10. <The curse of fallen light>
"So, that is why…" Hilda had a couple of spells cast over her. It was not just an invisibility spell but also a presence eradication and soul suppression spell.
"It is better to take precaution than fail while trying." That was what Knir had told her when she had cast all those spells on her.
"The essence of light and dark is omnipotent and omniscient. They can create and destroy any spell. The child saint might not know many spells, but he embodies the purest form of light mana. A simple invisibility spell will be as useful as wet tissue before a sword."
The spell she used on her, she claimed, was exceptionally powerful and could negate the effect of the light mana to some degree.
Even with all those spells, she had to sit inside the 'one with nature' magic circle until Knir signaled her. Looking at the fight unfolding before her, she understood why she did that.
Being transformed into a human halogen lamp caused the child's hair and eyebrows to turn golden. The moment he started releasing the light mana, Knir couldn't use her dark spells anymore.
Before the child came out of the carriage, Knir used the resurrected dead beast to fight against the twelve paladins who were protecting the child.
Still, when he activated the ability called [Purify], the animated creature vanished as if Thanos had snapped them out of existence.
It also strengthened the abilities of the Paladin to a certain degree. Knir was still using her spells, but they were all wind and water spells. With Gavon's mental ability, Knir could go toe-to-toe with the twelve paladins.
Just when Hilda thought it would end soon, the old man in a suit standing beside the child saint asked, "Lord saint, If I may…"
The child didn't even look at the face of the old man and waved his hand. The old man started to glow as he walked forward. It wasn't as golden as the saint's light but was still brighter than the paladin.
The golden light the old man had been releasing began to focus on his body. The armor, two-handed broad sword, and helmet appeared as if they had materialized from thin air.
'Is that a flag!' Hilda couldn't help wondering if he was seeing it right when she noticed that light also concentrated to form a flag with a sun and sword behind his back. 'That must be the crusader's flag.'
Just like the witches and warlords of the dark fraction, the light fraction also has some powerhouses like saints. One of the most feared ones is the Crusaders. The reason is that once the crusade's flag is erected, they won't stop unless they gain victory or die.
"You vermins." The old man's voice resonated through the forest. "How dare you roaches of darkness even think of putting your hand on the great saint?"
'That guy really hates us.' Hilda had no problem understanding as the older man wielded the long sword with one hand. He waved the sword, slicing off all the trees on the path as the golden slash was about to hit Knir.
*Boom*
The thunderous explosion shook the forest, creating a cloud of dust in front of Knir. The cloud had yet to clear before something shot out of the dust and clashed against the old crusader.
*Bam**Boom*
A broken tree shot past invisible Hilda before she could understand what was happening. Her instinct was screaming inside her, urging her to escape, yet her body wasn't listening to her mind.
It wasn't just that one tree. The immense amount of mana even dented the ground and reduced nearby trees to dust. Just like the one that narrowly missed Hilda, a handful of trees situated outside the dip in the ground were snapped like twigs and whisked away.
Although not broken, the trees outside of that were bent from extreme mana. The people who were the cause couldn't care less.
The smoke cleared up. Hilda noticed the old crusader was using both hands to hold the sword to stop the barbed club of Brom, the bugbear.
"Kheee…" Brom showed his jagged teeth and laughed at the crusader.
{{Brom: The bugbear
Gavon: The beholder: One-eyed creature}}
"Be the light with you." With his words, the sword blasted enormous light mana in Brom's direction. It was too bright to see what was happening.
When the light started to dim, Hilda noticed that the beam had split the forest just as Moses had split the ocean. Yet, Brom was unharmed.
"That is the best you can do? It is better to let those old bones rest."
"I won't be resting until Vermins finds you still alive."
"Don't worry, this vermin would let you rest today."
Hilda couldn't see what happened next. That older man and Brom, whose weight might be more powerful than Tsuth, moved too fast for her eyes to follow.
All she heard was the thunderous sound of their weapons clashing and the bright flashes and dark sparks that almost ruptured the fabric of reality.
"Now."
Knir's sudden shout attracted Hilda's attention. Hilda couldn't help but wonder if they needed her assistance after seeing how easily twelve Paladins could overwhelm Knir.
Hilda could understand that the child saint's ability was enough to reduce the abilities of the creature of darkness to a certain degree.
Yet Knir could effortlessly fight them with just her elemental abilities. Hilda wasn't even sure whether Gavon's mind control abilities were needed.
Then there is Brom. Unlike an orc, who uses dark mana, Brom was fighting against a crusader to a standstill with pure strength. Hilda wasn't sure if all the bugbears were like that or if Brom was an exception.
'Is he also some kind of warlord or an omen?' No matter what, Hilda reminded her not to mess with a bugbear.
"What are you doing, idiot? Do your job."
"Oh!" Hilda realized Knir was talking to her. Hilda charged at the child saint.
There wasn't even fifty meters of distance between her and the child. Hilda was in front of her before he could understand what was happening.
