We're Fucked
The low rumble echoed once more.
It was a sound I’d grown all too familiar with.
“I-it’s the defense system…”
The Saintess muttered, her face pale with terror.
“The barrier took damage, so it’s activating to repel the intruder…”
She was trembling so violently it was almost pitiful. I stepped closer, intending to comfort her.
“Don’t!”
“You okay?”
“I-I’m better now, but… you can’t touch me.”
Right. I was the one who shattered the barrier.
With a single stretch of my hand, I could solve the very problem she’d longed for—‘no physical contact with others.’
The Holy Empire’s knight order and this defense system were nothing more than emergency measures. Now that the barrier they’d poured everything into had been breached, nothing could stop me.
“Got it.”
I decided not to touch her.
A Saintess was not a sex saint.
She craved freedom, but she didn’t want to rub bodies with just anyone like some whore. If anything, she simply wanted to feel the warmth of someone precious to her.
“Thank you.”
The Saintess gave a small, respectful bow. Her dignified grace was admirable, but that wasn’t what mattered right now.
“How long until the knight order arrives?”
“They would have deployed immediately.”
“Then we just have to hold out until then.”
That’s what I said, but I had no intention of simply enduring.
I wasn’t weak enough to be forced into a war of attrition.
I turned my gaze.
“Hah…”
The cave I had emerged from—its entrance was shaking violently.
The tremors were strong enough to reach all the way to the temple. If I fell, getting back up might be impossible.
“Linea! Protect the Saintess. Don’t touch her body.”
“Yes!”
Linea dashed over to the Saintess and began casting protective magic.
I stared at what could no longer be called an entrance. The wildly shaking opening gradually shrank in on itself.
In its place, a new form began to take shape.
A golem?
It was nearly tall enough to scrape the temple ceiling. Its size was enormous, but the power contained within it was even greater.
I swallowed hard as I observed the golem’s movements. My sword was already drawn.
My condition’s a bit of an issue.
Breaking through the barrier had consumed a considerable amount of my energy. I could fight right now, but a prolonged battle would be difficult.
I’d end this quickly.
CRACK!
The golem glared at me with glowing red eyes. That stare was downright murderous.
I could do without such heated attention.
Muttering a dry joke, I raised my mana.
First, I wrapped my blade in power. Then my eyes. I didn’t focus them to the painful degree I had earlier.
Just enough to locate the golem’s core. That would be sufficient.
But the moment I did—
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding…!”
A curse slipped out involuntarily.
That thing’s the shrunken version?
How many times larger was the original? Ten times? Dozens?
The golem’s true form was far bigger than this. Even from the vague glimpse I caught, it was clear the creature could easily dwarf this entire temple.
Was its power weakened too?
That was the problem—it wasn’t.
A hollow smile crossed my face as I gripped my sword tighter. It had been a while since I’d felt this kind of tension.
The headmaster hadn’t held any hostility toward me, but this golem was different. It had been created for the sole purpose of eliminating intruders.
BOOM!
The golem took a step forward. Was it planning to destroy the temple?
Just one step, and the entire building shook violently.
“Linea, you alright?!”
“Y-yes!”
I didn’t wait for a proper answer before charging forward. The golem swung its massive arm downward.
I twisted my body sideways to dodge. As I slid across the temple floor, a stone pillar rushed toward my face.
I kicked off the ground and latched onto the pillar before I could crash into it.
BANG!
The spot where the fist had struck split apart. If I’d been hit, I’d be dead.
With a leisurely thought, I dropped back down from the pillar. The golem retracted its arm and turned its gaze toward me.
No need to waste time. There was a brief window between attacks.
I used the pillar as a stepping stone and dashed straight at the golem. It raised its other arm.
Was it trying to make up for its previous mistake? This time, instead of smashing down, it swept its arm sideways.
I stopped mid-air the instant I saw the motion. Dodging cleanly was impossible.
So I’d deflect it.
SCREEEEEEECH—!!!!
My blade clashed against the golem’s arm.
“Ugh?!”
It was even heavier than I’d anticipated. There wasn’t even a proper contest of strength.
Deflecting it alone was already straining me. Time to make a decision.
I abandoned the idea of deflecting and instead leaped toward the golem’s torso.
WHOOSH!
The sound of rushing air rang out. It was threatening, but ultimately it meant the attack had missed.
That was way too close.
Jumping while trying to deflect had been incredibly risky. If I’d been even a fraction slower, I would’ve been smashed into the wall.
Clinging to the golem’s shoulder, I continued my train of thought.
Normal attacks won’t work.
What about the Concept-Cutting Sword I’d used to break the barrier?
Unfortunately, I couldn’t use it.
The preparation time was too long. I was hanging on for now, but I could fall at any moment.
Shit!
Speak of the devil. The moment I thought I might fall, the golem’s hand shot toward me.
I leaped from its shoulder to its head and kept thinking.
I can’t win with a sword alone.
I landed on the golem’s head. Looking down, I could see its two glowing eyes.
