Chapter 71 : Raid

Benjamin hurried outside, and the three others and I immediately ran to the church entrance.

A short distance away, a man clad in white armor strode toward us, sending out a slash of sword energy that blew off part of the church wall.

As if he recognized the intruder, Benjamin screamed furiously at the approaching man.

“Vice-Captain Robert! What on earth do you think you’re doing?! The vice-captain of the Goddess’s Blade attacking the Goddess’s church—have you lost your mind?!”

“So it’s Priest Benjamin. I was wondering what you were up to after we parted ways—so you built a church in a place like this.”

The man called Robert spotted people fleeing from inside and swung his sword in their direction.

The slash flew toward them, slicing several visitors in half.

They died without even having the chance to scream, blood gushing from their bodies.

At the sight, Benjamin’s eyes widened in rage and he shouted.

“Vice-Captain Robert, are you insane!? The vice-captain of the Goddess’s Blade slaughtering those who came to pray and repent before the Goddess!”

“Considering the kinds of people you’ve spoken about before, they’re probably all criminals who drifted in from somewhere. They’re just scum who deserve to die.”

“And that’s your reason for coming here alone to kill them!?”

“…Well, that’s just the official excuse.”

Robert smiled coldly as he pointed his sword at me.

“I’ve been desperately looking for you, ‘Paladin.’ If Vector had passed on any info before dying, things would’ve been a lot easier. But no, of course not—everything’s a hassle. Seeing you here, were you hoping for a chat with the Goddess or something? Well, thanks to that, we were able to find you.”

I activated my ability to see through truth and looked at Robert—and just as I feared, the truth was revealed.

Until now, he had looked like an ordinary person, but once I used my ability, I saw the same thing I’d seen with Vector: a pitch-black, humanoid mass with multiple eyes.

Unlike Vector, who had several mouths, Robert had multiple faint, ghostly arms.

“A Deep Dweller, huh.”

“Ah, so you’ve met someone like Linialas before, judging by that name.”

“You’re just like Vector, spouting the same nonsense.”

“Because of you, our plans have gone seriously off track. The Great One is reaching the limit of their patience—any more delays and we’ll be in real trouble. You and your companions need to die here. The Goddess’s final desperate struggle will be for nothing, and we will complete our plan.”

As Robert continued blaspheming, Benjamin exploded with anger.

“Vice-Captain Robert! How dare you speak such heresy before the Goddess! Have you gone mad!?”

“Priest Benjamin, I don’t know how he managed to serve as vice-captain of the Goddess’s Blade up until now, but he is not a true follower. That title of his is probably a fake, too.”

“W-What do you mean?”

“I don’t know all the details. But I do know that these creatures live under false identities, pretending to be part of society while secretly trying to ruin it. Baron Vector of the Kingdom of Pratea was the same kind of creature as him.”

“The same…? What do you mean, the same?”

To Benjamin, who only saw a normal man with his regular eyes, my words didn’t make sense.

“This is what I mean!”

I drew my lightsaber and swung it at Robert.

Robert deflected the beam of light with immense force, and a massive explosion followed, smoke billowing thick into the air.

Benjamin’s jaw dropped as he saw the radiant sword in my hand.

“Th-That power…! Why does the Goddess’s power lie with someone who isn’t a paladin…?”

“That’s not important. Look over there.”

I raised my hand and pointed to where Robert had been standing.

Robert, now emitting a dark aura from his body, had partially transformed into a black silhouette.

Several dark arms had sprouted from his shoulders, hissing with smoke like a hot object plunged into cold water.

▶ Level 86 Dark Blade – Robert: A being living in disguise as the vice-captain of the Goddess’s Blade. While pretending to serve the divine, he secretly uses the force of the order to incite bloodshed across the land, feeding his own strength and waiting for the day when they can fully rise again to the surface. Though everything about him is a lie, his swordsmanship is real, and many within the order admire his skills. He is regarded as one of the strongest assets of the Goddess’s Blade. ◀

Benjamin recoiled in horror at the many eyes growing from Robert’s dark arms.

“V-Vice-Captain Robert?! That form—what is…”

“This is their true identity.”

Robert, looking annoyed, shook the black arms off as if shaking dust from his coat.

“Even if it’s only a fragment, power unshackled from the bindings is still a nuisance. Looks like Vector met his end to this as well.”

“So you’re showing your true form now, huh? I’m guessing that means we’re not getting out of this alive?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You are the greatest variable and obstacle to our plan. And naturally…”

Suddenly, Robert swung his sword and sent a slash of dark energy toward the fleeing visitors.

“Anyone else who has seen this must die as well!”

“No!!!”

Seeing the deadly slash heading for the panicked visitors, Benjamin shouted and threw himself in front of them.

