Chapter 91
Chapter 91: Raid (5)
The moment Erik's blade tore through the curtain.
"KRAAAAAAGH!!!"
Jang Du-sik let out a roar from the front lines.
"GRAAAAGH!!!"
Janson was the same.
It was a scream so fierce that the Paladins who were fighting momentarily froze.
The Black Mages fighting against them also retreated in confusion.
The battlefield came to a halt for several seconds from the shouts of the two men.
"What... what in the world is happening......?"
Silence fell.
Boom!
In the silence, a violent tremor centered on the two men erupted.
And then.
Whoooosh!
Massive rays of Divine Power began surging forth from the bodies of the two humans.
"Ugh... what is this!"
A golden barrier bloomed over the bodies of Jang Du-sik and Janson.
It was similar to how the Holy War Knight Order reinforced their bodies by surrounding themselves with Divine Power.
"The favor of God!"
"As expected, the Saint must have had a reason for everything!"
Praises burst forth from those who saw the two luminous figures at the front lines.
"Well, it seems my older brother has obtained another strange power."
Jang Du-sik had experienced many blessings and consecrations, so he recovered quickly.
"Brother Du-sik... it feels like everything is moving slowly."
However, Janson was not yet familiar with Divine Power.
His pupils dilated as he scanned his surroundings.
Cold sweat dripped continuously.
Everything in the world seemed overly vivid.
His senses had even sharpened to the point where he felt he could accomplish anything.
"This... this is real Divine Power!"
Janson was astounded.
His strength had increased beyond just expanded cognition.
There was a feeling of something sacred constantly pressing against his limits.
'Brother Du-sik must have had his reasons for being so strong.'
Janson had discovered Du-sik's secret.
"Brother Du-sik, have you been living in this kind of world?"
At that, Jang Du-sik laughed heartily while patting Janson's shoulder with his club.
"Hey there, you'll have to get used to it too."
He then added a warning.
If done wrong, your body could burst.
Your brain could burn and you'd become an idiot—such ominous warnings followed.
"If it means obtaining this kind of power, there's nothing I won't do!"
Janson didn't care about such risks.
After enduring the pain of Divine Power until Erik's salvation, he had already overcome the agony of a burning soul.
What couldn't he do now?
"You've got quite the backbone, Janson."
"Haha, how could I be any different from you, Brother Du-sik?"
The situation has been settled for now.
Even so, everything remained quiet.
"Come on, what are all of you standing around for?"
Jang Du-sik gripped his club again.
The tattoos covering his limbs emitted a blue light.
Soon, it mixed with the Divine Power surging from his entire body, displaying the majesty of the continent's first Divine War-Mage.
Divine War-Mage Jang Du-sik left afterimages as he rushed to the very front.
"Move out, everyone!"
***
At the same time, inside the Black Tower.
Ruelle was moving through the complicated tower, performing her own role.
'Wretched creatures.'
Beyond the crumbled walls of the Black Tower, the fierce battlefield was clearly visible.
Having lived in conflict zones herself, she despised Black Mages with all her heart.
'Even if I can't fight on the front lines, there's work only I can do!'
She was resolute.
She moved through the Black Tower without hesitation.
Her specialty of stealth and the power of Erik, who had become a god—she had enough to rely on.
Countless Black Mages passed by Ruelle, but no one noticed her existence.
As she bounced through the Black Tower, an anomaly occurred.
'Why suddenly?'
The battle between Black Mages and Paladins stopped momentarily.
They all looked up at the sky.
From the partially collapsed Black Tower, the sight was clearly visible.
Above the chasm, the sky of the battlefield tore open, and a golden great sword appeared, covering the world.
That instant.
'Ugh!'
Ruelle's body staggered.
As a massive sword appeared in the sky, an indescribable powerful force permeated her entire body.
'Erik, what on earth are you...?'
It was like when she first received the power of Astia, the god.
No, even greater than that.
The Divine Power that shook her very soul wrapped around Ruelle's body.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
A massive golden pillar surged forth from Ruelle's body.
It was like a walking Divine Power totem.
'This... such tremendous power!'
Ruelle was startled.
She had never felt such powerful strength dwelling within her before.
It was the sensation of being all-powerful.
However, the side effects were also clear.
"Hey, why is there a member of the Religious Order here!"
"A priestess wearing Dongtan Misirok?"
"That... that's Ruelle!"
The Black Mages moving nearby recognized her.
'I've become somewhat famous lately.'
She heard that several photos of her had been uploaded to the [Community].
The Black Mages using Possessors had reason to recognize her.
The problem was...
'Me, fighting directly?'
Looking around, there was no one to help.
After all, hadn't she entered the Black Tower alone while hiding her presence?
"I don't know why you're here..."
"Kekeke, let's capture her alive."
The Black Mages drooled.
Ruelle felt chills as the hideous creatures looked at her with sinister eyes.
'Calling me that...'
The way creatures swallowed by darkness carelessly moved their mouths...
She felt slightly annoyed.
Ruelle released power as if performing a healing prayer.
BOOM!
A fierce golden laser shot from her fingertips.
The Divine Power shot from inside the Black Tower grazed past a Black Mage.
'I grazed it...'
She aimed for the head, but since this kind of power manipulation was new to her, she made a slight targeting mistake.
'If I get discovered like this, it'll be bad.'
She was in the enemy's lair.
If word of this spread to other floors, she'd be surrounded on all sides.
But...
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The Black Mage grazed by Ruelle's Divine Power transformed into particles and disappeared.
All three of them too.
As if evaporated, only pale smoke lingered in the air.
'This is... assassination?'
Ruelle was taken aback.
A conversation she once had with Erik came to mind.
"Erik, your reputation hasn't been heard of in a while?"
Crazy killer Erik, Judge Erik.
Those were the nicknames he got when he was six years old.
"Lately, I've changed methods to assassination. After that, rumors don't spread."
At that time, Erik smiled cheerfully in the middle of a completely empty village.
"W-wait, you just erased an entire village and you say that...?"
"If there are no witnesses, it's assassination, right?"
The smile of the small, cute child was pleasant, but his words were slightly eerie.
"Hoho, Erik! Very wise words indeed."
Even Riferoze marveled.
'It was true.'
Ruelle agreed.
Having directly committed assassination herself, she realized Erik's words were correct.
'Because there are no witnesses.'
In a situation where she couldn't use stealth due to the rough Divine Power dwelling within her.
But there was nothing to fear.
She moved toward her destination more boldly.
'Just a few more floors!'