Ch.54Heretics and Apostates – 3

“This is driving me crazy, seriously.”

Seeing Christine drawing up her holy power made my head throb with sudden pain. Something seemed off since she first arrived, and now she was completely ignoring my words and acting on her own.

If it were like Serena’s case, where she was overwhelmed by longing after not seeing me for a long time, I might understand. But we had seen each other just two days ago, and I couldn’t comprehend why she was behaving this way.

With the situation unfolding like this, even Serena would struggle to subdue Christine without causing collateral damage.

At minimum, the central plaza would likely be destroyed. No, the damage could potentially be far worse.

Holy power is fundamentally a force that burns—or rather, purifies—what is deemed heretical. It’s commonly known to exert absolute repulsive force against demonic creatures.

So why does holy power have this absolute repulsive effect on demonic creatures? The reason is simple.

All demonic creatures are essentially heretical beings. The stronger this concept becomes among people, the more powerful holy power grows.

When people witness holy power burning demonic creatures, their beliefs strengthen the holy power further.

Conversely, it loses power against those revered as saints. To such people, holy power is nothing more than a warm, gentle light.

Even if someone forcibly tries to attack with holy power, it becomes nothing more than simple healing, or it might not manifest at all.

That’s why the presence of a holy maiden is considered important in each religion.

For religious groups without enough influence to elect a pope, the most revered figure would naturally be the holy maiden. If there is a pope, then of course it would be them.

While there are positions technically higher than a holy maiden, it’s the sad truth that people’s eyes are drawn to a beautiful woman rather than a decrepit old man.

‘That’s exactly why Christine’s holy power is problematic.’

Given the nature of holy power, it was obvious what Christine—who showed such fanatical devotion that she practically replaced her god with me—would define as heretical.

Everything in the world except me and Christine.

Except for us two, everything touched by that holy power would be “purified” and burn to ashes. As long as Christine believed it, that’s how it would be.

As if to prove this point, the tiles beneath Christine’s feet were burning away. Deep marks remained where she stepped.

Christine, her entire body glowing with a pale yellowish-white light, was the perfect image of what people would call a holy maiden.

Only in appearance, of course. Anyone who glimpsed her inner self would never revere Christine as a holy maiden, even as empty flattery. They’d be lucky to survive the experience.

“Charlotte.”

“What is it, my liege?”

Charlotte’s voice sounded strangely deflated.

It was probably due to Christine’s presence combined with the skill Serena had just demonstrated. I don’t think Charlotte couldn’t perform what Serena did.

She would just need a bit more effort.

“I need your help.”

“What is it?”

“We need to stop them.”

At my words, Charlotte glanced at Serena and Christine facing off against each other. Then she snorted dismissively.

“Leave them be. They’re no different from dogs fighting over territory. The loser will tuck tail and run away.”

“But I want to stop that territory fight.”

“I fail to understand why you must insert yourself between those beasts. I won’t ignore your words, but I demand an explanation.”

“Does this really need explaining? I have absolutely no desire to stand by and watch you all fight amongst yourselves.”

“I distinctly recall you weren’t this eager to stop the fight between me and that knight commander, yet you dare lie before your king?”

“Hey, that was…”

You suddenly tied me up and went into that pocket dimension.

Seeing my dumbfounded expression, Charlotte smiled, her mood seemingly improved. She probably wasn’t actually refusing to help me, just making a light joke to lift the gloomy atmosphere.

Understanding her intentions, I stroked Charlotte’s head while keeping an eye on Christine and Serena.

“I jest. So, what would you have me do?”

“Nothing special, just prepare a teleportation spell.”

When I suddenly requested a teleportation spell, Charlotte tilted her head in confusion, but then seemed to grasp my intention and frowned deeply.

It was probably a method she found extremely distasteful.

But what could I do? Without the power to stop that fight, I’d have to use my body instead.

The ground where Serena had been standing moments ago melted with a bubbling sound.