CRASH!

By mustering his holy power, he avoided being torn apart completely, but he still suffered a deep wound to his chest, blood spurting as he collapsed forward.

“Kh…!”

“Hey! Are you alright?! Lenis, can you heal him?”

“Y-Yes!”

Lenis immediately began casting a healing spell, but the black aura emanating from Benjamin’s chest sparked and pushed back against it.

“Ahh! What is this?! Something’s interfering with the healing!”

“Damn…”

I rushed over and swung my lightsaber, now imbued with healing power, to dispel the black smoke rising from Benjamin’s body.

The clashing energies caused the dark aura to dissipate, and the healing energy I released lingered within Benjamin, continuing to mend his body.

But Robert didn’t miss the opening while I was focused on helping Benjamin.

“Alvis! Watch out!”

“Alvis, move!”

SHHRAAK!

As Robert lunged at my heart, a fierce gust of wind flew at him, and dozens of thorned vines burst from the ground, wrapping around his body.

Robert deflected the wind slash with his sword and tossed it to one of his other black arms, which then sliced through the vines binding him.

While we managed to save Benjamin’s life, the overwhelming aura Robert exuded made it clear—this was no time to relax.

He was a powerful enemy.

Now freed from the vines, Robert scanned us with a look of irritation.

“Hmph. So your companions aren’t just helpless scarecrows either, it seems.”

“Guess you don’t have that mind-control trick Vector had, huh?”

I raised my lightsaber, and Robert smirked.

“That kind of dirty trick is something a sly rat like Vector would use.”

“Then you’re a way easier opponent for us than he was!”

I raised my lightsaber high and cast Judgment at Robert.

A barrage of concentrated spears of light rained down like a storm, zeroing in on him.

Robert deflected the falling spears at speeds too fast for the eye to follow, his arms blurring as they moved.

When he showed signs of trying to shift his position, attacks flew in from all four directions—me, Ravi, Elfin, and Lenis—to cut off any escape.

Ravi sent a slash of wind powered by her leg strength, Elfin drew on the nearby forest to send thorned vines sharper than razors, and Lenis released moonlit energy from her ring.

The area around Robert was instantly swallowed in dust and chaos.

But Robert summoned a gust of wind with his sword, clearing the dust cloud and regaining his stance.

He wasn’t critically wounded, but he wasn’t unscathed either.

Cuts marred his body, leaking black smoke from the wounds.

Spitting on the ground, Robert stabbed his sword into the floor.

“Fighting at full strength out here really is exhausting. This won’t do.”

“Big talk for someone who said he’d kill us all. Thinking of running away now?”

“Hardly. Just need to change the stage.”

Robert pulled a scroll from his robe—a cursed mix of dark sorcery and forbidden magic—and tore it in half.

For a moment, it seemed like nothing happened.

Then a sudden gust of wind hit us from behind.

A massive portal appeared behind us, swirling with ominous energy.

“Damn it! Everyone, get away from that thing!”

“Too late!”

Robert gripped his sword embedded in the ground and yanked it upward with all his might.

The earth flipped like a tossed dinner plate, and we were hurled into the portal.

It felt like we were being sucked into a sewer pipe, and then… we landed in complete, suffocating darkness.

“Shit… Everyone okay?”

“I’m… alright.”

“Same here, for now…”

“I’m not hurt, but where are we? It’s pitch black—no light at all… and it’s supposed to be daytime, isn’t it?”

I drew my lightsaber, but its normally radiant glow flickered dangerously, as if it could go out at any moment.

As my eyes adjusted, I made out our surroundings—crumbling stone pillars, shattered tiles, faded stained-glass windows that once must have been magnificent, and moldy pews lined in rows.

The ornate chairs, candelabras, and glass hinted at a place that was once sacred.

“This place… could it be a cathedral?”

“A ruined cathedral? But where even is this? Why is it so dark—it’s still daytime!”

“And Robert? Is it just us here?”

At that moment, several silhouettes lit up in my vision like heat signatures—bright red figures emerging from the darkness, even though I hadn’t activated my Eye of Truth yet.

▶ Power from the deceiver Vector has been absorbed and activated. Subterranean Crawlers are approaching. Their proximity is too close for camouflage to function. ◀

“!!!”

As I activated my vision, I instinctively swore under my breath.

“Son of a bitch…”

“Alvis…?”

“Everyone, get ready. I think… we’ve landed right in their nest.”

From the growing number of red figures approaching us, one stepped forward and spoke with a sneer that oozed contempt.

“We’ve finally cornered the little rat that’s been ruining everything for us.”

▶ Level 100 Dungeon: Cathedral Where Light Has Died has been discovered. ◀
▶ This battle cannot be won. Focus all efforts on survival and escape. ◀