Chapter 192: The Fount of Light (4)

As soon as the words ‘divine retribution’ escaped Eugene’s mouth, the three people blocking his way could not hide the change in their expressions. It was only natural for righteous, faithful believers to feel enraged by Eugene’s offensive words.

Even if Eugene was the Hero recognized by the Holy Sword, he was not permitted to say such blasphemous words. In Yuras, the Hero was officially recognized as the Incarnation of Light. However, even the Incarnation was only an incarnation, not the Light itself.

Moreover, Eugene was not a believer of Light and wasn’t like the Great Vermouth of three hundred years ago. He had not saved countless people, nor had he brought forth numerous miracles. Therefore, he needed strict and rigorous verification in order to be considered the true Hero.

Under these circumstances, although the three had no choice but to admit that Eugene could wield the Holy Sword, they could not sincerely acknowledge that he was the Hero. And right now, Eugene had interrupted and obstructed the holy and sacred ritual and even slaughtered faithful servants of the Light. To add insult to injury, he even dared to label his atrocious acts as ‘divine retribution.’

“How dare you!”

Giovanni’s eyes were consumed with rage as he shouted at Eugene. He took steps forward while calling forth divine power.

There was a good reason behind how he could stand as the captain among hundreds of knights belonging to the Blood Cross, and it was that he always pursued the Light with devout, unwavering faith from an early age. He had made a decision to devote all that he had to serve the Light. His noble faith materialized into a brilliant light, and an armor of bright light wrapped around him as he extended his arms to the sides.

Fwoosh!

A giant hammer leaning against the wall jumped into Giovanni’s hand.

“Sir Eugene,” Sergio called out with a cold gleam in his eyes. He shook his head while rolling up the wide sleeves of his habit. “You just said something that you should not have.”

Instead of answering, Eugene gave a crooked smile. Something he should not have said? It was ironic to hear such bold words from someone caught red-handed. No… he could not apply that logic to these people; they certainly understood the situation differently. They were absolutely convinced that their actions were righteous. These lunatics were fully convinced that their rituals were sacred and their side was in the right.

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It was clear that they could not understand how Eugene could be acting like this as the Hero, but the same was true for Eugene — he could not understand them and had no intention of even attempting to digest their fanatical ideas. He did not care at all what their circumstances were.

He could see Kristina lying in the fountain, bleeding, and he recalled the countless images of the young girls projected to him by the Draconic spell. He could almost see Anise in front of him, staring at him with an emotionless, doll-like face and lightless eyes.

Eugene took a step forward, exhaling a deep breath filled with countless emotions.

Giovanni reacted immediately and kicked off the ground as if he had been waiting for Eugene to make a move. Although the hammer he wielded was heavy, befitting its shape and size, it wasn’t slow by any means. Before anyone could react, Giovanni’s hammer was on a path toward Eugene at an incredible speed.

Boom!

The deafening clash threw Eugene backward at breakneck speed, and Giovanni felt convinced by the dull impact he felt in both his hands. Eugene had failed to dodge, and he had failed to block. It was clear that he was exhausted from his journey here. The deaths of his subordinates had not been in vain.

“Uwaaah!” Giovanni charged forward with a loud shout and chased after Eugene. Atarax and Sergio followed suit right behind Giovanni.

They could only delay the ceremony for a short time. Since the wounds last engraved on the Saintess Candidate were almost healed, they needed to chisel more wounds in order to allow the water to permeate.

Eugene stared at the three with eyes filled with enmity. Although he had been blown back by Giovanni’s hammer, he was completely uninjured. He had redirected the brunt of the blow in a fine manner unnoticeable to Giovanni, and he had intentionally allowed himself to be flung backward.

It was all because he was worried about Kristina.

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Thud!

Eugene regained his balance and stomped the ground, leaping even further back. Meanwhile, the three men were fiercely chasing him and were already near Eugene. That giant Paladin — Eugene did not know who he was, but the aura he exuded was extraordinary. He was likely one of the captains, in any case. As for Atarax’s movements, they were, naturally, excellent. He was hiding his presence like an experienced assassin of Nahama, and he continuously looked for gaps in Eugene’s defense.

Sergio stood out even when compared to the two powerful warriors. It was only natural for his divine power to be outstanding, given that the man had received a stigmata and been appointed as the cardinal, but even his movements hinted that he was not an opponent to be taken lightly.

