Chapter 54
Chapter 54
Saint, You’re So Vulgar! – Chapter 54
Battle had broken out along the coast.
The sailors who had landed ashore charged toward the enemy in unison.
That was the state of the battlefield at this point.
The tsunami Asher had unleashed had completely wiped out the coastline.
The ground had transformed into open terrain, stripped of all their prepared cover and natural defenses.
The merfolk hadn't suffered as much damage thanks to their racial traits, but quite a few were injured from the tsunami's impact.
In other words, the battle was tilting more favorably than expected.
"Kill them!!!"
"A blood offering to the Goddess!!!"
"Crush all these half-fish bastards! Offer their blood!!!"
...There were some minor incidents where the sailors lost themselves to madness in the process, but if the results were good, wasn't that what mattered?
Asher's embarrassment meant nothing in this situation.
The front line advanced.
Asher ignored the words reaching his ears and swung his sword.
Cutlass swordsmanship, honed on ships, proved useful on land as well.
And on top of that,
Chiiiing!
With the addition of throwing knives he'd brought along for covert techniques, he held his own quite well at the front.
Of course, there was someone who didn't want to leave him in such a dangerous spot.
"Stay behind me."
It was Versia.
Leveraging Asher's overwhelming physical prowess, she was a veritable storm.
Precise ranged prayers for suppression, combined with exquisite swordwork.
The coastline where the two fought together was quickly cleared, and reinforcements arrived around then.
"Lykers!"
"Ferrick! Long time no see!"
Lykers arrived with a booming laugh.
He began dominating the front lines.
Kwaaaang!
His sword strikes were more like aerial bombardments.
The overwhelming power from his massive frame, mana bursts, and seasoned skill made it impossible for injured merfolk to handle him.
The tide of battle shifted even further in their favor.
But it was too early to celebrate.
"Get your heads in the game! This is just the beginning!"
The western archipelago's main stronghold was a massive island shaped like a fortress.
In other words, victory on the coast didn't claim a significant portion of the overall forces.
Asher looked up.
His expression twisted.
Now that they'd landed on the island, it was even clearer.
'Heretics.'
That horrific mass of flesh posing as a castle. And the nauseating aura it exuded.
A stench that defied the natural order.
It was also the evil Asher had devoted his life to tearing apart.
The forces inside wouldn't be few by any means.
They couldn't use luring tactics like in the tunnels before.
This was all-out war. Tension filled the air.
"Want me to clear a path?"
Judith said.
A storm surged in at the same time.
"Sorry we're late!!!"
"Sir Melburn!"
Melburn appeared and carved a straight path to the distant fortress.
All they had to do was charge ahead, but they couldn't afford to let their guard down.
Kakakak!
Merfolk burst out with eerie shrieks.
Their numbers easily surpassed a hundred.
These weren't just the pirates from inside the archipelago.
Considering the forces within, this many could only come from kidnapping outsiders and twisting them into that form.
Judith said,
"You guys run ahead. We'll handle the small fry."
"Got it! Thanks!"
Asher charged with the sailors.
Melburn swept through the outer archipelago like a natural disaster.
Thanks to that, Asher could race toward the fortress more easily than before.
"You lot! Clear the way!!!"
"Yes, sir!!!"
The accompanying forces dwindled as they went.
The sailors were handling the enemies blocking the path to keep Asher's speed up.
And just as they reached the fortress entrance,
Kuuuung!
"Gon...!"
The black-haired man who had once ruled the western archipelago appeared.
Lykers and Ferrick's faces twisted.
Asher's expression soured too.
Simply because he'd joined the evildoers?
No.
'...He's enchanted?'
A murky energy clouded his eyes.
Asher felt it keenly with his body full of divine power.
"Go on ahead! We'll handle him!"
Asher flinched at Lykers' shout.
But Versia soothed him with a whisper.
"That guy's not interested in us."
Sure enough, the man called Gon was fixated on Lykers and Ferrick.
Asher gritted his teeth.
Lykers and Ferrick looked to be in danger, but he knew well that in a battlefield like this, you had to see the big picture beyond what's right in front of you.
"Please...!"
He turned and dashed into the fortress.
Behind him, those who had once had each other's backs now faced off.
* * *
This setup felt strangely nostalgic to Lykers.
Ferrick stepping in to mediate, himself reveling in the charge, and Gon weighing the profits.
But he couldn't just smile at the memoriesnot in this situation.
