Blockade

As the sound of an alarm bell echoed in the distance, Yae, appearing in her adult kitsune form, moved closer to Paul to ask, "Are you certain this is the wisest course of action? I'm all for cutting loose, but antagonizing the world's second-strongest superpower may not be the best idea."

Adopting a faint smile, Paul replied, "Just as there are factions within the Asura Kingdom, the Holy Kingdom of Milis is politically and ideologically divided. The King Regent just so happens to be affiliated with the Order of the Temple, much like the majority of Knights we've encountered. If I was a gambling man, and I most definitely am, I would wager the Order of the Temple is colluding with Prince Grabell to impede or outright eliminate me before my return to the Asura Kingdom."

Since the Order of the Temple vehemently opposed humans coexisting with Demons and other non-human races, Paul's survey of the Demon Continent was a tremendous threat to the message they were attempting to ingrain in the minds of their devotees. They 'needed' people to believe the Demon Continent and its inhabitants were the origin and propagators of evil, so they opposed any efforts to present it in a positive light.

Turning a corner, Paul was about to explain his reasoning but remained silent as a phalanx-like formation of Knights came into view. Unlike most of the Knights they had encountered thus far, however, this group wore predominately white armor, denoting their affiliation with the Order of the Church.

Dematerializing his word, Paul raised his hands to indicate he wasn't going to attack as he mused, "I was wondering when the Order of the Church would show up. Send out your representative."

Though the initial response to Paul's words and actions was stalwart silence, it wasn't long before a white-haired woman with pristine white armor adorned with a priest's stole emerged from the formation, stating, "I am Sioux Laurian, Platoon Commander of the 3rd Order of the Church, Robustus. Tell me, why are you rioting within the White Palace? What are your intentions?"

Keeping his hands up, Paul maintained a relaxed smile as he replied, "I am Paul Greyrat, Special Envoy to King Ansalem Anemoi Asura. I am currently on a return voyage to the Asura Kingdom, but members of the Order of the Temple have insisted on delaying me for the better part of two weeks. Simply put, I am not trying to cause a riot. I am simply attempting to leave and fulfill my duty."

Telling Paul everything he needed to know, Sioux blinked in surprise, a look of disbelief marring her delicate features as she asked, "You're Paul Greyrat, the King's Greatsword...?"

Nodding his head, Paul replied, "Indeed. Now, if you would be so kind as to make way, my people and I will depart without further incident."

Furrowing her brows, Sioux shook her head, stating, "I'm afraid I cannot oblige. Regardless of the circumstances, the fact remains that you caused an incident within the White Palace. We have no choice but to apprehend you until we've verified your identity and completed our investigation."

Lowering his hands, Paul's smile gradually faded as he stated, "Envoys of the Asura Kingdom have diplomatic immunity within allied nations. Unless His Majesty has rescinded my title and issued a warrant for my arrest, you have no basis to arrest me."

Frowning deeply, Sioux asserted, "Diplomatic Immunity doesn't allow you to enter another country's palace and perpetrate a massacre! Even if you are who you claim to be, you will be held accountable for your actions...!"

Raising his brows, Paul asked, "What are you talking about? We haven't killed a single person, much less perpetrated a massacre."

Leveling her sword at Paul, Sioux exclaimed, "Lies! We received a report that more than fifty members of the Order of the Temple were found dead outside the room allotted for foreign dignitaries!"

Adopting a severe expression, Paul questioned, "Who made the report? And did you actually see any of the bodies?"

Though she didn't believe there was any meaning in continuing the conversation, Sioux eventually answered, "The report was made by the sole survivor of the massacre, Sub-Commander Ophelia Laskaris Leos. You left her for dead, but she was able to survive by consuming Angel's Tears and administering Healing Magic to herself..."

Inhaling a deep breath, Paul took a moment to comb his fingers through his hair, muttering, "Motherfucking religious zealots..." while imagining the scene of Ophelia attempting to frame them by killing her own men. There was even a chance they had taken their own lives, dedicated to upholding their beliefs(read as lies) to the very end...

Sending shivers through the bodies of everyone in his field of vision, Paul stared at Sioux with his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, stating, "I'll say this one last time, so open your ears and listen closely. We have not killed a single person. If you want to find the actual murderer, I suggest looking into the causes of death and questioning Sub-Commander Ophelia before her superiors have the opportunity to silence her. As for my companions and I, we'll be leaving right this instant. Attempt to stop us, and you'll find out what 'really' happened to those men..."

Activating his Electro Vision, purple lightning crackled around Paul as his dichromatic brown and white hair became noticeably spikier. His actions caused Sioux and her men to tense, but the white-haired Paladin didn't back down, shouting, "Saint Milis protects us!" before taking the initiative to charge forward.

In the midst of Sioux's charge, several of her subordinates used buffing spells to enhance her striking power, speed, and durability. She was only Advanced Rank in the Sword God Style, but the buffs put her on par with someone a half-step into the Saint Rank.

Unfortunately, while Buff/Support Magic was incredibly powerful, there was a reason it wasn't mainstream. It placed a tremendous strain on the recipient's body, so much so that Sioux was bleeding from the nose by the time her sword collided with Paul's. It also didn't miraculously increase a person's skill with the blade, so Paul used Sioux's uncontrolled momentum against her, deflecting her sword to the side before striking her forehead with the pommel of his own.

