Chapter 108: The Saintess Rescue Operation

Before the round of 64 ended, the round of 32 also concluded.
The matches for the round of 16 were scheduled to resume the next day.
Since many strong competitors had advanced, intense battles continued afterward.

The first match had a huge impact.
To overshadow that impact, the students had no choice but to fight even more desperately.
The international individual tournament was a place to showcase and elevate one’s reputation.
Everyone was fighting desperately to make their mark on the world.

But where there are winners, there are always losers.
Among them, two of the Six Stars were eliminated early on.
This clearly showed how fierce the main tournament was.

One of those Six Stars was Narea of Acredé Castle, the Saintess of the Holy Kingdom, Lium.

‘Just as planned.’

I saw the carriage of the Kingdom of Lium rattling along the road.
Currently, I was following the Saintess’s carriage with Baek Mokgong.

The round of 32 was unfortunate for Acredé.
This was because her opponent in the round of 32 was one of the most formidable among the Six Stars:
Iris Hyserion.

Known as the strongest royal of the Empire, even as a Saintess, Acredé was no match for Iris.
Despite her struggles, she couldn’t avoid defeat.

This was the case in every timeline.
Acredé always faced Iris in the round of 32 and was eliminated.

‘Maybe someone involved with the international individual tournament is connected to the Holy Order or the Mystics.’
Otherwise, it didn’t make sense for her to always face Iris in the round of 32.
‘According to the plan, Acredé needed to return at exactly this time.’
I should look into that when I get the chance.

Just then, Baek Mokgong stood up.
“They’re scattering.”

Just as she said, the high priests quickly cleared the area around the carriage, as if they had received urgent news.
I saw the cardinal who was escorting Acredé approach her carriage and start a conversation.
He was clearly stalling for time.

Baek Mokgong then looked up at the sky.
In the bright blue sky, sudden flashes of light began to appear.
I knew exactly what those were.
They were divine artifacts with powers similar to my own.

Starfall.
Stars rained down from the sky.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
The entire area was devastated, and the Holy Knights guarding Acredé were sent sprawling across the ground.
The carriage Acredé was riding in was shattered to pieces, and the cardinal who was supposed to protect her was also knocked to the ground.

Even so, Baek Mokgong didn’t move.
She knew that while Starfall could destroy the carriage, it didn’t have the power to kill Acredé in one blow.

“That scheming cardinal… He pretended to protect the Saintess and deliberately took the hit.”
Baek Mokgong saw through the situation perfectly.
This was all a setup.
It was staged to make it seem like they failed to protect Acredé.

Amid the smoke created by Starfall, the Holy Knights who were hit by it slowly regained their senses and stood up.
But smoke wasn’t the only thing that appeared.
Before we knew it, the area was filled with thick white mist, making it impossible to see clearly.

Whiteout Phenomenon.

It refers to a weather phenomenon where it becomes difficult to distinguish the horizon due to snow, fog, sand, or similar conditions.
Among the Mystics, there was someone who possessed a mystery related to fog.

“Boy.”
At that moment, Baek Mokgong’s cloak fluttered as she took a step forward.
“Head straight to the Saintess.”
The corners of Baek Mokgong’s mouth curled up ominously.
A fierce, beast-like aura erupted from her.
“I’ll take care of all the Mystics myself.”
The most reliable ally in the world.

“Yes.”
Baek Mokgong leaped into the fog like a wild beast.
Simultaneously, screams echoed from all directions within the fog.
The Mystics had encountered an unexpected predator.
There was no greater misfortune for them than this.

Meanwhile, I also dashed into the fog.
I pushed through the mist, heading in the direction where Acredé was.

“Guaagh!”
At that moment, one of the Mystics’ members was sent flying right in front of me and disappeared.
He had been struck by Baek Mokgong and flung all the way here.
‘She’s rampaging like crazy.’
There was a reason Baek Mokgong was regarded as a living legend.
Unless it was the boss-level figure among the Mystics, no one could handle Baek Mokgong.
For the Mystics, they had met their match.

‘More importantly, I need to get to Acredé.’
Just as I arrived at the wrecked carriage to get her out of there, my eyes widened in shock.
Because there was no one near the shattered carriage.
Acredé, who should have been by the carriage, was nowhere to be seen.

And it wasn’t just her.
‘Cardinal Sentriole.’
That guy, who was involved in this incident, was also nowhere to be found.
A thought flashed through my mind.
My eyes widened slightly.
Cardinal Sentriole.
He must have realized that something was wrong and kidnapped Acredé.

* * *

In a forest far from the commotion, a man in white armor was running.
Blood trickled down from a wound on his forehead, but he paid no attention to it.

Cardinal Sentriole.
He was one of the most loyal followers of the Holy Order.
Born in an orphanage run by the Holy Order, he rose through the ranks as an Inquisitor and eventually earned the title of High Paladin.
Even within the Holy Kingdom, he was considered one of the strongest.

It was rare to see Sentriole in such a hurry.
But today, he was in a great rush.
A woman in his arms swayed with his movements.
Her wavy platinum blonde hair fluttered as he ran.
She was dressed in a pure white gown, symbolizing innocence.

Narea of Acredé Castle.
She was the Saintess of the Holy Kingdom.

