Chapter 176: 094. Kasim Derian -3 (Part Two)

“Ha, hahah…”

A hollow chuckle involuntarily leaked out of my mouth.

Even I could tell what she was trying to do over there.

Her magic wasn’t even all that amazing, really. It was just the plain ol’ body reinforcement spell.

However, the divinity’s flow in her body that I analysed through Mind’s Eye proved to be truly exceptional. Her divinity was precisely controlled and much more stable than anyone else’s.

Her entire body was basically a treasure weapon and a sturdy shield at the same time.

‘I do remember seeing her slam the head of a lycan on the ground all those months ago.’

Compared to back then, her growth rate could only be called monstrous.

Could that be chalked up to her being a Saintess, I wonder?

Saintess Alice Astoria stood up from her hiding place while clenching her fists. Her expression told me how scared she was right now.

But even then, she didn’t back off an inch.

That’s probably because she knew that the man standing before her was an agent of the Church of Caiolium. Through him, she might get to learn more about Raphael’s fate. That’s what she must’ve thought.

Kasim seemed to have finally sensed her presence, and turned to look at Alice.

“Charlotte,” said I.

Charlotte turned her head to look at me.

“Buy me time. Thirty seconds. No, wait. Twenty will suffice. Stop him from moving during that period. That’s all I ask.”

With the combination of Charlotte and Alice, they might be able to hold down that hulking monster for a little while.

All I needed was twenty seconds.

With that time, I should be able to heal my body and use Amon’s relics.

“I shall obey your orders,” Charlotte replied.

“Don’t you dare push yourself beyond your capabilities. Even if you can’t endure it anymore, I’ll do something about it so don’t force yourself, got that?”

She smiled gently at my order and nodded in affirmation.

Her legs kicked the ground and her figure quickly dashed forward, and at the same time, Alice on the opposite side pounced on her target.

Kasim glanced at the two girls rushing at him and lightly leaped up in the air. His greatsword was raised up high.

BANG-!

The wind blades began showering down from the air in every direction.

In the meantime, I pulled out a bottle of holy water and spread it all over my body before putting Amon’s skull on my head.

Man, it hurts so much that I can’t even concentrate properly.

It didn’t mean that I couldn’t do it, though. I forcibly roused up my divinity. If I failed here, everyone would fall into grave danger.

“I am…”

I shifted my gaze to the side.

Kasim had already flown in right before my nose.

Like some crazed serial killer from a slasher flick, his madness-filled eyes were glaring straight at me.

He raised his sword, but Alice’s kick slammed into his back just then.

“Keok-!”

For the first time ever, a gasp of pain escaped from his mouth. His whole body flinched as he raised his head.

“…the legion.”

Kasim didn’t give up yet. He forced himself up and tried to pounce on me once more.

This time, Charlotte stood in his path.

He took a mighty swipe with his sword, but she ever so slightly shifted her head out of the way and dug into an opening.

That humongous greatsword brushed past her cheek with a gap narrower than a hair’s breadth.

She managed to get close and thrust forward with her divine sword. The blade impaled deeply into Kasim’s unguarded side.

The golden armour shattered and blood gushed out, but he simply sucked in a deep breath and clenched a fist instead.

He punched hard at Charlotte below him.

Her figure slammed into the ground before bouncing up. Blood spluttered out of her mouth.

I gritted my teeth.

“And I’m…”

Kasim’s maddened eyes gleamed murderously as he spun his head in my direction. He grabbed Charlotte and threw her in my direction. I caught her figure, but the momentum behind the throw forced me off my feet and we ungainly rolled on the ground.

While hugging her sagging, unconscious body, I looked up.

Kasim was before us, raising the greatsword with his hands as if he wanted to skewer both of us at the same time.

“Die, heretic!”

Even as he began thrusting his sword down at us, I kept my eyes locked on him and said the following words.

“…Gaia’s inheritor.”

**

The bone armour rapidly enveloped me.

I spat out a heavy breath and the blue-coloured air escaped from below Amon’s skull.

Emotions in my chest bubbled up uncontrollably. I wonder… Have I ever gotten this pissed off at someone ever since arriving in this world?

Yup, this had to be the first time.

I tightly held Charlotte’s unconscious figure. I touched her cheek with my bone-covered hand.

She was full of wounds.

I told her not to force herself, yet she didn’t listen and ended up in such a wretched state.

