of the many secret Kung-Fu’s he had learned.
Maxwell didn’t nag about the lack of a mask because he knew about this trick.
‘There was a reason I had a good dream last night.’
Saying earlier that his dream was unsettling was a lie.
As he walked silently towards the West Pavilion using his advanced lightness skill, Newton had to suppress a hum from escaping.
Having been rumored dead and hiding in the underground of the Tower of London, he had hoped for some incident to occur before entering the palace.
It was only natural that he couldn’t contain his excitement upon hearing the royal attendant’s report.
Far from worrying about the Sword Queen and the country’s future, he struggled to suppress his excitement.
‘Considering what happened at the Debutante Ball, he’s not a fool. How did he end up provoking the upper echelon’s Lily Sword Master?’
The more he examined the actions of the young man called Little Heavenly Demon, the more curious he became.
Though a successor of the Heavenly Demon, his power was still far from his master’s.
However, everything he did was as impressive as his master’s.
No one but the Heavenly Demon had ever been able to embarrass the Sword Queen with just a few moves.
And in this regard, Little Heavenly Demon had already achieved feats far surpassing the Heavenly Demon.
He had shamed the Sword Queen with just a few words in front of everyone and even survived to be invited to the royal ball.
Perhaps this time too, he might properly embarrass the representative from the Zion Clan visiting the Royal Palace, enhancing the prestige of Great Britain-
“Hmm?”
It was then.
The unpleasant Qi Frequency unique to a Zion Clan warrior, which had been sharply piercing the skin, suddenly vanished.
-Creak!
-Thud!
The heavy sound of the Old West Pavilion’s door drew Newton’s attention.
An elderly Catholic priest was walking out from inside the palace.
He quickly passed through the courtyard, glanced at the invisible Newton with complex emotions, and headed towards the exit.
“Hmm?”
Confronted with an unexpected situation, Newton stopped in his tracks and blinked.
The person who just passed was not some Grey warrior from the British Zion Clan.
His name was Howard Brown.
He was one of the two great Brown masters, equivalent to the elders of the Apostolic See.
‘…He has advanced his realm again.’
Newton muttered as he watched Father Brown’s retreating figure.
Seeing the fragments of a broken scabbard on his robe and the sword tassel hanging from his belt, it meant he had drawn his sword at least once.
However, beyond the wide-open door of the Old West Pavilion, Little Heavenly Demon Sherlock Holmes appeared unscathed.
‘So the Sword Queen finally acted.’
This was a development he could fully anticipate.
But he couldn’t understand why the proud Howard Brown left without seeing it through to the end.
Seeing the Sword Queen’s satisfied expression, it seemed they had avoided the worst-case scenario of being caught by the Zion Clan.
More curious than before, Newton used his advanced lightness skill to enter the first floor of the Old West Pavilion in one step.
Confirming that still no one noticed his presence, he maintained a suitable distance from Sherlock Holmes on the first floor of the Old West Pavilion and observed what was happening.
‘The more I see him, the more fascinating he is.’
Newton, a seasoned detective who had tracked counterfeit currency cases during his time at the Mint, could grasp the situation at a glance.
A demon had infiltrated the Forbidden Palace, and Howard Brown used it as an excuse to commit murder.
Judging by the lack of external injuries on the corpse, Little Heavenly Demon must have pointed out Howard Brown’s discourtesy, prompting the priest to draw his sword.
‘What sort of trick did he use?’
It was an issue that could easily escalate into a massive diplomatic conflict.
How did a young man with insignificant power compared to the masters gathered here manage to quell the turmoil?
Even after the Sword Queen left with the Spiritual Beasts, Newton remained to see what Little Heavenly Demon was up to.
‘Is that…bribery or something?’
Little Heavenly Demon was handing money to the deacon standing by the corpse and buying Indulgence Talismans.
Though his intentions were unclear, it seemed likely he was offering a gesture of reconciliation to the Zion Clan.
‘He’s more timid than I thought.’
