It’s Not My Fault, So I Have No Reason to Suffer (8)

As the courtroom began to collapse, the situation started to worsen even more.

The descended Berbaria, as if to show that it was on a different level from its previous descent at the Port of Kapatia, raised its head and roared towards the sky with a monstrous cry.

“Why, why, why, why—————!!!”

Yona’s agonizing scream echoed.

Dust clouds rose, the walls of the building that had been the main hall shattered and their fragments flew in all directions, colliding with structures that were barely standing, shattering and collapsing them mercilessly.

“Saint!”

“—Kut!”

Bigrind gritted her teeth and summoned holy power again.

As she forcibly drew out her holy power that was already close to depletion, pain as if her internal organs were twisting assailed her,

But the situation was already beyond considering such things.

Berbaria trampled over the cathedral knights rushing at it and devoured knights and priests with its mouth.

Every time it swung its tail, cathedral knights were flung away like pieces of paper, and their screams shook the surroundings.

“You, you! And you call yourselves clergy—!”

Yona’s angry shouting could be heard.

Sweat drops fell heavily on the back of Bigrind’s clenched hands.

Her fingers were so tightly gripped that they had turned pale white and were trembling.

Yona’s words felt like they were piercing Bigrind’s lungs.

At those words asking if they could still call themselves clergy, Bigrind now had no words to answer.

Bigrind knew too.

She knew well how the Celestine Church treated apostates.

And Bigrind also knew about Alec being captured like that.

She couldn’t help but know what would happen to Alec—

That’s why she had pleaded desperately even to the Pope.

To listen to Alec’s words, to listen just once.

That Yona wasn’t the kind of nun who would apostatize, and that she, the Saint who grew up with her in Evian, could vouch for her.

But what came back was cold cynicism.

That has no meaning whatsoever.

And in the end, didn’t she apostatize?

She apostatized, so she’s an apostate, and there can be no circumstances for that—

Even martyrdom would be preferable, but apostasy cannot be forgiven.

‘…Yona…!’

But now there was nothing to be done.

Yona’s apostasy was confirmed, and she had even slaughtered a cathedral knight.

On top of that, she directly summoned the great demon Berbaria and attacked the Celestine Church headquarters.

Now—

Now, Yona had truly become an apostate.

Buff seals rose and flickered around Bigrind with booming sounds.

Emitting radiance to the maximum range she could manage, seals flickered over that radiance, bestowing buffs on the Celestine Church clergy.

“The Saint is with us!”

“Destroy the filthy apostate and demon—!”

“This will be the demon’s grave—!”

“The Hero and the Saint are with us—!”

Countless shouts.

Hearing those shouts, Rudvik gripped his spear firmly.

Fighting spirit boiling from deep within his body.

Courage surpassing fear at this moment.

Bigrind’s holy buffs encouraging him.

Rudvik firmly grasped his spear and surveyed the battlefield.

Berbaria, roughly as large as the Adventurers’ Guild building in Evian, was thrashing about using its huge body. Every time it swung its tail, buildings near the courtroom shook, and every time it roared, cathedral knights lost their morale and retreated. Every time it moved its mouth, people were devoured, and their agonizing screams made one want to cover their ears.

Ominous red eyes, with vertically slit pupils fully dilated, seemed to be looking around for the next victim.

And in the midst of that, the apostate— Yona was there.

Demonic energy was raging like a whirlwind.

Giving herself over to anger, with those ominous orange eyes full of killing intent, Yona was holding Rubina.

Though not clearly visible, Rubina was also clinging tightly to Yona.

‘…It’s impossible to directly confront Berbaria.’

“Hold on a little longer—! Reinforcements will come!”

Hearing the Pope’s fierce shout, Rudvik thought.

Judging from his experience of barely being able to face Berbaria’s avatar, could he face this true form of Berbaria now?

—It’s impossible.

He gripped his spear firmly.

