Ch.212Chapter 212 – Saint of Emiris (2)

# The Saint of Emiris

In an instant, I tensed my muscles as I observed the woman who had suddenly bathed our surroundings in the holy power emanating from her.

“…You’re surprisingly calm, heretic.”

“No, actually I’m a bit startled.”

I adjusted my grip on my halberd and put some distance between myself and the Saint.

At first glance, she didn’t appear to be skilled in close combat, but I reasoned she wouldn’t have appeared before me without confidence.

“…Hmm. How disappointing. I was hoping you’d approach carelessly.”

The Saint said this, then lightly tapped her staff.

A small explosion occurred in front of her, and from within the holy mist it created, the Saint quietly said:

“I had planned to blast you away in one go.”

She spoke with a hint of disappointment.

But she seemed to give up quickly, gripping her staff and pointing it at me.

While we faced off against each other, I noticed Mikhail quietly slipping away behind us, apparently having read the situation.

By the time he had retreated behind the Saint and secured a safe distance from us,

The Saint thrust her staff into the ground and shouted:

“Let us begin.”

At those words, I quickly kicked off the ground and jumped sideways.

I saw a massive spike emerge from exactly where I had been standing.

“You dodge well.”

As I heard those words, I looked toward the Saint and saw massive silver fists she seemed to have summoned flying toward me.

I dodged one, then cut through another that came with a time delay using my halberd as I advanced. I saw the Saint crossing her hands.

“‘Let the Sword of Judgment descend.'”

I saw a massive cross-shaped sword materialize behind the Saint and fly toward me.

As I briefly considered which way to dodge, a reassuring voice reached me.

“‘Protect the lambs!'”

A golden shield summoned by Chris blocked the silver sword.

“Impressive. I thought it would be enough to destroy it completely.”

Words that seemed to genuinely praise Chris’s skill.

However, in the next moment, a slight anger tinged the Saint’s voice.

“But you should be ashamed of using holy power to protect a heretic.”

The next moment, the silver sword began to pierce through Chris’s shield.

I quickly moved toward the direction the sword had come from, feeling holy powers colliding and exploding behind me.

Then the Saint slowly began to chant.

“‘Shackle the feet of the faithless.'”

I could tell what it was just from hearing the incantation.

I quickly jumped up from the ground, and saw silver chains emerging from the earth, barely missing where my feet had just been.

I tightened my grip on the halberd.

“I’m sorry, but…!”

I brought the halberd down with full force.

The halberd, carrying enough power to split a head without any protection, aimed for the Saint’s head.

“‘Grant me the power to protect myself.'”

The Saint’s incantation reached my ears simultaneously.

It was too late to stop the halberd as it swung down toward the Saint’s head, and—

-Clang!

The Saint raised her staff with both hands and blocked my halberd.

“Self-reinforcement, is it.”

If not for that, there was no way such a delicate body could have produced enough strength to block the halberd I had swung.

Unless she was a special case like Sera, who turned out to have dwarf blood, it would have been impossible.

The Saint’s lips curled into a slight smile, as if confirming my deduction was correct.

“Correct answer, heretic.”

And in the next moment, the Saint began to swing her staff.

I immediately raised my halberd to counter the Saint’s staff.

In an instant, the Saint and I began exchanging blows.

‘She’s strong.’

That was my thought as I watched the Saint wielding her staff.

Her strength was indeed lacking, but her technique was certainly excellent.

Even her lack of strength was compensated by her self-reinforcement.

That’s why she could fight me in close combat without being overwhelmed.

As we continued exchanging blows, the sounds of fighting behind us ceased, and soon Eina’s voice reached me.

“We’ve taken down everyone here!”

Glancing back briefly, I saw that all the holy knights of the Jeolei Order had been subdued and captured.

And I could see Beatrice and Eve running toward me.

“Do you have the luxury to look elsewhere?”

I quickly raised my halberd to block the Saint’s staff.

“Unfortunately, I do.”

“…How disappointing.”

Although she had reinforced herself to fight me and her technique was excellent, she clearly wasn’t a warrior type who specialized in close combat from the beginning.

At some point, the Saint began struggling just to respond to my attacks.