Though a pommel to the forehead would ordinarily scramble a person's brain, leaving them with a painful concussion, Sioux's body exuded a faint golden aura the moment Paul's attack landed. The priestly stole adorning her armor was an artifact blessed by Saint Milis, so it could thwart three Saint-Ranked attacks or Magic Spells before needing to recharge. Since Paul had held back, Sioux still had all three uses as she stepped back and attempted to slice through his wrist.

Reading Sioux's intentions, Paul stepped forward as she stepped back, preventing her from swinging her sword as he said, "That's a neat piece of cloth..." before punctuating his statement with a headbutt. It didn't deal any damage, but it caused Sioux to flinch and instinctually close her eyes, allowing him to snatch the sword from her hand.

Bereft of her sword, Sioux leaped back to create some distance, retrieving a replacement sword and receiving some healing while the crossbowmen at the back of the formation opened fire. She didn't believe they would be able to overwhelm the defenses of someone rumored to be the protege of the Water God, but their victory was assured so long as they could stall a few minutes longer.

Instead of using the Water God Style to knock down the projectiles, Paul lowered his stance and allowed them to impact against the Saint-Ranked Magical Barrier Ganyu had summoned. Virtually every one of Sioux's men realized what he was doing, but they could only stare wide-eyed as Paul's Touki surged outward, far beyond the levels of an ordinary person.

"Hold the li-"

Before Sioux could finish giving her men a pointless order, Paul appeared behind them in an instant, bright purple Electro Energy crackling around him. Immediately after his appearance, accompanied by the sound of a thunderclap, shields, spears, and fully armored men went flying, propelled by the shockwave produced by Paul's variation of the Longsword of Light, Thunder God's Approach.

With their formation shattered, Paul expected Sioux and her men to stand down and let them pass. Instead, he abruptly found himself trapped in a hemispherical barrier, courtesy of Sioux and the few among her men who could still move.

Adopting a slight frown, Paul looked back and remarked, "You don't know when to quit..."

Catching Paul a little off guard, Sioux returned a smile as she replied, "We are the sword and shield that protects the people of Milishion. Even if our bodies are broken, we will never yield."

Clasping her hands together like a maiden offering a prayer, Sioux made the barrier around Paul shrink. Her plan was to restrict his movements as much as possible, but Paul had other ideas, holding out his sword with a relaxed posture.

Though it was easily Saint-Ranked due to Sioux and several of her subordinates supplying it with Mana, the tip of Paul's sword pierced the contracting barrier like a thin pane of glass. Even without his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, he could perceive the flaws in the barrier due to the amalgamation of various energies. With them, the barrier looked like a fractured globe. He just needed to point his sword at the intersection of multiple fractures, and it invariably crumbled to pieces.

While Sioux stared at him with her mouth slightly agape, Paul rested his sword on his shoulder and questioned, "Are we done here? Contrasting the bullshit in that report, I'm not particularly keen on injuring those who have never crossed me. I also have no intention of fleeing the city, so you can always come looking for me once your investigation is completed."

Coming to her senses, Sioux used her sword for support, forcing herself to her feet as she joked, "Sir Paul must be hard of hearing...I just told you that we would never yield..."

Though her head was pounding and her body was exhausted after using most of her Mana in the barrier, Sioux managed to assume a shaky stance with her sword leveled at Paul. Her resolve left a deep impression on both him and her men, so, even though he should be on his way, Paul raised his sword in acknowledgment of Sioux's conviction.

Mustering what remained of her strength, Sioux charged at Paul before leaping through the air, a loud war cry emanating from her throat as she swung down on his sword with a vertical slash. She couldn't muster any power, so she was using her weight, the weight of her sword, and gravity to try and break through Paul's defense.

Catching Sioux by surprise, Paul remarked, "You're a good woman..." the moment their swords overlapped. Unfortunately, while he subsequently took her breath away, the method he used was kicking her in the ribs with enough force to send her crashing into the nearby wall. The effects of her stole had been depleted when Paul used Thunder God's Approach, so she hit the wall fairly hard before collapsing to the floor in a slump.

Noticing that Sioux was still conscious, a look of surprise colored Paul's face as he sincerely remarked, "You impress me more with each passing moment. If you get up after taking a blow like that, I might turn myself in out of sheer admiration..."

Though she managed to clench her hands into fists and force a smile, both Paul and Sioux knew she wasn't getting up. She could barely rise a few moments ago, so there was no way she could stand when most of the ribs on the right side of her body were fractured or broken. It was taking every ounce of her willpower just to avoid curling up in a ball and crying...

Realizing that Sioux was down for the count, Paul exhaled a faint sigh of relief, his expression softening as he said, "That's it, then. I hope that the next time we meet, it will be on friendlier terms."

Since none of Sioux's men had half as much backbone as she did, they couldn't even meet Paul's eyes as he looked around to observe their conditions. To be fair, most people avoided looking directly at his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, but Paul still felt disappointed since they were predominantly burly men yet couldn't hold a candle to a woman half their size...

Shaking his head, Paul turned to Ei, Yae, and Ganyu with the intention of leaving. Even a fool could tell that Sioux was stalling for time, so while he was interested in seeing who would appear, he decided to change venues first. With Ophelia presumably killing off her men, he didn't need an active imagination to guess what might happen if someone powerful showed up and decided to fight in an area populated by the wounded and impaired...

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(A/N: Paul isn't the only one flexing...)