He had already heard that his brother, working as the head of the Secret Intelligence Service, was demonstrating excellent diplomatic skills behind the scenes.
Indeed, it seemed the younger brother also had the talent to resolve issues smoothly without conflict.
At the Debutante Ball, he was overly eager in capturing the culprit, but his true nature seemed calm and gentle, pursuing peace.
‘In the end, he doesn’t meet my expectations.’
What Newton expected was a martial artist surpassing the Heavenly Demon, an out-of-the-blue talent, but Little Heavenly Demon lacked one thing.
It was the madness to uphold one’s beliefs regardless of the opponent.
It’s quite pathetic that he couldn’t even challenge the Zion Clan and was relying on the Sword Queen’s help.
That’s what he was thinking.
‘T,t,t,that crazy bastard…!’
The Indulgence Talisman Little Heavenly Demon was holding split in half and burned.
The immense energy hidden by the Talisman turned into a wave of white fragrance seen only in Exorcism rites.
Until it finally engulfed the first floor of the palace and evaporated all the residual Demonic Qi.
“At a place celebrating the glory of Great Britain-”
Newton, with his excellent insight, realized exactly what the recent events meant.
‘Are you declaring war on the Apostolic See…?!’
What Little Heavenly Demon had just done was essentially a declaration of war, revealing a significant secret of the Vatican to the world.
In the center of the first floor of the Old West Pavilion lay the corpse of a fallen demon.
Beside it stood a Super Junior and a Lily Sword Master.
Then the Super Junior muttered something, and the Talisman split in half, causing an unknown phenomenon.
However, due to the crowd surrounding them, martial artists of lower ranks or levels couldn’t secure a proper view.
The only clues they had to grasp the situation were the eye-catching bright light and the intense fragrance that arose.
“Is this…the Exorcism rite…?”
“How is this possible with only one Lily Sword Master?”
A situation incomprehensible to the common mind was unfolding.
A massive, pure Essence swirled, filling the palace with the intense fragrance of lilies.
It was a scene reminiscent of the portable tents set up for rites like Exorcism or Consecration, classified as Sacramentalia by the Zion Clan.
And in the next moment.
The powdered Phonograph Stone spread thinly on the back of the parchment scattered in all directions, and with the energy transformed into white petals, the song of the trapped choir began to resonate.
-Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus
-Dominus Deus Sabaoth
-Pleni Sunt Caeli Et Terra Gloria Tua
-Hosanna In Excelsis
-The Lord is holy, Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus
-Dominus Deus Sabaoth
-Pleni Sunt Caeli Et Terra Gloria Tuay
-Hosanna In Excelsis
Although composed of human voices, it lacked humanity, resembling Bach’s instrumental fugue more than a circular canon.
The Zion Clan’s secret technique, which tamed sealed energy with incantations and talisman formations to recreate miracles, began to slowly reveal its fangs towards the residual Demonic Qi pooled on the floor.
-Roar!!!
-Crack!!!
The immense energy, spreading in all directions, began to swirl and pour towards the corpse of Baron Drake.
The energy infused into the Indulgences by dozens of Zion Clan disciples was better described as devoid of humanity rather than clear and pure.
The energy, artificially severed from human sin through doctrine-based fanaticism, training, and penance, resembled a white lily.
The lily is a flower of practitioners, blooming amidst the flames of worldly desires like a wildfire.
The Madonna Lily, born from the tears of regret shed by the first humans expelled from paradise, on the boundary.
A single flower opening its bloom towards the sky, seeking mercy as it withers.
Three petals symbolizing the perfection of the Holy Trinity.
The flower language imbued with purity, sacrifice, and divinity.
The Zion Clan, relying on unseen divinity, has continually excluded human nature tainted by sin.
Their Kung-Fu, achieving the first sanctity beyond morality,
the innocence of creation, artificially recreated,
began to turn the swamp-like Demonic Qi, losing control and eroding its surroundings, as white as the fleece of a pure lamb.