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“Wasn’t this a strategy game? Chapter 137”

Gross vines were crawling up Lydia’s ankle.

“……!”

Eden rushed to her without even a moment to stop, drawing the Holy Sword from his back. Finally reaching Lydia, he swung down at the tip of the vine that was coiling around her white ankle.

“Hah!”

Immediately, the power of the Holy Sword was unleashed. The vine, sliced by the sword, ignited and turned to ash, disappearing into thin air.

“Aaaah!”

Moreover, the backlash seemed to hit Patriar as well, and we could hear his ear-splitting scream echoing as he began to glow. Eden, startled, looked back at the writhing Patriar in the sky.

“……!”

Just moments ago, Patriar’s face had been fine, but now there was a blackened burn mark etched upon it.

“Whoa… amazing…”

Eden marveled at the impressive power of the Holy Sword in his hand.

Not just Eden and Lydia, but Sereman, who had been frozen watching this hell unfold, had his face go pale in shock as well.

Sereman, realizing the true identity of the sword in Eden’s hand, furrowed his brow in disbelief.

“Ha, this is it!”

The sword felt as light as a feather, yet the impact conveyed through his fingertips was anything but light. Filled with a thrilling sensation, Eden turned to the stunned Lydia and shouted,

“Lydia! Get to safety, quickly!”

With that, Lydia snapped back to reality, barely managing to shake off the trembles and flee.

Eden made sure Lydia entered the Temple safely before rushing to the balcony railing to look below.

Just then, a sharp and large arrow was shot from somewhere below, hitting Patriar squarely in the shoulder.

Yaaah―!

Patriar let out a scream that sounded like something a monster would make.

‘That way!’

Eden frantically scanned where the arrow was shot from and spotted Asmun perched on the tangled vines like a jungle gym.

“Asmun… Asmun…!”

Patriar couldn’t take his eyes off Asmun either and glared down at him. He nonchalantly pulled the arrow out of his shoulder and growled.

“Finally, the day has come for me to end your life myself.”

Asmun, unfazed by the chilling voice, unsheathed Hesmor’s Sword in response.

“Do you really have to show such ugly behavior until the very end?”

Asmun raised the sword, aiming at Patriar.

“It’s pitiful to see someone who has abandoned their human dignity like this.”

Patriar’s forehead twitched with anger at Asmun’s disdainful voice.

The main reason Asmun found it unbearable was that he rudely jabbed at Patriar’s chest, further provoking him.

“Hah! It’s getting bigger!”

“Argh!”

As Patriar’s body began to swell, unable to contain his rage, screams of terror erupted from all around. Nevertheless, Asmun’s expression remained unchanged.

Patriar could not endure it.

No matter how much he was tormented, humiliated, and dragged to the brink of death, he couldn’t stand seeing that indifferent face, as if none of this was even a problem for him.

That haughty look suggested that this was nothing for him, but that those doing this to him were the truly pitiful and tragic beings.

If only he had shed a tear and begged for forgiveness just once, he might not have become this cruel.

Thus, he found himself in this state all because of that guy.

It was always that cockroach-like pest, returning with his unchanging expression, messing with his mood until the very end.

“Don’t worry. I’ll end that ugly life of yours.”

All because of that arrogant pest looking down at the throne as though he was something special!

“I’ll kill that miserable bastard!”

Finally losing his sanity, Patriar dove straight down, charging furiously at Asmun.

Asmun whistled just in time, and his horse came racing through the chaos.

Just before Patriar’s massive hand could snatch his leg, Asmun leaped down and gracefully mounted his horse.

“Ahhh! It’s coming this way! Get out of the way!”

As Asmun whipped the reins with all his might, Patriar chased after him at a terrifying speed.

The massive momentum made all the people tangled up, including the monsters stuck here and there, leap out for their lives, clearing a path.

Thanks to that, Asmun dashed down the newly opened path—

“Your Highness! This way!”

He arrived at the designated location.

Up ahead, Asmun’s knights were poised, holding something enormous, waiting for Asmun.

“Now!”

