474

Episode 474: You Should Have Known By Now? (2)

Jiselle said, taking a slight step back.

"This is not a good place, so let's go outside."

Jisel had already sensed that he had to fight when Parniel started to show his momentum. That was why he drew his sword.

In her previous life, she had done whatever she wanted. But the results were not necessarily bad.

After all, she had a belief in punishing 'evil'.

Following Giselle's suggestion, the two went outside. Naturally, the atmosphere became tense.

The Fenris Mobile Force waiting outside held the reins as if they would come running at any moment, and the priests and temple knights who followed Parniel also had tense expressions.

"Let's give it a try."

Paaak!

As Giselle drew up her mana, the dark aura emanating from him grew thicker.

Parniel narrowed his eyes when he saw that.

"It feels quite suspicious."

"It just so happened."

It's nice that I can boost my power thanks to Dark, but this situation is really tiring.

However, except for Erenes and Parniel, no one would react to this to this extent. This is because the two of them are so sensitive to this energy.

And Parniel was different from Erenes. If you fight, you will see that Giselle's power is different from that of the Salvation Church.

That's what divine power is.

Kuung!

Parniel approached with his mace in hand.

"You will have to do your best."

Paaaaak!

Suddenly, her mace slammed down on Giselle's head. It felt like an avalanche.

A single hit from one of these attacks would kill a person, but she seemed completely unconcerned.

Kwaaaaang!

Jiselle's sword was raised and blocked Parniel's mace. However, it would be foolish to receive that power as is.

Kagagagagak!

Jiselle's sword and body rotated together, sending out power. The sword extended forward naturally, like water flowing.

grasp!

A wound appeared on Parniel's cheek and blood gushed out.

Jiselle's eyes were eerily emotionless. It was as if she didn't care if the other person died.

Without that kind of determination, it would be difficult to even hurt the other person.

Boooow!

Parniel swung his mace again as soon as the blade brushed his face. If he had hit, Giselle's side would have been shattered.

Boom!

Jiselle stepped back, blocking the attack with her sword.

As expected from someone born with divine power, Parniel's strength was immense. So, every time they clashed, he had to release his power.

Parniel smiled coolly again.

'What a ghostly movement.'

My strength wasn't working properly. I had to admit that my opponent's skills were superior.

If that's the case, just press down with overwhelming force and speed.

Thud thud.

Her muscles bulged and tendons popped, and her body began to be enveloped in a faint light.

Soon Parniel approached Giselle at incredible speed and swung his mace.

Kwaaaaang!

The mace struck the innocent ground, but the onlookers could not be sure that Giselle had dodged.

Because the ground where she had struck was dug deep, spewing out dust as if spitting blood. It was as if a meteor had fallen.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The earth screamed in agony. The mace struck down like a bug, creating huge craters everywhere.

Even Jiselle, who had avoided all the attacks, couldn't approach rashly.

'Wow, that's really incredible strength. Elena should be like that too.'

Parniel was the toughest fighting style among the 7 powers on the continent. Everyone acknowledged that.

Jiselle had no choice but to increase her strength.

Paaaaak!

Black energy rose and rippled. Jiselle activated her three cores and moved as fast as light.

Kwaaaaang!

The moment Parniel's mace struck the ground again, Giselle cut off her arm with a lightning strike.

Kagakak!

It was an attack with enough force to cut off an arm. However, there was a sound like iron plates being cut, and only a thin line was left.

'also.'

Jiselle clicked her tongue and stepped back. The saintess's terrifying aspect was precisely this defensive power.

Unless the aura was quite strong, it would be impossible to properly wound a body armed with divine power.

So, if you trust that defensive power, you can fight with tremendous power every time you attack.

'Whew, I don't know how long this will take.'

That wasn't the only scary thing about the saint. Her inexhaustible stamina, which she used to harness divine power, was also a powerful weapon.

The saint could fight without resting for several days, recovering on her own. That was also why she was able to fight the 'Master of the Dead' who was leading all kinds of corpses around.

She always called the priests of the Salvation Church cockroaches, but in the eyes of the people, there was someone who fit that description better.

I was just too scared to say it out loud in front of Parniel.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Parniel continued to swing his mace with incredible force and speed, but nothing landed properly.

'Wow. How could you have such a skill… … .'

He himself has been steadily training his skills as a combat priest since childhood.

As a saint of war, she never practiced slackly. She always practiced diligently every day with a grateful heart toward the goddess.

As a result, at some point, there was no knight who could surpass him in terms of technique alone.

In addition to his innate divine power and physique, he also had outstanding skills. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was born for battle. It was truly a blessing from the goddess.

'To the extent that you can surpass me.'

She is also a saint, but she walks the path of battle.