Should I stab them?
No.
Even if I gouged out its eyes, it wouldn’t mean anything. As long as the core remained intact, the golem would still be able to sense me.
It didn’t rely on sight. I couldn’t waste this precious opportunity on something so trivial.
What should I do?
I had located the core. But the rocks that made up its body were far too hard.
My sword wouldn’t be able to pierce through.
I bit my lip, racking my brain. Then, suddenly, a conversation with Seah came to mind.
“If the enemy has strong defense, just make their defense weak!”
“Isn’t that just stating the obvious?”
“No, listen. Why would you brute-force your way through a strong defense? If you weaken it first, the path becomes much easier.”
“Like a curse?”
“Similar, but different! Look here…”
The golem’s body was made of stone. Punching it with my bare fist wouldn’t even leave a scratch.
It would only hurt my hand.
But what if the stone became extremely brittle?
What if it eroded to the point that even a light touch would cause it to crumble?
Then even a bare-fisted strike could shatter it.
Tap.
I placed my hand on top of the golem’s head.
“Hoo…”
I steadied my breathing and began circulating my mana. My magic circuits swelled rapidly.
The image I held in my mind was smashing stone with a bare fist. I poured my will and mana into that vision.
Crackle—
Starting from its head, the golem’s body began to corrode. Realizing what I was doing, it frantically raised its hand—
But I had already dropped down.
Now!
My eyes snapped wide open. My target was the golem’s core.
I thrust my sword forward, clenching my teeth so hard they felt like they might shatter.
The golem had resistance to mana. If I gave it even a moment, it would immediately restore its corroded body.
I wasn’t going to give it that moment.
I drove my sword straight into the golem’s core. A sensation like something bursting flowed up through the blade.
Fuck…
I clutched my throbbing head and dropped to one knee. I had expended far too much mana in a short time.
But I couldn’t lose consciousness. Even though I’d destroyed the core, another attack might still come.
Squinting, I observed the golem. It stood tall and motionless.
It remained perfectly upright, as if its functions had shut down. Then—
Sssss—
The golem’s head began to crumble. Its torso, arms, and legs followed one after another.
It was returning to its primitive form.
The once-massive creature had been reduced to mere pebbles, then scattered on the wind and oxidized into nothing.
“I won.”
I collapsed onto the floor. The tension drained away, and a sticky wave of exhaustion crashed over me.
If I fell asleep now, I’d be completely fucked. I forced myself to stay conscious.
“Master!”
Linea, who had been keeping her distance, came running over. Beside her was the Saintess, carefully maintaining a safe distance.
She’d done well. Despite the shockwaves from the battle, not a speck of dust had touched the Saintess.
Linea, on the other hand, looked quite disheveled.
“A-are you okay?”
Linea asked, her voice full of concern.
I really don’t get her.
If I died, Linea would be the one to benefit. She should still be hoping for my death.
Yet that worry in her voice felt completely genuine.
“Look at the state of your body! You’re a complete wreck…”
“I’m fine.”
“What do you mean, fine?!”
Linea fussed over me, unable to stay still. She had expended a lot of mana too, so healing would probably be difficult for her.
I let out a small chuckle.
“This isn’t the time to be laughing… huh…?”
I placed my hand on Linea’s head. Enjoying the soft texture, I slowly stroked her hair.
“I said I’m fine.”
“Y-you idiot!”
Linea’s face turned bright red as tears welled up in her eyes.
“I really, really hate you…!”
She hung her head and weakly pounded her fists against my chest. It didn’t hurt at all.
And she didn’t pull her face away. Instead, she leaned her head in closer, as if asking for more.
As I continued stroking Linea’s hair—
“I’ll heal you.”
The Saintess quietly sat down beside me.
“Are you sure you’re not overexerting yourself?”
I asked out of courtesy. In truth, Linea was the one who was overexerted.
“I’ve only been protected by this lovely young lady. And mana exhaustion is nothing to me.”
The Saintess reached out her hand, carefully maintaining a safe distance so she wouldn’t touch me.
A warm platinum light flowed from her palm. It was the same holy power I had seen during the welcome party.
But this light was incomparably more brilliant. It enveloped my entire body.
Whoa.
This wasn’t just a matter of regaining strength. It felt as if my body had been rewound to its past state.
I clenched my fist. Power surged through me.
After all that suffering to defeat the golem, a single flick of holy power had completely restored me. This was seriously overpowered.
I wonder how much has been recovered.
I tried to stand up to check—
But my head suddenly spun. I lost my balance and toppled toward the Saintess.
She was in danger of being crushed under me. I tried desperately to twist my body, but—
In the end.
Ah.
I fell while holding the Saintess tightly in my arms.
“E-eh, uhh, uuu?”
The Saintess, wrapped in my embrace, let out a string of incomprehensible sounds.
And at that exact moment—
“Saintess! Are you alright?!”
The Holy Empire’s knight order had arrived.
We are so fucking dead.