Inheriting the Novel

Successor of the Saintess (3)

The Heaven-Slaying Arms were a deadly weapon against any being possessing divinity.

If I looked only at the result, it was similar to when I used Divine Blood against demonkin, but there was a clear difference.

Divine Blood granted the same effect to any opponent, but the Heaven-Slaying Arms varied in effect depending on the target.

'The more holy power one possesses, the more the power is multiplied. For an angel, the pain must be unimaginable.'

The Heaven-Slaying Arms corrupt the holy power of the one it touches, and the corrupted holy power turns into a self-immolating flame, inflicting tremendous pain.

Naturally, the more holy power the opponent had, the more was corrupted, and the stronger the effect became.

"Kk, kkeuuugh!"

Igniel the angel was by no means a strong angel.

That didn't mean he was weak, either.

Compared to humans—no, even compared to demonkin—he was a higher being, and if I had to name a race stronger in pure might than angels, perhaps only dragons would fit.

When could Igniel have ever felt such pain before?

With a low pain threshold, his reactions inevitably became excessive, and thanks to that, he kept leaving glaring openings for me, creating a vicious cycle.

Puk! Puk! Puk! Puk!

"Kuaaaagh!"

With a satisfying impact, as if beating a leather drum, igniel's wails echoed from his lips.

Even the angel's screams sounded so clear that simply hearing them made me feel oddly refreshed.

[Wasn't it just the stress release of beating him up that made you feel better?]

'Is that so?'

Anyway, igniel couldn't put up a proper resistance.

Each time he was struck by the Heaven-Slaying Arms, cracks spread across his body and white radiance tinged with heat poured out.

That radiance sputtered across the ground like melting metal, scattering sparks.

"You worthless human brat!"

"Oh my."

Cliché lines aside, an angel was still an angel.

Even as he was getting punched, a white spear formed in his hand and drew a great arc.

That moment, the surrounding earth split in two, shaking as though struck by an earthquake.

"D-dodge!"

"If we get caught, we're dead!"

The Holy Knights nearby screamed in terror.

They shot glances of fear my way but dared not interfere, only flinching anxiously.

"Useless fools! Don't run—attack him!"

"Y-yes, sir!"

Didn't Igniel order them to step back at first?

Looking at this, it seemed angels weren't much different from humans after all.

There might be a difference in mindset, but when pushed to extremes, the reaction was the same.

'Not that it matters.'

There wasn't an Inquisitor here.

At best, the top Holy Knights here were advanced-rank Sword Experts—what could they possibly do now?

"Heaven's Holy Ultimate Art, third verse."

Air Fang.

I raised my palm upward, then dropped it vertically.

KWA-AAANG!

"Uaaaaa!"

I could have crushed them all, but saw no reason to kill needlessly.

As I used Air Fang, every Holy Knight within several dozen meters was literally flung away.

"Is this Heaven's Holy Ultimate Art?!"

The only one whom I didn't hold back on was Igniel.

He stuck his white spear into the ground, resisting the force of Air Fang, and that was all.

It looked like he tried to counterattack, but the cracks that had spread across his body burst with white flames, scattering the holy power he had been gathering.

"Damn it! What did you do to me?!"

He yelled with all his might, but his voice was tinged with clear anxiety.

'It was a far stronger technique than expected.'

I watched Igniel's body carefully with Eye of Insight.

I observed his reactions each time the Heaven-Slaying Arms struck him.

'The corrupted holy power burns his body, and the more it corrupts, the more his power is depleted.'

It also caused excruciating pain and interfered with the use of his techniques.

It was, as Pilla Ganest had said, an art made to eradicate all beings with divinity.

"This should be enough."

"What?"

"There's no reason to fight any longer."

I had seen all there was to see of the Heaven-Slaying Arms' power.

By fighting Igniel, I had gained all the information I could.

I slowly clenched my fist and readied my stance.

Igniel seemed to immediately realize what that meant.

"Y-you think I'll be beaten twice by the same technique?!"

He shouted and then charged at me.

His speed was undeniably astonishing.

'And that's all you have.'

Had he possessed other powers, he might have been troublesome.

But Igniel was an angel who had simply honed nothing but an angel's might to an extreme.

As long as I had the Heaven-Slaying Arms that erased and sealed divinity, he was no match for me.

"I don't know when you saw this technique..."

I thrust my fist slowly toward the charging Igniel.

Compared to his spear shooting at me like lightning, my punch seemed endlessly slow, but for some reason my fist hit his chest before his spear could reach me.

"You certainly won't be hit by this technique a third time."

Because this would be the last Mystic Vision he would experience.

Thunk.

A spiraling blast of white and red energy erupted from Igniel's chest.

* * *

"W-what on earth is happening out there right now?"

Michelle tensed at the sounds of explosions from outside.

'Could he possibly be harming the domain residents?'

He couldn't believe it, but an angel who looked down on humans might well do such a thing.

If the Atell Family's people had been locked up and the domain residents protested...

BZZZZZT!

"Urgh?!"

Just then, Michelle felt a pain as if someone was driving a hot poker into his mind.

'What is this?!'