I was in awe of the hard work that went into reaching that level.

And one more thing.

'The battle went like this… … .'

Having lived only in the church, she had never met anyone of equal status. Everyone looked up to her and knelt before her.

The priests of the Salvation Church were also weak. No matter how strong their energy was, they were technically inferior to him.

I didn't even have any friends. All I did was read the scriptures, pray, and practice.

That's why she was always lonely and solitary.

But now… … .

'I didn't know it would be this fun!'

For the first time in his life, Parniel felt that fighting was fun.

I wanted to hang out with the other person a little longer.

Thud!

Parniel laughed and clenched his teeth.

Kwaaaaaaaang!

Every time the mace hit the ground, a large explosion occurred and the ground turned upside down.

The mace that Parniel swung was now distorting even space.

Jiselle looked at him and smiled.

'I guess it's finally getting fun.'

It was the same in her previous life. As she continued to fight, she began to feel joy in the battle itself. Every time she met a strong opponent, including the 7 powers of the continent.

This was the true appearance of the saint who served the Goddess of War.

'I guess I'll try to hang out a little more.'

Paaak!

Jiselle's body was completely surrounded by black energy.

He also likes the heat of battle. If he hated fighting, he would never have become the king of mercenaries.

Finally, Giselle's sword met Parniel's mace.

Kwaaaaaaaang!

When Jiselle's mana and Parniel's divine power collided, a powerful shockwave erupted.

Everyone who was watching had their eyes tightly shut because of the light that burst out at the same time.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The fight between the two became more and more intense. The onlookers stepped back several times.

Parniel shouted with an expression of joy.

"Earl Fenris! You are truly amazing!"

"I know."

Kwaaaaang!

The two men showed off their strength and skills to their hearts' content.

Jiselle, who could not use amplification for a long time, led the battle by making up for her lack of strength with techniques.

As the battle between the two continued, the color drained from Maurice's face.

He had been in a very good mood since the saint had joined him. He felt as if he could fly when he heard that Giselle had annihilated the Delphian army that had been advancing here.

'But why are you two fighting?'

Jiselle was originally known as a loser, so that's understandable. But who would have thought that a decent saint would be just as loser?

He was whining like a puppy that needs to poop and said to the priest next to him.

He was the leader of the priests who followed the saint.

"Hey, try to stop the saint. If this continues, someone is really going to die."

The priest closed his eyes and shook his head.

"What the saint does is in accordance with the will of the goddess."

There is a reason why saints are called the representatives of the goddess. You can't stop them from doing something. Honestly, even if you try to stop them, they won't listen.

Maurice became angry at the stuffy sound.

"No! What the hell is this goddess talking about! Why are you fighting so passionately when you're not even the enemy! Just stop me!"

"That is all the Goddess' will."

"Wow! Then our fortune teller's words are also the will of the goddess!"

"Whoa, Marquis! T-That's a dangerous statement! You could be put in for questioning… … ."

The saint is scary, the priests aren't scary. Maurice used to live like that, hiding in front of the saint.

"Is this the Church? This is the Kingdom of Rutania! I am the Commander-in-Chief of this country! Don't you know that even the priests of this town are giving me a hard time?"

"No matter what, how can you compare a fortune teller to a goddess?"

"Oh, I don't know! Stop it quickly! Is the saintess's brain made of muscle as well?"

"Oh my! That's too harsh!"

"How bad is that! You guys are worse!"

Rather than stopping the fight, the argument between Maurice and the priests continued.

The commanders and soldiers around them also had anxious expressions on their faces.

One side was a saint, the other was the commander of the Northern Army. It was obvious to them that there would be no benefit in fighting between the two.

As the anxiety spread, the entire fortress was in an uproar.

The knights of Fenris flinched several times as if they were really about to run away, and even their horses tensed up and lurched.

Maurice now grabbed the priest by the collar and shouted.

"Damn it! Are they here to help? We're all going to die like this! Don't you see over there? They're the strongest army in the kingdom!"

At Maurice's shout, the priest turned his head and glanced at the Fenris Mobile Force.

They looked like they were going to come running at any moment. If that many people rushed in, they would all die.

They have no desire to say that their deaths are the will of the goddess. That's how people's hearts are.

"Oh, I understand. We'll try to stop it."

There was one way to stop Parniel, though it wasn't used very often.

The priests and temple knights who followed her had grave expressions on their faces. They had to stop the saint before she became even more confused.

"Saintie! Stop it now!"

They ran at the same time and fell down around Parniel.

Parniel, who was attacking Giselle, stopped swinging his mace. If he were to strike with all his might here, the priests around him would be completely shattered.

Because the land around her was already completely destroyed.

As she stopped attacking, Giselle also stepped back and laughed.

