86 – Embodiment of Evil. (9)
Whoosh!
Look at the appearance of the massive hammer pressing down on my whole body. Who would think that the person who had been shooting magic from a distance until just now?
Moreover, the pressure coming from the corrupt sacred power she had imbued on herself was also terrifyingly ignored.
Kaaang!
But I repelled it. It was a monstrous force, but I could still repel it with more ease than I thought. It was truly not enough even if I bow a hundred times to Estelle.
If it weren’t for her power swirling through my body right now, I would have been crushed by that hammer in an instant.
If I could block it, the situation could change at any moment.
But.
There is a big problem.
Kaang, kaaang!
While enduring the frenzy of the hammer’s attacks, I have to destroy the body of the hammer. And without harming Adrian’s body.
Although Estelle’s consciousness pushed out Adrian’s, the body still belonged to Adrian. If I inflict serious wounds, Adrian will ultimately be the one to die.
Estelle is ultimately just an intruder. It should never happen that the true owner of the body, Adrian, is injured or killed. Why did I go through all this suffering? Isn’t it to create a connection to Chapter 2?
Of course, attacking in a way that would cut off parts of her body was also impossible.
Estelle’s corrupt sacred power had nothing to do with the ability to heal anything. Maybe she is in a state where self-healing is impossible, and receiving healing from someone else is also impossible. Naturally, Adrian’s body cannot receive proper treatment.
Then the severity of the injuries will be worse… it’s a difficult situation in many ways.
Destroy only the hammer without touching Adrian’s body.
It’s not like solving a high school exam question. Yeah, if it were a high school exam question, there would be an answer, but there is no answer to this.
It is almost in the realm of impossibility, so the range of actions that can be taken is very narrow.
“Do you think I would give up my magic and try to destroy that hammer? That’s absurd. Because the moment I gather my magic, that massive hammer will shatter my sword.
The sword I’m wielding right now is a famous weapon forged by a renowned general in the empire, but even so, it will become worthless in an instant in the presence of transcendent power.
Even if it’s a sword forged with metal from legends, it will corrode immediately when faced with the corrupt holy energy that has been dormant for hundreds of years. It’s only a sword forged with high-quality metal by a renowned general, after all.
There is no such thing as an invincible inevitability.
Not even an attempt to strike with magic, like I did to other demons, is possible.
What should I do?
I blocked the hammer that was coming at me and pondered. It was a tense battle situation where there was no room for distractions, but I had to squeeze my brain and think.
However.
Kwaaang!
Estelle’s strike that crushed the ground disrupted my concentration.
Her attack didn’t involve any complicated techniques or anything like that. It was simply a straightforward destructive force.
After all, the most important thing when using a bludgeoning weapon is to hit it with force and accuracy, rather than complex weapon operation, and Estelle was very faithful to that basic principle.
Moreover, her raw strength was unmatched, making it difficult to find an opportunity to counterattack. Not only was it powerful, but it was also fast.
Strength that defies common sense.
Honestly, if we consider her difficulty, she was even more formidable than Behemoth.
Well, she was originally a monster that could tear demons in hell apart with her own strength, so it might be reassuring that she couldn’t surpass her original power.
It’s fortunate that Adrian’s physical body isn’t stronger than this.
The sound of the clash of metal almost shook the ground. My hands were tingling.
Is there no solution? Pure physical prowess doesn’t make much difference, to be honest. I’ve picked up a lot, and my body enhanced by Asti’s magic exceeds Adrian’s original power at this point.
However, it was so difficult to overcome the difference in the person who handles it and the compatibility of the power. The only thing that could purify the corrupt holy energy was a higher level of holy energy that she had accumulated.
In other words, even if Johann and the other priests have been firing holy magic at me, claiming that they will support me, there was nothing effective against Adrian. It was only a matter of time before it shattered when it touched her body.
All they could do was boost my vitality.
Aris and Diana, who realized that the magic I had shot had no significant impact on her, tried to use a method of binding a part of Estelle’s body.
Kwaddeuk! Chyaak!
Estelle ripped apart the magical ropes and tore them apart with the corrupt holy energy infused in her limbs.
However, she did not pay any attention to the others who were disturbing her. She only looked at me.
This obsession is becoming terrifying…!
