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Lucia and I hit the ground. Grabbing her fabric bag haphazardly, just as I flung myself down the sloping hill, a massive explosion echoed from behind us.

Thud! Chunks of stone rained down. As I looked up, covered in debris and dust, I saw the grotesquely shattered stone wall—where we had just been standing.

“Damn…!”

Swish!

A sharp metallic sound sliced through the air. The Inquisitor, having unleashed a fierce attack, tightened his grip on the staff sword.

A long blade extended beneath the wooden staff’s handle, glimmering in the starlight, while the part that held the blade lay scattered across the floor.

Quickly pushing myself off the ground, I turned to Lucia.

“That’s the staff sword the battle priests use, right?”

“That’s correct.”

Lucia wrapped her fist around the fabric that held her talisman, and I hastily drew my pistol.

The Inquisitor took a stance. The taste of blood lingered between my tightly clenched teeth.

“This is ridiculous—”

I bit my lip and grabbed Lucia, rolling across the ground.

“Now even the priests are trying to stab the Saints!”

The sharp blades began to rain down upon us.

—

Episode 12 – The Ultimate Magician

—

Bang—!

A deadly slash came hurtling toward us.

It was an attack so fast it was hard to track with the eyes, and its power was as destructive as its speed.

Thud!

Shattered bricks flew into the air, dust scattering everywhere. The chunks bounced around, colliding with walls and the floor, creating a cacophony as they did.

If time were allowed, those stone bricks could last for thousands of years. Having endured for more than a hundred years, the bricks crumbled like pudding and spread apart.

“……”

The Inquisitor adjusted his grip on the staff sword and regained his stance. In the blink of an eye, he attacked again.

Lucia, positioned at an angle, swiftly twisted her body to evade the strike.

“Are you okay!?”

“I’m fine….”

Having dodged the blade, Lucia firmly planted her legs on the ground and took her stance. She tensed her little fists, and her slightly twisted waist returned to its original position.

“Yes!”

Her fist was thrust forward.

Wreathed in energy, her fist swung powerfully. A flurry of white light gently enveloped her hand, resembling fireflies lighting up a field at dawn.

Lucia’s determined punch struck the air.

She sliced through the wind with her swift motion, but unfortunately, the distance was too great for her fist to land on the Inquisitor.

However,

“Ugh!”

As her fist extended, a pained groan escaped the Inquisitor’s lips.

“Priest…!”

He hunched over, clutching his abdomen, going down to one knee as he collapsed to the floor.

I turned to Lucia and shouted.

“What was that just now?!”

“I landed a hit! It wasn’t deep, so be cautious! He’ll recover soon!”

Thud! The blade plunged into the ground, cutting her words short.

The Inquisitor, clutching his belly, relied on the staff to prop himself up. He pulled the blade out of the ground and swung it again to launch an attack.

“Dodge!”

As I heard the warning, I threw myself to the right. The sword strike barely missed the back of my head and embedded itself into the wall just moments later.

Lucia rolled to the left, avoiding the attack. She was lucky to have evaded the first strike, but there was no opportunity for a counterattack.

—Whoosh!

The staff sword twisted in a bizarre arc, chasing after her.

With each twisting motion of his wrist, the direction of the strikes changed. The Inquisitor wielded the staff sword as if it were an extension of his own body, launching relentless attacks.

—Slice!

The rigid bricks were cut along the path traced by the sword.

—Rumble!

A heartbeat later, debris and dust cascaded down over Lucia’s head.

“Oh no…!”

Lucia flailed her arms to shield herself from the falling chunks. While she managed to protect her vital points, her skin and clothes were not spared from the tearing.

—Creak!

The Inquisitor swung his sword toward Lucia.

He repeatedly wielded the staff sword and his arm. With each slash, heavy strikes surged forth, and with each gesture, shards went flying.

Whatever it was—magic or some sort of superpower—it seemed that every piece of rubble raining down on Lucia was the Inquisitor’s doing.