“Cardinal Sentriole.”
At the sound of her voice, Sentriole looked down.
Acredé was gazing up at him with a blank expression.

Acredé always wore a gentle smile on her lips.

Her benevolent smile was fitting for someone called a Saintess, no matter who looked at her.
However, there were moments when she showed such a blank expression.
At times like this, it felt as if she could see through everything.

Cold.
Every time her emerald eyes touched him, a corner of his heart stung.

“Why did you betray the Holy Order?”
A rigid voice, devoid of any melody, flowed from Acredé.
It was the complete opposite of her usual bright and cheerful tone.

Sentriole felt a chill run down his spine, but he shamelessly answered without changing his expression.
“Saintess, I don’t understand what you mean.”

“You were ordered by the King of Lium. Since the power of the Kingdom of Lium was at risk of being completely overturned, I can’t say I don’t understand the King’s choice.”

Ever since the Saintess appeared, the power dynamics in the Kingdom of Lium had completely changed.
The citizens of Lium praised the Saintess and elevated the prestige of the Holy Order.
As a result, the royal family’s power diminished day by day.
The Lium royal family wanted nothing more than to eliminate the Saintess, Acredé.
Therefore, it wasn’t strange for Acredé to make such an assumption.

“Saintess, I can understand that you suspect the attackers were sent by the King of Lium, but my betrayal is a different matter. Aren’t I trying to get you out of this chaos right now?”

When Sentriole denied her accusation, Acredé looked beyond the forest.
“Is that so? From my perspective, it seems safer over there than anywhere else.”

“You mean over where the attackers are?”

“Anywhere would have been safer than by Cardinal Sentriole’s side.”

Words that confirmed her belief that Sentriole had betrayed her.
Upon hearing this, Sentriole gritted his teeth.

“If you were so certain that I was a traitor, why did you follow me?”

“Because there was something I wanted to tell Cardinal Sentriole.”
Acredé spoke while maintaining her blank expression.

“The dead do not return.”

Thud—
Sentriole’s running feet came to a sudden halt.
At the same time, he slammed Acredé to the ground.

Boom!
Pinned by Sentriole’s hand around her neck, Acredé quietly looked up at him.
In his eyes burned deep, seething resentment.

“Cardinal Sentriole, you know it well, don’t you?”
Even as her neck was being squeezed, Acredé continued to speak her thoughts.
But Sentriole had no intention of calming his fury.

“I have believed in God my whole life.”
His voice dripped with raw anger.

The reason Sentriole became an Inquisitor.
It was because of his son, who was born with a weak constitution.
In exchange for serving as an Inquisitor, he entrusted his son to the high priests.

“I prayed to that damned God thousands, tens of thousands of times. I begged that my son would at least live longer than I would.”

The high priests continued to treat his son.
However, his son showed no sign of improvement.

It was only natural.
Divine power could heal wounds or cure diseases, but it could not change a body that was frail by birth.
Of course, continual exposure to divine power could prolong life beyond the natural lifespan,

But that was all.
In the end, a short lifespan has its limits.

“No matter how faithfully I lived, God did not spare my son’s life.”
Despite living his entire life for the Holy Order, he couldn’t even save his son.
If he had known this, he would have spent at least a little more time by his young son’s side.
He spent all his time trying to save his son, but in the end, he never truly spent time with him.

Drip—
Blood-red tears flowed from his eyes.
Tears filled with utter grief.

“So, you plan to do something as foolish as bringing back your dead son?”

By joining hands with the King of Lium, Sentriole made a deal.
A deal to bring his dead son back to life through mysterious means.

“Doing that won’t help your son at all. It will only anger God.”

“What do you know to be spouting such nonsense!”
Sentriole tightened his grip around her neck even more.

“My son, who longed to see the ocean his whole life but died unjustly without ever seeing it!
My son, who cried wanting his father, whom I couldn’t even hold properly, left this world without experiencing any of it!
God didn’t even embrace such an innocent child, so what meaning is there in His anger?”

“Your son merely went to God’s side. All living beings…”

“Silence!”
Blood droplets from Sentriole’s eyes fell onto her face.

“I will bring my son back to life. And I will make sure he gets to do everything he wants.”

Sentriole’s rampage had already gone beyond the point of no return.

“If I just kill you, everything will be fulfilled.”

His grip on her neck grew even tighter.
Yet, even as she was being strangled, Acredé simply looked up at him.
To Sentriole, that was the most unsettling thing.

“What do you mean, everything will be fulfilled?”

At that moment, a voice echoed in Sentriole’s ears.
Blinded by rage, he hadn’t noticed his surroundings.
When he finally looked up, a fist was already right in front of his face.

Smack!
A sharp pain exploded across his face, snapping his head back.

But he was no ordinary man; he was a Cardinal with the title of Paladin.
A mere punch wasn’t enough to knock him down.
As he regained his senses and prepared to counterattack, he realized his face wouldn’t move.

His face was frozen stiff with cold.
By the time he understood this, it was already too late.
Another punch was already crashing into his face.

If once wasn’t enough, then once more.

Crunch!
Unable to withstand the second blow, Sentriole’s frozen face shattered as he tumbled across the ground.

And standing before him, a black-haired boy landed gracefully.

“You really caused a ruckus, trying to even shatter your own son’s reincarnation.”

It was Airei.
He had arrived.