Chapter 67: Martial Saintess (2)

Chapter 67: Martial Saintess (2)

When Ellie rejected the offer, all eyes shifted to her. She hugged me so tightly it seemed absolute, refusing to let go.

As I inwardly worried if I might suffocate from her embrace, Lize asked with a puzzled voice. Despite being a simple question, it was amplified by her impressive appearance, exuding an immense pressure.

"Wait to befriend before inviting? What do you mean by that?"

"I mean exactly what I said. You've heard from The Principal, right? Sivar is still naive about the world. What if he takes a wrong impression from being taken away so abruptly?"

"Hmm."

Lize crossed her arms as she contemplated the sound reasoning. Clearly, Im no ordinary person.

Any regular person would have definitely rejected or, after some thought, reluctantly accepted Lizes proposal.

But my situation was different not just anyone but someone who had lived wildly before crossing into civilization.

Without the wild, ones own convictions may inevitably weaken. Lize was probably considering the same thing.

As expected, Lize nodded, conveying an impression of understanding.

"That makes sense. What is the student's name?"

"It's Ellie."

"Ellie, thats a lovely name. Your words carry considerable persuasive power. While I could force him to come along, that might only provoke stronger defiance."

As Lize nodded with her arms still crossed, her thick forearm muscles noticeably stood out.

"However, we can't just leave things be. Ellie, you do realize how strong Sivar is, don't you?"

"Yes. I might not know the details, but I am aware hes incredibly strong."

She must've heard about the incidents. About Hector who had brazenly initiated an attack and was brutally defeated.

Ellie wasnt necessarily familiar with combat, but she was undoubtedly aware of my considerable strength.

It would be odd if she wasnt, considering I had effortlessly blocked the gigantic hand of Manki and then overcame and killed him.

"As long as Sivar doesnt master his true nature, that strength could be directed toward you as well, Ellie. I'm here to help."

"How would you propose to help? Does it involve violence?"

"I cannot say that it won't."

Lize answered frankly, as if asking what kind of question that was, unabashedly admitting that she might resort to violence if necessary.

At that, Ellie hugged me even tighter. I had already been barely able to breathe by turning my head, and now even that was impossible.

Thump, thump.

Just short of suffocating, I tapped desperately on Ellie's shoulder. Luckily, she recognized my intent and loosened her grip a bit.

I now understood how someone could suffocate from a pillowespecially considering the pillow-like softness compared to this.

"*Pant* *pant*"

"Did you just nearly drown or something?"

Kara asked with a half-suppressed laugh at my ragged breaths. Despite her, I just leaned back onto Ellie's chest.

Normally, I'd be conscious of the audiences eyes on me, but that feeling had vanished entirely. Ellie was the only one I trusted.

She was the one who boldly refused Lize's persuasion and the one defending me.

All set aside, her chest was just too comfortable to lean against. How could anyone resist this?

"Ive learned something over decades of pilgrimage. As long as there is lifenot just humansviolence is an inevitability."

"That hardly seems like a statement a Saint should be making."

"I am quite aware. Violence is a clear evil. But if that evil is necessary, I am more than willing to use it to eradicate the source of harm."

Thats what set Lize apart from typical saintly characters. Standard saints are nearly absolute in their goodness, but Lize was pure chaos.

She had a fundamentally good heart and was genuinely benevolent enough to act on it. But being realistic, she did not shy away from resorting to violence.

It was a faith truly befitting chaos. With such an appearance and her breezy personality, it was impossible for her not to be popular.

"Just to clarify, I wont be pummeling Sivar. It's to prepare for the unlikely event he enters a berserk state. As I've learned, once fury hits, nothing short of knocking him out seems to work," said Rod.

""

I examined Lize while resting my cheek on Ellie's chest. Even a single punch from her would probably knock me out instantly.

Not to mention, in a proper grapple, there would be no escape. Lizes physical capabilities surpassed mine.

In any case, Lize was my superior. In body, technique, traitsthere was nothing she wasnt better at than me.

Just like Rod, my wild instincts screamed that I'd be certain to lose in a battle against her.This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com

"So have you already decided on a training method? Just to let you know, Sivars opinion here is most important."

After hearing Lize's words, Ellie cautiously asked a question, ensuring my viewpoint was considered.

Lize grinned broadly, revealing shiny white teeth, her cheerful demeanor catching the eye.

"To control the fury at will, we need to be able to intentionally induce it. That would be the first step."

"But fury is only triggered in life-threatening situations. Is that even possible?"

They probably don't realize it themselves. How would they know if even I don't?

Anyway, I need to see the method. For a moment intrigued by the novelty, Lize was about to explain her method.'

"Showing it here will be difficult. Shall we step out back for a moment?"

What kind of method could she possibly be intending to use? Lost in thought, Lize turned to Rod with a question.

"Is that okay?"

"As long as it's not on the ground, but in the sky, theres no problem."

"It might start to rain, though."

"Do whatever you like."

Rod seemed to have a rough idea of the method she was about to demonstrate. Is this a dialogue only understood among the mighty?

Then we followed Lize to the backyard. With woods behind, the space was quite extensive.

Even as we moved outside, I cautiously held on to Ellie from behind. Approaching Lize was intimidating.

Ellie seemed amused by this, playfully messing with my hands. It wasn't uncomfortable by any means, given the way she intertwined our fingers.

"Sivar, Im okay with this, but dont do this with other people, especially women. The waist is quite sensitive."

"Ok."

She made a point to offer that advice in the middle of it all. Kara gave us a sidelong glance but I just ignored it.

Eventually, we reached a wide-open space. Now, all that was left was to wait for Lizes demonstration.

"I'll show you the method I plan to use on Sivar. But I must warn you, it's not about direct hitting, and in reality, it will be far gentler than this."

As she spoke, Lize slowly took her stance. She spread her legs a bit and looked up at the sky.

Then, she slightly bent her knees and started to draw her right arm backward. I had a rough idea of the pose she was assuming.

"Inhale!"

After getting into position, she abruptly punched towards the sky. On the surface, it appeared to be a regular punch.

Crack!

That was until cracks began to spread through the air like shattered glass.

""

"What's this?"

"Cracks in the sky?"

The seemingly effortless punch had an impact beyond imagination.

Rod, unlike the rest of us who doubted what we were seeing, wasn't surprised.

Crack, crunch!

In the meantime, the cracks that had formed in the air began to intensify, causing concern it might shatter completely.

Fortunately, they subsided after a short while, but the effects of breaking' space subtly started to manifest.

"That, that, that"

"Uh? What's th Argh?!"

Reacting to Lunas urgent voice, Kara looked up at the sky and equally gaped.

The reactions from both who were normally not easily startled made me even more curious. Slowly, I lifted my head.

""

It was about 4 p.m., a time when the summer sun should still be brightly shining.

But now the sky was a bizarre patchwork parts were as dark as night, others glowed with the hues of sunset, and some were weirdly clouded.

The sky was not only twisted; it was wrecked. The magnitude of the impact surpassed even Rod's cutting through space with his sword.

If Rods swordplay was precise and swift, Lize had literally shattered space.

And that was with a single, simple punch.

Drip, drop.

I felt droplets falling on my face because, as mentioned earlier, there was even a patch of raincloud-laden sky.

"This is the technique I will use on Sivar. Just for illustration, it will be less intense than this."

""

Lize's voice was clear in my ear. I lowered my head slowly and looked at her.

"The placebo effect is a kind of hypnosis. And"

With a refreshing smile, Lize shared that her method was akin to,

" also a form of hypnosis."

It was almost terrifying.