"Ahhhhh…" the child saint screamed in pain as Hilda tore off his hand from his right shoulder.
"Oh! You can escape that?" Hilda chewed on the hand of the child as blood was flowing into her mouth. "It is surprisingly tasty."
Hilda wasn't particularly fond of the taste of blood. The only reason she would drink blood and eat flesh was because that was how it should be.
This was the first time she felt that the blood that was sipping into her mouth was some kind of delicacy.
[The host absorbs the blood of a being blessed by eternal mana.]
[Constintiution: 26>26.1]
…
[Charm: 8>8.1]
[Constitution: 26.3>26.4]
…
[Intelligence: 100>100 (!!!)]
[Dexterity: 21.2>21.3]
[Constitution: 26.6>26.7]
…
…
"What the hell are you doing, you idiot?" Although the situation didn't look so serious, the scream of the Knir's voice sounded desperate.
[Due to the host's inherent ability, the effect of the
'What the hell happened?' It was like Hilda had awakened from her trance. Hilda was sure she was immune to all the effects of mind control but never realized that her own ability could corrupt her mind.
'The name 'sin' does make sense.' Hilda knew it was not the time to check her status. The child was holding his severed shoulder and trying to run away. Hilda pounced. The child pulled out a short dagger and tried to hold his ground.
"[Purify]." He pointed his dagger at her and screamed at the top of his lungs.
The stone-encrusted dagger glowed in bright yellow and shot at her. Hilda tried to dodge, but the beam was faster.
Out of all the painful experiences she was expecting, none came. The golden light covered her body, but that was it.
[
It was a blissful feeling, being warped in a cozy blanket on a winter afternoon after having a belly full of lunch.
"You don't have an ounce of dark mana. That attack won't hurt you." Knir, who had already sent half of the Paladins to the lord, took her blissful expression as being afraid of his ability.
Hilda wanted to explain, but someone else had already taken notice of Hilda. The old crusader, burnishing his long sword, lunged at her, yelling, "How dare a bug like you touch the…"
When the sword was just about to crack her skull, the half-shattered club hit the old crusader in the side of his stomach, sending him flying.
Before the broken tree, which the old crusader had crashed into, could hit the ground, the old crusader attacked. Again, Hilda was at the front end of the attack. If it hadn't been for Brom, she would have turned into minced meat.
"Kill it," Knir yelled.
[Purify.]
Their screams resonated with each other, and she was assaulted with a stabbing pain in her stomach. Hilda knew she had underestimated the child, who had lost one of his hands. When she was concentrating on the attack from the old crusader, the child stabbed the dagger and tried to purify her inside out.
[
[The host acquired a new skill,
[
…
Due to the presence of the foreign object, it is impossible to mend the wound.]
"Why?" He looked at Hilda with terror. He was expecting the beast to bust like the goblin when he stabbed it with the dagger. He looked at the old crusader for an explanation, but he wasn't in the position to give one.
Knir, on the other hand, was also looking for an explanation. Hilda did not have a single ounce of dark mana inside her, so it was expected that the saint's spells and other light mana spells wouldn't be effective against her.
However, 'The Dagger of Joan' is an entirely different thing. It might be a replica, but it was enough to destroy any creature affiliated with sin. She had personally confirmed that Hilda was affiliated with not just one but two sins.
Hilda wasn't in the luxury of thinking about it. Hilda pounced on him as soon as the child pulled out the dagger. With her jaw clamping down on his throat, she didn't forget to use a water spell to pin down his hand on the ground.
[
[
[Recovering…]
There were a lot of things Hilda wanted to ask Knir about. Before that, Hilda broke his neck. And it was over.
Or so she thought.
[The host had killed a higher-level creature.
The host has leveled up.
Level: 13 (4.7/14)]
The body twitched for a moment before it started to shine brightly. It was like some kind of golden gas was leaking out from all of the orifices of his body.
[The host had killed a creature blessed by eternal light.
The host has leveled up.
The host has leveled up.
The host has leveled up.
…
Level: 19 (5.7/20)]
Before she could understand how her level could shoot up like a rocket, all the golden gas assaulted her body.
It was like a million ants were biting every part of her body. She let go of the dead body and rolled on the ground, trying to rub every part of her body on the ground.
All of that is for nothing. The pain didn't decrease at all. Instead, she felt the feeling penetrating her body. The non-existent ants were biting her bones and inner organs, while her veins were transporting lava instead of blood.
[The eternal light cursed the host.
The primordial light is gathering in the central core.
The primordial light is wrenching havoc on the host's body.]
[Constitution: 32.1>32]
[Strength: 22.2>22.1]
[Dexterity: 27.6>27.5]
…
[Due to
"What the hell?" Hilda had no time to look at the string of notifications appearing in front of her. Even without it, she could feel that something was destroying her body inside and out.
{{Author: Stat increase because she ate the flesh of saint> kill the violet grade child saint gave ten exp.> Killed a saint and gave 100 exp> The curse reduces the stats.}}