Chapter 271: Righteous Light (2)
Chapter 271: Righteous Light (2)
Immediately following Righteous Light’s roar.
As if it were a prearranged signal, the paladins and priests within the Great Temple began to converge. Every single one of them radiated a piercing gaze, as if they had been waiting for this exact moment. Righteous Light let out a hollow laugh at the sight.
“I suppose I’ve been underestimating my children.”
—Children always appear lacking in the eyes of their parents, My Lord.
Clara replied with a shrug.
It was clear they were heading out to fight. With this much military strength, while wiping out every monster might be difficult, rescuing Iris’s group was well within the realm of possibility.
However, there was one thing weighing on my mind.
“Um… Righteous Light?”
“Hmm? Yandel? I know you want to fight alongside us… but I told you, it’s far too dangerous right now. You’ll have plenty of chances to slaughter monsters in the future. So, just rest for now, okay?”
Her expression was troubled, and her tone was gentle, as if she were coaxing a child. Does she really see me as someone so desperate to fight that I can’t sit still?
From the followers to the God herself, what exactly does this Church think of me?
I let out a soft sigh and corrected her misconception.
“No. I’m well aware that I need to rest. It’s just… I wanted to say hello to Helena before you went off to battle.”
“Ah, well, um, about that…”
Righteous Light scratched her cheek awkwardly, her eyes darting away.
“Since I thought it was the end, I used what power I had left to put Helena into a deep sleep so she wouldn’t suffer. But I might have put her under a bit too deeply….”
“When will she wake up?”
“Three days, at the earliest?”
“…….”
Even general anesthesia wears off faster than that.
As I stared at her flatly, she seemingly couldn’t bear it anymore; her tail began to wag frantically as she shook her head in protest.
“I don’t know! I don’t know! How was I supposed to know it would turn out like this? Even a God isn’t truly omniscient, you know?!”
—My Lord. No one said a word.
“Grrr… A-anyway! I’m heading out, so don’t push yourself. Just stay there and watch me bring the other children back!”
With that, she snapped her head around and marched toward the gathered paladins and priests. With just a few words, she began to stoke their morale, which was already sharp enough to pierce the heavens.
As I watched the scene blankly, a familiar voice drifted from beside me.
“Impressive, isn’t it? Religion really is something else. Look at them—instead of being intimidated by such an overwhelming gap, they’re actually enjoying themselves!”
“Professor Iona? You aren’t hurt anywhere, are you?”
“Yep, yep! I got scratched here and there, but I’m a vampire! I healed ages ago. What about you, Student Yandel? You were a bloody mess earlier.”
“Fortunately, Righteous Light healed me personally. Though she said I’m not fully recovered, so I need to rest for now and get proper treatment later.”
“Is that so? Well, as long as you can be treated, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then that’s enough!”
Iona gave a bright smile, then suddenly scooped me up and jumped to the top of a pile of rubble in a single bound.
“Whoa?!”
Startled, I found myself set down as Iona took a seat in a suitable spot. Then, she began to pat her own thighs.
“Here!”
“???”
“Lie down, lie down! It’s exhausting to stay standing, isn’t it?”
“Uh… I don’t mind, but are you okay, Professor? You must be tired from fighting until just now.”
“Honestly, the problem would be solved instantly if I just sucked your blood… but you said you need to rest, right? So I’ll hold back! I should at least get this much as a reward!”
Claiming it was a win-win for both of us, Iona patted her thighs again.
The debris was large and flat—likely a section of a wall someone had smashed—so it didn’t seem like it would be uncomfortable to lie on. When I actually tried it, it felt like a stone bed.
Squish.
Well, the pillow was soft and supple, at least.
As I lay there catching my breath, I felt the sensation of slender fingers against my head. Iona was gently stroking my hair, occasionally fiddling with my ears.
I see. So this is what she meant by enjoying herself.
I let out a small chuckle to myself and looked forward. Perhaps because we were on high ground, I had a clear view of the distance.
I could see Iris’s group fighting. To be more precise, I could see the magic they were using.
Since they could draw out mana without limit, every spell was flashy and powerful. The problem was that the monsters were even more numerous.
They were sweeping away dozens of small fry at a time and even taking out three or four larger ones… but the giant monsters were the issue.
Being that size, their hides were naturally thick, and with the blessing of Reckless Roar on top of that, they were nothing short of living tanks.
Even from a distance, it looked daunting to see creatures that could barely be lethally wounded by a direct hit from Advanced Magic charging in packs.