‘Do not be afraid. The Celestial God is righteous.’

The spear pointed at Yona.

‘This must be a trial given to me by the Celestial God. I must not be a coward full of fear.’

The apostate— Yona, who controls the great demon named Berbaria.

Demons originate from human darkness.

Fear fades.

Courage wells up.

The light of the spear intensifies.

Rudvik’s heart, firmly grasping the spear, became utterly peaceful.

Berbaria’s roars felt distantly far away, and the holy power transmitted from Bigrind filled his entire body.

Fear originates from within.

He has a mission, and something he must protect.

Under the name of Hero, if he doesn’t move,

What meaning is there in that name of Hero?

‘Fear is to be overcome. Righteousness overcomes wrongness.’

Rudvik gripped his spear firmly.

The Hero gripped his spear firmly.

Rudvik took a heavy step forward.

The Hero finally took that step.

Hero, you should go the path you wish to go. Whatever lies at the end of that path, that too must be the Celestial God’s arrangement.

He finally understands the meaning of those words.

Do what you believe is right.

Go the path you wish to go, for that is the way of a hero.

His mind clears.

The dark fear that had been consuming his entire body dissipates,

And he finally returns to a clear consciousness.

With green courage, his whole body was filled with energy.

“Haaaat—!”

Brilliant golden radiance burst forth from the Hero.

Rudvik’s footsteps were extremely light as he ran towards the black demon, Berbaria.

At the end of that spear was the apostate— Yona.

When Berbaria’s mouth flew at him, he stabbed its eye with his spear.

Berbaria screamed, spraying black blood.

The Hero jumped onto Berbaria’s head and rushed towards its body.

Berbaria’s eye, which had been spraying blood, was quickly restored as demonic energy crept in, and the eye returned, gleaming with a blood-red glow.

‘Rather than defeating Berbaria—’

The Hero thought as he ran along Berbaria’s body.

A demon’s descent must require a medium.

If there was no medium, that apostate Yona must be the medium itself.

“Stop Berbaria—!”

With the Hero’s shout, the cathedral knights regained their morale.

Where do you think you’re going?

Another of Berbaria’s heads flew at him from the side.

For a moment it seemed it would bite the Hero’s shoulder, but in that brief moment, he lowered his body and dodged as if diving.

The Hero shouted.

“I’m not the one to defeat you—!”

As a Hero, you’re saying you can’t face me, a demon? How truly absurd.

“How could you know the deep will of the Celestial God!”

How would a demon who has only wielded overwhelming power know?

Humans must fight efficiently because they are human.

The reason humans could prosper so much despite not having

Overwhelming power,

Sufficient physique,

Endless recovery,

Or any of those things.

Although Berbaria is large, it’s a snake.

Although it has nine heads, they’re all at the front.

If it’s coiled up like this,

How could it—its own body—

Is that what you thought, Hero?

Dark red demonic energy pounced from both sides.

As the demonic energy attacked from both sides, the Hero who had been emitting golden radiance momentarily dimmed.

Truly pathetic.

Berbaria’s head had somehow approached and was glaring at the Hero.

The burning red glow in its eyes had changed color at some point, and the red glow now shone a fierce blue.

Puhak.

With an unpleasant sound, the Hero’s spear was driven into the middle of Berbaria’s head.

The Hero’s hand, gripping the spear with all his might, added more force to drive the spear even deeper.

Each time, the spear emitted light and went deeper, deeper, deeper—

And from Berbaria’s head, pierced by the spear, dark red demonic energy gushed out like a spring.

Kwagwang—!

Golden radiance and dark red demonic energy collided, emitting a flash of light.

Truly massive holy power and demonic energy repeatedly collided, each swelling even larger to devour the other.

—Flash!

Bursting light.

Just as the radiance finally exploded and seemed to burn away the surrounding demonic energy, a thunderous roar followed.

—Kwagwagwagwagwang!

