470

Episode 470: That's your limit. (2)

Parniel turned his head and looked at Maurice and asked.

"Who are you?"

Maurice was daunted by the sight of Parniel, who was larger than him. No, to be precise, he was daunted by the power that had blown away the superman in one blow.

"I, I am Marquis Maurice Macquarie, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Army of Lutania."

Parniel's eyes widened slightly. The opponent's status was higher than expected.

Although the saint was a being who transcended worldly status, she also knew manners.

Parniel said, bowing his head slightly.

"I guess I shouldn't be meeting you in a place like this. Let's finish talking after we get rid of that bastard."

"Oh, I see."

Kwaaaaah!

The Beacontis that had been flying away suddenly got up and shouted.

"Kuaaaah! Who are you, bitch!"

He was already in a state of considerable fatigue. In that situation, he was attacked to the point where both his arms were crushed, and he was shaken to the core and ended up vomiting blood.

Because the divine power had seeped into it, it took a considerable amount of energy to drive it out.

Gooooooo… … .

The black aura he emitted rippled around the wound.

'Ugh, what the heck? Did the four major religious orders send reinforcements?'

All the priests in the royal army were killed by the Delphian army. Since the priests had poor combat capabilities, they could not even run away properly.

But the woman who had just appeared, unlike the priests, seemed very accustomed to combat. No, not just accustomed, but at the level of a combat weapon.

'You said your name was Parniel? No way... Parniel!'

Vicontis felt goosebumps all over his body. A large and strong woman who went by the name of Parniel. Those with such features were rare in the world.

"Saint of War!"

She is a saint of the Moriana sect who has been fighting them in the dark for several years.

As the world becomes more difficult, people who call themselves saints and saints appear here and there. People just look up to them and spread rumors about them.

But Parniel was no ordinary being. She was a true saint recognized by the entire church.

"Kuuuuuuu… … . The bitch who was going to kill me anyway came here of her own accord."

From the Salvation Church's perspective, the Saint of War was a troublesome enemy. It was difficult to confront her head-on, as she had the power of the church behind her.

There, the Saint of War is protected by numerous temple knights and priests. So, no one could even dare to attempt to assassinate her.

But now I'm alone. There must be those nearby who have been chasing the saint, but I just need to kill them before they arrive.

"You have divine powers, so you're incredibly strong, right? But you won't be able to defeat me with that much power."

Although he was quite tired and worn out, he could not miss this opportunity.

It is said that thanks to his divine power, he can display fighting powers that rival those of the highest-level knights. It is also said that with the help of priests, he can even achieve superhuman strength.

So I have to kill him now that he is alone.

Kwaaaaang!

Beacontis' body stretched forward, growing wings and claws made of black energy.

He intended to kill Parniel without sparing any effort.

'Kuuuuu! I'm finally achieving something big!'

Beacontis, who had come in front of Parniel in an instant, smiled with joy.

Whoever kills the saint, the representative of the goddess, will live forever in paradise.

"Die!"

Kwaaaaah!

His claws, filled with powerful energy, slashed through space.

Parniel licked her lips and raised her arms. Her muscles-filled arms glowed white.

"You stupid bitch! Do you think you can stop it with your bare body?"

Beacontis was certain that Parniel's arm would be cut off, as he had put so much energy into this attack.

Kwaaaaang!

"uh?"

However, his confidently struck attack failed to cut off Parniel's arm. Instead, Vicontis received the impact as if he had been hit by a strong shield.

Beacontis couldn't understand.

'Blocking a superhuman attack... with your bare body?'

It wasn't that there was no scar at all. A red line was drawn down her arm.

That is to say, it was a little bit cut.

"Just that?"

The bewildered Beacontis raised his head. A mace larger than a man was floating in the air, blocking out the sun.

"Okay, wait a minute!"

Kwaaaaang!

Ugh!

Beacontis, who had been hit in the face, was blown away again. The side of his face that had been hit was completely distorted, and his eyes burst open, narrowing his vision.

"Kkaaaak!"

