Chapter 101
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: Are You Crazy?
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1.
Fwwaaaaaah-!
A brilliant light erupted from the paladins, instantly sweeping through the fortress.
It was a light that could only be described as wondrous.
As if it were the most natural thing, the light purged the dark mana that had settled in the fortress.
Kiiiaaaaaak-!
The demonic beasts screamed incessantly.
Flames erupted from the skin of the beasts exposed to the light.
And the elves, who had been consumed by the killing intent of Slaughter, began to regain their senses one by one.
A miracle.
Leo, watching the sacred scene, muttered in a small voice.
Karron nodded in agreement with Leo.
Just as Leo said, it was a miracle.
A literal miracle, brought about by holy power.
Miracles weren't a matter of whether gods existed or not.
Regardless of faith, anything achieved through the energy known as holy power was called a miracle.
-There's a Saint over there, Master.
Guillotine said quietly.
A Saint.
A term for a being born with immense holy power.
They were the core of the group known as the Holy Kingdom, individuals who could one day ascend to the position of Pope.
People called them Saints.
Exterminate all evil!
I offer my life to the light!
The paladins charged through the light emanating from the Saint.
Their pure white steeds radiated holy power, trampling the demonic beasts.
Craaack-!
Crack!
The maces wielded by the paladins mercilessly crushed the heads of the beasts.
And once more, the Saint's holy power rained down upon them.
A pure white wave began to sweep over the demonic beasts.
The moment the paladins began their assault on the fortress, the tide of battle had already turned.
Leave medicine to the pharmacist and demons to the clergy. This is why you need specialists.
Karron grinned and looked up.
The beasts' command structure had collapsed, and Slaughter could no longer exert its power.
The only thing it could do in this situation was scan the battlefield with that eye.
The long battle was finally reaching its end.
At this point, the outcome was already decided.
Thanks to Slaughter overexerting itself and drawing out its dark mana, the Chaos Gate had lost its power.
All that remained was to clean up the demonic beasts.
Even if he put down his sword now, the fanatics would take care of the cleanup.
But this is too unsatisfying.
But Karron didn't lower his sword.
Every muscle in his body was screaming, but he didn't want to just hand over the finale to the fanatics.
Tap.
Karron took a step forward.
Then, Guillotine's voice echoed in his mind.
-Just as you're thinking, Master. We should land one good hit before we let it go.
Explain.
-That eye is the only thing here connected to Slaughter's main body. Unlike the fragment you were fighting until now, this one is imbued with its real dark mana.
The very source that had injected killing intent into the elves' minds.
That was the eye.
Hearing Guillotine's explanation, Karron grinned and asked.
Can you eat that thing?
-Absorption is possible. It's too soon for you to digest that power, Master, but I can contain it within me.
I need to get something out of this. Good, what's the specific method?
-Is there even a need for a method? Just stick me in there. I'll take care of the rest.
A simple method.
Of course, he couldn't personally plunge his sword into the eye positioned high in the sky.
He could barely even stand right now; how could he possibly fly?
Even with help from the wind spirits, it would be no easy task.
But there was no need to fly up there himself.
Thanks to the miracle unleashed by the Saint, most of the flying beasts had already fallen from the sky.
This meant the forces protecting the eye were now gone.
Wooooong!
Karron poured every last bit of mana clinging to his core into Guillotine.
Then, he glanced at Orion and said.
Give me a hand.
Are you planning to throw the sword?
It feels like the only way I'll let off some steam.
I agree.
Whoooooosh-!
The wind spirits began to reveal themselves.
Perhaps because the dark mana had been partially purified by the holy power, the spirits' momentum was even stronger than before.
I will assist you.
The mana flowing from Orion's body further strengthened the spirits.
A fierce wind blew.
And within that wind, red flames mingled.
Orion compressed the spirits' power onto his palm and looked at Karron with a smile.
Karron grinned and nodded. Then, with all his might, he threw Guillotine toward the eye.
And in that moment.
Booooooom-!
Orion detonated the spirits' power near Guillotine's hilt.
The force of the highly compressed explosion struck Guillotine's hilt.
Shwwwwwiiiiik-!
Guillotine, imbued with Azure Mana, tore through the sky.
It was like a bolt of lightning.
Not lightning striking down from the heavens, but lightning striking up from the earth.
That bolt of lightning.
Pshuk-!
In the blink of an eye, it pierced through the great eye.
Srrk.
Only then did the eye, which had been scanning the battlefield, fix its gaze on Karron.
Do you think you have won?
In response, Karron raised his middle finger at the eye.
Of course we won, you bastard.
Hate binds you, so even in this life, you cannot be free. What a pitiful fate.
Cracks began to form on the purple eye.
The hairline cracks originating from Guillotine spread across the entire eye in an instant.
Amidst the collapse, Slaughter whispered in a low voice.
One day, you will be consumed by that killing intent and slaughter everything with your own hands.
To those curse-like words, Karron replied with a bright smile.
I promise, I'll definitely slaughter you demonic bastards first. So
Karron took a deep breath. Then, looking straight at the eye, he finished his sentence.
For today, just piss off. You fucking loser.
