Chapter 501
Chapter 501: Will It Be Destroyed? (2)
Gathros trembled uncontrollably.
If a power user like Count Penris were to unleash their strength, those items would turn to powder in an instant.
There was absolutely no way he could allow that. He had to reclaim them by any means necessary.
“You, you… how dare you….”
His mind was a jumble of thoughts on what to do. He wanted nothing more than to grab and rip the guy apart right then and there.
Ssss….
Ghislaine looked at his arms, which were ablaze with black energy. He had blocked the attack, yet Gathros’s power still lingered.
Even though he had merely glanced for a moment, he could sense an unusual force.
‘That guy is different. Did they call him a priest?’
He was someone Ghislaine had never encountered even in his past life. It seemed likely he was the one secretly leading the Salvation Society.
While he didn’t appear to have exceptional skills like other priests of the Salvation Society, his sheer strength was difficult for Ghislaine to measure.
They were indeed formidable opponents.
Yet, Ghislaine maintained a relaxed smile while waving the item in his hands.
“This seems pretty important, so everyone just stay put. If anyone moves, I’ll really smash it.”
In truth, he had no intention of breaking it. He was simply curious as to why it was being treated with such importance.
However, Gathros had no choice but to believe Ghislaine’s words. Since Ghislaine didn’t know the identity of the items, if things went wrong, he could really destroy them.
Holding back his anger, he spoke.
“Hand over that item. Then I’ll grant you whatever you desire.”
“Hmmm, it really seems important.”
“….”
“But I don’t have anything in particular that I want from you?”
“That bastard….”
“Oh, wait, I do have one thing.”
“What is it?”
Ghislaine laughed as he saw Gathros’s face twist with veins bulging, resembling an evil spirit.
“You want to know what it is? If you tell me, I might consider it. It could be something useless to me anyway, right?”
Crack.
At that remark, Gathros ground his teeth. It was truly a humiliating situation.
He really wanted to capture and tear him apart, but since this was an item he had sought for so long, he had to suppress his rage.
Yet, he couldn’t disclose the society’s secrets. Even if it would go unheard.
As Gathros kept silent, Ghislaine shook the cup again and asked.
“What’s up? Not talking? Really going to break it?”
Gathros bit his lip. Why should he divulge the secrets of the society to such a guy!
His hands trembled as he gathered more power. But he couldn’t bring himself to attack Ghislaine.
Just from the rumors he had heard, this guy was insane. There was no way he would return it willingly.
He must not get caught up in this.
Others held the same thoughts as Gathros.
Kyen spoke to Gathros with a cold expression.
“That guy will definitely not return it.”
“Count Balzac.”
“They said that relic isn’t the only one. Other kingdoms are currently searching for it too.”
“What does that mean…?”
Kyen pointed his sword at Ghislaine.
“Killing that guy is also a significant task. Let’s take this opportunity to get rid of him and retrieve the relic from somewhere else.”
“…”
Gathros shot a sharp glance at Kyen.
Kyen was not a priest of the Salvation Society. However, knowing that Duke Delphine greatly desired the relic made it an important goal for him as well.
Since Kyen was loyal to the duke, his judgment was likely correct.
“Huh… Is this also the will of the gods? It seems I have no choice.”
Gathros closed his eyes and took a deep breath. As a priest, he was showing an ugly side of himself.
He was easily swayed because the event he had been waiting for was right around the corner.
It meant that Count Penris’s actions were scratching his conscience.
Watching Gathros regain his composure in an instant, Ghislaine clicked his tongue.
‘Tsk, he’s not an ordinary one.’
Not only was his strength unusual, but he also had remarkable patience in suppressing his desires over such an important item.
While it was unfortunate he couldn’t hear the identity of the object, he did gain other information.
‘So there are more of these things in other kingdoms?’
It seemed they had not located them yet, but there appeared to be more of such items.
Thus, it was likely he could suppress his desire and change his objective.
Ghislaine looked at Berhem, who had his eyes wide open.
“Hey.”
“Wh-what did you just say?”
Berhem displayed an expression of disbelief. How dare he call the king of this kingdom in such a way!
“You insolent fool! So you’re truly a ruffian from the outskirts as the rumors say! How dare a noble of the kingdom speak to me so rudely!”
Ghislaine did not hide his annoyance.
“Enough. Can you break this thing?”
“N-no! You can’t!”
Unlike Gathros, Berhem extended his hand and shouted.
He needed that to maintain his body. He could already feel himself slowly breaking apart.
“What do you want? I can grant any request you have. Just return that to me. If you want territory, I’ll give you territory; if you want a title, I’ll give you a title.”
At Berhem’s pleading words, Ghislaine asked:
“I’m curious what this is?”
“The Life Gem is necessary to maintain my body. It will make me a superhuman.”
Berhem spoke urgently. Ghislaine nodded. It was as expected.
This was indeed the secret of the Salvation Society’s high priest creation process.
‘I’ll have to investigate this further when I get back.’
However, he couldn’t figure out what this necklace was. Judging by the situation, it seemed he wouldn’t reveal it even if pressed.