As the divine power penetrated, tremendous pain came. The black energy tried to drive it away, but the divine power did not disappear easily.

More divine power has penetrated than before.

"Ugh! You b*tch! You b*tch… … ."

Beacontis clutched his damaged face and cried out in pain. The divine power, the antagonistic energy, was causing him so much pain.

I couldn't admit it. I, with my great strength, was being beaten like this.

Even though my body was not in good shape and I was tired, it was still so humiliating.

"I will kill you!"

Beacontis flew high. He spread his wings wide and drew forth all his strength, and the black energy began to stir.

After several days of fighting, he was already quite exhausted. Using this technique would completely drain him.

It would be difficult to move for a while, but I had to kill the saint and Maurice here even if it meant risking the damage.

Gooooooooo… … .

His one remaining eye turned a deep purple. A strong energy surged from Beacontis' entire body, distorting the space around him.

He didn't have enough energy left to use this technique, so he also drew on some of his own life force.

That's how much I wanted to kill those in front of me.

Paaaaah!

Thousands of black energy streamed out in all directions from Beacontis' body.

"Heh, heh heh heh heh heh! If you can stop it, try to stop it!"

If she's a saint, she might survive, but everyone else around her will die.

Parniel muttered when he saw that.

"Cursed Light, Scream from the Abyss."

People called this technique used by the priests of the Salvation Church in the old war.

Parniel opened his mouth as he looked at the black light that filled the sky.

"Behold, I will protect this land with my grace. Now I will unfold my sacred purpose, and the wicked hand will disappear into darkness, and faith will be immortal."

grasp!

A brilliant light radiated from her body.

It spread out widely as if forming a huge shield, creating a very large space of light.

People's eyes were wide open at the miraculous power.

The raindrops and the space of light, soaked in darkness, met.

Kwak ...

The black energy continued to pour down into the space of light without stopping.

The impact was so strong that the surrounding ground turned upside down and a thunderous sound erupted incessantly.

The attack didn't last long, but to others, that brief moment felt like an eternity. That's how powerful and terrifying the last technique Beacontis used was.

But the space of light seemed like it would break, but in the end it did not break.

"This, this… … what… … ."

Beacontis made a terrified expression. He drew out all his strength and even his life force. It was an attack that even a top-tier knight could not block.

Yet the saint stopped it all by herself.

I underestimated their power because they were always swarming around. I just thought they had strong divine powers and needed to be protected.

But no. The saint herself was just a monster.

"Tch."

Parniel spat out the blood that was in his mouth.

Certainly, the attack that the high priest made with all his might was quite fierce. It was enough to make my stomach churn and make me vomit blood.

But that was the end of it. It wasn't enough to deal a big blow to myself.

thud!

Parniel gripped her mace tightly and stepped forward again. Every muscle in her body began to twitch.

"Ugh, ugh… … ."

Vicontis, who had exhausted all his energy, had already descended to the ground. He had no strength left to maintain his wings and claws.

Because he was so weak that he had even drained his life force, he was now weaker than an average knight.

"Damn it!"

He immediately turned around and ran away, but he couldn't shake off Parniel.

Parniel, who had approached in an instant, swung his mace at Beacontis' back.

Kwaaang!

"Kwaaak!"

The Beacontis fell to the ground, shattered and broken, with its waist folded in the opposite direction. However, as expected of a priest of the Salvation Church, it did not die instantly.

Parniel raised his mace high with a look of disgust, as if looking at a persistent cockroach.

"Your fall will end here. The divine light will consume you."

Parniel made the sign of the cross with his remaining hand and mercilessly struck down his mace.

Kwaaang!

"Ugh!"

Beacontis, who had been hit in the back with a huge mace again, vomited blood. His body was already flat on the ground.

Still, Parniel did not stop.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Parniel continued to strike with his mace as if he was crushing a cockroach.

After a long period of striking, she stopped attacking only after Beacontis' corpse had turned into a piece of minced beef jerky.

"Whew… …Goddess. You sent me another one today."