Having moved away, Serena shook the World Eater in the air. The remnants of holy power still on the blade fell to the ground, creating small sparks.

The surroundings were a complete mess. Everything that had even brushed against Christine’s fist had been consumed by white flames and reduced to ashes.

To call that holy power was absurd—other priests would foam at the mouth in outrage if they heard.

Christine’s physical capabilities hadn’t changed significantly before and after using holy power.

If that were possible, priests wouldn’t be rear-line supporters providing blessings and holy power—they’d be front-line fighters engaging in direct combat.

But that white energy seriously disturbed even Serena. She wasn’t confident her body could withstand a direct hit.

Deflecting it sideways and getting away with just burns was the best option. If she carelessly allowed a direct hit, she’d have to prepare for bloodshed.

“Should I pluck out those worthless eyes that gazed upon my god, or cut out that filthy tongue that whispered to my god, or slice off the ears that heard the divine voice, or—”

After muttering to herself for a while, Christine let out a small “kihihit” laugh.

“That’s right. I made a grave mistake. How could any part of that body be clean? You nearly committed sacrilege against my god.”

“Here we go again.”

Serena tilted the World Eater slightly to the side. Christine would likely continue rambling to herself before suddenly charging in again.

Rather than attacking first, it was much better to counter her charge and then counterattack.

And as Serena predicted, before long, Christine charged with gleaming eyes.

Serena blocked the punch by supporting the side of the World Eater with her palm. With a loud bang, Serena’s body was pushed back.

The World Eater, having directly received Christine’s holy power, vibrated and screamed.

That it only screamed after taking such a direct hit proved it deserved its title as a demonic sword.

Serena immediately pushed away Christine’s fist and struck her chin from below. But it was useless.

Christine lunged at Serena again without the slightest hesitation. As Serena twisted her body sideways, the fist barely grazed her ear.

Christine was keeping up with her movements.

Realizing this, Serena discarded all her previous strategies.

While Christine’s physical specs hadn’t changed, too many things were different before and after she donned the holy power.

Including her level of danger.

‘Then I’ll have to use that to my advantage.’

Soon after formulating a new strategy, Serena deflected all of Christine’s punches that came slicing through the air.

Then she lowered her stance. Clearing all distractions, she focused all her nerves on the extremities of her body. Then she faced Christine head-on.

Immediately, she surrounded her body with mana and sharply changed direction. It was a move to circle counterclockwise around Christine and target her back.

Christine reacted to this. Her body, filled with holy power, creaked as she rotated counterclockwise to follow Serena who was now on her left.

But even that was part of Serena’s plan.

Serena completed the remaining half-circle and returned to her original position.

The crazy woman before her was now showing her back in a completely defenseless posture. She probably expected Serena to complete half a circle and strike from behind.

That was exactly what Serena had aimed for.

Although Christine was gradually matching Serena’s movements, it was merely forcing her speed to keep up.

From the beginning, if Christine had been able to enhance her body with mana, she would never have been able to face Serena in battle.

With a bang, Serena rammed her shoulder into Christine’s back. The clothes on her shoulder burned away, purified, and a stinging pain spread across her skin.

It was a sensation of pain she hadn’t felt in a very long time, but it wasn’t even worth considering whether to endure it or not.

The World Eater came down vertically on Christine, who was staggering from the impact from behind.

Christine collapsed face-down on the ground after being hit precisely at the top of her head where it connected to the spine.

Despite striking with killing intent, not even a groan escaped.

The mana surrounding her body had disappeared just as she was about to ram Christine with her shoulder, causing the downward strike to fall far short of its intended power.

Having to face without mana an opponent who shouldn’t be faced without mana was a contradiction.

The fountain in the center of the plaza shattered with a crash, unable to withstand the impact of Christine’s body.

The water from the fountain turned into holy water the moment it touched her fingertips, leaking throughout the central plaza.

