## Chapter 1424 – The Approaching Darkness

“Anyway, just be quiet and don’t interrupt!!!”

Elise, practically red as a beet, shouted loudly.

“Okay, okay! I’ll be quiet!”
“It’s hard to believe those words!”
“This time it’s for real! Really!”

I really need to stay still!

But I wasn’t really joking this time… This time, I can’t quite figure her out. She might actually get angry. Is she intoxicated by the fragrance of the blooming flowers? I couldn’t figure out what Elise wanted to do.

“…”

I closed my mouth.

Elise, who looked at me with suspicion for a moment, soon turned her head and took a deep breath again, facing away from me.

“Haa… Haa…”

She seems more embarrassed than usual today. Alright. Let’s wait patiently. She must have something she wants to say.

Perhaps that word is endless gratitude towards me.

Elise is now trying to convey her gratitude to me with the utmost reverence and sincerity… It’s so admirable, it almost brings tears to my eyes.

Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since I’ve had a relaxed conversation with Elise like this. So many things have happened recently. There were hardly any opportunities to meet, and both Elise and I were too busy.

But.

Once the Lich situation is resolved, well, we can create as much of this peaceful time as we want.

First of all, the number of clerics has decreased. I’m thinking of supporting them and raising them again. I can talk to the Radiant Cross Society through Elise.

But… what should I do with the fragmented gods then? If I drive them out, the clerics will surely lose their divine power.

If possible, I wish Elise would also join the Heavenly Demon Church. If it’s Elise, I can grant her my power.

ㅡSwish.

As I was thinking this, Elise turned back towards me.

Her face was still red, but it was firm, as if she had made a decision. When I stared into her eyes, Elise slightly avoided my gaze.

“Elise. Have you calmed down a bit?”
“…”

She still can’t handle eye contact.

“C-calming down… isn’t easy.”
“Then you don’t have to force yourself to calm down.”
“Please be quiet.”
“Okay.”

Then I’ll be quiet.

“…”

Elise soon began to scan her surroundings as if she was glancing around.

It was as if she was trying to sense if there were people nearby. I looked around too, but there weren’t any people nearby. It’s a rather secluded place to begin with. It’s secluded, but it looks bright and cheerful thanks to the flower garden.

No one’s there.

“…It seems like no one’s here.”
“Huh?”
“No. It’s nothing.”
“I’m sure no one’s here. There’s really nothing.”
“…”

Elise’s face turns even redder.

ㅡFidget, fidget.

Elise is fidgeting.

She can’t keep her body still. Should I just sit here like a nobleman? “…Haa.” Elise exhaled.

ㅡSwish.

She met my eyes.

“S-Sir… Saint.”
“Yeah. I’m here.”
“M-meeting like this… it’s been a long time, hasn’t it.”
“It has.”
“So… if I were to meet S-Sir Saint again…”

If she were to meet me again?

Elise kept stuttering and couldn’t complete her sentence…! Just like before! My curiosity! My curiosity is starting to amplify! I can’t stand it either! Grrr! Elise! Why are you taking so long to say what you want to say!!!

Just how are you going to praise me!!!

“I, I wanted to… say this.”
“…!”

I suppressed my impulse and looked at Elise.

Say it.

Say it, Elise!!!

“What… what is it?”
“W-well, it’s… a very important thing to say. Very important…”

Just how important is it!

“I, I’ve thought about it a lot… and thought about it again… but I can’t anymore…”

Elise, who had been so restless.

“U-ugh! Haa! Sir Saint! I’ll tell you right here and now!”

As if she had finally made up her mind, she let out a breath and shouted at me with a stronger attitude! Yes! Finally! Have you finally succeeded, Elise!

“T-to be honest… I… Sir, Saint…!”
“Me!!!”
“Sir, Saint…!”

Grrrrr!

Just one more word!

Just one more word, Elise!!!

“C-con…”

That’s when it happened.

「ㅡRumble rumble rumble rumble rumble!!!!!」

In that instant.

A sound as if the sky was breaking echoed. No. Would it be right to express it as breaking? It was a sound as if something incomprehensible was shattering.

