Chapter 110: Chapter 110
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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Facing the Paladin
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In the forest where the Saintess was almost murdered.
I barely made it there, gasping for breath.
I'd run myself ragged trying to get here on time.
Glancing back, I saw the Saintess, Acrede, with handprints still on her neck.
She stared at me with an impassive expression.
It was just like her not to even whimper, despite being choked like that.
'More accurately.'
It was like her *other self*, I suppose.
"Saintess, why didn't you even try to resist?"
Even at my question, coming from someone she'd never seen before, her expression didn't change as she rose to her feet.
"Against the Cardinal, my blessings cannot fully manifest."
As she said, there was a reason Acrede couldn't use her power against Centriole.
Blessings tend to cancel each other out.
Although Acrede was a Saintess, her opponent was a Cardinal who had reached the rank of Paladin.
He was merely in the process of falling.
He was still active as a Cardinal of the Holy Order.
It was nearly impossible for Acrede to defeat him with pure physical strength alone.
'More importantly.'
The same went for me.
A Paladin acknowledged by the Holy Order wasn't just a Paladin for nothing.
Paladin was a title bestowed upon only three of the Holy Order's strongest Holy Knights.
He was an insurmountable foe for someone at an academy student's level.
A moment ago, he hadn't noticed me due to his murderous intent and rage toward Acrede, which allowed me to catch him off guard.
But there wouldn't be a second time.
'I've already used my Heavenly Dragon Transformation for today.'
The Heavenly Dragon Transformation I'd used to get Isabel back on her feet.
No matter how strong I was, if I used it twice in one day, my body wouldn't last.
In other words, I had to face the Paladin without the Heavenly Dragon Transformation.
Centriole slowly got to his feet, cracking his neck.
His face was perfectly fine, without a single scratch.
According to the original plan, Centriole was supposed to get injured and retreat on his own.
However, things got a bit complicated when I brought Baekmokgong along.
'Baekmokgong is still in combat.'
The Mystics weren't just taking hits either.
They must be using their own mysteries to resist Baekmokgong somehow.
Mysteries are difficult to deal with due to their sheer variety.
Even for Baekmokgong, it would take some time.
"Are you a student from Zerion Academy?"
Centriole seemed to know about me.
"You wield the magic of an ancient dragon, I see."
White sparks flew from the sword he drew.
As his blessing manifested, a fierce flash of light gleamed.
"I suppose there's no problem with executing you on the spot."
"Is it right for someone blessed by God to oppress a mere child?"
"There is no young or old when it comes to crime."
So, I'm just another criminal, then.
"Saintess."
I stood in front of Acrede, shielding her, and quietly called out to her.
"Can you use your blessing on a wide scale?"
"I can."
Okay.
At least there's a chance.
I took a deep breath, clenching both my fists tight.
The Holy Order's strongest Holy Knight.
A Paladin.
Let's see how far I can go against him.
The remnants of an ancient dragon settled in my right eye.
At the same time, pure white cold condensed in my grasp.
At that moment, Centriole moved.
With a single powerful step, the distance between us closed in an instant.
As if a giant had taken a single stride.
An overwhelming aura surged from him, engulfing me.
Goosebumps erupted all over my body.
My instincts screamed at me to run.
Just as expected, a Paladin.
An academy student dared not compare.
However.
Flash—!
With a flash of light erupting from behind me, the entire area was imbued with blessings.
The surrounding scenery transformed into a pure white, and trees of white light scattered with the wind.
Behind me stood a woman with platinum blonde hair, her hands clasped together.
Acrede Narea, the Saint.
A Saintess personally crafted by the Goddess.
The Goddess's brilliant blessing enveloped the entire area.
At the same time, the situation drastically changed.
The explosive aura I'd felt from Centriole vanished.
He, who had felt enormous just moments ago, seemed to shrink in size.
As mentioned before, the Goddess's blessings cancel each other out.
The Goddess's blessing bestowed upon the Saintess was of a higher grade than the Cardinal's.
Just as Centriole had previously nullified the Saintess's blessing to overpower her with brute strength.
At this moment, the Goddess's blessing upon him was also nullified, leaving him with only his raw physical strength.
However, I was different.
My body had never received a Goddess's blessing, not even once.
There was nothing for me to nullify.
Centriole's charging speed had become slower than before.
With this, I could keep up.
Clang!
Centriole's sword clashed with my hand-blade, producing a sharp metallic clang that echoed through the air.
My body was now as tough as steel.
With the addition of the ancient dragon's cold, its hardness had increased significantly compared to before.
And that wasn't the end of it.
My left hand shot toward Centriole's unguarded chest.
Centriole pivoted on his back foot, pulling his body back.
My hand barely grazed his collar as it passed.
Snip!
The hem of Centriole's collar was cut off as it touched my fingertips.
His eyes widened slightly.
I had merely swung my hand-blade.
Yet, it felt as if the collar had been severed by a sword aura.
My hand-blade was imbued with ancient dragon magic.
This continuously froze the surroundings in the form of invisible cold.
As a result of carving that cold into an incredibly thin edge.
I had gained an unprecedented cutting power.
My hand-blade was no longer a blunt weapon with only piercing power, as it once was.
It could now perform the role of a sword just as well.
I stomped hard on the ground, closing in on Centriole.
My hand-blade extended, chasing him.
Compared to a sword, which required large swinging motions, I didn't need much movement.
