Chapter 698: Promise (3)
[Recall]
With that single command, an unbelievable scene unfolded.
All the light in the world broke away from its place, converging toward a single point.
It was a light that dispelled darkness, purified impurity, and illuminated the world.
The first target was the pond.
The pond that had been fiercely guarded, to keep the woman on the camel from approaching it.
The roots of the Holy Magic contained within that pond seeped into the hand of the woman on the camel, and then, in the heart of the Pater Church's Holy See State...
The Sacred Hill stood tall at its center, where over a hundred Holy Knights had fought against the demon. Their Holy Magic departed from their bodies, drawn into the grip of the woman on the camel.
All from a single command: [Recall].
As if returning to its original place, naturally...
The sacred light, bright enough to turn the night into day, gleamed in the demon’s hand. And as the Holy Knights abruptly lost their light, they all fell to their knees.
Without the blessing of Holy Magic, they were weighed down by the armor they had worn.
However, that was merely a secondary reason.
The real reason was not physical but deeply psychological.
After all, it was widely believed that Holy Magic was a power bestowed by God.
Now that same Holy Magic had left their bodies and settled in the hands of a demon? Instinctively, they could only think one thing:
“God has truly abandoned us.”
That one realization was enough to bring the Holy Knights and priests, who had served God all their lives, to their knees.
In that overwhelming despair. But it was only the beginning.
Before they could even comprehend the absence of Holy Magic, countless streams of it shot through the horizon like a meteor shower, gathering in the hand of the woman on the camel.
“...That’s... impossible.”
Someone murmured quietly. Because they understood what was happening.
It was as if the events were directly explained to them, revealing what was unfolding.
Not only in the Holy See State but everywhere in the world, Holy Magic was converging into the hand of the woman on the camel.
Holy Magic was completely abandoning human hands.
Whooosh...!
As Holy Magic converged, the light gathered in the hand of the woman on the camel flared even brighter, creating a fierce gust.
The brighter it shone, the more despair filled the expressions of those watching, but the Holy Magic in the demon’s hand continued to intensify, indifferent to the emotions of the humans witnessing it.
As it gathered into one, the Holy Magic grew infinitely bright, extinguishing all other light and casting the surroundings into darkness.
It was an utterly paradoxical phenomenon.
That an area would be engulfed in darkness because of light so bright.
In that darkness, the Holy Knights sank once again into despair.
The ones who had risen again, inspired by Joanna's courage after absorbing the Holy Blood and Kevin’s will as the Archive.
“Could it be…”
The woman on the camel spoke in a human voice, using Sister Della’s mouth.
Her voice was simultaneously sweet, as if sung in harmony by many nuns, and...
...suffocating.
The hundred or so Holy Knights nearby bled from their eyes, noses, mouths, and ears.
Joanna, after absorbing the Holy Blood, and Kevin, who became the Archive, were no exception.
Within that scene, the woman on the camel continued speaking.
“Did you truly think you could win?”
The Holy Knights, bleeding from their eyes, noses, mouths, and ears, couldn’t withstand the pain and fell to their knees. Among them, some began to writhe grotesquely, with heads and bodies twitching.
“If you were genuinely united, selfless, and fought with the resolve to die, did you truly believe you could defeat me?”
The woman on the camel asked earnestly. And at the same time, a few of the Holy Knights burst like overripe boils.
The sickly, wet sound of the swollen boils bursting echoed in the air, splattering red blood and flesh onto the faces of other Holy Knights.
“Aaaaah…!”
Seeing this, the Holy Knights lost their sanity, shrieking in voices more beast-like than human, and then the great light moved.
“If that’s the case...”
The woman on the camel raised a staff formed from all the world’s Holy Magic high into the sky.
As the staff moved, not only the surrounding air but all the air in the Holy See State formed a current, converging into a single point.
As the colossal mass shifted, altering the flow of air, the woman on the camel finished her statement.
“It disgusts me.”
And with that, she struck the staff, overflowing with Holy Magic, down onto the ground.
The movement of the staff compressed the air to its limit, exploding and sending everyone around her flying.
Except for two people.
Joanna and Kevin.
The two of them, upon seeing the staff’s movement, immediately activated the powers of the Holy Blood and Archive, anchoring themselves in place and preparing to counter the woman on the camel.
They instinctively knew what would happen the moment the staff touched the ground.
The Holy See State would be obliterated, torn apart by the immense Holy Magic.
But they could not stop it.
The whirlwind created by the staff, filled with all the Holy Magic in the world, was different from an ordinary gust, repelling not only Joanna, who had absorbed the Holy Blood, but also Kevin's space magic as the Archive.
Despite that, the two of them, for entirely different reasons, did not give up and moved forward, when suddenly, from behind them, a familiar yet long-absent voice was heard.
“Excuse me.”
Oliver’s voice.
Oliver, who had somehow approached behind Kevin and Joanna, walked calmly past them.
Step by step.
As if he alone existed in a different timeline, unhurried...
When he reached the woman on the camel, Oliver extended his quarterstaff, stopping the staff just before it struck the ground.
...
As the quarterstaff and the staff collided, a sound that defied description reverberated through the air.
It was so overwhelming that, paradoxically, it seemed as if nothing could be heard.
