Steps Towards Destruction (2)

Although they hadn’t been this close before, Bigrind found herself screaming without realizing it.

The black smoke rising vigorously from Yona’s left arm was demonic energy.

Humans cannot emit demonic energy.

Only monsters can emit demonic energy.

For a human to emit demonic energy, they must have given up on being human.

Moreover, the tingling sensation Bigrind felt from Yona was enough to give her chills.

Even Bigrind, protected by the holiness directly bestowed by the Celestial God, felt that the demonic energy rising from Yona now was dangerous.

If so, all these circumstances point to one thing:

Yona has given up on being human and has become a monster herself—

“No, that can’t be! Just a little more, let’s talk a little more—!”

Bigrind shouted at Scarlet, who was blocking her way.

Surely there must be something wrong, there must be some misunderstanding, there must be some circumstance.

But her cries didn’t reach anyone.

Rather, Scarlet stood blocking her as if to protect her.

Rudvik stood beside Scarlet, aiming his light spear.

And even further ahead, the cathedral knights forming a circular enclosure surrounding Yona’s group.

With pale holy power rising vigorously, they looked ready to pounce on Yona’s group at any moment.

“Saint, please calm down. We don’t know how they infiltrated the church territory, but at least they are no longer followers of the Celestine Church. They are enemies of the Celestine Church, minions of demons!”

As if Scarlet’s words had been heard,

At that moment, Yona’s gaze turned to Scarlet.

Her empty, hollow golden eyes turned to Scarlet, then to Bigrind.

“Yona, Yona!”

Yona didn’t respond to Bigrind’s desperate cries.

She just looked at her for a moment, then turned back to look at her left arm where demonic energy was rising.

The sudden explosion,

And the left arm emitting demonic energy.

Yona was staring blankly at her left arm.

She didn’t know what was suddenly happening, but she knew this definitely wasn’t normal.

“Yona, are you alright?”

Expression slowly returned to Yona’s blank face.

Alec’s faint voice, as if waking her from sleep, brought Yona back to her senses.

“I… don’t know what’s happening.”

“You don’t need to know. Let’s just get out of here somehow.”

But how.

Yona couldn’t say those words out loud.

Only now did she look around at her surroundings.

“…Alec, I think it would be better if at least you escaped.”

It was her honest feeling.

The ominous aura of the cathedral knights directed at her was sharp, as if they would pounce at any moment.

All sorts of spears and swords were pointed at Yona.

“Don’t say useless things. I’ve never run away and left you behind.”

“I know, but I think I’m going to die here—”

“Who says you’re going to die!”

Alec cut off Yona’s words angrily.

At his voice, Yona closed her mouth, her lips moved as if to say something, but nothing followed.

“Absolutely, absolutely not dying. I’ll save you no matter what. I’ll definitely save at least you.”

But who wouldn’t know, even if it wasn’t said?

Meanwhile, the encirclement of the cathedral knights was gradually closing in.

Their training was so good that Alec swallowed hard as he glared at the encirclement closing in so orderly.

If they were to escape from here— there is a way, if there is one.

If Alec could endure that hellish pain, there was a way to do it.

“His Holiness Pope Arczel IV!”

Alec called out that sacred name in a loud voice.

His hand holding up the shield didn’t droop at all, and his hand gripping the hammer was tightly clenched.

“Please let us go, if you let us go, we will leave the church territory like this and never set foot here again!”

Arczel IV’s eyebrows twitched at that cry.

He had already obtained agreement from the elders about lifting the interdiction.

Johannes, Johannes Spillbane.

The man who was the youngest cathedral knight in history, and was also called the strongest cathedral knight in history.

The man who disobeyed the church’s decision and refused orders, and as a result, received the punishment of interdiction and was expelled from the cathedral.

The man who has now returned as a lowly and shabby adventurer who can’t even use holy power.

Yet he still has spirit.

However, even so, he cannot be let go.

Arczel IV’s gaze turned to Scarlet.

Scarlet took that gaze as a kind of signal and suddenly roared.

“Don’t say such nonsense——!!”

Although Alec had called out the name of Arczel IV, what came back was a different voice.

A voice that resonated with a buzz because it came from inside a helmet.

A husky yet disciplined voice, full of weight.

Alec looked towards where the voice came from, his eyes flashing sharply.

A massive build, covered head to toe in shining silver armor.

A tower shield in one hand, and a morning star in the other.

The morning star with spikes jutting out was brilliantly silver, but its aura was terribly ominous.

Every time the greaves stepped on the ground, the sound of clanking metal echoed.

Yona, still emitting black and red demonic energy, was frozen, not knowing what to do.

Alec stood guarding in front of such a Yona.

Scarlet was approaching them.

“…We’ll leave quietly. Let us go. Yona didn’t sell her soul to a demon or anything.”

“Don’t say such ridiculous things, demon follower. The only way you can leave here is as corpses.”

Alec sighed deeply.

If he forcibly broke the interdiction, how long could he hold out?

At a glance, giving up on going out through the main entrance seemed necessary. Then the escape route would be the window that Scarlet had his back to.

Since this was the first floor, if he carried Yona, broke through the window, jumped out and ran straight to the side door where they had parted with James before, wouldn’t it somehow be possible?

Regardless of whether it’s possible or not, it’s something that must be done somehow even if it’s impossible.

As Alec was thinking this, a familiar hand was gently placed on his shoulder.

“…Baldy, I’ll just go over there.”

Yona’s voice.

Her voice was sorrowful.

As if she had realized this was the end, as if she had just put down everything.

Alec didn’t turn to look at Yona.

He felt like he knew exactly what expression she would be making without looking.