The heavens and earth shook.

The Hero quickly recovered the spear that had bounced off and drove it into Berbaria’s body.

‘No matter how much of a demon it is, in the face of this much holy power…!’

As the flash subsided, the Hero pulled out his spear again.

If Berbaria was stopped, now was the time to kill the apostate, Yona.

Was that all, Hero of the Celestial God?

Berbaria’s tail flew out from the dust cloud.

Before the Hero could react, the tail wrapped around him, gripping him tightly and lifting him high into the sky.

Grooooooooooo———!!!

Berbaria’s roar echoed.

Berbaria roared with the Hero captured in its tail, holding him high like a trophy of victory.

The faces of the Pope, cathedral knights, and Bigrind who were watching this scene turned pale.

“…It’s time for divine punishment.”

The apostate Yona’s voice echoed softly.

With eyes still burning with anger, the demonic energy Yona emitted rose thickly as if to cover the sky.

Becoming clouds— the demonic energy seemed to fill the sky.

Within it, something black slowly began to take shape, and when it finally revealed itself—

It was, a nail.

Exactly the same shape as a holy nail— in other words, a demonic nail.

One, two, three, four, …

Countless demonic nails began to fill the sky densely.

“Where on earth is your god when things have come to this? Since you are such evil beings, your god must have abandoned you too. I’ll punish you in his stead…”

Yona’s lips twisted into a clear smile.

“Accept it gracefully.”

“No————!!!!”

Bigrind’s scream echoed.

There are over a hundred people here, exceeding several dozen.

If those demonic nails pour down as they are, these people will surely be annihilated.

At least that situation must be prevented.

Bigrind raised her wrist to her mouth and bit it.

The blood vessel passing through her wrist was torn by herself, and the blood that burst from there soon turned pure white.

The pure white blood rose with a terrifying momentum.

Holy power that sublimated as if to overlay the demonic energy Yona had emitted, rose using blood, the source of life, as a medium.

Bigrind’s holy power that rose to the sky seemed as if it would overlay the demonic energy.

“…Big, stop this futile resistance.”

“You, you— Yona, you should stop…!”

Bigrind shouted back in defiance.

No matter what, there are lines that shouldn’t be crossed.

Rather, now more than ever, this was a line Yona absolutely must not cross.

“Stop————————!!!!”

Bigrind’s scream.

As if responding to her scream, a thunderous shout echoed.

“Everyone, the incantation—————!!!!! We will punish the wicked demon and apostate—————!!!!!”

It brightened so much that it seemed like midday despite clearly being the middle of the night.

Cathedral knight orders and priest orders that arrived from the surrounding areas immediately joined the battle, and the holy power they emitted joined forces to surround Yona’s demonic energy.

That light was truly holy power,

The holy power filling the sky covered the sky as if to lend strength to Bigrind’s holy power, emitting golden radiance.

The demonic nails touched by that radiance disappeared one by one.

Even the demonic energy that had nearly filled the sky burned away and disappeared.

Yona looked around.

The cathedral knight orders, which had only been about a hundred excluding priests, had now more than doubled, and the same was true for the priest orders.

“…Berbaria, let’s retreat for now. Release the Hero too.”

It would be better to sweep them all away to prevent future troubles, Saint.

“Not now. The Hero too… no, let him go.”

Yona shook her head.

Berbaria, who had been staring at her, flung away the captured Hero.

“Hero!”

After confirming that the priests and cathedral knights were recovering the Hero, Yona looked at Berbaria again,

Berbaria opened its mouth wide.

Yona slowly walked into Berbaria’s mouth while holding Rubina.

“Apostate, Yona—!”

A voice calling her.

Through the slowly closing membrane of Berbaria’s mouth, Yona turned her head to look.

“You will regret this—!”

Yona stared blankly at the Hero.

There was much she wanted to say, but deliberately.

“…I sincerely hope so.”