Inheriting the Novel

Chapter 133 : Escape (2)

Escape (2)

Luem could do nothing but grit his teeth inside the white flames.

He couldn't properly speak while using the Sacred Arms, but his mind remained clear.

Thanks to that, he could clearly understand just how dire the current situation was.

'Why did the demonkin suddenly betray us?'

He had no idea what had happened while he was in a standoff with Sehenz.

But only one thing really mattered.

Those guys had left as they pleased, and now they had to deal with them solely with their own strength.

'Damn it!'

The situation was at its worst.

Even after using the Sacred Arms to amplify his own power several times over, he couldn't easily gain the upper hand.

Luem had thought that Sehenz, as one of the Seven Heroes, would be easily subdued if at least three Inquisitors worked together, but the reality was much harsher than that.

'Who would have thought those two would turn out to be Sword Masters!'

As a result, Sehenz had to handle him alone.

The remaining four Inquisitors faced off against the other mercenaries and the two other Sword Masters.

"Are you really Sword Masters? You don't look the part at all."

Sehenz spoke mockingly to Luem.

"You certainly got a lot stronger, but your body can't keep up with those skills, huh?"

The more impatient Luem became, the more the situation turned against him.

The Mercenary King Sehenz's blade had already slashed Luem's arm several times.

"Don't underestimate the strength of the divine...!"

But any wounds were instantly healed as white flames rose up.

'Tsk, what a nuisance.'

Sehenz had already struck Luem's body multiple times, but his flesh would recover almost instantly.

He had heard about the Sacred Arms, but hadn't expected them to be this troublesome.

'However...'

Sehenz glanced rearward.

There, he saw Clay approaching after taking care of the demonkin.

Marching behind Clay was Mersaya, brimming with confidence.

"It's over now."

"Khh, khhh!"

At Sehenz's casual mumble, luem gnashed his teeth.

He was right. For all intents and purposes, the fight was already decided.

They'd only barely managed to maintain the balance of power until now.

If that man called Ray got involved, the balance would collapse in an instant.

'I have to kill them. No matter what, I have to kill these bastards!'

He'd considered them mere mercenaries, even if they were the Seven Heroes.

But Sehenz's skill was beyond anything Luem had imagined.

Even after using the Sacred Arms, luem was never able to overwhelm Sehenz.

If anything, he had only managed to buy time while being utterly pushed around.

Unlike the other Inquisitors, luem himself had skill befitting a Swordmaster, but he was nowhere near Sehenz's level.

'To think he looks at me as if I'm just a nuisance...'

The existence of the Seven Heroes was far too dangerous.

It made sense to him now that Jerta had been eliminated at the Seven Heroes Convocation.

'And then...'

The problem wasn't just the Seven Heroes.

The suspicious Sword Masters fighting the other Inquisitors now.

And, most importantly... the one called Ray.

'The kid following him is dangerous too. Those guys are bound to become a huge obstacle for our Order.'

Having thought that far, luem stopped thinking rationally.

'I must kill them. Kill them. Kill them. Kill them. Kill them. Kill them.'

Only that thought began to consume his mind.

The intelligence and will that belonged to the human 'Luem' started to blur, as something else seeped in.

Only one person in this place noticed the abnormality.

* * *

[This is dangerous.]

As I headed toward the location of the core to help Sehenz, Grancesia suddenly said that to me.

'Dangerous? Now all that's left is to clean things up.'

[To think they'd rig the Sacred Arms like that... I never liked that kind of dark art, but this is truly nauseating.]

'What do you mean...?'

[Use the Eye of Insight. You should be able to find the difference compared to Jerta from before.]

Startled by Grancesia's words, I hurriedly activated my Eye of Insight.

Only then did I realize what she was talking about.

'... What is that?'

An overwhelming amount of holy power, and overflowing magic power.

It was not much different from what I saw in Jerta.

But the difference was in the 'head'.

[If cornered, the user of the Sacred Arms can be manipulated like a puppet.]

A foreign force not belonging to Luem was gradually flowing into his head.

Just like a puppet's strings, a white thread extended from the crown of his head, piercing the ceiling and stretching out to somewhere else.

It definitely hadn't been there before this fight started.

'If he's being controlled, then by whom?'

[Only one person could do such a thing. The ruler of the New Star Kingdom Setram and the pinnacle of the Altair Order—the pontiff. He's the only one who'd install such dark arts on his Inquisitors.]

'Completely insane. To place a device like that even on those most faithful, the Inquisitors?'

[That function was never a part of the original Sacred Arms. Someone must've added that while I was gone.]

Originally, using the Sacred Arms was a matter of life and death.

According to Grancesia, those who used it would either die, or have all their life force drained, making proper living impossible.

That's why only Inquisitors with near-mad faith could use the Sacred Arms.

But this was simply a mechanism to use and discard even those Inquisitors like tools.

Ssssssh!

Something else came crashing down into Luem's crown, traveling along the pure white line.

That was likely the consciousness of the one controlling it.

"Wh-what is this?!"

With a spasmodic seizure, luem's body twisted violently, and Sehenz, who had been attacking, jumped back in shock.

"What the hell is going on all of a sudden?"

But Luem wasn't the only one who became strange.

The other Inquisitors also twisted their bodies in grotesque ways, writhing as if something monstrous was taking over.

Faced with such disturbing sights beyond their comprehension, everyone nearby forgot to continue attacking and could only be wary.

"Luem... To think you can't even handle something this simple. Pathetic."

A strange voice poured out from Luem's writhing mouth.