It was a sensation he had never felt—a strange, alien pain made him stagger.

He managed to stay upright, but his breathing came harsh and ragged.

"Huff, huff!"

As the pain faded, Michelle wiped the cold sweat from his brow.

'Someone just tried to intrude upon my mind.'

He quickly identified the source of pain that had been in his head.

Michelle was a priest with rare talents even among Setram's clergy. Thanks to that, he quickly understood what had happened to him.

'Who... did this to me?'

Magic? No. What he felt was not magic power.

'Holy power.'

It was an incredibly powerful divinity force trying to seize his own mind.

He reflexively resisted and managed to repel it, but if he hadn't, it would have consumed him.

"No way..."

Brooding, Michelle recalled a possibility.

In the information he had gathered about the Inquisitors, there was one story he had never really believed.

It was said that the pontiff implanted a "device" in Inquisitors that allowed mental interference.

'I never thought such a thing would be possible...'

Yet what had just happened made that story feel all too real.

If his suspicion was right... this was no trivial matter.

THUD THUD THUD!

Suddenly, someone banged hard on the door.

Startled, Michelle composed himself and called out.

"What's the meaning of this all of a sudden?!"

THUD THUD THUD!

Even as he protested, the pounding grew more violent—like someone was trying to break the door down.

CRASH!

Moments later, the door met a pathetic end, snapping with a loud crack as someone poked their face through the gap.

It was one of the Holy Knights who had been keeping Michelle from escaping this place.

He suddenly swung his sword wildly.

'He's not in his right mind!'

His pupils were unfocused, his mouth half open.

It was the face of a man who'd lost consciousness.

Yet his movements were fierce as he charged into the room.

"Kh!"

Michelle reflexively flung himself aside, dodging the knight's sword.

He then cast holy magic to create a protective shield.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

"Get a hold of yourself!"

Michelle shouted at the knight who struck his shield over and over, but got no response.

'I can't hold out long...'

Michelle possessed considerable holy power, but most of it was specialized for support.

Against a knight with advance-rank Sword Expert skills, he stood little chance.

KWA-AAANG!

"Huh?"

At that moment, the wall exploded with a roar, and the knight attacking Michelle was sent flying.

His body twitched but he couldn't get up easily.

"Are you all right, priest Michelle?"

"Y-yes?!"

Looking toward the voice, Michelle saw a man he didn't recognize lowering his outstretched fist.

'There's something familiar about him...'

After scanning the area, the man who had smashed the wall and floored the knight extended his hand to Michelle.

"Staying here will be troublesome. Let's hurry and escape."

"Wh-who are you to—?"

As Michelle stammered in confusion, the man subtly altered his gauntlet so only Michelle could see.

The bare hand inside was revealed, and Michelle spotted the ring on his finger.

"Th-that's?! Are you Cl—..."

"Shh. Let's get out of here first. I'll explain outside."

"Y-yes. Understood."

Michelle was still reeling, but followed the man's lead.

The ring on his finger—that was unmistakably the Eye of Shimosha.

And since a faint light shone from the Eye of Shimosha, it meant this man had been recognized by the artifact.

To Michelle's knowledge, only one person fit that description: Clay.

'But how did Sir Clay get here?'

Had he come to rescue Michelle after hearing rumors of his confinement?

But that should have been impossible.

After all, an angel had been guarding this place.

'He should be showing himself by now...'

With all this chaos, the angel should have appeared.

But there was no sign of him. Or rather, it was eerily quiet all around.

Just in case, Michelle warned him in a whisper.

"Be careful. There's an angel here."

"If you mean the angel, I've already defeated him."

"... What?"

He'd defeated the angel?

The soldier of God, his deputy on earth?

'There's no way Sir Clay could defeat an angel!'

Michelle knew Clay was strong.

People called him the chosen hero, but the last time Michelle had seen him, Clay's abilities were nowhere near enough to beat an angel.

Staring at Michelle's dumbfounded face, Clay gave a small smile.

"I've gotten a little stronger."

"'A little'... is an understatement, I think."

Michelle, who had been isolated with no news from outside, simply couldn't accept it any other way.

* * *

"Mmmm~ Mmmmmm~! Kek!"

Rutia, who had been sleeping, jerked upright with a bizarre sound.

Because of that, Maria, who was sleeping beside her, was woken as well.

"... Mother, can't you sleep a little more quietly? If I'd known this would happen, I would have slept alone."

Let's sleep together tonight, just this once!

Maria had succumbed to Rutia's request, but quickly regretted it.

Tonight, Rutia's sleep-talking was particularly intense.

"A-ahhhh."

Even at Maria's scolding, Rutia pressed her face with both hands and let out a strange moan.

At last, Maria noticed something was off about Rutia's mood.

"Are you... feeling unwell?"

"That's not it."

At Rutia's uncharacteristically serious voice, Maria guessed the reason.

"Did you have a precognitive dream?"

"Yes."

"What on earth did you see to be like this?"

Rutia slowly turned her gaze toward the quietly questioning Maria.

Her eyes, unlike usual, gleamed with a luminous violet light.

"... Many things."