Fwooop!

The hammer tore through the air, closing the distance to Eugene. However, Eugene did not follow the weapon’s trajectory with his eyes. Instead, he calculated the distance he had opened between himself and his opponents. He came to a judgment — at this distance, surely, he could….

His arm whipped the air, and the Holy Sword wriggled like a snake and soared up. Compared to Giovanni’s hammer, the Holy Sword was thin and fragile, not unlike a skewer. However, such things were not important. The heights that knights and warriors pursued, Eugene found simply laughable. Having honed his skills and abilities in hundreds and thousands of fights, Eugene was able to parry Giovanni’s attack all too easily.

Tunng!

Giovanni’s hammer was deflected upward, and blood spurted from the hand gripping it. Giovanni could feel that the hammer would have escaped his grasp had he lacked even a little bit of power, and he could not believe it. How could a sword swung from such an unstable position contain so much power and speed?

‘Oh, holy light…!’

As Giovanni recited a prayer in his head, the armor of light surrounding him transformed. Divine magic replenished his courage, and his wounds were healed immediately. The grace granted him strength and reinforced his body.

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Giovanni grabbed the hammer securely once more, bringing it down upon Eugene’s head in a swift motion. However, Eugene had no intention of playing along with Giovanni’s offensive. He leaned forward and took a giant step.

Crack!

An intense burst of light accompanied the lightning. It was only one step for Eugene, but Giovanni failed to see it as such. In fact, he had been unable to see anything at all. Before the hammer even touched the ground, Eugene had already passed Giovanni. As for the movement of Eugene’s sword… that was even more so impossible for Giovanni to track. After all, he had failed to grasp Eugene’s steps, so how could he see something even faster?

The only evidence of Eugene’s step was a lingering, wobbly line of white fire. The thin string of fire made contact with Giovanni’s armor of light, and with a cracking sound the light surrounding Giovanni was shredded apart. The armor of light, which boasted defense proportionate to the wearer’s faith, was destroyed as if it was made of paper.

Atarax raised his arms high while watching the scene unfold.

Fwaaaah!

The skin covering his wrists ripped, and crimson blood began pouring out. Blood magic — it was ancient magic that had been considered black magic and censored during the magic hunt of the Holy Empire.

However, after gathering information about various types of magic during the hunt, the Holy Empire had performed a thorough analysis and granted the powers not judged to be actual black magic to the Inquisitors.

Blood magic was specialized for combat. While regular magic invoked mana through the use of Circles or Cores and directed the mana through formulas, blood magic involved permeating formulas directly into the blood and using the blood as a medium to invoke magic.

The blood pouring out of Atarax’s wrists quickly pooled, and soon, an enormous amount of blood soared up from around his feet. It was impossible to believe that so much blood had been spilled by a single person.

The wave of blood poured over Eugene, but he did not panic. Instead, the flood of red only served to nourish Eugene’s intense emotions. In response to Atarax’s attack, Eugene’s flames blazed with even more intensity around the Holy Sword.

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Kwaaaah!

The wave was destroyed in an instant, resulting in a torrent of blood splashing on the ground. However, the droplets of blood still in the air aimed to take Eugene’s life, each drop striking him with the power of a crossbow bolt.

Meanwhile, Giovanni realized he was without his hammer and attempted to pull himself together. His hammer had been shattered to pieces by the Holy Sword, and Giovanni clasped his hands in front of his chest with intense anger. Giovanni’s divine power acted to paint a giant cross on the floor, and Atarax immediately summoned his own divine power upon recognizing Giovanni’s actions and scattered light through the air.

Signum Crucis Barrier.

Fwoosh!

The cross formed from the light in the sky and on earth shone brilliantly, and Eugene stood right in the midst of it. However, he was unimpressed.

“Oh… Ohh…!” Giovanni exclaimed, trembling. The illuminating particles of light were permeating his body.

Eugene was no stranger to this magic. Contrary to the expectations of his three opponents, Eugene was quite knowledgeable about divine magic. In fact, he was even more informed about divine magic compared to many high-rank priests.

Three hundred years back, he had fought for a long, long time alongside Anise. All kinds of knights had participated in the chaotic battlefields of the era, and the Paladins of Yuras were among them as well.