Only a faint, high-pitched ringing was barely audible to those nearby, and even the gusts generated by the staff disappeared as if by illusion.
All that remained was silence and calm.
However, just as everyone let their guard down, a hazy shockwave spread outward in a spherical form, violently pushing back all those nearby.
Not only the Holy Knights, now powerless and flung by the wind, but even Kevin and Joanna were thrown back.
Swept up by the abnormal shockwave created by the collision of the staff and quarterstaff, Kevin and Joanna rolled across the ground.
Despite the severe tumbling, neither of them seemed to mind, both turning their gazes toward Oliver, more curious about his intentions than concerned with their own pain.
Fortunately, they could overhear Oliver’s conversation with the woman on the camel.
“May I ask what you intend by this, O exalted one?” Oliver said, gripping his quarterstaff tightly.
The woman on the camel’s voice, speaking through Sister Della’s form, responded with force, her hands—formed from the arms of many nuns—tightening around the staff.
They could feel her strength indirectly through the tremor in the air, yet the staff crafted from Holy Magic did not budge, halted by Oliver’s quarterstaff.
Everyone was watching the scene in awe as Oliver finally spoke.
“You said you came to recall the Holy Magic, officially.”
[...Indeed, O exalted one,] she replied.
“But privately, you mentioned it was also to meet me, did you not?”
[Yes... Additionally, I mentioned that if you so desired, I would grant you comfort,] she answered.
“Could I perhaps ask you for a different favor?”
Oliver’s question, as though he’d been waiting for this moment, caught the woman by surprise, her expression flickering with rare emotions—surprise and disbelief.
Even the demon appeared to be taken aback by Oliver’s question, and she asked in response.
[What would that be?]
“Would you be willing to leave? You’ve already completed the official task, haven’t you?”
Oliver’s gaze shifted to the staff, filled with all the world’s Holy Magic, now perfectly still due to his quarterstaff.
At that moment, the staff trembled.
Maintaining perfect balance with the quarterstaff, the staff began to press down ever so slightly, straining against Oliver’s resistance.
Matching her pressure, Oliver tightened his grip on his quarterstaff. It became a contest of strength, the two staves locked as if in a tug-of-war, neither yielding an inch.
A bead of sweat rolled down Oliver’s brow.
Seeing this, the woman on the camel asked softly.
[Why do you do this now? Weren’t you the one who wanted to abandon everything and rest?]
“I still do.”
[That’s a terribly contradictory statement. For someone who claims to desire rest, here you are, standing in my way.]
“You’re one to enjoy contradictions, are you not?”
[...]
“It’s also what I wish for, at this moment. There is still... something I need to confirm. Could you, perhaps, turn back here?”
Oliver spoke earnestly.
He asked her to leave, to stop and let the humans alone, for he did not wish to involve himself further.
The demon, wearing Sister Della’s face, considered his words for a long moment before replying.
[There is some truth in what you say. I have nearly fulfilled my duty.]
“Nearly...?”
[The Holy Magic has been recalled, but I haven’t yet taken it with me. So my task isn’t entirely complete.]
The woman on the camel spoke through telepathy, conveying that the point of her departure would be decided by her alone. Her words left no doubt that she was unwavering.
[But still, leaving without consequence does not sit well with me. It’s... rather displeasing.]
Her gaze swept over the surrounding Holy Knights.
Those arrogant knights who had dared to fight against her, determined to defeat her.
“Even if I ask?”
[Ha... Somehow, this reminds me of that time when you met the Burnt One.]
“...”
[Even then, you requested a favor, did you not? You asked him not to burn down the city built upon the Red One’s blood.]
“Yes, and he listened.”
[True. Originally, he intended to burn everything, but in the end, he destroyed only a quarter. Quite the concession, considering his demeanor. He can seem strict on the outside, but he’s actually quite gentle.]
The woman’s grip on the staff tightened.
[However, I am different. Even if I find a puppy endearing, it must be disciplined when it bares its fangs. That rule applies regardless of the exalted one’s request.]
Gradually, the woman’s staff began to push back Oliver’s quarterstaff.
The strength of the woman on the camel surpassed Oliver’s.
Oliver reinforced his grip, but he was unable to fully block her.
“Is that so?”
[I do have some affection for you, but there are limits to what I can grant from mere goodwill. Forgive my frankness, but while you are an exalted one and someone I personally favor, you lack the authority to command me.]
Her words echoed in his mind.
There were those who sympathized with Oliver, those who admired him, and those who liked him, but who still refused to accept him as an equal.
Apparently, the woman on the camel belonged to the latter.
While she did like him, she did not truly acknowledge him.
Yet Oliver showed no reaction. There was no sadness, no regret, and not even disappointment.
He had simply made a request, nothing more. It wasn’t as though he had wanted the demon’s recognition.
“In that case, there’s no helping it.”
[If I have disappointed you, allow me to apologize.]
“I am not disappointed. It was just a request.”
[Then, may I ask what you intend to do now?]
“I’ll have to ensure that you leave.”
[What?]
The woman on the camel, bewildered by his response, asked back.
Fortunately for her—but perhaps unfortunately, too—she would soon understand what he meant. With a twist, Oliver thrust his quarterstaff forward.
“Shatter.”
With those words, the Holy Magic held in the woman’s staff crumbled into fragments.