When Ronpell shouted loudly, Asmun ducked down, and the knights raised the enormous thing with all their might.

“?!”

At that moment, a blinding light poured down upon Patriar, whose eyes were crazed as he chased after Asmun.

“Kyaaa!”

Patriar hastily tried to change direction, but with that massive body already picking up speed, he couldn’t control it.

“W-wait…!”

Finally, as the knights fully lifted the giant mirror towards Patriar, an overwhelming light reflected off of him.

“Aaaah! Sereman! Seermaaan―!”

As Patriar howled as if he were igniting in flame, everyone’s gaze turned to Sereman, who stood frozen in shock watching.

Spotting Sereman high up on the balcony, Patriar summoned his last ounce of strength to soar toward him, prompting gasps and screams from those watching.

“Chancellor! Get down!”

Among them, Sereman’s closest priests turned pale, firing weak attacks at the ascending Patriar.

They all harshly noticed how Sereman’s divine power had weakened alarmingly recently. Facing such a monster would surely deliver a huge blow to Sereman’s body.

“Chancellor! No! If you face him, your life will wear out!”

“Protect the Chancellor!”

The priests yelled, spilling the long-hidden secrets, making everyone look in stunned silence at Sereman.

“Seer, Seerman! Hurry… Ugh!”

However, Sereman remained rooted in place, gazing intently at Patriar as though he had made a determination.

And just as he was about to part his parched lips to chant a spell,

“No!”

Someone desperately charged at Sereman, grabbing him and rolling away.

“……!”

Thanks to that, Sereman, unable to finish the spell, was shocked to find Eden on top of him.

“Saint…?”

The one who interrupted him at such a critical moment was Eden.

A look of relief appeared on his face, shadowed by the sunlight.

“You need to be careful.”

Eden pressed down on Sereman’s shoulder, grinning slyly, causing Sereman’s eyes to freeze wide.

And in that moment, Asmun shot up to the balcony like a bird soaring through the lush jungle vines, raising Hesmor’s Sword high.

“Hah, Asmun Your Highness…!”

When someone swiftly mentioned Asmun, everyone’s gaze shifted to him precariously standing atop the pile of vines.

Even Patriar, who had been writhing in agony, full of burning anger, turned his gaze towards Asmun at that very moment.

Asmun raised the sword high and—

“Hah…!”

He drove Hesmor’s Sword into the tough, vine-covered ground.

At that moment, Patriar’s red eyes grew wide as he began to emit a horrific scream.

“Aaaah―!”

Immediately, the vine tendrils constricting the entire Great Temple were sucked into the ground in an instant, causing Patriar’s massive body to crash to the floor.

“Everyone, get back!”

“Aaaah!”

The sheer weight of his body smashing into the ground reverberated through the area like thunder, shaking the earth violently.

Ka-boom―!

The ones who barely avoided the falling figure of Patriar held their breath, turning in dread.

“Hah…”

In that moment, a flash erupted from the enormous monstrous body collapsing in the flower-laden garden, and that terrifying sight melted back into the pitiful figure of Patriar.

Patriar’s corpse lay bare, skin burned, and motionless.

“Ugh…”

An eruption of cheers seemed to burst forth from within the Great Temple.

“Asmun Your Highness has captured the 2nd Prince!”

“The 2nd Prince is dead!”

Simultaneously, a wondrous notification popped up in front of Eden.

After waiting so long for the skill to unlock, a fervent sigh escaped Eden’s lips. Then, Sereman looked at Eden with a terrifyingly stiff expression.

Noticing the cold glare, Eden returned the stare fiercely without dodging. Indeed, things had not escaped their expectations.

Eden had already discovered Callec’s weakness through the Monster Bestiary ability.

Eden and Asmun had devised a plan to take care of Patriar using this information.

Fortunately, the Ceremony of the Saint was held in the middle of the day, and on a clear day without a cloud in sight, this urgent plan could indeed succeed.

However, there was still one more way to eliminate Callec without using sunlight.

It was simply a single spell from the one who had made Callec what he was.

 

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