"… … ."

Morris and the defeated soldiers who were watching this scene were speechless.

Even though they were exhausted, they were still able to defeat a superhuman with such overwhelming force. A truly unimaginable monster had appeared before them.

This was the power of those who would later be called the Seven Powers of the Continent, but they could not know it.

They weren't the only ones surprised.

"Who, who are you?"

The pursuing forces, who had arrived before we knew it, were unable to come any closer and could only watch from a distance.

Their faces were horrified. It was only natural that their greatest weapon, a superhuman, had been beaten to death.

Parniel raised his head with an arrogant expression and said.

"I don't want to kill anymore today, so step aside."

She tried to avoid killing people as much as possible, even those who joined hands with the Salvation Church, because she believed that if she caught them all and beat them, she could make them repent.

To be honest, I only wanted to catch and kill the priests of the Salvation Church.

However, that does not mean that they unconditionally gave him leniency.

"If you attack, I will send you all to the goddess right here."

"Uh, uh… … ."

The commander of the pursuing force was at a loss. He had to catch Maurice, but the situation was completely hopeless.

Frightened by Parniel, he was eventually forced to retreat, leading the pursuing force.

When the situation was resolved, Parniel approached Maurice.

"The situation is urgent, so I am late in introducing myself. I am Parniel, a servant of the Goddess of War."

"Th, uh… …th, thank you. I, I will definitely repay this favor when I get back."

"It's okay. It's my mission to fight the Salvation Church."

"Is that so? It's nice to hear that."

Maurice muttered awkwardly. He had no idea how to deal with this person who had suddenly appeared and whose identity was unclear.

But judging from the fact that he beat to death a priest of the Salvation Church, it is clear that he has a hostile relationship with them.

"Oh, where did you come from?"

"I come from the Church of Phenos."

The Pagan Empire of Phenos is run a little differently than other kingdoms. There are four major religious orders in the kingdom, and each order has its own patriarch. They take turns ruling the country.

Although it does not have a strong military force, its religious power is so great that no kingdom dares to disturb it.

Morris asked in surprise.

"Isn't the kingdom of the church very far away? How did you come to this kingdom of Rutania?"

"I came because I wanted to come."

"Uh, um?"

Parniel tilted his head for a moment, thinking about what to say, and then continued.

"I heard that the Kingdom of Rutania here is fighting the Salvation Church the most fiercely. When I heard that news, I felt a strong desire to come here and fight. Perhaps it was the goddess who guided me."

"Ah… … Yes… … ."

A priest is someone who lives only by faith and the word. They are people who can understand anything that is said to be the word of God. They should not expect logical reasons. They should not refute anything either.

Morris also liked that kind of thing, so he figured it out right away.

"Ahaha, the fortune teller said I would meet a noble person, so I think it would be you… … ."

Before he could finish speaking, Hubert poked Maurice in the ribs.

Parniel's expression had cooled. Bringing up the story of a fake fortune teller in front of the priests of the four major religious orders meant asking for a fight.

Maurice, feeling his life threatened for a moment, coughed in vain.

"Ahem. Just kidding. Just kidding."

"It was a bad joke. I almost got into the Inquisition."

"yes...."

The priests of the kingdom pretended not to know because of Maurice's authority, but Parniel had the power and qualification to ignore such things.

Maurice, feeling embarrassed, coughed a few more times and then said.

"If you don't have a place to stay, why don't you come with us? If we're going to fight the same enemy anyway, wouldn't it be better to join forces?"

"Thank you. Then I will be in your care for a while."

"Oh, what. We are the ones who are indebted to you."

Maurice came to his senses and smiled pleasantly. The war was made very difficult by the high priests of the Salvation Church.

But I couldn't help but feel good that a new superhuman figure was helping me.

"Okay, let's go."

"Just a moment. I have company."

"Are you in a group?"

As Maurice waited for a moment, bewildered, a group of people were indeed running from the direction that Parniel had come from.

About a hundred people in priestly robes and white armor. They were the attendant priests and temple knights who served Parniel.

