Chapter 146
Chapter 146
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: The Erased Name (9)
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The Miracle of Selection.
The eighth of the ten miracles available to clerics. A power so rare that only a scant handful across the entire Church could wield it—a prerequisite for ordination as an archbishop.
This miracle erased any power not personally permitted by the cleric, regardless of its nature. Now, it began bleaching the altered realm that the mage had dyed in his own colors.
Creeeeak—
The clash of two opposing powers warped space itself. The darkness occupying the area shuddered, unable to hold its ground, letting out a silent scream.
Galen had experienced this phenomenon briefly once before.
When he had first met Archbishop Vargha of the south, he'd tested it out in a friendly clash, curious to relive the miracle and prove his gem rank.
But there was one crucial difference this time.
The altered realm being erased wasn't his.
"Fascinating."
Galen murmured in fascination as he observed the changes around them.
His own altered realm and the armored monster's had overlapped in the same space without pushing each other out.
Yet Lilia's spreading Miracle of Selection, amid the vibrations, targeted only the armored monster's altered realm precisely.
"Is Lilia controlling this bit by bit?"
"Nope? It's more like sweeping it away with a broom—swoosh, swoosh."
"It was picking out just the enemy's mana so cleanly."
"Of course I can't touch Brother's mana! Hmm, it's like deciding what to clean first and swinging, and it filters itself out?"
"In that case... this might resolve easily. Anyway."
Galen grinned playfully, veering off-topic for a moment. Still supported by Lilia, he only needed to tilt his head slightly to whisper.
"What if you suddenly leap to the next stage like this? You scared me."
"That's rich coming from you?!"
Lilia puffed out her cheeks and pouted.
"You startled me half to death when you suddenly became a gem last time. No matter how hard I chased, you kept pulling ahead."
"I run because I know you'll catch up. And sure enough, here you are so quickly."
"Quickly? It took half a year!"
"You should say 'only half a year.' Don't say that in front of others, okay? We'd both get lynched."
Galen, at least, had the ridiculously overpowered status window—unknown to others—that let him devour experience and skyrocket his growth.
Lilia was keeping pace raw, without it. She had just days until her twentieth birthday. This wasn't just rewriting Church history; it was all of warrior and mage history combined.
"Super genius" didn't even cut it anymore. Better to just make "Lilia" its own category.
"And there's already one victim right here who fell to Lilia."
"Huh? Oh."
Lilia flinched as she remembered Hamel. Galen chuckled.
Hamel, forgetting all decorum as acting archbishop, was half-conscious, utterly dazed.
Galen the mage only sensed a strange pulsing, but Hamel the cleric felt the miracle's grandeur hit him full force.
Witnessing an archbishop's birth up close in real time would rattle anyone.
"Bishop, Bishop."
Lilia grabbed and shook Hamel's arm. Only with direct contact did his senses return.
"Ah, ah. Bishop Lilia... no, wait. Um, I mean... now it's Your Excellency..."
"I haven't been ordained yet, so just call me comfortably!"
Lilia beamed, neatly sorting Hamel's rambling.
"Anyway, I get that you're shocked, but could you treat Brother for me?"
"R-right. Sorry. I've been making a fool of myself all day."
Hamel shook his head vigorously, even slapping his own cheeks to snap out of it, finally focusing his eyes. Lilia carefully handed Galen over.
"It's hard to maintain focus, so combining it with other miracles is a bit taxing. Sorry."
"Not at all. This is my duty to share."
Hamel spoke firmly and infused Galen with holy power. Vitality returned to Galen's body, already patched up once by Lilia.
"I won't burden you long. The enemy can't hold out much longer."
Galen asserted confidently, his voice regaining strength.
If Lilia were inexperienced, maybe—but true to form, she'd awakened and immediately shown the talent to erase the armored monster's altered realm.
Two hands can't block one? No—a simple truth: one hand can't block two.
"Lilia, does Selection have a range?"
"Yep. Miracles are based on holy power, after all."
"Then we'd better get closer."
Galen manipulated the mana of Illusory Infernal Flames. The wall of flames parted sideways, opening a path for the three.
The poison that had leaked before the spirit lid sealed the dirt mound was already burned away. Just endure the heat.
The three approached the dirt mound.
"Terrifying..."
Hamel muttered grimly. Up close, it was clear: the transparent water barrier melting at horrifying speed upon touching the pale mist.
The water itself seemed contaminated, the poison seeping faintly like a stench. Even that made his head ache.
"To pierce water this thick... the poison's potency is unimaginable. If this had fully broken through..."
"But it didn't, in the end. That's what matters."
Galen grinned at the shuddering Hamel.
"That's why we won. Lilia."
"Yes!"
Without explanation, Lilia knew what Galen wanted.
Her delicate hand extended toward the spirit. At a distance where water might touch, she halted her palm, eyes gleaming.
Thoom!
The holy power Lilia unleashed shot forward as vibrations.
The Miracle of Selection pierced straight through the mana of Spirit Creation forming the spirit and the Water Flow Manipulation forcibly shaping it.
Sssizzle!
The moment it touched the mist of death, it unleashed its true power.
The mist of death, devouring even holy power alongside mana, tried to consume the Miracle of Selection too.
