Chapter 284
Chapter 284
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 284
Chapter Title: Chapter 6-4. Blue Lance Knight
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Missed.
The extended scythe sliced through empty air. Iris was flustered by the lack of sensation in her hand. She retrieved the scythe and first swung it toward the lances raining down threateningly from above. The scythe handle, formed like swirling black haze, stretched long at her command, boasting an enormous range and attack radius.
Like ink-soaked brush strokes on paper, it left trails in the air as it deflected the spears. Turning around, Iris could only furrow her brow. The conical magical lance she had just missed had already pierced through Lime's body.
A gruesome sight.
A massive hole gaped in his body, blood spraying from it in all directions and staining the surroundings red. Naturally, he was dead. As if he couldn't believe his own death, he stood there for a moment with eyes wide open before collapsing limply. Then a lance impaled his head from above, turning it to mush.
Under Iris's protection, Arhil watched the scene, squeezing her eyes shut and biting her lower lip. Powerless. All she could do was offer minor blessings and holy magic. But even that was useless against the downpour of spears. Even as Gabriel's saintess, she was no different from an ordinary priest. Against such overwhelming numbers, there was nothing she could do.
'Judah...!'
She missed him. In this nightmarish situation that had unfolded so suddenly, she wished he would appear and save them.
Just like when evil spirits attacked the small village of Calypso.
Just like in Uruun, when they were tainted by the Seventh Sin, Asmodeus's magic, but found Gabriel's temple and received purification from the Holy King.
Just like in the elven forest, when he held back the slave kingdom Silan's army surging like a tidal wave.
She hoped he would resolve this situation too. But she couldn't just wait blankly for him to arrive. At the very least, when he came, she needed to face him proudly and say she'd been waiting.
'I have to do what I can.'
Lime was dead too. She had watched his death clearly. She wouldn't die so pointlessly. She would hold out until Judah arrived. To do that, she had to protect Iris. And Iris had to protect her. Arhil clasped her hands in prayer. Holy power flowed out, infusing Iris's body with blessings.
"...!"
Iris, blocking the falling javelins, was startled as warm golden holy power seeped into her body, invigorating her. She had received a blessing earlier, but this felt different—her body grew lighter, strength surging through her. As she swung the scythe to bat away the last falling spear, a golden barrier unfolded.
Fueled by her resolve not to die, the golden barrier formed much faster than the first time, appearing far sturdier. Watching this, Kalliktes tilted his head and summoned a spear into his hand.
Silver particles gathered, forming a new spear. Magic was a power embodied in spears; even an advanced Blue Lance Knight could summon ten by default. Masters could summon double that, twenty, so there was no need to begrudge throwing them.
"Hup!"
Inhaling sharply, he gripped the spear and hurled it at the golden barrier with all his might. The air tore with a ripping sound as the spear embedded itself instantly. The impact was strong enough to send out shockwaves, but it couldn't shatter the barrier. Cracks like fractured glass appeared, but it quickly repaired itself.
"Hmm, should I have killed the priest first? With that level of holy power, she's not just a priest—probably a high priest... no, a saintess."
"She is Lady Gabriel's saintess. I don't know why she's with Judah Arsher, though."
"Really?"
Ha, Kalliktes let out a hollow laugh. It was just a throwaway comment, but to think she was actually a saintess. Were saintesses that common? Priests were already rare enough, and on this small continent without even a temple, there were two saintesses?
'Can I kill her?'
Saintesses were those blessed by the Holy King. A fleeting thought crossed his mind—would killing one earn the Holy King's ire? But in all his years, he'd never heard of a Holy King cursing anyone for slaying a saintess. It probably didn't matter. He concluded lightly and stepped forward, muttering.
"Wasting spears from this distance is pointless. Arthur, Benedict, Conrad!"
As he called their names loudly, three Blue Lance Knights stepped forward. Having surpassed advanced rank to become master Blue Lance Knights, they too were spirit sword owners. In other kingdoms, spirit sword wielders were rare enough to count on one hand, but not in the Empire. A single one per knight order was impressive, yet the Empire's Blue Lance Knights alone had nearly ten spirit sword owners.
"Adjutant, I'm leaving command to you while I take a short stroll. Make judgments and act even without my signal."
The adjutant replied affirmatively and immediately ordered the unit to stand by. The Blue Lance Knights, who had been summoning new spears ready to throw at any command, dropped them to the ground and assumed more comfortable standby positions. Organ followed behind Kalliktes as he advanced.
"You're going out there yourself at your age?"
Organ asked in genuine surprise. Even with a Fragment, age was something humans couldn't ignore. No, not just humans—all races weakened noticeably in old age.