But there was no need to worry. Reinforcements were on the way.
Glancing down, I saw the church members drawing their weapons and letting out war cries. No matter how I looked at them, they seemed far too menacing to be called clergy… but right now, there was nothing more reassuring.
“Let’s go!!”
As Righteous Light shouted and charged out of the barrier, the other paladins and priests followed with savage roars. It was a different kind of fanaticism compared to the cultists who unhesitatingly sacrificed themselves.
I had been a bit worried since the power gap was so significant… but it didn’t take long to realize my concern was unnecessary.
Righteous Light was not so foolish as to repeat the mistake of holding back her strength in front of an enemy. Nor was she so incapable of distinguishing between kindness and ruthlessness that she would ignore her followers’ resolve.
In other words… a Righteous Light focused solely on the enemy before her was insanely strong.
“ROOOAAAR—!”
A cry so thunderous it reached all the way here.
It was a momentum that made even the Ogres—once called the kings of the mountains and now known as Knight-Slayers for their high Aura resistance—flinch.
Naturally, Righteous Light didn’t miss the opening.
CRASH!
A violent sound of impact, like a high-speed traffic accident. It was the sound of Righteous Light, maintaining her initial charge speed—no, accelerating even further—slamming a shoulder tackle into the Ogre’s leg.
“Graaaagh…!”
The creature let out a pained groan, clutching its leg. Righteous Light seized the moment and leaped into the air.
BOOM!
Her mace swung with a sound like exploding air. The back of the Ogre’s healthy knee shattered, bone fragments tearing through the hide.
“KREEEEEEE!”
An agonizing scream. An Ogre with both legs broken could surely be finished off with a few more swings of the mace.
However, Righteous Light didn’t do that. She simply brushed past the beast and charged toward another monster lunging from the side.
At first, I thought she was trying to save time since her goal was to break through… but I soon realized that wasn’t the case.
I saw the paladins, following a beat behind, swarm over the fallen Ogre like a colony of ants, hacking it to pieces.
The defense granted by the Evil God’s blessing was easily pierced by Holy Power, and the vitality that came from its massive frame was shredded in an instant.
Watching the Ogre get decapitated, its entire body drenched in blood in that short span, I couldn't help but marvel.
“Wow… that’s insane.”
“What’s this? Student Yandel, you’re so close to the Church of Light, yet this is your first time seeing them fight properly?”
“Yes. I knew it in my head, but seeing it in person is something else.”
In H&A, if you converted to Righteous Light or raised your faction reputation to the level of a key ally, events where you fought alongside the Church of Light occurred frequently.
Thanks to that, I had seen how they fought when gathered together, rather than just as a single party member.
Behind the monitor, I used to chuckle, calling it a “Righteous Ganging-up”… but seeing it in reality, it was far too grim to laugh off.
Was it because the ferocity in their bloodshot eyes reached all the way here?
Unless their stamina and Holy Power ran out, it didn’t seem like Righteous Light and her followers would lose.
Since there were still civilians who had evacuated to the Great Temple, the barrier was being maintained, so this side was safe as well.
For that reason, I let go of the tension I had been holding and began to enjoy Righteous Light’s battle as if I were watching a movie.
She would catch the head of a charging Minotaur head-on, stopping it in its tracks before snapping its neck to kill it instantly. Or she would catch a Cyclops’s massive fist with one hand, pull the creature toward her, and drive her mace straight into its giant eye.
At a glance, it looked like she was pushing through with sheer, brute force… but for a Righteous Light who had decided not to hold back, this was likely the most efficient method.
Helena’s body, as the Saintess, could draw out all of Righteous Light’s Holy Power, and since she was currently in a state of Spirit Mediumship, her output had increased even further.
Furthermore, physical enhancement using Holy Power was structured so that the burden was shifted to the God, meaning there was no significant strain on Helena’s body.
In short, it meant that if she set her mind to it, she could simply overpower giant monsters with raw stats.
…Though she wouldn’t be able to fight for long.
Since the act of Spirit Mediumship itself put a strain on Helena’s body, it would be impossible to maintain full-power combat for hours on end.
Still… seeing her momentum now, it would be more than enough to bring Iris’s group back as expected.
I pulled some jerky from my inventory and munched on it while cheering for Righteous Light. After a moment, Iona suddenly pinched my cheek.
“Ouch! …Do you want one?”
“Yep, yep. And something to drink, too.”
I gave her some tomato juice, and she pinched me again.
Why…?