The one at the front shouted loudly.

"Saint! Why are you moving around on your own so dangerously!"

Maurice's eyes widened when he heard that.

"Saint? Are you really a saint?"

Parniel nodded nonchalantly.

"Yes, I am the saint chosen by the Goddess of War."

"… … ."

It was so different from the image that comes to mind when you think of a saint… … but since she was chosen by the goddess of war, it seemed fitting.

In any case, a saint should be treated with more respect than a superhuman, because her name is not light.

That's what a saint is.

Maurice bowed his head deeply again. Given that the opponent was a saint, even the idea of fighting together seemed ridiculous.

"Thank you again for agreeing to help the Kingdom of Rutania."

"Don't worry. This too is the guidance of the goddess."

Parniel also bowed her head slightly again. She was used to this kind of treatment.

Maurice and the defeated soldiers, who had joined the saint, retreated proudly.

* * *

"Judge Beacontis is dead?"

"yes."

"her...."

Count Pogren looked dumbfounded after receiving the report from the pursuing force.

He was a superhuman even though he had been through a lot for a few days. However, it is said that he was killed by someone who suddenly appeared while chasing the defeated soldiers.

"Who the hell is that?"

"I don't know. She was just a very large woman. Judging from the fact that she was wearing the regalia of the Moriana Church, I'd guess she was a warrior priest."

"A battle priest beat a superhuman to death? Which sect in this kingdom has such a priest!"

Count Pogren shouted. If there were such a priest, the rumor would have spread long ago. At the very least, it would have been caught in the duke's intelligence network.

There was no reason for the Salvation Church to spread the word about the Saint of War who was fighting against them. That was why the information was not even passed on to Count Pogren.

I was going crazy because I had no way of knowing what was going on even though I was angry and sulked for a long time.

What's even more maddening is that he lost sight of the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Army right before his eyes.

"Phew… … ."

He sighed and called his staff.

"We'll rest for two days and then march straight to the capital. If we defeat the lords' armies once or twice, there won't be any army that can stop us."

"Isn't two days too short? The soldiers are very tired."

It's been a tough battle to take this place. You won't be able to recover properly with just two days of rest.

Count Pogren shook his head despite his staff's advice.

"There are still Allied forces that haven't arrived yet. When they do, we'll be even more exhausted. Since we've lost the Judge, we'd better move faster and push back the remaining ones."

It seemed like a superhuman figure had joined the opposing side, but it wasn't a big problem.

There are very few troops left over there. Even if we hastily gather the armies of the lords guarding this area, they will not number more than 10,000.

Although they had lost half of their troops, they still had 30,000 elite soldiers left. Their magician force was also intact.

This amount of power was enough to kill at least one superhuman.

"The Northern Army will be pushed back by the 2nd Army Corps. Even if the Northern Army wins, they won't be able to move fast enough to stop us."

Count Pogren confidently declared. His staff nodded in agreement.

But there was one thing they didn't know.

While I was resting and tidying up, a crow kept circling in the sky.

- Master, it looks like the army will move soon.

They started moving again just as Jiselle heard the news and was about to set off.

Jiselle, who received the situation through Dark, unfolded the map while on horseback.

"Fortunately, I can make it on time."

An army of 30,000 men would be slow no matter how fast they walked. This was especially true for an army that had not yet recovered from fatigue after several days of fighting.

In comparison, the Fenris Mobile Force boasts the best mobility in the kingdom. They are not lacking in morale or stamina.

Jiselle roughly calculated the speed of both sides and pointed to a spot on the map with her hand.

"Let's catch it here."

It seemed that the Duke still didn't fully understand the mobility of the Fenris Army. He was just fixated on the fact that Giselle himself was a superhuman.

Or perhaps he thought that the Northern Army's expanded power would move all at once. Or perhaps he thought that the Northern Army would be swept away while he was away.

"That is your limit."

Jiselle smiled coolly.

I thought I would take this opportunity to clearly show what kind of person I am.