He didn’t want to see that expression of hers.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Yona. You need to be by my side. Your hand needs to be on my shoulder. So what do you mean you’ll go over there? Who do you think would allow such a thing?”

Alec took a deep breath.

He raised his hand, clenched his fist, then pointed forward with his fingers down.

Then he spread his fingers again, twirled them in the air, and pointed forward again.

He could only hope that Kaiyak would understand this hand signal.

It felt like countless killing intents and hostilities were pricking his skin.

Although he had crossed many life-and-death situations with Yona, this was the first battlefield solely for protecting Yona.

Could they escape— no matter how much he thought about it, the probability was low.

But that’s why it was a gamble that had to succeed even more.

Yona, who had accepted a demon to save him and Kaiyak.

Yona, who had accepted Berbaria while trembling with a voice full of fear.

“Yona. From now on, I’ll protect you.”

“You, what—”

“Now!”

Alec shouted loudly.

And with that shout, Kaiyak suddenly picked up Yona, and at the same time, Alec and Kaiyak rushed towards Scarlet.

Clang!

He deflected the incoming morning star with his shield, but the attack was unnecessary.

The greaves planted on the ground didn’t retreat but rather faced forward, and Alec rammed with his shoulder into Scarlet’s chest that had opened slightly after deflecting the morning star.

A heavy impact struck his shoulder directly. Not missing the slight retreat, Alec took one more step forward and tackled again. Pushing Scarlet back wasn’t the end. As a light spear flew in, Alec flattened himself on the ground. In that state, he grabbed Rudvik’s ankle and pulled hard.

As he pulled even harder on Rudvik’s ankle that had momentarily lost balance, his equilibrium was instantly shaken. He never had any intention of attacking in the first place. The only goal was to open a path unconditionally. That was Alec’s sole purpose.

Countless harsh hostilities from the cathedral knights flew in. Even with skillful handling of the shield, it was impossible to block the absolute numerical disadvantage.

In the midst of this, as soon as Alec confirmed that Rudvik had fallen, he rolled his body away and used that momentum to rise and turn around. With this, Alec took a stance behind Kaiyak who was carrying Yona.

“Kaiyak, go!”

Alec shouted as he raised his shield again. The cathedral knights who had already positioned themselves in this direction charged at him again with battle cries, and Scarlet was also rushing towards him.

Numerous seals of protection appeared and disappeared with crackling sounds around the bodies of the cathedral knights including Scarlet. The source of the cathedral knights’ power, was stacking countless buffs, further elevating their momentum.

“Don’t let them escape under any circumstances, they must not be allowed to escape! Tell them to strengthen the external defenses even more!”

Scarlet shouted, and a messenger was seen rushing towards the main gate.

This couldn’t be ignored.

Alec bit his lip.

With a stinging pain, the taste of blood seeped through.

When he forcibly raised the holy power in his lower abdomen, an excruciating pain that felt like his heart and internal organs were being squeezed tightly pressed down on him.

‘…I must endure. I have to endure.’

He wanted to hear Yona’s playful laughter.

He would definitely escape from here and hear that laughter again.

He objectified the pain.

He tried to view the pain crushing his body objectively, as if watching someone else’s situation.

This pain is mine, but as if it were someone else’s pain, indifferently.

‘…Something, isn’t this strange?’

Scarlet thought as he watched Alec, whose atmosphere had suddenly changed.

It felt somewhat familiar, and also nostalgic.

However, the man in front of him was clearly just a worthless adventurer,

And now, merely an accomplice of a fallen clergyman who had sold his soul to a demon.

There was no way he could feel familiar with such a man, so Scarlet gripped the morning star in his hand and raised his shield.

“You, don’t think about leaving this place alive.”

However, Alec’s expression didn’t change at all.

Rather, a pale blue aura began to emanate around him, and seals of protection started to flicker between that aura.

“—You, what are you doing now?!”

Scarlet’s eyes widened.

Those seals of protection were clearly those of a cathedral knight.

But there was no way this adventurer nobody could use those of a cathedral knight—

In Scarlet’s mind, Alec was already no different from a demon’s minion.

He must have sold his soul to a demon, and because of that, he could now imitate a cathedral knight.

As that thought occurred to him, Scarlet’s anger began to slowly rise.

“Are you not coming? Then I’ll go. I don’t have much time.”

Alec muttered as he readjusted his grip on the hammer.

Soon, just as Alec, who had dashed forward like an arrow kicking off the ground with his greaves, was about to raise that hammer—

One cathedral knight was thrown far away while holding up his shield.

Another knight collapsed with a thud, his helmet deeply dented.

As Alec swung his shield, a knight tumbled away as if hit by a huge carriage.

Among the twenty cathedral knights, none could properly withstand his single blow.

“You’ll be the last. Let’s end this quickly. I don’t have time.”

As Alec turned around, Scarlet rushed in roughly.

The highly raised morning star flew towards Alec.

“Your movements are unnecessarily large.”

Alec said as he brought his shield forward.

Not blocking, but just a slight deflecting motion the moment the morning star touched his shield.

With just that motion, the morning star bounced back in the opposite direction as if it had struck a highly elastic mattress,

And with that rebound, Scarlet’s front was wide open.

And Alec didn’t miss that opening.

Alec’s hammer struck the right side of Scarlet’s helmet.

A loud boom echoed, and Scarlet felt his consciousness fading away.

His helmet flew off his head due to the impact exceeding the acceptable range and rolled on the ground,

Scarlet slowly closed his eyes and collapsed on the spot.

And as Alec saw Scarlet’s revealed face, his pupils grew large, very large—

“Se-Sekti…?!”