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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Max]
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Chapter 11: Pursuing the Branded Knight (5)
"Talisman Control Technique: Open. Shadow Bind."
Devouring the pouring sunlight, a streak of shadow darted forward.
The shadow of Hamel's sword extended and curved, flying like a sword beam.
Slice!
With a sharp cutting sound, the sword beam sliced through Riteil's body.
What had happened?
Riteil examined his body.
Something had cut through it, but there was no pain.
No, there wasn't even a trace of a cut.
Whatever it was, it seemed to have been a meaningless struggle.
Just as Riteil was about to smirk,
Whoosh!
A red dot shot forward, and then a red line charged towards it.
A speed far surpassing even that of the arrogant apostle who served the Goddess of Speed.
Riteil could easily guess the identity of the human clad in full plate armor.
A guardian of humanity, a sword.
A knight.
He saw the mana condensed and shimmering on the sword.
'Aura Blade?'
That was different from the priest's sword, which couldn't even leave a scratch.
Just as Riteil thought this was becoming troublesome, the knight kicked off the ground like a cannonball.
The Knight with the Red Ornament closed the distance to its face in the blink of an eye.
It seemed he had noticed that the face was a weak point, but…
[Too bad.]
Riteil grinned.
Its elegant mane wasn't just for decoration or intimidation.
It was thousands of sharply honed spears, ready to pierce an opponent at any moment.
The mane was coated with a flesh-rotting poison, and a mere graze would cause enemies to writhe in pain worse than death, often leading them to take their own lives.
The knight before it would meet the same fate.
That's what it thought, but then,
Slide!
With a smooth sound like silk gliding, Riteil's shadow split in half.
Its body stiffened like stone.
A sensation of complete paralysis.
He had felt this once before.
'This is... when I met that Lord...'
It was similar to that moment when his soul was overwhelmed.
However, unlike then, it didn't feel fear or awe.
It was just that its body wouldn't obey, as if the connection between its mind and body had been severed.
[You vermin... what have you done?!]
Just as Riteil was about to unleash its rage and hatred,
Crack!
A burning pain, like being scorched by fire, engulfed its head.
A sensation as if sharp shards of glass were piercing its brain.
[----!]
Riteil let out a terrible roar and twisted its body.
He was a knight.
On one side of his blood-red vision, a human knight was thrusting his sword into Riteil's left eye.
But the moment Riteil realized its body could move again, it immediately sharpened its mane and stabbed the knight.
"Ugh!"
Daniel, who had been putting all his strength into pushing the sword deeper, fell powerlessly to the ground.
His armored body crashed onto the ground, but he couldn't even feel the pain.
A far greater pain was consuming his entire body.
Riteil's mane had pierced his thigh, arm, and side.
A terrible, abhorrent pain crawled through his veins.
It felt like thousands of centipedes with sharp legs were tearing through his nerves.
Even being burned by fire and oil wouldn't cause such agony.
Unable to withstand the pain, Daniel's blood vessels in his eyes, nose, and ears burst, and blood gushed out.
Amidst the excruciating pain, only one thought kept Daniel conscious.
'What about the monster?'
Had he fulfilled his duty?
Was this pain worth it?
Daniel, barely managing to lift his head despite his convulsing arms and legs,
"Ah."
A groan escaped his lips, followed by a single word of lamentation.
[...I will not grant you a clean death.]
Riteil, despite yellow fluid mixed with blood pouring from its eyes, stood firm.
Exuding a terrifying aura befitting its name as the King of Beasts, it roared towards the humans in the mansion.
[I will chew the children alive and tear the women to shreds. I will gather the elderly and turn them into lumps of meat, and the men will watch it all before being thrown into the fire.]
They were just words, but those who heard them knew. It wasn't just talk; it was a prophecy, a promise of the future. A future that would surely come to pass.
People fell to their knees and wept.
Fear and despair filled the mansion.
[After tonight, this land will be erased from the map forever!]
Just as Riteil declared triumphantly,
"No."
A dry but confident voice echoed in everyone's ears.
It wasn't loud, but it was clear.
Daniel, drowning in despair, lifted his head and saw a man.
The silver-haired priest, running at full speed, was already in front of Riteil.
[...You!]
Blinded by rage, Riteil finally noticed Hamel's presence.
He was too close to retreat.
Riteil swung his forepaw at the approaching Hamel.
The paw, slicing through the air like a storm, seemed to tear everything apart.
However, Hamel didn't slow down.
Instead, he ran towards the swinging paw and dodged the attack as smoothly as flowing water.
Riteil's forepaw only cut through empty air.
"...Amazing."
As Daniel marveled at the movement, Hamel used Riteil's outstretched forepaw as a stepping stone and leaped up to its face.
His purpose was clear.
Daniel's sword, embedded in its left eye.
That was the only way to bring it down.
'However...'
Riteil roared as if in defiance.
[-----!]
Riteil had been caught off guard earlier because his body was immobile.
Even Daniel wouldn't have been able to embed his sword in his eye if it had been able to move freely.
As expected, the black mane once again sharpened into spear-like points.
Thousands of spears coated with poison that could cause one to lose consciousness with a single graze.
There was no way to penetrate them.
Hamel would eventually have to dodge or retreat.
Just as Daniel was convinced of Hamel's defeat,
Stab!
He saw Hamel's body being torn and pierced by Riteil's mane.
Flesh fell from his arms and legs.
Holes were torn in his abdomen and neck, and his mouth was ripped open, exposing his gums.