Looking at Berhem’s distorted expression, Kyen spoke.
“Your Majesty, I will kill that guy. Please give the order to the royal knight commander and the kingdom army.”
“W-what? Then what will happen to my core!”
At those words, Kyen replied with a cold expression.
“It can be remade. With your assistance, Your Majesty, we can create it in no time.”
“Th-that’s….”
Berhem swallowed hard. What Count Balzac meant was that they would only create it if they brought back the souls of those who would die.
To make one of those would require at least tens of thousands of lives. The Salvation Society had long been killing people to produce high priests.
Kyen turned back to glare at Ghislaine.
“Either way, that guy won’t return it. He’s that kind of person.”
Ghislaine stood there, arms crossed, venting his complaints.
“Do you think so highly of people that you act like this?”
It irritated him how spot-on Kyen was.
Kyen soon extended his sword while gathering power.
“This is a good opportunity to kill that nuisance. There’s no need to be dragged around any longer.”
“B-but…”
Berhem hesitated. No matter how much of a king he was, taking tens of thousands of lives wasn’t easy.
Moreover, he needed to kill people to maintain his body while remaking the gem.
It wasn’t that he disliked killing people. He simply hated the prospect of waiting for a long time again.
But Kyen had already made his decision. Unless Duke Delphine intervened, even the king couldn’t stop Kyen.
“To all forces…”
His softly spoken words reached the Delphine Army gathered in the plains.
Spear! Spear! Clash!
The Delphine Army instinctively drew their weapons and assumed combat readiness.
“Assassinate Count Penris.”
Boom!
As soon as he finished speaking, Kyen charged toward Ghislaine.
Gathros followed beside him, with all the Delphine Army trailing behind.
“Oh dear.”
Ghislaine chuckled softly, channeling mana into his legs.
No matter how strong he was, it was impossible for him to take them on alone. It was time to begin his next operation.
Boom!
The ground shattered as Ghislaine’s body flew backward. He skillfully turned and made his escape.
Seeing that, Berhem gritted his teeth and finally gave the order.
“Kill him! Make sure to kill that guy!”
He was the one who had ruined the negotiations and insulted him. He had to capture and tear him apart.
Count Palantz surged forward, and the kingdom army followed suit.
The commander of the 3rd Infantry Division trailing behind felt tears of blood welling up inside.
‘What on earth! Why is this happening to me!’
He just thought a single soldier who was good at fighting had come in. There had been rumors that someone was impersonating Count Penris, but he hadn’t taken them seriously.
Yet, it turned out to be the real Count Penris.
It felt as if he’d picked up a lucky charm, only for it to quickly turn into a cursed doll.
The same went for the other soldiers. Especially the members of Dugly Squad were in shock.
‘Seriously? It was really Count Penris?’
‘He wasn’t just pretending?’
‘Shit! We’re all going to die.’
Everyone wept as they ran. It was unlikely they would make it out unscathed.
At that moment, the voice of Ghislaine echoed in the ears of the commander of the 3rd Infantry Division.
― If you want to live, pretend to chase me and lead the 3rd Infantry Division to the location I mention. The Knights of Penris will guide you. Well, unless you prefer to stay put. If you’re unlucky, you might die, huh?
The commander of the 3rd Infantry Division snapped back to his senses.
Ghislaine was right. That insane king, known for his cruelty, wouldn’t let them off easily. There was a high probability the 3rd Infantry Division would be completely wiped out.
Wiping away his tears, the commander shouted loudly.
“3rd Infantry Division, follow me!”
He began to turn in the direction Ghislaine had indicated. The bewildered soldiers followed him for now.
The only training the 3rd Infantry Division had ever done was charging forward. After all, everyone was confident in their ability to run.
The Delphine Army and the kingdom army had no interest in the 3rd Infantry Division. They were all too busy targeting Ghislaine.
“Stop!”
Gathros shouted loudly, emanating an overwhelming aura. He was so fast that even Kyen, the Kingdom’s Greatest Sword, was outpaced.
Fuming with anger, he directed his power toward Ghislaine’s back again.
Kaboom! Boom!
The ground exploded around them, black pillars erupting.
“Ugh.”
Ghislaine barely managed to dodge as he ran away. After changing directions a few times, his speed slowed down a bit.
In that moment, Kyen came alongside him, swinging his sword with lightning speed.
Clang!
The sound of metal grinding echoed as Kyen’s blade met the mana Ghislaine unleashed.
“Hmm?”
Kyen frowned as he swung his sword again. He had surely slashed at his chest, but somehow Ghislaine was far off in the distance.
Kyen chased after Ghislaine, pondering.
‘Blood… is there none?’
There were clear bloodstains where he had struck. Even with a shallow wound, a few drops should have fallen with such fervent movement.
But Ghislaine’s retreating figure was not shedding even a single drop of blood.
‘What kind of strange ability is this?’
Maybe he had used mana to seal the wound. He could do that himself. But Ghislaine’s speed was beyond comprehension.
For Kyen, who was unaware of Ghislaine’s recovery capabilities, it was an incomprehensible situation.
Boom!
As the Delphine Army and the kingdom army chased Ghislaine, magic poured out from every direction.
