Ch.143Chapter 143. Carelessness Upon Carelessness

Lucy felt her power surge as she received the divine power of the goddess.

The sensation went beyond merely healing her torn muscles—it offered an entirely different dimension of feeling.

For instance, the weight of the Abyss felt remarkably lighter than it had moments ago.

“Is this the goddess’s divine power buff…? I can’t even compare to this…!”

Arsil stepped forward in admiration.

However, when he turned to check Naidrian’s body with a glimmer of hope, the archer’s body remained stiff and rigid.

Seeing no signs of life in the stiffened corpse, Arsil finally withdrew his sorrowful gaze.

Tigria, recovered from her concussion, unfurled a scroll of knowledge and took to the air.

Magical energy overflowed from her entire body.

“I feel stronger than when I drank the potion.”

Ravin, unable to contain the surging power, cracked his knuckles and drew his dagger.

Everyone displayed confident expressions after receiving the goddess’s buff.

But among them, one person was visibly dejected.

It was Lin, who had fallen to become a demon.

Though he tried to hide it outwardly, inwardly he had hoped the goddess’s power might purify him.

However, the goddess had cast her divine healing and buffs while deliberately avoiding Lin and the demon dragon knights.

Feeling the tingling on his skin from being near the divine power, Lin realized he had crossed a river from which there was no return.

“Goddess, your orders!”

Airan and Rowellina’s forces lined up, awaiting the goddess’s instructions.

[You shall protect the survivors while the hero’s party takes down that traitor.]

The goddess’s strategy remained as simple as it had been all along.

Though disappointed to be relegated to the rear, Airan accepted that they would be of little help and formed a defensive formation.

[I’ll leave the rest to you, Lin. I have something else to prepare.]

At those words, all eyes from the hero’s party turned to Lin.

Hmm, so I’m being put to work without getting anything in return?

With that slightly cynical thought, Lin opened his palm.

‘Attention.’

Then he folded his thumb, showing only four fingers.

The meaning of the code was very simple.

So simple that it was a strategy rarely used.

‘Make them lower their guard, then finish them in one go.’

A tactic from the early days of the hero’s party, used against demons who had grown complacent when the party was still developing.

Obvious as it was, that arrogant bastard would fall for it.

Besides, he didn’t know their code.

“You haven’t forgotten that I said I’d tear you apart vertically, have you?” Lucy taunted as soon as she saw the signal.

But Rainford’s provocation was even stronger.

“I’ll be the one to cut off all your limbs and take your head this time.”

It was even an area-of-effect taunt.

His words touched on their failures, causing veins to bulge at Arsil and Tigria’s temples.

“I’m attacking,” Tigria declared flatly.

“Dodge while you fight.”

The mage was uncharacteristically furious.

Because of a moment of jealousy, she had failed to stop Naidrian, leading to Lin’s corruption.

And now she had lost Naidrian as well.

Along with devastation, a cold rage consumed her—the desire to reduce the shield knight to dust.

She would unleash indiscriminate attacks until he died.

Her party members would dodge well enough.

Still, she cast a thousand-layered barrier on Lin.

Because Lin was precious.

“I don’t care! I’m landing a hit no matter what!”

Sparks of divine power crackled from Arsil’s fist, clad in dragon-scale gloves after a long time.

Scattering those sparks, Arsil charged toward the shield knight.

“Foolish to the end! Don’t you understand that any power is useless before me?”

“Any power?” Arsil coldly retorted.

“Does that include the goddess’s divine power?”

Rainford realized his mistake.

Of course, divine power was an exception.

He had underestimated Arsil because of his relatively weaker individual strength.

Already, Rainford was showing cracks in his guard due to overconfidence.

Arsil’s accelerated flying kick connected with the shield that Rainford hastily raised.

KWAAANG-!

A massive shockwave spread as the kick was blocked, powerful enough to blow away all the surrounding dust, yet the shield remained unmarked.

Despite being powered up by the goddess, Arsil was still Arsil.

Originally in a healer position, and with Rainford having absorbed considerable power into his body, the gap between them had already widened significantly.

“What? That’s it?”

Just as a disappointed laugh was about to escape him, magic circles filled the sky.

It was Tigria’s multiple magic bombardment.

Seeing the wide but straightforward barrage coming from the front, Rainford expanded the range of his special item, Chaos Defense.

