Chapter 9. Gambler’s Den (8) Part-2

"Damn! Run!"

"There's no way we can stop her!"

The soldiers who had chased after Ellin began to flee. Ellin, who was running along a narrow corridor, gradually slowed down to a quick walk, barely able to stay on her feet with staggering steps. Blood dripped onto the ground as Ellin shook her head. Her breathing rough and her bloodstained black hair waved in the air.

"It… really hurts. I don't like this sort of bloody stench."

She liked to fight, enjoyed it even. But she wanted nothing to do with a fight for vengeance due to a grudge. There wasn't anything enjoyable in such a fight and, furthermore, taking the life of another in a battle fueled by rage was the worst; it was a hunt not for the sake of feeding oneself, but purely for the sake of killing. It was an act which even Karakul, the one who raised her, did not like.

'But I have to do it.'

She looked at the end of the corridor with a cold gaze. Truly, she did not like a worthless fight like this, but she had to see it through. What else was she going to do with all this pent-up rage?

'Kelvin, then the Pope, Salem Gottshuranche!'

She had sworn to kill these two no matter what happened. She clenched her teeth and squeezed out every ounce of strength left in her body. As she stepped forward, something was tossed into the hallway and rolled toward her.

"… A head?"

It was the head of the soldier that had run away earlier. As Ellin warily kept her gaze pointed toward the end of the hallway, glowing pieces of paper flew forth. These papers, scribbled with runes and powered by an unknown force, plastered the surrounding walls. At the same time, Ellin's eyes grew wide as she fell to the ground; it felt as if something was pressing down upon her. Her entire body became bulky and even her mind turned hazy. A strange ringing sound screamed in her ears.

'This is… a seal?!'

"My, my, to run away from a demon right before his eyes. That is truly the sight of a heretic in defiance of God! If you've seen a demon, God's teachings say that you must put forth your life to kill it!"

Ellin forced her body up and glared at her opponent, who was walking leisurely toward her. His entire body was covered in plate armor, decorated with golden crosses of penitence. He was wearing a similarly styled helmet and carried a massive greatsword—in the shape of a cross—in his right hand and a holy text in his left. It was the Holy Knight, Rahon.

He watched as Ellin rose before opening the holy text in his hand and tearing out a page.

"Our Holy God, I shall receive Arrtark's blessing and strike down the wicked…"

Runes began to form as he spoke his incantation. Once he finished they flew toward the walls, causing even more pressure to bear down upon Ellin's entire body.

Ellin gritted her teeth as her body felt several dozens of times heavier. With gravity being several fold stronger, the wounds all over her body to leak large amounts of blood. Rahon, seeing Ellin in such a state, smiled beneath his helmet.

"To the heathens that have forsaken their faith in God, there shall be the blessing of Pope Salem Gatteschuranche!"

After he spoke those words, the runes floating around him became etched into his armor. He then rushed forth at an inhumanly fast pace, thrusting his cross-shaped greatsword toward Ellin's heart.

"The sinister demons shall face the wrath of Lord Arrtak's Iron Mace!!"

"Arggggg!"

Ellin forced her body to move and thrust both her arms forward to defend herself. Her hands became as hard as shields, but the cross-shaped greatsword full of Holy Energy easily pierced her defense, as if it had ignored it altogether. Sparks flew as the cross-shaped greatsword smoothly went through both of her arms and stabbed directly into her chest. Ellin puked blood, dying the Holy Knight's armor red.

"… Amazing. A mere demon managed to evade?"

The cross-shaped greatsword definitely pierced her chest, but he had been aiming for her heart, and Ellin managed to evade the fatal blow by moving her body ever so slightly. But now, she could no longer move as her chest was pierced.

"I don't have a hobby of torturing women; if only you were a man~. Just die! Heretic!"

"Heh… Don't lie. Would anyone believe you when you're a pervert that slaps a woman for kicking you to the curb? Also, I'm not the one dying, but…" Blood spilled out of Ellin's smiling lips. "You are, Mr. Homo."

Ellin's hair clumped together and turned sharp like a blade, flying straight toward Rahon. Rahon saw the blade, the eyes beneath his helmet narrowing.

"It's a meaningless struggle."

His entire body began to shine white, causing the rune pages attached to the nearby walls to shine even brighter. Ellin's body became pressed even harder, forcing her to the floor. At the same time, the grotesque sound of the sword embedded into her chest tearing through leather and cleaving through her bones echoed in the corridor.

'I can't put any strength into my body!'

The instant she relaxed her body, the blade would completely cleave through her and sever her neck. Ellin's hair ultimately remained in a frozen state.

"… This is fine in its own way."

Rahon sounded pleased. He could definitely swing his blade and split her body in half, but he intentionally did not in order to laugh while staring at her pained expression.

"I don't like women, but I suppose I could get into torturing demons like this. To think that watching demons in defiance of God being in pain could be such a pleasurable thing!"

"… Nothing but a perverted cultist."

Rahon froze and lowered his head upon hearing her words. He heard something snap inside him. Rahon, who had been calm and leisurely, turned red underneath his helmet. His entire body trembled as he spat out words of rage into her face.

"… A cultist? You heretic-! How dare someone like you call me a heretic-?!"

Rahon pulled his blade out of her body. He raised it above his head and prepared to strike her neck.

"Die! Blame your foolish tongue!"

His blade sliced through Ellin's neck. No, he had intended to slice through her neck, but the blade spat sparks and was fiercely repulsed.

Rahon barely managed to hold onto his blade as he turned to look at the object that had deflected his sword.

'A snake?'

A long snake had lashed out like a whip and had deflected Rahon's sword. The snake at the end of the hallway, with its long body that leaked a black liquid, swayed aggressively as it headed toward Rahon. Rahon had tried to cut the snake down, but the blade just spat out sparks once again and was deflected.

'… What is this that's stronger than steel?!'

He hurriedly moved his feet to retreat, leaving quite a distance between him and Ellin. Someone supported Ellin's body as she collapsed with all of her strength leaving her body. Ellin turned back in surprise to see the figure who had embraced her. Rahon swallowed dryly to confirm the figure with his own eyes.

It was a figure overflowing with sovereignty, wearing a helmet in the shape of a lion's skull with deer antlers protruding from the top. On his back was a cape of formless shadow held by a lion's mane upon his shoulder. His entire body was covered in pitch black, seamless armor made of various shells and scales. Protruding from its back was a snake in the place of a tail. Arrtark lowered his head, his eyes shining brightly.

[You went too far, brat.]

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