Of course, Organ's age wasn't young either. She hadn't mentioned it, but truthfully, she was far older than Kalliktes. However, chosen as an apostle by Holy King Metatron, she was unbound by age.
"What's my age got to do with it? Even past seventy, I'm better than most youngsters. Those approaching Blue Lance Knights are spirit sword owners too, but I could beat those three."
There was some bravado, but with the Fragment, he could handle three no problem. Without it, 1v2 was feasible, 1v3 a bit tough.
"And to fight someone with four Fragments, I need the most advantageous conditions. To deal with them quickly, I have no choice but to go myself. But Lady Organ, why are you following?"
"Can't just watch from behind against a common enemy."
"Hoh, even if it means possibly killing not just a priest, but a saintess?"
Organ smirked at Kalliktes's question.
"You're not planning to let her go anyway, right? You ignored me earlier, but the saintess reveal changed your mind?"
"No, regrettably not."
"Then let's go. That spirit sword owner doesn't look ordinary either—wouldn't it be faster with my help?"
Another spirit sword owner would certainly help. And given her javelin skill that killed the magic swordsman, her abilities were likely far beyond what Kalliktes imagined.
"That makes... hm?"
Nodding to agree, he suddenly felt vitality stirring within him. Golden light faintly shimmered over his armor, seeping in.
"Consider it an honor. It's the saintess's blessing."
Kalliktes was stunned but said nothing to Organ's proud words.
'Amazing.'
Was this what saintess blessings were like?
He'd received priestly blessings before, but nothing like this.
Whether due to her being a saintess or Metatron's influence, the vitality was immense. The best description was feeling young again.
Creaking joints moved smoothly, body lightening.
Muscles didn't scream but roared with overflowing power.
It didn't end there. His mind cleared, mana within surging purer, circulating fiercely like blood through his veins. Confidence welled up.
"Lady Kalliktes."
"?"
"Those broken or bent spears around the barrier. May I use them?"
"...? No idea what you mean."
"I'll take that as permission. Can't recover and reuse them here anyway."
Organ raised her Fragment sea anemone. A strange mana pulsed, and spears outside the golden barrier sliced off thinly like peeled films, floating into the air. Countless metal shards—thousands, maybe tens of thousands—fluttered like petals.
Sasasasak—
The distinctive clash of metal rang out. The iron petals soared high, merging and fusing into one enormous great spear. It looked about 10 meters, though hard to tell exactly. Clearly, it was godlike in size. The massive floating spear spun lightly rightward. Its rotation accelerated like a drill.
"That's..."
"This is my Fragment sea anemone's power. Shall we begin? Let's start. Need to end this quickly."
Her helmet hid her face, but her voice brimmed with delight. The great spear, forged by Organ's mana and the sea anemone's power, spun like a drill and descended. It slid down from the air, pounding the golden barrier.
Kiiing!
A piercing screech as it gouged into the golden film, forcing its way in. Cracks spiderwebbed instantly, and it shattered. No time to repair—the barrier exploded like broken glass, the great spear plunging through. But a black trail appeared, bisecting the spinning spear clean in half. Losing momentum, it crashed to the ground, kicking up thick ashen dust.
The scorched black earth from dark flames made it dusty too, but entering felt unappealing.
"Kruk!?"
Hesitating amid the swirling dust, a death cry rang out. Kalliktes whipped his head around. Iris, scythe in hand, had somehow appeared behind master Blue Lance Knight Arthur approaching from the left. Arthur's head flew into the air. Blood spurted from the clean-cut neck, severed with his gorget.
'Arthur, a spirit sword owner, taken so easily?'
Kalliktes's eyes widened. Iris, unsatisfied with one kill, vanished from the spot and reappeared behind master Blue Lance Knight Benedict, 10 meters away, who had been watching.
"Benedict, behind you!"
At Kalliktes's shout, Benedict spun, raising his shield. Mana-reinforced for durability, it took a heavy impact, pushing his body back. He planted his right foot to halt, then thrust his magical lance with his right hand. But the extended spear didn't even graze her hair.
Iris dodged lightly and swung her two-handed scythe swiftly. Too fast for a spirit sword owner's eyes.
"!"
When her attack halted, Benedict inhaled sharply, slowly lowering his gaze. Black trails riddled his body. It split into pieces, his consciousness fading. A veteran Blue Lance Knight who survived many wars to become a spirit sword owner, even blessed by the saintess, died helplessly without resistance. Two of them!
Watching the two Blue Lance Knights die, Organ hurled her sea anemone into the dust. A casual throw, but its power was no joke. It pierced the dust, and Iris, watching it, vanished like a phantom.
Kaang! A fierce gust blew, scattering the obscuring dust in an instant. Iris with her scythe stood before Arhil.
"......"
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