Serena pointed the tip of the World Eater at Christine.

“Are you going to keep coming?”

Though her words were calm, Serena’s situation wasn’t good either.

The skin where she had deflected attacks continued to sting, and the skin on her shoulder that had collided with Christine was slightly heated. It was probably a mild burn.

Christine, continuously exploding with holy power, was virtually flawless in both offense and defense.

If there was one weakness to note, it was that she could only match about half of Serena’s speed—but that also meant she could keep up with half of it.

It was not an advantage that could be called definitive.

—Crack.

With a chilling bone sound, Christine, who had been smashed into the fountain, turned her neck.

With her body still face-down on the ground, she twisted her neck 180 degrees to look at Serena behind her. Serena momentarily faltered at the absurd sight.

Christine slowly began to rise.

Her massive chest was still facing the fountain, but her neck was twisted 180 degrees, staring at Serena with eyes emitting a fierce light.

Only after fully standing did her body slowly rotate counterclockwise to find its proper position.

Serena was dumbfounded. She wanted to pinch her cheek to confirm what she had just seen.

She clearly heard the sound of neck bones breaking, yet Christine had done it voluntarily and was still perfectly alive.

“Why do you still refuse salvation?”

“I told you to stop spouting nonsense.”

“With the opportunity to be forgiven for your deep sins right before you, why do you reject it?”

“Shut your mouth.”

“Yes, I too am sinning. With my god before my eyes, I cannot approach because the path is blocked by a heretic—if that is not a sin, what is?”

Christine brought her hands together in front of her chest. The holy power burned even brighter.

“Oh, my God! Please take pity on this lamb, and I dare ask for a chance to wash away this sin! Grant me one more opportunity to approach You!”

As the short prayer ended, the holy power surrounding Christine emitted light so bright it cast shadows behind Serena.

It wasn’t even funny anymore. To think that such a thing was evidence of faith. She wanted to cut off her head right then and there.

But right now, she needed to distinguish between what she could and couldn’t do.

Serena gripped the World Eater and pushed the thought of killing Christine—which belonged to the category of things she couldn’t do—to the corner of her mind.

Instead, she focused on protecting her lord, which was something she could do.

The holy power shining in the distance was overflowing to the point of forming wing-like shapes behind Christine’s back.

Anyone unaware of the circumstances might exclaim that an angel of God had descended, so sacred was the sight.

Of course, Serena knew the circumstances and felt disgusted instead.

The holy power, now in perfect form, spread its once-folded wings wide. The wingspan measured nearly 4 or 5 meters from tip to tip.

As the wings spread, Christine lunged at Serena as if taking flight.

‘She’s fast!’

In that brief moment, Serena considered what to block to maximize efficiency.

The moment those wings touched Serena, her skin would undoubtedly burn, and being hit by the fist was out of the question.

So there were four attack points: both wings and both hands. Too many to block with just the World Eater.

The attacks wouldn’t come just once but in a flurry, making it difficult to block them all while also watching out for the wings.

Would she have to sacrifice one arm? As Serena gritted her teeth and prepared to deflect the fist, someone suddenly intervened between her and Christine.

“My lord?!”

Serena was shocked to identify the person. It was her lord. She could faintly sense residual mana beneath his feet.

That meant Charlotte had teleported her lord here.

Could that woman have also mastered a way to counter mana nullification?

Over her shoulder, she could see Christine’s seriously startled expression. Serena was equally shocked.

But regardless of their surprise, the flying fist didn’t stop. The intervention was so sudden there was no time to alter its trajectory.

Christine’s fist pierced through the body. The holy power that had been shining like the sun vanished in an instant.

All that remained between Christine and Serena was a blood-soaked arm, blood splattered everywhere, and her lord with half his upper body blown away.

“Have you calmed down now?”

With a voice impossibly serene for someone whose body was half gone, wrapped in blood and entrails, a gentle hand was placed on Christine’s head.