Chapter 64 Arc 2 - Battle For The Temple

"You all dared to come into my temple to kill my guardian." Lucas stood before them. "And you dare call me a liar?" He raised his hands, and the air around him glowed red with power. His eyes burned red as he spoke in an English that no one understood but himself. The ground rumbled beneath their feet; the walls shook violently from side to side until they were forced back against each other by unseen forces.

"Y-You're a false god!" The party leader exclaimed while pointing at Lucas. Then he gazed at his army, "W-What are you waiting for! Attack!"

The men began firing arrows and throwing spears wildly toward Lucas. But none of it did any damage to him or even slowed down his advance on them. All of them used mana to strengthen their weapons.

"Kill the false god!"

"Kill him!"

Lucas smiled when he heard this. They would not be able to hurt him unless they could hit something vital like his heart with holy or cursed magic.

Suddenly, the back of his skull was struck by an icicle which left a large gash oozing a dark liquid. The feeling of the ice and the mana it carried pulsing against his skin was overwhelming and made him feel faint. As he looked up, he could see the silhouette of a tall man hovering above him, clutching a spear made of ice and covered in holy energy in both hands.

"Holy mana?" Lucas questioned, but the giant adventurer stabbed his shoulder instead of answering. This time, there was no pain, just coldness. A moment later, the skin hardened once more.

Lucas' face twisted in rage, and his eyes burned with fury. His hands, like iron claws, seized the adventurer's neck and tightened. With sadistic pleasure, he whispered, "You should have aimed for the head!" and then snapped the man's neck with a sickening crack. Blood spurted from between his fingers.

"This was my own fault." Lucas placed his hand on his forehead in embarrassment. "I shouldn't have treated you as lowlife thugs I usually fight..."

Another warrior appeared behind him, and he was holding a massive two-handed sword, trying to cut Lucas's head off.

"Nice try, guys," Lucas said angrily; his gaze was cold and hard, and an eye formed from the wound in his chest stared straight at the warrior. With a powerful flap of his wings, he spun in midair and sliced the man in two. Blood sprayed in every direction, and Lucas stood in the center of a crimson lake.

He turned away from the corpses and continued walking towards the group, who had retreated farther inside their temple. Their faces were full of fear now because they knew what kind of monster they had faced.

"L-Let us go..." one of them pleaded. "We won't say anything about your powers if you promise never to return here!"

"W-We make sure that no one will find this temple ever again.

"

"P-Please!" They begged.

The leader's face suddenly contorted with rage, and his eyes widened. He snatched the sword from its sheath, letting out a battle cry as he charged at the group of men cowering before Lucas. "You dare to insult the Holy kingdom?" he yelled as he swung his weapon, slashing and slicing at anything in his path.

"My apologies... Forgive me..." he bowed his head. "B-But I have children..."

He cut off the begging man's head without mercy. "Who else wants to betray the kingdom?!" He asked loudly, then slashed the next person's throat.

Everyone stopped in their tracks, shivering in fear and exchanging gazes. They didn't know who to fear more; an angel or their party leader.

"If anyone tries to run, I'll hunt you down!" he yelled out with an angry expression and pointed at Lucas. "Now, kill him!"

Even Lucas stared at the adventurer's leader in disgust. He was shocked at the party leader's lack of empathy for his team. He looked at him, and suddenly, his face turned into an evil smirk. "I bet I can make you beg for your life as well." he pointed toward the leader. "How long do you think it will take?"

The leader's face became red, and he trembled in rage. "You don't scare me!" then he turned to his army. "You heard me?! Attack."

With no other options, the adventurers began their assault. Fireballs and lightning spells lit up the scene while an array of weapons flew through the air. The dark mana barrier protecting Lucas blocked most of the attacks, yet some managed to penetrate it. His wings took slight damage, so he used that as an opportunity to advance against the attackers.

Lucas quickly stepped back as the soldier lunged at him with a mace, swinging it in an arc above his head. Utilizing his quick reflexes, Lucas sidestepped the attack and threw a powerful punch towards the soldier's jaw, sending him flying back and crushing his jawbone with the force of the impact. Another attacker who used holy mana attempted to stab him in the chest, but he caught her blade with his left arm and broke it, sending shards of metal flying everywhere.

"That was close!" Lucas muttered in relief as he grabbed the attacker's head and crushed it. Blood and brains sprayed out onto the floor, making everyone gag in horror.

Suddenly, a massive fire blast collided with Lucas's backside, sending him to the ground. He felt another blow to his stomach, robbing him of the breath he had just taken in. A second shove left him unable to draw any air before he had a chance to get rid of his assailant. Before he could stand up and run away, he saw the man's foot ready to meet his head.

Lucas' body tensed and outstretched his wings, sending a powerful gust of wind that pushed everyone away. He steeled himself; he didn't want to use his powers that may harm the woman, yet he knew it was the only way to protect himself and her.

"You fuckers!" Lucas screamed an obscenity, his fury sending him soaring to the top of the room. His fists clenched, and his jaw tightened as he glared at the group. He shifted his gaze to Alena, whose limp form lay on the ground, and gasped in horror. "Is she okay?!" he cried, suddenly afraid he'd hurt her by mistake.

He noticed the woman who had led him to the temple had crouched into the corner. She was shaking slightly, her eyes wide with fear. He clenched his fists and strengthened his resolve – he had to finish this quickly, or she would be pulled into this mess too.

A faint light engulfed his body, and the red halo around his head glowed brighter by the second. His hands and fingers seemed to be stretching and transforming as his fingertips developed sharp claws and his knuckles morphed into sharp, jagged points. Eyes of different sizes and shapes materialized around him, giving him a terrifying yet angelic presence.

His arms grew longer and thicker, and his torso expanded and thickened. He started glowing bright white as his wings sprouted from his back in a flash of golden light, growing larger than ever before. When they fully extended, they reached almost three meters high and three meters wide.

They were beautiful and dark, with shimmering feathers that shone brilliantly under the sun. They flapped gently as he pointed at his enemies.

"You all lucky." he said in a distorted voice, which echoed as if coming from a faraway place. His mana created a massive curse, which inflicted fear on everyone that got hit by it. "Because you got to see this glorious form. Now, die."

​ The men dropped their weapons and ran away from Lucas, screaming and crying hysterically. The party leader fell to his knees and threw his head down in front of Lucas, bowing his head and pleading for forgiveness.

"Wait, please!" he pleaded, snot and tears running down his face. "T-This isn't my fault. I-It was king's order."

"Don't worry," Lucas reassured him, "I know."

The leader looked up and stared at Lucas with terror-filled eyes. "No! No, please..." Tears streamed down his cheeks, "I'm sorry!"

Then, Lucas's thousands of feathers flew toward the adventurers. The screams of agony ceased after a few moments.

After the last scream died down, all adventurers were dead. Their bodies remained where they landed on the ground, blood leaking out of their wounds and forming small puddles around them.

Lucas slowly fell to the ground on his knees. Tired, he closed his eyes.

"I should have done this from the very beginning." Lucas chuckled. "Is that woman alright? I didn't accidentally hit her, right?" he asked himself and soon heard her voice echoing through the hall.

"M-My Lord, are you alright?" she called out.

He opened his eyes and looked over at Alena, who was standing beside him with a worried look on her face. Her lips quivered, and tears dripped from her eyes.

"Yes, everything is fine." He assured her. "Shit. This form is exhausting."

The women stayed silent, and Lucas started laughing like crazy as he slowly sat up and looked around the temple. "Goddammit, this will take forever to clean up."