If we continued fighting like this, I would be able to subdue the Saint.

Having assessed her own poor condition and the fact that all the Jeolei Order knights who could help her had been subdued, the Saint quietly sighed.

“Well, I didn’t mention it, but compared to the Emiris Order, the Jeolei Order is truly inferior.”

“If you know that, why not surrender already?”

I pushed away her staff and swung my halberd once.

Of course, by the time I swung the halberd, the Saint had already jumped far back.

“Surrender, you say.”

The Saint tilted her head as if seriously considering it for a moment.

And soon her voice reached me.

“Unfortunately, I cannot surrender. There’s no reason for me to do so.”

After saying this, the Saint thrust her staff into the ground again.

Simultaneously, something leaped down near the Saint and me from a distance.

As a familiar-shaped sword lunged toward me, I deflected it with my halberd.

And I saw the familiar red armor.

“These are…!”

“And they’re not the only ones.”

The Saint snapped her fingers this time.

Silver holy power rippled around our group.

Soon I saw holy knights of the Emiris Order surrounding us.

“Huh? When?!”

“Damn! We’re surrounded!”

Sera’s voice and Beatrice’s voice rang out simultaneously.

And I too had to tense up at the sight of the holy knights that had appeared around us.

‘There are so many…!’

The number of red holy knights—those who had been experimental subjects like me in the past—appeared to exceed 10.

Moreover, the Emiris Order holy knights who had reappeared clearly numbered over 30.

‘What should I do….’

As I began to consider which side to break through first,

As if to relieve me of my concerns, the Saint raised her staff and shouted:

“As a servant of Emiris, I command you!”

Soon the Saint pointed at me and my companions and shouted:

“Focus your attack on the heretics, capture them! Show them the greatness of God!”

“For Emiris!!”

The Order’s holy knights shouted in unison and began charging.

Just as I quickly tried to move toward my companions, the Saint’s voice was heard again.

“I’m afraid I won’t let you join them, heretic.”

Silver weapons along with her staff began to assault me again.

As I barely managed to respond by swinging my halberd, the Saint said with a hint of amusement:

“Submit and let your sins be counted.”

“…Damn you.”

If that’s how it’s going to be, I have no choice.

I immediately began to focus all my consciousness on my heart.

+

Eina was slightly intimidated as she faced the enemy.

“Those people….”

She saw red holy knights charging toward her with axes, maces, and swords.

Unconsciously taking a step back, Eina swung the greatsword that Kay had given her long ago, barely managing to face them.

‘What should I do?’

She didn’t want to hurt them.

They were in the same situation she had been in—people who might return to their senses like Kay or herself.

They were pitiful victims.

‘But if I just stand still, I’ll die…!’

As she swung her greatsword to push back the enemy, Eina’s mind was becoming increasingly conflicted.

She knew intellectually.

That these people would attack her and her allies with all their might.

She vaguely remembered that terrible state where she didn’t know what she was doing, just following orders.

That it might be better to give them peace than to let them continue living as puppets.

“But…!”

Her complicated feelings gradually dulled her sword.

Eventually, she made a mistake that should never have happened.

-Thud!

“Huh?”

Absurdly, she tripped over her own feet and fell backward.

And the enemy would never show mercy for her situation.

Seeing multiple weapons thrusting toward her simultaneously, Eina felt time slowing down.

-Crash!!

“That’s Christina…”

Christina had summoned a shield to protect her, having seen what was happening from a distance.

In exchange, she exposed her back to other holy knights, but Beatrice and Seraphina, who had intervened, were now keeping the holy knights at bay.

And the next moment, someone forcibly pulled Eina to her feet.

“Get a grip!”

Eve shouted as she pulled Eina up.

Seeing that face, slightly less composed than usual, Eina trembled as she spoke.

“B-but… those people…”

“I know. That they’re experimental subjects.”

Eve answered quietly.

Then, she raised her sword to block the blade of a red holy knight who had risen again.

“Eve!”

“Seraphina! Don’t worry about us, help Beatrice!”

Eve shouted before stabbing at the enemy to keep them at bay.

Then she looked at Eina again and said:

“Indeed, those red holy knights are pitiful people.”