「ㅡCrack crack crack crack crack crack crack!!!」

Jet-black lightning began to rage from the sky. Lightning. Lightning shattered the jet-black sky. At least, that’s how it looked to me. It was as if some dimensional barrier, without a physical form, was breaking and scattering fragments.

A sight that ordinary people cannot see.

At the same time.

「ㅡWhoooooosh!!!」

The darkness that had been covering half of the sky rapidly expanded. The intensely amplified darkness stretched out in all directions like a tsunami, and instantly covered the entire sky.

The entire sky?

No.

The entire planet.

If it stretches out like that, it will eventually cover the whole world, and if that happens, it will be no different from covering the planet with darkness.

“Darkness.”

And so the sky turned jet-black. However, it wasn’t an infinite darkness like a pitch-black night. The sky was jet-black, but for some reason, the visibility wasn’t that dark. Is it because it’s a special kind of darkness? At this rate, even ordinary people won’t get lost in the dark.

ㅡWhoosh!

The series of events unfolded very quickly.

The boiling heart calms down. I realized everything with a sense beyond instinct. It’s the Lich. The Lich, who had been preparing all along, had finally completed something, and launched an attack to destroy me, this Kim Kat.

A grand offensive.

The Lich’s attack, judging that he could kill me.

“It’s dangerous.”

Not just me.
Here, and this world.

Even Elise.

“…”

Elise was staring at the darkness-covered sky. Intense hatred and anger were revealed in her expression. Her pupils were constricted, and tightly clenched teeth were visible in her slightly parted lips.

The fresh and cute.

That Elise’s face had completely disappeared without a trace.

Of all days.

It had to be today, the day I came to see Elise… Of course, I push those sentiments aside. What’s important now isn’t that.

“Elise.”

I called Elise.

“Elise.”
“…Sir Saint.”

Elise, who slowly turned her head, looked at me.
The anger seemed to have subsided a bit.

I assess how strong Elise is now. Elise is stronger than before, but at best… she’s just a cleric who has accepted the power of the fragmented outer god as divine power. She’s not strong. She’s not transcendent. She’s too weak to withstand this disaster with her whole body.

And now.

I’m here. The Lich will target me, and he won’t just leave cities like this in his path.

Protect everyone in this city?

It’s impossible.
It’s something I can’t do.

It will be a battle where the sky breaks and the earth is shattered. Most will surely die. I exclude protecting everyone. You can only win by cutting out the impossible. That’s the secret to a 100% win rate.

But.

If it’s one person here.

If it’s Elise.

“Let’s get out of here for now, Elise.”

I can save her.

“It’s dangerous here. I can tell. This isn’t normal. The Lich. It’s clear that the heretical Lich is launching his final battle. It’s probably the final battle I’ll have with him. It’s extremely dangerous.”

I approach Elise, who is standing still.

“Elise. If you stay here.”

I just need to quickly get Elise out of here and fight.

“You’ll die.”

I’ll minimize civilian casualties as much as possible.

I can’t stop everything 100%, but I’ll do as much as I can.

“So let’s go somewhere far away for a while. I’ll fly. It’ll be over soon.”

The moment I tried to grab her shoulder to save Elise like that.

“…!”

Elise made an indescribable expression.

ㅡStep.

She stepped back, avoiding my hand.

“Elise?”
“…”

Elise’s face contorts. Anger? What is it? Why is Elise making this expression? As I was thinking this, Elise’s expression changed.

A very firm face.

The face of a cleric who can dedicate everything to justice.

“I can’t.”

Therefore, it was.

“I can’t do that.”

A firm answer with absolutely no room for compromise.

“Elise.”

I see.

Elise is thinking that she can’t just run away alone right now. That’s possible. Because it’s Elise. That’s Elise. Elise, who joined the Radiant Cross Society and has been fighting for justice.

But Elise.
I can’t allow it.

“Sir Saint.”

As I reached out again, intending to take her by force, Elise grabbed my wrist.

“Sir Saint. Calm down. That kind of expression… doesn’t suit you.”
“What expression?”
“Sir Saint. You go do what you have to do. I. I’ll do what I have to do here.”