It’s only been a few times that I have clashed swords with her hammer. In the end, to put an end to this feeble state, I needed a groundbreaking solution.
Can Ruslan be that solution?”
Well, it doesn’t seem easy. The guy can’t even interfere in my and Esthe’s battle. If Esthe had even a slight vulnerability, she would have been targeted, but there was no sign of vulnerability in her current state.
No, to be exact, there was a vulnerability, but it was obvious that it was a trap.
Esthe had experienced countless battlefields. To her, me and Ruslan would seem like novices. She wouldn’t reveal even a moment of weakness, so it must mean that showing a vulnerability is a noticeable trap.
I can’t just blindly step into that.
“Hmm. You really aren’t giving up.”
“Is there any chance to give up?”
It’s a desperate battle situation. It’s not the time to worry about formalities or politeness.
The brief conversation ended there. We couldn’t just have a nice talk with each other.
Esthe must have wanted to crush the imperial leadership as soon as possible. Maybe because of that, her combat skills were becoming more intense.
The combat skills of the imperial knights aimed to annihilate their opponents. So, their combat skills are about crushing the opponent until there is nothing left.
That murderous intent to crush anything in her way is directed at me.
My body was trembling.
Kahhh!
Every time I brought down the hammer on my sword, my entire body shook. The shockwave generated from the clash of the hammer and the sword swept over the ground.
Really, is there no answer?
The sacred power that can break through her fallen sacred power.
It gave me a headache. It would have been good if I could use the candlestick properly. Especially since Esthe was the previous owner of the candlestick….
At that moment, a thought crossed my mind. Should I retrieve the candlestick and try using it again?
Maybe it could work.
The candlestick is a weapon that only lends its power to the righteous. But is Esthe righteous now?
Until just before Ruslan struck her body, she must have had her own purpose. The purpose of resolving the grudges of the sacrificed saints and holy maidens in the empire.
But what was her reaction before entering the battle?
Wasn’t it the response of someone blinded by blind rage? To kill those who have done no wrong in this generation, out of anger towards the imperial leadership, is that truly just?
It’s just a thought of trying to fit things together, but there is no other answer in this situation.
Of course, it’s not my decision. It’s only about whether the candlestick will lend its power or not… It’s a gamble worth trying once, isn’t it?
Most importantly, if the sacred power of the candlestick is properly utilized, it can easily surpass Esthe’s fallen sacred power. After all, the sacred power imbued in the candlestick is not human.
It was received by the saint Valensia from the celestial Archangel, Michael.
One could say that Michael’s sacred power is the essence of the sacred power contained in the candlestick, which means that the sacred power contained in the candlestick holds almost infinite power as long as the user is righteous.
Like how my unending mana is affected by Asti.
…I’m not sure why such a candlestick would lend its power to someone like me, but if it doesn’t work out, I can just give it to Ruslan.
If it gets to that point… I’ll have no choice but to ask for Asty’s help. Of course, in the least conspicuous way possible. For example, summoning Sloth from an unseen location.
However, that would only be a last resort. The worst possible action that distorts the narrative for me to survive. It’s better not to go that far if possible.
If Sloth participates, Adrian’s life will undoubtedly be at stake.
After organizing my thoughts, I scattered my sword strikes towards the hammer. The sword filled with magic collided with the hammer multiple times, creating shockwaves.
Crack!
The deafening shockwaves and loud noises engulfed the surrounding space. Is this the sound when pieces of iron collide…!
I need to find a gap, but I don’t have the courage to look for one. Damn it. First, I need to remove the candlestick from Esthe’s embrace, but it’s not as easy as it sounds. Esthe is looking only at me right now, how is that even possible?
Then, suddenly, there was an attack directed towards Esthe. It was Ruislan.
His sharp sword strike, imbued with magic, aimed for Esthe’s rear. However, as if waiting for it, Esthe flipped the trajectory of the hammer and forcefully parried Ruislan’s sword.
Crash!
But Ruislan didn’t budge.
Whether his honed skills were not in vain, or maybe the effects of the fairy fruit manifested now, he was resisting Esthe’s corrupted divine power.
Yeah, that’s Ruislan.
Now he’s finally acting like the protagonist. It’s about time, you damn bastard.