As the enlarged crimson energy formation spread out, the bombardment began hammering against it.

“Whoa! Tigria, wait!”

“I told you to dodge on your own!”

Snapping irritably, the mage flipped her palm and thrust it upward.

KWADEUDEUK-!

Sharp rocks erupted from the ground where Rainford stood.

He stepped back quickly with a start, but not before a piece of flesh was torn from his cheek.

“Nice one!”

Arsil cheered, but then gasped in horror as Rainford’s wound healed instantly.

Such healing power without even using divine energy meant he had long transcended human limits.

The saint gritted her teeth.

“Slashing Strike!”

From the opposite side, Lucy, unable to rely on the Abyss’s true name release, launched a blade wave.

Though not as powerful as Hrungnir’s, it was the technique that had cut a ship in two at the Zramun Archipelago.

The power of the technique, enhanced by the goddess’s buff, had increased several times over.

“Luciana! Do you only have two attacks—blade waves and downward strikes?”

As Rainford mocked her—

“No? I can do both simultaneously.”

“…?!”

Lucy, who had rushed forward at the same speed as her blade wave, whispered directly to him.

“Estel Style Secret Technique: Heaven and Earth Rending!”

KWACHANG-!

This attack was clearly different.

For an instant, the crimson energy formation shattered like glass, forcing Rainford to block with his shield alone.

KUGUGUGUGUNG-!!

When the Abyss and Chaos met, a vibration that shook the very heavens erupted.

But Rainford’s shield remained completely undamaged.

The dented parts from Lin’s berserk attack had already been repaired and reinforced when the demon god intervened, and the shield, now sprouting spikes, boasted formidable defensive power.

“What…?”

Even Lucy retreated in dismay.

Her secret technique, more powerful than ever before, had been blocked so easily.

Seeing this, Rainford regained his confidence.

“Ha, is that all you’ve got?!”

Unable to cure his chronic problem, the shield knight once again showed leisure before the hero’s party.

“Even with the goddess’s buff, you’re just small fry with a bit more strength!”

Adding to that, he cackled and taunted Lin as well.

“Hiding behind women, you should be ashamed. Or are you just using your old specialty as a porter, Lin?”

He was in such a good mood that he even pointed his spiked shield at the goddess.

His confidence, like his nose bone, was gradually recovering.

“Seeing how you just heal and buff without doing anything else, it seems the constraints of causality are significant? With my power, I’ll make your minions prostrate themselves on this earth and subjugate you as well. In the end, the balance of this world…”

“Balance, balance, is that all you know?”

Just then, Ravin’s voice echoed from thin air.

The shield knight, having forgotten about the thief who could perfectly conceal his presence, felt his hair stand on end as he turned toward the voice.

A thief would aim for the back, and the voice clearly came from behind him.

But in the end, the attack came at the back of his head—from Lin.

KKAANG-!

Once again, the surprise attack was blocked.

Rainford smoothed his startled heart.

Honestly, that was close.

Better not show it.

He gave Lin, who was frowning with one eyebrow, a sickening smile.

“To think someone like you would react to such provocation. Does that mean you’re getting desperate too? A mistake, Lin.”

The chaos that blocked Lin’s attack emitted an ominous light.

“I’ll absorb all your power right now!”

But Lin grabbed the shield nonchalantly.

“Go ahead and try.”

Ignoring how the spikes cut into his hands, he gripped the shield firmly with both hands.

Despite Rainford’s pulling and pushing, the shield didn’t budge against the strength of Lin, a high-ranking demon, even if his demonic energy was being absorbed.

“Are you giving up? Or do you think sealing the shield is enough? Whatever the case, if I absorb your power now…!”

“As if we’d let you.”

A distinctly different, cold voice.

It was Arsil.

The saint, keeping her posture as low as possible and coming in from the side, filled her fist with divine power.

“Because of you…”

Twisting her body from her big toe to her waist and shoulders, Arsil swung her fist with explosive momentum.

“I couldn’t even teach the kids how to throw a hook!!!!!”

The saint’s body blow cleanly shattered Rainford’s ribs.

“KEUUUUGH!!”

Overwhelmed by pain beyond his expectations, Rainford coughed blood and fell to his knees.

Strange? Even if I got hit, it shouldn’t be this bad…?

Cracking her wrist, Arsil nodded.

“Get up, you piece of shit. We’re just getting started.”