K-k-k-k-crack-!
Soon after, the eye shattered into pieces like broken glass.
Purple fragments began to scatter in the air.
And at the same time, the purple dark mana that had draped the sky slowly vanished.
Within the dissipating dark mana, Slaughter's voice echoed one last time.
I shall wait with glee... for the moment you are devoured by your hatred.
With those final words, Slaughter's power completely vanished.
The battle with Slaughter thus came to an end.
2.
After the eye vanished, everything proceeded naturally.
The soldiers of the Holy Kingdom and the elves naturally joined forces to clean up the remaining demonic beasts.
There was nothing left for Karron's party to do.
They could only administer first aid to their wounds and rest among the wreckage.
The power of holy energy, the natural enemy of demonic beasts, was truly formidable.
Despite having less than half the numbers of the elves, they were unilaterally slaughtering the beasts.
Of course, that astonishing military achievement
Thump.
was all thanks to the Saint who was now approaching Karron's group.
The Saint's power was truly incredible.
The holy power he emitted was strong enough to melt lesser demonic beasts alive.
Thanks to your incredible efforts, we were able to stop the Demon King's stirrings. On behalf of the Holy Kingdom, I express my gratitude to you all.
The Saint spoke to Karron's party with a gentle smile.
Karron's group, who had been sitting on the remains of a spire, rose to their feet one by one.
Karron looked at the Saint with a bored expression.
A handsome appearance.
Added to that was his platinum-blond hair, an elegant color.
The pure white holy power radiating from his back perfectly matched the description of a halo.
And above all.
-He looks young, but he's already been granted wings. It seems the current Pope favors him greatly.
A pair of wings could be seen on him.
Wings of white, covered in white feathers.
The sight gave the impression that the Saint was like an angel.
But such holiness had no effect on Karron.
Karron already knew the truth behind those wings.
They weren't bestowed by the god they served.
They were merely a form created through holy power.
Surely the Brilliant Light must have guided you here. Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Eliya, a Cardinal of the Holy Kingdom.
When he quietly introduced himself, Rion responded with some surprise.
The Saint of Salvation?
Embarrassingly, I am sometimes called by such an undeserved title.
The Saint of Salvation?
For Karron, who had little interest in the Holy Kingdom, it was an unfamiliar title.
Still, it seemed Rion, who had been active in the south, recognized the name.
She whispered to Karron in a small voice.
That man is a strong candidate for the next Pope. Of note he's the leader of the hardliners within the Holy Kingdom.
Hardliners?
A mace in one hand, a holy book in the other. Their logic is that the Holy Kingdom must step in to resolve the wars between the southern kingdoms.
Ah.
He understood at once.
In short, they were the war-crazed lunatics among the fanatics.
There were plenty of guys like that in the Empire, so it was easy to understand.
Karron gave a small nod, then spoke to Eliya.
Let me ask you something, Saint.
Please do.
Have you seen me somewhere before?
To that question, Eliya shook his head with an unreadable smile.
Of course not.
Just then, about ten paladins strode forward from behind Eliya.
Paladins covered in the blood of all sorts of demonic beasts.
Their appearance was less holy and more aptly described as terrifying.
You may leave this place to us now. We will purify all the evil energy that has spread across this land. Therefore
Eliya looked into Karron's eyes and smiled.
Why don't you rest now? We will protect you.
On the surface, it was a very kind offer.
But Karron quickly discerned the hidden meaning behind those words.
Everyone, weapons up.
At Karron's command, his companions raised their weapons in unison.
They had noticed it too.
That the fanatics' attitude was strange.
Karron lightly gripped Guillotine and spoke to the Saint.
You bastards offering 'protection' are leaking killing intent all over the place, and you expect us to just follow you meekly?
I do not wish for unnecessary conflict.
If that's what you wanted, you shouldn't have come at us like this. Do we look like pushovers to you?
The atmosphere instantly grew hostile.
Why were these fanatic bastards suddenly acting like this?
Karron asked, looking ready to slice off Eliya's head at any moment.
It looks like you know who I am.
The skill to fight against a fragment of the Demon King. And above all that dark blue sword. After some thought, I realized who you are.
Eliya replied in a gentle voice.
Karron Leston. Rumors are usually exaggerated, but seeing you, it seems that's not always the case.
Even the paladins who had been hunting beasts began to join them.
Seeing this, Karron let out a dry laugh.
So you were after me from the start, huh?
At that, Eliya smiled and shook his head.
How could that be? We simply came to protect this world from the Demon King. However
Eliya trailed off for a moment.
The smile on his face vanished in an instant, and soon his cold voice echoed.
In my eyes, you don't seem much different.
I didn't know a so-called Saint would condemn someone without proof. Ah, but that's your specialty, isn't it? Witch hunts.
Others may not know, but I can see it clearly.
He pointed a finger at Guillotine.
The dreadful killing intent dwelling in that sword. That is a demonic sword. Is it not, Karron Leston?
Eliya's eyes gleamed eerily.
To those words, Karron
Ah, you found me out.
willingly bared his fangs at the fanatics.
The Duke's Family Has a Mad Dog