Lykers sighed.
"My friend. How did it come to this."
He'd crossed the line.
Lykers knew Gon was greedy for wealth, but he hadn't expected him to abandon his humanity for it.
To Lykers, it felt like the whims of fate.
"Kyle's daughter is here. The girl you just let pass."
They could become one again.
Return to those days of racing toward the same goal, laughing together.
That's what he thought as he spoke, but the response was ice-cold.
Nofull of resentment.
"Bullshit. Cut the crap."
Gon's eyes gleamed wildly.
"Kyle's daughter? What a load of nonsense! We asked the Church for help! You damn bastard dragged them in just to screw me over!!!"
Thud!
He charged, swinging his sword.
Lykers barely blocked, startled.
"Mus...?"
"You preached freedom, but in the end, it was all about saving your own skin! You son of a bitch!!!"
The mention of the Church puzzled Lykers.
He still didn't know Asher's true identity, so it was natural.
Amid the confusion, Gon's power exceeded what Lykers expected.
He poured everything into defense, and Ferrick provided support.
Piiing!
A magic arrow flew, checking Gon.
Ferrick shouted,
"Lykers! Talk later!"
Ferrick was a mage. He recognized Asher's power as divine.
He was confused too, but stopping Gon's rampage took priority.
Besides, it was undeniable fact that she was Kyle's daughter, no matter her affiliation.
Lykers understood Ferrick's intent.
He gritted his teeth and fully engaged Gon in battle.
One last attempt to persuade him.
But Gon had already crossed the river.
Maybe he had from the start.
"It's not too late! Gon!"
"Don't make me laugh! I've never liked any of you from the beginning!"
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Gon's assaults were aggressive and destructive.
"Romance? Men of the sea? I wasted time chasing bullshit dreams when I could've made real money! It was all child's play! Kyle ruined the archipelago!!!"
Kwaaaang!
For the first time in decades, Lykers and Ferrick heard Gon's true feelings.
"The archipelago should be a military power! A king gripping this sea with overwhelming terror! We could've had so much more! If it weren't for you bastards!!!"
Kwagwagwang!
The two sensed it instinctively.
To protect Kyle's legacyfor the sake of the archipelagoGon had to die.
"...I see."
Bitterness filled Lykers' mouth.
Hesitation swallowed him and faded away.
Kuuuung
Mana surged from his body.
More ferocious and profound than before.
* * *
Asher entered the fortress.
A foul stench assaulted him.
Not from divine power clashing with heretic divinity.
It was physicalthe reek of rotting flesh mingled with the sea's brine, permeating the entire space.
He pinched his nose, face hardened.
Steadily cutting down the heretics inside, he reached the center.
Now it was just Asher and Versia.
Melburn was rampaging outside, so reinforcements would come soon, but it was hard to be optimistic.
Asher's lips moved.
"Saintess, beyond this... "
"Yeah, I feel it."
Versia's face was tense.
With clear discomfort, she said,
"Don't stray from me."
As if she had no intention of repeating the same mistake twice, her tension was thicker than in the tunnels.
Asher nodded, and Versia kicked the door open first.
Bang!
The interior came into view with the sound.
Dozens of armed heretics, and a witch.
"Oh, he's a hunk?"
The witch grinned.
Like someone who'd stumbled upon something delightfully amusing.
She wore a thin dress that clung tightly to her body.
But an aura utterly inhuman filled her entirely.
Asher gripped his sword tighter.
'Physical? Or prayer?'
She didn't seem overwhelmingly strong, but like in the tunnels, she might be hiding her presence for an ambush.
Analyzing the opponent for openings was battle basics.
While eyes were on Versia, he tried to gauge the witch's nature.
But
"Hey, you good in bed?"
Asher froze.
"No, wait, doesn't matter if you're not. Did you see that widower outside? Hanging with a guy like that has me craving a young stud."
Asher's shoulders twitched.
The witch cackled, eyeing Versia up and down.
Her gaze dripped with lust.
Versia looked to Asher in response.
The witch glanced at him too, then sneered.
"What, you two screwing around? Ditch that and come to me. He looks like a stiff block of wood who'd just flail uselessly."
Words utterly out of place for the situation.
If that vulgarity fit a witch, then it did.
He could've stopped thinking there.
But why?
It was cheap provocation, not even worth minding.
Why did it sour his mood so much?
Twitch
A vein bulged on Asher's forehead.