Of course, Lucia didn’t remain idle either.

“Yikes…!”

Lucia narrowly dodged an attack and slammed the ground.

The smooth stone brick cracked beneath her heavy footfall, leaving deep footprints. She dashed precisely three steps forward and leaped into the air, quickly closing the distance to the Inquisitor.

—Whoosh!

Lucia, channeling divine energy, leaped with a streak of light trailing behind her.

With slightly bloodied lips and a face dusted with rubble, her appearance was tragic, but Lucia hesitated not for an instant.

Her blue eyes sparkled like stars illuminating the night sky, and pure divine energy rained down like meteor showers across the galaxy.

In her tightly clenched fist, a small ring of white light spun.

Lucia soared through the air, swiftly closing the gap between her and the Inquisitor.

Her shoe sole met the Inquisitor’s chest in an instant.

Thud! The impact left a distinct footprint on his brown tunic. It produced a sound so powerful it was almost unbelievable that a kick had caused it.

“…!”

The Inquisitor’s eyes widened as he readied to swing his sword at the leaping Lucia.

With all her weight behind it, Lucia drove her fist into the Inquisitor’s abdomen.

In that moment, the divine energy erupted, piercing through him. The long streak of light flowed out behind him like smoke dissipating.

“…Cough!”

His eyes bulged as if they would pop out, astonished and mouth wide in shock. The impact was so severe that no scream escaped him.

Caught off guard, the Inquisitor tumbled to the ground.

His brown tunic was dragged this way and that, ripped apart, and in seconds, he was covered in grime.

Yet, the gleam in his eyes remained fiercely bright.

—Swish.

The staff sword was raised high, slashing downward at a diagonal angle.

As the blade carved through the air, the sword strike extended. The solid stone bricks in its path were shredded like paper, and the splashing dirt and debris swirled chaotically in the air.

Amid the slashes and the debris, Lucia’s blue eyes shone brightly.

Just as Lucia leaped off the wall into the sky, the launched strike crashed where she had just stood.

Lucia deftly dodged every incoming attack, plunging in every direction. However, as time passed, the speed and power of the attacks increased gradually.

The Inquisitor swung his sword, aiming to kill Lucia immediately, unleashing furious strikes in her direction.

So far, there had been no issues, but it would soon be too much for her to handle all on her own.

The moment that thought crossed my mind, I took aim at the Inquisitor attacking Lucia.

– Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of three gunshots shook the darkness of the cavern. A flash of light momentarily brightened the surroundings.

The bullets fired found their targets, leaving three holes in the man’s brown tunic as evidence.

But it had no effect.

“……”

The Inquisitor didn’t even blink.

Though he turned briefly to check what had happened from the attack behind him, it was just a fleeting glance.

Despite being hit by the gunfire, he turned back and unleashed his assault on Lucia once more.

He fired off rounds from his pistol until the magazine was empty, but it didn’t matter; nothing got through to him.

He swung his sword, and Lucia ducked away to dodge.

Though the blade didn’t touch her, a few strands of her hair were severed and fell to the floor. She had narrowly avoided the attack.

I dropped the empty magazine on the floor, replaced it with a fresh one, stepped forward, and muttered.

“Damn it…”

Yeah, guns aren’t working. Time to change strategies.

I needed something that could actually affect the bastard. Maybe the stuff Lucia had brought along. Now that I think of it, she did have her bag when she jumped down earlier.

I hurriedly turned my head and scanned the area. At that moment, Lucia’s fabric bag draped over some rock piles caught my eye. It was closer than I expected.

I raced over with my pistol in hand and snatched the bag. Quickly, I opened it and checked its contents.

And at that moment, I grabbed a useful item. Clutching it in my hand, I dashed toward the Inquisitor, who was still attacking Lucia.

“Hey, you bastard!”

“…?”

The unexpected curse drew the Inquisitor’s attention my way.

I smashed the glass bottle I was holding right into his face.

“Eat this!”