Signum Crucis Barrier was a barrier that strictly controlled the flow of mana within a designated space and temporarily amplified divine power, the power of priests. However, miracles that transcended reason were always accompanied by a corresponding price.

Paladins who fought within the barrier paid a hefty price in exchange for gaining great power — their life. To the best of Eugene’s knowledge, the only one who could perform such a miracle without much burden was Anise. The only price she paid was the deepening of the stigmata on her back and the blood that she had to spill in the process.

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“…Ha,” scoffed Eugene. The relic on his left ring finger was throbbing. Agaroth’s divine power was reacting to the Signum Crucis Barrier and resisting it. As a result, Eugene’s flames were unwavering even though he was within the barrier, where the flow of mana was tightly restricted.

Giovanni and Atarax came to a conclusion at this sight. The strange, otherworldly power that allowed Eugene’s flames to remain untouched within the Signum Crucis Barrier was different from the power granted to them by the God of Light. It was….

“…The power of heretics…!”

As an Inquisitor, Atarax naturally perceived Eugene’s power as belonging to a pagan faith.

How…? How could this be? Atarax jumped into the barrier without hesitation as tears of blood flowed from his eyes. “Sir Giovanni! Eugene Lionheart is a heretic! He worships the pagan gods!”

“Ohhhhh!” Giovanni was also shedding tears of blood. How could a heretic be the master of the Holy Sword!? The anger and despondency coursing through his body fueled and reinforced him within the Signum Crucis Barrier.

However, everything looked like nothing more than a rotten, third-rate skit to Eugene.

Giovanni shouted, “Conviction!”

The Holy Sword had returned to its scabbard in the meantime, and as Atarax shouted “Punishment!”, Eugene instantly unsheathed it and held it to the side.

The two attacked him in unison. Although the two belonged to different organizations, they were united in their unwavering faith in the Light. They were obligated to punish the terrible pagan who dared to deceive the Light under the pretense of being the Hero. Even if they were martyred in the process, they were willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the Light.

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Atarax rushed in as blood flowed freely from his arms, and Giovanni charged at Eugene after once more adorning himself in the armor of light.

Meanwhile, Eugene’s body appeared to tremble and shimmer.

As all of this unfolded, Sergio watched from a few steps outside the barrier. As Eugene’s figure started to shimmer, the Holy Sword was divided into dozens of copies. This was the White Flame Formula, the symbol of the Lionheart family. After being refined through a unique method, mana would be expressed as a white flame, then worn over one’s entire body once fully mastered. It gave off an appearance similar to a mane of a lion, befitting the Lionheart name.

Indeed, Eugene’s appearance was precisely as expected. Petals of fire surrounded his body like the mane of a lion, and he ran rampant. However, he did not exude the white, beautiful flames that they knew. Instead, after being condensed several times, the color of his mana was painted dark blue, like the color of the sky right before dawn.

“How…?” Sergio took off his hat with a moan. “…Could there be such a sinister light?”

Blood rained, but Atarax could not maintain his blood magic for a prolonged period. Moments later, he found himself staggering backward. All of his blood had evaporated before he had a chance to use his magic, and his outstretched arms had been cut into dozens of thin slices. Moreover, the ink-blue flame had carved up his chest and stomach.

Giovanni was in an even worse condition. He was no longer standing proud, but rather scattered around, everything below the neck chopped into four distinct morsels. The head fell last, and the only thing that remained behind was the echo of his last word, ‘conviction!’.

“…How in the world…?” Atarax muttered, shuddering.

He had been well aware that Eugene Lionheart was strong. He also knew that Eugene had been responsible for single-handedly suppressing the rebellion of the Black Lion Castle in just one night. He had seen Eugene toy with Hemoria as if she were a child while he was still recuperating from his injuries and not in his peak condition. He knew that Eugene had survived an encounter with the Rakshasa Princess and that Eugene had showcased incredible swordsmanship in the competition against the White Dragon Knights.

However, this was beyond the realm of human understanding. It was simply absurd. There had to be a limit as to how strong someone could be. Moreover, it wasn’t as if he had used magic. It wasn’t as if he used other treasures of the Lionheart family. Instead, he had armed the Holy Sword, which was meant to be used only with and for the light, with an impure power and… simply swung it. That was all.

However, Atarax had failed to even see the strikes clearly. The same was true for Giovanni — the man had been struck down before he could even think to dodge or block the attacks.