Old and decrepit, yet carrying a curious power, it was the voice of an elderly man.

I immediately sensed that it was the 'pontiff' Grancesia had mentioned.

'Pontiff Violette Ganesia Setram.'

Recalling the name of Setram's current ruler, I calmly observed Luem's bizarre movement.

"Still, it's not a total loss. To be able to eliminate so many wicked heretics at once is of some gain."

"What the hell? What's with you all of a sudden?"

Sehenz, scowling at Luem's strange reaction, raised his sword in readiness.

Just as Sehenz was about to strike again, he turned wide-eyed at the sight of the Inquisitors swarming around him.

"H-elder brother! They're coming your way!"

"Damn it! What's with these lunatics?!"

The Inquisitors, like mindless undead, took the attacks from around them on their bare bodies and pressed forward in Luem's direction.

Their movements were simple, but since they were all monsters on the level of Sword Masters, stopping them wasn't easy.

Unlike the other Inquisitors, however, luem reached both hands toward the core.

A massive force surged from Luem's body and struck the core.

"W-wait! Don't tell me—!"

Sehenz belatedly rushed at Luem, but the other Inquisitors had already reached him. They surrounded Luem, dedicated to defense and keeping others' attacks away.

"Are these maniacs trying to get us all killed?!"

As the power of Luem, using the Sacred Arms, hit the core, a throbbing reverberation spread, like the beating of a heart. Sehenz's face fell into despair.

He realized, no matter what he did now, he wouldn't be able to stop it.

Then, violette, in Luem's body, spoke to Sehenz.

"Don't take it too hard. All of you will become stepping-stones for our great cause."

"A stepping-stone?"

"Hmm?"

Amid the confusion, only I calmly questioned him.

Seeming surprised at my composure, violette's eyes fixed on me.

"Have you lost your mind from fear? Or do you not understand what's about to happen?"

"Maybe it's both."

"Oh? But... why are you curious about that? After all, you're about to die."

"Still, it's less unfair if I know the reason before dying."

"Heh heh heh, interesting."

Violette laughed as if he found it amusing.

To him, it must have looked like a doomed person's last show.

With a low laugh, violette spoke in a comforting voice.

"There will soon be a holy war. A great crusade."

"... So, the Seven Heroes were an obstacle to be eliminated for that purpose."

"Yes. It's best to eliminate variables. That way, we believers of Altair shall rule this world. And our great god will even rule the world where the heretic gods dwell."

"The world where the heretic gods dwell?"

The phrase sounded both strange and familiar.

'I feel like I've heard something similar before...'

As I pondered Violette's words, he slowly shook his head.

"Oops, perhaps I've said too much. Still, I think I've given you enough of an answer, young man."

"How stingy."

Clicking my tongue, I looked upward.

The core was about to explode.

Maybe a minute left?

"Everyone, get behind me!"

I shouted loudly so that everyone in the vibrating cavern could hear.

Sehenz, realizing something, quickly gestured to the other mercenaries.

"What are you waiting for?! He said get behind him!"

"Ah, y-yes!"

Mersaya was already standing right behind me.

Next up were Ian and Kisea.

"... Uh, can we trust you?"

Kisea asked, sticking close to my back, but I doubted she truly expected an answer. If she did, she wouldn't seem so unfazed.

"How foolish. What can you possibly do now? Even if Ban Sylvest were here, survival would be impossible."

"You never know."

"I've thought so for a while, but you're a strange one. How are you so calm?"

"Well..."

I slowly moved my hands, getting into position.

Then, using my eyes, I roughly measured the area.

"Because something like this can't kill me."

"What are you—?"

Before Violette could finish, the core exploded.

A thunderous roar that felt like it was tearing space apart echoed out, and a flash of white light spread throughout the cavern.

The bodies of Luem and the other Inquisitors below were obliterated, and a white tidal wave crashed toward us.

'Yeah, it's only about this much.'

SHWAAA!

I spread my arms to either side.

The space split apart, instantly swallowing the area where my group and I stood.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!

No matter how powerful an explosion, unless it could destroy space itself, it was useless before the power of the Sword of Boundary. Whether it was a single arrow or a huge explosion like this, it was all the same to me.

"... What kind of overpowered cheat is this?"

As we emerged from the space, the first to speak was Sehenz.

More than being glad he was alive, he seemed dumbfounded by my power.

"I got a taste at the Seven Heroes Convocation, but this is unreal. With that, aren't all attacks basically meaningless?"

"It still requires some preparation, so it's tough to use mid-battle."

This kind of technique was ideal for dodging ranged attacks or explosions, but extremely tricky to use during direct combat.

Not impossible, but far from simple.

"Anyway, since we're alive, let's be careful getting out. There are still five Inquisitors left outside."

"Oh, right. That's true."

"At least until we get out of Setram's territory, don't let yourselves be seen."

"Don't worry about that. But... you make it sound like you're going a different way from us?"

As expected, Sehenz was surprisingly sharp for someone so tough-looking.

"Yes. There's somewhere I need to stop by before heading back."

"In this situation?"

"If I leave now, it'll be difficult to return to this area."

"... You really are something else."

"Thank you for the compliment."

That's why I had to gain everything I could while I had the chance.

The next time I came here, that "crusade" would likely have already begun.

'Whatever else happens, I must learn that. Only then will it be easier to fight them down the line.'

We had taken down a number of Inquisitors this time, but the "real one" remained.

Number one in rank among all Inquisitors.

To defeat that monster, I absolutely had to master it.