214 – It’s Because of You. -3-

The red thunderstorm poured down its light outside the window and fell to the ground.

The ‘Kukung’ sound made his ears ring, and a pitiful wail came from the monster’s mouth, accompanied by a vibration that shook the ground, and a strange, pained voice echoed.

Olraf, seeing the suffering beast, felt a sense of bewilderment for the first time.

No one had ever harmed that beast before. Even in the novel, Rowen couldn’t hurt it.

That monster was an existence that could render all attacks invalid.

It was curious how one could inflict damage on a being like a god’s gift, but I had no intention of telling him.

-The limit-breaker is testing the limits of ‘Tirbing’.

That’s a corporate secret.

I let out a small sigh and gazed at the old man in front of me. I took a calm breath, looking at the old man with a sturdy body that didn’t match his age, and spoke.

“You’ve really got a strong sense of self-preservation. It seems you have a taste for evil.”

“You, how can you disrespect a god-given angel…”

“Angel…?”

I let out a sneer, ignoring Olraf’s hateful gaze. No matter how I looked at it, that thing didn’t look like an angel, but a demon.

“What kind of angel doesn’t have wings? It’s disgusting and filthy.”

“Don’t disrespect God’s messenger.”

“God probably hates that kind of messenger too.”

I provoked the old man’s pride, which didn’t sit well with me, and clicked my tongue.

“Ask God. See what they think.”

“…Don’t you want to beg for mercy?”

“I tried, but they didn’t give it to me. I guess the calculation was off.”

Olraf nodded at my joke, letting out a dry laugh.

“It seems you’re not afraid of God’s wrath, speaking so boldly.”

I thought it was like a puppy trying to act tough in front of a beast, unaware of the gap in power.

Olraf laughed, shaking his shoulders.

“Pfft. Pfft… What an interesting guy.”

“…”

“If I offer it as a sacrifice, even the angels will be delighted.”

Olaf was looking at me.

With a sly smile, he raised his eyes and gazed at me with a sharp, piercing stare.

I gazed back at Olaf, whose eyes were narrowed, and said:

“Did you also come to pay your respects?”

“Haha.”

As Olaf’s cold laughter subsided, a warning bell began to toll slowly within me. ‘Ding. Ding. Ding.’ The sound of warning was striking my heart, as if telling me to escape.

Olaf clasped his hands together and looked up at the sky. Then, in a voice loud enough for the heretics standing nearby to hear, he said:

“Have mercy on this pitiful young man, saints…”

The heretics’ shadows began to envelop me slowly. Since they seemed to think James wasn’t a threat, they left him behind and started walking towards me.

I counted the number of heretics with a quick glance.

“One… two… six.”

I lightly swung my sword, Tirving.

I didn’t have the luxury to listen to their stories. Without even introducing myself, I beheaded them.

The sound of their heads rolling and the crimson blood spattering everywhere, including Olaf’s cheek, stained the ground.

“…”

Olaf’s expression, instead of being shocked by the death of the heretics, remained calm as he gazed at me with a benevolent smile.

“You don’t show mercy.”

I raised my middle finger and paid my respects to the old man.

“Mercy is a luxury I can’t afford, and why would I show it anyway?”

“You don’t show mercy until the end.”

Olaf spread his hands and looked up at the sky, as if praying to God in the dark night.

“Oh Lord, what should I do with this lost lamb?”

What’s the point, anyway? We’re going to kill each other.

I listened to the old man’s prayer and pulled James, who was hiding in the corner, to safety.

We had to finish this, at least. I had to move James to a safe location.

“Are you okay?”

James nodded weakly and said:

“Thank you, sir… this favor will be repaid with an introduction to my daughter…”

“Shut up.”

“Ugh…”

As I supported James, I clicked my tongue at the severe bleeding from his abdomen. It seemed the injury was more serious than I thought, and it would be difficult for him to walk on his own.

But what could we do? We had to keep moving to survive.

Ah, indeed, oh Lord…! Those who don’t show mercy will surely receive…

I glanced at Olaf, who was muttering to himself, and whispered to James. I told him coldly that even though it hurt, we had to keep moving to survive.

Fortunately, James understood the situation and nodded.

“Ugh…! I’ll get up.”

“That’s good. Keep going like that.”

“The customer is trying to do something!”

“First of all….”

-Whoosh

At the moment I pushed James down the stairs, a single dagger flew in, cutting through the wind, and stuck into the wall with a ‘thud’ sound.

I smiled faintly as I watched James’s gaze recede into the distance.

“Run away.”

And at that moment.

-KWaa!!!

A fierce storm began to brew.

*

Olivia stared blankly at the inn.

She gasped at the monster that suddenly emerged from the ground. She gasped at the inn’s roof flying off. She gasped at the old man struggling to come out of the inn’s front door.

“Hey.”

Olivia turned her head to speak to the man standing beside her.

“How long are you going to keep me trapped?”