But, she continued quietly:

“…Still, we need to survive now, even if it means hurting them.”

“But…”

“I understand. But remember.”

Eve dodged a mace swung by an enemy and said:

“If you want to save them as much as possible, if you want a chance to save them, we who understand their situation need to survive as long as possible.”

Eve said no more and continued fighting the enemies.

Even though she could predict the enemy’s movements in battle, she had no room for leisure in this situation where the enemies were numerous and more skilled.

“Need to… survive…”

Eina murmured blankly for a moment.

Thinking that this wouldn’t do, she forced herself to move.

She blocked an axe swung by an enemy with her greatsword, struck back, and then blocked a mace.

-Crack!

“…I’ve used it for too long…!”

The blade made from centipede fangs had cracked.

It could be repaired, but in its current state, it was dangerous.

“I have no choice.”

Eina hardened her resolve and moved.

She dodged an enemy’s mace and struck with her arm, while Eve deflected an incoming sword, and what looked like a stone arrow shot by Sera knocked that enemy away.

She saw Chris blocking someone’s arrow, and Beatrice diving deep into enemy lines to disrupt their formation.

And the red holy knight in front of her raised an axe.

“I-I’m not scared!”

Eina charged forward with a self-encouraging shout.

And the enemy’s axe began to swing down like a guillotine.

-Whoosh!

The sound of air being cut reached her ears.

Seeing this, Eina shouted:

“G-girls are b-brave!!”

Shouting this, she jumped to the side, avoiding the axe.

And naturally, she grabbed the enemy’s arm and struck it with her knee.

“I’ll be borrowing this!”

She picked up the dropped axe and kicked its original owner away.

Then she dodged a mace while exchanging blows.

“…Need to finish them quickly…!”

Eina began to struggle against the red holy knights who seemed tireless as they charged toward her, evading Beatrice.

In the midst of the battle,

Eina suddenly heard a sound and listened carefully.

“…What’s that?”

White armor that resembled a dragon.

Only after seeing the Saint facing him did Eina realize who it was.

+

“So you’ve finally drawn it out.”

I ignored the Saint’s voice.

What I needed now was to quickly subdue the Saint and rescue my companions from the other holy knights.

But the Saint’s own skill was beyond what I usually encountered.

‘This is my only option.’

Ignoring my rapidly beating heart, I immediately took my stance.

And the Saint quietly looked at my armor and said:

“So that’s the infamous Dragon Armor.”

“Here I come.”

Without answering directly, I flew at her.

When I suddenly appeared before her, she quickly raised her staff, seemingly surprised despite herself.

And I kicked her in the stomach.

“Ugh!”

“Go to sleep!”

Normally I would have followed up to make sure she was knocked out, but I couldn’t do that now.

Some enemies had noticed my transformation and began looking this way, so I quickly flew in and cut them down with my halberd.

“Damn heretic! Die…!”

“For Emiris!!!”

They fell one after another, each cursing me or praising Emiris.

‘…This will do.’

If we could just put out this urgent fire and retreat immediately.

If we could just withdraw.

I felt this was already more than half a victory for now.

“Die, heretic!”

“Sorry, but I’m not a heretic!”

I threw a punch at the face of a charging holy knight.

“Monster, he’s already taken down three…”

“Only those who want to die should come forward!”

I shouted as I attacked another holy knight.

I could see the enemies’ morale gradually diminishing.

‘Good.’

I thought we could secure an escape route now.

“…It seems the heretic doesn’t understand why the ‘Heresy Judgment’ is feared.”

“Already?”

I had hit her quite hard.

Yet the Saint stood behind me with her arms crossed, seemingly unaffected.

“Listen, heretic. The Heresy Judgment exists to judge heretics.”

“I don’t particularly want to know.”

I immediately aimed the shaft of my halberd at the Saint’s head.

No matter what prayer she offered, it would be faster for me to knock her unconscious with the shaft.

With the thought of taking her hostage if necessary, I swung with full force.

“‘Take freedom from the heretic.'”

The Saint’s voice rang out slowly.

And with it.

“My body…?!”

My body suddenly became heavy.