Instead of directly hitting Ghislaine, the intent was to slow him down by any means necessary.
The priests of the Salvation Society also unleashed their power upon Ghislaine.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
A thunderous noise that could collapse the heavens erupted, and explosions roared from all directions.
Yet, despite casting large-scale area of effect magic, they couldn’t catch Ghislaine. He had already slipped away before the spells could detonate.
“Keep chasing!”
Kyen shouted loudly, doing everything he could to catch up to Ghislaine. Gathros felt the same way.
They believed they could capture him. No matter how strong he was, he would eventually tire out, having to dodge several attacks.
If they simply kept pursuing him, there would come a time when they could catch him.
However, there was something they had not considered.
‘Damn… they’re not properly following.’
Kyen glanced back.
The only ones who were truly following were high-ranking knights and superhumans of the Salvation Society. Behind them were merely those on horseback, barely keeping up.
It was natural since superhumans could outrun horses. Soldiers not mounted on horses began to fall behind.
Count Palantz and the kingdom army lagged even further behind due to departing late.
‘It doesn’t matter.’
With an army of a hundred thousand gathered, even filtering out those who could keep up would number in the hundreds.
At this point, whether Ghislaine fled or fought back, he would eventually exhaust himself and die.
Ghislaine was also having similar thoughts.
‘Sure enough, he’s an impressive one.’
Ghislaine smiled as he glanced at his upper garment, which had been torn down his chest.
He wasn’t just called the Kingdom’s Greatest Sword for nothing. He found himself wondering if Kyen had truly made a name for himself in his past life; perhaps instead of being the seventh strongest on the continent, he might have ranked as the eighth.
‘I want to challenge him to a proper duel, but…’
Others would certainly not allow it, so he had to endure.
‘Just a little longer.’
He needed to get beyond the plains. His allies were waiting to help him.
While it was just a little bit, he would need to run for quite a while. His mana was continuously depleting.
Boom!
Ghislaine enveloped himself in black energy and dashed forward even faster.
It was a technique that consumed an immense amount of mana, meaning he couldn’t use it for long, but at this moment, escaping was more crucial.
“That bastard…”
Kyen clenched his teeth. That guy’s speed had become unbelievably fast.
Boom!
Reluctantly, Kyen gathered mana until it weighed down on him and ran.
There was no need to stick right on his heels. Just keeping up and wearing him out would suffice.
And there were others like him on this side who could use such strange powers.
Boom!
“I’ll definitely catch and kill him!”
As the black energy leaking from Gathros’s body began to ripple, it soon took on the shape of wings. The other priests of the Salvation Society did the same.
Their speed increased. Though they couldn’t completely catch up to Ghislaine, they had shortened the distance enough for long-range attacks to be effective.
Pillars of darkness erupted mercilessly from around Ghislaine again.
But not just that. The black energy unleashed by Gathros and the priests flew directly toward Ghislaine.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Ghislaine’s body jolted as he zig-zagged to avoid the attacks. He had no choice but to swat away the precisely aimed black energy.
While dodging and blocking the attacks, Kyen had already gotten close to Ghislaine.
He infused mana vigorously into his sword.
If the priests of the Salvation Society attacked a couple more times, he would soon be able to touch Ghislaine with his sword.
Thud thud thud…
Ghislaine clicked his tongue and ran even faster. Though it strained his body, he only had to reach near where the first waves of allies were waiting.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Despite exerting more effort, while evading and parrying the incoming black energies, Kyen had nearly caught up to him.
At that moment, a figure rushed toward them from the front.
“Lord!”
It was Piote.
He was running toward Ghislaine, exuding divine power. Perhaps he had been training hard, as he appeared quite fast.
Strangely, multiple belts were tied to his body. For the sake of others to grab onto him.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The attacks from the priests of the Salvation Society were relentless. Yet, Piote didn’t blink as he rushed toward Ghislaine.
Ghislaine also ran, dodging attacks as he headed toward Piote.
“Piote!”
At Ghislaine’s loud call, Piote immediately turned his body.
Ghislaine grabbed onto the belts hooked onto Piote’s back, lifting him up as though using him as a shield.
In that moment, Kyen was already almost at Ghislaine.
‘What a lunatic.’
To Kyen, Ghislaine’s actions were truly disgraceful. He was essentially pushing someone else out to save his own skin.
And the fact he was using a woman (?) as a shield was unbelievable.
‘It doesn’t matter.’
He just had to slice them both down.
Kyen gritted his teeth and swung his sword with all his might.
Boom!
A sound like tearing space echoed as the sword fell.
Ghislaine was now within range and couldn’t possibly evade. It was already too late for that.
The unidentified woman (?) would surely be sliced apart in an instant, and Count Penris would suffer significant injuries or expend a massive amount of mana.
Kyen was confident.
Thud!
“What?”
Though he had swung with all his strength, why did it feel like he was striking something thick and soft?
Moreover, the woman (?) used as a shield was unscathed.
She was still fine, even after being hit with an aura blade that could cut through dragon scales?
Kyen could not begin to comprehend the situation before him.