"What in the..."
Just as Daniel was at a loss for words, and Riteil flinched in surprise,
Hamel's body burst into blue flames.
He advanced with his burning body.
Even with thousands of sharp manes piercing him, he moved forward, like climbing a mountain using a rope, pulling the thorns towards himself.
Crack!
A horrifying sound echoed as something, whether bone or muscle, tore.
Yet, Hamel didn't stop.
Like a moth drawn to a flame.
Even with his burning body, he just kept moving forward.
Daniel, watching this astonishing scene, could see it.
The fear in Riteil's eyes.
[You... vermin!]
As if ashamed of feeling fear, Riteil went berserk.
[I am the fear of humans, who have lived for hundreds of years, the King of Beasts!]
Roaring, Riteil swung its forepaw with force, trying to knock Hamel away.
However, Hamel was faster.
"Let's go together."
Hamel smiled and placed his hand on the sword embedded in Riteil's eye.
Then, grabbing the blade, he leaned his weight into it and pushed it deeper.
In that instant, Hamel's blood, flowing down the blade, flared up brighter than ever before.
Whoosh!
The flames blazed, so bright they were almost white.
Riteil's body faltered.
[What are you?!]
Riteil's eyes widened in shock, and azure flames ignited within them.
The light grew, and azure flames erupted from its nose, ears, and mouth.
With a final convulsion of pain, Riteil stopped moving.
Its giant body collapsed with a thunderous crash, like a puppet with its strings cut, never to move again.
***
It was truly excruciating pain.
Hamel thought so as he trembled like an aspen leaf.
Even though he had been torn, burned, and cut countless times during his time as an exorcist priest, he had never experienced such pain.
But with no strength left to even scream or move a finger,
He could only feel the approaching death and pain silently, slowly dying.
Crackle crackle!
The sound of the Azure Flame in his ears grew fainter.
He wasn't immortal.
Even the Azure Flame had its limits, and Hamel was no exception when it came to dying from fatal wounds.
'Is this the end?'
He had regrets.
There was no need to dwell on the reason.
It was because he hadn't gotten his revenge yet.
The demon that took his mother's life that night was still vivid in his mind.
The image of the monster with white scales and dozens of wriggling tentacles.
Also, although it was just a hunch, something was happening in his clan's territory.
He had been summoned by his family, with whom he had lost contact long ago.
Gail, a close aide to the head of the clan, had committed suicide, and a request had come in about strange occurrences in the territory.
He was convinced that someone was targeting him.
Was it a coincidence that he had encountered a special-grade demon this time?
He didn't think so.
He felt a strange current in the recent events around him, something he had never felt before.
He felt like he was finally grasping a fragment of that night, and it was frustrating that he couldn't see it through to the end.
He could no longer feel the pain.
His consciousness drifted into darkness, as if falling into a deep slumber.
Was this death?
Hamel felt a sense of bewilderment at the unexpectedly warm sensation.
'This is like...'
Whoosh!
With a sense of bewilderment, a swirling sensation swept over his body.
The pain he had been forgetting returned vividly, and his vision blurred.
'...My vision is blurring?'
He was about to scream from the unexpected pain, but Hamel hesitated.
The sensations and thoughts he was experiencing now were exclusive to the living.
Hamel slowly opened his eyes, feeling puzzled.
The first thing he saw was Antonio, his face pale, placing his hand on Hamel's forehead.
"Oh mother of all lost lives, compassionate one who cherishes the wounded young creatures, I pray that your mercy may dwell in my fingertips."
The divine power spreading from his fingertips dispelled the poison of Riteil that had permeated deep into Hamel's body and began to heal his pierced and torn wounds.
"Ugh!"
Hamel groaned, unable to bear the intense pain, and cheers erupted around him.
"He's alive!"
"Priest-nim is alive!"
Dozens of people were shouting with joy at his groans.
Hamel felt a strange mix of emotions and forced himself to speak.
"What happened to Riteil?"
"Don't speak. I'm at my limit too."
The divine power emanating from Antonio's hands gradually faded.
Then, with a thud, Antonio collapsed beside Hamel and muttered with difficulty,
"Ugh... Please just listen, don't answer. Riteil has been defeated, and the knight-nim is safe too."
Antonio groaned as if he were about to die instead.
After purifying the lord's daughter and falling unconscious, Antonio had awakened and healed the knight and Hamel.
It was a moment where the presence of God felt closer than ever.
'It's not my time yet.'
Hamel believed that God had spared him because he still had things to accomplish.
He silently offered his gratitude to God.
The morning sunlight, now bright, warmly enveloped the clearing.
***
"Thank you!"
Hamel quietly looked at the lord, who was grasping both of his hands. Bowing deeply in gratitude, he was not the lord of Lengbaster, but a father to his daughter.
"You're welcome."
"How can I ever repay this kindness?"
"This request began with the villagers' plea. They have already agreed to make an offering to the Order, so there is no need for anything else."
"Hmm."
The lord of Lengbaster looked at Hamel with a troubled expression.
Then, his eyes suddenly sparkled.
"That ring around your neck?"
Hamel picked up the ring hanging around his neck. A silver ring engraved with a wolfsbane flower.
'Ah, come to think of it, I've been wearing it around my neck because I had nowhere else to put it.'
Hamel, who had completely forgotten about its existence, nodded and replied,
"It's the signet ring of the Baron Gilmore Clan."
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Max]
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