In other words, there were few restrictions on my actions.
'Now, while Centriole hasn't adapted to being without his blessing, is the decisive moment.'
The moment I lunged at Centriole, intending to plunge my hand-blade into his neck.
I saw him drop the sword he was holding.
Centriole's hand instantly wrapped around my arm.
By the time I realized what it was, it was already too late.
Holy Hand-to-Hand Combat.
It was a martial art developed by the Holy Order to allow one to fight against evil until the very end, even without a sword.
For Centriole, the Goddess's blessing was merely supplementary.
His true strength lay in the training and combat skills he had accumulated as a Holy Knight over the years.
Whoosh!
As my body was lifted into the air, Centriole spun his foot.
CRASH!
"Gah!"
Then, I was slammed back-first into the ground, and a searing pain shot through me.
The ground shattered into pieces from the sheer, brutal force of the impact.
Having a body of steel meant I possessed far superior defense compared to others.
But even so, a body was still a body.
Attacks that inflicted this kind of blunt force could still break through.
Centriole had noticed this fact from our previous clash and immediately acted on it.
Centriole twisted my arm, which was jammed into the ground.
It was clear he intended to break it.
Though disoriented by the impact, my judgment was quick.
The magic inscription activated on the elbow Centriole was holding, spewing light.
BOOM!
Following the engraved explosion magic, my arm shot up towards Centriole's chest.
My hand immediately seized Centriole's collar.
'Remnants of an Ancient Dragon!'
Immediately afterward, the cold energy pouring from my body swiftly enveloped Centriole.
C-crack!
Centriole's head was engulfed by the ancient dragon's cold and froze solid.
Snap!
At the same time, a loud crack erupted from my right arm.
Even with his head frozen, Centriole had still managed to break my arm.
This was my arm, reinforced with a body of steel and imbued with ancient dragon magic.
To break *that* was insane strength.
From my prone position, I kicked Centriole in the stomach and rolled away, escaping.
My broken arm dangled uselessly.
Cold sweat streamed down my face from the searing pain in my arm.
However, perhaps because I had overcome so many situations recently, I had learned how to endure pain.
Besides, I wasn't the only one here.
The Goddess's touch imbued my arm.
My broken arm instantly began to return to its original form.
The searing pain completely vanished.
It was Acrede who had healed my arm.
She was still praying, her eyes closed.
But no matter how powerful Acrede was.
Unleashing enough blessings to nullify a Cardinal's blessing was no easy feat.
Beads of cold sweat dotted her forehead.
It was remarkable that she had healed my arm even in that state.
'I don't have much time.'
She was giving her all, but so was her opponent.
CRACK!
Meanwhile, Centriole, who had shattered the ice on his face with his hands, lifted his head.
Between the falling shards of ice, his chilling eyes were revealed.
Centriole stomped heavily on the hilt of the sword lying on the ground.
The sword bounced up and was once again caught in his grasp.
Facing Centriole, I steadied my breath.
To be such a monster even without the Goddess's blessing – he hadn't earned the title of Paladin for nothing.
Honestly, I saw even less chance of winning than I did against Nikita.
'In that case.'
I had no choice but to squeeze out every possible means and win, no matter what.
My creed was to throw everything I had into the fight, without considering the odds.
I thrust my hand-blade forward.
Centriole responded, pulling his sword back and kicking off the ground.
The distance between Centriole and me closed in an instant once more.
I couldn't recklessly rush into his embrace like before.
Even if I did, I would only fall victim to his Holy Hand-to-Hand Combat again.
Centriole's sword shot up from below.
I crossed both my hands, blocking the sword.
Centriole didn't stop there; he continued his sword path.
Drawing upon Holy Knight sword techniques, heavy blows followed one after another.
The force was strong enough to make my arms ache as I blocked.
To escape his sword path, I thrust my foot forward.
I stomped on the foot Centriole had extended to draw his sword technique.
The explosion magic inscription activated on my elbow.
My left fist connected with the tip of the hilt that Centriole had raised to swing.
Clang!
The impact twisted the trajectory of the sword he was about to swing.
Maintaining the stance from swinging my left arm, I pulled my right shoulder back.
At the same time, the explosion magic inscription on my right elbow activated once more.
BOOM!
With an explosive sound, my body recoiled, and my right hand-blade shot out like a cannonball.
Centriole, who had somehow dropped his sword, tried to wrap his hand around my arm once again.
The same situation as before.
However, this time, an unexpected variable was mixed into the situation.
Whoosh—
The shroud-like bandage wrapped around my arm partially unraveled due to the explosion.
At the same time, the reach of my right arm instantly changed.
My arm, in Hanon's form, was short.
However, my arm, in Vikamon's form, was much longer.
Miss!
Centriole's hand, which had tried to grab me, accounting for Hanon's arm, slipped and missed.
Centriole's eyes widened.
It was a situation even a Paladin, with countless combat experiences, hadn't anticipated.
The moment his surprised eyes met my eyes, which held a wry smile.
Behind my back, the light of the explosion magic inscription fiercely spread.
The synergy of magic inscription and mystery.
A massive explosion.
As the explosion rose like a halo, my battle cry erupted.
My right arm, caught in the massive explosion, roared forward, shooting towards Centriole.
THWUUUUMMMMM!
A move created by adding variable upon variable.
It was the moment that move pierced Centriole, the strongest knight, the Paladin.