*Shatter!*

The sound of glass breaking rang out clearly.

The bottle smashed into his face, shattering into a million pieces. Glass shards pierced both his skin and my hand, and the liquid inside splattered all over him.

I felt the sharp sting of glass cutting into my hand.

Blood mixed with the liquid dripped down my fingers, my hands, my wrists, and I smeared the fluid across his face. A red handprint stretched from his left forehead to his right cheek. As I spread it, the flesh of my palm and fingers were torn by the glass shards.

I smeared the liquid across his face, but the Inquisitor showed no reaction. He remained frozen in the stance he had held while swinging down his sword.

With the staff sword still raised high, he brushed off the liquid running down his face with his own hand.

Then he looked at the liquid on his palm and muttered in a barely audible voice.

“…Holy Water?”

His lips twisted into a grotesque expression.

And then—

*

The noise disappeared.

The sounds that had filled the area just moments before vanished.

The drip of blood, the harsh breaths, the scraping of shoes on the floor, and the echoing thud against the bricks—all gone.

“……”

In a world where all sound had faded away, I watched the Inquisitor’s mouth hanging open in a twisted grin, sword held high.

And then,

“…Ugh!”

I felt something rise up from within me.

A sharp pain seemed to claw at the wound in my chest. My esophagus and stomach burned as if set ablaze. For a fleeting moment, as my spasming arms tried to cover my mouth, I couldn’t hold back and vomited.

“Uwaaaahhh…!”

Crimson chunks hit the ground.

A mix of flesh and blood was splattered everywhere.

The moment I saw that, my vision began to wobble. No, more accurately, it was splitting into multiple directions.

Like reflections in a shattered mirror, my vision blurred and fragmented.

I felt a warm liquid dribble from my ear, and a deafening ringing assaulted my eardrums, almost stealing away my senses.

I clutched my throbbing head and collapsed to the ground.

And with my trembling limbs, I crawled along the floor, gripping the bricks.

*

At that moment,

A warm hand rested on my shoulder, wrapping my body in a gentle warmth.

“Get up.”

The radiant light of the Divine shimmered like fireflies, illuminating the darkened meadow.

Hair like molten gold floated lightly in the air.

In a world devoid of sound.

Amidst it all, a clear, firm voice resonated.

“You’ve been cursed. But it’s okay now. I’ve succeeded in the purification.”

“…Lucia?”

“It’s not over yet. Stay focused.”

Hearing Lucia’s voice, I lifted my head. Only then could I finally grasp the situation around me.

The shifting vision that had been splitting into multiple directions.

The convulsions coursing through my body.

The intense ringing in my ears.

All of it had vanished, as if it had been merely a dream on a summer night.

What I could feel very clearly now was Lucia’s firm voice.

As Lucia invoked the Divine, she gently supported me, helping me regain my composure.

“……”

With her aid, I stood up and looked at the Inquisitor. He was scratching at his own face, having dropped the staff sword.

I silently gazed at Lucia. She, too, was staring at the Inquisitor when she turned her head to meet my eyes.

“……”

“……”

No one said a word, but there was no need to.

In this moment, what needed to be done was crystal clear.

I grabbed the Inquisitor by the collar and slammed him to the ground, while Lucia pinned him down with her foot. Before anyone could say a word, I fetched the rope and tied his limbs.

Lucia sat atop him, making sure he couldn’t move. As he scratched at the Holy Water on his face, with his hands and feet restrained, he writhed and screamed. His beast-like howls echoed through the underground cavern.

“It’s all over now. We’re almost there.”

Lucia quietly took out a holy book as she gazed down at the Inquisitor, who was convulsing intermittently.

She flipped through the pages quickly and spoke.

“I’ll finish this as quickly as possible. Before the priests arrive.”

“…If we can.”

Lucia traced the sign of the cross on her forehead, chest, and shoulders.

And in a solemn voice, she began.

“Then, from now on, I will conduct the exorcism rite.”

 

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