What did she believe in so fervently that she was willing to support and protect me like this?

I just couldn’t understand it.

Was it because I was an Imperial Prince? So that she could climb up the social ladder?

Nope. That definitely couldn’t be it. And that’s what made me feel even more confused.

I just couldn’t figure out her motivation. Maybe, it was as simple as what she had told me earlier – that she just wanted to become a Paladin to protect someone.

I raised my head up.

“Are you the devil itself?” Kasim asked.

The twelve bone hands extending from my back were currently stopping Kasim’s greatsword mid-air. I silently glared at Kasim’s unmoving figure before shielding Charlotte’s head.

My hand, much larger now after getting covered in the bone armour, began injecting divinity into her body.

Her wounds started healing at a visible rate.

I made sure to not leave behind even the tiniest scar on her body.

Kasim’s eyes bulged out of their sockets. Even then, he was getting more enraged. He roared out, “Don’t use the sacred power with the appearance of a devil!”

Don’t make me laugh. Was this insane bastard before my eyes really judging people based solely on their outer appearances?

Well, it didn’t really matter at the end of the day.

That’s because, this bastard was about to…

“…Die by my hands, anyway.”

I summoned Amon’s staff and slammed it into the ground.

BOOM-!

Divinity spread out to the surroundings. The ground below rumbled and quaked.

Undead kitted out in pure-white armour – the holy undead knights – broke through the surface and emerged into the open.

They raised their heads in unison. White glow exploded forth from their eye sockets, and breaths just as white whooshed out from their mouths.

“What are these abominations now?!”

Kasim had become even more flustered.

“Kill this bastard.”

One order from me, and all the holy undead knights rapidly moved out. They pounced on Kasim; all sorts of weapons like swords, spears, greatswords, and even maces flew in his direction.

Kasim sucked in a cold breath. He yanked his sword back, lifted it up, and began firing that wind blade of his in every direction.

The holy undead knights pouncing on him got sliced apart, chopped up into chunks, and dissipated from the world. Even then, a spear had impaled Kasim’s back.

“…!”

He spun around and slammed his greatsword down on the holy undead knight behind him. At the same time, bolts flew in from almost every direction imaginable.

These projectiles, brimming full of divinity, penetrated straight into his arms, legs, chest, and hips. Chains were connected to the ends of the bolts, thereby confining Kasim to the spot.

“How dare these measly undead abominations sully my noble figure?!”

Kasim roared out in a frenzy. He powerfully swung the greatsword to sever the chains binding him.

He then dealt with all the holy undead knights rushing in at him from every direction one by one. Even then, his body continuously got hacked and stabbed from every angle.

More arrows impaled his legs while a sword cut open his waist.

His knees buckled, but he didn’t give up. He didn’t let up and continued defeating the holy undead knights while gradually inching forward towards his target.

Kasim was a man of conviction, of unyielding religious belief. Even though his beliefs were contradictory, he still poured his entire being and even his soul into upholding his ideals.

Eventually, a powerful swing of a mace landed on Kasim’s head, breaking the golden helm apart.

“Pant, pant…!”

He destroyed the very last holy undead knight in front of him.

He then finally reached before me and fell on his knees.

“Pant, pant…”

His breathing was heavy, laboured. As if it’d cut off at any second now.

Kasim grasped the greatsword’s hilt with his trembling hands.

“I… I must… judge the heretic…”

He gritted his teeth and forced himself so much that actual veins were visibly bulging on his scalp. He managed to get back up on his feet in the end.

His sword rose up in the air.

“Judge… the heretic-!”

The twelve weapons held in my bone hands impaled Kasim’s body right there and then.

His greatsword came to a stuttering halt in front of my face.

I extended my staff and pointed it at his unguarded chest.

“You hate me that much, huh?” I spoke up.

Kasim’s eyes began quaking greatly just then.

“Well, it doesn’t matter to me. Because, you…”

I injected a ton of divinity into the staff.

The divine energy explosively shot out from the weapon’s tip and Kasim’s chest blew apart.

His flesh was ripped open, his ribcage shattered to bits, all of his internal organs ruptured and blew apart, and his spine, along with his back skin, tore right open.

“Keo-urhk…”

His figure faltered before slumping forward without much energy.

I reached out and grabbed his head before lifting it up.

I stared straight into his fading eyes and cocked my head.

“You shall be turned into my puppet that will destroy the Church of Caiolium for good.”

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