In turn, the miracle sought to erase the mist it deemed profane from existence.
The powers of annihilation and erasure killed each other. Far faster than a typical clash between altered realms and the miracle.
"Not easy, as expected."
"Even dying, a gem is a gem. Lilia holding her own right after awakening is more impressive."
"I'm not about to lose to an exhausted foe!"
Lilia had spent holy power treating Galen, but nothing like a mage's depletion from frontline combat.
Plus, she had the Fragment Bracelet for extra leeway.
Tzzt! Tzzt! Tzzt!
Each collision of holy power and mana produced bizarre bursts of sound.
At a glance, neither side dominated—it looked evenly matched.
But this fight wasn't a one-on-one between the Miracle of Selection and the mist of death.
Initially, Water Flow Manipulation and the mist had been in fierce deadlock until the poison mixed in, tipping the balance. Now, Selection aided Water Flow Manipulation.
"There we go."
Galen smirked.
With Selection charging ahead to self-destruct against the mist, Water Flow Manipulation followed unhindered.
The forest depths' poison still melted the spirit, but outputting more water than melted pushed forward.
"Can you pierce to the mound's core?"
"I'll try! If the enemy could, so can I!"
Lilia focused her holy power determinedly. Like thrusting Radiant Spear, she concentrated the miracle in one direction.
Toward the dirt mound's depths—likely the armored monster's burial spot—the holy vibrations burrowed.
Water streams followed right behind. No reason water couldn't slip through soil gaps where mist and poison had.
Tzztztztztzt!
Sensing crisis? Resistance intensified.
The death mist rising from the entire mound suddenly concentrated solely against the incoming miracle.
But that final stand only delayed the end—it couldn't stop it.
Galen and Lilia had focused too, their mana and holy power combined.
The armored monster had briefly shone by synergizing mist and poison, but now faced magic-miracle synergy in return—like paying back double.
"Got it."
"We got it."
Galen and Lilia said almost simultaneously. Different senses, same info.
The old mist swept away; no new mist emerging.
The armored monster's wildly fluctuating altered realm rapidly stilled and vanished.
Finally.
"Ugh!"
Galen groaned as his vision spun. Lilia whipped around at lightspeed.
"Brother?!"
"H-healing's ongoing."
Hamel, diligently infusing holy power, spoke up quickly. Galen chuckled awkwardly in agreement.
"Just a moment of weakness. Tension released now that it's dead."
"It's dead?"
"Yes. Confirmed."
Galen emphasized to the brightening Lilia.
How so certain?
The spinning vision? A flood of level-ups.
The surest proof of death.
Water Flow Manipulation rose two levels. Without the poison, he could've crushed with it alone—so the enemy's level likely wasn't higher than his. Quite rewarding.
But other updates made that feel modest.
No direct damage, but Illusory Infernal Flames aiding by burning surroundings and Territorial Advance triggering the landslide both skipped levels. Experience based on contribution, so they must've shone.
Harder for gold to beat gem than silver gold—but they'd sealed the monster using terrain well.
The others barely used, already at gold's peak pre-battle.
Earth Bind from brief earth spirit play; Spiral Eddy from one lake ruin trip. No regrets on no growth.
'Lower-level spells rising focuses balance. No sudden gem insights anyway.'
Even zero progress elsewhere? Galen wouldn't care.
Learning the powerful debuff Death Mist expanded tactics alone.
Above all, Lilia reached his level.
Congratulatory as her fan; joyful as comrade.
"Huuuuh."
Lilia exhaled deeply, relaxing fully.
"That was historically exhausting... Good work, both of you—Brother and Bishop."
"You two did all the work. I did nothing."
"The city avoided chaos thanks to superior command. You're still healing me."
"Ah, I'll take over now!"
"It's fine. You must be tired."
"No. Without combat, I can handle this. Bishop has other duties."
Lilia stuck close to Galen again. Hamel smiled wryly, handing him over.
Supported arm-in-arm once more, Galen cleared his throat and changed topics.
"Anyway, it's dead, but poison lingers—cleanup needed. Might be in the corpse, so burn it whole?"
"Good idea, but extracting takes time?"
"Not hard. Not buried in solid rock."
Galen flicked his hand lightly. The spirit lid atop the mound shifted to a plain giant form.
Fwoooosh!
The giant fired a mighty water cannon. A grand pillar slammed the mound's midsection, carving soil away.
Rumble rumble!
The mound shook gradually. Internal water from earlier burrowed, reacting.
Sploosh!
The doubly assaulted spot burst open, forming a passage.
Like erupting lava, a powerful water jet shot out, carrying the armored monster downslope.
"It's huge."
Lilia's impression, first sight since post-burial.
Galen replied.
"Much worse off than pre-burial."
"Wouldn't be weirder intact after burial?"
"True, but the armor? Crushed bits, plus corrosion."
"Poison that potent. Still leaking."
"Burn quick."
"Ah, but shouldn't we check the face? Even if mangled..."
Lilia crouched by the corpse, swiftly removing the helmet to minimize poison contact.
The next moment.
Lilia's grimace twisted differently. Galen's watching face matched.
"...Huh?"
The half-smashed face was too ruined to guess original form.
Yet one unmistakable trait.
"What... is this?"
It was clearly not human.