Ch. 93 - The Great War! [30]

[Diorno Estrada PoV]

The Great War. Such a bloody War, perhaps the bloodiest war in the entire Supernatural world.

Dodging the penetrating demonic bullets headed for my head, I launched a counter-attack in the form of a punch towards the head of the devil.

Bam!

Thanks to the Sorcerer Supreme's information, the church were able to dispatch Exorcists like me on the predicted locations in advance.

Thanks to it, the human settlement were evacuated safely while us, the Exorcists managed to limit the destruction that the devils could've caused if it weren't for the Sorcerer Supreme.

Fwoosh!

Fwoosh!

Turning to my side, I saw my new student, a holder of a Longinus, Zenith Tempest. A very powerful Longinus that allows the user to manipulate the weather and the elements themselves.

The church were lucky enough to find this kid. He was on the streets of Rome.

Currently, Rome is experiencing a neclect and instability due to power struggles between the nobility, the commune, and the papacy becoming prominent.

Due to it, the innocents were involved in a battle that gives them nothing but pain and suffering.

I was first sent to Rome to try and stabilize the situation of Rome, when I met the kid manipulating the air to cause distraction before stealing a basket of fruits.

The kid was chased by the owner and the city guards and was quickly apprehended.

If it wasn't for me, the boy would've been in jail and facing harsh punishment for stealers.

With my interference, I get to know the child.

His name is Santo Perello. The oldest child in his family, orphaned due to an internal strife in Rome, leaving him with his two young siblings.

His reason for stealing the basket of apples weren't for himself, but for his young siblings who were on the verge of starvation to death.

Additionally, thanks to the contraption that Lord Michael handed to me a few days ago, that is capable to sensing possible Sacred Gear users and what Sacred Gear they hold, I managed to know the name and the abilities of Santo's sacred gear.

Zenith Tempest.

A high tier Longinus that was said to give the capabilities to manipulate the weather and the elements, almost akin to a god's power.

'Longinus does indeed deserve the title of weapons that can kill even the gods.' I muttered to myself as I watched Santo blurt out countless wind blades towards the devils, slicing them apart with ease.

Ever since I took in Santo along with his siblings, the kid has grown attached and loyal to me.

As long as I said the word, he would be willing to follow for as long as it doesn't involve harm to his siblings.

With my help along with the other Exorcists from the church, Santo was not only trained in the ways of being an Exorcists but he also studied to follow the Bible and the word of God.

Right now, it's not wrong to say that in the future, Santo would be known as the strongest exorcist, God's mightiest human sword.

A tornado of air and fire conjured in front of me, devouring everything in the path with its fiery flames.

Devils stood no chance against Santo's Zenith Tempest.

"What's with that kid!?" My ears perked up after hearing the words of the surviving devils.

For some unknown reason, I couldn't help myself but puff my chest out of pride.

I held back my tongue from shouting 'That's my student!' as doing such thing is not only inappropriate but might also embarrass him.

"You picked a good one, Diorno." I heard my voice being called by a familiar voice.

Turning around, I finally saw who it was.

My teacher, Loid Garcia.

The man, the myth and the legend himself.

Former strongest Exorcist before it was taken away by me.

And then taken away from me by someone from the South.

"Thank you, Teacher." I bowed my head towards me in respect, in which he dismissed casually.

"I'm no longer your teacher. You have surpassed me already. Just call me by my name, Diorno." He chuckled, his wrinkles along with white beard tells how long he has been in this world, experiencing countless hurdles and challenges and yet here he is, still fighting for the sake of the God he believed in when he was a child.

How admirable.

"Does he hold the famous Sacred Gear?" He whispered to me. Why is he whispering as if he's afraid of being heard?

Is it because the devils might hear it? That sounds plausible.

"Yes." I answered, not fully going into details. It's not like it's necessary and besides, Lord Michael told me specifically not to tell anyone about the contraption that could detect Sacred Gears and their abilities.

"I see. It's quite powerful. Very powerful." I squinted my eyes at the words he said.

Why is he acting this way? He sounds like he's interested in Santo's Sacred Gear.

"Yes, it is powerful." Coughing, I cleared my throat and answered in a simple manner.

"I see…" He muttered for the last time before silence ensued between us, only the battle between the Angels and Exorcists against the Devils can be heard. Their spells and metallic weapons clashing against one another.

Thankfully, the awkward athomosphere between us didn't last long when a stray devil came out of nowhere and lunged himself towards us.

At first, I was waiting for Loid to make his move to intercept the devil however, noticing that he wasn't moving, I decided to make the move myself.

Unsheathing the Holy Light Sword on my waist, I went on a clash with the devil, dodging his attacks with ease before finishing the battle by decapitation of the devil.

Thanks to my training in Merlin's Tower by engaging into various spars with either Balthazar or the other sorcerers, my battle experience expanded and it's not wrong to say that I could beat my previous self who hasn't met the Sorcerer Supreme yet.

"You've grown strong." I heard Loid's voice behind me.

Surprised by how he managed to sneak behind me without alerting my senses, I was about to turn around when I felt a searing pain on my back.

"GAAAGHHH!" I screamed in pain as I fell to my knees.