"I think it would be better to stop here."

"I'm not quite ready yet."

"If we go all the way, one of us will die."

"If that is the goddess's will, then there is nothing I can do."

"Take it easy. You should know by now that I have nothing to do with the Salvation Church, right?"

"… … ."

Parniel licked his lips. What the other person said was right.

Jiselle's power was similar to the energy of the Salvation Church, but different. This can be known because she had been fighting against the priests of the Salvation Church.

As it was a power that was in opposition to the divine power, she realized that there was something different about Giselle's power.

But I kept pushing because fighting was so much fun.

Jiselle continued, calming herself down.

"If either of us dies, the Salvation Church will be pleased. Is that the Goddess's will?"

"… … ."

"The atmosphere is not good, so let's stop here. If you keep doing this, I will be finished."

Jiselle looked at Parniel with cold eyes. She needed her strength, but if she continued to be stubborn, there was nothing she could do.

We have no choice but to use all our might to deal with it as quickly as possible.

"Phew… … ."

Parniel hesitated for a moment, then let out a sigh of regret and looked around.

Surely everyone was looking at this place with anxious eyes. If we continue here, we will really get into big trouble.

All the priests who came to stop him before will fall down dead.

That would really be something the Salvation Church would be happy about. They couldn't have done something like that.

"Okay, let's stop here for today."

"There will be many exciting fights in the future. There are many strong guys."

"The goddess will guide him as well. I look forward to it."

Parniel nodded, trying to calm his regret.

There were many nobles who joined hands with the Salvation Church. There must have been excellent knights and superhumans as well.

If you include the high-ranking priests of the Salvation Church in that, then all that's left is to fight to the death.

I don't know if it'll be as fun as the opponent I just fought though.

As the two stopped fighting, the atmosphere finally calmed down. The priests who were lying on the floor also had expressions on their faces as if they had come back to life from the dead.

Morris came over and said, as if he was glad.

"Ugh, I feel like my liver is going to break, so let's not fight each other. Let's go in quickly. Hey! Take care of the prisoners too! Jiselle, let's have a strategy meeting first and then talk about the prisoners."

Only then were the northern troops who had been waiting able to enter the fortress.

After the uproar was over and the situation was finally sorted out, Maurice was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

In times like these, the subject must be changed quickly. He gathered Giselle, Parniel, and the remaining commanders and staff.

The real power was held by Giselle and Parniel, but since he was the commander-in-chief, the role of leading the meeting was nominally his.

"Okay, let's put aside our personal feelings and discuss the current situation first. The Northern Army is putting up a fight, but overall, we're being pushed back, right?"

It certainly was. Two legions were still advancing toward the capital.

In particular, the 5th Corps of the Delphian Army, which was the first to move toward the east, was unstoppable.

Morris said, looking at the map.

"I think the saintess should go to a more urgent place… … ."

As he trailed off, Giselle explained the situation.

"The Northern Army has already moved to block the 4th Corps of the Delphine Army that has broken through the southern front."

"Oh! Then the only place left is the Eastern Army. If we can block the Eastern Army, we can block everything!"

While the Northern Army holds off one legion, the Saintess can quickly move east. If the priests who follow her join forces, it will be of great help.

You just have to hold on somehow.

After the northern army wins and moves east, the Delphian army advancing on the capital will be completely destroyed.

"If that happens, this war will be over!"

It was still unclear how much of the Delphine army remained in the south, but at least it could be said that they had seized the opportunity.

As they were discussing strategy, a messenger came running with news.

"The 5th Legion of the Delphian Army fighting in the east has stopped advancing!"

"What? Why?"

Morris asked in surprise. Could it be that the newly built defensive line had stopped them?

But what came out of the messenger's mouth was an unexpected name.

"Count Leipold has moved!"

"Count Leipold? Amelia? But why is the 5th Corps stopping its advance?"

The Delphine army that trampled the East numbered 50,000. Although Leipold was a strong army, it was no match for the Delphine army.

The messenger answered with some hesitation.

"It is said that the surprise attack carried out by Count Leipold was successful and the Delphine army suffered great damage. We are currently in the process of cleaning up the damage."

"Oh! Good! Then Count Leipold must have moved to join the defense line by now!"

"That's not it. Count Leipold did not join."

"What? Why? Then what are you doing?"

"He ran away."

"huh?"

"As soon as you damage the Delphine army, leave the battlefield… … ."

"After you leave?"

"They have taken over the empty lands of the lords and are now claiming it as their own. They say they kept their agreement because they caused damage to the Delphian army… … ."

Morris opened his mouth in bewilderment at the crazy talk that seemed to confirm the report.

Jiselle smiled as if she had expected that.