Eden of the Shrine #2

 

A giant worm rose up, its body seemingly reaching the blue moon in the night sky.

It was truly a wondrous sight.

Or, depending on the person, it might feel like a scene from a nightmare.

Kugua-kwang—!

A black lightning bolt raced across the corpse’s shell.

Then, the dried and crumbled corpse of the giant worm began to move as if it had come to life.

‘Necromancy⋯!’

Eden’s expression changed in an instant. A bright spark flashed in her eyes, and her fists clenched so tightly that the veins bulged.

An evil technology that denies the order of life and death.

As expected, that girl may look fragile on the outside, but inside she was clearly a rich girl who deserved to be cursed.

“No matter what happens, I have to deal with it here.”

There was no way to know how Estelle had managed to rescue the corpse of the mighty Demon Giant Worm.

However, that method is not in Eden’s sight right now.

It was clear what Eden had to do.

After putting that hideous giant bug back where it belonged, under the cold ground.

Then, the task of killing Estelle again and again to neutralize her.

—Koooo!

The giant worm writhe its heavy body and rush towards Eden.

The force of the giant would overwhelm any adventurer, and would likely cause them to faint while standing just by facing it.

But Eden didn’t blink an eye.

He is a comrade of the warrior. He has faced countless threats greater than this.

Crunch.

Eden slashed and slashed with her sword, which was blazing white flames.

The giant worm, already long dead, didn’t care about its body being cut up.

That’s because they are undead who don’t feel the fear of death.

In addition, they do not feel pain and move only to destroy the enemy in front of them.

“Yes, I know. The undead shouldn’t be treated the same way as other enemies.”

Eden leaped into the air to avoid the giant worm’s charge.

He wasn’t embarrassed.

I’ve dealt with the undead so many times that I’m sick of them.

The Giant Worm was clearly a formidable opponent, but Eden knew how to defeat it.

“It’s night. Isn’t it time for everyone to sleep? It’s so noisy, so could you please stop being so noisy?”

As Eden smiled coolly, sparks began to gather in her hand.

The skill that symbolizes Justia’s wrath itself, “Holy Judgment.”

Eden shot white lightning down continuously from the air.

Kwakwang—

The dark night sky brightened like daylight. Thunder rumbled all around, and flashes of light blazed like a battlefield.

—Kururur⋯!

A total of eighteen lightning bolts.

The beams of light that filled the giant worm’s massive body no longer allowed it the freedom to move freely.

“Phew.”

Eden brushed back her messy bangs.

In a short period of time, the divine power was significantly depleted.

The power of the single-handed priest who subdued the giant raid boss was truly worthy of being called a warrior’s comrade, but the power drain was not insignificant.

“You’re amazing. Are you more monstrous than the Giant Worm?”

Estelle, who was standing on top of the giant worm’s head, looked at Eden and grinned.

‘Huh? Are you looking down on me? How dare you…!’

A gloomy shadow fell over Eden’s face.

I want to make that arrogant face, who doesn’t even know his place, cry as soon as possible.

Eden leaped towards Estelle without hesitation.

‘I’ll give you two pieces.’

The sword of the Spirit shone brightly.

However, Eden did not know.

Now that he was finally on the verge of defeating Richie, he was losing his composure.

The more caught up in emotions, the narrower your vision and the simpler your thinking becomes.

And Estelle was waiting for this moment.

***

‘It’s fucked.’

I’m not kidding. This is seriously fucked up.

The Giant Worm was neutralized too easily and too futilely.

Of course, I never expected that I could easily defeat Eden by reviving one raid boss.

That guy is none other than the one I raised myself, of course.

I know best how powerful Eden’s specs are.

Probably even more so than Eden herself.

‘But why did this kid show up now?’

The timing is really annoying.

As expected, my ominous feeling came true.

What would have been a test that could have been passed easily without much difficulty has turned into a hellish difficulty with the appearance of Eden.

‘If we’re not careful, we could really lose here.’

A cold sweat ran down the back of my neck.

You can’t afford to let your guard down even a little bit to catch this guy.

The best strategy. A move that catches him off guard.

It’s a desperate situation, but don’t stop thinking. There’s always a way.

‘Is this really the only one?’

Eden, wielding a fearsome sword of flame, rushed right before my eyes.

To live or to die.

In this one moment, everything is decided.

Dismissal—

The “Necklace of Reflection” shone.

The Sword of the Holy Spirit was enveloped in a flash of light, spraying flames in all directions.

“Huh…!”

For the first time, a look of bewilderment crossed Eden’s eyes.

And, without even a moment’s pause for Eden to react—

The swirling flames from the Sword of the Holy Spirit shot back towards Eden’s body.