Santo, who was nearby, saw me and quickly yelled for my name.

"Teacher Diorno!"

Raising my head, I looked at the perpetrator.

"Why?" I mustered through the pain to ask why my former teacher of all the people, would suddenly stab me from behind.

"I'm sorry, my dear student. But you should understand. Everyone hates dying and growing old makes me feel I'm near it. They promised me, that as long as I aid them in the war, they would grant me longevity, no longer shackled by the concept of time." Loid, who has been showing no emotion since earlier, grinned like a madman, his bloodshot eyes staring down on my fallen figure.

"You….traitor! You're a heretic!"

"And that kid's power. If I could take it for myself. I would become strong. Strong enough so I could fully resist dying! Someday, you'll understand my predicament, Diorno, once you reach the same age as me." With one final word, he thrusted his Holy Light Sword that has turned slightly dark towards me.

Pushing myself to the limits, I quickly dodged to the side, letting the blade pass through me.

At the same time, I noticed that the reason why no one was helping me was because Loid wasn't the only traitor.

On the church's side, the battlefield has turned bloodly as properly dressed Exorcists were fighting one another.

'The Devil's Snare.' I muttered to myself. A famous doing of the devils in order to cripple God's believers and followers, by enticing the humans or seducing them to stray away from God's embrace.

"Joseph!? What are you doing!?- Arrggh!"

"Martin, stop!"

The cries of the innocent Exorcists can be heard as their close friends or families were suddenly turning their backs on them.

I gritted my teeth.

Those devils….they dare to do something as audacious as this.

Do they think doing this would give them the advantage?

As long as God is on our side. Nothing is impossible. Nothing can't be beaten and no one shall be tempted by the devil's words anymore.

Using the Holy Energy inside my body, I healed the injury on my back, Loid's sword has managed to hit my spine, hence why it was so painful and I can hardly move earlier.

Thankfully, just before Loid could continue his assault on me, my student, Santo, has finally arrived. A small ball of mixed wind and flame swirling on top of his palm before smashing it against Loid's body.

BAM!

The attack was very effective as Loid was unable to react and was blown away by him.

Santo then landed beside me and assisted me in standing up.

"Thank you. You saved my life, Santo." I smiled in relief and patted his head.

"It's nothing compared to what you did for me, Teacher Diorno. And besides, it's only natural for me to help someone in need." Santo shook his head and refuted me, staying a bit humble.

This put a smile on my face.

"You're a good kid, Santo. I pray that you remain that way forever." I told him and he smiled before facing the bloody conflict occurring between the Exorcists.

Some even had the audacity to try and attack an angel.

My face darkened slightly upon seeing this. I should've known that the devils would use dirty tactics to their advantage.

Next time. I won't be tricked by this anymore.

***

[Chamber PoV]

Oblivious to the happenings on Diorno's side, I was busy dancing on the battlefield with a flaming chicken.

This Ultimate class Phenex devil is on a whole another level compared to the previous one I killed.

His flames are not only hotter but he can also transform his body into flames, meaning before my Tao Mandalas could touch his body, he would turn into flames and leave a gap for my attack to pass through him.

His control over his Devil trait is dangerous.

"You killed him! You killed my brother!" He cried as he slammed several hammer-shaped flames towards me.

As for me, I simply conjured a huge Shield of the Seraphim an eldritch defensive spell that doesn't block damage but absorbs them.

Once the absorption has reached its maximum, I can use the shield as some sort of offensive spell that can explode into tiny pieces of its shards.

Sharp enough to penetrate even through a High-class devil's defenses.

Normally, the original spell isn't capable of doing this but like I said a few days ago, I'm upgrading my current arsenal of Eldritch Spells, adding some extra effects on them to make them more dangerous.

Heck, even the basic Eldritch Whip has been upgraded to heat up to 1,650° Celsius. Which is hotter than lava.

And now, I can feel that the shield has absorbed enough damage from the Phenex devil's flame attacks.

Time for a counter-attack.

With a single command of my mind, I pushed the enormous shield forward, causing the Phenex devil to collide with it and back away.

Once the shield is far enough away from me, I snapped my fingers.

Snap!

BOOM!

The shield exploded into tiny fragments, as small as a needle but as sharp as a flaming hot knife.

Added with the momentum and speed, the surrounding devils has fallen from it.

The moment the shards came in contact with their bodies, it immediately penetrated through the armors and then their skin before entering their bodies.

Just the explosion alone took out thousands of devils in the vicinity, surprising not only the devils but even the Angels themselves.

"What a move." Dohnaseek whistled and gave me a thumbs-up before launching himself to another devil.

As for the Phenex Devil, he has already regenerated his entire upper body.

Well, that's to be expected. I didn't exactly upgraded the spell to have anti-regeneration properties.

Maybe in the future, I'll make all of my spells have anti-regeneration properties.

"You'll regret that!" The Phenex breathed heavily before rushing towards me.

"You speak as if that attack didn't take out half of your Demonic Energy." I chuckled and pointed out.

Unfortunately, that didn't stop him from attacking, so I was left with no choice but to meet him head on.

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[Next Chapter: Ch. 94 - The Great War! [31]]

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