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The trials and challenges they had experienced, the countless battles they had fought to become the captain of the Blood Cross Knights, to become a top Inquisitor… all of it had been for nothing. None of it had meant anything in the face of Eugene’s swordplay.

He was on a different level, plain and simple. But how could this be? How could devout servants of the Light be humiliated and teased by a corrupt man with an unknown, pagan faith…?

“The devil….”

Even if Eugene was on a different level, the two had clearly felt terrible hatred and killing intent from Eugene’s strikes. The flames of the Holy Sword had evaporated Atarax’s blood magic all too easily, and the blade had split his flesh and bones. The eeriness they felt stemmed from the murder and hatred unknown to the Light that Atarax had served all his life.

How could this be? Why was the Holy Sword not burning the hands of the pagan? The Holy Sword Altair was a treasure that had been lying dormant in the treasure vault of the Lionheart family since the time of the Great Vermouth three hundred years ago. Since then, none of the heads of the Lionheart family had ever succeeded in drawing light from the Holy Sword.

However, those bearing the Lionheart name were qualified to hold the Holy Sword, which was why the Holy Empire had failed to retrieve the blade from the Lionheart family for more than three hundred years. Nobody had taken it because it was simply impossible for any priests of the Light to even grasp the Holy Sword.

But why?

Atarax felt useless thoughts littering his head. He gasped for air while retreating. Why wasn’t the Holy Sword burning the devil’s hand? Why was the Holy Sword allowing itself to be used to slaughter the believers of Light in the hands of a devil? Why?

Atarax’s pupils quivered as questions continued flooding his head.

He recalled the many things he had done until now. For the Light, for God, for the sake of being a more faithful servant, for the purpose of hunting heretics more efficiently and effectively… he had hunted apostates, heretics, and put an end to the study of ancient magic and black magic…. He remembered the cultivation room in the basement of the Inquisitors’ headquarters….

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‘Divine retribution?’

The words remained in his head, but he could no longer feel the same anger as before. Instead, Atarax felt immense fear. He feared that his entire existence and life were being denied. Had he been unfaithful? How? He had never missed a single service. He had bled for the sake of the Light.

Everything he had done was right. God had always looked after him and granted him the warmth of the sun. The sun always paved the way for a clear, blue sky in the capital Yurasia, and that itself was proof of God’s existence and care….

That should have been the case, but right now, the sky was much too dark….

“Do not deny it.”

A voice brought him back to reality. Cardinal Sergio Rogeris no longer had a gentle expression. He walked into the barrier with unhesitating steps and cold eyes, his expression overlapping with his past self, the Inquisitor known as the Annihilator.

“The Light will open the door to heaven to reward your martyrdom. Both you, Sir Giovanni, and all the believers who perished while resisting the devil — everyone will be led to the place of Light.”

“…Your Holiness…” Atarax called out.

“The names of everyone here will be etched into the memorial in Yuras. You will be remembered as the saint who attempted to stop the devil until the very end,” Sergio responded.

“…Ah…!”

“So please,” said Sergio, raising his hand. The stigmata on his exposed right arm was glowing softly. Atarax closed his eyes and rejoiced as divine heat started to spread from behind his back and throughout his entire body.

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Bang!

His fall caused a storm of light, a huge explosion of divine power. The explosion was generated using Atarax as a conduit, and vaporized his body without a trace as it tore through the darkness toward Eugene.

Eugene called upon the Empty Sword, and the Holy Sword once again swirled with flames. He stopped the storm of light in its tracks with a single powerful strike.

Beyond the intense burst of light stood Sergio. He extended his arm toward Eugene under the backdrop of the brilliant light.

The stigmata on Sergio’s forearm was rather familiar. Although thinner and consisting of fewer characters, the stigmata on Sergio’s right forearm was similar to the scar on Anise’s back.

“You guys…” said Eugene.

Sergio opened the palm of his right hand. The Signum Crucis Barrier was amplified, and all the divine power scattered by the explosion was absorbed into his hand. Blood dripped down from his scar as it absorbed all the divine power.

“…What are you?” asked Eugene. Instead of answering, Sergio wrapped his left arm in the red cloth draped over his shoulder. Then, he curled his right hand into a fist and glared at Eugene.

“You are the devil,” said Sergio dryly.

Eugene laughed silently upon hearing the remark.