“Kwaaak⋯!”

Eden’s face was distorted miserably.

The sacred fire that has burned and torn apart countless people so far now burns Eden’s body.

Eden, her eyes rolled back white, waved her hands as if in a fit.

Hwaruk—

A barrier rose from Eden’s body, shaking off the flames.

“You monstrous bastard. You won’t lose even with this?”

I clicked my tongue, realizing once again the power of the warrior party I had raised.

Although it didn’t kill him in one blow, it was clear from the outside that it had been a critical hit.

Eden’s upper body is so blackened that even her bones are visible, and she appears to have difficulty standing properly.

“Ugh… Justia will never forgive you….”

Eden, who had become a living well-done steak, groaned in pain and muttered.

This psycho.

This guy must be dealt with immediately.

Because Eden is a tough opponent who will one day be by Michael’s side and help him.

‘It was your fault for coming to me alone.’

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Eden must have underestimated me.

The time that has passed since I escaped from the mansion is barely a month.

I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal if I got stronger, thinking, “How much stronger can I really be?”

Of course, Eden was a strong man who couldn’t be compared to any other adventurer, and his choice had its own merits.

Either way, he’ll have to pay a heavy price for his mistake.

“Almighty Justia… Please protect this poor servant with your light—”

Eden’s body was enveloped in light.

Then, surprisingly, Eden’s wounds, which had been completely burned to charcoal, began to heal.

A skill that only the Grand Vizier of Justia can use, “Absolute Healing.”

Eden’s divine power that can even reverse fatal injuries that would otherwise have caused death in a few minutes.

It is an ability that can be called a fraud without any exaggeration.

‘I, I fucking shit!’

I can’t just sit back and watch.

I know best the power of that fraud recovery skill.

If there’s a combination to use next, it’s—

“Ugh, uhhh… I got hit unexpectedly, but… it’s not over yet.”

Eden, who was dying, laughed heartily.

In Eden’s body, which was being healed in the holy light, another divine skill was activated.

“Emergency return”.

An escape skill that teleports you to a pre-designated location.

This isn’t the end. A third sacred skill covers the vulnerable period that occurs while “Emergency Return” is activated.

“Heavenly Splendor”.

An ultimate divine skill that can be used once a day, it makes Eden invincible to all attacks for 1 minute.

‘This combination is so damn efficient.’

Absolute healing, emergency return, and celestial radiance.

Why don’t I know those three skills?

It’s a fraudulent combination that I’ve used countless times.

Nine Stars’ best skill combination to overcome crisis situations.

With this skill combination that encompasses all three effects of recovery, escape, and absolute defense, you will never die from normal attacks.

“⋯Huh, huhu⋯. This is the last time I’ll let my guard down. Let’s meet again soon⋯.”

Eden looked at me leisurely, wrapped in an invincible barrier.

If we let him run away like this, he’ll come back fully recovered from his injuries and looking great.

And chances are you won’t be alone then.

If I bring the warrior Michael and the magician Anna, I will never win.

‘I can’t just leave it like that.’

I approached Eden, which was disappearing in a dazzling halo of light.

“You know, but you know what?”

“⋯.”

“That’s not invincible.”

Eden frowned.

Do you think I’m bluffing?

However, it would be a big mistake to think that way.

I’ve dealt with the priest Eden dozens of times in the game.

I know the weakness of that skill combination that seems invincible at first glance.

“There are several ways to unlock the Celestial Radiance, and I happened to acquire one. Have you ever heard of the Demonic Tattoo?”

I put my finger in front of Eden’s face, which was wrapped in a barrier.

A tattoo depicting a small bird flapping its wings.

Eden wouldn’t have known.

Whether it’s a sword, a spear, or magic, if it exists in this world, even if a nuclear bomb were to fall, it wouldn’t be able to inflict a single wound on Eden.

If it is a tattoo of anti-magic that has only anti-magic properties and not an attack, then the barrier can be lifted.

Just like this.

“⋯That’s ridiculous!”

Slurp—

A whirlwind of light green swirled around, sweeping away the absolute barrier that protected Eden.

“You never imagined that a mere orc could destroy that incredible divine skill, did you?”

Eden’s face turned pale.

Eden opened her mouth as if to say something, but only a faint moan came out.

You should have taken a good look at the person before you rushed in.

To me, who knows everything about Nine Stars, any technique has a weakness.

“What are you doing? It looks like you can’t run away anymore.”

I chuckled and lifted the Garden’s meteor.

Now that the barrier is gone.

There was no longer a barrier to block the onslaught of punishment that would pour down upon Eden.