How do I persuade her?

“Elise.”

I don’t really need to persuade her. I can just grab her and take her by force. But I explained the reason to Elise. Because I thought I had to.

“Darkness is approaching. The Lich came prepared. I will kill him. I will drive out the darkness and bring in the light. But. I can’t save everyone here. A stray attack, a deflected attack will shatter people.”

That’s a natural thing.

The bomber created by the artificial great demon Light Brothers. The slaughterous bombing scattered by that hellish demon has no eyes. Because it has no eyes, it can’t distinguish its targets.

No.

It would be the same even if it had eyes.

“You’ll be there too. You could die meaninglessly. So.”
“Sir Saint.”

But Elise shook her head.
I’m starting to get impatient.

Should I… knock her out?

ㅡSwish.

Then Elise covered my hand with her small hand.

And said with a very bright smile.

“Sir Saint. It’s okay. Don’t worry about me. What you need to worry about right now is that darkness.”
“…”
“I will help people here. The more clerics there are, the easier it will be to control the civilians.”
“I’m sorry.”

Persuasion is impossible.

“Sir Saint!!!”

As I tried to reach out, Elise shouted.

“What’s important now isn’t saving me! Of course, that feeling is really… joyful. But right now, we each have our own things to do!!! Don’t you know!!!!!!”

To scold.

Gal.

No.

To scold El.

But the character El.

Doesn’t exist.

“I can’t do that.”
“I can’t run away to a safe place alone, Sir Saint! Moving to save even one more person! That’s what I have to do! How can I run away when you’re trying to face that infinite evil!!! The Sir Saint I know knows very well what to do right now!!!”

Damn it.

“Sir Saint. I’m not angry right now. I’m okay, so… please go. Don’t worry about me, worry about this world. If you delay even 1 second more… I’m no longer your Divine Friend.”

At that word.

I felt like I came to my senses.

“…Divine Friend.”
“Yes! Divine!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Elise clenched her fist with a smiling face and shouted as if squeezing out her voice.

Yeah.

“Friend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

ㅡWhoooooosh!

I shouted loudly and unleashed the Heavenly Demon Art.

Yeah.

Kim Kat is a man who has become stronger by building up things to protect. He is a seeker of fused Confucianism with a heart like a green mother. Elise? I just need to protect her.

“Then Sir Saint!!! Go! To that sky!!! Something’s not right right now!!!”
“…Okay.”

I’ll do that.

But the last words.

“But the words you couldn’t finish saying just now…”
“…”
“There will be plenty of opportunities to say them after the situation is over, so let’s do that then. So please defeat that evil being quickly.”

Elise’s face, saying that, looked really firm.

Yeah.

This is Elise.
Geez.

What was I trying to do? I almost lost my Divine Friend with a pointless act. What I need to do now isn’t that kind of strange thing.

It’s to take down the Lich.

“I understand. Your heart. Thank you. Thanks to you, I’ve come to my senses.”
“…”
“Elise. I’ll say it one last time.”

But I have to say this one thing before I go.

“Live.”
“…Sir Saint.”
“And save.”

ㅡWhirrrrr!

What was pouring out of my body was the power of the omnipotent Heavenly Demon Art. A power so strong that I couldn’t know its end. But that’s why I know. That the Lich’s attack will be even more deadly.

“I’ll be worried, but I can’t guarantee anything. Live, Elise. And save. Live, and save!!!!!!!”
“Sir Saint…!”

ㅡKrooooooaaaaaaa!

“Then Elise, you go too!!!! Before I kidnap you like a bossam!!! Go do what you have to do!!!”
“Ugh… Hng… O-okay!!!”

Elise answered tearfully.

“Sir Saint!!! I will act justly, trusting only in you!!!!!”

But the last face was again the firm face of a cleric.

It was the face of a Divine Friend.

ㅡWhoosh!

Elise ran towards the city.

And.

「ㅡKwoooooooaaaaaaaang!!!!」

I kicked off the ground and soared into the sky.

The Heavenly Demon will illuminate this darkness.