“…”

“Ricardo went in that way, but he didn’t come out. He must have gotten lost. I need to go find him….”

Olivia’s question was met with no answer. The man simply bowed his head, his shoulders trembling, and kept his mouth shut.

“What? I’m asking you.”

Whoosh. The building’s debris, blown away by the intense battle, was blocked by Hans’s barrier and shattered.

Olivia looked at the disappearing debris with a blank expression and spoke again.

“Ricardo is in there, isn’t he?”

“…Ricardo-sama ordered me to protect the lady.”

“Ricardo?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“…”

Hans couldn’t answer Olivia’s question. He had received an order, after all.

Hans knew.

He knew what kind of existence a saint was, and how dangerous they were.

That’s why he was stuck here, unable to do anything. He knew his reckless help would only hinder them.

-I’ll fight the saint.

-What are you talking about?

-That’s exactly what I mean. I’ll fight the saint.

-You can’t. Absolutely not. No matter how strong your brother is, you can’t defeat a saint.

-I’ll do it.

Hans clenched his fist, determined to protect Olivia with all his might. His received order was to ‘protect the lady’, after all. Hans spoke in a voice mixed with anger and sadness.

“It’s an order.”

“…”

“I have to keep it.”

Olivia placed her hand on the unbreakable boundary and lifted her head.

“…Ricardo.”

The darkness slowly began to creep in.

*

The heavy, crushing attack poured down on Tirving.

From somewhere, axes continued to emerge from his sleeves and hover in the air, dancing and targeting the corners.

“You’re ridiculously fast.”

I cursed inwardly, thinking it was more manageable than I thought.

Although the power fitting the saint’s name was formidable, I was adapting to the simple pattern. Olaf’s attack was dangerous, but it was manageable if I blocked it.

– Boom…!

As I slowly closed the distance with him, blocking the explosive sound that echoed in my ears, I took a deep breath and began to gather my aura.

“Ah.”

Olaf, who saw my aura, smiled eerily and gazed at my sword with interest. He spoke with a faint, intriguing smile.

“I’ve never seen an aura user being offered as a sacrifice. Is this also a gift from God?”

Olaf was at ease.

He was treating me with ease, as if praying to God, and gazing at my hands and feet with a small smile, like a butcher examining meat. I smiled inwardly at Olaf’s carefree appearance.

‘It’s done.’

I knew it too.

That the saint wasn’t just this.

I knew well that the saint had infinite hidden abilities and unimaginable powers beyond the norm. But even for such a saint, there was something that existed. I was targeting that gap.

I was targeting the weakness of the Empire’s sword, carelessness.

I knew the saint’s abilities.

What kind of magic they used.

What kind of habits they had.

I knew better than anyone.

I knew, but the problem was that I was getting hit. I had a strategy prepared in my head.

So, the only way I could beat the saint was to use strategy and carelessness to win in one go. This was the best method I could use, and the most efficient tactic.

I knew that if I started a full-scale battle, I would be at a disadvantage, so I endured the saint’s attack and gathered my magic.

– The Limit Break is testing the “Limit of Strength”.

– The Limit Break is testing the “Limit of Magic”.

– The Limit Break is testing the “Limit of Swordsmanship Lv. 6”.

.

.

.

Olaf’s hand, which was dripping with boredom, began to bleed.

The crimson blood that dripped onto the floor drew a black magic circle, spreading outward.

Olaf smiled as he gazed at the magic circle that covered the second floor of the inn.

“Heh heh…”

“Don’t laugh. It’s settled.”

“God loves you.”

Spewing out the love of a god that doesn’t exist, Olaf speaks to me.

The moment to open the first page has finally arrived.

I grasped my sword.

I wasn’t a good person who would wait for the time to transform. I targeted his arrogance and grasped my sword.

I sang of my love for the gods.

This was the perfect opportunity to unleash my full power, without holding back.

“It would’ve been great if Hannah could’ve seen this.”

I muttered softly, thrusting out Tirbing.

“Bear it. [Open the Gate].”

I opened the gate of my sword.

And then, my sword stopped. It was stopped powerlessly by a single finger.

“Hmph…”

Olaf was laughing. He was ridiculing me, holding my sword with his finger.

“Open the Gate? Hahaha! What’s with that name!”

He was pouring out scorn.

Was this sword even worthy of a name?

He was spewing out disdain.

“Ha… I really can’t help but feel sorry for you.”

Olaf was holding my sword, suspended in mid-air, and opened his mouth slightly.

“Take back your sin.”

Olaf’s ability was reflection.

Known as Athena’s Reflector, it was the power to reflect back the attacks he received, and accumulate the damage he took onto a massive monster.

“Heh.”

I knew it too.

I knew he was a warrior who could reflect all damage and dominate the battlefield.

But what’s the point?

“Open the Gate.”

I spat out blood and smiled.

-The Limit Breaker tests the limits with the hand of revival.

I’m going to win.